Pro Wrestling

RDT Reviews: WWF Wrestlemania X7

WWF Wrestlemania X7
April 1, 2001
Houston, TX

It’s over.

Good bye WCW. It was a good run and you put on a great effort, but the WWF has won. When the last Monday Nitro basically became a commercial for Wrestlemania X7 it was over for good.

The WWF set one of the truly great stacked PPV cards of all time for Wrestlemania X7. They were fortunate as unlike last year, no top guys were injured. Last year the WWF was missing The Undertaker and Stone Cold. For Mania X7, they have both. The WWF also did an effective job making new stars, evident by Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit’s run in the latter half of 2000. The WWF owns the wrestling world now. Things can only get better from now on, right? (Hindsight says…ha!)

Let’s talk a little bit about Stone Cold.

Is he as popular as he once was? Is he on the way down? Is he stale? Why are ratings not as strong? Why didn’t his comeback lead to another big ratings streak?

All great questions. At the end of Wrestlemania we’ll see how Vince answered them.

The Card

Houston Astrodome is packed. This is also the first Wrestlemania promo where I really felt the epicness of the event.

Limp Bizkit’s “My Way” was a perfect fit for this event.

Paul Heyman, replacing the temporarily departed Jerry Lawler here, says ECW about three minutes into the broadcast. I chuckled.

Intercontinental Championship
Chris Jericho© vs. William Regal

It was an interesting time for Jericho. After spending last summer as nearly a top guy, Jericho found himself back in the midcard…at least for now.

Regal was still a relative newcomer, debuting in September. But, we are also at the beginning of perhaps Regal’s best work, as he was clean at this point and a great heel as the Commissioner.

This was the feud that had Jericho peeing in Regal’s tea. A legendary moment if there ever was one. This also had Jericho running in on Regal when he was dressed as Doink.

Fast start, probably because they know they only have about 8 minutes for this.
Jericho almost overshoots Regal on a flying bodypress to the outside. Would have been a bad start to Mania there.

Double underhook suplex on Jericho from the top. Nice move from our Commissioner!

Regal’s STF makes me wonder how WWE ever thought John Cena could pull it off.

Chris Jericho retains by pin in 7:08. Lionsault out of nowhere gets the win. Crowd even seemed surprised. They tried to jam a 15 minute match into an 8 minute match, and while it wasn’t a bad match, it was nothing special and a bit disappointing.

Shane McMahon arrives in a WCW limo!

Bradshaw explains just how important this match in Texas is by going over historical events that took place in the Astrodome. Six man tag is next.

The APA and Tazz vs. The Right to Censor

I don’t recall how Tazz got involved, but the APA and RTC didn’t get along for obvious reasons.

Weird botch when Tazz gets whipped into the ropes and just falls into them and rockets back. Quite strange there.

The APA and Tazz when Bradshaw pinned the Goodfather in 3:52. Clothesline From Hell wins it. Just a way to get the guys on the card and to pop the crowd early on. This would be the end of the RTC (well, Undertaker would end them for good a week later) and virtually the end of Val Venis, Goodfather, Steven Richards and Bull Buchanan. None of these four would ever regain the popularity they had before.

Trish Stratus rolls Linda McMahon into the Astrodome, and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley says she’s late. I kinda forgot about the whole Linda in a catatonic state thing.

Hardcore Championship
Raven© vs. Big Show vs. Kane

While a step down for both Kane and Big Show, Kane it seemed to work for while it just seemed like something for Big Show to do. Show would be stuck in mid and even lower card hell until Survivor Series 2002.

Big Show never even gets to the ring as we’re fighting in the crowd now.

Raven pops up out of nowhere to attack Kane. The story of this match will be Show and Kane going at it, and Raven attacking out of nowhere.

Kane tries to throw Raven through a wall. Ouch.

Smartest move of the match: Big Show locks himself, Raven and the ref in a cage with Kane out. Kane rips the door off its hinges anyway.

Raven gets thrown through a window by Kane. Crowd responded to that for sure.

Show and Kane actually go through a wall this time. Raven attacks. One thing I didn’t like about this match: Raven basically no sells being thrown through a window.

Raven nearly gets run over by a golf cart. I hope he got a good paycheck for this match.

Kane wins the title by pinning Big Show in 9:17. Big Show presses Raven over his head to throw him off the stage, but Kane boots him and they both go flying off. Kane follows with a flying legdrop and wins the title. Garbage wrestling, but it was well done garbage wrestling. This is one of my favorite Hardcore title matches in the history of WWE. Shame they went back to 24/7 soon afterwards. Paul Heyman also somehow makes Raven look like a million bucks on commentary, which is a bonus.

Kurt Angle angrily watches over his tapping out to Benoit. Edge and Christian joke around, but Angle’s serious. Alliances like Angle, Edge and Christian are just things you don’t see in wrestling anymore. They aren’t a team, but they work together and are friends.

European Championship
Test© vs. Eddie Guerrero

No one cared about Test at this point. He had just come off the T and A run, which got Trish over more than anyone else.

Unfortunately, Guerrero was on his way down too. Personal problems had been catching up with Guerrero and he wouldn’t last much longer.

Perry Saturn seconds Guerrero and has a ridiculous hat on. It would only get more ridiculous for Saturn as 2001 went on.

Test actually gets a decent pop. Maybe he was cared about here and I didn’t remember.

Test gets his foot caught in the ropes. I don’t think it was intentional. Guerrero gets him out.

Ref definitely saw Saturn interfere there.

Eddie Guerrero wins the title by pin in 8:30. Test has it won with a big boot, but Dean Malenko pulls him off. Guerrero hits Test with the European title for the win. Match wasn’t bad, it really looked like Eddie Guerrero was doing just about everything to make it good. Test would get a strong push in 2001, but by 2002 it was pretty much over for him as a top guy. Guerrero would fall apart…but then get his life together in 2002 and go on a great three year run. Still, in the long term this match meant nothing.

Mick Foley is the king of the cheap pop.

Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle

There wasn’t much of a story here, it basically spawned from Angle being shut out of the world title picture and Benoit and Jericho’s feud running its course. Most recent storyline between them: Benoit made Angle tap out on RAW.

Angle runs down Texas. Brilliant mic work.

We get a straight wrestling match to start. It’s an interesting way to start as 2001 didn’t have a lot of that.

Predictably, Angle takes the first liberty. Amazing how the can make a punch a heel move, but here it is.

This whole match is the prototype from their amazing Royal Rumble 2003 match. The biggest difference? The fans didn’t truly trust Benoit as a good guy yet.

Angle taps to the Crossface! But there’s no referee. That guarantees this program would continue (and it would be great).

Kurt Angle pins Chris Benoit in 14:04. Angle gets a crucifix pin after a sequence, and holds the tights for the win. Finish makes sense to continue the feud, but it was a pretty cheap win for Wrestlemania (next year would be worse). This is a very good match, but they would have better.

Kamala has invaded Regal’s office! Great stuff.

Great line from Heyman. JR: “Why aren’t you in the gimmick battle royal?” Heyman: “What, you want me to bring my telephone in the ring?”

Benoit attacks Angle post-match, and Angle taps out again!

Women’s Championship
Ivory© vs. Chyna

This is the ending of the Chyna broke her neck angle. Considering Chyna is considered equal to the men, there’s not a chance in hell Ivory wins.

Chyna wins the title by pin in 2:38. Chyna begins the burial of the division here. Shame she went crazy, as she was still mega over. Chyna finished with a Gorilla Press Slam, which I wonder was a reference to Warrior going over HHH at Mania XII (or a shot at HHH).

Street Fight: Mick Foley is the Referee
Mr. McMahon vs. Shane McMahon

Vince foreshadows his alliance with Stone Cold in a quick interview with Cole.

I always wondered how Shane got away with being a momma’s boy without being booed for it.

This was also the famous feud where Shane showed up on Nitro and stole WCW.

Shane absolutely destroys Vince…until Stephanie pulls Vince off a table than Shane was flying towards.

That’s all it takes for Trish Stratus to wheel down the comatose Linda McMahon!

Trish turns on Vince! Trish beats up on Stephanie afterwards.

Trish chases Stephanie away, and Vince takes Foley out with a chair (including a chair shot to the back of the head, which Foley wasn’t expecting). Vince rolls the comatose Linda into the ring.

Of course Linda awakens and kicks Vince right in the jewels.

Shane McMahon pinned Mr. McMahon in 14:12. Shane-Terminator (ECW’s gone a month and already we’re stealing moves) puts an explanation mark on a very entertaining street fight. Sure, it’s not really the best “match”, but it was fun all the way. Also, if you’re into the McMahon storylines, you would have loved all of this, as I did.

This is already a pretty great show…and we’re only half way through!

World Tag Team Championship: Tables, Ladders and Chairs
The Dudley Boyz© vs. Edge and Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz

At No Mercy ’99, Edge and Christian along with the Hardyz changed the Ladder Match game with their tag team ladder match. At Wrestlemania 2000, the Dudleyz were added. Summerslam was the first official TLC match. All these matches were amazing and stole the show. There had also been lesser known matches in-between, such as a Tables match with the Dudleyz and Hardyz at the 2000 Royal Rumble, for example.

It doesn’t take long for E and C to introduce the ladder and take out the Hardyz!

Something you don’t see in a lot of multi-man ladder matches anymore: build up. We get some minor knockdowns off the ladder early on here.

The Hardyz bring it to the next level by doing their legdrop/splash combo onto Christian off a pair of ladders.

The Dudleyz build a table fort on the outside…back when we may have not realized they would be involved in the finish.

Spike Dudley runs in and hits a Dudley Dawg on Edge off a ladder, then hits Christian with one from the ring to the floor.

Here comes Rhyno!

GORE GORE GORE!

Now Lita’s here! She stops Edge from getting the belts.

Lita breaks a chair over Spike’s head…but then gets the 3D!

Jeff Hardy relives his moment from last year with another 20 Foot Swanton Bomb through a table on the floor!

I believe the hanging off the belts spot was invented here. Jeff Hardy almost hopsteps ladder to ladder to ladder, but the ladder gives. Still ridiculous.

Jeff Hardy in another famous spot, he ends up hanging off the belts…and Edge spears him off a ladder! Crazy. Just crazy.

Rhyno comes in and sends Matt and Bubba through the table fort create earlier off a ladder.

Edge and Christian win the title in 15:47. After that, Rhyno helped Christian up the ladder to get the belts. In my opinion, this is still the greatest multi-man ladder match in history. Innovative spots, crazy bumps, excellent use of Rhyno, Lita and Spike. Just crazy. 2001 is where WWE would oversaturate the ladder match though. Hell, they gave away a TLC on Smackdown two months later (that was also insane).

It’s a shame this match meant nothing in regards to the titles though. The Hardyz were supposed to win, but it was switched when it was decided Undertaker and Kane were getting the belts for Backlash, so heels needed to win.

Still. Amazing.

Gimmick Battle Royal

I won’t get into all the gimmicks, but Doink gets a huge pop. And of course the Gobbledy Gooker. Hillbilly Jim did as well.

The Iron Sheik wins in 3:07. Sheik last gets rid of Sgt. Slaughter. Slaughter with a post-match attack. It was horrible, but that’s the point. It was just a fun battle royal with all the old timers. Bobby Heenan seemed like he had more fun on commentary than he had in years.

The Undertaker vs. Triple H

The story was simple. HHH beat Austin at No Way Out and pointed out how he beat everyone that there is to beat. Undertaker told HHH he “ain’t ever beat me”.

HHH Motorhead Live entrance is pretty awesome.

JR brings up that Taker is 8-0 at Mania at this point. Probably the earliest mention of the Streak, other than a 4-0 mention at Mania XI.

This match had no waiting out period. Taker and HHH are just beating the hell out of each other right away. Well, Taker is at least.

It only takes about five minutes, but we have a sledgehammer!

The referee is bumped and Taker gets a chokeslam…but the ref only makes a 2 count. Taker then beats up the ref…and the brawl all over the arena is on!

They end up fighting in the tech/computer area, which is something you don’t see every day. It leads to some awesome visuals, especially when HHH hits Taker with the chair. It feels like a real fight with spectators surrounding them.

Speaking of cool visuals, Taker chokeslams HHH off the tech area, which is like a 10 foot drop (although a replay shows the soft landing for HHH). It looked like Taker dropped HHH off the face of the earth. The moment HHH is up in Taker’s grasp is awesome. Taker comes flying off with an elbow drop for good measure!

We get a Tombstone, which had just become special…but the ref is still gone (way for there to be no 2nd ref!)

In perhaps the forgotten great near Streak-stopper, Taker lifts HHH for the Last Ride, but HHH brings the sledgehammer with him and just whacks Taker in the head with it. I was amazed when I was younger that didn’t finish it.

Undertaker pins HHH in 18:57. HHH makes the mistake of corner punching Taker, as that leads to the Last Ride and 9-0. Just a great knock down drag out brawl. Easily the best Undertaker match of the early American Bad Ass era, at least until Mania X8.

We still have the main event left!

WWF Championship
The Rock© vs Stone Cold Steve Austin

Of course, the promo video for this may be the best over. (Limp Bizkit’s “My Way”).

Austin gets a huge pop and The Rock gets booed for the 1st time as a top babyface…although it wouldn’t be the last time.

Again, no wait period! Austin and Rock tear right into one another!

Kind of a funny moment, but Rock is on the announce table trying to get back to his feet, and the table just falls apart.

In all seriousness, this is an amazing brawl.

Rock explodes out of the corner and nails Austin with a clothesline and the crowd boos the shit out of him. It’s Austin’s crowd in his home state!

There’s something brilliant about having a bloodied Austin trapped in a Sharpshooter at Wrestlemania.

Another amazing idea: Austin busting out the Million Dollar Dream! And JR explains why it’s a big deal!

Here comes Vince!

Rock gets the People’s Elbow, but Vince pulls the Rock off. Some fans boo, realizing what’s about to happen.

It becomes official once Austin asks McMahon for a chair.

Stone Cold wins the title by pin in 28:07. In another genius finish, The Rock, who was getting booed out of the building earlier, gets some big cheers as he survives Austin’s onslaught. Austin pounds The Rock with a chair some 16 or 17 times and gets the pin. Austin and Vince shake hands, which basically marked the end of the Attitude Era and the last boom period in professional wrestling. Great great match. Arguably Austin’s last great match, although I like the Mania XIX match too.

This was the perfect match: two of the biggest wrestling stars of all time at the top of their games. It wasn’t like Hogan-Andre because Andre wasn’t in his prime. It wasn’t like Hogan-Warrior because Warrior wasn’t a sure thing and it was treated like Hogan was passing the torch. It was two guys at the very top of wrestling going toe to toe at the height of wrestling’s popularity at the WWF’s biggest event of the year.

And yet, that’s what makes the ending such a disappointment. Wrestlemania X7 is perfect with the hometown hero completing his comeback and winning the WWF Title. Instead, we got a shocking heel turn that no one wanted. No doubt, Austin was a great heel, but he was a once in a lifetime babyface. The WWF hasn’t reached the level they were at here since. The real Stone Cold was gone, as Austin devolved into a (still entertaining) comedy heel with a serious side to him. Austin wrote in his book about how he thought about just calling an audible when he saw the crowd reaction, realizing that Stone Cold still had the potential to be an elite top face. The finish also showed stubbornness, as Vince had to know he had to change plans after acquiring WCW.

Look, if you have any issues with this show, pro wrestling is not for you. I once thought Wrestlemania XX was the superior show, but really, it’s not. This is perfection, sans the ending. It’ll have to go with 99.9% then.

Hands down, the greatest professional wrestling PPV ever.

Final Grade: A+

NASCAR

This Day in Sports 4-6: Jeff Burton Wins His First Sprint (Winston) Cup Race at Texas (1997)

Once he got the chance, Jeff Burton showed he could be a top driver in NASCAR’s top series as a part of Roush Racing. This was the first of his 21 career wins. The 1997 season was the first of four top five in the points seasons for Burton as well.

As a bonus, this was the inaugural race at Texas Motor Speedway as well. Burton’s victory proved that Texas was a Roush stronghold, as they would win five of the first ten races here (Burton in ’97, Mark Martin in ’98, Matt Kenseth in ’02, Greg Biffle, ’05, Carl Edwards in ’05).

Anyway, here is the race in it’s entirety!

 

Pro Wrestling

RDT’s Quick Thoughts on Wrestlemania XXXI

This isn’t a full blown review (I wait a couple of years for the event to really set in. It’s easy to get too overly excited or overly down on something right away), just some thoughts about what turned out to be a pretty awesome Wrestlemania.

Good for Cesaro and Tyson Kidd to retain the tag belts. Hopefully with this whole “taking the secondary titles seriously” deal, they include the tag titles too. Kidd and Cesaro make a great team and hopefully they get a long reign. Match itself was messy but fun. It felt like one of those indy matches back in the early 2000s we all would have went nuts for. That’s not a negative either, sometimes that type of match just fits.

Big Show winning the battle royal was okay I guess. Nice tease with Cesaro picking up Big Show again. My pick, Ryback, made the final four but got taken out by Show. Mizdow turned on Miz at the end, but left himself with Big Show all alone as a result. He almost pulled off the miracle (with the 2004 Benoit finish) but Show tossed him. Will WWE go with Mizdow?

Something that I thought was awesome in the battle royal, Miz and Mizdow double teaming Alex Riley, and the announce team actually referring to Miz and Riley’s history. There needs to be more of that.

I’m not sure it’s just me, but I’m kinda over multi-man ladder matches. It was still fun and a good match, and the right man won with Daniel Bryan (as long as they do take the IC title seriously). Still, seeing Dean Ambrose take that powerbomb through the ladder is was cringeworthy. When I see guys like Edge talk about how TLC matches were probably the main reason his career ended early, and how guys all over the industry refer to TLC matches as arguably the most dangerous, I just don’t enjoy them as I once did.

The finish to Randy Orton and Seth Rollins was pretty incredible (Curb Stomp into RKO!). Match was good too. Where was a cool reversal sequence on the Orton rotation slam which I don’t remember ever being countered. Good stuff.

HHH was out to terminate Sting

HHH was out to terminate Sting

Triple H vs. Sting is the match that you either hated and didn’t care about or loved every moment. I am in the latter category. On one hand it may have seemed off to have the nWo be on Sting’s side, but if I am buying the WWE vs. WCW narrative I assume Sting would side with them over the WWE. But having HHH with DX on one side against Sting and nWo on the other was nuts. Even if none of these guys are in their prime or even close to it, everyone did their part well. HHH winning doesn’t completely bother me either. I mean, who is going to be wrestling more matches in the future, HHH or Sting? Oh, and I loved both entrances, even if it seemed like WWE got Sting and The Great Muta confused for his.

All the legendary IC Champs congratulating Bryan is a nice touch. Bryan can potentially be so good that in a few months we might be regarding the IC Title as THE title. Factoring in booking though makes that quite unlikely. Still, hearing Bryan on Chris Jericho’s podcast made me think that yes, not everyone can be the Hulk Hogan or even Bret Hart of the company…it takes a special kind of combination of look, timing, ability and success in a pressure packed situation to pull that off. But everyone can be Terry Funk if they work hard at it. I think Daniel Bryan is the Terry Funk of his generation in terms of looking to put people over. And that’s ok.

I leveled myself for sure picking The Bellas to go over AJ and Paige. As much as I like AJ, it does seem that it is time to move past her in the Diva’s division. Those NXT women are ready.

Rusev rode a tank. It may be the most bad ass thing I’ve ever seen in wrestling honestly. We knew John Cena was winning, but I didn’t like how he won. Rusev needed more to go down there. Rusev also being frustrated with not being able to beat Cena made no sense since he beat him last month. I hope Rusev endures. He’s great. John Cena had a springboard stunner in there and in the ring, he’s still great. The character of John Cena though is just so damn boring at this point.

The Rock confronts the Authority, and to my shock Stephanie McMahon actually outduels Rock on the mic. The Rock brings in Ronda Rousey…who might be the 2nd most dangerous person in the ring overall (Brock) for the night. She armdrags HHH and almost breaks Stephanie’s arm. Rock and Rousey vs. HHH and Stephanie would be something next year.

The crabwalk vs. the situp

Bray Wyatt’s entrance with the scarecrows was awesome. Also awesome was the fact there was nothing special about Undertaker’s entrance. I always took Taker having a spectacle of an entrance as him playing mind games with his opponent. But there’s no playing mind games with Wyatt. As big an Undertaker mark that I am, him winning here made little sense to me. There’s no more pressure of being the one to break the streak. So why did Undertaker go over? And now what happens to Wyatt? It should be noted that Undertaker looked like Wrestlemania XX Undertaker here, with leather pants instead of tights and his hair grown back. It was a throwback of what was a throwback to begin with. He looked MUCH better than he did last year. Match was fine, but closer to that 2004 Undertaker than what he was over the last decade. And that’s okay at this point. (Also, Wyatt apparently screwed up his ankle right before the match, so kudos to him).

Boy did the main event deliver. WWE stuck with the Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar plan and it paid off (and I’ll throw in a surprisingly). Reigns showed he can hang tough with Lesnar and they had a great match before the incredible finish. Lesnar destroyed Reigns. It was crazy. But kudos to Reigns. I’m back on your side.

rollins-title
Rollins shockingly captured the title

 

So, I never thought Seth Rollins would win the World Title with his MITB after Lesnar won the title. I didn’t see Brock dropping the belt…well, to anyone really. I held with the underdog Bryan storyline as the best way to unseat Lesnar. Well, until I actually saw what WWE did. With Lesnar bloodied (when’s the last time THAT happened in WWE?) and Reigns out of it after a fourth F5, Seth Rollins cashed in the Money in the Bank DURING the match, making it a triple threat and pinned Reigns to win the title. Genius. Brock still hasn’t lost and remained a protected monster. Rollins got the title with strong challengers or Reigns AND Orton. Brilliant. Good show WWE. Good show. Please keep it up.

 

Pro Wrestling

The Transitional Wrestlemania…and Wrestlemania XXXI Predictions

Wrestlemania XXXI is this Sunday, and truth be told, it’s looking similar to Wrestlemania XXVII in terms of it being a transitional Wrestlemania.

Remember Wrestlemania XXVII? That was the one where The Rock opened with a 20 minute promo, the one where Triple H and The Undertaker had either an amazing match or a match where they just laid down most of the time and just did big spots every five minutes, depending on who you ask (they had an amazing match). It was the one where The Miz won the main event of Wrestlemania, beating John Cena after a dubious double countout was overturned by special guest host Rock. In the end, seeds for HHH-Taker II and Rock vs. Cena (the latter of which was set the night after Wrestlemania) at Wrestlemania XXVIII were already planted.

With news about Wrestlemania XXXII already being leaked, Wrestlemania XXXI is that transitional Mania. It’s been reported by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE is trying to get every part timer to be on the card that they can to pack 100,000 fans in the AT&T Stadium. If that’s true, expect a lot of empty pushes for talent in 2015. It’s going to hard to put a lot of value on some of the matches at Wrestlemania XXXI, especially those with newer talent, if WWE is going to treat them as secondary characters this time next year.

That WWE treatment of newer talent is a big reason why Wrestlemania XXXI feels a bit on the weaker side. Don’t get me wrong, on paper I believe this is a great show and I actually think we are going to get a very good show as well. But after years of Rock vs. Cena and Taker vs. HHH…and even last year’s Cena over Bray Wyatt it’s hard to completely believe in all of these new guys. Hell, if the fans didn’t revolt Randy Orton vs. Batista was your Wrestlemania XXX main event…and even the guy who actually won the main event last year, Daniel Bryan, is in a midcard match this year. Still, this is the pessimistic view. In reality WWE fans should be excited as every year we moan about there not being any new talent, and this year we have four new guys in big matches (Wyatt…although he did fight Cena last year, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Rusev), three of which have done a great job and one that isn’t as bad as everyone says. So, with that being said, how will Wrestlemania pan out?

Mania32tag

Pre-show: World Tag Team Championship: Cesaro and Tyson Kidd© vs. The Usos vs. The New Day vs. Los Matadores

At first glance this looks like a way to just give the Usos back the belts to get an opening of the show pop. I do hope I’m wrong though. Kidd and Cesaro have amazing chemistry together and since WWE is looking in restoring credibility with their titles, a long Kidd and Cesaro reign would be the best idea. I think New Day and Los Matadoes have no chance here. I expect Nattie and El Torito to have some interaction as well…and maybe Cesaro spins El Torito around 100 times or something. Anyway, I’m going to go with Cesaro and Kidd. With the battle royal on the pre-show now, perhaps WWE thinks they can get that pop with that. Fans will probably pop for Cesaro anyway.

Mania32andre

Pre-show: Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Shame this is pushed to the pre-show in only its second running. You know, now that these events are primarily on the Network, why do we even have a pre-show and show. Can’t the whole thing be the show?

Anyway, odds favor Damien Mizdow. Mizdow has been absolutely fantastic in his role as The Miz’s stunt double/personal assistant. Since it’s the only storyline going for anyone in that battle royal other than whatever Kane and Big Show had been teasing and #AXELMANIA, (Curtis Axel has a legit outside shot to win, especially with the Hogan segment this past Monday) it seems like a safe bet.

Or does it? I think it’s far more likely that Mizdow turns on The Miz at some point in the battle royal to cost him the match, but I don’t see WWE giving Mizdow the trophy. Instead, I think they’ll use the battle royal to help re-establish someone, and that someone is Ryback. Before I would be all on the Sheamus bandwagon here, but the match being pushed to the pre-show makes that unlikely now. I pick Ryback.

Mania32rollinsorton

Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins

I think WWE may open with this to tease that Rollins will cash in Money in the Bank at the end of the show. Seth Rollins has made himself a star over the past year and his performance at the Royal Rumble showed he is ready for the main event. WWE will still give this one to Orton though. The loss shouldn’t really hurt Rollins, although it is preferable he’d go over. Rollins will get the win at Extreme Rules I assume anyway. So I’m going with Orton…probably on Rollins’ jumping from the top rope into a RKO.

Mania32ladder

Seven Man Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match

Interesting that they brought back a multi-man ladder match for Wrestlemania. Smart money here is on Daniel Bryan to win the title to give credence to the establishing the secondary titles that has been floating around. I think WWE uses Sheamus here, either in the match to set up a close finish with Bryan and Sheamus, and/or have Sheamus do a post-match attack to set up that feud. I’m going with Bryan.

Mania32CenaRusev

US Title: Rusev© vs. John Cena

As much as I would love Rusev to retain, they aren’t using Cena to just push Rusev to some higher level. It was a great run and a great story Rusev, and I hope WWE doesn’t ruin you afterwards. But Cena’s winning the US Title here for the same reason Bryan is winning the IC title. I also could see the Sheamus deal going on in this match too, especially since there is history here (Rusev beat Sheamus to win the US Title in the first place). I am picking Cena.

Mania32divas

The Bella Twins vs. Paige and AJ Lee

Believe it or not, this is one of the best built Divas’ matches in Wrestlemania history (despite some cringeworthy moments). We have here four legitimate Divas who can wrestle. After Nikki and Paige put on a great match on RAW I wouldn’t be surprised to see this get a little more time than usual. I also have the Bellas winning here with Paige and AJ continuing their story of not being able to co-exist. One will turn on the other here, and my bet is AJ does the turning to freshen her up, leading to AJ vs. Paige for the title once the Bellas leave at some point.

Mania32wyatttaker

The Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt

There’s no reason to do this match and have Undertaker win. I love the Undertaker. He’s been my favorite wrestler since I was a kid and I’m thrilled he’s on this show. But he shouldn’t be going over Wyatt. He will draw in whatever match he’s in next year no matter what. Bray Wyatt needs to go over and be the top guy he can be. His promos are off the charts. I think Undertaker understands this. I think Vince McMahon understands this. You can do Undertaker vs. Sting next year anyway. There’s no streak pressure anymore. Bray Wyatt needs this win. And I think he gets it. I hate right now that betting odds have Undertaker as the favorite.

Mania32hhhsting

Triple H vs. Sting

It’s a deceptive match, as on one hand you can’t imagine Sting would come in just to lose to Triple H at Wrestlemania. On the other hand, the feud primarily was about WWE vs. WCW, and it would be weird to see WCW go over at Wrestlemania. Good thing Sting said fighting for WCW was ridiculous at this point. Sting is winning. He didn’t wait all this time doing shoot interviews about how was worried about how he’d be used, just to job to HHH right off the bat. Sting wins.

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WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar© vs. Roman Reigns

I don’t blame Roman Reigns for his reactions. He was pushed way too fast way too soon for this spot. I also don’t think he’s winning the WWE Title now. The only hope Reigns has now is if The Rock flies in from New York to help him win the title to set up Brock vs. Rock at Mania XXXII. That’ll kill Roman dead though, as that would be twice that Roman Reigns needed The Rock’s help to get things done. I don’t think WWE makes the same mistake twice in regards to having Lesnar lose and thus hurt his special attraction status, at least not yet. Brock Lesnar wins, and leaves as Champion. I expect some Lesnar vs. Reigns vs. Rollins deal (Reigns wins Elimination Chamber perhaps and Rollins’ MITB contract) in the future. Rock might show up to close the show and attack Lesnar, just like he did to Miz at Wrestlemania XXXII. It’s all set up for Wrestlemania XXXII.

Basketball

This Day In Sports 3-24, Tom Chambers Drops 60 On the Sonics

On March 24, 1990 Tom Chambers scored 60 points for the Phoenix Suns in a dominating performance against the Seattle Supersonics. He went 22 for 32 from the field, with 6 boards, 4 assists and 2 blocks as well.

Tom Chambers that year was having the best season of his career as he was on his way to a 27 PPG season for a playoff bound Suns team. His performance here showed he was a deserving top scorer of his time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWvGlbSZQCA

Pro Wrestling

Happy 50th Birthday Undertaker! 50 Great Undertaker Moments

Happy birthday to The Undertaker! This is the Phenom’s 50th birthday, and I figure what better way to celebrate than reliving 50 great Undertaker moments of the last 25 years. Of course, we’ll get some more at Wrestlemania XXXI when Undertaker faces Bray Wyatt.

50 Great Undertaker moments. These are in chronological order. Enjoy all!

#1: The Undertaker debuts. (Survivor Series 1990)

What a way to start. Ted Dibiase announced his mystery partner, the Undertaker. Undertaker took out Koko B. Ware and Dusty Rhodes before being counted out. Just the first example of the strength the phenom would show over the next quarter of a century.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij4RluraYSo

#2: The Undertaker finds his first Wrestlemania victim. (Wrestlemania VII)

The vaunted Undertaker Wrestlemania streak began with a dominant victory over the legendy Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hyDIQKu3D0

#3: The Undertaker wins his first WWF World Championship. (Survivor Series 1991)

Merely a year in the WWF, the Undertaker challenged WWF Champion Hulk Hogan at Survivor Series, and with a little help from Ric Flair, won his first WWF World Title. It wouldn’t be the first time he beat Hogan for the belt either.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYQ4bzY8msg

#4: The Undertaker goes 2-0 at Wrestlemania. (Wrestlemania VIII)

The Undertaker joined the side of good against Jake “The Snake” Roberts, and Tombstoned him on the floor to move to 2-0 at Wrestlemania.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ITpKDUzs44

#5: The All-American Deadman. (Superstars, November 1993)

The Undertaker joined the All-American team of Lex Luger and The Steiner Brothers against the evil Foreign Fanatics, led by WWF World Champion Yokozuna. Undertaker would stalk Yoko for the next year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjeVPDhJKGM

 #6: The Undertaker returns to face Dibiase’s Imposter. (Summerslam ’94)

After disappearing at the Royal Rumble, Ted Dibiase claimed to have bought the Undertaker. Paul Bearer brought back the real Undertaker, with an updated look and feel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH7Xts_fctg

#7: The Undertaker stuffs Yokozuna in a Casket. (Survivor Series 1994)

The Undertaker avenged his Royal Rumble defeat at the 1994 Survivor Series, stuffing Yokozuna in a casket once and for all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFZSPLg5zps

#8: The Undertaker returns to get revenge on King Mabel. (Survivor Series 1995)

Injured at the hands of King Mabel, The Undertaker sought revenge, with a new scary face mask to protect his face.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2gqcmq_wwf-survivor-series-1995-team-mabel-vs-team-undertaker_sport

#9: The Undertaker drags Diesel to Hell. (In Your House: Rage in the Cage 1996)

After Diesel cost Undertaker the WWF Championship at the Royal Rumble, The Undertaker got revenge in the most devilish way yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82yxwkXcJJ8

#10: The Undertaker goes 5-0 at Wrestlemania. (Wrestlemania XII)

A tough challenger, but in the end Diesel couldn’t put down the Undertaker despite two jackknife powerbombs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lChZopIjHGk

#11: The Undertaker rises from the grave. (In Your House: Buried Alive 1996)

Mankind proved to be Undertaker’s toughest foe yet, and even managed to bury Undertaker alive. Undertaker showed that he “would not Rest in Peace”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NmIfPAmmZY

#12: The Undertaker wins his 2nd WWF World Championship. (Wrestlemania XIII)

Moving to 6-0 at Wrestlemania, Undertaker receives an assist from Bret Hart in dethroning Sid for the WWF Championship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeCTS9LKqmc

#13: The Undertaker sends Shawn Michaels flying off Hell in a Cell. (Badd Blood 1997)

In the first ever Hell in a Cell Match, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker put on a classic that ends with a bloody and beaten Heartbreak Kid…and a blast from Taker’s past. Taker sending Shawn off the side of the Cell was an iconic moment that defined what Hell in a Cell was about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Coa9zWwAGh8

#14: The Undertaker returns to face Kane. (RAW 1998)

After being locked in a casket and being set on fire, The Undertaker returned to face his monstrous little brother Kane.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvPpXVXiek8

#15: The Undertaker goes 7-0 at Wrestlemania. (Wrestlemania XIV)

It takes three Tombstones, but the Undertaker put down his younger brother at Wrestlemania XIV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-g6WjexuBA

#16: The Undertaker destroys Mankind in Hell in a Cell. (King of the Ring ’98)

One of the most famous matches in wrestling history, Undertaker destroys Mankind and ends the Taker-Mankind feud once and for all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgYoYTbnPo4

#17: The Undertaker wins his 3rd WWF World Championship. (Over the Edge 1999)

On the side of evil now, The Undertaker beats Stone Cold thanks to some help from Shane McMahon for a third WWF World Title reign.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9lflm_the-undertaker-vs-stone-cold-over-t_sport

#18: The Undertaker returns…and the American Bad Ass debuts. (Judgment Day 2000)

After a lengthy hiatus, the Undertaker returns to get Vince, and this time he’s coming out to Kid Rock and riding a motorcycle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVQR9Cs6If8

#19: The Undertaker shoves Rikishi off Hell in a Cell. (Armageddon 2000)

The Undertaker causes more destruction in a Hell in a Cell match as he sends Rikishi flying off the top.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RTx6DmAb3Y

#20: The Undertaker goes 9-0 at Wrestlemania. (Wrestlemania X7)

The first of the Undertaker-Triple H Wrestlemania matches, where Undertaker wins a war that goes all around the Astrodome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P03DdaeAEc

#21: The Undertaker wins the Hardcore Championship. (Vengeance 2001)

Looking for respect, the Undertaker decides to beat it out of Rob Van Dam and shows an edge we hadn’t quite seen from the Undertaker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rva_uOFQwxA

#22: The Undertaker goes 10-0 at Wrestlemania. (Wrestlemania X8)

The Undertaker hits the historic 10 win mark at Wrestlemania, this time defeating the legendary Ric Flair.

#23: The Undertaker wins his 4th WWE World Championship. (Judgment Day 2002)

11 and a half years later, Undertaker pins Hulk Hogan again to win the Championship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9TqP5suWoA

#24: Undertaker returns in the Royal Rumble. (Royal Rumble 2003)

The Undertaker makes his return after being attacked by Big Show in late 2002, and tries to win the Royal Rumble.

#25: The Gong. (Royal Rumble 2004)

Buried Alive by Kane, The Undertaker teased his return at the 2004 Royal Rumble…and sent Kane a message.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epMHPN7J4h4

#26: The Deadman Returns. (Wrestlemania XX)

One of the most iconic moments in WWE history…the Deadman returns to once again face Kane at Wrestlemania.

#27: The Undertaker returns to Smackdown! (Smackdown 2004)

Paul Heyman was a tyrant running Smackdown…and said there wasn’t a man alive who could stand in his way. Well then.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvCat5GarQ0

#28: The Undertaker goes 13-0 at Wrestlemania. (Wrestlemania XXI)

“The Legend Killer” Randy Orton tried to end the Undertaker’s now historic Wrestlemania streak, but fell to the Phenom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND3B-gk4lEc

#29: The Undertaker comes from the burning casket. (Survivor Series 2005)

Taking a page from Kane, Randy Orton stuffed Undertaker in a casket and set it on fire. Undertaker wasn’t happy about that one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybe5fkMTvD8

#30: The Undertaker challenges Kurt Angle. (Royal Rumble 2006)

After finishing off Orton at Armageddon 2005, The Undertaker set his sights on Kurt Angle’s World Championship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mn2Ck5uIJw

#31: The Undertaker dives onto Mark Henry. (Wrestlemania XXII)

In extending his streak to 14-0, the Undertaker also brought back his trademark dive over the top rope. He cleared the casket too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLcJjOwE39s

#32: The Undertaker wins the Royal Rumble. (Royal Rumble 2007)

One of the few accolades the Undertaker had yet to win, the Undertaker beats Shawn Michaels and earns a World Title match at Wrestlemania.

#33: The Undertaker wins his 5th World Championship. (Wrestlemania 23)

The Undertaker won his 5th World Championship and went 15-0 at Wrestlemania after defeating Batista.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDPKji_fGZ8

#34: The Undertaker wins the Elimination Chamber. (No Way Out 2008)

The Undertaker concluded his rivalry with Batista, finishing him off in the Elimination Chamber and earning a World Title shot at Wrestlemania.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aO7hpmltzU

#35: The Undertaker wins his 6th World Championship. (Wrestlemania XXIV)

The Undertaker won his 6th World Championship and 16-0 at Wrestlemania after defeating Edge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZE8DTSW9U0

#36: The Undertaker leaves WWE “forever”. (One Night Stand 2008)

Edge wins back the World Championship…and the Undertaker has to leave WWE forever. The way he walks off makes it feel like it’s for real as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfOpK_i2SVI

#37: The Undertaker returns in Hell in a Cell. (Summerslam 2008)

Forever wasn’t long, as The Undertaker looked to finish off Edge once and for all in Hell in a Cell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccOtCL_xr6A

#38: The Undertaker goes 17-0 at Wrestlemania. (25th Anniversary of Wrestlemania)

Shawn Michaels tries…but in the end the Undertaker stood tall at Wrestlemania in a five star classic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCHbbw8CcXg

#39: The Undertaker returns and goes after CM Punk. (Summerslam ’09)

The Undertaker surprises CM Punk, gunning for his World Championship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA9MQYw0cjU

#40: The Undertaker wins his 7th World Championship. (Hell in a Cell 2009)

In the vaunted Hell in a Cell, the Undertaker pins CM Punk and wins his 7th World Championship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwyeZmEeCRg

#41: The Undertaker retires Shawn Michaels. (Wrestlemania XXVI)

Shawn Michaels tried to end the Streak one more time…but ultimately lost his career at the hands of the Deadman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO5guP45itg

#42: Paul Bearer returns to help Undertaker fight Kane. (Smackdown 2010)

The Undertaker looks one more time to the power of the urn to face Kane.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCL4g9k_UVM

#43: 2.21.11 (RAW 2011)

The mysterious 2.21.11 meant the return of the last outlaw…until Triple H returned as well to challenge the Streak.

#44: The Undertaker goes 19-0 at Wrestlemania. (Wrestlemania XXVII)

The Undertaker made Triple H submit to the Hell’s Gate to keep the Streak intact.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUY5LLf0tas

#45: The Undertaker returns to challenge Triple H. (RAW 2012)

Unhappy with how he left Wrestlemania XXVII…the Undertaker returned to challenge Triple H one more time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOaovYjh2Eg

#46: The Undertaker goes 20-0 at Wrestlemania. (Wrestlemania XXVIII)

The Undertaker beats Triple H a third time at Wrestlemania, this time in Hell in a Cell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGbiswEm-Pk

#47: The Undertaker returns to RAW 1000. (RAW 2012)

The Undertaker returns to help Kane one last time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlIqOxxQPqM

#48: The Undertaker goes 21-0 at Wrestlemania. (Wrestlemania XXIX)

CM Punk had proven to be the “Best in the World”, but even that wasn’t enough to beat the Streak.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq8ukQNy8oM

#49: The Undertaker returns to challenge Brock Lesnar. (RAW 2014)

When Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman said there were no worthy challengers for Brock at Wrestlemania, the Undertaker stepped up to prove otherwise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIqv_DR6ij0

#50: The Streak Ends. (Wrestlemania XXX)

The Undertaker walked down the ramp way at Wrestlemania XXX a loser for the first time at Wrestlemania…but with the respect of everyone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fglyZ5M4l2s

 

Happy Birthday Undertaker!

Pro Wrestling

Running Diary of the Go Home RAW for Wrestlemania XXXI

Just a running collection of my thoughts regarding the RAW before Wrestlemania. I haven’t really been able to get through RAW since…a while now. I’m already sold on the show since I have the Network…but this is the chance to really sell me if that makes sense. You have three hours WWE (I’m not watching Smackdown!).

8:00: Sold out Staples Center. Lesnar-Reigns face to face tonight! We get Snoop Dogg AND Bill Simmons tonight.

8:02: We kick off RAW with Sting. It does feel weird to write that. I really hope they go with the WCW crow theme at Mania and now the Unholy Alliance remix they’ve been using.

8:05: Sting already alleviates one of my fears for Mania. The build-up has been about WCW vs. WWE where Sting is WCW. Sting here says he’s not fighting for a forgotten war, he’s just here to bring HHH down. Good.

8:06: Here comes Stephanie!

8:09: Steph rambles a bit, but she tears into Sting well despite bring back the WCW narrative Sting just killed and she goes for the slap! Sting blocks! Here comes HHH!

8:11: Steph gives HHH the sledgehammer…but Sting has his trusty bat! HHH walks away from this one but Sting wants more! Steph says to save it for Mania. I can’t help but think they should have went with this more fun Sting than the dark brooding Sting for this feud. Anyway awesome segment to open.

8:14: No commercial here. Dean Ambrose is on his way out. I assume this is a tag with the IC Title ladder match guys. THEN we get the commercial.

8:19: It’s R-Truth and Ambrose against Stardust and Harper with IC Champ Barrett doing commentary.

8:29: Tornado DDT from Ambrose on Harper. There’s a move you don’t see often anymore.

8:30: Truth and Ambrose win. Truth getting the pin makes me feel like he’s not winning (not that I thought he would). Good tag team match nonetheless. Dean Ambrose starts dancing with Truth. It’s be great to add an edge to Ambrose’s character and have him knock out Truth, but he doesn’t.

8:38: Pre-taped interview with Roman Reigns. Nothing special here. Reigns just isn’t the man….yet. They should have done this for Mania 32.

8:40: Bill Simmons on commentary. Let’s do it!

8:42: Amazing what a reaction Mizdow gets.

8:46: 10 Man Tag involving all the guys in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal. There’s two big multi-man matches at Mania and they are both getting what seems to be meaningless tag matches as their final build up. I guess that’s okay though for the battle royal at least.

8:53: Ryback pins Miz to win for his team. Not sure what Bill Simmons was supposed to add here.

9:00: We get the Randy Orton match for the 9 o’clock slot. This match was voted by the fans online. He faces either Big Show, Kane, or Rollins and J&J Security. I’d be shocked if it wasn’t Rollins.

9:01: Rollins and J&J wins 77% of the vote. There was 11% who wanted Orton vs. Show. Well then.

9:03: IN-RING RETURN OF JAMIE NOBLE!

9:06: Noble does the job for Orton. Just build here of course.

9:09: AJ and Paige can’t decide who gets the WWE Divas Championship match later. It seems like they are just going to rehash the frenemies deal again.

9:10: I can believe Bray Wyatt is the new face of fear. Let me believe WWE.

9:15: Looks like Paige was picked. Paige and AJ used to hate one another, no? Then again, so did the Bellas.

9:26: A second Alabama Slam tonight. I wonder if that’s forshadowing a Hardcore Holly return. I think Paige is winning this by the way.

9:27: Oh, I shoulda saw that coming. AJ accidentally elbows Paige and Nikki gets the Rack Attack to retain. I thought Paige was winning as it’s rumored the Bellas are leaving soon. But the obvious AJ-Paige mishap was obvious. Ah well. By the way, that was an awesome match and hopefully a result of #GiveDivasaChance. Nikki has improved leaps and bounds.

9:30: Ziggler vs. Bryan where one of the other IC Title ladder match participants is the special ref? Now that’s an interesting stip!

9:31: Snoop Dogg is next. Yay?

9:36: The crowd does not care about Snoop Dogg.

9:37: #AXELMANIA!

9:39: I did not expect Hulkamania that’s for sure. Hogan went over Mr. Perfect back in the day…maybe he’ll put over Hennig’s kid?!

9:42: Snoop gets to throw Axel out of the ring. I really hope they don’t keep Axel going with just laughs. I’m as shocked as anyone thinking this, but there’s money in Curtis Axel.

9:44: Brock Lesnar: “At Wrestlemania I am gonna fuck up Roman Reigns. The End.” That’d make a good t-shirt.

9:48: 6 Person Inter-species tag match. Matadors and El Torito against Cesaso, Kidd and Nattie. Usos, Cesaro and Kidd, Los Matadors and New Day at Mania pre-show. I will say Tyson Kidd deserves tons of credit for remaining relevant all this time. It’s not his fault he became irrelevant at one point though.

9:53: El Torito pins Nattie for the win. Well then.

9:55: IC Champ Barrett is asked by Kane to give him the IC belt to hang up. I wonder if this is planting a face seed for Barrett.

10:00: OMG where’s Lana?

10:02: WE WANT LANA! WE WANT LANA! Of course we do.

10:05: Rusev finishes off Jack Swagger pretty quickly. Rusev doesn’t let the Accolade go, so of course here comes Cena for the save. Rusev gets the better of Cena. That does not bode well for Rusev at Mania.

10:10: Rusev destroys Cena. What a convincing bad ass. All serious here too.

10:17: Wyatt time!

10:23: Amazing promo from Wyatt. Just give him all the belts and main events now. Seriously.

10:28: Kevin Nash in the Hall of Fame. Makes perfect sense. Diesel was my first favorite wrestler actually.

10:33: Tyson Kidd is hilarious. It’s great that he finally has a chance to show off his personality.

10:36: Weird how Bryan and Ziggler are basically in the midcard…yet there are six world titles between them.

10:36: Dean Ambrose wins the vote to be the ref.

10:51: Ziggler beats Bryan again. Ambrose attacks afterwards of course. All the IC guys go at it afterwards. This is much better build than earlier.

11:00: Well…Here Comes the Pain. Yeah I know that’s a dated reference but it still applies.

11:09: Paul Heyman might be the best ever on the mic. Roman Reigns is here now and he’s getting booed out of the building.

11:11: Wow, show closes with Reigns and Lesnar doing a tug-o-war with the title. Probably smart not to have Roman say anything after Heyman’s incredible promo.

I won’t lie though, after a string of pretty bad RAWs, this one was a great one in the lead up for Wrestlemania. Good stuff WWE.

 

Basketball

My Favorite NBA Player Retired: So Long Steve Nash

Steve Nash retired from the NBA on Saturday after 18 seasons. Grantland’s Brett Koremenos just wrote a piece about how Nash changed the landscape in regards to what traditional basketball fundamentals are, specifically on the offensive side. Nash became my favorite player during his run on the Mavericks for a few reasons. First, my at the time favorite player, Penny Hardaway, was a shell of his former-self, became a bit unlikable AND ended up being an overpaid guy on my Knicks. Second, Nash and Dirk Nowitzki were just fun to watch and also quite unstoppable in video games because they shot lights out (in NBA Live 2003, with the introduction of stick iso-moves and such, playing with the 2002-2003 Dallas Mavericks just seemed unfair. Nash, Nowitzki, Michael Finley and yes, Wang Zhizhi hit every shot known to man in that game). Third, I had (have?) a strange fascination with Canada ever since Bret Hart’s WWF storyline in the late 90s. Lastly, his name was Steve (and mine is too). Heck, I was in a basketball sim league at the time, traded Stephon Marbury for Nash, and Nash unrealistically (or so we thought) won MVP with a 21-10 year and led my Knicks to a 51-31 season and a Conference Finals appearance. Of course, as we know now, life would imitate art.

Nash and Nowitzki put the Mavericks back on the map
Nash and Nowitzki put the Mavericks back on the map

It’s unfortunate that Nash will go down as the greatest player (by far) to never play in a NBA Finals game. When Nash went to the Pheonix Suns because Mark Cuban thought he would be too expensive to retain in Dallas (which was actually justifiable at the time, since Nash was 31 years old and had a history of back problems), I remember thinking that Dallas would falter (didn’t happen) and the Suns would be slightly improved (common perception was the Suns were screwed. Turns out my prediction was an understatement). The 2004-2005 NBA and the Suns were both perfect for Nash though. The NBA because they stopped allowing defenders to hand check ball handlers and changed the illegal defense rules. This suddenly opened the paint and allowed Nash to completely blow by defenders.  The Suns were perfect because Mike D’Antoni was looking to run what would be called the Seven Seconds or Less offense. Since Nash took care of himself probably better than 99% of the NBA, he was able to go nonstop for 40 minutes a night on those high paced Suns teams.

Steve Nash’s 2004-2005 NBA MVP season is perhaps the most unlikely MVP in the history of the game considering pre-season predictions (depending how you feel about Wes Unseld in 1968…different voting rules back then though). That 2004-2005 season would set off a six year run where the Suns got super close, but could never get over the hump to get to the NBA Finals (and probably win a NBA title). Let’s quickly look at those six seasons.

2004-2005: The Suns shock the NBA and go 62-20. They easily get through Memphis and Dallas before succumbing to the Spurs in five games. What people forget thought is that despite it being a 4-1 series, the series was quite close. Suns lost game 1 by 7, lost game 2 by 3, lost game 3 by 10 and game 5 by 6. If Joe Johnson is healthy do the Suns make it a series? The real Achilles’ heel for Phoenix (and Nash) was the fact that they were brutally bad defensively. If you think you are beating peak Tim Duncan (28-14-3, 53% FG for the series) without defending him well you are wrong. Amar’e actually averaged a 37-10 and Nash a 23-10 and they still lost. Crazy.

Controversial maybe, but ultimately deserving
Controversial maybe, but ultimately deserving

2005-2006: The Suns lose Johnson to free agency and Amar’e to an injury….and got 55-27 anyway. Probably the reason why Nash won MVP again. Anyway, the series gets swung by Nowitzki’s crazy game 5 (50 PTS, 12 REB) with the series tied at 2.

2006-2007: Suns get Amar’e back for a 61-21 season. This time, there’s tons of controversy in the Suns’ defeat. Robert Horry “throws” Nash into the scorer’s table, which leads to several Suns, including Stoudemire, to leave the bench, which leads to a suspension for a game. The Suns lose game 5 88-85 at home and lose the series in 6.

2007-2008: The infamous Marion-Shaq trade takes place this year, but the Suns still roll to 55-27. That’s only good for 6th in the West though and they have to play the Spurs. Duncan hits a three in game 1 to send the game to double OT and the Suns never recover.

2008-2009: The only “bad” season in this group. They slowdown post-D’Antoni Suns go 46-36…which doesn’t make the playoffs in the West.

2009-2010: The best example of why Steve Nash is so great. With no Marion and no Shaq. Nash leads a fairly new Suns team to a surprising 54-28 record. The Suns win their first playoff series since 2007 against Portland…and then surprisingly sweep the Spurs in the 2nd round. In yet another tough Conference Finals series, the Suns lose game 5 by merely two points…and the Lakers win in 6.

Nash got surprisingly close on last time in 2010
Nash got surprisingly close one last time in 2010

And that was the end of the elite Nash Era as Amar’e left for New York. Nash kept the Suns at .500 for two seasons before trying to win a ring with the Lakers. Unfortunately, the Lakers and Nash’s body fell apart.

Still, those six years changed everything. Nash transformed the league into a point guard’s game. While Jason Kidd showed in the early 2000s that getting everyone the ball was important in leading a team and showing that a team is a sum greater than its parts, Nash showed the most efficient ways to do that. Gone was “traditional” passing and point guard set ups. Now it was about one handed passing and wrap arounds. At one time playing like that was pure flash and could be considered disrespectful. Nash showed it was the best way and necessary. Nash also showed that being a lights out shooter made the point guard position the most dangerous on the floor. Steve Nash is in fact the prototype for players like Stephen Curry today.

Steve Nash changed the game for the better. Ten years ago the NBA faced an identity crisis between team ball and hero ball. Team ball ultimately won. You can thank Steve Nash.