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Perry Normal posted:I saw at Chapters yesterday that Lex Luger has an autobiography out. Has anyone read it? Is it any good? It's ... decent. It's pretty self-serving, especially when he starts talking about his religious awakening and all that (which comprises a huge chunk of the book, the final third or so is about finding Jesus). It's not terrible, but there isn't much in the way of stuff we don't already know -- he abused drugs and drink, liked to sleep around and ran into trouble with the law. Certainly not much in the way of interesting stories or anything like that. I wouldn't pay more than five bucks for it.
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Feb 10, 2014 20:24
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Speaking of Ryder, could someone quick recap his career for me? All I know is he started in fake ECW, ended up being pushed off a stage in a wheelchair by Kane, and somewhere in the middle he had an Internet show. Apparently he was really popular at some point? That just blows my mind, because I've seen him on TV maybe twice since I started watching in July.
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Feb 10, 2014 20:25
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That's because he was getting reactions on his own instead of the company creating it. As such, he was buried and made to look like a dork repeatedly so he lost his entire following.
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Feb 10, 2014 20:36
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Wojtek posted:That's because he was getting reactions on his own instead of the company creating it. As such, he was buried and made to look like a dork repeatedly so he lost his entire following. Basically, if you didn't watch TLC 2011 live, you didn't get to enjoy Ryder's only moment in the sun.
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Feb 10, 2014 20:39
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triplexpac posted:How did Ryder become a babyface anyway? Obnoxious Jersey Shore dude is a ready-made heel gimmick, even TNA knows that. Funny heel -> face, like Jericho or Edge & Christian.
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Feb 10, 2014 20:40
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Pinstripe Hourglass posted:Speaking of Ryder, could someone quick recap his career for me? All I know is he started in fake ECW, ended up being pushed off a stage in a wheelchair by Kane, and somewhere in the middle he had an Internet show. Apparently he was really popular at some point? That just blows my mind, because I've seen him on TV maybe twice since I started watching in July.
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Feb 10, 2014 20:46
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Ryder was being built as a heel threat during the final days of ECW on SyFy. Seems so weird now but he kayfabe retired Tommy Dreamer.
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Feb 10, 2014 20:48
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My favorite part of the Ryder/Cena/Kane/Eve story was when they implied through the use of multiple scenes that it took Ryder 25 minutes to take two lug nuts off his car while Eve screamed at him constantly from the backseat. It was a different more subtle sort of mockery.
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Feb 10, 2014 20:50
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jscolon2.0 posted:Funny heel -> face, like Jericho or Edge & Christian. This reminds me: What the hell were they trying to do with Edge the year after he came back from injury and won the Rumble? He went back and forth between heel and face about a hundred times before his retirement.
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Feb 10, 2014 21:11
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sticklefifer posted:This reminds me: What the hell were they trying to do with Edge the year after he came back from injury and won the Rumble? He went back and forth between heel and face about a hundred times before his retirement. He was meant to be a heel, but a mixture of surprise return and him being so drat entertaining meant the crowd turned him face by proxy.
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Feb 10, 2014 21:33
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VogeGandire posted:He was meant to be a heel, but a mixture of surprise return and him being so drat entertaining meant the crowd turned him face by proxy. He wasn't meant to be a heel when he returned, he was being programmed in with a heel Jericho to play off Edge's injury breaking up their team. They tried their damnedest to make him the typical WWE babyface, down to the "spear" catch phrase/chant/whatever.
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Feb 10, 2014 21:36
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projecthalaxy posted:My favorite part of the Ryder/Cena/Kane/Eve story was when they implied through the use of multiple scenes that it took Ryder 25 minutes to take two lug nuts off his car while Eve screamed at him constantly from the backseat. It was a different more subtle sort of mockery. Don't forget she kicks him in the nuts at WrestleMania. After he got pinned by Miz.
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Feb 10, 2014 21:40
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If we're gonna have a thread on Triple H burying people we should also have a thread on John Cena cozying up to the smark darling of the moment to siphon their babyface aura, see Zack Ryder.
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Feb 10, 2014 22:03
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epitasis posted:If we're gonna have a thread on Triple H burying people we should also have a thread on John Cena cozying up to the smark darling of the moment to siphon their babyface aura, see Zack Ryder. Zack Ryder Cryme Tyme Evan Bourne
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Feb 10, 2014 22:06
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epitasis posted:If we're gonna have a thread on Triple H burying people we should also have a thread on John Cena cozying up to the smark darling of the moment to siphon their babyface aura, see Zack Ryder. Let me constantly defend and speak for Daniel Bryan even when he's standing right next to me.
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Feb 10, 2014 22:10
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Rusty Shackelford posted:Zack Ryder Nikki Bella
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Feb 10, 2014 22:10
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There's also the separate but related issue that Cena is booked as a complete moron. Shawn Michaels, employee of JBL: "This is strictly a business transaction, this has nothing to do with me thinking I've lost a step. If I thought I couldn't go anymore, I'd stop." Cena, bystander: "NO SHAWN, YOU STILL GOT IT! CAN'T YOU SEE YOU'RE NOT TOO OLD???"
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Feb 10, 2014 22:13
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Didn't it come out that while Ryder was incredibly vocal online about wanting a push and having something to offer, he never once actually approached anybody backstage to make his case or push any particular angle?
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Feb 10, 2014 22:14
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On the other hand, I can't blame the guy for not walking up to Triple H and going 'yeah so I think I should go over Kane...'
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Feb 10, 2014 22:16
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Jerusalem posted:Didn't it come out that while Ryder was incredibly vocal online about wanting a push and having something to offer, he never once actually approached anybody backstage to make his case or push any particular angle? He was talking to Mick Foley and Foley asked him if he ever went to Vince McMahon with any of these complaints. Ryder shook his head and Foley told him that he had to go to Vince, tell him how much money he was making him, tell him how much money he could be making him and demand that he get a push based off of that. Ryder never bothered. There seems to be a problem with a lot of the people coming up through the developmental system that they don't know how to treat a promoter.
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Feb 10, 2014 22:20
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Developmental center symposiums on backstage politicking
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Feb 10, 2014 22:30
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Gonzo McFee posted:There seems to be a problem with a lot of the people coming up through the developmental system that they don't know how to treat a promoter. I can't remember where I heard it (Austin's podcast maybe) or which wrestler was involved, but there was a pretty neat story about Vince signing a wrestler and giving him his personal number and telling him chummily,"You ever need ANYTHING, you call me!" One day the wrestler comes up with an idea he really wants to push and he can't wait to talk about it with Vince at the next show so he calls Vince's home. Vince answers, listens to what he has to say, then tells him in no uncertain terms,"Well thanks for sharing, but <wrestler>, don't EVER call me at home again  "So I guess you're always walking a tightrope with a guy like Vince, you have to know exactly when to push and when to do as you're told. When Scott Hall pushed the Razor Ramon character, he qualified it by telling Vince that while this is what HE wanted, he would happily go with Vince's original idea and give him the best execution of it he could ever hope for, he just wanted Vince to have all the options. If Ryder didn't at least make the effort though, then a portion of the blame lies squarely on his own shoulders.
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Feb 10, 2014 22:33
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epitasis posted:If we're gonna have a thread on Triple H burying people we should also have a thread on John Cena cozying up to the smark darling of the moment to siphon their babyface aura, see Zack Ryder.
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Feb 10, 2014 22:35
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Jerusalem posted:I can't remember where I heard it (Austin's podcast maybe) or which wrestler was involved, but there was a pretty neat story about Vince signing a wrestler and giving him his personal number and telling him chummily,"You ever need ANYTHING, you call me!" One day the wrestler comes up with an idea he really wants to push and he can't wait to talk about it with Vince at the next show so he calls Vince's home. Vince answers, listens to what he has to say, then tells him in no uncertain terms,"Well thanks for sharing, but <wrestler>, don't EVER call me at home again You're probably thinking of fake Razor Ramon and I'm pretty sure he was calling to find out if he was getting an extension or something.
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Feb 10, 2014 22:37
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The way I heard it was the worker was booked for a few shows, Vince gave him his home number and said if he ever needed him to call him. When he called asking if he was to be booked again, Vince said no and don't call me ever again. E: yeah, Fake Razor Ramon.
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Feb 10, 2014 22:37
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Jerusalem posted:I can't remember where I heard it (Austin's podcast maybe) or which wrestler was involved, but there was a pretty neat story about Vince signing a wrestler and giving him his personal number and telling him chummily,"You ever need ANYTHING, you call me!" One day the wrestler comes up with an idea he really wants to push and he can't wait to talk about it with Vince at the next show so he calls Vince's home. Vince answers, listens to what he has to say, then tells him in no uncertain terms,"Well thanks for sharing, but <wrestler>, don't EVER call me at home again That sounds like the story told by Rick Bogner, the fake Razor Ramon. He wasn't being used anymore and thought his contract wasn't being renewed. When he was signed Vince gave him his number and told him that, so he called Vince and got that answer.
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Feb 10, 2014 22:37
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I always just assumed Vince lived in Titan Tower.
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Feb 10, 2014 22:38
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Timby posted:It's ... decent. It's pretty self-serving, especially when he starts talking about his religious awakening and all that (which comprises a huge chunk of the book, the final third or so is about finding Jesus). It's not terrible, but there isn't much in the way of stuff we don't already know -- he abused drugs and drink, liked to sleep around and ran into trouble with the law. Certainly not much in the way of interesting stories or anything like that. I wouldn't pay more than five bucks for it. So noted. I'll pick it up in a couple of years when the paperback version is going cheap. Thanks!
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Feb 10, 2014 22:39
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epitasis posted:If we're gonna have a thread on Triple H burying people we should also have a thread on John Cena cozying up to the smark darling of the moment to siphon their babyface aura, see Zack Ryder. John Cena is probably the only reason the company even gave Ryder any screen time at all. He was constantly plugging Ryder's web show on twitter and in interviews.
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Feb 10, 2014 22:40
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oatgan posted:John Cena is probably the only reason the company even gave Ryder any screen time at all. He was constantly plugging Ryder's web show. It's funny that they ended up feeding Ryder to Cena. Like "Oh yeah Cena, you want to get your buddy some screen time? Well HERE YOU GO!"
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Feb 10, 2014 22:41
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triplexpac posted:It's funny that they ended up feeding Ryder to Cena. Like "Oh yeah Cena, you want to get your buddy some screen time? Well HERE YOU GO!" Then we got the horrible ambulance match between Kane and Cena. Holy poo poo that was bad even for an ambulance match.
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Feb 10, 2014 22:45
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I know we like to say that Vince is a senile and capricious megalomaniac, but I think it's pretty clear that Bogner was pushing it a bit, and Ryder wasn't even trying. Oh, well, it's not like anything of value was lost.
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Feb 10, 2014 22:48
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Umbra Dubium posted:I know we like to say that Vince is a senile and capricious megalomaniac, but I think it's pretty clear that Bogner was pushing it a bit, and Ryder wasn't even trying.
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Feb 10, 2014 23:07
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Jerusalem posted:Didn't it come out that while Ryder was incredibly vocal online about wanting a push and having something to offer, he never once actually approached anybody backstage to make his case or push any particular angle? Mick Foley stated this on Chris Hardwick's Nerdist podcast, yes.
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Feb 10, 2014 23:13
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What's generally regarded as Hogan's best matches in North America? Hogan/Warrior was rated ***3/4 and I know that's considered by many to be one of the two good Warrior matches along with Warrior/Savage. What if anything was Hogan in that was in that league or better? It's been literally 20+ years since I've seen either, but I was surprised to see that Hogan/Savage was rated quite a bit worse thean Hogan/Warrior.
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Feb 11, 2014 00:22
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Thauros posted:What's generally regarded as Hogan's best matches in North America? Hogan/Warrior was rated ***3/4 and I know that's considered by many to be one of the two good Warrior matches along with Warrior/Savage. What if anything was Hogan in that was in that league or better? It's been literally 20+ years since I've seen either, but I was surprised to see that Hogan/Savage was rated quite a bit worse thean Hogan/Warrior. The early Flair/Hogan matches from WCW, probably. The Havoc Cage match is probably the best. Hogan/Goldberg is a booking masterpiece too.
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Feb 11, 2014 00:25
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Thauros posted:What's generally regarded as Hogan's best matches in North America? Hogan/Warrior was rated ***3/4 and I know that's considered by many to be one of the two good Warrior matches along with Warrior/Savage. What if anything was Hogan in that was in that league or better? It's been literally 20+ years since I've seen either, but I was surprised to see that Hogan/Savage was rated quite a bit worse thean Hogan/Warrior. Hulk had decent matches on Saturday Night's Main Event. These are off the top of my head, and might be affected by young me's memory. I hope the SNME library gets on The Network. - Steel Cage Match: Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff (1986, I think) - Hulk Hogan vs. Harley Race ('88?) I've never seen his SNME matches with Boss Man or Perfect. They sound fun, but... it's Hogan, so who knows? I like the tag match Hogan and Sid had with Flair and Undertaker, where Sid turns on Hulkster. The match is pretty much just Hogan being trashed, and the ending (Flair/UT DQ'd for beating Hogan up too much?) is retarded, but Hogan beatings are a hoot. If you take battle royales, the 1992 Royal Rumble is one of the best Rumbles ever. Star ratings-wise, it should be up there for Hogan. Edit: I'm pretty sure Hogan had a good brawl with Terry Funk on a SNME as well. Red fucked around with this message at 01:09 on Feb 11, 2014 |
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Feb 11, 2014 01:07
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I know I've heard Muhammad Ali using "Who'd he ever beat?" to promote a fight so my guess is it's even older than that. The Punk/Joe shoot where they're laughing at their own outrage at Ricky Steamboat's ideas during their trilogy is the best use of it though. "We're sitting here and Ricky Steamboat is telling me to sweep the leg and put my feet on the ropes! Ricky Steamboat! Who'd he ever beat?" then... "And then 20 minutes later I'm taping up and I think "...that's the most brilliant idea I've ever heard in my LIFE"
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Feb 11, 2014 01:18
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There was a fun variation on "Who'd he ever beat" during the Lesnar/HHH feud last year. Heyman and Lesnar trashed HHH's office during an episode of RAW. Heyman noticed a picture of Killer Kowalski on the wall and remarked "Who'd he ever train?".
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Feb 11, 2014 01:27
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EDIT: wrong thread, sorry
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Feb 11, 2014 05:22
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