WWE Wrestling Discussion thread...

[Melf]

I just don't understand Vince's reasoning. Paul Heyman made ECW so popular that Vince wanted to bring it back. Vince didn't make ECW so popular that he wanted to bring it back. So of course, logically to Vince, this means he should control the company instead of the guy that made it what it is.

But...but...Vince is a GENIUS!

Honestly, the first ECW show made me sick, and the second one, though better, gave me strong indigestion. If it's going to be a full WWE product (like it already isn't, with fatass strippers and that shitty Tori-clone "exhibitionist"), then I'll pass. I'd rather watch Law and Order or something that's actually entertaining. I will give them props for the cool RVD/Angle match, but that's really been it these past two weeks.

[Gonzo]

Vince feels that the old ECW fans are gone, since the TV shows haven't had ECW crowds

Duh, Vince, you're taping it in a WWE venue w/a WWE crowd. Keep it in small halls then you'll have that. Fuckin' A, I'm not even in the godamn business and I think I can look at a product and realize why people like it then stick w/that.

Vince, for someone who is "so smart" you're a fuckin' moron.

Sorry about that but that just pisses me the fuck off. You guys basically said it all already but I was actually excited to see ECW back on tv again and hearing the old music (it actually gave me goosebumps, kinda) and seeing some of the old wrestlers from ECW that WWE wouldn't normally give the time of day to. Then they want to make it just like WWE? Give me a break. Why don't you just bring back WCW and a bunch of their wrestlers, I think Disco Inferno is in need of a job or even Lodi. Then you can bring back WWWF. Hey, World Wildlife can't say it's copyright infringment. You could put a whole slew of up and comers in that fed too. With those additions you could have wrestling on everyday of the week.

[Dolemite]

I think it goes to show you how much Vince McMahon owes to the groundwork his father did in the 70's with the WWWF.

IBTN.

Given that every single other business venture Vince has attempted outside of WWE (ECW, XFL, WBF, Ico-Pro) has flopped horribly, there's no way WWE would be in business today if Vince had started it on his own as opposed to buying an established brand off his old man.

Anyone that calls Vince a "genius" should be kicked in the balls.

I just don't understand Vince's reasoning. Paul Heyman made ECW so popular that Vince wanted to bring it back. Vince didn't make ECW so popular that he wanted to bring it back. So of course, logically to Vince, this means he should control the company instead of the guy that made it what it is.

His ego is just fucking incredible.

Vince refuses to allow anything to succeed that doesn't have his fingerprints all over it, but if it fails, it's everyone else's fault.

When they pop a 3.0 rating, then they can worry about using Impact as a promotional tool.

Yup. Barely even pulling 1's each week ain't exactly going to get word out about your product.

UFC has been pulling in an average of 300,000+ buys with their monthly PPV's. Their bitter rival PPV this month will probably top 500,000 with Tito and Shamrock going at it one last time and Arlovski and Sylvia's heavyweight rematch.

Yeah, the buyrate for UFC 61 should be BIG. I know I'll be watching it.

[TobalRox]

Roderick Strong is off tnawrestling.com's roster page.

I guess he'd be awesome in WWE, but really, no one is.

Roderick had one match post suspension.... none for Austin Aries. Shame because I was really enjoying seeing them frequently, esp. since the X-Division was getting some time with people other than AJ/Daniels/Joe as everyone complains about.

[Drewbacca]

I also find it funny how WWE puts no stock in the internet yet 80% of the crowd laughs when they elude to Triple H knocking up Stephanie, a real life relationship WWE's never overtly admitted was going on behind the scenes on WWE TV.

[Drewbacca]

ROH action > TNA X-division

[TobalRox]

ROH action > TNA X-division

Agreed... a lot... but ROH isn't on my TV every week, so I take what I can get... esp. since it's better than anything WWE does for "cruiserweights."

[Jeremy]

It amazes me that for a very brief period early this year, the cruisers were actually used well by WWE. Then Helms got hurt, and they stopped caring.

Anyways, it's time for news. Johnny Parisi has been released (yes, he still had a job), and here's a funny quote from the WO site.

--The VH-1 web site lists that Brooke Hogan will be touring this summer to support her album "Undiscovered," that is scheduled for a 9/26 release date. Funniest line of the year in the VH-1 story is it notes "Hogan Knows Best" is one of the highest rated shows on the network, drawing "nearly 90 million households." That would make it twice as popular as the Super Bowl.

Now for some terrible news - Kobashi has cancer.

Kenta Kobashi, one of pro wrestling's all-time greatest performers, is currently hospitalized due to kidney cancer it was announced earlier today.
The 39-year-old Kobashi was diagnosed with cancer when results of tests came back after a routine medical examination. The company made the announcement on a piece of paper in front of Differ Ariake in Tokyo, its home arena, where they have a show scheduled. Mitsuharu Misawa, the group's president, was interviewed on the NTV Network sports news at midnight earlier today, saying that Kobashi's pain was such that he told Misawa he can't wrestle right now.
He said that after Kobashi complained about severe pain in his waist at his examination, they gave him a CT scan last Thursday and the results showed a tumor on his kidney. Not much else is known but it is believed he will be undergoing surgery to remove the cancer.
One can make a strong argument that Kobashi is the greatest wrestler of this generation. When he was elected into the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame in 2002, he received a record 98% of the vote. He is second to only Ric Flair when it comes to the number of times winning the Lou Thesz/Ric Flair award for Wrestler of the Year, winning in 1996, 2003, 2004, and 2005. He has been in six winners of Match of the Year, including his match last year in New York against Samoa Joe, also an all-time record.
Kobashi is known in Japan as pro wrestling's Iron Man, because he had five knee operations in 2001 that were thought to end his career. He was out for 13 months, and returned to become the standout in-ring performer in the world.

In other news, ECW drew a 2.2 this week. I'm sure this will be blamed on Paul Heyman's vision of ECW killing interest.

[Dolemite]

2.2 kills anything TNA or the Sci-Fi Channel usually draws.

[Jeremy]

Very true, but it's still a drop, and they'll likely look at Heyman as the scapegoat.