Keith' s Social Study: Wheres My Political Home

Keith' s Social Study: Wheres My Political Home: In today's political climate it appears that you have to be on the far right or far left. Well I am kind of in the middle on most subject...

Rick Rude - Old School Profile

This weeks old school profile centers around a man from the legendary Robbinsdale, MN area. Known as the "The Sexiest Man Alive" Ravishing Rick Rude is one of the greatest professional wrestlers of 1980s and 90s. Probably best known for his time in the WWF where he was one of the more memorable Intercontinental Champions in the company's history. Rude has wrestled in many organizations around the world and has been successful at every stop. With a great look and solid microphone skills there were too many who measure up to Rick Rude.

The young Richard Erwin Rood was born in St. Peters, MN and attended Robbinsdale High School at the same time as 8 other young men whom would later become professional wrestlers. Names like Tom Zenk(Z-Man), Nikita Koloff, John Nord and Joseph Laurinitis(Road Warrior Animal). He also was there with his best friend and WWF Hall of Famer Curt Henning(Mr. Perfect). This list of men only rival teh West Texas State Football teams that had Stan Hansen and Tully Blanchard of places that produced wrestlers.

Rude began his career in the early 1980's touring various NWA territories as many wrestlers did at that time. He made a big impact in 1985 when he went to compete in the legendary World Class Championship Wrestling. Managed by veteran manager Percy Pringle(WWF Paul Bearer) he feuded with the likes of Chris Adams and Kevin Von Erich. While with World Class he became the NWA American Heavyweight Champion.

After capturing the title in World Class the promotion withdrew from the National Wrestling Alliance. The belt was renamed WCWA World Heavyweight Championship while Rude was holding it. This effectively made him the first World Champion of the Fritz Von Erich ran promotion.

After a run in Jim Crockett Promotions where he teamed with Manny Fernandez and won the NWA World Tag Team Championship he went to the WWF. In July of 1987 Rude began his career with the WWF. He first was managed by Jimmy Hart and Bobby Heenan. Due to his great physique and over the top persona "Ravishing" Rick Rude was created.

He quickly got the ball rolling with a legendary feud between him and Jake The Snake Roberts. The feud even got Roberts real life wife Cheryl Roberts involved as Rude would make passes at her. Rude even placed Mrs Roberts picture on his famous tights.

After his conflict with Roberts he had another notable rivalry with The Ultimate Warrior. Most of their battles centered around the Intercontinental Championship in which Rude was able to capture from Warrior at Wrestlemania V. After the Warrior became WWF Champion he and Rude competed for that title also. Rude was not able to capture the world belt from the Warrior but was strong competitor.

In 1991 Rude made his way back to World Championship Wrestling which was now owned by Ted Turner. He appeared at Halloween Havoc as the masked phantom and later revealed himself that evening. He became apart of one of wrestling's most underrated stables the Dangerous Alliance.

Headed by Paul E. Dangerously the Dangerous Alliance included Arn Anderson, Steve Austin and Larry Zybszko. He competed for the United States Heavyweight Championship and had issues with guys like Sting and Nikita Koloff. His most notable feud was iwth Ricky Steamboat and their matches are held in high regard among wrestlign historians.

Rick Rude vs Ricky Steamboat at Superbrawl 1992

Rude then began his focus on the highest prize the NWA Heavyweight Championship. He faced off against The Nature Boy Ric Flair whom he defeated at Fall Brawl in 1993. After WCW withdrew from the NWA the title was rebranded WCW International World Heavyweight Championship in which Rude defended internationally in Japan. He would then defend the belt against Sting and lose the title. He would also suffer a career ending back injury during that match doing a suicide dive.

After being retired for a few years he made his way back into the business. There was a brief stint in ECW in 1996 where he taunted Shane Douglas and then he moved on to the WWF. He was an original member of the revolutionary group DX in 1997. Known as the insurance policy. He would frequently interfere in matches using his trademark briefcase.

Rude was in the lockerroom after the controversial Montreal Screwjob incident. He witnessed the confrontation between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon. It is believed that he contacted Eric Bischoff at WCW that night to come over to WCW. He was on a pay per appearance contract which allowed him to leave the WWF so easily. In WCW he managed his best friend Curt Henning. Rude my be the only man to appear on Nitro and Raw on the same night. Raw was pre-taped and Nitro was live on November 17th, 1997. It was rumored that Rude was working himself back into shape for a full time comeback to the ring. Unfortunately Rude lost his life on April 20th, 1999. The cause of death was heart failure.

Top 10 WCW/NWA Tag Teams

With the WWE and other websites making their top 10 list the Ring Time crew decided to share one of ours. We decided to give love to the tag team division of WCW. One of the deepest and talented tag team divisions in wrestling history.

Criteria

The way we choose this list was first we judged these teams strictly on their time in NWA/ WCW. Unlike the WWF our selections do extend to the Jim Crockett era of the promotion. Our era extends from 1975 until the close of the company in 2001. So the Hardyz and Dudleyz will not be on the list. We factored in total title reigns, longevity of title reigns and overall contribution to the sport.

10. Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood

With a total of 6 title reigns we kick off our list.  This team was a staple of the Crockett territory of the early 1980s. Know for major feuds with legendary teams like The Brisco Brothers and the team of Sgt. Slaughter and Don Kernodle.   This team is one of the vehicles that really launched the hall of fame career of Steamboat.  Major fan favorites in the Crockett territory were early stars as the company was getting larger on the TBS network.

9. Minnesota Wrecking Crew

From 1969 to 1981 Ole and Gene Anderson were known as the Minnesota Wrecking Crew. The original tag team champions of the promotion starting in 1975. Ole replaced Lars Anderson as a member of the legendary tag team. The combo of Ole and Gene won 8 tag team titles throughout their run. This team is significant because it is the forerunner to the Four Horsemen. Without the success of Ole and Gene there would have been no Ole and Arn. Also Ric Flair was billed as a cousin of the Andersons to help give him a push in territories that the Andersons were already popular.

8. The Outsider

Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were not only dominant but were start of a wrestling revolution. They were the catalyst that helped take the Monday Night Wars to the next level. With 6 tag team championships in WCW they are on of the most successful teams of all time.

7. The Hollywood Blondes

Only together for a short time the innovative team of Brian Pillman and Stunning Steve Austin made major waves in WCW. The name Hollywood Blondes has been used by several tag teams in the business like The original “Blonds” were Buddy Roberts and Jerry Brown in the 1970s or Ted Oates and Rip Rogers in the 1980s. The name is most associated with Pillman and Austin. They may have only had 2 title runs but their time as a team they made a big impact on WCW/NWA. Their feud with Shane Douglas and Ricky Steamboat was one of the best the company has ever had. They are also one of the few teams where both members went on to become stars after their time together.

6a. Midnight Express / 6b. Rock N Roll Express

We grouped these two teams together because without one you don't have the other. The Midnight Express and The Rock N Roll Express rivalry can be argued as one of the greatest tag team rivalries ever. No matter the organization or time both of these team were going after each other and the belts.

5. Doom

The team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed was one of the staples of the late eighties and early 1990's tag team scene. Their feuds with the Steiners and Road Warriors were major in WCW. Doom was one of the few teams that were not physically intimidated by the Road Warriors. They hold the record for the longest title reign in company's history of 282 days.

4. Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard

Arn and Tully maybe the most cerebral team on the list. Also known as the Horsemen these two made sure the tradition of the Horsemen holding tag team gold stayed alive. Having arguably one of the greatest tag team wrestlers of all time in Arn Anderson this team found a way to beat everybody. They didn't let their size disadvantage stop them against the Road Warriors and didn't get beat to death with the speed of the Rock N Roll Express. Their win at all cost attitude brought them pretty high up on this list.  

3. Road Warriors

We understand that the Road Warriors were probably a lot of fans number 1 pick but the committee at Ring Time Pro Wrestling saw them as a 3. We do understand that this team maybe the most identified with tag team wrestling of their era but they were mostly 3-5 minute guys. We respect their dominance and think that they are one greatest of all time.

2. The Steiners

Every possible tag team title a team can win these two brothers from Michigan had them. Rick and Scott has the rare combination of power and technical wrestling ability. They have beaten almost every team on this list. Winning 10 World Tag Team and United States championships. They even won the IWGP titles once while they were in WCW.

1. Harlem Heat

Can You Dig It Sucka 

What more can we say but 10 time WCW tag team champions. The most world title reigns of any tag team in the history of WCW. This team has taken on every team in their era and some from the previous era of tag team wrestling.  No matter who the manager was in the corner Booker and Stevie Ray handled business. They were the Pro Wrestling Illustrated tag team of the year both in 1995 and 1996.  

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Wrestlers who Dont Get Enough Credit

In this blog I decided to compile a short list of wrestlers who I think don't get enough credit for how good they really are. These performers have danced with some of best and most popular wrestlers in the business but do not get put in the same light. Most of these men have not won world titles but they have made many World Champions look good.

Christian

Known to most fans as the complaining ex champion on the Smackdown brand, Christian has been entertaining WWE and TNA fans for the better part of the last 15 years. Christian is the only World Champion on this list. His most recent work against Randy Orton has been great but its nothing new for Christian. Being one half of the team Edge and Christian he delivered some of the greatest moments in wrestling history during TLC matches.

Lance Storm

One of the greatest in ring performers from the great nation of Canada. Having memorable runs in WCW, WWE and ECW Storm has contributed a lot to the wrestling business. Trained at the Hart Brothers Wrestling Camp with the legendary Chris Jericho he has delivered great matches all over the world. Not seen as one of greatest microphone guys, Storm does not have many peers inside the ring.

X-Pac

When coming up with this list one of the first people who came to mind was X-Pac. A major player in two of wrestling's most legendary factions. One of the first members of the NWO after the main three players joined. Pac was one of the few guys who could deliver quality matches on a consistent basis. After showing WCW audiences what he could do he came back home to the WWE where he was 1/4 of the revamped DX. Through his partnership with Kane and feuds with Shane McMahon and D Low Brown he has been a big part of wrestling for a while.

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The Nexus Then and Now

On June 1st, 2010 the wrestling world was hit with a group of young brash superstars that were going to impact the business. They started off with a bang and went after the biggest dog in the yard to make their point. These men were the original cast of WWE's new NxT program that was meant to showcase new talent. After one of the most powerful debuts in wrestling history the group slowly began to fade. This blog will examine where are they know and if was a all a success or failure.

WWE Nexus Debut

The group of David Ortunga, Michael Tarver, Daniel Bryan, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Skip Sheffield, Michael McGillicuty, Darren Young and Husky Harris were lead by Wade Barrett. The Nexus brought two things that wrestling was missing. Hot young stars for the future and a dominant faction.

The Nexus fell short of those expectations. After two years the Ring Time crew decided to reflect on what went wrong. There has also been a small resurgence of the members and we will breakdown their individual careers to this point.

Where it Went Wrong

The WWF missed the boat on the Nexus a few ways. First of all they never let Wade Barrett win any matches without help from the group. He was always seen a weak leader. Secondly the group never got to establish themselves as solid individuals. The NWO would at least have matches where their separate members would be featured against other talent in the company. Which allowed them to establish their own feuds and gave substance with the group. Lastly the group should have went over on John Cena completely and cleanly. This would have allowed a solid repackaging for Cena and gave credit to the group. It was always shown as an eight on one set up that the eight struggled to win.

The Nexus should not have broken up until around early 2012. The WWE missed a golden opportunity to have a revolving story line with multiple characters. There was a chance for face turns, in fighting and heel turns from people outside the group.

Hit or Miss

As we look at the individual careers of the Nexus we have had some hits and misses. The jury is still out some of the guys. Mason Ryan and CM Punk are not profiled because they were added to the group and not apart of the original group.

The Misses

Mike McGillicutty

Probably on of the most talented members of the group that never quite made it Mr McGillicutty. The company already missed the boat in branding with his real name Joe Henning. He is a 3rd generation superstar and son of one of your most beloved talents Mr. Perfect. He is not even seen on WWF television as of late.

Husky Harris

You can kind of put him in the same category as young Henning. A 3rd generation superstar who knows his way around the ring. He also had a totally different look from what the WWF usually tries to market as a superstar.

Michael Tarver and Heath Slater 

Not really a total misses because most people never expected much from this these two gentleman. Heath can still be seen from time to time jobbing out on superstars. Tarver has all but disappeared but not missed.

Jury Still Out

Justin Gabriel

The South African superstar has shown a lot of potential.The high flying star has a chance to fill the gap for young impact stars. He has been featured in a few good spots even though lately he has not been seen. The young man still has time for his career to blossom.

Wade Barrett

Barrett was a hard choice because he could fit in all 3 categories. His career has been kind of jerky with hits and misses. On the Smackdown brand he has been a contender when healthy but he always gets cut short. Because of size and mic ability he still has a change to be a big star in the business. He is a classic heel persona.

Darren Young

The black John Cena was on the verge of being faded into obscurity. He has shown back up on our televisions with Titus O'Neal. If the WWF wants to actually commit to tag team wrestling Young could be one of the highlights. He has shown some real personality in his on camera appearances.

Skip Sheffield

With the resurgence of Sheffield he almost made the hit category. Repackaged as Ryback he has been moving up the WWF food chain. If he continues to move in the right direction he will work himself into the hit column.

The Hits

David Otunga

Now this one may seem like a shocker but Otunga has transformed himself into a pretty hate able heel. Working as the legal adviser for Johnny Ace he has been pretty decent. There should be a United States title in his future. He sometimes has to take a beating from some of the top tier superstars but he handles it comes back for more.

Daniel Bryan

Easily the most successful member of the group was the guy who was in the group the shortest time. It is still debated whether he was actually fired or if the WWF executed one of the greatest works in the era of internet wrestling fans. The belief that he actually got fired after the initial Nexus assault was wrestling gold. He has had a few slip ups since then but after winning the Money In The Bank his career has been on fire. Feuds with the Big Show, Mark Henry and now CM Punk has captivated the WWF fans. Even now packaged as a heel he still gets good pops in the arenas. His "Yes" chants are becoming Stone Cold "What" legendary.

Ring Time Podcast 05/26

Written By
Keith B Holt of Ring Time Pro Wrestling
Follow on twitter : @Kholtjr

Weekly DVD Suggestion - Big Show A Giant's World

With the return of the DVD suggestion the Ring Time staff decided to go big. Well actually we went giant as we selected the Big Show's story. With The Show emerging as a prime time player again in WWE story line we figured we would highlight his story. This a well produced documentary by the WWE which chronicles his childhood and how he got started in wrestling.

This in depth look at the life and times of Show can be found on Netflix streaming and there are some clips on youtube. If you purchase the actual DVD you will be treated to 24 of Big Show's best matches. How ever you catch its a good watch a look at this generations wrestling Giant.

DVD Trailer

Garrett Bischoff is no Shane O'Mac

One of the most unanimous things among wrestling fans is that TNA is showing Garrett Bischoff down our throats. Don't get me wrong its not the first time that somebody pushed their kid too hard. Garrett just seems to be getting some near main event time. Most of the time we are forced to see former wrestlers kids not the child of an executive. We have seen this actually work out before.

The golden son of the WWF Shane McMahon was the one example of the successful exec's son. Do you want to know why he was successful and Garrett is not? Well I am glad you asked.

 First of all Shane was never really shoved down fans throats. You only saw the younger McMahon in small spots at a time and every time you saw him it was an event.

Secondly you were invested in the McMahon story. During the Monday Night Wars wrestling fans were actually invested in this family that could lose it all against this competing company. The story of a young man who actually wants to be like his dad and does crazy things to gain his approval is actually closer to the story of most viewers. Garrett began opposing his father soon after he was introduced. No time to bond with the character or develop any feelings towards him. They failed to capitalize on the fact he would have heat from just being Bischoffs son. Also lets take into account that Vince McMahon is a better wrestling mind and presence than Easy E.

Lastly and almost most important Shane could deliver a match. He went in there with guys like Kane, Big Show and X-Pac and took all the bumps. Now don't get me wrong Garrett has taken his fair share of abuse in his short career but not on the Shane level.  Shane appeared to have to taken a lot of time to prepare a ring persona and develop a reasonable move set for a non-full time performer.

I wish the younger Bischoff well in his career but he just hasn't risen to the occasion yet. 

Shane McMahon vs Kurt Angle 2001 King of The Ring

Written By

Keith B. Holt of Ring Time Pro Wrestling 

Follow on Twitter - Kholtjr

This Week In Internet Wrestling

While cruising the wonderful web I sometimes see fun stuff that is wrestling related. I figured I would be an irresponsible blogger if I didn't share.

MVP Sits Down With Carlito

Broken up in 2 parts this session of the MVP show with Carlito give some good insight what its like to be backstage in the WWE. This one is Session 10 and I also recommend session 9 with Shelton Benjamin. Not only do you get a chance to catch up with guys who have left the WWE you get the understanding that they are real people who live real lives outside the ring.

MVP/ Shelton Benjamin vs Complete Players - NJPW

Dragon Gate Stuff

If you are not familiar with Dragon Gate it is one of the premier independent organizations in the world. A great resource I have found is www.openthedragongate.com. The put out weekly content from the company and also upload a lot of classic material. To warn you all of the commentary is in Japanese but the action is so good you probably won't really care. Below is a link to the the most recent Infinity show the King of Chop.

http://www.openthedragongate.com/2012/04/infinity-254-king-of-chop/

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Weekly DVD Suggestion - King of The Ring

The Weekly DVD suggestion has returned to Ring Time Pro Wrestling. This week's suggestion comes from the WWE library as we watch their King of The Ring DVD. This 3 disc set is an excellent collection of greatest King of The Ring matches in the history of the event. Not just matches from the tournament but exciting matches that took place at the PPV. The DVD is hosted none other than King Bookah(Booker T). There is also a little King of the Ring history lesson a good pick for any wrestling fan.

Notable Matches

King of the Ring Finals 

Match Bret ‘Hit Man’ Hart vs. Bam Bam Bigelow 

King of the Ring 13th June, 1993 

WWE Championship Match 

 Shawn Michaels vs. British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith 

King of the Ring 23rd June, 1996

 King of the Ring Finals Match 

Edge vs. Kurt Angle

 King of the Ring 24th June, 2001

My Favorite Title Belts

In watching some wrestling on Netflix last night I was reminded of how cool some of the titles. Also these current crop of title belts absolutely suck, with the exception of The Big Gold Belt. So of course I decided to share some of my favorite old school belts and ones I think they should bring back.

Winged Eagle WWF Title

Introduced in 1988 by Hulk Hogan on Saturday's Night Main Event this belt was worn in different incarnations until 2001. I like this belt because it was very classy and just a very regal feel about it. It is definitely better then the spinner mess that the WWF currently uses. Are spinners still even in style?

Notable Stars Who Wore The Belt

Hulk Hogan

 Bret Hart Shawn 

Michaels Macho 

Man Randy Savage 

Ric Flair

 Stone Cold Steve Austin

The WWF Tag Team Titles

Once again a ten thousand times better option than the shitty WWE Titles that they use today. The current belts look like the cheap plastic belts that they sell at Wal Mart of 9.99. The tag team belts that the WWF utilized from 1985-2002 were legendary. I always liked the way shined. Worn by some of the most legendary tag teams of all time these belts are timeless.

Notable Teams That Wore The Belts

The Hart Foundation

 Demolition

 The British Bulldogs 

The Road Warriors

The WCW/NWA TV Title

There is nothing more classic than the old school NWA TV Title. Worn by some of the best wrestlers on television. The belt that originated in Jim Crockett Promotions was defended on TV every week. Arn Anderson was the person that I most associated with title but other greats have worn it proudly.

Notable Title Holders

The Great Muta 

 Dusty Rhodes

 Tully Blanchard

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Written By
Keith B. Holt of Ring Time Pro Wrestling
Follow on Twitter @Kholtjr 

The Dark Characters

In today's wrestling I think that we are missing a truly dark character. That crazy guy that we are all scared of to a certain extent. Not in the Goldberg kind of way but more like the Cactus Jack or old school Undertaker. The master of this was Jake the Snake Roberts. When you talk about creative geniuses in the wrestling business his name has to be on the list. Jake delivered that demented and tortured soul that fans could buy into whether he was a face or heel.

Jake Roberts Promo

I feel like today's business doesn't have this kind of star. We all know wrestling is a work but Jake allowed you to forget that it was not real. Whether it was his issues with the Undertaker, Macho Man or Rick Rude he would allow you to get invested his stories.

There have been other dark characters over time in professional wrestling so I figured I would share some of mine.

Doink The Clown

There have a been a few incarnations of Doink The Clown but none was better than the original portrayed by Matt Osborne from 1992-1995 in the WWF. The technically sound and tortured clown was an icon of early 1990's wrestling.

Golddust

Also during the mid 1990's we were introduced to Golddust. The son of the American Dream Dusty Rhodes found his alter ego and was one of the darker characters. Pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable in pro wrestling.

What Happened to My Midcard

After watching RAW tonight I realized what wrestling appears to be missing is that strong mid-card. Remembering those great times of the Monday Night Wars and the Attitude Era when the majority of the 2 hours of the program was interesting. It feels like now as fans we are living from Main Event to Main Event. Which seems so weird in this world where the the biggest company air two shows that both run for 2 hours each. When they had shows for just 1 hour once a week they were able to produce and promote so much talent.

Remember when you used to watch RAW and even Smackdown to see what good wrestling they had in store for you. Now its the opening promo by John Cena or CM Punk then see who they are going to wrestle at the end of the night. So I have to ask "What Happened to My Midcard" You know that place where Randy Orton was when he held the Intercontinental title or where Chris Jericho and Chris Beniot first faced off. The place where we groom our main event talent for the future.

Mr. Perfect vs Bret Hart in 1989

The stars of the future who the business are developed on the undercard. In my view the most successful performers are the guys who had to work their way up the card. Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels and even The Rock had to challenge for every belt and add every achievement to their resume.  It was a major achievement to be the United States Champion.  Even guys who made it to the main event still would try to compete for the TV title when he was not in the world title, like a Dusty Rhodes or Sting competing for the United States belt.

The Downfall of The Tag Team Does Not Help

One of the staples of a classic wrestling show was the tag teams. After watching the effective destruction of this institution by WWF as of late it could be a major contributing factor to the lack of new stars. Didn't Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart and Edge all make names for themselves in the Tag Team ranks. I remember when the tag team scene had its how mid card. Each wrestling company had like 10 competitive tag teams that we all knew about. We knew The Bushwackers were not going to be serious challengers for the belts but they were relevant. In NWA/WCW there was 2 levels of tag team champions with the United States Tag Team Champions and the World Champions. Remember the excitement of seeing the Steiners face Doom or The British Bulldogs vs The Hart Foundation. Maybe one day wrestling will get back to its roots and what made it popular.

Where is my Hardyz vs The Dudley Boyz.  Or my super tag team pairings looking for  their shots at the belts like The Rock N Sock Connection, Big Show and Undertaker or Austin and Triple H.  All those big teams were honored to carry those belts.  The tag team title was a big deal just like the individual mid card belts.

Classic RAW

New Ring Time Podcast

Written By
Keith B Holt of Ring Time Pro Wrestling

Follow on Twitter : kholtjr

Who's Coming Back

Unless you been in a wrestling coma for the past week you know one of the most anticipated returns to the ring has happened. Former WWE Champion and most recently UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. So I came up with some former wrestlers of the active roster that I would like to see come back to the WWF. 

John Morrison 

Let me first say that this return will be without Melina. Sorry but she seems to have a negative effect on the former Tough Enough cast member. Morrison is actually young enough to be a long time active contributor to the active roster.

Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bill Goldberg

There is a reason I put these two legends under the same banner. The bottom line is that for the Monday Night Wars era fans we never got our dream match. I think that both of them are young enough and in good enough shape to turn out a one time only dream Wrestlemania match.

Kurt Angle

Since Brock is back then why not bring back his greatest opponent. The Olympic Gold Medal Winner and The Next Big thing have had some classic matches in the past and their actual wrestling ability lends a lot of credibility to their matches.

Written By Keith Holt
Follow on Twitter @Kholtjr

Cool Internet Stuff Mania Week

In this wonderful Wrestlemania week there are some thing that I saw that was worth checking out and sharing with you the Ring Time Pro Wrestling family.

Slither Madness is Going Strong

The greatest tournament of all time is still going strong. In the Wrestling Region the finals feature two familiar foes. Vote for them and your other favorite categories

http://challonge.com/slithermadness

Undertaker vs Triple H Battle Rap

So you wondered what John Morrison has been doing since he left the WWF, well here you go. He put out one of the funniest wrestling videos that we have seen in a long time. The Triple H vs Undertaker battle rap is classic stuff. Too bad the WWF did not figure out on how to capitalize on this creativity when Morrison was on the active roster.

2012 WWE Hall of Famer Mil Mascaras

As we gear up for the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame there is one inductee that you may or may not be that familiar with. He is a member of one of wrestling's most prominent families and is the uncle of current star Alberto Del Rio. Máscaras was one of the first masked luchadores outside of Mexico to play a non-heel role. Check him out on youtube when you get a chance.


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Cena vs Rock is Not The Biggest Wrestlemania Main Event Ever

One thing I have heard over and over again leading up to this Wrestlemania is how The Rock vs John Cena is the biggest main event in history of the event. Of course every year they like to tell you how you are seeing history and every main event is set to be a classic but let ease your mind that this is not the biggest main event ever at a Wrestlemania. How do I know? Well I will give some previous main events that were larger in scale and did not have the benefit of one year of promotion.

Hulk Hogan vs The Ultimate Warrior

Wrestlemania VI in the Toronto Skydome feature two of the biggest superstars of an era. This is one of the first time a two babyfaces went at it in the Main Event on the big stage. There was definitely a divide among the WWF fan base. Were Hulkamanics going to win out over the Little Warriors? This was the first ever threat to the idea of Hogan being the undisputed man in the WWF. The man who headlined the previous 5 big shows. Wrestlemania was making new historic ground as this was the first ever Mania held outside of the United States. The match also was the first time we a saw a title for title match as The Warrior was the Intercontinental Champion and Hulk Hogan held the world title.

Stone Cold vs The Rock WM17

Although these gentlemen have faced off at 2 other Wrestlemania's none was bigger than their match at Wrestlemania 17 in Houston. Had they faced in Wrestlemania before and for the title? Yes they had. This time it was different because of not only their individual popularity but the new found popularity of the WWF. This was the height of the Attitude Era and WCW was on its last legs. There were two men who had led the charge against the Turner juggernaut in the famed Monday Night Wars.

Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant

There is no bigger main event than the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. Andre The Giant vs Hulk Hogan sold out the Pontiac Silverdome for Wrestlemania III. This was the match that was used to sell 93000 tickets and push the WWF to the next level. Andre The Giant was the unquestioned biggest attraction in professional wrestling and had been for some time. Hulk Hogan had been the world champion for 3 years by this time and taken down every foe to this point.

This match served as the official passing of the torch as the wrestling business was completely shifting gears. As the territory system was at the end of the line and cable was changing the entire business, this match put the wrestling in Hogan's hands. This main event solidified Wrestlemania as an institution in the world of wrestling.


Written By
Keith Holt Jr
Follow on Twitter - @Kholtjr