2011 In WWE

The year 2011 has been a memorable one in WWE. Almost every major star who could have made an appearance did so; some shocking incidents have taken place; and a number of stunning matches went down. These are my WWE Awards for the year of 2011:

Wrestler Of The Year: Randy Orton. The Viper has had great bouts with the likes of The Miz, CM Punk, Christian, Dolph Ziggler and more. Arguably his best year to date, The Legend Killer was the Man in 2011.

Rivalry Of The Year: Randy Orton vs Christian. As entertaining as John Cena vs The Rock was at times, it won't result in a singles match until 2012. Orton vs Christian, though, dominated SmackDown for months, running through four Pay-Per-Views, and with every match (including at least two on SD) being of a high quality.

Ultimate Moment Of The Year: The Rock's Return. On February 14, 2011, FINALLY, The Rock returned to Raw after seven years. Originally the host of WM XXVII, The Great One eventually agreed to face John Cena at WM 28, and returned to the ring at Survivor Series. But none of it would have happened had the People's Champion not shaken WWE up on Valentine's Day 2011.

Event Of The Year: Money In The Bank 2011. Featuring two great Money In The Bank Ladder matches, a win that set Mark Henry up to rule SmackDown for the rest of 2011, one of the battles between Randy Orton and Christian, and a memorable and significant main event between John Cena and CM Punk, MITB 2011 was not only the show of the year, but one of the best WWE events in recent years, if not ever.

Surprise Of The Year: Edge's Retirement. Rumours had spread that Edge would retire in the near future, but no-one expected it just eight days after WrestleMania. Retiring as World Champion, with his last match being a victory at WM, the Rated R Superstar went out as high as he possibly could.

Commentator Of The Year: William Regal. The Blackpool-born Superstar usually had something witty and interesting to say on NXT each week, and seemed genuinely interested in the show, unlike some announcers.

Shock Of The Year: Triple H becoming COO. When Vince McMahon walked to the ring on the July 18 Raw, seemingly to fire John Cena, few could have predicted that the show would end with HHH returning and "relieving Vince of his duties", and giving The Game total control over WWE.

Disappointment Of The Year: Sin Cara. When the Mexican arrived, it seemed that a newer version of Rey Mysterio was in WWE, and would eventually lead to Cara vs Rey at WM 28. As it turned out, Cara ended up earning a reputation for the wrong reasons when trying to pull off high-risk moves, then got suspended, and finally injured himself at Survivor Series doing a dive over the ropes, putting him out until long after WrestleMania. (Mind you, Mysterio is also injured for months, so that match would never have happened anyway.)

Unsolved Mystery Of The Year: The Anonymous Raw General Manager. So, who was he/she?

Low Point Of The Year: The death of Randy Savage. Savage's death alone was sad. Even sadder was that he was never inducted into the Hall Of Fame when he was alive, and sadder still was that, just before his death, Savage seemed to be on good terms with WWE for the first time since 1994 (he participated in a commercial for the WWE All-Stars game). Great wrestlers will come and go, but there will never, ever be another Macho Man.

Catch Phrase Of The Year: "Woo Woo Woo! You Know It!" Nowadays, top WWE stars don't have catch phrases, so this award goes to the tagline for Zach Ryder. Admittedly, he started using it in 2009, but when crowds of 10,000+ start chanting it, it means that it has caught on.

Interview Of The Year: CM Punk, June 27 Raw. In the course of one promo, Punk went from just another No. 1 Contender (albeit one supposedly leaving WWE) to one of the most-talked about wrestlers in, erm, wrestling. All the momentum that would carry him to two WWE Titles and a permanent top spot on Raw came from this one interview.

Warmly Received Occurence Of The Year: Daniel Bryan cashing in Money In The Bank. After a two-year period which saw Daniel Bryan start in WWE on NXT, despite his reputation, then fired days after the debut of the Nexus, followed by a return to become U.S. Champ, getting moved off the WrestleMania card, winning MITB, then struggle for TV time, all whilst receiving constant criticism from Michael Cole, many were more than satisfied when DBryan became World Heavyweight Champion at TLC.

Forgotten Moment Of The Year: A tie. It's either Dolph Ziggler's 10-minute World Title reign on SmackDown in February, or The Miz's short-lived decision to have an upside-down WWE Title between March and May. Actually, scrap that: it's Miz and John Cena's 5-minute Tag Title reign in February. Seriously, does anyone still remember that?

Mess-up Of The Year: The November 7 Raw Main Event. I was actually in attendance for this, in Liverpool. Awesome Truth beat John Cena and Zach Ryder when R-Truth booted Cena, and Miz held Cena's legs down for the three count. Only, it must have gone wrong because within minutes, the match was restarted (without a bell), and the sequence was repeated. Even worse, though, the ref's count went wrong (!), so the three count itself had to be repeated again. Cena afterwards complained on the microphone that "That wasn't even a match", presumably to divert attention from what the fans had just witnessed (of course, only one heavily-edited version was screened). The illusion must have been shattered for some fans that night.

OMG! Moment Of The Year: The ring collapse. At Vengeance, Mark Henry suplexed Big Show off the top rope down onto the ring, which exploded as a result. Having previously seen this with Show and Brock Lesnar, it was slightly predictable beforehand, but it was still an epic way to end a Title match.

What? Moment Of The Year: Booker T. Just before the Henry-Show match at Vengeance, Booker T tried to mention Mark Henry's recent win over John Morrison, but couldn't remember Morrison's name, referring to him as the "Parkour kid", and asking his fellow commentators who he was. This, after Morrison had been in WWE, on and off, for nearly nine years. What?

Chant Of The Year: Fruity Pebbles. Only in WWE would you get thousands of people chanting for a breakfast cereal.

Drag-Out Of The Year: NXT Season 5. At time of writing, it has lasted over 40 weeks, despite only being a Redemption series wherein the winner only gets to choose his Pro for Season 6. In addition, past NXT rookies have returned without explanation; the weekly competitions have disappeared; and the three remaining rookies have been featured on other shows anyway (being promoted to another brand is meant to be the prize). Hopefully, this will be finished soon.

Most Annoying Wrestler/Wrestling Personality Of The Year: Michael Cole. No explanation necessary.

Celebrity Of The Year (If you don't count The Rock): The Muppets. Seriously, they made Raw more entertaining on Halloween, which most celebs on Raw have failed to do.

Storyline Of The Year: CM Punk leaving WWE. What started off as an interesting plot ended up as a major development which saw some groundbreaking on-air comments, Punk establishing himself as a top name, Vince McMahon losing his on-air duties, HHH making a return, and by SummerSlam, two people claiming to be WWE Champion, which in itself ended with a Money In The Bank cash-in by Alberto Del Rio. This was something which made Raw well worth watching over July and August.

Tag Team Of The Year: Air Boom. Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston have made a good partnership, and will hopefully continue their reign as WWE Tag Team Champs.

Most Short-Lived Partnership Of The Year: Hunico, Epico and Primo. On the November 11 SmackDown (which I also attended in Liverpool), the three teamed up to take out The Uso's. This would, strangely, be the only time that they were together. Primo and Epico are still together, though, which is something.

Most Unexpected Return Of The Year: Bull Buchanan on the November 14 Raw Gets Rocked special. I thought Brian Christopher/Lawler had got this one when he appeared in the run-up to WM XXVII, but at least he was related to a current WWE employee (Jerry Lawler). Buchanan, though, was only John Cena's partner (as B2) for a few weeks in 2002/2003. Not to suggest this was a great moment or anything, but let's be honest: who expected to see Bull Buchanan on Raw in 2011?

Most Pointless Event: CM Punk's match changing for Night Of Champions. I could understand if CM Punk went from facing Kevin Nash at Night Of Champions to meeting Triple H if the change was made one week later, or even later in the week. But, to do so on the same show, the question is: why?

Rewriting History Occurence Of The Year: Hornswoggle learning to talk. After winning an All I Want For Christmas Battle Royal on the 29/11/2011 SmackDown, Hornswoggle developed the power of speech. But wasn't he speaking clearly at WrestleMania XXVII? And when he was DX's mascot? And, going way back, occasionally when he was Finlay's sidekick? And . . . oh, never mind.

Unintentionally Hilarious Remark Of The Year: Jack Korpela. On an Autumn episode of NXT, after a run-in by Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks on The Uso's, Korpela remarked: "The Party-Starter and The Dreadlock Demolition Crew!" Somehow, this was said with a straight face (or maybe it wasn't).

Most Missed Wrestler Of The Year: Chris Jericho. Although big WWE names have been absent for a while now, it became noticeable once Y2J departed in September 2010. The rumour mill says, however, that he may be back soon. Possibly at Royal Rumble?

Notable Absentee Of The Year: The Undertaker. WM XXVII aside, The Phenom has had no - ZERO - matches this year, mainly due to injuries. Will UT only now compete at WrestleMania, to defend his Streak? Might a "proper" return soon be on the cards? Or could it be at his 19th WM win in Atlanta was the end of the road for the Dead Man? Time will tell.

Welcome Return Of The Year: The classic Intercontinental Title. The version that Cody Rhodes unveiled at Hell In A Cell was actually a bit more updated than the original, but it was still good to see a comeback of sorts for the belt worn by the likes of Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and the Ultimate Warrior.

Non-Event That Should Have Been An Event Of The Year: The Raw Supershow. On August 29, Triple H announced that SmackDown wrestlers would appear on Raw, making it a Raw Supershow. However, whilst the likes of Randy Orton and Sheamus began appearing regularly on Monday nights, it didn't make much difference, and the favour wasn't returned in the form of Raw wrestlers appearing on SD every week. Unless the plan is to scrap the Brand Extension in 2012, hopefully this will be jazzed up, since at this point the Draft seems pointless.

Ironic Thing That Isn't Necessarily Good Of The Year: Superstars. The WWE show Superstars mainly features opening-match talent, wrestlers from NXT, or those for whom there was no space on Raw or SmackDown that week. No real story developments, nor major names like Cena, Orton or Punk. In other words, the show Superstars has no Superstars.

In And Out Wrestler Of The Year: Kharma. Before May began, Kharma was awaiting her debut. By the end of the month, she had made her debut, destroyed most Divas, but then left due to pregnancy. On the bright side, Kharma's in-ring debut will finally come some time in 2012.

Non-Existent Character Of The Year: Little Jimmy. We never saw him (unless you count the person at Capitol Punishment), nor do we even know what he looks like. But, for over 7 months, not a week on Raw would go by without a reference to Little Jimmy by R-Truth.

Apparently Unimportant Occurence Of The Year: Kaitlyn turning on AJ. This betrayal between friends was so significant, WWE didn't even air it, despite it taking place during a SmackDown taping.

Forgotten Prop Of The Year: The Cole Mine. Remember that?

Most Embarrassing Moment Of The Year: Trish Stratus' impression of The Rock and Booker T at Elimination Chamber. Not the best way to return after a near-18 month absence from WWE.

Funniest Moment Of The Year: The Rock. There weren't any stand-out hilarious events, either intentionally (Steve Austin singing with a guitar) or unintentionally (Mark Henry chasing the Nexus, but ending up in front of them). So, choose any lines that were spoken by The Rock, mainly as insults towards The Miz and/or John Cena. Mind you, CM Punk's "tribute" to John Laurinitis at the Slammy Awards was also quite humorous.

I Meant To Do That Moment Of The Year: Mark Henry. The World's Strongest Man fought Randy Orton on the October 13 Raw, when Cody Rhodes caused a DQ. Orton fought Cody away, but then was struck by Henry and his World's Strongest Slam. Then, the World Heavyweight Champion pinned Orton. After the match was over.

Least Memorable Period Of The Year: May. Extreme Rules and Over The Limit both took place during this month; but on-screen, I can only really remember Christian winning the World Title, The Rock's Birthday and the Randy Orton vs Christian matches as being noteworthy.

Unusual PPV Advert Of The Year: TLC. Not so much the advert itself, but David Otunga being the main face on it. Which is kind of like next season's Premier League coverage on Sky being advertised by Tottenham's Heurelio Gomes, in terms of current recognition.

Whatever Happened To That Guy Of The Year: Husky Harris. He was Punted by Randy Orton on the January 31 Raw, and hasn't been seen since.

Forward Planning Of The Year: Chris Masters. Or, rather, WWE's decision to feature The Masterpiece in the advert for SummerSlam, and then fire him before the show.

Rising Star Of The Year: Zack Ryder. I was going to say Daniel Bryan, but having already discussed his annum, the award goes to Zack, who started 2011 as someone waiting to be fired, but via a YouTube series, got fan support, then TV time, and by TLC, the US Title. Woo woo woo!

Pointless Championship Of The Year: United States Title. Nothing to do with Zack Ryder; and this seems hypocritical after saying Ryder is Rising Star of the Year for winning this Championship. But, still, especially with SmackDown wrestlers appearing on Raw, is there really any point to the US Title now? Ideally, the US Champ would face the Intercontinental Champ at WrestleMania in a Title Unification match, with the IC Titleholder winning and keeping his Title in existence (since it has been in WWE since 1979; why dump that for a belt which spent much of its lifespan outside WWE?). Something similar should happen with the WWE and World Heavyweight Titles - but that's another story for another time.

Fan Sign Of The Year: Vince, Please Buy Everton FC. Apparently things are getting desperate at Goodison Park. Yes, this was in Liverpool.

Biggest Drop Of The Year: John Morrison. At the start of 2011, he was No. 1 Contender to the WWE Title. He didn't become Champ, nor earn a Title shot at WrestleMania. Then, after apparently snubbing Trish Stratus at WM, and another failed opportunity, he was injured for months. When he returned, he went on a losing streak, winning one match in about four or five months. Finally, he lost on November 28 to The Miz, and then left WWE.

DVD Of The Year: Stone Cold Steve Austin. The DVD alone has almost 10 hours of coverage, including a career spanning documentary, a number of Austin's greatest matches, and a disc full of promos. One of the best WWE DVDs ever.

Hairstyle Of The Year: Sheamus. Mind you, there was Dolph Ziggler's one-week haircut in April, which, erm, made no difference at all. Anyway, Shemaus beats stiff competition from Mr Ziggles and Zach "Take Care, Spike Your Hair" Ryder.

Gang Of The Year: The Corre. Actually, Wade Barrett's army was the only proper stable, since The New Nexus died a slow, painful death; the Alberto Del Rio/John Laurinitis alliance never materialised; and there weren't any other groups. So, a gang that lost in 1:28 at WM XXVII was the year's best. Not a highlight of 2011, really.

From Out Of Nowhere Award: John Laurinitis. At the beginning of 2011, he wasn't known to WWE fans. In July, he began appearing in a minor role. Now, he is the Interim General Manager of Raw. Not bad, that.

Most Successful Wrestler Of The Year: Alberto Del Rio. A Royal Rumble, Money In The Bank and two WWE Title wins, plus a World Championship match at WrestleMania; ADR couldn't have done much more.

More Muscles Than Brains Of The Year: Mason Ryan. Have you ever seen anyone THAT muscular before?

Change For The Better Of The Year: 40-Man Royal Rumble. Extending the field meant a longer and, consequently, more enjoyable edition of the most anticipated match of the year.

Comeback Of The Year: The Rock. Well, there isn't anyone else, is there? Well, there's Kevin Nash, but at time of writing he has only a Rumble cameo and a one-minute match with Santino Marella under his belt. And Mick Foley's only been back for a little while.

And lastly . . .

Match Of The Year: The Undertaker vs Triple H, WrestleMania XXVII. Although the Orton vs Christian rivalry produced a number of great bouts, this showdown at WrestleMania was the most anticipated, the most memorable and the most exciting match of 2011. Taker went 19-0, but only after taking a ferocious beating from The Game. The Streak has never come close to ending, and there may be a rematch in 2012. Perhaps not to the level of the WM meetings between Taker and Shawn Michaels, but still the best match of WrestleMania 27, and of the year 2011 in WWE.

So, as you can see, it's been quite an eventful year in WWE. It was probably more momentous than 2010, and 2009 for that matter. As for what 2012 may provide: well, we already know the WrestleMania XXVIII Main Event, and have done since, well, the night after WrestleMania XXVII. So, a bit of the buzz that normally brings in the New Year is absent.

What is known, however, is that a number of familiar faces are set to return soon, which should make things interesting. If 2012 does see the end of the Draft, then that should also make a difference. In fact, after a year which saw The Rock come back to the ring, CM Punk speak his mind on WWE and Triple H take over the company, just about anything is possible.

I will focus more on possible 2012 developments in a future blog, as well as a "proper" month-by-month review of this annum; but, for now, that's  all on WWE in a memorable and unpredictable 2011.

It's Christmassssssssssssss!

It's that time of year again. The weather turns ice cold, the shops get packed, and G.O.L.D repeats festive editions of Only Fools and Horses on an almost hourly basis. Actually, that last one applies to the rest of the year as well.

 

Anyway, Christmas is coming and, at time of writing, is only 12 days away. I wrote a blog a while back about how certain people begin preparing for Christmas a little early (some stores began interviewing people for Christmas jobs in August; I know because I was one of them), and without doubt there is something nice about seeing the Xmas items gradually build up, from decorations to music to the sale of cards, but once it gets to December, that's when you know Christmas is coming, and every day that goes by is one giant step closer to Christmas Day.

 

Sometimes, I write a blog without necessarily knowing what direction it is going in. This piece falls under that label, as I am using this write-up to discuss why I personally enjoy Christmas, and why growing up doesn't change the feeling I get around this time of year. So, don't expect to see a template of how to write the perfect blog here, but hopefully my thoughts on Christmas may bring back some positive ones for you.

 

Something I always like to point out is why Xmas is celebrated at all. People do seem to lose sight of this, so I should remind people that Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, in a stable in Bethlehem, on December 25 over 2,000 years ago. It's easy to forget due to the way in which Christmas has become a basis for presents, staff parties and TV specials, but the fact is that Christmas is, more than anything, about celebrating the birth of Jesus.

 

I remember years ago, back when I went to Junior School, once it got to December you began counting down the weeks to the birth of Christ with the Advent Wreath. Three red (or white) candles, one lit each week, followed by the purple one right before you broke up. Each week, with each passing candle, you realised that Xmas was getting closer, and in a strange way, I anticipated the lighting of each candle. By the time you got to purple, it was only days away, so there was a sense of excitement when that final candle was lit. Well, to me, anyway. Hey, it's better than getting excited over the Xmas work-related drinking session that ends in chaos.

 

Although this isn't carried on in work environments, I try to always remember this by attending the Christmas Eve Mass. It's a good reminder of what Christmas is really about, and ensures that, despite the changes in your lifestyle, and indeed your life, you never forget the reason why we celebrate Xmas - and, really, why we're all here today.

 

Something else that gets me thinking about Christmas is when the music TV channels begin airing the Xmas tunes. This is a relatively new practice, but while I have heard Wizzard or Slade as early as October in some places, when it gets to mid-November and I start seeing music videos for Band Aid and Cliff Richard, that's when I think "Christmas is coming now". I enjoy most of the songs, and even the ones I don't, I still listen to. Something strange is how, literally overnight, I go from loving them to feeling like there's been a death; once it gets to Boxing Day, or at least the 27th or 28th of December, for some reason I can't listen to them then. But, from mid-October onwards, I try to listen to them as much as possible, because within a few weeks the CDs used by the TV channels will go back gathering dust in the drawer. Okay, I may overdo it at times, certain VH1 hosts don't have the strongest connection to Xmas, and by Christmas itself people are probably sick and tired of hearing them, but without them, a lot of the anticipation over Xmas would be lost.

 

That gets me onto the subject of people who complain about Christmas coming early. Whether it's decorations, songs or something else, there seems to be a common dislike of certain aspects of Christmas - at least, at a particular point in time. I worked in a Christmas store twice, and often heard comments in mid-October about "Christmas, this early?" and "It's a bit early to be playing Xmas songs, isn't it?" Many of these were said jokingly, but occasionally I did hear a few who seemed genuinely angry. I wouldn't like to be around them when something really terrible or frustrating happened. Actually, it was the end of November - in other words, on the countdown to Christmas - when someone moaned about the existence of the store because "It's not even December yet". Crikey, if the world lived by that phiosophy, Lent would only be three weeks long, the World Cup qualifiers would start ten days beforehand, and the X Factor would only last three months. For those who complain, especially when it is getting close to Xmas, I would suggest maybe trying to get a little more Festive, or at least a little more understanding, because there's a reason why Christmas is celebrated so far in advance: many people enjoy it.

 

Whether it's kids anticipating the presents, young people getting drunk, or adults meeting up with relatives, for most people Christmas is special for a reason. To me, I have found it interesting how my own, personal perspective of the big day has changed. When I was younger, I loved every present I received. As I got a little older, I wanted specific gifts, and rightly or wrongly, got a right cob-on if I never received them. Later on, I realised that money is actually a good present, and not just an excuse to not buy a present. Then, some time ago, I started realising that, at some point in life, you're meant to actually buy people presents, as opposed to just giving them (if you know what I mean). Now, at age 23, I actually get a sense of excitement about purchasing gifts, and often begin planning months in advance so that, when the time is right and the best price has been discovered, I begin stocking up. Don't get me wrong, I'm not the second coming of Santa Claus (I do show some restraint), and I still receive gifts myself, but it's part of a natural evolution that at one point I wouldn't have considered, yet I now realise happens to everyone.

 

Speaking of Santa: regardless of whether you think of him as the guy off the cartoon similar in vein to The Snowman (I still enjoy watching them, by the way), the man at the Grotto in Lewis's (well, before it shut), or the uncle who dresses up as him on Xmas to be funny but ends up falling over and making a wally of himself, his existence adds a lot to Christmas. Okay, I know the truth (I wasn't prepared to hear it in a middle of an English lesson at age 8; I told people that I didn't believe in him, when really I did, and was left looking like I'd just bet £1,000 on Man Utd to win the Champion's League), but without Santa, Christmas would mean a lot less. As you grow up, maybe it doesn't matter, but when you're younger, Santa adds a lot of appeal to the event. When I think of Santa, I think, like everyone else, of the character drawn up by someone one day at Coca-Cola.

 

Oh, yes, Coca-Cola. It doesn''t matter whether you're three, 23 or 73: if you're watching TV and you see an advert that starts with "Holidays are coming, holidays are coming", you can't help but get excited. It was better years ago when it lasted longer and had a better ending (Santa whispering to the kid, rather than a white Coke bottle on a plain red background), but for some reason that one advert can make a lot of people excited. Seriously: it was on the other week, and within minutes my Facebook page was filled with comments about it. It was great, then, to see the truck itself in Liverpool not long ago. Okay, it wasn't snowing, Santa wasn't there, and THAT song wasn't playing, but it still felt good to see it.

 

On the subject of adverts: Christmas adverts are an interesting thing. In August or September, you may get a hamper advert (why do they never advertise for THIS year; by next December, you'll have forgotten about them). By October, possibly the odd couple of adverts for new products (such as CDs, or Comedy DVDs: I swear the entire Top 20 Chart in ASDA the other week was full of stand-up shows. Not that I'm complaining). But now, in December, virtually every ad is Christmas-related. Whether it's creating a feeling of excitement (Coca-Cola), using humour (the Irn-Bru one where the Snowman drops the person he's flying with to get a can of Irn-Bru made me laugh), or just something simple that captures the feeling of Christmas (most of them), although the adverts are, erm, advertising their products, to me they are succeeding more in promoting Christmas.

 

As for what else I enjoy: of course, there's TV and films. Most programmes have had Christmas specials or an Xmas theme (The Simpsons' first ever episode was a Christmas special), but the really good ones manage to not just base the story around Xmas, but make the specials themselves a staple of the Winter. Only Fools and Horses was great at it: I mentioned earlier that G.O.L.D has them on permanently, but during December, they are very enjoyable to watch on a nightly basis. Ironically, the best ones may have been shows that weren't related to Christmas. The one I prefer is The Jolly Boys Outing, which probably had more funny moments than three or four of the specials combined that will be on BBC1 this year. Other specials I enjoyed, or continue to enjoy, include The Royal Family (the 2008 and 2009 shows were hilarious) and Father Ted (which is on Channel 4 every year, mainly because it is really funny). To be honest, though, most shows seem funnier at Xmas, whether it's because of the Christmas theme, the normally longer episodes, or the general jolly feeling that you get when watching them on the day.

 

As for films: in recent years, I haven't had as much time as I would like to watch Christmas movies, but when I do, my own personal favourites are, unsurprisingly, the likes of Home Alone, erm, Home Alone 2, and Jingle All The Way. Sometimes, I wish I could write a Christmas film, because when you watch them, they capture the feeling of Christmas in a really magical way. Back in Senior School, an old teacher of mine did a film quiz, based on movies being screened over Xmas, wherein you had to guess the film from the drawing, and whoever got the most won something like £20. I never got all of them, and I never found out who won each year (actually, I never found out if anyone won), but it was something else that created an air of excitement around Christmas.

 

Strangely, I also get a bit of joy seeing the pre-programme channel Idents. You know, when it has a scene of a Christmas pudding or a tree and the BBC logo comes in; things like that are pleasing to see. The best ones were in the mid-1990s, but there are still some good ones today (like the Sky Sports snowmen). There's a website called TV Ark (http://www.tv-ark.org.uk/): if you have the time, and see some of the old ones, it really does bring back memories. Well, to me, anyway.

 

And, finally, there's the gifts. To youngsters, this is what Christmas is all about. The advent calendars, the music and the parties are all great; but the presents are what make Christmas Day itself a success or a failure. For me, personally, years ago I always had a "main" gift, usually a computer game or something, which was the thing I wanted most. When I was younger, I would get a lot of things in bulk; but, due to age and prices, this unsurprisingly would decrease over time. My favourite gifts were ones that I truly never expected; either I wanted them but assumed I wouldn't have them, or something I simply didn't expect. These were mainly big presents, like the Super Nintendo and a PC, but also more modest items like a Liverpool Away shirt. I also had a tradition wherein there were some "night" presents, so as to prevent boredom and tears once everything was opened by 11 am.

 

Of course, over time, you realise that some gifts aren't possible, and that no matter what you get, the main thing is that the person giving the present has made the effort. (Which reminds me of Bottom's Xmas show when the line "It's the thought that counts" is humourously responded to with "No, it's not, it's the size that counts!") And, when it's your turn, well to me anyway, the effort that is put into finding the right gift for the right person makes you realise how relatives must have felt giving to you years ago, and how disappointed they'd be if you told them the gifts were awful. Similarly, if I were to receive a similar response after buying a present, I would feel bad. So, over time, I have learned to appreciate gifts more. When you're young, it's hard to understand, but as you get older, you go around the life cycle, and once you're in that position, you realise why, whether it's a PS3 or a novelty tie, every present should be appreciated, as should the person giving it.

 

And so should Christmas. Some say they're glad when it's over, but there's no other time of the year like it. Not everyone will have an interest in the Premier League, or Coronation Street, or Britain's Got Talent, but everyone will have some sort of reason to anticipate and enjoy Christmas. And, as you can see, there's plenty of reasons why I enjoy Christmas - and I could have written a lot more (I didn't mention Advent Calendars much, or Selection Packs, or Carols, or Xmas dinner, or New Year celebrations, or . . . ). I may not be at the age now where I write my Lists in July (which I once did, by the way, many years ago), but I don't think you ever outgrow a feeling that Christmas is special.

 

So, the shops began selling the Xmas range in August. Christmas Temps began working in September. The tunes came on in October. The lights came on in November. Now, in December, as Christmas shopping reaches its annual peak, the TV Specials have started, and the annual parties are in full flow, there is only 12 days before someone can finally quote Slade and shout:

 

"It's Christmassssssssssssss!"

 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, from someone for whom Christmas will always be cause to celebrate.

Countdown to WWE '12: WWF War Zone

I have played WWF/WWE games for over 10 years. With a new era beginning with the upcoming release of WWE ’12, I have decided to look back on the wrestling games I played to see how they have evolved over time. The journey starts in late 1998, with WWF War Zone.

Before War Zone, I had only played one WWF game, which was WrestleMania for the original Nintendo. Therefore, War Zone felt like the first ever proper WWF wrestling game. At the time, I didn’t know much about previous titles, or the (arguably superior) WCW games made by THQ. All I knew in mid-to-late 1998 was that, due to its new Attitude, the WWF was on fire, and that War Zone, for the Nintendo 64, looked like being an incredible game.

At the time, it was. Well, to me, anyway. If War Zone was released now as the flagship WWE game, chances are that it would get a 3 or a 4, maybe a 5, out of 10 by most game magazines and reviewers. In 1998, however, War Zone was something completely new. The producers, Acclaim, had created what I personally consider to be the first true WWF computer game.

If you think nowadays that a roster of 50-to-60 wrestlers is a bit stingy, consider this: War Zone had just 16 wrestlers on the main roster. Okay, so a handful were hidden, but for all intents and purposes, only sixteen WWF Superstars made it onto War Zone. Fortunately, it was a good selection of wrestlers: Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, The Undertaker, Kane, Mankind, Goldust, British Bulldog, Owen Hart, Ahmed Johnson, Faarooq, Mosh, Thrasher, Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Ken Shamrock. Dude Love and Cactus Jack were hidden, as were made-up characters including the Trainer and a ring girl. Apparently, Turok the dinosaur was hidden via a cheat code, although I don’t know for sure.

Although there weren’t many, most were welcome: besides The Headbangers, virtually everyone was a big name in the WWF at one point or another. In addition, Bret, Bulldog and Ahmed had left the WWF long before its release, so having them in beefed up the star power (which makes a change from nowadays, with cries of “The roster is outdated” if a wrestler leaves weeks before the game is due out). And each had their own unique unlockable. Goldust and Austin had a few extra attires; Mankind had Dude and Cactus as bonus characters; and the DX members had more items for Create A Wrestler.

Speaking of which: it’s hard to believe now, but War Zone was the first wrestling game ever to have a Create A Wrestler feature. You could make around 30 wrestlers, with basic options for attire. And yet they looked fairly lifelike, and as the equipment for certain wrestlers who never made the game were in, it was easier to make good creations of quite a few Superstars.

The main feature was Challenge mode, wherein you went through the entire roster, beating each wrestler as one Superstar, with a few grudge matches along the way. As you progress, you became Intercontinental Champion (making the cover of Raw Magazine afterwards) and then WWF Champion (which saw you grace the cover of WWF Magazine). It was basic, but it was still enjoyable for its time, and as stated, since each wrestler had their own unlockable, it was worth going through it with each wrestler. The only problem was the small window of time you had to save whatever item you unlocked, which could easily make 15 matches and several hours of game time rather pointless if you were too late.

As for the matches: there was a regular single match, tag team, gauntlet, weapons (hardcore), steel cage and Royal Rumble. Some of these hadn’t been in a game before, or at least not all together, and since many memorable match types (Table, TLC etc) hadn’t yet debuted, the line-up was fairly good. A big setback, though, was not being able to choose your adversary if it were the computer. Okay, so you could just redo the process until you get the opponent you want, but it was still an avoidable problem.

Other notes: although I didn’t know it at the time, the PS1 version featured an opening video (and possibly another cutscene or two) and the proper theme songs for wrestlers, which the N64 console lacked; in retrospect, this was understandable, but still annoying. That said, the N64 had no loading times, so it kind of evened itself out. Apparently, the PS1 version also lacked the Royal Rumble match, although I don’t know that for sure. There was the Training mode; an underrated feature wherein you practiced specific moves for each wrestler. High Scores kept a note of who was the best in the game. Each wrestler had alternate attire or, if you unlocked them, three for Austin and Goldust. Entrances were very basic, showing a wrestler at the top of the ramp; sometimes, not even that. Commentary was provided (with real voice-overs) by Jim Ross and Vince McMahon. And all matches took place at Raw Is War, although (in another I-should-try-and-confirm-this moment) if you win the Challenge and beat everyone again, apparently a WrestleMania ring became available.

Oh, I forgot to mention the control scheme. Various button combinations were required for moves, with finishers available when a wrestler’s health bar turned red. It was okay at the time, although it seemed very complicated when compared to the SmackDown games of years to come.

The main pros and cons are listed below.

Best Bits:

-         First WWF game for Austin, Rock, HHH, Mankind and Kane

-         Challenge mode was enjoyable

-         Innovate Create A Wrestler feature

Let-Downs:

-         Problems in saving unlockables

-         Limitations of N64 compared to PS1

-         Roster could have been a bit bigger

Overall, though, War Zone was a pretty good game. Even when looking back, whilst not the greatest game of all-time, it still stands up as a fairly enjoyable title. That said, it was only the beginning of bigger and better things to come, including games that offered features that in 1998 were unimaginable. But producers Acclaim would only be in control for one more game – which will be covered in the next post.

WrestleMarkia Moments #6: Snake Bite

Jake “The Snake” Roberts was rarely seen in a wrestling environment without his trusty snake. The animal was designed to provoke feelings of fear and terror in his opponents. Indeed, a wrestler’s worst nightmare would not only be to lose the match to Jake, and be knocked out with a DDT, but to then have the python draped over their fallen body. Fans slapped it up, since there was very little danger involved.

However, an incident involving Jake, and the snake, in late 1991 increased the levels of danger to, erm, a dangerous level. And, instead of lapping the moment up, fans were horrified.

To rewind a bit: Macho Man Randy Savage lost a Career match to the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VII, and reunited with his old manager Elizabeth afterwards. They eventually married at SummerSlam 1991, but their wedding reception was ruined by Jake, Paul Bearer and The Undertaker.

Savage, then working as a commentator, demanded his reinstatement, so he could fight Jake. In the meantime, Roberts continued antagonising Savage, until just a few days before Survivor Series, when Savage finally lost it.

Jake continued taunting Savage, and Macho ran to the ring, only to be attacked by the Snake man. Then, Roberts attached Savage to the ropes, and walked towards him with a venomous king cobra.

Then the snake bit Savage.

Not just bit him, but chewed on his arm for a good length of time.

The incident was unlike any other. At the time, a huge “X” and Censored bar crossed the screen during the bite. Commentators Vince McMahon and Rowdy Roddy Piper were horrified. Fans in the audience were shocked; several people, including young kids, were in tears.

Savage was released, but couldn’t stand under his own power. He was soon carted away on a stretcher, with Elizabeth, in tears, at his side.

It was the only time ever that the snake was set on a particular individual (well, besides the time in WCW in 1992 when Jake aimed to use it on Sting, but would try to pretend that the snake had bitten him instead, only for the creature to bite him for real by accident). Even during the anything-goes Attitude Era, nothing measured up, in terms of shock value and realism, to this moment.

As a result, Randy Savage was reinstated as a result, and went on to beat Jake at This Tuesday In Texas, as well as other televised and non-televised bouts.

It’s fitting, I suppose, that Jake’s most infamous moment was when the snake finally attacked somebody. He didn’t win any titles in WWE, nor did he main event WrestleMania. But Jake Roberts was one of the most memorable characters in WWF/WWE history, and unlike most events in the 1980s and early 1990s, the snake bite still stands up as a downright jaw-dropping occurrence today, which underlines its status as one of the most memorable moments, if not for all the right reasons, in WWE history.

WrestleMarkia Moments: #5: HBK's Comeback Match

In recent posts, I've looked at comeback appearances. This time, I look at the return of a ring of someone who had made sporadic appearances, but hadn't laced up the boots for a long time.

It seems hard to believe now, but at one point Shawn Michaels, the Showstopper, hadn't wrestled for over four years. HBK had been one of the greatest wrestlers of the '90s right up until WrestleMania 14 in 1998, when he lost the WWF Title to Stone Cold Steve Austin. Due to a serious back injury, HBK disappeared immediately and, eventually, underwent what was assumed to be career-ending back surgery in 1999. Despite the occasional surprise appearance on Raw, the chances of HBK ever wrestling again were very unlkely.

In 2002, however, things changed. Michaels returned to Raw in June 2002 as a member of the nWo. The group disintegrated within weeks, but not before HBK called for Triple H to join the new World order at the Vengeance Pay-Per-View.

At Vengeance, with the nWo gone, Shawn's motive was to have H3 join him on Raw. The Game agreed and signed for the Monday night brand. The next night, a DX reunion was teased, only for HHH to Pedigree Michaels. This was followed by an assault in a car park, which led to Michaels challenging HHH to what would be an unsanctioned match at SummerSlam 2002. The Game agreed.

It's worth noting that, prior to August 25 2002, it was assumed that this match was one last match. And, besides, unlike other wrestlers who had been out injured, this was someone who had missed years of action due to a major back injury. Expectations were low heading into SummerSlam, although it would be great to see the Heartbreak Kid back in the ring, even if only for one more match.

SummerSlam came, and although HBK had some early offence, Triple H turned things around in his favour, using a steel chair to punish HBK's back further. Eventually, The Game called for a Pedigree, but a superkick that bashed the chair into HHH's face handed the momentum to Shawn.

Over the next few minutes, HBK busted HHH open with the chair, then pounded him in and out of the ring, and then amazingly hit a top rope splash onto HHH and through a table at ringside.

Back in the ring, Michaels unbelievably hit an elbow off the top of a ladder and signalled for Sweet Chin Music. HHH countered it, though, and motioned for the Pedigree. However, Michaels flipped HHH over, and got the three count.

It may not sound like much now, but for someone who hadn't wrestled in over 4 years, and had been sidelined by a severe injury, this was an astonishing performance. And, as it turned out, it was only the beginning of a second career which, combined with his 1988-1998 stint, made HBK arguably the greatest wrestler in WWE history.

But it all began at SummerSlam 2002. Everything, from the WM 21 classic against Kurt Angle to the various DX reunions to the showdowns at WrestleMania with The Undertaker, was all still to come on the night HBK stepped back into the ring. The impact of that match on Michaels' legacy, and the future of WWE (imagine the last nine years if Shawn hadn't returned) made this not only a memorable moment, but one of the most memorable matches of the last decade, and the history of SummerSlam.

WrestleMarkia: Night Of Champions 2011

As stated previously, I will do PPV recaps in separate blogs, so here's a rundown of the 2011 Night Of Champions. Bear in mind, this isn't move-by-move or anything like that: it's just a short yet detailed look at the events of the Pay-Per-View, followed by predictions on what this means for the weeks to come.

NOC kicked off with Miz and R-Truth vs Air Boom for the Tag Titles. A couple of early moves went a little awry, but overall this was a good start to the show (with Kofi Kingston literally flying high; he seemed to jump around 15 feet in the air when he tagged in). AwesomeTruth (as Jerry Lawler dubbed them) were disqualified for attacking the referee after a few bungled calls, adding to their "conspiracy" claims.

Match 2 saw Cody Rhodes defend the Intercontinental Title against Ted DiBiase. Had DiBiase returned several weeks earlier, and not two days, the crowd may have responded more enthusiastically, but it was still an enjoyable effort. Rhodes got the victory, although a rematch may be on the cards between DiBiase and his former "life coach".

Before the next bout, Christian demanded "One more match" for the World Heavyweight Title. Sheamus came out and feigned that he would assist Christian, as long as he got the first shot at the gold if Captain Charisma won it. Christian agreed, only to be Brogue Kicked.

The third match pitted Dolph Ziggler w/ Vickie Guerrero against Jack Swagger, Alex Riley and John Morrison in a Fatal Four Way for the United States Title. Heading in, it seemed this one only had two likely outcomes: Vickie Guerrero helping Dolph win, or turning on Ziggler to help Swagger become champion. As it turned out, Swagger had Morrison beat with the Gutwrench Powerbomb, but Mr Ziggles pushed him out of the way to take the pin and retain the gold. As I previously stated, those champions who are angered by four-ways always seem to win, whilst those who don't (as in, all 3 champs at last year's Fatal 4 Way PPV) always seem to lose. How strange.

Match four was Mark Henry's big moment, as he defeated Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship. The expected RKO-and-pin never happened; instead, the RKO was reversed into a second, title-winning World's Strongest Slam. A rematch at Hell In A Cell seems likely, but judging by the path of destruction Henry has been on since Capitol Punishment, it seems Henry's title reign will be a long one.

Next up, Beth Phoenix battled Kelly Kelly in her hometown of Buffalo, New York for the Divas Title. Ringside divas Natalya and Eve Torres had a to-do, whilst the fans rained boos down on Kelly and cheered massively for the Glamazon. However, whilst I expected a new champion to be crowned, Kelly surprisingly pinned Phoenix again, much to the frustration of hometown fans. As with the 4-ways, it also seems that hometown wrestlers, with few exceptions (such as CM Punk at Money In The Bank), tend to lose more often than not nowadays in WWE.

Alberto Del Rio's WWE Title defence against John Cena began with Cena stealing Del Rio's car for a joyride, and some pre-match ring announcing that one would normally see on Raw, as opposed to a WWE Title match on PPV. As the match wore on, despite Cena growing in confidence and having more offense, it still seemed that Del Rio would find a way out. It wasn't to be, and the STFU made Cena WWE Champion once again.

Lastly, Triple H battled CM Punk in a No Disqualification match, where if the Game lost in his first match since WrestleMania XXVII, he would resign as WWE COO. This was the match of the night (ironic, by the way, that a non-title match headlined Night Of Champions), with Punk's Randy Savage elbow drop that put HHH through n announcer's table being the stand-out moment. It was also the turning point, as from then on AwesomeTruth interfered (attacking both men, and the ref, who hilariously punched Miz when he and Truth first turned their attention to him), then John Laurinitis seemed to prevent a referee counting in HHH's favour, and after a suspicious moment wherein Laurinitis began texting somebody (which wasn't acknowledged by the announcers), the fired Kevin Nash emerged from the crowd to attack both men. But a sledgehammer shot drilled Big Kev at ringside, and the third Pedigree of the match put Punk away, and allowed HHH to win the match and save his job.

From here, anything could happen involving those in the three main matches at NOC. Henry looks likely to beat Orton and fellow smaller wrestlers in title defences, until someone of his own size decides to challenge him. Christian's "One more match" is as unlikely as ever with Henry as Champ, and seems to have his sights set on Sheamus anyway. With Henry as Champ, it's also unlikely that the much smaller Daniel Bryan will be cashing in Money In The Bank anytime soon.

Cena's WWE Title win came too soon in my opinion. A Del Rio victory (or even a DQ loss) could have allowed Cena to become Champ at HIAC in two weeks time. Instead, a Cell match between Cena and anyone for the gold seems pointless, unless a certain Hollywood-based superstar moved his match with Cena forward about six months. Del Rio will still probably face Cena in the Cell, but it's doubtful that he'll win.

Lastly, we come to Punk and HHH. Obviously, Kevin Nash is back, despite being fired (which suggests a Nash/Laurinitis alliance, since it was after the text at NOC that he appeared), which probably means a collison between Nash and either Punk or HHH. At one point, Nash and HHH could have been on the same page, but now the chances of them still being friends is very unlikely. Perhaps a Triple Threat match between the three in the Cell will be next. Or maybe Punk's repeated claims a few weeks back that he wasn't believing the Nash/HHH fall-outs mean that a Nash/HHH reunion is coming, despite what happened at NOC. Either way, although HHH kept his job at NOC, this story is far from over.

That's all for now, with the next recap coming after the next week of WWE TV shows. Until then, goodnight everybody!

WrestleMarkia: September 18 2011

Before starting this week's wrestling recap, I'll point out that I won't be including Vintage Collection any more. It remains entertaining, but in the UK it can sometimes be Thursday by the time it's shown at a suitable time, which is several days after every other show. So, for that reason, this weekly recap will now focus solely on Raw, SmackDown, NXT and Superstars.

I should also mention that I will do PPV recaps separately from now on. So, this blog covers the most recent week of WWE TV, pre-Night Of Champions.

Raw was based around two events: a John Cena & Bret Hart vs Alberto Del Rio & Ricardo Rodriguez tag team match, and a final face-off between Triple H and CM Punk. The tag match didn't last long, and followed an earlier debate involving Del Rio, Hart and Cena. The only strange aspect was how nobody was disappointed at the announcement of the tag match, despite the massive cheers moments earlier when Cena proposed a Del Rio-Hitman WWE Title match.

As for Punk and HHH: their confrontation started off fairly mildly, only for both to start throwing barbs at each other, and by the end the "discussion" had become a lot more intense. After Punk's microphone was cut off twice, HHH offered Punk a third mic, only for CM to crack Triple H in the face with it and leave, no words necessary.

Also on Raw: The Miz was victorious over Kofi Kingston; Jerry Lawler teamed up with Sheamus to beat David Otunga and Michael McGilicutty; and Randy Orton was defeated by Cody Rhodes due to a distraction by Mark Henry, who pummeled the World Heavyweight Champion afterwards.

SmackDown this week saw the return of Edge, who both cut down Cody Rhodes (who himself was then attacked by a masked fan, who turned out to be Ted DiBiase) and hosted The Cutting Edge with Orton and Henry. Henry said his 15-year wait for the World Title would end at NOC; the Viper believed after NOC, Henry would be remembered as the World's Strongest Failure. They couldn't physically interact during TCE, but once the Rated R host left, and ended the show, Orton and Henry had a brawl, which ended with Henry once again dominating Orton.

Elsewhere on SD: Sheamus and Justin Gabriel beat Christian and Wade Barrett; R-Truth picked up a win over Evan Bourne; and Sin Cara was disqualified against Daniel Bryan, but continued the assault afterwards  . . . until a second Sin Cara appeared and confronted the, er, first one. Who is the real Sin Cara? When asked, Booker T hilariously said "That one" as both were in the ring. Presumably, we'll find out which one in the weeks to come.

NXT this week continued one from last week, as William Regal and Matt Striker fought Darren Young and JTG, with DYoung and JTG coming out on top. The worst part of this was Michael Cole on commentary, who  basically said the last six months of the show, and the main storyline on the show, were pointless, and at one point mentioned how Zach Ryder's YouTube show gets more hits than NXT online. For a show that is hardly available in the US, and therefore barely viewed, it's not the best way to get more viewers - unless the intention is to dump the show altogether.

Superstars was more of the same this week, as Brodus Clay continued dominating "local" wrestlers and Zach Ryder beat Drew McIntyre.

There weren't really any funny comments or signs this week (actually there were some on SmackDown but I can't remember them now), so I'll go right into the Best Of The WWeek:

Wrestler Of The WWeek: Mark Henry, who couldn't have looked more dominant heading into Night Of Champions.
Match Of The Week: With most of the top stars not on active duty or doing little in the ring, I'll pick Sin Cara vs Daniel Bryan from SmackDown.
Show Of The Week: For more noteworthy matches and developments, Raw gets it this week.

Finally, some final predictions for Night Of Champions, match by match:
- I expect Beth Phoenix to beat Kelly Kelly, since a second defeat would give both Beth and Natalya very little chance of bringing about the end of the so-called Barbie Dolls in WWE.
- Air Boom lost two single matches to Miz and R-Truth, which makes me think they'll triumph when the gold is on the line.
- Cody Rhodes vs Ted DiBiase was announced late for NOC. DiBiase's only just back from a short hiatus, but since a title has to change hands at NOC, it could be in this match.
- Dolph Ziggler's manager Vickie Guerrero reacted angrily to the announcement of the Riley-Ziggler-Morrison-Swagger US Title Four Way for the PPV. Paradoxically, that probably means that Dolph will come out on top.
- Triple H vs CM Punk. I can't see HHH losing here, purely for the reason that, if he did lose (and was no longer COO), there aren't many people who could replace him. That being said, a defeta for Punk could (and probably would) lead to a rematch in the near future.
- Randy Orton vs Mark Henry. A few weeks ago, I automatically assumed that Henry was definitely getting pinned. But since then, whilst Orton hasn't looked dominant at all (and thus, could do with a win), the talk of Henry's 15-year wait for the World Title suggests a possible upset. That said, I think Orton will win somehow, and if Henry does win the gold, it'll be at a later date.
- John Cena vs Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio hasn't confronted Cena head-on bar the time he attacked him after Cena beat CM Punk. But ADR will probably have something up his sleeve that will see him remain champ after NOC.

As said, a Night Of Champions recap will follow, with next week's TV in a separate piece.

That's all for this week. Until next time, goodnight everybody!

WrestleMarkia Moments: #4 - Pillman's Got A Gun

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I would cover good, bad and ugly moments. For this one, it depends on your opinion as to which category it falls into, but it was certainly memorable.

Brian Pillman had teamed with Steve Austin in WCW in 1993 as The Hollywood Blondes, and they were allies when both arrived in WWE. But, in the Autumn of 1996, Austin was egged on to challenge Bret Hart to return and face him. Long story short, Hart came back and agreed to the match at Survivor Series.

Austin, despite originally challenging the Hit Man, wasn't pleased, and took it out on the Loose Cannon by breaking his ankle with a steel chair on Superstars. This put Pillman on the injured shelf, but Stone Cold wasn't finished there, and planned to make a "house call" to Flyin' Brian's home.

That brings us to November 4, 1996, and Monday Night Raw. An injured Brian Pillman was interviewed at home by announcer Kevin Kelly regarding Austin's potential "visit". Announcers occasionally interview wrestlers at home, but this one turned out a little different.

The Loose Cannon stated that he was unafraid of the Texas Rattlesnake, and had a secret weapon to stop him, if he showed up.

A gun.

Yes, a gun.

Bear in mind, in 1996 the most violent or outrageous thing to have been seen or heard in the WWF was probably someone going through an announcer's table or saying a mild swear word on TV. For Pillman to bring out a gun, and threaten to shoot Austin if he turned up, was a hair-raiser - and more was to come.

Now, before we go any further, I have a confession to make. Although I was a WWF fan in late 1996, Raw wasn't shown much in the UK back then and, if it was, it was at an awkward time of the day. Therefore, I hadn't seen, or even heard about, this incident until years later, and only saw it in full on the Best of Raw DVD that was released in 2008. Yet, if the same thing happened today, it would still have an impact. And, when I finally watched it for the first time, it was unlike anything I had seen before.

Anyway, back to 1996. So, Pillman basically threatens to blow Austin up, when suddenly footage showed Austin pounding some random people outside Pillman's house. Then, he tried to break in.

An injured Pillman stood up, as best he could, ready to pull the trigger if necessary. Suddenly, Austin burst in, and within seconds the picture had disappeared. During this, several obscenities were hurled, including Pillman yelling the F-word.

I didn't hear this on the DVD (I assume it was edited out), but it did happen. And this was live, so this was heard as it happened, on a show that was then aimed at young kids. It wasn't even PG; this was supposedly suitable for all audiences, so hearing this was a jaw-dropper. Imagine someone on Eastenders shouting the F-word during its 7:30 broadcast on BBC1, and you'll understand why WWE had to apologise for this. It actually almost got Raw kicked off the USA Network in, er, the USA. On a darkly comical note, I thought it was somewhat humorous when commentator Jerry Lawler told Kevin Kelly to grab the gun. Somehow, if you was ever in a situation like this, and you were the innocent party, the last thing you'd do is grab the gun yourself.

Later on, we saw Pillman again, with his terrified wife, and Kevin Kelly reported that a shot had been fired. Within minutes, Austin tried to get back in, leading to more insults being fired, but no more gunshots. We later found out that the shot that was fired had missed.

Then, bizarrely, Pillman never returned to WWE TV in months. (Okay, he was injured, but there weren't any follow-up interviews or anything.) Austin went and fought Bret at SSeries, then won the 1997 Royal Rumble, and lost to Bret at WrestleMania 13, but earned fan respect that would lead to the Austin 3:16 phenomenon exploding.

Within weeks, it seemed like it had never happened. Certainly, this explains why I didn't hear about it for years afterwards. Most probably, it was because this was an incident that went too far, at a time when WWE was only in the very early stages of its Attitude-based transformation. Even in the years to come when Raw was at its most controversial and edgy, besides the Bang 3:16 thing (which I may cover in the future), a gun was never used ever again in the WWF/WWE. The fact that, as alluded to earlier, WWE almost got thrown off the USA Network for the incident speaks volumes; although whether this was due to the swearing, the gun-related aspect, or both is unknown.

And really, looking back, what was the point of it? It never really had an impact on the Hart-Austin match at SSeries, and it never led to a rivalry of some kind. Okay, Pillman targeted Austin when he returned in 1997, but Austin's big issue was with Bret Hart; Pillman only got involved by being a Hart associate. And, as funny as it was when Austin flushed Pillman's head down the toilet, it's as if two totally different people had been Austin and Pillman in 1996, when one had seemingly threatened to kill the other.

So, this incident proved that while wrestling can usually get away with crossing the line of bad taste, for it's in the name of entertainment, sometimes it can go too far. The mere thought of a half-crippled man ready to shoot a home invader who had previously injured him sounds in itself like a bad idea. But whether you think it was too much too soon for that time period, or it should never have happened at all, the whole escapade was in itself a memorable moment in the history of Monday Night Raw. Even if it had been forgotten about by the time Austin gave Pillman a swirlee.

WrestleMarkia: September 11 2011

In contrast to last week, which featured a World Title Steel Cage match and other marquee battles, this week in WWE was a little less eventful. That being said, some notable occurences still, er, occured.

 

Raw began with Triple H and CM Punk again exchanging words, and were again interrupted by Kevin Nash. However, HHH soon revealed that Nash himself had sent the text which prompted him to interfere at SummerSlam (he commandeered H3's phone, or something like that). In retailiation, HHH fired Big Kev, meaning that Nash's tenure under contract to WWE lasted for a week (which is less time than his period as an unemployed ex-star between SummerSlam and the August 29 Raw). Big Sexy mysteriously left with John Laurinitis.

 

The rest of Raw revolved around Alberto Del Rio rounding up a few wrestlers (Christian, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler and Wade Barrett) to attack John Cena. But, coming to Cena's aid were John Morrison, Alex Riley and Sheamus, which led to Teddy Long announcing an impromptu 8-man elimination tag match, with Cena (unsurprisingly) being the sole survivor. (By the way, has the anonymous Raw General Manager been on holiday for two months, or does that person no longer have power? And, if not, why is the computer still set up at ringside?)

 

Elsewhere on the apparently renamed Raw SuperShow (featuring Raw and SmackDown talent): Randy Orton popped in to pin Heath Slater; R-Truth and The Miz accepted their own challenge to Tag Champs Air Boom, before Truth lost to Punk; Jerry Lawler found a partner in Zach Ryder to beat Otunga and McGillicutty; and Beth Phoenix pinned Eve Torres, during which Natalya and Kelly Kelly bickered on commentary.

 

Over on SmackDown, Randy Orton was successful in beating fellow champion Cody Rhodes, but received another attack afterwards by Mark Henry, who had earlier pounded Teddy Long's assistant Zach Ryder. Also, Christian had a to-do with Sheamus, which may lead to some sort of match between those two. In addition, Sin Cara mysteriously spoke English before attacking Daniel Bryan again. That I can't remember much else from SD probably means the rest of the show this week was uneventful.

 

NXT returned in its usual format, and Darren Young's chastising of Matt Striker saw William Regal come to his aid, and beat Young in the main event, although Striker prevented JTG from interfering on DYoung's behalf. Also, Maxine and Derrick Bateman decided (on camera, strangely) to plan the kidnapping of Hornswoggle, and Todd Grisham was replaced on commentary by Jack Korpela. Oh, and Yoshi Tatsu did turn out to be Tyson Kidd's mystery stalker, and returned to Tuesday nights with a new look. He then beat Kidd in a match which started a bit awry but ended up being a good one.

 

Superstars went back to its roots this week, as Daniel Bryan was the only true Superstar on it (and beat Heath Slater). Other matches saw Brodus Clay continue dismantling no-marks, Titus O Neill and Percy Watson lost to Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks; and Mason Ryan returned to destroy JTG.

 

Finally, Vintage Collection's month of champions focused on those greats who were never WWE Champ. This included a WCW clash between Ricky Steamboat and Mr Wonderful, an In Your House 3 battle between Bam Bam Bigelow and the British Bulldog, an Intercontinental Title collision between Mr Perfect and Rowdy Roddy Piper, and a main event match between the Million Dollar Man and Jake Roberts from MSG. That Mean Gene missed the show due to another "well-earned rest" added to the prevailing thought that this was a B- or C-level week.

 

So, overall, a disappointing series of shows as very little happened and few memorable matches or moments occured. It wasn't terrible; just not very exciting. In retrospect, the Nash firing should have ended Raw, as nothing else afterwards really mattered, nor on the other shows. But, then again, not every week will be a great one, and these are the weeks that move the plot along as opposed to delivering incredible twists and turns. So, it served its purpose, although if you had to miss a week's worth of WWE for 2011, this would probably be the one to choose.

 

Mind you, there were still a few choice quotes. Again, nothing totally funny, but some stuff that made me smile, for different reasons:

 

"It'd good to see you're back, it's better than seeing your front." - Jerry Lawler to Michael Cole, Raw.

 

"JTG's so fly that he's become one of the Wright Brothers." - Scott Stanford, Superstars.

 

"Everyone in the world will be watching WrestleMania." - Matt Striker, who may have been slightly exaggerating, Superstars.

 

Now for some awards for the past seven days.

 

Wrestler Of The Week: Not very much happened this week, so just for some funny comments on Raw (that aren't listed above), I'll go with R-Truth.

Match Of The Week: Tyson Kidd vs Yoshi Tatsu from NXT.

Show Of The Week: In terms of different stuff happening, NXT was actually more eventful than Raw and SmackDown this week, so NXT gets the nod this week.

 

Lastly, some predictions concerning next week's shows and next Sunday's Night Of Champions. The fact that Alberto Del Rio continues running away from John Cena suggests a beating for him at NOC, but something tells me a hidden twist will keep the title with ADR. As for Punk-HHH: I don't think we've seen the last of Kevin Nash, which could hinder Punk's chances of victory at NOC.

 

Oh, I forgot to mention . . .

 

After Punk beat R-Truth on Raw, HHH came out and made his match at NOC a No Disqualification match. Punk said that was okay, but if HHH lost, he would have to resign as WWE COO. HHH agreed to the new stipulation.

 

Which makes me think HHH will win, since there isn't anybody else at this point who hasn't already been fired that could replace him. Or is there?

 

By the way, did you know HHH hasn't won a Pay-Per-View match, as of this writing, since WrestleMania XXVI nearly 18 months ago (which I was on hand to see)? That, to me, is another reason to expect a win for The Game, who never used to lose on PPV.

 

The Orton-Henry match, I'm unsure about. Originally, I didn't think that Henry would lose, at least not by a pinfall, so he could earn a rematch at Hell In A Cell. However, Henry's continuing domination of the Viper, and the repeated claims by announcers that Orton simply can't beat Henry, not only suggests a swerve in that a new champion won't be crowned, but that an RKO may be awaiting the World's Strongest Man. Or maybe not. We'll have to wait and see.

 

That's all for this installment, until next time, goodnight everybody!

WrestleMarkia Moments: #3: It's the Ultimate Warrior!

Last time, I discussed the return back in February 2011 of the Great One, The Rock. As great a moment as that was, though, it was always in the back of the minds of WWE fans that it would happen one day, even if it was only hopes rather than expectations. From Bret to Hulk, from Austin to Foley, almost every big name has returned, some several times, over the last few years. So, whilst the returns are a surprise, they aren't totally unexpected.

But things were different in 1992.

Back then, there wasn't an Internet which would give away one's comeback to WWE, months before they even leave the competition. The TV shows delivered little on a weekly basis, meaning that one wouldn't assume that a jaw-dropping event was always about to occur. And, whereas nowadays major stars usually end up returning, back then if a wrestler left, you would probably never see nor hear from them in WWE again.

Having said that, let's set the stage. It's the main event of WrestleMania VIII, and Hulk Hogan is having his "farewell" match with Sid Justice. It ends on a DQ (which I later discovered wasn't meant to happen, nor was Sid kicking out of Hogan's Legdrop) and Sid, Papa Shango and Harvey Whippleman are doing a number on the Hulkster. Who can save him?

Undertaker? Unlikely. Macho Man? He's celebrating winning the WWF Title. Roddy Piper? Hulk probably hadn't forgiven him for the Mr T rivalry in 1985. In fact, nobody comes to mind. No-one in the WWF seems likely to save the Hulkster.

But then some familiar music starts playing, and the Hoosier Dome, to quote commentator Gorilla Monsoon, "goes bananas!"

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, because he's running. And running very fast.

It's the Ultimate Warrior!

Warrior left the WWF after SummerSlam 1991 and hadn't resurfaced since. It was assumed he was gone for good; yet here he was at WrestleMania, coming to help Hulk Hogan. The fan who, by amazing coincidence, had a Bring Back The Warrior sign, was one of the thousands who exploded with joy upon witnessing the Warrior's comeback.

Warrior and Hogan quickly cleared house, and the fans cheered to wave goodbye to Hogan, and hello again to Warrior.

Well, that's what they thought on April 5, 1992. As it turned out, in a somewhat darkly comical twist, one year after Hulk's "farewell" and Warrior's comeback, WrestleMania IX in 1993 saw Hogan's in-ring return (and fifth WWF Title win), whilst Warrior had been fired months before.

In retrospect, there are a few other flaws to Warrior's appearance. Firstly, once the music began playing, Gorilla Monsoon blurted out "That's the Warrior's music!" before the Ultimate one had even appeared on-camera - which spoiled the surprise slightly. Secondly, Hulk was being saved from an unknown in Papa Shango, a miniscule manager in Harvey Whippleman, and a Sid Justice who himself would leave the WWF just a few weeks ago. So, not only was Hogan probably not in a great level of danger, within weeks it was like the moment never happened.

Finally, the Warrior who appeared at WM 8 was believed by many fans to be a different one to the man who left after SSlam '91, due to the numerous physical changes. I used to think that way, as if the WWF was like Corrie where characters are replaced every few years - but this wasn't one of those occasions, which genuinely led to rumours that the "real" Warrior was dead. Perhaps having the Internet nowadays to clarify wrestling-related matters is a good thing after all.

Warrior would return again in 1996 before leaving for good. Hogan left in mid-1993 for WCW, but returned to WWE in 2002, and several times since. And, whilst the Hulkster hasn't been on Raw in nearly four years, few will be surprised if he resurfaces in the near future.

But that's the point I'm making here: whether someone's working for the competition (Hogan), filming in Hollywood (Rock) or dancing on American TV whilst simultaneously performing in a band (Jericho), nowadays no-one can be absolutely sure that someone will never, ever return. In 1992, however, this wasn't a concern: nobody expected Warrior's return at WrestleMania VIII. And that's what made the Ultimate Comeback such a memorable moment.

WrestleMarkia: September 4 2011

It was a week of big announcements in WWE this week, so let's get right to it.

WWE COO Triple H opened Raw by announcing that, for the forseeable future, SmackDown wrestlers would appear on a Raw SuperShow each week. Is this the beginning of the end for the Brand Extension, which began in 2002 and had separate rosters for both Raw and SmackDown? It remains to be seen; although having the entire choice of the WWE talent makes for a better programme, and at least prevents the questions if "Why is (insert name) on the other show?"

Moments later, Triple H addressed the Kevin Nash-CM Punk situation. Nash (who came out to his old nWo music) revealed that John Laurinitis had signed him to a WWE contract. Punk's sarcastic response and continuing insults at Nash and HHH led to the announcement of a Punk-Nash match at Night Of Champions. By the time the show ended, however, Triple H had removed Kevin Nash from the match and inserted . . . Triple H.

The contract was signed on the Super SmackDown (again featuring stars from both brands; although for SD, this was a one-off), admist further insults and accusations of what would happen at NOC. Nash interrupted proceedings and brawled with Punk; when HHH tried to stop Nash, he was shoved down by his close friend. Needless to say, this situation won't be resolved until Night Of Champions, at least.

Alberto Del Rio was absent from TV this week, leaving John Cena to deck his ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez. Cena teamed with Sheamus to beat Christian and Mark Henry on Raw, and Wade Barrett on SmackDown. In the meantime, World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton was dominant, beating U.S. Champ Dolph Ziggler on Raw and then defeating Christian to retain his crown in a Steel Cage on SmackDown. Afterwards, though, he was attacked by The World's Strongest Man, his challenger at Night Of Champions.

Other events of note, starting with Raw: Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne (now nicknamed Air Boom!) retained their newly won Tag Titles against former champs David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty, who afterwards confronted commentator Jerry Lawler over his criticism of their personality (or lack of). CM Punk's duel with The Miz ended in a DQ after attacks from R-Truth and Kevin Nash. On SmackDown, Sin Cara defeated Daniel Bryan, but then surprisingly attacked Mr Money In The Bank afterwards. And Sheamus beat The Great Khali by disqualification, and withstood a post-match assault from Khali and Jinder Mahal.

Elsewhere: This week's NXT was a clip show, showing highlights of how previous contestants have fared on Raw and SmackDown, including the 2011 SmackDown Money In The Bank Ladder match. That said, after almost 6 months, surely it's now time to finish NXT season 5 - especially since it only gives the winner a chance to choose their Pro on Season 6. Superstars had a main event between John Morrison and R-Truth, complete with highlights of their previous incidents. Truth's win suggests a rocky road ahead for Morrison; losing a grudge match on Superstars doesn't bode very well for him.

And Vintage Collection was based around a tournament to determine the next opponent to the NWA/WCW US Title in January 1993. However, by the time the Final was scheduled, due to then-champ Rick Rude's injury, the decider was now for the championship. Dustin Rhodes (now Goldust) won the tournament and title by countout after Ricky Steamboat was waylaid at ringside by Barry Windham. Strange, but entertaining.

My thoughts now on the best of the WWEek:

- Wrestler Of The Week: Randy Orton gets it for two great matches with Dolph Ziggler and Christian.
- Match Of The Week: Orton vs Ziggler; the RKO ending was unique and everything that came before it reivtalised a subdued crowd.
- Show Of The Week: Raw gets the nod this week for more eventful occurences.

As it's a new month, here's some thoughts on August in WWE.

- Wrestler Of The Month: A hard one, but due to several good matches with Christian, Ziggler and others, it's Randy Orton.
- Match Of The Month: Orton vs Christian at SummerSlam.
- Show Of The Month: SummerSlam.
- Moment Of The Month: The combined return of Kevin Nash and Alberto Del Rio's Money In The Bank cash-in at SummerSlam.
- Quote Of The Month: Virtually anything from The Rock's verbal smackdown of John Cena from the August 8 Raw.

Speaking of which, some choice quotes from TV this week:
- "The Clique is back, which is funny because "Clique" (click) is the sound everyone's remote makes whenever Kevin Nash comes on the TV screen, as well as the sound Kevin Nash's knees make whenever he walks." - CM Punk's response to Kevin Nash's new WWE contract.
- "David Otunga is riding Jennifer Hudson's coattails . . . if he wasn't married to her, the only thing he's say on a microphone is 'Do you want fries with that?'" - Jerry Lawler remains unimpressed by Otunga (and McGillicutty).
- "Zach Ryder overachieves at underachieving." - Matt Striker on Superstars (who changed his tune after Ryder beat Tyson Kidd).

Finally, some predictions on what is to come. The SuperShow concept for Raw, as stated earlier, could be the first step on the reuniting of the two rosters for one whole WWE. After almost ten years, in which time virtually everyone has appeared on both shows, several times, this wouldn't be a bad decision to make, and would make for more entertaining shows. It may not happen; but the fact that anyone can now appear on Raw means that it's possible.

The three key issues on WWE TV (Punk-Nash-HHH, Cena-Del Rio and Orton-Henry) won't be settled until Night Of Champions, at least. I'm predicting wins for HHH and Del Rio (which could reuslt in the formation of an alliance, as I stated in a previous blog), whilst the World Title match is likely to end on a DQ or countout. With Hell In A Cell occuring two weeks after NOC, certain rivalries would have to keep on running after NOC, with the Cell likely to settle the grudges. I also think saving Punk-HHH for a steel-enclosed showdown at HIAC would have been better, although The Game's first match since WrestleMania XXVII will be worth seeing at Night Of Champions.

That's all for this week. We'll see you next week; good night everybody!