It took all of 70 seconds for the Ric Flair-Hulk Hogan double turn to take place at the WCW Uncensored PPV show on 3/14 at Freedom Hall in Louisville, and by the end of the match, Hogan had been screwed so many times by bad officiating that the turn was complete, even with the stipulation of Flair having to retire should he lose.
With the deluge of media publicity, including a cover story in USA Today, a two-part series on “Inside Edition” and even being the topic of conversation on the TV show “Politically Incorrect” and with an ESPN “Outside the Lines” segment scheduled for later this month, both WWF and WCW have taken separate directions that will no doubt determine the future of the wrestling industry in the United States.
After the biggest gap in the history of the Monday night ratings on 2/15, WCW went into its own version of a panic attack with morale hitting rock bottom.
Everyone was pointing fingers everywhere, as when the ratings came in, nobody could any longer pretend the new concept of pro wrestling television started one week featuring bad mini-movies that the announcers live don’t see was a success.
With the recent spate of bounced checks, questions are being asked about the future and current financial condition of Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Paul Heyman, the group’s owner, is somewhat responsible for many of the concepts that ushered in the current era of pro wrestling. For the most part Heyman and ECW have been unable to share in the financial rewards and media publicity garnered by WWF and WCW as they took his ideas to reverse their financially money losing enterprises into very profitable businesses.
The public reaction to the death of Shohei Baba over the past week stunned even the most ardent Japanese followers of pro wrestling. The reaction, for someone described in almost every form of medium as a national hero, went far beyond any recent sports deaths in recent U.S. culture such as a Mickey Mantle, and was more comparable to the reaction to entertainment legends such as Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Frank Sinatra.
The death of any major pro wrestling figure makes one reflect upon the past. But the death of Shohei Baba will likely have repercussions far more telling about the future, and in ways that nobody at this point can predict.
More than the death of a wrestling superstar or a legendary promoter, of which he was both and a lot more, his death spells the end of the major chapter in Japanese wrestling history, of which he was one of the two main participants. And his death leaves in question the future of the old style of wrestling, with lengthy main events, clean winners and losers, finishing moves that work against the top stars, of which his company was the lone holdover, and the beginning of a new chapter in the Japanese wrestling world. What it will turn into and how it will get there is far more difficult to examine than what it was and will probably never be again.
The career as an active wrestler of Shawn Michaels appears to have largely ended, certainly as any kind of a regular in-ring performer, stemming from the back injury suffered at the 1998 Royal Rumble.
Michaels underwent major back surgery on 1/12 in San Antonio, after which his doctor was quoted in the local newspaper as well as gave the private opinion to Michaels and the WWF that the injuries to one of his discs in his back were more severe than originally believed and that his wrestling days were over. Michaels had largely been telling friends even before undergoing the operation that he felt he had maybe five matches left in him.
With recent test results not looking too positive, last night on Raw Daniel Bryan retired from in ring competition after a sixteen year career full of ups and downs. From training at Shawn Michaels wrestling school in Texas to wrestling on the independent scene to his WWE run in 2010, Daniel Bryan’s career has lasted many years, full of ups and downs. Anyone watching last night’s show knows that Daniel Bryan is not only a great talker, but also easy to connect with. This episode of Figure Four Daily is from May 18, 2007 where Daniel Bryan (or Bryan Danielson) talks about breaking into the business, training with Shawn Michaels, his life in general and much more. A fun filled 90 minute look into Danielson’s career before his WWE run so be sure to check it out!