Superstar Billy Graham's wrestling topic

Rumble predictions:

Flair over MVP via submission (yawn..so 3 months til Wrestlemania?)
JBL over Jericho via pinfall (goes onto having Jericho asking for a rematch)
Rey over Edge via dq (Punk comes in to help Rey, but Edge heads along with Chavo take care of Rey)
Orton over Jeff via pinfall (Hardy's gained too much momentum and only one "underdog" can win)

Rumble winner: (ordered how likely I think they'll win)
  • Undertaker
  • Mr. Kennedy
  • Triple H
  • Batista
  • John Morrison
 
Does anybody think that they should bump up the number of people allowed in the Royal Rumble?

They seem to have weeded out the feeling of the whole roster being involved.
 
You think Kennedy will win the Rumble?

I forgot that he even existed.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']The Whitmer/Albright vs. Delirious/El Generico match was an excellent, excellent brawl. My favorite match on the card.[/quote]
Hey look! BJ still matters! ;) lol

*sighs*

Apparently during the Q&A with Aries someone in Dayton asked him if he would sleep with a man for one million dollars... goddamnit.

*Facepalm*
 
[quote name='Sporadic']Does anybody think that they should bump up the number of people allowed in the Royal Rumble?

They seem to have weeded out the feeling of the whole roster being involved.[/QUOTE]
The could use the WCW World War 3 format. 3 rings, 60 dudes. Have each ring represent a brand.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WCW_World_War_3
My friend and I split the 1997 WW3 PPV. It was a pretty cool match. I remember Rey Misterio Jr. jumping from ring to ring via the ropes then hitting a hurricarana on somebody, Eddie Guerrero I think. Or Chavo.
 
[quote name='Zen Davis']Hey look! BJ still matters! ;) lol

*sighs*

Apparently during the Q&A with Aries someone in Dayton asked him if he would sleep with a man for one million dollars... goddamnit.

*Facepalm*[/QUOTE]

I missed the Q&A session b/c I didn't want to hear what kinds of questions smarks would ask him (I came back to hear "who was your stiffest opponent to date?" and thought about how rude a fuckin' question that was - Aries gave a smartass answer, but I couldn't hear it). Evidently, someone asked him who from the "past, present, or future would be his greatest opponent." Aries' response was "from the future - I don't know who he is, but he's a helluva talent."

The smart marks were the folks left at ROH last night, no doubt. We sat in a section where this fat kid was just makin' a damn downright embarrassment of himself, screaming things only a smart mark would say. Oy vey.
 
[quote name='Brak']You think Kennedy will win the Rumble?

I forgot that he even existed.[/quote]

I'm pretty sure it's his time...he is "up there" and his win over Michaels a few weeks ago could only mean good things

Then again, who knows
 
[quote name='Foo228']I'm pretty sure it's his time...he is "up there" and his win over Michaels a few weeks ago could only mean good things

Then again, who knows[/quote]
I can see him maybe winning MitB again at WM, but not main eventing.

It's usually a guy that is getting a push and is in some kind of "you won't win the rumble & have trouble even qualifying for the match" feud. I hate to say it, but got a feeling that Triple H will be winning the Rumble this year.
 
[quote name='tangytangerine']It's usually a guy that is getting a push and is in some kind of "you won't win the rumble & have trouble even qualifying for the match" feud. I hate to say it, but got a feeling that Triple H will be winning the Rumble this year.[/QUOTE]
Agreed. Has anyone else this year met this criteria?
 
Well, it all depends... wasn't there a story a while back that there would be an elimination chamber (which there actually will be) at NWO for number one contender status for whichever brand DOESN'T win the Rumble?

That was a horribly constructed sentence, sorry.

Anyway, if that's still true, which is up in the air, the NWO poster with Hardy would indicate that Raw gets the chamber, leaving HHH able to win THAT to get to Wrestlemania. Obviously, posters mean nothing, but I'd bet that someone from Smackdown wins the Rumble, likely Taker again, so that Raw can have a (much more exciting) chamber. I mean, seriously, name six guys from Smackdown that you'd want to see in an elimination chamber. It's kind of tough.

Unless it's a multi-brand chamber, which would actually be pretty cool.
 
[quote name='hankmecrankme']Agreed. Has anyone else this year met this criteria?[/quote]
Batista, maybe. But Triple H seems to the one that is being built to win for the match. I can see Batista maybe winning a #1 contender match at NWO. But I'm guessing Edge will be involved with Batista getting eliminated from the rumble, perhaps with help from the Major Brothers.

The one thing I find weird about the PPV is the title matches. Both matches involve no big guys, which has me wondering if WWE is trying to tone down on the big guys while they're being investigated for steroids(much like the early-mid 90's)
 
My friend who went to ROH with me last night mentioned that Jimmy Rave and Lance Hoyt now have matching outfits (that's fine, because tag teams often do that), but they also CARRY GUITARS THEY CAN'T AND DON'T PLAY to the ring with them.

Is this fuckin' true? Someone needs to kick Dutch Mantel in the asshole and inform him that shit like that didn't work with "Heavy Metal" Van Hammer 17 years ago, and what the fuck makes him think that's going to work now? Christ, he'll probably suggest the "hunchbacks" as a tag team here in a few weeks.
 
[quote name='tangytangerine']Batista, maybe. But Triple H seems to the one that is being built to win for the match. I can see Batista maybe winning a #1 contender match at NWO. But I'm guessing Edge will be involved with Batista getting eliminated from the rumble, perhaps with help from the Major Brothers.

The one thing I find weird about the PPV is the title matches. Both matches involve no big guys, which has me wondering if WWE is trying to tone down on the big guys while they're being investigated for steroids(much like the early-mid 90's)[/quote]

I personally think it's insane to have two underdogs in title matches..
 
[quote name='mykevermin']My friend who went to ROH with me last night mentioned that Jimmy Rave and Lance Hoyt now have matching outfits (that's fine, because tag teams often do that), but they also CARRY GUITARS THEY CAN'T AND DON'T PLAY to the ring with them.

Is this fuckin' true? Someone needs to kick Dutch Mantel in the asshole and inform him that shit like that didn't work with "Heavy Metal" Van Hammer 17 years ago, and what the fuck makes him think that's going to work now? Christ, he'll probably suggest the "hunchbacks" as a tag team here in a few weeks.[/QUOTE]

They were actually Guitar Hero 2 Xplorer guitars. With cords. The cords were just sort of dangling.
 
WWE does NOT need to change the Rumble - the current format works, it works very well, and it draws money. WW3 was a horrid knock-off, impossible to follow, and didn't draw money (much like TNA's version of it - THE GAUNTLET FOR THE GOLD!~).
 
[quote name='hankmecrankme']The could use the WCW World War 3 format. 3 rings, 60 dudes. Have each ring represent a brand.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WCW_World_War_3
My friend and I split the 1997 WW3 PPV. It was a pretty cool match. I remember Rey Misterio Jr. jumping from ring to ring via the ropes then hitting a hurricarana on somebody, Eddie Guerrero I think. Or Chavo.[/QUOTE]

That would be cool, if not a slight mess, but it would never happen thanks to Vince's hatred for WCW.

I was think more like bumping the number of people to 50 and knocking down the timer to 60 seconds.

---------------

About fantasy booking, this is what I would do.

At the Royal Rumble, have Ric Flair beat MVP clean and than have Vince put him in the Rumble at number 1 with the stipulation that if he doesn't win, he's gone.

Do a few fakeouts and than bring Big Show in as surprise entrant number 30. Flair gets a stroke of luck, eliminates him to win the Rumble (ala Royal Rumble 1992) and sets the stage for a fued.

The next night Big Show comes out, says he never invoved his rematch clause and demands a ECW title shot right now. He buries Chavo and becomes ECW champion again.

The next week Ric Flair comes out and cuts a promo about "I've done it all. I've been a WWE champion, a 6 time NWA champion, and hell, I've even been a 8 time WCW champion but there is one thing I have never been and that's the ECW CHAMPION! THAT'S RIGHT BIG SHOW I'M COMING FOR YOU!"

So, there would be some instant credibility for the ECW title, a incredible hardcore rematch for Wrestlemania and someone who deserves to retire Ric Flair.

------------------

About Raw, I would have HHH win some type of separate match at No Way Out (maybe HHH/HBK for a title shot which would be the lead in for I AM THE GAME EVIL HHH) which would lead to Orton/HHH for Wrestlemania where HHH would win.

-----------------

About Smackdown, I would have Batista win the Elimination Chamber which would lead to Edge/Batista for Wrestlemania where Edge would pull out a win.

----------------

About Jeff Hardy and others, I would put Jeff Hardy/Rey Misterio/CM Punk/John Morrison/Shelton Benjamin/Shawn Michaels in the Money In The Bank match with either CM Punk or Shawn Michaels winning.

I'd put Undertaker in a throwaway match against MVP.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']wha?

:shock:

No, really. wha?[/quote]
It's a comedy gimmick.

The Rock N' Rave Connection.

Christy Hemme comes out and does mic checks and revs up the crowd to get ready for the Rock N' Rave connection.

Then they headbang...

As for the Elimination Chamber, since it's a RAW match, it will be Orton, Hardy, HBK, Kennedy, JBL, and Jericho in the case. This neatly includes all the feuds happening on the brand. While Taker and a partner will probably go up against Edge and Chavo.
 
[quote name='Brak']You think Kennedy will win the Rumble?

I forgot that he even existed.[/quote]

You know, that's something I hadn't even considered... I wonder.

Kennedy was one triceps injury away from the World Title at one point. It was prety much believed when he got back that he'd take the next MitB, or even the Rumble, to get back in the picture.

I wonder if his remarks through the benoit issue, and subsequent suspension, used up any good karma he had? Is he now WAY out of the title picture? Was this his own personal Madison Square Garden Incident that he'll spend 2-3 years trying to overcome?
 
[quote name='Iron Clad Burrito']You know, that's something I hadn't even considered... I wonder.

Kennedy was one triceps injury away from the World Title at one point. It was prety much believed when he got back that he'd take the next MitB, or even the Rumble, to get back in the picture.

I wonder if his remarks through the benoit issue, and subsequent suspension, used up any good karma he had? Is he now WAY out of the title picture? Was this his own personal Madison Square Garden Incident that he'll spend 2-3 years trying to overcome?[/quote]
At the same time, and I've heard this mentioned, is that due to all of the things that happened (the injury, the misdiagnosis, the lost titles, the loss of the MITB, the steroid scandal) he's lost an extreme amount of confidence. Admittedly, it may be utter BS, but when watching him since he came back from the steroid thing, it seems fairly plausible. He's lost... something. It's hard to define, but there's defintely something missing. The fact that they buried him also really didn't help.

I still think that if he continues the nice push he's getting and finally decides on a damn finisher, he'll go places. Unfortunately for him, though, he's on Raw. Then, at this point, even being on Smackdown wouldn't help, since we'll have Edge/Taker for the title at least through Wrestlemania. So, really, unless they give us the swerve of swerves, no way would Kennedy walk away with the Rumble. Whatever the title matches are at Mania, it's a guarantee that it'll be Edge/Taker on SD, and the Raw match will inevitably contain HHH and, unless something out of the blue happens, Orton.

So, since he doesn't fit into the title picture, the question is... where does he go from here? Once the HBK feud ends, he's really got nowhere to go, especially now since the ready-made Lashley return feud isn't going to happen (thank god). I really do want to see the man succeed, but I really don't think his time is right now.
 
An MVP interview talking about how he uses Japanese tapes to continue to improve, wanting to face Low-Ki and HBK, and not incorporating the Soulja Boy into his matches. - http://sports.ign.com/articles/847/847749p1.html

Also, the MVP-Flair VIP Lounge was the highest-rated segment of last week's SD, while the pre-Global Impact Impact show, with Styles vs. Cage vs. Joe as the main event saw its ratings fall as the show went on - they peaked at the beginning, then got lower, leading to the main event losing 133,000 viewers.
 
Can't say I blame them with all the Sharkboy bullshit going on last week.

EDIT: Here's long-awaited Botchamania 38:

[MEDIA]http://youtube.com/watch?v=OpvV6C2fpDE[/MEDIA]

Luger should never have been allowed to speak. Ever.
 
Damn, that Lesnar v. Goldberg match got brutalized. I watched it a couple months after it happened but I don't remember that much chanting.
 
[quote name='Halo05']Damn, that Lesnar v. Goldberg match got brutalized. I watched it a couple months after it happened but I don't remember that much chanting.[/QUOTE]

Oh yeah it was terrible. I'm pretty sure that match was the only reason I wanted to watch that year's wrestlemania, only to be treated to a big staredown.
 
[quote name='Halo05']Damn, that Lesnar v. Goldberg match got brutalized. I watched it a couple months after it happened but I don't remember that much chanting.[/quote]

Dude people shit all over that match. It was like Rock/Hogan except the crowd reaction was the polar opposite. The fact that Lesnar and Goldberg just stood there for the first ten minutes looking dumbfounded didn't help things either. I'm sure if they wanted to, they could have won the crowd over but both guys did the basic absolute bare minimum they could get away with and the crowd shit all over them for it.
 
Morishimaposter.jpg


NRC = New ROH Tag Champions tonight.

Ibushi and KENTA have a totally different presence. KENTA has this whole Low-ki-esque "I Am Warrior" thing going on. Ibushi has this classic babyface vibe to him.

I posted the tag match with Ibushi/Marufuji vs. KENTA/Ishimori at least twice on these boards which is what got Gabe to bring him over to ROH. Gabe was live there for that match and was blown away by Ibushi and decided to bring him in. I think working with Gabe and RoH will teach Ibushi to slow down and tell more of a story. Personally I'm extremely excited by this news and I'm hoping he gets brought in for the 6th anniversary weekend.

Besides he's as taller than most all cruiserweights and can move like Jack Evans. Even if all he only turns out to be a spot monkey, he'll make live shows much more exciting.
 
[quote name='Halo05']Damn, that Lesnar v. Goldberg match got brutalized. I watched it a couple months after it happened but I don't remember that much chanting.[/QUOTE]

I'm going to dig out the dvd of WM20 tomorrow to see how it might have been edited. It was hilarious seeing the NYC crowd shit on those two.

As always, thanks for posting the botchamania's, PF.
 
Hey, in the current Royal Rumble commercial (the one with all of the wrestlers brawling on the subway), who is it that Batista throws from the train? My friend insists that it is Chris Benoit, and I say no way. The problem is, I can't figure out who it is...
 
[quote name='pacifickarma']Hey, in the current Royal Rumble commercial (the one with all of the wrestlers brawling on the subway), who is it that Batista throws from the train? My friend insists that it is Chris Benoit, and I say no way. The problem is, I can't figure out who it is...[/quote]
I think it's Chavo Guerrero. But since it goes by so fast, it does look like Benoit if you're not paying attention. Look at the 30 second mark of this video.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_tHaWLtXCY[/media]
 
[quote name='pacifickarma']Hey, in the current Royal Rumble commercial (the one with all of the wrestlers brawling on the subway), who is it that Batista throws from the train? My friend insists that it is Chris Benoit, and I say no way. The problem is, I can't figure out who it is...[/QUOTE]

It couldn't be Beniot for the fact that he never wrestled in shorts he always wore pants. From the looks of it I think that maybe Matt Striker or Santino Morella from the size but I'm not totally sure.
 
[quote name='Purple Flames']EDIT: Here's long-awaited Botchamania 38:
[/QUOTE]

That A-Train/Benoit Gorilla Press/Chair spot was brutal.

The Owen Hart botch was hilariously because he handled it perfectly.
 
Jay linked a few pages back to an interview that a writer for the Baltimore Sun did with Rob Van Dam. It's a pretty interesting read. Here's a link if you don't want to read it in red.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/wrestling/blog/

Q&A with Rob Van Dam

Rob Van Dam’s surprise appearance at Raw’s 15th anniversary show last month – and the big pop that he received – sparked speculation that RVD would be returning fulltime to WWE. But as much as his fans would love to see him back, it appears that nothing is imminent.
For now, Van Dam is enjoying his time away from the ring as he works on other projects, including the recently launched RVD TV, an online reality series available exclusively to members of robvandam.com
I conducted a phone interview last week with Van Dam, who was calling from his Los Angeles home. He told me that no subject was off limits and we discussed a wide variety of topics. Since the interview is lengthy, it is broken up into two parts.

Were you surprised at the huge response from the crowd when you appeared on the Raw 15th anniversary show?
No, I couldn’t say that it was a surprise. I have for years counted on getting that reaction from the crowd. It’s an energy that I feed off of. I didn’t know for sure 100 percent that was going to happen, but I did expect it. Before I went through the curtain, I did start thinking: “OK, it’s Connecticut, it’s Raw. The last I remember, all the ECW guys were being portrayed as heels on Raw. [The heck with] it. I’m RVD. This will work. Let’s go.”

Was there any discussion of a fulltime return to WWE or was it always intended to be a one-shot deal?
It was more of a discussion of, “Are we ready or not to talk about a fulltime return,” and once the answer to that was no, I’m not ready to talk about that, than it just doesn’t go any further. There was no need to have any formal conversation about it. Same thing I told the boys down South recently, too. I’m simply just not ready to return. And honestly, I don’t know that I will ever be ready to return fulltime to living out of my suitcase. The return on Monday Night Raw was a win-win. It was a lot of fun, it was a happy reunion, and it was quick in and out. The other boys that were there that night that were getting dressed, they seemed to have a little more pressure on their shoulders than RVD.

Did it surprise you that WWE basically had you squash Santino Marella, who is one of their contracted performers?
Yes, in some ways. I knew that I was just going to come out, hit the frog splash and do the thumbs or whatever. I actually forgot that it was a match. For one, I don’t work for them, and in my mind I was thinking it was going to be like a run-in until like the last second. It was so quick, I forgot to pin him. I’m celebrating with the crowd, and I look over and Mike Chioda, the referee, is squatting and looking at me like, “Are you going to cover him?” I totally forgot. So, yeah, everybody’s a little shocked at that. They’re kind of shocked that I won the last match at One Night Stand with Randy Orton. I actually won the last three matches before that by DQ with someone different every week, between The New Breed and Snitsky and Randy. People were surprised that I won on WrestleMania. It was almost as if nobody was listening to me when I said I’m leaving.

I definitely was surprised when you beat Orton at One Night Stand. I read somewhere, I think it was in The Wrestling Observer, that Vince McMahon was upset that everybody knew you were leaving and therefore knew what the result of that match would be, so he changed it at the last minute. Is there any truth to that?
(laughs) I couldn’t tell you why decisions are made. I think that’s pretty funny even imagining Vince giving in to something like that for that reason. One thing that’s for sure is that WWE and I do have a good-faith understanding that if and when I’m ready to return that I’ll be talking to them. They look forward and hope that we’ll be doing business again. They hope it’s real soon. Honestly, I’m free as can be. I would also consider the lighter schedule from another company. But, honestly, giving up the prestige of the WWE would be something that I would look at as a downward move. I don’t fit with the formula – I never have. I’ve never tried to be like anybody else. I’m a non-conformist in every way, and when it comes to wrestling, that’s certainly true, too. If I won on my way out and you’re not supposed to do that, that’s just another example of how I’m one of a kind.
When I was leaving, the other wrestlers were telling me, “When you’re fresh off TV, you got so much time, you can still go out and make money,” because they’re used to the formula. That’s not me. They don’t understand that I don’t do that. I haven’t been taking any bookings. My value is still up as much as it ever was or even more. Nobody understands that, and they don’t understand why certain wrestlers get pushed and they don’t. When they put in enough time, they think that the formula will just work for them. And after they’ve put guys over for so long, then it’ll be their turn. And when that doesn’t happen, they become teachers at wrestling schools who are bitter. That’s all just a formula for guys who don’t sell tickets. Those are for the 80 percent of the guys on the card that are just there to fill a spot.

You referred to “another company” in your answer, which I’m presuming is TNA. They do have a lighter schedule, as you said, and I know that you have some friends there. Would you really consider going to TNA?
I definitely would consider them. I would weigh out everything and decide what really is the best thing to do. When I knew that I wasn’t going to re-sign with WWE, which was around WrestleMania time when I knew for sure that I was going to stick to that plan, my first thoughts were, “OK, well there’s this TNA. I could go there to continue my career, still on television, but with a much-lighter schedule.” Towards the end I was so burned out on wrestling that I didn’t even want to do that. So, I said, “Well, I’ll travel around and sign autographs,” because I’ve always enjoyed doing that. I do that at comic conventions, sporting conventions, gaming conventions, celebrity signing conventions, whatever. I can always keep busy doing that, but towards the end, I was so burned out on travel that I didn’t want to do that either. I just wanted to stay home in California and not fly, with the exception of a few dates. I went to England, Australia and New Zealand because they were good trips and I was able to bring my wife, and they were good financial deals.
Besides Raw, I also wrestled one time with Booker T. in Texas. He’s got a great thing going there with the PWA in Houston. It was an awesome show. It was a favor because Booker is my brother and it was his one-year anniversary show. He needed something big and special. I’ve got a few friends that I’d be willing to do that for. But outside of helping a friend out, there’s not a lot of interest in it for me. The money that people are talking about to work all these indie shots – no, no interest in that whatsoever. There’s got to be something else in it for me. Like, for instance, I hate to travel, but it’s nice to bring [my wife] Sonya overseas, especially when they’re taking care of us. There’s been a few things like that. But for the most part, I’m trying to stay in California, and I’m still recovering from all the years of travel when I didn’t want to.

I did an interview with Chris Jericho last summer and he talked about how he took a break from wrestling because he was mentally and physically burned out. Big Show apparently left WWE for similar reasons. Jericho was gone two years before he returned, and Big Show reportedly is coming back after being gone for a little over a year. Do you have a time frame for when you would consider coming back?
I don’t, and that’s something WWE wanted me to do on the way out, to commit and say, “OK, I’ll sign a contract that says I’ll come back in six months.” Why would I want to do that? What I needed was to seriously get disconnected from that for the spiritual rehabilitation that I needed, and I can’t put a time on that. I don’t know how long it’s going to take. I won’t know until life tells me. It’s like I’m crossing a bridge and I don’t see the end of it yet. Soon? No way. If you see me in the ring anytime soon it will be a big surprise to me, too.

Do you watch wrestling at all on TV?
I don’t. Honestly, even while I was wrestling I wasn’t keeping up with it. That’s something that I lost interest in probably like in 1999, 2000, somewhere around there. Normally what I would do is TiVo the show that I was on, and when I would get home I would fast-forward through the show to my match, and I would download my match to save it and I would critique it, because it was all just about business for me. I would say, “OK, I need to jump a little higher here” or “this was a little slow.” It’s been just business for me for a long time. The passion got burned out a long time ago. Keeping up with it, watching it on TV would be like you watching other people work in a cubicle. That’s really what it felt like. I started looking at the crowd and I would say, “What are these people doing here? They watch this every week on TV, the same guys, and most of them don’t even try to be creative. They just try to be like someone they liked growing up and they steal everyone else’s moves.” And I’d look at the crowd and I’d say, “Why? Why do these people leave their homes to come out and see this?” That’s how burned out I was, and that’s when I knew I needed a break.

What did you think of the new ECW before you left?
When it was brought back, that was like my last real serious run of inspiration. Really, I didn’t even want to go to WWE in 2001. I knew that it wasn’t my favorite style, my favorite showcasing of my abilities, but it was definitely the best business move. At the time, there was nowhere else to go anyway – ECW was gone, WCW was gone. So, when I first came in I was seriously frustrated trying to adapt. I wanted to leave so many times. I would call my wife and say, “That’s it. I’m getting on an airplane. I’m out of here.” And I managed to adapt, and I dare say I stuck to my guns a lot and they adapted as well to me. When I first came in, they wanted me to change in a lot of ways that I wouldn’t change and I can’t change. Because of that, I feel like [WWE] gave in because the audience pushed me. They didn’t expect the audience to take to me like they did, so eventually they started getting behind me a little bit. But, of course, there still were limitations on how far they’d get behind me. But, for the most part, the whole time that I was there, I didn’t enjoy traveling. It was every day going to another town that I didn’t want to be in.
And there were different cycles of this frustration, where I would get motivated. When Vince liked the idea of doing the ECW pay-per-view, ah, I was as high as a kite. I was so happy. We get to be seen the way we want to be seen again, but on WWE’s stage. The whole world gets to see what we can really do. I was injured – that [stunk] – but it was still a great night. And then we came back and did it again the next year, and I realized not only was it a huge success, but now it’s something that could be annual, that the fans are going to be counting on, and they talked about bringing it back fulltime. Once I wrapped my head around the idea that this could work as a third brand if we got the originals and if we recruit only the young guys that could handle the extreme style that Paul Heyman could showcase, because he was always so good at that – making superstars out of guys that were just tossed to the side by the other promotions – this could work. We had the one match, Smackdown vs. ECW, and I wrestled Rey Mysterio, and everybody was calling me, my friends and family, saying, “Man, you look happy again. You could tell that you were excited to be in the ring, you were having a good time.” And it was true.
A little while later when they started killing the spirit of ECW, my passion came down. I was telling them, “What you’re doing is going to destroy ECW. ECW fans won’t get behind this.” And I was hearing ridiculous things such as, “Rob, people don’t remember the old ECW.” I’d say, “What are you talking about, Vince? Why do you think they chant ‘E-C-W?’ ” “Well, because I trained them to do that over the last five years when they see something extreme.” How do you argue against something like that? I can’t say I know what’s better for global business, because WWE is like Coca-Cola, recognized around the world. But I knew that ECW was something special, it was something different. And I knew it was that spirit that was the thing not only that would interest me and keep my passion going, but would also draw like-minded fans. It would make wrestling cool again. [Vince] would say, “No, I never had any intentions of making this like the old ECW. People move on. They get married, they have kids. Nobody remembers that.” Well, then why did we bring back the originals? Why’d we do this off the success of that pay-per-view? And I heard this: “Rob, for all I know, those 2500 fans in New York at the Manhattan Ballroom are the last of the old ECW fans.” I mean, at some point, you tap. I tapped out. My passion tapped out. My desire to be there tapped out. And so how do I feel about the new ECW? It’s something that I wanted to be a part of so bad that I walked right out the exit.

You said that WWE wanted you to change in a lot of ways when you first got there. Could you give an example of something they wanted you to change that you refused to do?
Sure. When I first came in, Jim Ross would say things like not to dive out to the floor and do moonsaults and flips out to the floor because I was going to hurt myself. I’m like, “Uh, let’s see, at this point [in 2001], I’ve already been wrestling like 10-12 years. This is what I do, this is what I’m used to. You guys just aren’t used to it.” He said, “Trust me, you’re going to get hurt. Things are different here. You’re going every night. You can’t continue that reckless style.” It was stuff like that. Fans always ask: “Did they ask you to tone it down? How come you don’t do the Van Daminator?” Well, you can’t bring a chair into the ring. What do you think? A lot of the stuff doesn’t fit. It’s a different style, but, sticking to what I know, my ability and talent still is going to make me stand out and be an extremist in a room full of non-extreme people. Like I said, I’m a nonconformist. I can’t help it. I’m proud of my independence. And certainly from a business perspective, that’s always been a main agenda for me – to make my own position, don’t try and be like somebody else, because there already is that somebody else.

During the Invasion angle in 2001, it seemed like WWE listened to the fans and you were given a push, but the company never really went all the way with you. Why do you think that was the case?
I’ve always felt like my existence there made other wrestlers feel threatened. They were threatened because I was doing it my way. I don’t go with the formula. I don’t kiss [butt], I don’t play politics, and yet I’m connected to the fans in such a way that when I step through those curtains, you can’t stop me. Now it’s about me and the fans and whether I’m going to give them a show and whether they’re going to like it or not. No matter what happens before I go through the curtains, that’s what you got to deal with. Also, when I first got there, I was potatoing everybody. If you remember, when I came in with the Van Daminator in 2001, I busted everybody open every night – everyone from Steve Austin, Test, Raven, Booker T., Kurt Angle, everybody. And the Internet rumors were going crazy: “Oh my God, they’re so mad at RVD.” My whole career I’ve had a reputation for being snug. That’s the way that I learned from The Sheik in 1989, and then from having those really rough matches in All Japan, I learned how to put that all together. When you come in with a reputation like that, you have to be ready to back it up. Steve Richards would say things like, “That’s great. Usually they send JBL and Ron Simmons out and just have them powerbomb somebody when they got heat, but they can’t do that with you.” I was like, “Well, they can do it, but I’m not going to take it like everybody else, and I think everybody knows that about me. I don’t think anybody doubts that I’m not a pushover.” I stand behind what I say and what I do. I’m a man of integrity, and if nothing else, I hope I got a lot of people’s respect.
I told Jim Ross when I first came in that there were going to be a lot of fans bringing signs [for me] because I have a lot of fans. He said, “Well, this is different. These people don’t see ECW.” So I had my match with Jeff Hardy in Cleveland, that was the first WWE pay-per-view that I did, and all those fans had RVD signs, and I think WWE was completely surprised by it. And they told me things like, “When you go out there, don’t look at the crowd. We don’t do that here.” So, I’d look at the crowd – “R-V-D!” I’d come back and I’d get yelled at by someone like Shane McMahon, who would pull me aside. Even someone like Bubba Dudley, thinking he was helping me out, being a big brother, would say, “Bro, don’t look at the crowd, man. They don’t do that here. You’re going to get a lot of heat for that.” Have I ever minded getting heat? It’s about me and the fans at that point.
So, yeah, I was over. They had to get behind me, and I was on a pretty good run there. I beat The Rock, I beat “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, I beat The Undertaker for the belt and then I think [Eric] Bischoff came out and reversed it. That was a good moment. That they never totally got behind me was not a surprise. I never had goals of being the world champion. I never thought that would happen. As a lot of people notice, if WWE doesn’t create the character, they usually don’t get behind them. When you think about Triple H or “Stone Cold” Steve Austin or The Rock or John Cena, they’re all characters that they created, and I definitely wasn’t one of those.

You just mentioned Triple H. To me, the title program that you had with him in 2002 was sort of a turning point in your WWE career. He said in his promos that you weren’t in his league and the way the program was designed seemed to indicate that as well. What was working with Triple H like for you? Was it contentious at all in the back when you were going over your matches?
It was ingenuine. Just like when he pretends that he cares when he says, “Hey, how’s it going today? OK, good, good.” And he just has that smugness about him where you know when he’s walking away from you that he’s rolling his eyes or something. There’s something about that kind of guy that vibrates at such a different speed than me, that I don’t enjoy being around someone like that. I’m genuine. I don’t say anything about anybody that I won’t say to their face, and somebody that’s the opposite and puts up a big front – basically, that’s how they do it there. That is how you get to the top there. Traditionally, that seems to be the way to go – to stab people in the back, to hold them down after you can’t go up any higher yourself. I was never going to go that way, so I was always happy just making it as far as I could and just looking at it professionally. Going over a match – that’s professionalism, too. When you’re out there in the ring with somebody, you bring what you bring to the table and so do they, and it’s all business beforehand. Now, once you’re out there in the ring, then anything can go, and that’s when it helps to know that you can handle yourself and defend yourself.
To be honest, there’s a lot of matches where you’re so on the edge, you’re just hoping that they catch you really stiff so you can receipt them and nail them one back. I had a lot of matches with Chris Jericho like that. They were great matches, but those were some of the matches when I was adjusting coming in in 2001. Jericho, his politics frustrated me so much that when I’d be in the ring with him, I was pretty sure I was going be busting him open and it was going be a receipt. He was going to give it to me and I was going give it back to him. That’s one way to do business.

That’s surprising to me that you would mention Jericho as someone who played backstage politics. I figured the two of you were kind of in the same boat, especially when it came to Triple H.
When I talk about that, a lot of people are surprised about that, including him from what I understand. Someone said that he was like, “Really? Rob said that?” He was crazy in 2001. He felt like he was promised the world and they didn’t deliver. And then I came in and all of a sudden it’s like he felt that I grabbed his dinner plate off the table and walked off with it. When I came in and had to wrestle with him, you wouldn’t believe some of the conversations that were going on where he’s trying to protect himself as much as possible and treat me like an idiot at the same time. He was like, “No, they don’t like that stuff here. They like it simple.” No, I’m not simple. It was very, very frustrating.

That’s funny, because in his book, Jericho says that’s exactly what Vampiro did to him in Mexico.
Well, since you brought that up, it was actually a good friend of mine – and the only one who ever had my best interest at heart in the WWE office, Paul Heyman – who had a talk with Chris one time when this was going on, and he told me – and who knows if it was true or not since it came from Paul – that that’s exactly what he said to Chris when Chris was saying, “I don’t know, man, do you think Rob should be winning this because blah, blah, blah?” Paul told me that he said to Chris, “OK, so they promised you they were going to do this and that with you, and they screwed you. So, now do you think in return that you should screw Rob?” Maybe he grew from that, I don’t know. I like Chris, and when I saw him at the 15-year reunion, I actually talked to him and he was saying that he needed two years away from the business and he knew it was the right time to come back. I said, “OK, now that you’re back, are you glad that you’re back, because they just slammed the door on you. You’re locked in now.” And he said, “I knew when I came back that the time was right.” I enjoyed talking to him. Did I enjoy working with him in 2001? [Heck] no.

One last question about 2001, I was working as the editor of WCW Magazine at that time when it appeared that a group led by Eric Bischoff was going to buy the company. One of the rumors we were hearing was that Bischoff had made a deal with you to become part of the new WCW. Was that true?
Yeah, that’s funny, I forgot about that until just now. That’s when he was dealing with Fusient, and they had some money, so, yeah, that was discussed. I was on board, but it didn’t work out.

What are your thoughts on the drug testing in WWE?
From personal experience, being tested probably five or six times at least in the year, year-and-a-half that I was there and they were testing, it felt like it was very violating. For them to actually go inside my body and take my urine and then tell me if they’re OK with what I’m taking, it’s all very violating. At the same time, I do realize the goal behind it, hopefully, is to help people. And there are a lot of irresponsible wrestlers, there’s no doubt about that. I’m responsible myself; I can take care of myself. I’m an independent contractor, which means that I show up to work, I do my job, and then I leave. I’ll see you tomorrow – different place, same job. And that’s what I do. It’s a very onerous contract that they’ve amended several times since signing it. I signed the deal, then a little while later they said, “Oh, OK, by the way, now we’re going to add a dress code.” Then a little while later they said, “Oh, if you’re late, you’re going to get fined. Now we’re going to add this drug testing.” It’d be kind of like hiring a painter to paint your house and then every couple of days adding work for him and telling him it’s under the same deal. “Hey, by the way, we decided you’re going to paint my neighbor’s house, too.”
It does help people because, as I said, there’s some irresponsible guys there that don’t know how to take care of themselves. I do think that the drug screening does help people like that. I look at it like security at the airport. We’re not all going to blow up the airplanes, but because there’s a few bad apples, we all have to bend over and get the anal probe and have all of our private property searched. That got completely monotonous, but it’s a similar thing. Obviously, the wrestling lifestyle is very stressful and very taxing on the body. It’s unreasonable not to understand how some of the wrestlers could benefit from medicine such as pain pills, or even something to wake them up and give them energy. Testosterone is actually a highly accepted medicine that helps them recuperate, helps them heal, helps give them the drive. Not to mention, the older we get, our own testosterone level drops.
To try to be a professional athlete and work out when you’re not sleeping right, you’re traveling day to day, not to mention the bumps and bruises in the ring and you’re trying to eat right, it’s a very, very challenging job. And the list on that drug test is so long. There are even things that other people can take over the counter like ephedrine that the wrestlers aren’t allowed to take. I’m a strong believer in modern medicine. I think it has its use in society. I think it adds longevity to our life expectancy. Go back a couple hundred years, we used to live to be 30 years old before penicillin, so I’m very much into proper usage of medicine when it’s appropriate. Abuse, that’s something else. You shouldn’t have abusers and people that are on deathwatch living day to day like everybody else trying to carry on the job.
With Congress making their demands and looking into it, I don’t really know exactly what to expect out of that. .. I think it’s strange for them to mandate over something as vague and uncontrolled as pro wrestling, because it even changes from state to state whether it’s a sport or entertainment. Pro wrestling is as inside, behind-closed-doors and as protective a business as is there is next to the mafia, so for them to oversee it from the outside and actually put control on it, it’s strange to me. I think they’ve blurred the line between WWE and wrestling, too. They’ve blamed Vince for a lot of stuff that just has to do with wrestling in general. The truth is most wrestlers aren’t working at the top with WWE.

With so many wrestlers dying at a young age, what do you think the industry should do to address the situation?
I think it’s education. I think it’s about making smart decisions. And when we get into a business like this we look at our role models, we look at the older wrestlers and what they do. Back in ’89, ’90 when I got into wrestling, it was a party business. The wrestlers, for the most part, were drinking and doing drugs. I’d compare it more to a rock and roll tour than I would to a football organization. When it comes to the drug abuse they always want to compare it to other sports, but really it’s like the Barnum & Bailey Circus. There’s like 22 of those big tractor trailer trucks and they haul the show from town to town. It’s not like MMA where someone’s really trying to knock your head off, so you can relax a little bit and your comfort zone can get kind of wide. I think it’s in education and I think it’s in people representing the right image. Somebody like CM Punk, who stands up and says he’s completely sober. He doesn’t even take a drink of champagne in a toast because that’s just not him. He’s a man that’s completely full of integrity; you’ve got to respect that. He’s going to have a lot of wrestlers getting into the business that are going to look up to him and want to be like him. He’s unique, but if there were more wrestlers that were not abusive, then eventually I think we’d see a change.

You believe that marijuana should be legalized, correct?
Absolutely. And I think anybody that looks into the truth, if they’re not for legalizing it then they just don’t care about it. But anybody that says that there’s any logical reason that a plant that grows in the wild that zero people on the planet have overdosed from should be classified as a Schedule I controlled substance by the [Drug Enforcement Administration] with heroin and acid, and is one of the deadliest drugs with no medical benefits whatsoever – people knows that’s [nonsense]. I’m strongly for the legalization. I divide the argument into three categories: there’s recreational, there’s medicinal and there’s even material. You can make over 25,000 products with hemp, which doesn’t even have THC. It’s just a plant that they have outlawed by assimilating it with marijuana. Henry Ford made a car out of hemp fiber and it ran on hempseed oil. Nobody knows about that because DuPont buried it and said, “We can make a lot more money off destroying the planet and making plastics.” The more you look into it, the more you’ll learn that it was completely [nonsense]. Marijuana was outlawed in 1937 for causing violence and promiscuity, and if you smoked enough you would go insane. They’ve never gone back and said, “Oh, by the way, everybody, that was [nonsense].” Material, medicinal and recreational – the fact is it rates higher in effectiveness and safety than its competitors in all three categories.

I can see you’ve definitely done your homework on this subject.
I’ve done years of research. Yes, at one time, I might have just been a stoner. Now people like that actually offend me when they come up and go (doing an exaggerated “stoner” voice) “Hey, Rob, you ever stand on your head and try. … ” No, it’s not even about that. Those are the people who add to the stereotypes. That’s why people want to ban it – it sends a wrong message to kids. Well, kids shouldn’t [have sex], but I don’t think we should ban that. There are certain things that are for adults.

You were the WWE and ECW champion when you and Sabu were charged with drug possession in Ohio. You immediately dropped both titles and your push was derailed. If that incident hadn’t happened, do you think things would have turned out differently?
There was no way that I was going to be the longest-reigning world champion in WWE (laughs). Nobody thinks that. People like to say that the plans were dropped for ECW because of that night – heck no. Most people think that was just a transitional moment anyway. From my perspective, when people say that couldn’t have happened at a worse time, I always say it couldn’t have happened at a better time. You’re never going to hear me apologize for that. The fact is if I wasn’t the WWE and ECW world champion at the time, nobody would have cared. It wouldn’t have been all over the news. But because it was, it drew a lot of attention to a very important fact. Whenever celebrities, especially pro athletes, get in the news for marijuana, it helps change the climate of marijuana. People say, “Wait, you can be a world champion graceful athlete who can walk the ropes and do back-flips – and smoke cannabis? How can that be?”

Whatever happened with those charges?
I paid a $100 fine for possession of marijuana. However, since the WWE suspended me it ended up costing me like $30,000 or $40,000 easily. And you know what? I asked for more time off at the end of the 30 days. That was one of my favorite months of my contract. That’s how much I wanted out of there and how much I missed being home.

So you never had a feeling of, "Wow, I finally made it to this level and now this happens?"
The day that Sabu and I pulled into the Philly arena and had to tell Vince, and I knew how much I had disappointed him and dropped the ball on his immediate plans, I felt bad that day. I was feeling like I let some people down. But that’s the way emotion is. Emotion takes the place of logic, and until you work things out you’re a victim of it. Eventually, I could see the big picture, and that’s how it goes down in history and I’m OK with that.

Can you describe what it meant to you to win the WWE title from John Cena and what the atmosphere was like that night?
That night was definitely a one-night experience out of my entire career. Seventeen or 18 years of matches – nothing ever was like that night. The crowd was so one-sided and it was my crowd. It was that ECW hardcore crowd that knows my story. The crowd that saw me sweating and bleeding for the art, and then they saw me have to sacrifice that for money, and then they see me back there with them representing. And not only did they all get behind everything I stood for, but they were also against everything that Cena stood for – which was WWE and the big marketing machine that makes wrestling cheesy to the general public. It was awesome. Winning the world championship, like I said before, I never thought that would happen. But if it was going to happen, by doing it my way, by bringing ECW back so I could showcase my talent, that was definitely the night of my career.

I’ve always been curious about this: How do you feel about Shane McMahon using the Van Terminator?
You can’t patent a move. It’s challenging enough to come up with a move that nobody else does. … I try and do things that I would want to see done that I haven’t seen other people do. Most wrestlers obviously don’t think that way, and instead they steal somebody’s move as soon as they’ve gone on to the next company. It was actually Paul Heyman, my good friend, who showed Shane a video of me doing the Van Terminator and said, “Do you think you can do that?” I wasn’t happy that he did it, but I didn’t lose my cool, and I definitely see why he did it. We even talked about tagging and doing like a double Van Terminator one time, and I was like, “I don’t know, man, if I want to endorse Shane-O’s coast to coast.”

What kind of feedback have you been getting on RVD TV and what other projects do you have going on?
Feedback so far has been awesome with RVD TV. We added a forum for members only so they can leave messages, and just as I had hoped, people are finding themselves inspired and being able to use a lot of what they hear me say to motivate them or apply it to their own life to better themselves. That’s a strong inspiration behind not only RVD TV, but the exact path that I’m on right now. I wanted to get out of the ring because I felt like I’ve done back-flips and kicks lone enough for right now. And I know that inspires people and gives them good energy, but on a more direct level now it’s important for me to be able to inspire and motivate. I write my blogs on my MySpace every couple weeks and the feedback I get from that really gives me a lot of energy. Fans are like, “Wow, Rob, I knew you had all the moves but I had no idea you were so smart,” and “Wow, you really gave me a lot to think about.” That’s what I do. I try to get them to think and explore their own brain and get them to realize they’re one of a kind, too.
We’re all independent, and to me, that’s the strongest value of human life – your free will, your ability to be a person. A lot of people don’t spend any time trying to learn who that person is. They know the person that other people know. The people that know me don’t know the real me unless I show it to them, and I have to discover than in myself first in order to share it. That’s part of what’s behind all this. RVD TV is a reality show at robvandam.com. It’s for members, so not everybody can watch the episodes, but they can click on the previews page and get an idea of what we’re doing. I have my workouts on there; I have me in Los Angeles just doing things that I normally do – hanging out at Venice Beach, Hollywood Blvd., checking out all my friends’ houses. My real life and me as a real person comes across – it doesn’t get any realer than that. There’s no filtering, and, fortunately, from the feedback I’m getting it’s all really appreciated. People that are already fans of mine get to see more than just the two-dimensional RVD that WWE put on television.

What I saw of RVD TV definitely looked less contrived than a lot of reality shows.
It’s 100 percent not contrived. I’m walking on Venice Beach and talking to the camera about how I get good energy from the ocean and the sun and the beautiful girls in bikinis, and all of a sudden this black guy goes, “Hey, RVD, you remember me?” And I look over at this guy who is selling DVDs on the side of the road with a keyboard, and he says, “Hey, man, I did City Guys with you.” I’m like, “El-Train?” I did an episode of this kids sitcom on NBC with this guy [actor Steven Daniel, who played Lionel “El-Train” Johnson] about eight-nine years ago. Something like that would be contrived and thrown together on any reality show, but I don’t do that. This is just real life. There will be a lot of celebrities in RVD TV. I’m thinking of putting a celebrity count week by week just to count who all has been on RVD TV. I just hang out with a lot of people who are famous or who are associated with the entertainment business.
One thing that I’m really proud of on there is called “Friends in High Places.” It’s a recurring episode. I will talk to friends of mine about a subject to inspire thought: gun control, marijuana prohibition, language censorship, God, relationships, whatever. This is part of my real life. I don’t know if intellectual is the right adjective to use for me or a lot of my real-life situations. It could be with a couple other meatheads or it could be with highly educated movie producers or whatever, but this is something I do a lot with people that I know. It’s legit, genuine talk to explore our true inner thoughts. It’s not society telling us what to think, it’s how we truly feel on a subject. There’s a lot of variety on there. Last week for an upcoming episode, Justin McCully, who is a good friend of mine and a mixed martial artist in UFC, had this idea. We went up to Big Bear, where Team Punishment is training Kendall Groves for his upcoming fight, and we pranked them. We pranked Team Punishment and we have it all on camera for RVD TV. It was hilarious. We got a night-vision camera and we’re outside the cabin stalking them, knocking on the windows. It was awesome.

So many wrestlers have written their autobiographies. Have you thought about writing yours?
Absolutely. I’m actually working on a pre-autobiography book. What I mean by that is that I have a lot of different writing projects. I have some comic books, some fiction, nonfiction. I’m going to do the autobiography, but first I’m going to do more of a storybook that has to do with stories from the road, and it’s a lot of fun. Of course, when that’s out there, then the autobiography will be in huge demand.

Before we wrap up, are there any other projects that you want to discuss?
Not at this time. I appreciate you just letting everybody know to keep checking with robvandam.com for all the latest.

Morishima and pizza!:lol:
 
[quote name='pitfallharry219']Speaking of Charlie Haas, what the hell is the deal with him putting on that stupid mask in the middle of his matches?[/QUOTE]
That happens, if you don't have charisma.
 
My DVR caught the replay of Impact - is Christopher Daniels still doing Curry Man, or is it someone else? I thought I saw black hair sticking out of the back of the mask.
 
It's probably Daniels (as they could've just sewn hair into the mask), but perhaps they've got Gilberti doing it for now, leading to Daniels coming back and disputing that it's him (ironically, like the Conquistadors bit in WWF, which Daniels was involved in) since Curry Man did have quite a gut on him on Impact.
 
Rumble Results - updated at 8:40 PM CST.

Flair def. MVP via figure four.

Y2J got himself DQed with a chair shot against JBL. Afterwards Y2J brought in the video cable and hung JBL from the ring ropes. This match has a Botchmania spot towards the end when Y2J blew the Bulldog.

Edge def Rey Rey.

Now we got some promo with Santino, Maria, Ashley, and someone hiding in a.... bag? After Santino dissed New York, ripped on the Giants, and told Maria no Playboy.... the person in the bag turned out to be the Fat Oily Guy wearing a Tom Brady jersey. Gee..... thanks WWE for insulting us Pats fans.

Orton def Jeff Hardy via RKO!!!!! RKO RKO RKO RKO!!!!!.
 
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