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Minggu, 17 Juni 2007

WWE - Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson

A True Showman

The Rock Image Courtesy: jagdish.blogs.com

A third generation wrestler from an illustrious wrestling family, Dwayne Johnson has been able to make a mark in the world of entertainment be it pro-wrestling or the movies. His success as an entertainer is illustrated by the fact that he has managed to seamlessly transcend into the world of movies. The only other person who may have managed to do it must be Hulk Hogan. However his screen persona of ‘The Rock’ has been able to capture the imagination of audiences worldwide.

Early days

Rocky Miavia Image Courtesy: areavoices.com

It is ironic to think that when he first started off the crowd hated him. His lineage was always played up and he was even given the ring name of Rocky Miavia (a combination of his dad’s and granddad’s name). The crowd however found him to be boring and sometime even gave chants of “Die Rocky Die”. In keeping with his character Rocky had to smile and bear these cheers even though he was raging inside. This was also the time when Steve Austin became the epitome of the bad boy hero image.

Success!!

The Rock Image Courtesy: drock.net

His fortunes took a turn for the better when he switched to being a heel and took up the ring name of The Rock. From then on there was no turning back. He began to use the opportunity that a heel character would provide to pour out his real life frustrations on the crowd. He would unleash absolutely venomous verbal attacks on the audience and would insult anyone he could lay his eyes on. But amazingly instead of hating him the crowd began to like him and his popularity began to surge aided in no small part by his superb mic skills.

Memorable Quotes

The Rock Image Courtesy: areavoices.com

He began to refer to himself in the third person whenever he was in the ring. He also spewed forth many quotes, which became a rage with every WWE/WWF fan of the time. Some of them were

"If you smell, what The Rock is cooking!"
"Finally, The Rock has come back to (city name)"
"The Rock will take your object, turn it sideways, and stick it straight up your candy ass”
"Just Bring It"
"Layeth the Smacketh Down!"

Unforgettable Rivalries

The Rock v Triple H Image Courtesy: slam.canoe.ca

It was not just his mic skills that helped him win the hearts of the fans at the time. As part of the attitude era he had some really unforgettable rivalries with some of the biggest name in sports entertainment. His feud with Mankind was absolutely brutal. They would go at each other with everything they had and with everything they could lay their hands on. Their ‘I Quit’ and ‘Empty Arena’ matches were truly memorable. Also unforgettable were his feuds with Stone Cold and Triple H. The feud with Stone Cold was interesting mainly due to the great war of words that the two would indulge in. Here were two superstars who no qualms about spouting profanity laden dialogues at each other and the crowd just enjoyed every moment of it. His feud with Triple H was more physical than verbal but it was never found lacking in intensity. It must be said that these three superstars were incidental in helping the WWF win the Monday night wars against the WCW.

Transition into Movies

The Scorpion King Image Courtesy: areavoices.com

The Rock’s first big break in the movies came when he enacted the role of the Scorpion King in ‘The Mummy Returns’ which was a success. This along with his successful stint at ‘Saturday Night Live’ helped him in reprising the role of Scorpion King in a movie by the same name. As his movie career became more and more active his appearances in the ring became more and more sporadic. He would return once in a while to start a new feud (like the one with Hulk Hogan) or as a special guest in some of the matches. He went on to star in movies like The Rundown, Walking Tall, Be Cool and Gridiron Gang. He has since stated countless times that he is done with wrestling.

Whether as a movie star or as one of the most popular sports entertainer of all time, The Rock continues to capture the attention of the masses all over the world. He is one of those rare breed of wrestlers who has the looks, the charisma, the talent and more importantly the brains to make it big. His fans will be hoping that they can smell whatever it is that he is cooking for some more time to come.

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Rabu, 13 Juni 2007

What is entertainment?

Are we crossing moral boundaries?

Paris Hilton Arrested Image Courtesy: imageshack.us

On Monday, at the end of WWE’s broadcast of RAW, it was implied that the WWE chairman Vince McMahon was killed in a car bomb. Even though people were stunned and shocked at the time, it now looks increasingly like another of WWE’s gimmicks rather than any actual explosion. The reason? To increase the ratings of the show!!! Some must have found that entertaining but many others found that sickening.

More than anything it is the timing of the gimmick that needs to be questioned. Everyday scores of people die all over the world due to the menace of car and suicide bombings. Even considering the argument that maybe we are taking WWE and its numerous gimmicks too seriously, their effort to trivialize the menace of such attacks just doesn’t make any sense. It was utterly thoughtless and insensitive on the WWE’s part to have come up with such a storyline.

Mr. McMahon Image Courtesy: wikipedia.org

Some might say that it is part of a great storyline and hence we should not be too concerned about it. Agreed it is entertainment and agreed it is fake. But the line between reality and entertainment has always been very thin in the WWE. The thing is, most of the viewers of WWE are kids who idolize their stars and take most of the action to be real. They are sending the wrong message if tomorrow WWE comes out and say that Stone Cold or some other superstar did it. It would imply that Mr. McMahon was a bad guy, so what’s the harm in blowing up his car? In this day and age of campus shootings, that is a dangerous message to send out to the kids. Not to mention the moral and ethical implications of such gimmicks. So then why did they show it? Because we as audience asked for it.

The word entertainment has been acquiring some strange meanings these days. In the name of reality television we are beamed even the mundane activities of people participating in that show. I am not panning all reality shows here. There are some really good ones too, but there are also others which have been pushing the envelope just a bit too much. They are feeding on that most deplorable of vices in mankind; poking their noses into other’s business. The recent BIGG BOSS TV show in India was just an example of this.

Celebrities have endured and suffered a lot due to this very intrusive nature of ours. It is another matter that some of these very celebrities actually encourage such intrusions and come up with so shocking scandal or the other just to stay in the limelight. But there has also been cases when the privacy of a person is violated repeatedly just because that person is a public figure, sometimes even leading to tragic circumstances; most notably as in the case of Princess Diana and her boyfriend. The reason given? We the audience demands it!!!

Princess Diana Car Crash Image Courtesy: wikipedia.org

I have always believed that morality needs to be defined by time and culture that we live in. What is considered to be moral in one society at a particular time may not be the same in another. But still even considering that, shouldn’t there be a line drawn somewhere? Aren’t we pushing the boundaries what is acceptable and what is not? I feel that the line should be drawn by we the audience. Otherwise there could be a day when we see real life murder on TV in the name of entertainment. Would that be entertainment? After all it is nothing more than a show! right?

Related Reading.

Senin, 11 Juni 2007

WWE – Vince McMahon Dead?

Vince McMahon - Is he really dead?

Mr. McMahon's car exploding Image Courtesy: wwe.com

Vince McMahon is the truest definition of a showman. He is also a very shrewd businessman who has rescued his business from a crisis countless times. Which is why everyone is taking the events at the end of tonight’s RAW with a pinch of salt. But it has to be said that regardless of whether or not Vince McMahon is dead (and I really hope he is not), there is no doubt that he has successfully managed to bring a lot of attention and interest back to the WWE which seemed to be losing its hold over the wrestling fans.

If it is true that he is dead (WWE.com proclaims that he is presumed dead) then this will be one of the most shocking news ever. It would be a news item everywhere and not just on wrestling sites and channels. At the time of writing this post I have not seen or heard anything about this in any of the other popular news channels or other media. This in the day and age, where Paris Hilton’s jail term for a DUI is sensational news. So any sane and reasonable person would have to believe that McMahon is alive and kicking. So it is a wonder that people haven’t already caught on to it.

Mr. McMahon Image Courtesy: wikipedia.org

Other things too point to this being a kayfabe. Tonight was supposed to be a Vince McMahon appreciation night. He just rambled on some crap about smoke and premonitions. Then ‘coincidentally’ his car blew up and the camera was waiting there to capture it…yeah right!!! And on top of it all his body is not found!!! This goes to show the lengths to which some people might go to shock people. Well McMahon has certainly achieved that and more.

McMahon has always pulled off some stunt or the other to sustain his business. Be it the Montreal Screwjob or his many feuds with the other superstars in WWE as his in-ring persona Mr.McMahon. But this one has surpassed all the shocking gimmicks (and I really hope it is one) that he has done so far. The morality of it all though is up to each individual’s discretion. Some would take it as a sick thing to do while others may just shrug their shoulders and move on. But the more serious question would be: Is this entertainment?

Mr. McMahon feuding Image Courtesy: wikipedia.org

There is no doubt that people who saw it at first were shocked. I think realization that it might be a kayfabe may have only sunk in a few minutes later. The initial reaction must surely have been for his welfare. This soap opera-yish style of the WWE may put off some really hardcore wrestling fans. But then again, as MR. McMahon has once said, he is in the sport entertainment business and not in the wrestling business. So maybe these hardcore wrestling fans are barking up the wrong tree.

But whether what happened today is entertainment or not will depend on each individual’s perspective of the subject. It is debatable whether he should have played around with car bombs and explosions considering the times that we live in. Many people all over the world, including here in India, has suffered greatly due to car bombs and suicide attacks. If this is a gimmick then it is belittling the sufferings of those people. But then again maybe we are all taking it a bit too seriously. I certainly wont be surprised if I hear that Mr. McMahon has made a miraculous recovery and is in perfect health. Wonder where it all might be leading to though…

Related Reading.

Rabu, 30 Mei 2007

WWE – Stone Cold Steve Austin

His greatest rivalries.

Image Courtesy: search.com

Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time. It was he who ushered in the attitude era of wrestling and allowed the WWE to beat WCW in the famous Monday night wars. If you take a look at almost all the greatest feuds or matches of the time, you will find Stone Cold featured regularly in the almost all of them. It is ironic to think that once Steve Austin was fired from WCW by Eric Bischoff because Bischoff felt that Austin was too unmarketable. Bischoff would later say that he wouldn’t have fired Austin if he had known what Austin would later become. Austin still remains one of the most popular WWE superstars of all time.

Over the years Austin has had some great rivalries in the WWE/WWF over the years. We are showcasing just a few of them here. Readers might have their own take on these rivalries. Please feel free to contribute your own picks on the same in your comments. But again these are our picks…you know why? Coz Stone Cold said so!!!

With Vince McMahon

Image Courtesy: wikipedia.org

This rivalry gained massive crowd support because it pitted the Rattlesnake against the evil corporate character of Mr. McMahon. The crowd took Austin’s battles against Mr. McMahon as one of the common man against the rich. At the time WWE needed it as they were involved in a bitter battle against the WCW who were leading the Monday Night Wars. Austin became a face with his aggressive attitude and doing things that a hero wouldn’t do. He epitomized the rebellion against the establishment angle.

The rivalry really started after Bret Hart’s departure. Austin became the new top superstar of the WWF. After he had won the 1998 Royal Rumble he interrupted Vince McMahon when he introduced Mike Tyson as the baddest man on the planet. Austin’s conduct on that day made Vince scorn the idea of seeing Stone Cold as the next WWE champion. When Austin went on tot win the title at Wrestlemania 14 against Shawn Michaels with the help of Mike Tyson, Mr. McMahon’s worst nightmares came true. He even tried to make the rattlesnake tow the corporate line. But all that he got in return for his efforts were a Stone Cold Salute (which is the showing of the finger), a stunner and a punch to the boss’s “Corporate Grapefruits”. Vince was incensed and went all out to screw Stone Cold in whatever way possible starting off a long and bitter rivalry.

With The Rock

Image Courtesy: wikipedia.org

This rivalry took off at a stage when Stone Cold, with his heel tactics as a face, was defining the role of a tweener in wrestling. Nobody did it as larger than life or as successfully as Stone Cold managed to do. The Rock on the other hand had just turned into a heel by becoming the exact opposite of what his earlier babyface character, Rocky Miavia, was. He started spitting venom at the crowd and made popular several catchphrases like “If you smell what The Rock is cookin'” or “Finally… the Rock has come back to ”. It was sort of inevitable that the Rattlesnake and the Rock would soon collide with such large personalities.

They first collided with each other during Austin’s title reign as the Intercontinental champion. The feud culminated with Austin defeating The Rock within six minutes at In Your House: D-Generation X in 1998. When Vince McMahon asked for a rematch the following night at Raw, Austin simply forfeited the title before handing a stunner to both the Rock and McMahon. The Rock went on to win the WWF championship and was thereafter proclaimed as the corporate champion by Vince McMahon. Austin and the Rock would feud again after the latter became the WWF champion at Survivor Series in 1998. The two would meet each other at Wrestlemania 15. Austin beat The Rock and won the title paving the way for a rivalry between the two for well over a year.

With Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart

Image Courtesy: wikipedia.org

This was the rivalry that really made Steve Austin what he is today. He had just come out with Austin 3:16 phrase and was beginning to assure in the attitude era at the WWE. But he knew that to truly cement his place he had to go after a big name. So he went after Bret Hart who was taking a sabbatical at the time. He would continuously taunt The Hitman with comments like “If you put the letter 'S' in front of 'Hitman', you have my exact opinion of Bret Hart”! Bret had no other option but to accept the Rattlesnake’s challenge and return to the ring and take him on.

The two collided at the 1996 Survivor Series. Bret Hart won the match by applying his famous Sharpshooter on Stone Cold. But to everyone’s surprise the crowd turned on Bret Hart and started cheering for Steve Austin, thus cementing his place among the fans. They continued to feud with each other until they met again at Wrestlemania 13 in a submission match. It was a match where both superstars gave it their all and went at each other. At the end of the match Bret Hart got the sharpshooter in place. But Austin refused to quit. He eventually passed out from the massive blood loss that he was suffering. This match ultimately turned Austin into a face and Bret into a heel. Although they had a bitter professional rivalry they had a good relationship personally. So much so that it was Austin who inducted Bret Hart into the WWE hall of fame

Related Reading.

Selasa, 29 Mei 2007

WWE – The Montreal Screwjob

The Most Controversial Incident of All Time

Image Courtesy: wikipedia.org

One of the major reasons why people watch WWE is the underlying kayfabes (the events that are a part of a storyline). This makes the matches or feuds between two superstars take a whole new interest by putting in some drama to all the mayhem that is shown on the ring. However there have been occasions when real life tensions between the superstars have caused the matches between them to be viewed with a lot more interest. We are showcasing one such rivalry and how it all culminated in one of the most controversial and real incidents in sports entertainment.

Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart have been rivals from their tag team days itself with Bret as part of the team ‘The Hart Foundation’ and Shawn as part of ‘The Rockers’. At one point The Rockers had even won the World Tag Team title from The Hart Foundation. But the two became intense rivals around the time of Wrestlemania 12 in 1996. Bret was the reigning WWF champion. The match was stipulated to be a 60 minute Iron Man Match where the man with the most submissions or pins becomes the winner. After 60 minutes of high intensity, the match ended 0-0. But the WWF President Gorilla Monsoon entered the ring and ordered the match to continue under sudden death rules. Michaels won the match and the title shortly thereafter. After the match Shawn Michaels is alleged to have told The Hitman to “get the f**k out of my ring” and the seeds for a bitter and personal rivalry were sown.

Image Courtesy: derok.net

After Wrestlemania 12 Bret took some time off and during that time he was offered a big contract in the WCW. But out of loyalty towards WWF Bret chose to stay back and signed a 20 year deal with them. Shawn was widely believed to drop his title to Bret at Wrestlemania 13. But instead he vacated the title just a few months before Wrestlemania 13 in his infamous ‘I lost my smile’ speech. He claimed that his doctor had told him that his knee injury would be career ending. Bret Hart on the other hand felt that he was faking it as Shawn had always said that he wouldn’t do anymore jobs for anyone in the territory. Bret went on to win the title again by winning Fatal Four Way match involving Austin, Vader, the Undertaker and himself.

In the meanwhile Vince McMahon, the owner of WWF, made a U-turn and came back to Bret Hart and asked him to reconsider the offer made by WCW. Vince said that since the WWF was in a tight financial situation at the time and that he will not be able to afford the earlier contract. After a lot of deliberations Hart finally signed a contract with WCW for an alleged figure of $ 3 million a year. Thus it was decided that the 1997 Survivor Series in Montreal would be his final match in the WWF.

Image Courtesy: search.com

Vince McMahon wanted Bret to drop the title to Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series before moving on to WCW. However by this time the feud between Shawn and Bret Hart had reached a personal level and Bret was unwilling to drop the title to Shawn Michaels. Both of them had made several personal comments about each other in the build up to the match. While Bret questioned Shawn’s sexual preferences, Shawn made a comment that Bret was having a lot of Sunny days lately. This was in reference to alleged relationship that Bret was having with WWE diva Sunny. However this comment led to a major fight between the two in the locker room.

When Vince persisted for the title to be dropped at Survivor Series Bret said that he was willing to drop the title to anyone anywhere other than to Shawn Michaels in Montreal. One of his reasons was that since Shawn has always been unwilling to do a job for anyone else Bret would not reciprocate either. Second, since Bret by this time was a big national icon in Canada he didn’t want to lose over there.

After a lot of arguing it was finally decided that the match would end in a disqualification. Vince in the meantime called a meeting at his hotel room with his confidantes and Shawn Michaels and allegedly set into motion the screwjob. Bret’s confidantes also advised him to be careful and not to let his guard down during the match. Bret insisted on having his friend Earl Hebner to officiate the match so the he can be in the match without any fear of a double cross. Hebner swore upon his children that he would not double cross Bret.

Image Courtesy: derok.net

Before the match it was decided that Michaels would put Hart into the sharpshooter hold while the referee would be unconscious. Hart would grab Michaels' foot and reverse the hold, putting him in the sharpshooter. Michaels would tap out, but the referee would still be unconscious. Michaels would then hit Hart with his finisher, Sweet Chin Music, and make the cover. A second referee would then run to the ring with Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith following close behind and the referee would be prevented from making the count. When the original referee starts again Bret Hart would kick out and the match would ultimately end in disqualification.

During the match the ref was knocked out cold. Shawn Michaels put the sharpshooter on Bret Hart. But the ref suddenly stood up and asked for the bell to be rung even though Bret had not tapped out. Vince McMahon who was on the ringside asked the timekeeper to “Ring the f**king bell”. The time keeper rang the bell just as Bret reached over grabbed Michael’s leg and thus breaking the hold. Shawn Michaels’ theme music began to play and he was announced the winner and the new champion. Hebner exited from the ring straightaway and was driven to his hotel room, from where he went to take the first flight out of Canada.

Everybody involved was still in shock when Bret recovered and spat directly into the face of Vince McMahon. Vince ordered a seemingly irate Michaels (it was later revealed that he too was in on it the whole time) to “pick up the f**kin' belt and get the f**k out of here!” Vince too exited the ringside quickly, while Bret went on a rampage and destroyed the equipments on the ringside before he was clamed by his brother Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith. Before going to the dressing room Bret signed “I Love You” and “WCW” to the fans.

Image Courtesy: wikipedia.org

Backstage he confronted Michaels who swore he had nothing to do with what had just transpired. Many WWF superstars backstage were pissed off at the treatment meted out to Hart, a veteran of 14 years in the WWF. Undertaker went into Vince McMahon’s dressing room and told him in no uncertain terms to apologize to Bret Hart. When Vince went to meet Bret Hart, the latter punched the living daylights out of Vince and gave him a black eye in the process.

All the major players in the Montreal Screwjob have got on with their life. Bret went on to WCW had a brilliant career there before suffering a concussion at the hands of Goldberg, due to which he retired from wrestling. Shawn Michaels suffered an injury in the very next PPV and was out of action for almost 5 years. Bret has recently said that he has forgiven Earl Hebner though his animosity with Michaels still continues. Vince McMahon and the WWF went on to buy out the WCW and Vince became a billionaire. He also spawned the Mr. McMahon character out of the entire episode. But the incident can never be erased from the minds of any of these people or the millions who watched it.

Related Reading.

Sabtu, 19 Mei 2007

WWE SummerSlam

Greatest Matches

Image Courtesy : wikipedia.org

Part of the big four in the WWE calendar along with Wrestlemania, Royal Rumble and Survivor Series, Summerslam has always produced exciting matches. Although sometimes considered lesser in stature than Wrestlemania or the Royal Rumble it has always managed to give the WWE fans something to talk about with its interesting match-ups and great tussles. We have showcased a few such matches here which we found to be interesting. Please bear in mind that this is not a ranking of matches and readers are encouraged to put in their own choices as well.

The British Bulldog vs. Bret “Hit Man” Hart – Intercontinental Championship – 1992

Image Courtesy : wikipedia.org

It is not often that the main event of WWE’s showpiece event is not the World Championship match. But on this occasion things were slightly different at the Wembly Stadium, London. The local man British Bulldog was challenging Bret Hart’s Intercontinental championship and so in an effort to please the British crowd, WWE made this the main event of the evening. To add to the drama was the fact that The British Bulldog was married to Bret Hart’s sister Diana.

The match went back and forth with both superstars going at each other. Bret Hart’s superior class was very evident from the beginning itself. He had the upper hand almost throughout the match. At one point he even had the sharpshooter lock on the British Bulldog. To the Bulldog’s credit he found his reserve from the enormous support of the local crowd and fought back brilliantly. In the end the Bulldog reversed an attempted sunset flip by hooking the Hitman’s leg and rolling him up for the pin. It was a superb end to an equally superb match. Bret Hart’s show of sportsmanship in the end too made it all the more memorable.

Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon – Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship – 1995

Image Courtesy : wikipedia.org

These are the two guys who made the ladder match famous. These two guys had taken everybody’s breath away with their awesome display in a ladder match the previous year at Wrestlemania. It is often argued as to which of the two ladder matches were the better. However there is no denying that each match is a classic one their own.

The two guys started out in brutal fashion using the ladder as weapon. Both were brutal in the way they used it to ram into the body of their opponent. During the course of the match the Heart Break Kid slipped his leg on the ladder and got his leg stuck on a rung. Ramon immediately began attacking the injured leg of HBK. Ramon went on to torture the injured leg of the Showstopper by slamming his injured knee on to the ladder, the apron and wrapping it around the post but HBK showed how big a heart he had for a fight by coming back again and again. Ramon even brought in a ladder of his own and both the superstars started climbing their respective ladders. Both of them traded Superkicks and Razor’s edge off the ladder. The devastated superstars tried again and this time Shawn Michaels back body dropped Ramon when the latter tried another Razor’s edge. He was thus able to claim the championship in a truly memorable match.

Undertaker vs. Mankind – Boiler Room Brawl – 1996

Image Courtesy : wikipedia.org

Undertaker and Mankind have produced some truly unforgettable matches during their time. The most memorable of those was the Hell in the Cell match in 1998’s King of The Ring. This one though was a precursor to that match and was also a unique one. The object of the match was to escape the boiler room and retrieve the urn from Paul Bearer who was waiting inside the ring.

Of the two competitors it was Mankind who started off the more aggressive. He sneaked up behind the Undertaker and nailed him with a steel pipe. This gave us all an inkling of how the match would proceed from then on. The two superstars went at each other with everything they could get their hands on. From pipes to ladders to saw horses, everything and anything that could be used to inflict pain on a human being was used. In the middle the two traded 2x4 and piledrivers too. Towards the end the Undertaker set out to retrieve the urn. But in a shocking twist to the match, Paul Bearer turned his back on his protégé. This helped Mankind to apply the Mandible Claw on the Undertaker and thereby winning the match.

Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels – Unsanctioned Street Fight – 2002

Image Courtesy : wikipedia.org

Right from the outset this match had all the makings of a classic. The match was between two best friends turned into bitter enemies, which added that extra personal touch to the whole proceedings. Shawn Michaels was returning from a potential career ending injury and had planned on joining Triple H and rebuilding the de-generation X team. However Triple H turned on Shawn Michaels and sowed the seeds for a bitter rivalry. They decided on having a street fight at SummerSlam. Due to the personal nature of the match and the brutality that could go with it WWE refused to sanction the match.

Triple H had the upper hand throughout this match. He put backbreakers after backbreakers on the Showstopper. He was targeting the injured back of HBK that had kept him out of action for so long. But HBK just wouldn’t give up and kept coming back at Triple H. Triple H tried chair shots on the back of the HBK and still Michaels would come back. Frustrated Triple H got his trusted sledgehammer out, but Michaels was able to avoid it. Triple H though further attacked HBK’s ailing back by slamming it into a chair. Even as HBK was getting up Triple H was waiting to give him another chair shot. But Michaels Superkicked the chair into the game’s face and came back strongly. Michaels then pummeled Triple H with chair and belt and followed it up with a top rope splash (while the game was laid on a table) and an elbow drop from the top off a ladder.The game however was able to duck a Supekick and went for the pedigree. But Michaels rolled him over for a pin and won the match. Triple H was so furious that he took out the sledgehammer and bludgeoned HBK to La La Land, bringing to an end a superb match.

Related Reading.

Jumat, 13 April 2007

WWE Undertaker

The Phenom

Image Courtesy:tv.yahoo.com

The Undertaker has been a long time favorite of mine. From the first time I saw him I have been a fan of his. His dead man routine is one of the most identified routines in the history of WWE. Born as Mark Calaway, he is however more famous by his ring name of ‘The Undertaker’ and his numerous other nicknames. He is considered as one of the most professional men in the World Wrestling Entertainment roster.

Although he became famous at the then WWF, he made his debut with their rival WCW. There he was an emerging star and even had a famous match against Lex Luger at the time. But he however truly blossomed at the WWF. Although he was initially introduced as Kane the Undertaker, he later on dropped the Kane part from his name and adopted the simpler name of “The Undertaker”. This character was on a mortician in the old western movies. The character‘s trademark was being supposedly impervious to pain and possessing supernatural powers.

He made his Wrestlemania debut in 1991 defeating the legend "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka. His popularity soared from there on and the rest as they say is history. He has an unbelievable win-loss record of 15-0 at Wrestlemania with the latest victory coming at the recently concluded Wrestlemania 23 at the expense of Batista and thereby winning the World Heavyweight Championship.

Image Courtesy: wikipedia.org

He has had many famous feuds over the years and some equally great matches along the way. But in my mind he will always be remembered for two of the greatest Hell in the Cell matches of all time. In 1997 Undertaker had won the WWF Championship title a second time and was defending it against Bret Hart at Summer Slam. The tension in the match was intensified with the decision to make Shawn Michaels the guest referee, who was having a feud with Bret Hart at the time. During the course of the match Bret Hart spit on Shawn Michaels and the latter promptly tried to give a steel chair shot to Hart. However the Undertaker took the hit costing him his WWF championship.

This set up the first Hell in the Cell match between Michaels and Undertaker at the In Your House: Badd Blood in 1997. As an added incentive the winner was given the chance of becoming the number one contender for the WWF championship. The match was completely fresh and innovative. The creativity and originality that these two professionals whipped up was truly unbelievable. Undertaker dominated the match throughout with Michaels fighting back several times. At one point Michaels got the Undertaker tangled in the two top ropes, momentarily immobilizing him. However when Michaels tried to charge at the Undertaker the latter flipped him over the top ropes and on top of a cameraman and injuring the cameraman.

Image Courtesy: wikipedia.org

While the injured cameraman was being taken out of the ring the two superstars took to the top of the cage and began to fight from the top. At one point Michaels was trying to outrun the Undertaker by climbing back down the cell. He was left hanging off the side when the Undertaker stomped on his hands, causing him to fall through the Spanish announce table at ringside from a height of around 10-12 feet. The fall he took is still spectacular to watch. Undertaker followed this up with two chair shots which seemed to have sealed the match. However Kane would come out on his debut and give the Undertaker a tombstone and allowed a bloody HBK to put his arm over the Undertaker and win the match. The match will not be forgotten by any who saw it.

If the first Hell in the Cell match was spectacular then the second one involving the Undertaker and the Mankind (Mick Foley) was absolutely horrific. It was held at the 1998 King of the ring tournament and Mankind wanted to upstage the first Hell in the Cell match and devised the plans for the notorious scenes to follow along with Terry Funk. The match will forever be remembered for the two falls that Foley took which most certainly curtailed his career and has left him injured for the rest of his life.

The match started off with both contestants going at one another from the top of the ring. Sections of the cage buckled and broke through under their weight. After a short battle, The Undertaker threw Mankind off the top of the cage through the Spanish announcers' table 16 feet below, narrowly avoiding monitors and other A/V equipment. Medical technicians quickly rushed to his aid and were wheeling mankind out of the arena. All the people there were genuinely concerned including Vince McMahon. But Mankind got up and despite having a dislocated shoulder came and climbed the top of the cage and continued the match

Image Courtesy: wikipedia.org

What happened next was not planned by either the Undertaker or Foley. The Undertaker chokeslammed Foley on the roof of the cage and that that section of the cage gave way under the weight of it’s impact making Foley fall hard into the ring knocking him out cold for a full 2 minutes. To make matters worse, a steel chair lying on the roof of the cage fell through and struck Foley in the face, dislocating his jaw and knocking out one and a half teeth as well as creating a large cut beneath his lip.

The Undertaker himself was wrestling with a broken bone in his foot and he jumped through the hole in the roof on to the ring. Even in his heavily injured state Foley introduced some thumbtacks into the ring. It is a wonder that the two men were able to work the match for much longer after that. Thankfully the Undertaker ended the horror by giving mankind a chokeslam into the thumbtacks and finsihing him off with a tombstone. The match left Foley with a dislocated jaw, a dislocated shoulder, a bruised kidney, 2 broken ribs, one and a half missing teeth, a concussion, and 14 stitches for the cut beneath his lip. Both men defied the limits of physical torture to provide a truly classical and brutal match.

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Undertaker from that point has gone on to change his gimmick as well as reinvent himself. So much so that he is the current winner of the Royal Rumble for the first time. He is also the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. Lot of new young superstars will be trying to challenge him for the title in the coming but what cannot be challenged will be his legacy.

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Kamis, 12 April 2007

WWE Wrestlemania

WWE Wrestlemania Unforgettables

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Wrestlemania is often considered the crown jewel of the World Wrestling Entertainment calendar. It is the show piece event that WWE promotes above all other events. Even the prize for the winner of the Royal Rumble is a title shot at that Year’s Wrestlemania. This more than anything illustrates the importance an event that is considered to be the super bowl of WWE.

So what better tribute to Wrestlemania than to chronicle some of the best matches ever showcased at the event. The matches showcased in this post follow no particular order and the readers are welcome to rank them as they see fit in their comments. Also if I have forgotten any match that you have liked please feel free to mention it in your comments and those matches can be taken up as the subject of another post. So let’s cut the chase and set the ball rolling shall we?

“Macho Man” Randy Savage v Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat – Wrestlemania 3

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The match was a title match for the Intercontinental championship. There was some good build up to the match when Randy Savage crushed Steamboat’s larynx with a ring bell. Steamboat therefore was understandably looking for revenge. To this day many consider this as the greatest match ever at Wrestlemania. The two men put on a great show of athleticism that was truly heart pounding at the end of which Steamboat pinned Savage with a roll-up.

Shawn Michaels v Bret Hart - Wrestlemania 12

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This was an iron man match for the world championship belt where the man with the most falls within the time limit would be declared the winner. But the two were so good that they cancelled each other out. The two men put on a show so intense that they wouldn’t let the other score a fall. The match as a result spilled over into overtime making it the longest match in WWE history. In the end Shawn Michaels won with one of his trademark sweet chin music move. And who can forget Shawn Michaels’ descend into the ring on a zip line. Truly a timeless classic!!!

Razor Ramon v Shawn Michaels – Wrestlemania 10

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The match had a good build up when Michaels, who had earlier quit the WWF, returned claiming to be rightful holder of the Intercontinental championship. Razor Ramon had won the vacant title in a tournament held during Michaels’ absence. The resulting feud culminated with both men engrossed in a ladder match to decide who would ultimately win the title. This was the match that defined how a ladder match should be played out. Though there has been other ladder matches before and after this, none of them really matched the death defying and inhuman physical sacrifices that these two pulled off that day. Razor Ramon won the match when Michaels got entangled in the ring ropes. But it was Michaels who won in the long run as this match heralded his arrival as a star.

Bret Hart v Steve Austin – Wrestlemania 13

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Talk about a match being brutal and this one will surely come to mind. Probably we should have known that it would be that way when a match between two of the most intense performers of all time at the WWE was scheduled as a I QUIT match. The two men were feuding for some months prior to the match and they both went at it like men possessed. Stone Cold had his head cut open and he passed out from severe blood loss as Bret Hart squeezed him with a sharpshooter. The sight of the blood pouring from down Austin’s face will never be forgotten by whoever watched it. This match marked the beginning of the Stone Cold era and simultaneously assured in the attitude era of the WWF.

Hulk Hogan v The Ultimate Warrior – Wrestlemania 6

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This was supposed to be the ultimate passing of the torch match where the Ultimate warrior was supposed to lead the WWF’s next generation. The fact that the Ultimate Warrior tragically self destructed later on does not take way the sheen from this match. It was definitely not the most technical match ever. But it was the most hyped and electrically charged up matches of all time. It was one of those rare title against tile matches where both The Warrior’s IC championship and Hogan’s World Championship was on the line. Even rarer was the result where Hogan lost a match in a clean job. The match will be remembered more for the hype and drama than actual technique.

There have been countless other great matches over the years in Wrestlemania. But it would be a tough task to put them all under a single post. But take any number of great matches and the name of Bret Hart is bound to crop up more than once. And what about the Undertaker, who has had a phenomenal record of 15-0 at the grandest stage of them all. So let’s hope that we get to see more memorable matches in the years to come befitting the grandeur of wrestlemania.

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Senin, 09 April 2007

WWE Royal Rumble.

Down memory lane

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One of my favorite events on the WWE calendar is the Royal Rumble. From the first time I saw it in 1993 I became a fan of the event. Even when I was not a regular viewer of the WWF I used to follow the royal rumble every year. For some reason nothing else seemed to surpass the drama and the surprise that the WWE Royal Rumble could generate.

Royal Rumble is one of the big four major event in a WWE calander. The other three being WrestleMania, SummerSlam and SurvivorSeries. The biggest USP of the Royal Rumble is its format. The match starts off with two WWE superstars going at each other with another superstar joining them after a specified interval of time (mostly 1.5 mins). This continues till all 30 participants come out to the ring. The participants try to eliminate each other from the match by throwing them over the ring. A participant is deemed to be eliminated only if he goes over the top rope and both his feet subsequently touch the ground. The last person left on the ring after all 30 participants had entered the ring is deemed the winner.

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Obviously the participants who enter the ring later on have a definite advantage over the earlier contestants. The order of the contestants is supposedly decided based on a lucky draw of the slots. But considering that this is world wrestling entertainment I seriously doubt the authenticity of these draws. Come to think of it, even the authenticity of the matches can be questioned, but that’s another topic all together.

As I previously mentioned the first Royal Rumble match that I saw was in 1993. It was the year when WWF introduced the new stipulation that the winner of the Royal Rumble would get the chance to challenge the WWF champion at WrestleMania. Yokozuna was the winner of the event that year. But what got me going was the thrill of seeing all the superstars in the ring at the same and having a go at each other. The every man for himself theme also brought about delightful scenarios where alliance are made and broken at the snap of a finger.

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But the next year was truly memorable. It is the only time when there was a tie for the winner. Both Lex Luger and Bret Hart went over the top in an attempt to eliminate each other and repeated replays were inconclusive to decide who actually touched the ground first. Hence both were declared winners. But there were other memorable moments too in the match. Diesel came in and absolutely dominated the match. He cleaned house by eliminating 7 others until some 4 or so superstars joined together to get him eliminated.It was also in this match that Shawn Michaels started his impressive record at the Royal Rumble by lasting some 29 mins in the ring.

If in 1994 Shawn Michaels was impressive in 1995 he was absolutely unbelievable. He became the first man to win the Royal Rumble after having entered the ring first. In fact the final two participants were both himself and the British Bulldog, the very two participants who had entered ring first He lasted 58 minutes in the ring and eliminated 8 other participants. He won the royal rumble again in 1996 though this time he entered the ring as the 18th contestant. He however still managed to eliminate 6 others.

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In fact you can’t mention Royal Rumble without mentioning Shawn Michaels. He has won it twice. He won the championship match twice at the Royal Rumble. He is the first man to have won the Royal Rumble after entering the ring in the #1 position. And this year he along with The Undertaker was one of the final two contestants. Recently he was voted the Ultimate Royal Rumble winner by the WWE fans.

But the honor of winning the most Royal Rumbles goes to Stone Cold Steve Austin. And if he were not screwed by Vince McMahon in 1999 he would have won it four times. No other superstar has been able to dominate the Royal Rumble since his last victory in 2001. The six subsequent editions since have produced six different winners, which included Triple H, Brock Lesnar, Chris Benoit, Batista, Ray Mysterio and the Undertaker.

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The Royal Rumble will always remain my favorite WWE event because of its sheer unpredictability. It’s a thrill ride to the very end with the action coming thick and fast from all corners of the ring. It is fun to see the guys go at each other and because of the every man for himself concept you get to see some unlikely alliances being made and broken. This year’s Royal Rumble was a bit nostalgic in the sense that it was two of the veterans who were the final two; Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. I was in a dilemma as to who I should be supporting. Hope to see them again next year and hope that the excitement of the Rumble Royal continues.

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