The General Wrestling Thread

[EmpireWF]

Is there any real question that if the WWF really went belly-up in the 90s and left the wrasslin' business for good, that he'd be anywhere in the same stratosphere in terms of riches or success today?

That'd be a hell of a sight.

If Turner runs McMahon out of the wrestling business...what does he do? Does he regroup, get investors and try again?

[Warner2BruceTD]

An interesting point that Meltzer always brigs up, is that Vince thinks he took wrestling mainstream, but in reality, wrestling is far less popular now than it ever has been in history.

WWE is highly successful, but wrestling as a whole does far less attendance, far less total TV viewers, far less viewers percentage wise when compared against the population, etc. By anything measurable, even gross income when changed for inflation, the wrestling industry has never been less popular than it is now.

Local wrestling used to do ratings that Vince has never approached, and they used to do it every week for decades on end in places like Memphis, Portland, Houston, St Louis, Atlanta, Carolinas, etc etc etc, not to mention selling out large arenas EVERY WEEK in some of those places, repeating the same tour loops week after week for decades. Vince cant sell out those same cities once per YEAR these days as the only game in town, even with his crazy budget and flashy looking TV production.

How did the territories keep things fresh week after week? Solid booking that made sense. Not by writing elaborate scripts, not by bringing in people from outside the business, not by running from the idea that what you do is wrestling. The booking was often done by uneducated men, but they were lifers in the business and understood what drew through trial & error and experience.

I think selling out the same buildings every week for years on end is far more impressive than drawing half full houses every night, and living and dying on PPV and the Mania revenue.

So from that angle, i'm not even sure Vince is a great wrestling promoter. He's a great something, I just don't know what it is.

[FedEx227]

I'm not entirely sure he is much anyway. I suppose we could maybe have a topic for the next podcast. Outside of Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold/The Rock, what has he really done great?

More times then not when he has most of the control you end up with really dumb characters, bad wrestling, bad storylines, flip flopped concepts, etc.

Hulk Hogan fell into his lap as an already partially made star and Stone Cold was really a JR project that just needed the platform to launch (which was not only already seen somewhat by WCW pre-Bischoff but more so seen by Paul Heyman). EVEN then McMahon saddled him with a retarded gimmick and concept before as Cornette said, he turned into himself with the volume turned up.

Actually, can we do the podcast about this? I really, really like this topic.

[FedEx227]

He said it was the largest sell-out crowd in WWE history in Cleveland, I believe. So I'm not even sure that it was the largest crowd WWE had ever drawn in Cleveland - probably just the largest that could be counted as a sell-out in Cleveland.

It was a dumb line all around. Nobody really knows what it meant. At it's core it's basically largest sell out crowd in Cleveland for a weekly episodic television taping.

[EmpireWF]

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[IamMedellin]

Actually, can we do the podcast about this? I really, really like this topic.

Please do, I'd Listen to THAT podcast

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

I'll be your special guest psychologist.

[s@ppisgod]

Thinkin about picking up some wrestling books. Any suggestions? I know Hart's book has been spoken very highly of, and I was a huge fan of him. I've heard pretty good things about the Death of WCW book, which seems right up my alley. Jericho and Foley's 1st book are supposed to be really good as well.
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[EmpireWF]

Thinkin about picking up some wrestling books. Any suggestions? I know Hart's book has been spoken very highly of, and I was a huge fan of him. I've heard pretty good things about the Death of WCW book, which seems right up my alley. Jericho and Foley's 1st book are supposed to be really good as well.

All of the ones you mentioned are HIGHLY recommended. Can't go wrong with any of them, but over time, you should check them all out.

Todd Martin at WrestlingObserver reviews books now and again, here's a list of the top echelon books he's reviewed...

Tier 1: Best of the Best
Chokehold by Jim Wilson,
Wrestlers are Like Seagulls by JJ Dillon,
Tangled Ropes by Superstar Billy Graham,
Listen You Pencil Neck Geeks by Freddie Blassie,
Have a Nice Day by Mick Foley,
Hitman by Bret Hart, Foley is Good by Mick Foley,
A Lion’s Tale by Chris Jericho,
Hooker by Lou Thesz,
My Life in Wrestling by Gary Hart

Tier 2: Highly Recommended
Midnight Express 25th Anniversary Scrapbook by Jim Cornette,
Inside Out by Ole Anderson,
Cheating Death Stealing Life by Eddie Guerrero,
Broken Harts: The Life and Death of Owen Hart by Martha Hart,
Queen of the Ring by Jeff Leen,
To Be the Man by Ric Flair,
The Pain and the Passion by Heath McCoy,
Mondo Lucha A Go-Go by Dan Madigan,
The Cowboy and the Cross by Bill Watts,
National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling by Tim Hornbaker,
Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels by Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson,
It’s Good to Be the King Sometimes by Jerry Lawler,
Blood in the Cage by L. Jon Wertheim,
Fall Guys by Marcus Griffin,
Walking a Golden Mile by William Regal,
Catch Wrestling by Mark Hewitt,
Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams by Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson,
No Holds Barred: Evolution by Clyde Gentry,
Total MMA by Jonathan Snowden,
Becoming the Natural by Randy Couture,
Stone Cold Truth by Steve Austin,
Pure Dynamite by Dynamite Kid,
More than Just Hardcore by Terry Funk,
Brisco by Jack Brisco,
Undisputed by Chris Jericho,
Let's Get It On by John McCarthy,
Last Outlaw by Stan Hansen

[Warner2BruceTD]

The artist formerly known as Super Nova is telling people that Sami Callihan has signed with the WWE. Presumably a developmental deal.

[JayDizzle]

Still own Foley's second book.

The Al Snow Suplex story is one of the funniest I've heard in some time.

[FedEx227]

VSD Wrestling Podcast - Episode #002 - WWE WrestleMania XXVIII Preview & Predictions

http://vsnarcadepodcast.podomatic.com/entry/2012-03-15T20_41_10-07_00

Joe Lanza (Warner2Bruce4TD) and Rich Kraetsch (FedEx227) give their insights, predictions and thoughts on the upcoming WWE WrestleMania XXVIII card. Joe and Rich discuss potential blood in the Hell in a Cell, which matches they are most looking forward to and the ones we aren't (aka the women's match). They have an especially interesting debate about the potential finish of the John Cena vs. The Rock Main Event in addition to the Triple H vs. Undertaker match and if Taker's streak could end. Joe and Rich wrap the show up talking about the Dragon Gate USA and Ring of Honor Internet Pay-Per-Views also running in Miami over the weekend.

VSD Wrestling Podcast Episode #002 - WWE WrestleMania XXVIII Preview & Predictions

http://www.virtualsportsdaily.com

http://www.wrestlemania.com

http://www.dgusa.tv

http://www.rohwrestling.com

[EmpireWF]

lmao @ this.

From Variety….http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118051516

Lionsgate and WWE Studios have signed a 2-film deal.

First up is a reboot of LEPRECHAUN to be released in 2013. No writer, director or cast yet.

[IamMedellin]

HornSwaggle in the role he was BORN to play!?!?!

[s@ppisgod]

Does that mean a Crime Tyme comeback? Lep in tha hood, can do no good.
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