Wrestling questions thread

[Bandit]

When Randy Orton got involved in the Dive twitter bullshit, I remember being shocked when he said he was an 11 time world champion. Compare that to everybody knowing how many world titles Flair won.

[Big Boss Man]

Yep that's the thing. Back in the day the WWF World Title had the easiest lineage to remember

Sheiky
Hulk
Andre (disputed) / vacant
Macho
Hulk
Warrior
Sarge
Hulk
Taker
Hulk (disputed)/vacant
Naitch
Macho
Naitch
Bret
Backlund
Nash
then my memory goes blank
I'm thinking Bret
Shawn
Vacant (when HBK loses his smile leaves WWF for a while)
Bret ?
Shawn ?
Sid ?
Taker?
Bret?
Then Shawn again after Montreal
Austin
Rock
Then it would be just guessing

[Bandit]

then my memory goes blank
I'm thinking Bret
Shawn
Vacant (when HBK loses his smile leaves WWF for a while)
Bret ?
Shawn ?
Sid ?
Taker?
Bret?
Then Shawn again after Montreal
Austin
Rock
Then it would be just guessing

I can remember that.

It should go

Shawn (Mania 12)
Sid (Survivor Series 96)
Shawn (Royal Rumble 97)
-Shawn vacates a month later on Raw-
Bret (Final Four)
Sid (Raw)
Taker (Mania 13)
Bret (Summerslam 97)
Shawn (Survivor Series 97)
Austin (Mania 14)
Kane (KOTR 98)
Austin (Raw)
-Vacated at Break Down when Taker and Kane both pin Austin-
Rock (Survivor Series 98)
Mankind (Raw)
Rock (Royal Rumble 99)
Mankind (Half Time Heat)
Rock (Raw)
Austin (Mania 15)
Taker (Over the Edge)
Austin (Raw)
Mankind (Summerslam 99)
HHH (Raw)
Vince McMahon (Smackdown)
-Vince vacates title for six man match-
HHH (Unforgiven)
Big Show (Survivor Series 99)
HHH (Raw)
Rock (Backlash)
HHH (Judgment Day)
Rock (KOTR 2000)
Angle (No Mercy)
Rock (No Way Out)
Austin (Mania 17)

[Big Boss Man]

Thanks, no way I could have remembered that. I was like


After Big Kev beat Bob.

[Bandit]

I can remember all kinds of unimportant shit. I can do all WWE titles except the Hardcore and Women's ones up until the brand split too. And WCW and ECW ones.

[Big Boss Man]

Thing is I used to be fairly good with remembering random stuff but now...not so much.

[Big Boss Man]

Watched some of the Hacksaw timeline on YT and he mentioned Vince had big plans for him prior to the drug arrest with Sheiky. Is that true? I know he won the first Rumble but didn't win a title.

[Bandit]

No, he was never going to get the title. Option 2 of babyface champion if it wasn't Hogan was always Randy Savage. Maybe he was a third choice.

It happened in May 1987, and he won the January 1988 Rumble, so it barely affected him at all. He headlined B-Shows on some tours which was a big deal and made big money. He was as big as you can get without being champ.

Sheik just got fired because he'd had other drug issues so this was just the last straw. He'd failed several tests for cocaine and I think went to 30 day rehab at one point. And as we saw, he didn't quit cocaine and crack until 2009.

[Big Boss Man]

Thanks, I've heard that line before about Vince promising guys things that never materialised like him promising the belt to Bad News for example.

[Bandit]

That was true and it was Hogan who backed out. And you couldn't say no to Hogan when he was making you so much money.

[Big Boss Man]

Has there ever been two big names who never went one on one or just had a single match against each other. I assume this applies more to the old school era. Like did Hot Rod ever go up against the Ultimate Warrior etc.

[Bandit]

Too many to name. Even if you just say Warrior he never wrestled: Razor Ramon (he was going to but got fired), Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Vader (he was going to but quit), Jim Duggan, Steamboat, Arn Anderson, Scott Steiner, Yokozuna, The Giant, Mankind, Paul Orndorff, among others.

[Big Boss Man]

Thanks, with everyone wrestling each other a million times it seems, back in the day you only really got star vs star on SNME or a PPV. Now you'd have some weird match ups that even Fan Favorites Coliseum tapes wouldn't have covered.

[Bandit]

The issue back then was keeping guys strong where if you don't want either guy losing you can't really do the match unless you do a double count out, DQ or draw that you can't really do in big matches without pissing off the fans. Like running Warrior vs Mr. Wonderful would have done big business. But who loses? Today is different so nobody cares about jobs so every dream match happens.

[Big Boss Man]

Thanks and very good points. I wonder if WWE went back to big name vs enhancement talent whether that would make big matches fresh again.

[Bandit]

Yes but they'll never do it. Which is dumb because with no competition fans would watch jobber matches anyway. And look at how Braun got over like crazy killing jobbers.

Or do what Japan does and do tags. Like Suzuki and Naito have had at least 4 tag matches where they were only in a few minutes against each other. And it made people want to see their singles match so bad New Japan had to move it up happening in May instead of Dominion (which is their Summerslam.)

[Big Boss Man]

Plus the job guys and girls could get over like James Ellsworth and you've got a new talent too. I'm assuming everyone on the SD and Raw rosters have wrestled each other at least once so there's no real need to see a PPV if you've seen it all before. But back in the day Hulk v Warrior was huge because they'd never faced off one on one and it was face v face. I do think bringing back jobbers would work but like you say they won't do it.

[Bandit]

The Hardys started off as jobbers and were so well liked by the people they worked with they got full time jobs and became millionaires.

[Big Boss Man]

Yep I forgot about the Hardyz. Cactus too was a job guy til he went to World Class, WCW, Japan etc

[Big Boss Man]

With the talk of Asuka and her undefeated streak ending has any wrestler ever went their whole career undefeated?