[Movie] WWE/TNA fanfiction thread

Thoughts first on Hogan - WCW:
Hogan was not the lead reason why WCW died but he certainly was a part of it. Fans DO mark for Hogan but they ALSO get tired of the same stuff over and over again. Hogan kept beating everyone, no matter if he was a heel or a face, and people grew tired of it.
This though, was a problem with WCW in general. The same talent stayed at the top, and the young talent were rarely given a chance to grow and shine. What little talent did was eventually crushed to the point they were meaningless (Goldberg).

that being said. Hogan gives credibility. I hate to think how much the guy gets paid, but him signing DOES give TNA more credibility. If TNA can do what WCW did in 95, that is bring in big-name talent while coupling it with the best talent on the planet, they can build themselves up.

I do hope though Carter remembers her goal though. Build the YOUNG talent.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I can never discount Hogan's contributions or his unmatched charisma. his ability to still be in the business twenty-five years when Hulkamania began is remarkable. ONly Flair has that staying power.

Back in 2002, Hogan did a nice job of giving the guys who needed the rub. However, after he left the WWE and came back in 2005 and onward, he never lost. I have no problem if Hulk wins, but at least return the favor. Having HBK superkick him after clobbering him with a chair ,and then Hulk coming back in two more return matches won't hurt him, but would help Shawn (a little bit). And certainly having Orton beat Hogan, even if it took an RKO on a chair, and his feet on the ropes, would catapult Orton. And of course Hogan could come back.

That all being put aside, if Hogan is really wanting to put TNA on the map and lend his name credibility, i have no problems with that.

As for WCW, I don't disagree on Russo's idiotic booking. Russo looked like a genius the first week or two. After that, it was ho-hum, and then "what as he thinking?!". However, Hogan DID play a part in all of it. Back in 94, Hogan was booed a great deal. same in 1995. His heel turn in 96 was probably his best move as he couldn't keep going at the pace he was at. However, how often did Hogan lose after that? Piper (in a mind boggling non title match at WCW's biggest PPV of the year). Sting (sort of. Sting got the win back at Superbrawl but it was essentially meaningless by then). Luger (and Hogan got the title back three days later). Then Flair, but that was convulted as all heck.

Heck, think back to all of Hogan's losses in WCW. I think Piper's and his second (kinda) loss to Sting were his only clean ones (Luger's was kind of shakey as there was mass interference).

FELIPE NO

Except, Hogan has YET to show up, giving excuses already.

Dixie Carter gave a speech. More or less "Join with me, or leave". Not those exact words, but it felt like rather than talking about the talent's frustrations / complaints, it was like they should give full allegance to her and trust in her to do things even if they don't agree / understand, or they should go. Not exactly a motivating speech.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

It's still hard to believe that Umaga was involved in a storyline with one of the top stars on Smackdown! six months prior to his death. Heck, he even faced Punk (and lost) just hours before Punk won the world title. And he was only 36. It's scary how we lose so many young wrestlers each year.... RIP Umaga is the best I can say.

In much less somber news.....I thought I'd make some predictions:

WWE Championship - Tables Match
- John Cena (c) vs. Sheamus.
Winner: Cena. Amazingly, this reminds me slightly of Umaga as they made Umaga to be unstoppable in which Cena squeaked out a win against him. That is what is going to happen here as Cena is going to put Sheamus through a table only for Sheamuas to get right back up and pummel Cena after the match. They'll have a rematch at the royal Rumble.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Steel Chair Match
- The Undertaker (c) vs. Batista.
Winner: Undertaker. Undertaker has had an honestly surprisingly title reign. I certainly didn't expect him to pick the title up this year. As for Batista, his heel turn has went well so far. The question is...who will Batista face if he wins the title. In some ways Jericho would be a better champ giong into Mania, with a returning Edge to face him. However, Edge's return may not be in line with Wrestlemania.
That said, if Batista is going to win the title, I'd expect him to do it next month. I generally see that the WWE goes for patterns with wrestler's wins and losses, and Batista has generally been unsuccessful in December PPV's (with his win over Orton last year being perhaps the lone exception...I haven't looked back far enough). Undertaker though has not always had the best of luck at the Royal Rumble. That said, watch for Undertaker to retain here and loss it at the Royal Rumble, perhaps in a triple threat match.


ECW Championship - Ladder Match
- Christian (c) vs. Shelton Benjamin.
Winner: Shelton Benjamin. Amazingly, Christian has held the title an incredible six months or so....and if you discount the hiccup with Dreamer getting the title, then he has had it since maybe April. That being said, I think the WWE is running out of options for who for Christian to face, so I think Shelton will pick it up. Also, the ECW title is a title that is there to make the fans really happy (Christian), help elevate stars on the rise (Morrison, Punk), or reward those who have been consistent but aren't likely to get a (or another) world title reign (Dreamer, Kane, Mark Henry).
- Chris Jericho & Big Show (c's) vs. DX.
Winners: Big show and Jericho. This is a close one, but Jerishow has been getting updated by DX often. Plus, this will begin to set the seeds for an HBK / HHH showdown at Mania. I'm not sure either man will turn heel, but it will add momentum to their match.
- Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston.
Winner: Orton. Kingston has been pushed hard and had a shocking victory over Orton's team at Survivor Series. However, Orton is the veteran and is going to get the duke here, with Kingston continuing their feud.
WWE Intercontinental Championship
- John Morrison (c) vs. Drew McIntyre.
Winner: Drew McIntyre. Word has it Triple H is big on Drew. That, the fact he gained momentum with a win over Morrison, and the fact that the WWE may be ready to push John to that next level, may result in him losing the title here. I mean, though it may be a bit pre-mature....think about it... The WWE wants to make new stars, what if Morrison won the Royal Rumble, then went to Wrestlemania to challenge for the title (which coincides with a DVD that is coming out with him to further establish him)? Though it's unlikely as it IS the WWE....it could still happen.
WWE Women's Championship
- Michelle McCool (c) vs. Mickie James.
Winner: McCool.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

The rumors have been going on for months. ONly recently did something materialize out of it all.

I think it's safe to say we'll be seeing the Hart Dynasty taking the titles from DX. Also, wouldn't it be quite the twist if Bret was the special guest ref for say...HBK Vs Undertaker II? It would be a bit of reversal of roles from Summerslam 97.

MY general feeling is they should have Bret come in as a heel and help the hart Dynasty win the tag titles, but eventually turns face to face Vince . they can have a match at Wrestlemania in which Bret basically pummels Vince.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Prediction Time.

TNA World Heavyweight Championship
- AJ Styles (c) vs. Daniels.
Winner: Styles. Amazingly, Daniels gets a main event slot. Quite a turn around from one year ago where he got fired via the Curry Man and two years ago when he got fired as....well Daniels. Even more amazing that you went from these two guys being the best of friends and celebrating Styles win to this.

Three Degrees of Pain
- Kurt Angle vs. Desmond Wolfe.
Winner: Wolfe. I can't see Wolfe losing two big matches in a row. Watch for them to tie things up and perhaps Jarrett coming back to whack Angle in the head with a guitar to give Wolfe the win.

Last Man Standing
- Bobby Lashley vs. Scott Steiner.
Winner: Same as Angle / Wolfe. I can't see Lashley, who is going for a world title shot in the future, losing here. Watch for Lashley to win it.

- Mick Foley & Abyss vs. Raven & Dr. Stevie.
Winner: Everyone around the world is saying that Stevie / Raven don't really stand a chance. I think we are all forgetting that 1.) Foley is already doing another (I guess?) heel turn to go agianst Hogan, 2.) is already showing signs of leaving Abyssi n the dark, and 3.) just feuded with him two months prior. Watch for Foley to leave Abyss alone, with Raven helping Stevie gets the win.

TNA World Tag Team Championships
- The British Invasion (c's) vs. The Motor City Machineguns.
Winners: THe MCMG are due for a tag title reign. However, I don't think they'll get it here. So BI retains. Watch for next month to have the MCMG, the BI, Team 3D, and BMI face off in a four way for the titles, with the MCMG finally taking home the gold.

Feast or Fired
- Competitors involved: Samoa Joe, Beer Money, Kevin Nash, TNA Global Champion Eric Young, Sheik Abdul Bashir, Kiyoshi, Homicide, Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed and Cody Deaner.
Winner: Oh goodness. Talk about choices. I'm going for Deaner to get fired, BMI to get a tag title shot, Homicide to get an X divsiion title shot (again), and Joe to get a world title shot. WOuldn't it rock if Jarrett won the title from Styles, Hogan beat Jarrett, and minutesl ater Joe comes in, chokes out Hogan, and takes the gold?

Eight Man Tag Team Elimination
- Team 3D, Rhino & Jesse Neal vs. Matt Morgan, Hernandez, "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero & Suicide.
Winners: Morgan, Hermandez, and company. Aren't these guys suppose to be the new, rising stars? Why are they in this feud? Why are they light years away from the world title? Why is Dixie Carter, who swore to push new talent, obviously positioning Jarrett and perhaps Hogan for title reigns over these guys? Ugh.

TNA Knockouts Championship
- ODB (c) vs. Tara.
Winner: ODB's title reign has gone on long enough. Tara gets the gold again.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

We lost another one all. 'Dr. Death' Steve Williams passed away after a lengthy bout of Cancer. He was only 49 and just missed seeing the next decade.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Steve Williams was around during the 80's and 90's. The majority of his success came in Japan although he was undefeated in the States for about a year and did win some times in the NWA if I read / recall correctly. He was around the WWE during it's attitude era, aligned with Jim Ross, and then with Vince Russo and Ed Ferra (sp?) when they did the lame and disrespected gimmick, Oklahoma.

As for ECW, yeah, Dreamer was the last link and he is gone. It was fairly well known prior to Tuesday that he was already leaving. There is the rumor that he is going to TNA, which seems odd given he a fairly decent send-off after his last match in ECW. As for ECW itself, the ECW we knew of and many people held in high regard has been gone for some time. We got a glimpse of it during One Night Stand in 2005 but even that required an angle in which pure WWE talent was mixed in through the "anti-ECW" angle. 2006 was decent, and had to some degree an ECW feel to it, but not nearly on the level of 2005. By December to Dismember of the same year, the WWE's version of ECW was in full effect. Not just because it also resulted in Paul Heyman leaving but just in how it was booked and the way the WWE was going.

Don't get me wrong, the WWE could only do so much by that point as many of the past ECW stars were gone for various reasons. The WWE couldn't fight time itself and hence had to move on. In fact, part of ECW's aura was how they kept going with new talent, or old talent used in new, original ways, no matter who was coming and going. however, just the aura, the die-hand, support ECW no matter what, type fan and fan mentality was long gone by that point. In addition, and again not really the WWE's fault as the day and age has changed, the new ECW didn't have the hard edge that it did before. This is mainly because the WWE wasn't creating controversial, "real life" (or as close as one can get) angles that ECW did nor was (or is) pushing the envelope that ECW did years ago (and the WWE followed during it's attitude era).

So yes, the ECW that many people like to think about fondly is gone.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I think people are overall looking at the potential return of the Monday Night Wars.

Obviously, Bret Hart is going to be huge, huge news. On the other side though there are huge rumors that Jeff Hardy is returning and will compete in the X-Division steel asylum match. Now wouldn't THAT be a blow to the WWE - having one of their top performers whom they are still somewhat pushing show up on TNA. Interestingly though, this was one of the big things i felt TNA needed to do to draw attention. If they could do this...and somehow screw the WWE over by having Bret Hart show up in TNA and NOT on wwe, then that would really make a statement.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

You had to laugh where Jericho managed to get on RAW again even after losing for good last week.

Hm, so HBK is calling out the Deadman. I really do wonder though if they will throw some sort of curve ball like Triple H turns on him and nails him with the pedigree.

For Bret, what I'd like to see happen is this.

Bret comes out next week only to get throw out of the business by Vince McMahon. Vince states he is no longer a GM nor talent and has no business in the real.
Come the Royal Rumble, there is no word on who gets what entry other than one of the GM's had already determined who would be number thirty.

The royal rumble goes on and we get to number thirty. It's Bret. He comes down to the ring and knocks someone over the ropes. He then turns around into an enziguri by Jericho and is laid out. Jericho goes back to facing whoever is left and ultimately manages to sneak an elimination on the second to last man out. Jericho then begins to mock Bret, shoves him around, etc as Bret is still recovering. Suddenly, hears a lot of noise from the crowd, turns around, and sees Edge jumping over the ring barrier. Edge just stares at Jericho and smiles. Suddenly, Bret gets up and flips Jericho out fo the ring to win the Royal RUmble. Jericho is pissed at Edge which adds fuel to their feud while Bret moves onto the next night.

The next night, Vince is pissed. He can't believe that Bret is not only back but will wrestle for his world title. Bret, meanwhile, comes out and states that a few weeks back, just before his reign for GM ended, Bret signed himself to a contract to become an active wrestler again. he also gave himself the number 30 spot in the Royal Rumble. Bret then stated that now that he won the Royal Rumble, he is able to come onto any brand and challenge any champion. It could be on RAW, it could be on Smackdown!, it could be on ECW. Bret states that he wants to do this to make McMahon's life miserable. Bret stated he wants McMahon to feel once more that pain that comes when a WRESTLER is in charge and not the promoter.

Vince comes out, pissed off. He states how dare Bret enter himself in the Royal Rumble. How dare Bret enter his ring. Bret states that Vince is right, bret DID date by doing it. Bret asks what Vince is going to do about it. Bret states he can challenge any champion at wrestlemania, that it could be him, Bret Hart, wearing the gold one more time. Bret will state that he knows Vince and he knows that just as much as it hurts Vince to have Bret return, it will hurt him a thousand times more to see Bret as champion. Bret starts to say "But..." in which Vince interrupts him and curses him out. Bret looks down, looks up, then says, "Ya know what? See you Tuesday and on Friday.", then drops the mic as he leaves the ring.

Bret does show up both on ECW and Smackdown!, talking with the champs. Bret notes to Christian how amazing Christian is to still have the title, and how Christian reminds Bret of Bret in that he is a fighting champion. With Batista (the most likely candidate that will hold the title), Bret will be threatened by Batista. Bret though will state that Batista is good, but he is better, and that Bret has taken down guys bigger than Batista, stronger than Batista, and better than Batista.

This leads to a segment later in the night where Vince calls out Bret. Vince will state that it might have been Bret's return to RAW last week but this is his first time on Smackdown! And his last. Suddenly, from behind Batista whacks Bret in the back of the head with the title. This prompts the Hart Dynasty to come out only to be dominated by Batista. Rey Mysterio comes out but he too is destroyed by Batista. Then there's the gong, and the Undertaker is out, cleaing the ring and setting up the Batista / Undertaker rematch. Meanwhile, Bret is stretchered out of the ring.

It's about two weeks later in which Bret shows up. He'll say that he still hears a ringing in his ear, and the pain in his head is unbearable. However, that pain is nothing compared to the pain Bret has with the thought that Vince might beat him.

Bret will state that this also made Bret realize something, he has to think of people other than himself. He'll say he remembers years back when he was begging an old timer to give him a bone, yet here he is now taking the spot light and a world title shot. Bret will say he'd love nothing more than to clean Batista's clock, but he realizes that he must think of others first. Furthermore, Bret said that twelve years ago, there was something he really wanted to do. When he was champ, he wanted to gracefully vacate the title on Raw. He couldn't do it then and he couldn't do it now, but he can do the next best thing. He will forfeit his title shot at Wrestlemania.

Vince will come out, gloating. He will say that he finally beat Bret. That Bret finally gave up. Vince will saw that Bret knew he couldn't wrestle anymore, that his body couldn't take it. Bret will agree, he can't wrestle - but he can fight and he wants to fight Vince McMahon....at Wrestlemania.

Both men get face to face, Vince and Bret with disdainful looks on their faces. Vince will then take a step back and note that since Bret is no longer the number one contender to the world or WWE title, he has no busines sin the ring. Vince calls for security to remove Bret from the building.

Suddenly, the music of 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper, the GM for the night, plays. Piper will come out and state he has seen a lot of things in his thirty plus years in the business. But he has never seen the class and dignity and respect that Bret showed his fellow wrestler by giving up his title shot. Furthermore, Piper says that there's another thing he likes about Bret, Bret's a fighter, just like him. Piper will state that if Bret wants to fight Vince McMahon, he's on, and the match is on. Piper will add one more thing, Bret Hart is now allowed to appear on Raw, smackdown! and ECW whenever he wants, from now until Wrestlemania. Piper leaves, Bret smiles, Vince shows a mixture of being stunned and pissed.

Backstage, Piper confronts Orton who states that since Bret gave up the title shot, Orton should have it. Furthermore, Orton wants it at No Way Out, as he deserves a title rematch anyway. Piper states that he and Orton go way, way back. Piper remembers at the first wrestlemania when he had Randy's father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton in his corner. Piper will state that he also remembers Orton cost his team the match and that Piper NEVER forgets. Orton will NOT get a title shot at No Way Out, no, he'll have to fight for it in a battle royal, tonight.

And....that leads us up to NWO. Lots of stuff happens leading up to Mania btw. but I think I wrote enough.

FELIPE NO

Spoiler:

Way to go TNA, way to really screw things up.

First, what the? So it's the Montreal Screwjob. Again. This is old now. Here is a list of angles that either had the Montreal Screwjob or some lingering aspects that is referenced to it:
1.) Sting Vs Hogan - Starcade 1997
2.) Rock Vs Mankind - Survivor Series 1998
3.) Bret Hart Vs Goldberg - Starcade 1999
4.) Hogan Vs The Rock - No Way Out 2003
5.) Christian Vs Jeff jarrett - Whenever Christian won his first world title
6.) King of the Hill match - Whenever Christian lost his first world title.
7.) First three months of 2006 at least with HBK feuding with McMahon
8.) C.M. Punk vs Undertaker - Breaking Point 2009 (or whatever it was called)

This is the NINTH time we have had some sort of repeat of the screwjob. I'm not even counting the current Bret / McMahon feud and I have this feeling I forgot one. Either way, this is ridiculous. In 97, it was shocking. Starcade would have played off it perfectly had Hogan not gotten a regular, real three count on Sting.

The Rock and Mankind also made sense. It had been a year already, and Vince McMahon was the top heel.

After that, it tankered off. Furthermore, it's confusing. So is Angle a face or a heel? Is Hogan a face or a heel? Are they turning Angle, whom they just turned recently after a long stint as a heel, back to being a heel, thereby leaving the top contending faces to virtually no one? Does anyone notice the humor that with Angle spitting in Hogan's face, Hogan is representing Vince McMahon?

Talking about top faces, it use to be the rule that when a face got super popular that you'd turn him heel. This doesn't work in this age. I am sorry, but A.J. Styles was the perfect face. He gave daring matches, and could sell well as a babyface. He was a comical heel and did that well too but that;s just it - he was comical. And either way, Styles is NOT the next Ric Flair. Well, aside MAYBE from wrestling ability. MAYBE. Otherwise though, Styles is his own wrestler, whom has has own persona. Having him wine and dine like Flair is silly.

Going on the other side, Joe is now a face again. That came out of...nowhere. He is also going for the world title. He wasn't even on the last PPV. I don't blame Joe but well, he wasn't on the last PPV. Also, is he using his title shot for this? Are they going to make him look even worse than Hermandez for wasting his shot?

Speaking of AAO, I am confused. I thought there was a tournament for whom would face Styles. So will the winner of that match, along with Joe, face Styles? or doe sthe tourament continue on AAO? this one is a bit confusing but for now I'll give the benefit of the doubt as it might be just how the spoilers are worded.

Then there are the Dudley Boys. Alright, so the Dudleys just turned heel and aligned with Rhyno. Now that alliance is gone out the window and they turned face again. and why? They are feuding with the Nasty Boys. I agree with Bubba, "Where have the nasty boys been the last ten years?".

When the Steiners came back, it was done well. Furthermore, the Steiners had that aura around them that made them special. It also didn't hurt that they had still been around T.V. within the last decade.

However, the Nasty Boys...I am sorry but no. Brian Knobbs was seen around 2000 feuding for the Hardcore title. Prior to that...they teamed...but aside from a few tag title wins in the mid 90's, didn't accomplish much.

I might...MIGHT have gone with Hall and Nash against the Dudleys (Hall's condition aside) but not the Nasty Boys.

Speaking of Hall and Nash, wow. I feel bad for Hall at this point. You can tell he wants to be back but he knows he doesn't quite hav eit like he use to and may never get it back. I'd like to see Hall really get himself back into shape but that may not to be. In addition, Nash is limited himself. I'll give Nash this though....he really knows how to preserve himself. He's a smart man.

Did anyone notice that Val Venis beat Daniels? The same Daniels who one month ago was IN THE MAIN EVENT FOR THE WORLD TITLE AND HAD PINNED STYLED A FEW WEEKS EARLIER? I feel bad for Daniels. Suffice to say, they don't have much for him. Maybe he can go back to Ring of Honor.

Final thing. You may have heard that prior to the tapings several in production addressed the crowd telling them they were basically part of the show and they had a role. They went on about how they didn't want cursing, teh finger, etc.

I can understand this to an extent but by literally saying 'you have a role to play' and more or less telling the crowd their role, you are more or less taking away from the interactive part of the show. So people curse. Too bad. So people give the finger. Too bad.

Ten years ago, both WCW and WWE (and ECW prior to them) invested heavily in the fan's opinions and attitude. They encouraged the fans to be an active and 'real' part of the show. They didn't say "Hey, when The Rock comes out, cheer him". People did as they wished. That was what made many matches even better because people gave their genuine emotions.

I realize that its a different time and place. However, even so, telling the fans basically to play their role is just going backwards. It's counter-productive. And honestly, BEFORE they go around making the fans, wrestlers, and staff provide a more fan-friendly appearance, they need to make changes where it all begins and that is their name.

Honestly, TNA has gone downhill. They have managed to take out all their top faces. In the same process, they turned one of their top faces heel but in such a way that its hard to take him as a heel. They have managed to undo a few months fo storylines within a few weeks, making various turns by various guys look confusing. Furthermore, I feel we are back with WCW in 1999 where everyone was attacking everyone, with no one having an idea of who was a face, who is a heel, and so forth. Yes, back in 1999 and even today there are shades of gray. However, there is still enough black and white in those shades to determine the face from the heel.

Hopefully this will all come out good in the end. Hopefully there will be some logic to this all. I mean, yes, obviously they are setting up Sting Vs Ric Flair, Angle Vs Hogan, and Angle Vs A.J Styles down the road. However, I hope in six months they really have it all settled down, that you know who is what, and that things make sense again.

ROH is making their own TV title. I'm excited at the prospect of seeing the TV title on national T.V. again after a decade. I look forward to seeing twenty or thirty minute matches ending in narrow draws (with perhaps a sudden win here or there). It always made for good wrestling and television. Furthermore, they always put the T.V. title on someone who could wrestle (OK, so yes, WCW did put the title on the Renegade so I guess the word always is a bit of a stretch). In addition, ROH really knows how to make a title mean something. ROH has been around for eight years now and has had only three titles, the world, the pure, and the tag team titles. Given it has been some time since the world and pure titles were unified, the timing is right for a T.V. title.

Most amazing jew boots

Of those flip-flopping:

Christian - Was part of WWE, then to TNA, now back in WWE. Has done the best of all of those who have bounced back and forth.

Kaz - Was part of TNA, briefly went to WWE, came back to TNA. Was doing well to about a year ago. Now is an afterthought sadly.

Goldust / Dustin Runnels / Black Reign - The winner of the most flip flops. Was part of WWE in 90, then part of WCW, then WWE, then TNA, then WWE, then TNA, then was gong to be on Saturday Night Main Event but went back to TNA, then WWE.

Gail Kim - Was part of WWE, then TNA, then back to WWE where all her skill and talent is wasted.

Shannon Moore - Was part of WCW, then WWE, then TNA for a brief time that saw him even beat Styles (I think), then back to WWE, then TNA.

Jeff Hardy - Was part of WWE, then to TNA, then back to WWE, then to TNA, now his status is unclear. It wouldn't surprise me if he returned at the Royal Rumble and that his appearance in TNA was only for shock purpose and because they gave him a huge, huge paycheck.

Roddy Piper - Went to WCW, then WWE, then WCW, then back to WWE, then to TNA, then to WWE, then back to TNA, then to WWE once again.

Jim Duggan - Went to WWE, then WCW, then WWE (I think), then TNA, then WWE.

Hogan - Went to WWE, then WCW, then some indy fed to complete with Vince, then WWE, then just stopped for a while, then WWE, then stopped for a while, then WWE, then TNA. I added the "stops for a while" because Hogan makes his stops seems like he is joining another company with the way he promotes them and all.

There are certainly more. Matt Morgan, the Dudley Boys, Kurt Angle, Flair, Hogan, Nash, Hall, Sean Waltman, and more came from WWE to TNA. Of course, there are also a few WCW alumni who came to TNA too, Sting immediately comes to mind.

It goes the other way too. Punk and Senshi were both part of TNA who went onto WWE. Granted, Punk was with TNA during its early years, and really joined WWE from ROH.

Then there are of course jumps from ROH to WWE and TNA with Danielson and Punk being the most current notable examples, but other ROH alumni like Daniels and Joe being some "big names" that have moved along as well.

Oh, and I didn't bother to count those "one stop" shows where someone from TNA was just used as jobber talent for WWE stars. For example, Joe did wrestle a match on WWE Heat years back. That doesn't count though.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

So, the Monday Night Wars is officially back in full force come March 1st. The word is out that the decision has been made to put TNA head-to-head with WWE each Monday night starting March 1st.

Oh, and ROH is screwed. Well...maybe not. If TNA really goes head-to-head with WWE, ROH can still get its one hour of unopposed television.

Wouldn't it be something if ROH outlasted them both?

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Prediction Time:

Mickie James Vs Michelle McCool - What is it with WWE and mocking women about their weight? At any rate, this has gone one for quite a long time. McCool has also held the title for over six months. Watch for James to get her revenge and the title.

Maryse Vs Gail Kim - Gail made it to the finals?!?!?!?!?!?! Wow. Then again, I guess the WWE really was without a better choice (at least in their opinion). Watch for Gail to come close but ultimately lose to Maryse who will hold the title for months on end and feud with Melina. Watch for Gail to soon turn heel....although there really aren't any faces for her to feud with that would mean much.

Christian Vs Jackson - Christian has had a wonderful title reign. If you ignore the hiccup from June where Dreamer won the title, Christian has held the title since May I believe. He has been a fighting champion and fought virtually everyone on the roster. That said, watch for Jackson to win the title so Christian can move onto other things and Jackson to get his chance at being a superstar.

Sheamus Vs Orton - This reminds me of Angle Vs Triple H in 2001 where the fans didn't know how to cheer for. The only difference is Orton, who has been a top heel for the past two years (well, longer) is starting to tamper off unlike Triple H who had reestablished himself as a top heel after revealing he was the one who took out Austin.
That said, we have already seen Orton / Triple H at Mania and many other PPV's. Sheamus / Triple H is what the WWE is aiming for at this point. Look for Sheamus to retain, perhaps due to a miscue by Ted DiBiase Jr., and hence set up the final stages to the break-up and feuding of DiBiase and Orton.

Undertaker Vs Rey Mysterio - This is the first time Undertaker has walked into the Royal Rumble as the champion. I am seeing this, and Undertaker's reign as part of Taker's last hurrah. The word is out that he is hurt, bad. His recent surgery hasn't helped much and after Wrestlemania he will have a much more limited schedule (or potentially retire. I think if Shawn beats Taker, it's a sign that Taker is officially done). Presuming Undertaker makes it to Wrestlemania as champion, which there is good reason to believe, he may very well break his previous longest reign as champion all the way back in 1997. With the rumors of his retirement going around, I see this as something that happened with Sting....that is Sting had his one last, long title reign that was his longest ever, before eventually passing the torch so to speak to AJ Styles.
The problem is, the 'AJ Styles' of the WWE is HBk. HBK is 40 + years old and is certainly not playing the role of the 'young star having the torch passed to him'.
Anyway, look for Undertaker to retain over Rey. If Undertaker didn't lost it last month, I heavily doubt he'll lose it all the way up to Wrestlemania. Watch for Batista to interfere, resulting in Rey and Batista perhaps having one more match at NWO to settle their score. watch for Undertaker to meet up with HBK one more time where the only stipulations they could add to their match to make it more meaningful aside from retirement would be for the title.

Royal Rumble - This is a hard one. Odds are on either Triple H or HBK. However, either man would be rather stale. Unfortunately, there is no one on the roster who has really been built up to go for the world title at this point either. So what about someone who WON'T go for the world title? Yes, I know you know who I am talking about. What about Bret Hart?
I know what you are saying. Bret can't wrestle. Fact is, he doesn't need to. All he needs to do is get in the ring, take one "blow" to knock him down for a long period of time, then throw the last person left otu of the ring after he recovers. He could then use his shot to face Vince McMahon which is the rumor match for Wrestlemania.
As for HBK and Triple H...well, we hae elimination chambers, don't we? What if Triple H earned a shot in the RAW elimination chamber while HBK got one in the Smackdown! elimination chamber? Both men would have their shots, we'd have a shocking Royal Rumble win,and Vince / Bret would be set up.
And yes, I know, "Are you kidding me? Bret isn't a wrestler anymore. A non-wrestler shouldn't win the Royal Rumble!". True. But then I merely point to ten years ago when the Royal Rumble was won by Vince McMahon.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Actually, another interesting idea would be for Jeff Hardy to win. Wouldn't it be something if Vince and Jeff actually planned for Jeff to do a one-time appearance at TNA just to add to the shock value if he were to show up and win the Royal Rumble.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Given it's nearly time for RAW, I'm not worried about spoilers.

Edge will probably stay as a face. He got a face reaction for his big return. Plus, Batista won the Royal Rumble while he was starting to turn face, eliminating Cena ironically enough.

Part of me would be amused to see HBK lose to Undertaker. Given how he has been booked to be completely crazed to face Taker again, he'd probably go insane if he lost. That's a shame too because that means Taker's streak will end....something that should never happen.

And on sadder news, Jack Brisco has passed away at 68. You want to know what is scary though? 68 isn't that old but isn't that young either. Flair (almost 62) and Vince McMahon (64) are near that age.

I was speaking idiomatically.

So ECW will die, again.

Vince McMahon announced that he is ending ECW in three weeks. Though he mentioned that ECW will be replaced by a new show, it's unclear if that will just be a show (e.g. Superstars) or it's own brand.

Either way, let's take a short look back at ECW.

ECW was a brand used to help stars on the rise (C.M. Punk, John Morrison, Bobby Lashley), reward those who no other "world" title would be appropriate (Tommy Dreamer, Kane, Mark Henry) or for those who the future is still in question (Jack Swagger, Christian). Though it seemed promising in concept, in reality it was far from the ECW of old. ECW had long been known for matches where virtually anything was allowed, clean, decisive wins during the right times was also part of it's history. The time when RVD capture and resurrected the ECW world title should have been one of those times. Unfortunately, it was not as Edge basically handed RVD the title.

Another trait for ECW was that it stood on it's own. Though that obviously couldn't be the case now, it was worsen with the fact that nearly every WWE superstar from the Undertaker to Kane to Batista to Ric Flair were put in an ECW world title match in hopes to build interest. Though ECW did have those special matches where an "outsider' would come in to challenge for the title, MOST of the matches were contested by those within the company.

Another issue was the fan interest in the champions. In ECW, they either really hated the champ or really liked the champ. For ECW, for nearly a year they had champions that the fans just wanted to see go onto another brand. Fans abhorred Big Show as champ. They booed Lashley out of the building when he won the title. Many stopped caring and the few who did were disgusted seeing Vince walk around with the title. Even John Morrison was a hard sell as though he was (and is) gifted, he was still seen as primarily a tag team wrestler.

Speaking of wrestlers, many of the aspects of ECW were slowly (or quickly) removed that made ECW recognizable. First, noDQ matches were quickly abolished. Second, many of the old ECW wrestlers were gone within a year, either through a brand trade or just from leaving the company altogether. Granted, this happens in ALL companies, but it's amazing to look how different ECW was when it first started compared to a year later.

The title itself took a hit as time went on. RVD and Big Show are credible world champions whether one likes their wrestling ability or not. Bobby Lashley though impressive, was a bit of a step down. Vince McMahon became a serious step down and practically killed the title. Lashley won the title back but couldn't even give that next star a rub as he vacated the title a few weeks later. John Morrison was seen as a mid-carder which was another step down. Punk helped the title gain credibility but his lost to Chavo hurt the title more as Chavo usually had the role as a lower mid-carder (this has been made only worse with the fact Chavo lost about a billion times to hornswaggle). Kane helped the title regain a little credibility but it was lost again to Mark Henry who up to this point never had won a title and had floundered in every main event shot he had. Matt Hardy didn't make an impact either way but looked bad when jack Swagger won the title. Granted, Swagger has a good amateur background, but he was virtually unknown, which hurt the title. Christian helped the title regain some credibility but he lost it to Dreamer whom everyone sees as basically a jobber these days. Christian did regain the title and had reigned every since, giving the title some dignity and meaning, but overall the title has taken a major hit. And this isn't even counting the fact that the only title match at Wrestlemania was less than ten seconds. Nor is this counting that title defenses on PPV got so irregular that even the CHAMPION started to talk about it.

Finally, the angles themselves were far from the caliber found in the old ECW. Part of this isn't the WWE's fault -- half the things done on ECW couldn't be shown on national T.V. Furthermore, the WWE now has a much more kid friendly demeanor. However, overall, they were still weak. There was rarely ever a compelling storyline. Usually, the major angles involved trying to set up the next challenger for the title. Sure, some of them WERE emotional. Tommy Dreamer's farewell was done wonderfully (albeit with relatively short notice). Yet those some were few and far between. It didn't take long for one to realize you were watching WWE-style programming through the ECW brand name.

I suppose it's for the best. The ECW fans of old have pretty much stopped watching. Most current WWE fans see ECW as a second-tier show. Everything that was ECW is gone now. The roster, the announcers, the PPVs, even the original belt itself, are all gone. Vince McMahon milked the brand as much as he possibly could. It's all milked out. It's time to let it die, this time for good.

How ya doing, buddy?

HBK as a heel would be new....but he has had heelish qualities there and again throughout the last few years. I'm interested to see what would happen if HBK lost. Would he go psycho or would he regain his composure, accept his loss, shake Taker's hand and move on?

Speaking of heel turns, John Morrison may be turning heel again. That's fairly amazing given he's barely been a face more than six months. Word is out he was more effective as a heel....I disagree. I think he works well as a face. He just needs to actually WIN some matches. Have the guy beat Batista clean for a Wrestlemania world title match is my suggestion. Then again, talking about Wrestlemania, world title, and a heel turn, I could almost see Morrison winning MITB and then cashing it in on an unsuspecting face.

FELIPE NO

Half a million is the reported amount. And there is a Wrestlemania bonus on top I believe.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

First, word is out John Morrison is hurt. He managed to break his foot in three places. Hard to say if it's legit though as this could be a reason for HBK to get Smackdown!'s EC. If it is legit, well, that's one way for Morrison and Melina (presuming they ARE back together) to get some quality time together.

Second, Sim, I think you meant THREE things (unless I missed something).

Third, I can see why Vince is ending Survivor Series. I think he's a fool to end one of the few yearly traditions they have left that goes back to the heyday of the WWE. However:
1.) The concept of Survivor Series has been dying since 2000. IN 2002 they didn't even have a traditional Survivor Series match. They then had a Survivor Series match here and there up to and including 2009.
2.) The WWE didn't really do that great of a job building up four on four, or five on five matches like they did in the old days. I mean, there aren't even team names anymore, let alone having a good amount of time to build up those matches. Granted, they only have a few weeks to maybe a month nowadays to do so.
3.) The alliances were so hard to accept because of things like the brand split. I mean, you'd have guys who were feuding one month suddenly join forces to defend their brand. Even worse, this past year we had a PPV that was basically a brand versus brand match, only to have individuals from both brands join together the next month in a Survivor Series match.

The fact is, the WWE killed the Survivor Series because they didn't put on interesting matches nor made good use of the Survivor Series format.

As for the new PPV ideas:

Draft PPV - Idiotic. Few would buy a PPV to find out who is going where. Most would wait until after the PPV to learn the results. Besides, the Draft is a nice enticement for Raw / Smackdown! AND really makes Night of Champions matches interesting. Add this PPV and NoC will lose some interest.

Tournament - You mean like King of the Ring?

War Games - This CAN be interesting if they REALLY build up feuds. I mean, to the breaking point (not the PPV). To the Extreme (not the....you get it). So that means (I do how the writers are paying attention) that you CANNOT throw this PPV together with some guys who have been feuding for the last four weeks.

Street Fight - What made HBK / HHH at Summerslam 2002 so good? Part of it was both men's athletic ability. Part of it was HBK's big return. But a lot of it was the fact they had a street fight, which was the only street fight on the card, and one of the few that year. Having a street fight for each match waters down them all.

Legends PPV - Sim, gotta call you. The Nasty Boys aren't quite legends my friend. Heck, I am still shocked that they have shown up after TEN YEARS to feud with Team 3D. At any rate, as you stated Sim, most of the legends are either in TNA, are retired or something "else". Currently, you have (at best) Undertaker, HBK, Triple H, Ricky Steamboat, Jimmy Snuka (who last year showed his age to say the least), Roddy Piper (who also showed his age), Bret Hart (who is very limited), Steve Austin (limited and unlikely) Jericho (debatable but let's give him credit), John Cena (debatable), randy Savage (if that could ever happen), The Warrior (see Savage and multiply the unlikelihood by 1000), Goldberg (debatable and about as likely as the Warrior), Kane (very debatable), Edge (debatable), and Rey Mysterio (debatable). Notice how many of those I said were either limited, showing their age, or were debatable to call them legends at this point in time. I think need not say anything further.

Battle Bowl PPV - Eh. They did it in WCW but honestly it's hard to sell. I mean, you have guys who hate each other, making it ahrd to accept them teaming together instead of tearing each other's heads off. It just doesn't really work.

Roulette - I could go with this one, presuming they are smart about the matches. I mean, do NOT have Kane Versus Big Show with a 'ladder match' as a potential option. Furthermore, what I'd like to add is every person who wins their match gets added to another wheel, with teh winner of that spin getting a world title shot.

MITB - Oh come on WWE. I know you want to make money but you're obviously milking your fans for all their worth. This is one of those matches that makes Wrestlemania special. It should stay a wrestlemania match. Plus, it makes for extra excitement starting from the main event at that years Wrestlemania up to (potentially) the next year's Wrestlemania that the winner will cash in the title shot. If the WWE seriously does this, then they should lower the price of Wrestlemania because they are taking one of their attractions away.

Speaking of prices, word is out the WWE is pleased with the Royal Rumble buyrate and basically saying "See, the added price increase in exchange for one less PPV works". My thoughts? The Royal Rumble is one of their big PPVs of the year. It's third to Wrestlemania and Summerslam. Let's see how you all do at the other PPVs....

Most amazing jew boots

Sim, no apologies needed. I will say, aside from 98, they did a decent job in NOT referencing Survivor Series 97, especially in the latter Survivor Series. Instead, they referenced it as 'Montreal'. If anything, this may have made the Survivor Series show the most controversial of them all, and you know how Vince likes controversy.

King of the Ring was awesome in 93 and 94. If you can get a DVD or tape of them, especially 93, do so. They are well worth it.

Mabel winning it in 95 hurt it's credibility. Austin and Triple H helped regain some credibility after they became stars. Shamrock didn't do much either way because they only pushed him to the IC title. Billy Gunn was a nice attempt but fell flat by Summerslam. Kurt Angle helped the KOTR cred much like Austin and Triple H. Edge did too but it's more of a 'several years back, multi world champion Edge did win KOTR'. Brock Lesnar helped it's cred. Booker T helped re-establish it as he played up the 'King gimmick' as much as possible. Regal was doing fine as well until he got in trouble, got humiliated by Mr. Kennedy/Anderson, had less significant roles, and couldn't beat Christian for the ECW title when many thought he would. I mean, from a wrestling standpoint, Regal was perfect, but from a career enhancement standpoint, he fell flat.

In addition, 96 through 98, and after 2000 save for 2008, they only had the semi-finals matches. The whole point of this was someone getting past three superstars in one night. Taking away one set of matches took away some of its aura. That's not to mention they ended KOTR for several years, and seemingly are doing it biyearly now. (we'll see if they have it this year)

War Games would be the best match out of all of them BUT they MUST build up the match. I mean, they need two factions to basically go at it with each other, swapping titles, putting each other out here and there, costing each other victories, and by the time War Games comes around, they seemingly can't stand each other and want to obliterate each other on sight.

In other news, John Morrison is okay. It was apparently a work after all. Also, Bobby Lashley is supposedly released from TNA. Supposedly because 1.) even Bobby is unclear in what is going on, 2.) it's TNA and you know how Bischoff / Russo love tricking the fans and 3.) though Hogan / Bischoff may not care what happened prior to them taking over, Lashley DID win a tournament to get a future world title shot. (Granted, it's not beneath wrestling to completely ignore an angle like this)

Additional Spam:
Here's something different I'd like to try. How about a paragraph or so of highlights and lowlights of various stars. Let me start things out:

Bret Hart
Highlights - Multiple time world champion. Wonderful matches against Bulldog, Perfect, Undertaker, Nash and so on. Seemingly making amends with those who perpetrated the Montreal Screwjob and putting it behind him after over a decade.

Lowlights - Montreal. How he was booked in WCW. His injury-to-forced-retirement.

Triple H
Highlights - Multiple time world champion. Won virtually every "event-themed" type match including Hell-in-a-Cell, Cage, Elimination Chamber and so forth. Part of several successful stables including DX, the Corporation, and Evolution. Incredible match with Austin at NWO in 2001.

Lowlights - The Curtain call. His (understandbly) slower paced matches due in particular to his knee injuries. The stigma of receiving 'special treatment for being married to Stephanie'.

Kane
Highlights - World title win over Steve Austin at KOTR. Wins over Triple H, the Rock, Edge, Undertaker, Steve Austin, Kurt Angle (I think), HBK, and many other top names.

Lowlights - The other 90% of his career. That, and being outsmarted and outwrestled by Steve Austin one night after winning the world title. A world title win that Undertaker essentially handed to him.

The Rock
Highlights - Multiple time world champion. Perhaps the most charismatic man in pro-wrestling history, and that includes Hogan, Austin and Flair in the list. Epic match with Hogan at Mania XVIII.

Lowlights - The resentment from the fans in regards to his departure from pro-wrestling. His seemingly 180 from "I love wrestling to death" to "It's not what I want to be involved with".

Steve Austin
Highlights - Multiple time world champion. Excellent technical wrestling in WCW and ECW long before resorting to brawling in WWE, especially his latter years. Epic feuds and matches with Bret hart, Triple H, The Rock, Kurt Angle and the Undertaker. The "90's Hogan". His 'farewell' at Wrestlemania XXV.

Lowlights - His, what would eventually be career-ending injury at Summerslam 97. Turning heel at Mania XVII. His subsequent booking afterwards until the end of the invasion angle. His sudden disappearance after Mania XVIII. His disappearance and burial by Vince McMahon in June of the same year. His domestic incident with Debra.

Ric Flair
Highlights - Multiple time world champion. In many ways, the anti-thesis of 'Hulk Hogan'. Had wonderful matches spanning decades from Dusty Rhodes, to Sting, to Hogan, to Bret Hart, to Austin, to Undertaker, to HHH, to HBK, and so many more. Perhaps (although his reputation has taken some hits in the last few years) the purest embodiment of what a true pro wrestler is. Wondeful, feel-good moments including his world title wins in 83 and 93, the reformation of the last iteration of the Horsemen, and the celebration of his career (up to that point) in Greensboro. Had a wonderful angle leading up to his retirement, an excellent retirement match, and one of the best send-offs in SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT history the night after he retired.

Lowlights: Him losing Vader's strap match. The Horsemen getting pummeled and outsmarted (despite everyone knowing Henning would turn on them) at Fall Brawl. His disappearance from and lawsuit with WCW. Him losing to Bischoff at Starcade (though one could add this as a highlight to show he was a company man). Russo booking him to look like a fool, having Russo get over Flair, with the ultimate result being his own son and Russo beating Ric and Reid Flair, with Ric having his head shaved and fake blood dropped on him. His return to active wrestling in 2008.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

So this thread got renamed....

Woman's Title: Maryse.
IC Title: Drew.
World Title: Jericho. Watch for HBK to cost Taker the title.
WWE Title: Sheamus. Watch for DiBiase to cost Orton the title.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

And wow, it's just scary to see what happened to Taker. Luckily, he'll be OK....but wow.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

So Helms, Paul Burchill and Maria got released.

Maria was a bit of a surprise although I guess she really hasn't done much as of late.

Burchill though isn't a surprise. He came in strong with Regal on Smackdown!, then did that humorous pirate gimmick. After that was through, he eventually rejoined Regal on Raw but his push got cut short after Regal got suspended. He carried on his feud with Mr. Anderson / Kennedy but didn't get far. His stay on ECW was pointless, with him leaving ECW because he lost to Helms. Katie and him were suppose to be on Raw but that never transpired, especially now that the ECW brand is gone. In hindsight, that made his loss to Helm basically pointless.

Equally pointless in hindsight is Helms' win as he's gone. he got in trouble with Jericho a few weeks ago. Supposedly he was the instigator. It's interesting though to see what happened to Jericho and Helms after the whole fiasco. Jericho becomes world champ; Helms gets released.

It will be interesting (well, given I expect half of them to be released....maybe that's not the right word) to see what happens to most of the former ECW roster. Many have made it back to FCW. A shame if you ask me because several of them were developing their characters. Furthermore, it's a bit of a shame that some of those, like Baretta and Croft, who just got national exposure, are gone. Though it would have been hard given they were a tag team, they could have fit in well with NXT, perhaps having a tag team specialist (Animal?) be their mentor.

Oh, and I read Abyss is getting magical powers from Hogans WWE HOF ring. Wow. What part of that sounds wrong first? Abyss getting powers from a ring or the ring being his WWE HOF ring?

How ya doing, buddy?

They moved 'Night of Champions' to September? A shame as that tied in nicely with the draft.

It's interesting they have the name 'Over the Limit' for the May PPV. In 1999, they had that PPV named 'Over the Edge' but changed it after Owen passed away during it.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?