Official "Squared Circle" Thread

[Brian]

Yeah thats most likely what I will do, or I will order it offline.. I think I saw it for like $112

 

Check ebay, I see some going at $50. Not sure of condition.

[T R U]

Check ebay, I see some going at $50. Not sure of condition.

 

Yeah, I definitely don't want a used set

[Mr. Showtime]

Shadows, get it. I have it, and it rules.

 

I don't care to watch much of the current Rumbles because of all the blurring of the old logo. But, the 80's stuff on here is awesome.

[T R U]

Shadows, get it. I have it, and it rules.

 

I don't care to watch much of the current Rumbles because of all the blurring of the old logo. But, the 80's stuff on here is awesome.

 

Yeah I really need to.. I have been watching some old rumbles on dailymotion and its getting me pumped up haha

[Brian]

Do they dub over Ventura?

[MHizzle85]

Do they dub over Ventura?

Naw, he's still there.

 

btw, would that happen to be Megan Fox in your avy Brian?

Edited June 28, 2007 by MHizzle85

[Mr. Showtime]

Do they dub over Ventura?

 

No.

 

Yeah I really need to.. I have been watching some old rumbles on dailymotion and its getting me pumped up haha

 

The Rumble event itself can be funny to see with some of the no names in there.

 

On the '88 DVD they have Dino Bravo trying to set a new world bench press record, it's about 15 minutes of him just lifting weights in front of the crowd. Mean Gene is doing announcing for it and he's awesome. Some of the stuff they did back then seems so cheesy now, but at the time people really bought into it.

[Brian]

Naw, he's still there.

 

btw, would that happen to be Megan Fox in your avy Brian?

 

Absolutely.

[Purdue129]

for those interested the supposedly very good 3-way on Impact! starts in a few mins and should go the entire hour

[Gregory Pratt]

Does anyone think that this might kill WWE? That Benoit might? I don't think so, but some people do, and they think WWE will wind up out of business in a year based on this scandal and the recently declining number of fans.

 

I disagree, but will someone else tell me what they believe and why?

[T R U]

Does anyone think that this might kill WWE? That Benoit might? I don't think so, but some people do, and they think WWE will wind up out of business in a year based on this scandal and the recently declining number of fans.

 

I disagree, but will someone else tell me what they believe and why?

 

What? Theres no way.. the WWE makes so much money its ridiculous

 

Hell, even ECW the other night had a full arena

[Purdue129]

Hell, even ECW the other night had a full arena

 

 

Not to say that they might not anyway... but they do tape Smackdown w/ECW

 

 

either way WWE isn't going anywhere

[MHizzle85]

Does anyone think that this might kill WWE? That Benoit might? I don't think so, but some people do, and they think WWE will wind up out of business in a year based on this scandal and the recently declining number of fans.

 

I disagree, but will someone else tell me what they believe and why?

 

Maybe if this becomes part of some big elaborate crime scheme where the McMahons can be held liable for what happened. But with Vinny Mac's stock at $760 Million...I think they're ok for now.

[Mr. Showtime]

The only thing that could hurt WWE right now would be if they lost their TV deals. Other than that they have a boatload of cash on hand.

[Gregory Pratt]

well there's this guy on a forum I frequent who's saying that this'll kill WWE and I'm saying, No way, man! and that's the extent, really, but I wanted to make sure nobody thinks I'm crazy.

 

They've been losing money and haven't been too profitable for awhile, but I doubt they're in any real trouble.

[Mr. Showtime]

well there's this guy on a forum I frequent who's saying that this'll kill WWE and I'm saying, No way, man! and that's the extent, really, but I wanted to make sure nobody thinks I'm crazy.

 

They've been losing money and haven't been too profitable for awhile, but I doubt they're in any real trouble.

 

I have no idea who told you that. They haven't lost money for a decade.

 

First quarter ended March 31, 2007. Revenues totaled $107.4 million as compared to $95.1 million in the comparable prior year quarter. Operating income was $20.6 million as compared to $14.3 million in the prior year quarter. Net income was $15.1 million, or $0.21 per share, as compared to $9.5 million,

or $0.13 per share, in the prior year quarter.

[Gregory Pratt]

Well, thank you very much. I'd heard it before and it was re-stated by my SPARRING PARTNER! on another site. Guess I'll have to go correct him.

 

Thank you.

[Mr. Showtime]

Well, thank you very much. I'd heard it before and it was re-stated by my SPARRING PARTNER! on another site. Guess I'll have to go correct him.

 

Thank you.

 

Some aspects of their business are down like buyrates in America, and live event attendance has been up and down, but they are far from losing money.

[The Critic]

for those interested the supposedly very good 3-way on Impact! starts in a few mins and should go the entire hour

It was a decent match, no better than most others, and had WAY too much interference and a clustered ending.

I wouldn't consider it a classic or MOTY candidate by any stretch.

[Brian]

These were awesome.

 

Edited June 29, 2007 by Brian

[MHizzle85]

These were awesome.

 

Yes. Yes these were awesome. So were the Pulp Fiction promos.

 

So Brian how much time do you spend on the Wrestlecrap boards....

 

Well, time for more depressing news about the suicide of Mike Awesome per PWscoops.com

 

According to sources, Awesome was told by his wife that she was unhappy and wanted a divorce. Upon hearing the news, Awesome physically confronted his wife by grabbing her by the throat and throwing her against or into a wall.

 

Awesome's wife called police and had Mike arrested for domestic abuse. While in jail Awesome was told by his wife that she was leaving him, taking his money, and, again according to sources, told the former ECW Champion that she "hated" him. She then took what she could from their home, threw out certain things that belonged to Awesome, and left.

 

Sources claim that Awesome was beyond distraught and very depressed about the marriage, which he felt was stable and secure, all of a sudden being stripped out from under him. All of this transpiring while Awesome was still in jail, it should be noted.

 

Shortly after returning home from jail, with nothing left to come back to, Awesome hanged himself. Friends discovered the body shortly afterwards.

Edited June 29, 2007 by MHizzle85

[Brian]

So Brian how much time do you spend on the Wrestlecrap boards....

 

I check em when I am bored. I don't post that often because a lot of the fans seem to have gotten into wrestling during the Attitude Era and that wasn't the golden age of wrestling as they would believe.

 

Their Benoit thread has been good for findings and information.

[longshot7]

It was a decent match, no better than most others, and had WAY too much interference and a clustered ending.

I wouldn't consider it a classic or MOTY candidate by any stretch.

 

I agree. I bought into the hype and was disappointed. Don't get me wrong - it was good, just not great. and the run-ins, while being expected, were kinda bogus - esp the Storm one at the end. Angle is the champ - he doesn't need help to pin Rhino.

[Purdue129]

I've said it before and I'll say it again...

 

I don't think there's anyone with a better 18 month resume of matches than the Briscoes... even if you're not a huge ROH fan, you can't go wrong with ANYTHING they've been a part of in the last year and a half

 

I say this watching them vs. Shelley/Sabin from a few months ago, which is just as good on DVD as it was live

[Gregory Pratt]

Hi guys. I've had to rewrite this short little part because of the damn server. >(

 

been writing about the Benoit tragedy. Wrote another column. Guess it's a sneak-peak for you guys since I'm not publishing it until tomorrow. And if you're interested in all the others I've written, go here:

 

http://officeoftheindependentblogger.com/c...y/benoit-media/

 

Breaking Down the Walls

 

At night, the freaks come out on Fox, galvinizing the galvinized and the tame, as evidenced by normally respectable Greta Van Sustren's asking former wrestler Chyna to speak about steroids and Chris Benoit on her show. Chyna took the opportunity to, first, make accusations about flagrant steroid use then deny ever using them herself. Now tell me, when you look at this woman, and take into consideration her confession in her autobiographies and interviews that she's had plastic surgery -- can you tell me with a straight face that you believe her when she says she's never taken steroids? Then look into her history and see why she might be a little bitter with Vince McMahon: her boyfriend was fired for drug use and generally being a mutt, while her longtime boyfriend Triple H wound up marrying Vince McMahon's daughter after dumping her. But hey: I guess she's speaking out in the best interest of the wrestlers and their families.

 

Yesterday, Debra Marshall appeared on a talk show where she declared that Stone Cold Steve Austin (the Hulk Hogan of the 1990s, as well as her former husband) used to beat her (that's why she left him, which is common knowledge) and take steroids. The second revelation is not a surprise, and while I generally admire Debra's courage in speaking out about spousal abuse in wrestling, I question the way such information will be used in the media. "Wrestling creates wife-beating monsters!" will definitely be a charge when the truth is that it doesn't. You'll find spousal abusers in every field, but especially in athletics of all sorts. Let's not blame World Wrestling Entertainment, however, as I don't believe the federation encourages its workers to beat their wives. If evidence arises to the surface, I will personally slap Vince McMahon in the mouth.

 

I'd like to express my appreciation of semi-retired professional wrestler Chris Jericho for his comments on the talk show circuit, including his interview with Nancy Grace, whose ridiculousness I've already discussed in detail. While she's still asking absurd questions and posting empty hypothesis' ("there is evidence that Chris Benoit himself was murdered"), it's nice of her to have featured Jericho, who has known Benoit for years and is closer to him than most. He's also more articulate than Bret Hart (with no disrespect intended toward the Hitman) and so I'm glad he was given the opportunity to point out that mental illness and drug use seem more likely culprits than steroids.

 

Just a little bit more before we talk about the government and the Associated Press. Warrior's appearance on Hannity and Colmes was pushed back to Monday because of the attempted-but-foiled-by-incompetent-terrorists-themselves terror plot in London. I wonder what nonsense he'll find to say now that he has a few more days to prepare or better yet, to seethe.

 

This article is from the Associated Press and it declares that too many pro wrestlers are dying young, which is true. It's definitely true, and it goes back to what was suggested by Keller that I linked to here. It's probably true that the WWE's Wellness Program needs to be stricter, like with most professional drug testing programs. It's a fine piece to read because it's about the tragedy that's become of so many young wrestlers as opposed to being, say, a smearjob on the WWE. The one thing about the article that I have critical comment about is here,

 

Over the year

s

, there are been numerou

s

propo

s

al

s

to put wre

s

tling under

s

ome

s

ort of over

s

ight, be it at the

s

tate or federal level. Tho

s

e idea

s

u

s

ually have fallen on deaf ear

s

, largely becau

s

e the power

s

-that-be, be it the old-time regional promoter

s

or WWE owner Vince McMahon, the guy who largely control

s

the

s

port today, don

’

t want the government telling them how to run their bu

s

ine

s

s

. Jim Wil

s

on, who parlayed pro football into a ring career,

s

ay

s

he wa

s

blac

k

balled when he began pu

s

hing for a wre

s

tler

’

s

union.

S

ince then, he ha

s

written a boo

k

about hi

s

experience

s

and

k

ept up the pu

s

h to rein in tho

s

e who govern the

s

port. Although Wil

s

on

’

s

battle often ha

s

been a lonely one, he

s

ay

s

Benoit

’

s

death might reinvigorate the cau

s

e.

 

A union could be a u

s

eful tool for cleaning up the

s

port. It might lead to a pen

s

ion plan, improved benefit

s

, more

s

tringent health and

s

afety guideline

s

and a revamped pay

s

tructure that would allow wre

s

tler

s

to

s

pend more time at home without ri

s

k

ing a pay cut. Now, mo

s

t top wre

s

tler

s

get a guaranteed

s

alary, but the bul

k

of their income i

s

ba

s

ed on how often they compete. That lead

s

s

ome to feel they mu

s

t get in the ring while injured, often with the aid of pain

k

iller

s

and other numbing chemical

s

. And much li

k

e roc

k

s

tar

s

, plenty of wre

s

tler

s

have fallen victim to exce

s

s

ive partying, alcohol and drug dependency, and marital problem

s

during grueling

s

tint

s

on the road.

 

“

My longe

s

t run wa

s

79 day

s

in a row without a day off,

”

s

aid Joe Laurinaiti

s

, the wre

s

tler

k

nown a

s

Road Warrior Animal and father of Ohio

S

tate football

s

tar Jame

s

Laurinaiti

s

.

“

It

’

s

not a

s

bad now. They

’

ve got good guy

s

running the WWE.

S

till, we need to ta

k

e a loo

k

at it when thing

s

li

k

e thi

s

(the Benoit murder-

s

uicide) are happening. Guy

s

are

s

till overwor

k

ed.

”

 

That

’

s

why Wil

s

on

’

s

calling for Congre

s

s

to hold hearing

s

on the wre

s

tling indu

s

try, much li

k

e it inve

s

tigated doping in profe

s

s

ional

s

port

s

and ju

s

t thi

s

pa

s

t wee

k

heard from ex-NFL player

s

who believe they

’

re being

s

hortchanged on their pen

s

ion

s

.

“

In tho

s

e other

s

port

s

, they aren

’

t dropping li

k

e flie

s

li

k

e they are in the wre

s

tling bu

s

ine

s

s

,

”

Wil

s

on

s

aid.

“

Now i

s

the time to pu

s

h for legi

s

lation nationally.

”

He

’

s

already

s

po

k

en with U.

S

.

S

en. Johnny I

s

a

k

s

on (R-Ga.), who in

s

tructed hi

s

s

taff to begin gathering information on the i

s

s

ue to determine if a hearing before the Health Committee might be warranted.

 

I

s

a

k

s

on

s

aid hi

s

main concern i

s

s

teroid abu

s

e.

“

I

’

m not going to

s

tart

s

peculating on federal regulation of wre

s

tling,

”

he

s

aid.

“

The i

s

s

ue i

s

anabolic

s

teroid

s

, which are a

s

ignificant problem and are

k

nown to cau

s

e

s

ignificant difficultie

s

. It

’

s

a health i

s

s

ue that

’

s

appropriate for u

s

to di

s

cu

s

s

, regardle

s

s

of the profe

s

s

ion.

 

First of all: I don't believe a Wrestling Union would not work because there are so many different independent promotions unless it were something like the Screen Actors Guild but I doubt that happens and question if it should. What I believe is that the Federal Government should mandate that full-time wrestling promotions like WWE and TNA set the limits that Keller has called for. That leaves a loophole that indie wrestlers will have to deal with but it's impossible to solve all problems because wrestling is so layered and has a a million different legs. The Indies are hard to help, but they are just as at-risk as anyone else, and something needs to be done about their schedule and everyone else's.

 

Unfortunately, I know that if Congress gets involved it will become a mess. Grandstanding morons will take the hearings over and everyone will be so busy harping on steroids that they'll miss prescription drugs, injuries and the cost of health insurance, especially for independent wrestlers, focusing instead on the gruesome details of the Benoit murder-suicide and pictures of pecks instead of the fact that people are dying because of the workload.

 

If I were a Senator, I'd call Vince McMahon, tell him to get something legitimate done about wrestling schedules (even if it is a brave new step, as Keller's is, and they're frightened to do it: they must get it done) or else the federal government will step in with hearings and legislation. McMahon has a reputation as a ruthless businessman, which he is, but he is no monster. He is known to help long-departed wrestlers and their families to pay for their rehab, surgeries, bills and rent. He is known to give jobs to people who can't wrestle anymore or simply have no business in the ring at such a stage in their life just so that they can find work. He's given hundreds of men second and third chances and helped them fix their lives. He's no angel, but I imagine that if the government took a good-faith approach, coupled with a tug of the arm here and there, he'd be willing to concede that the schedules need to be fixed.

 

Of course, the government doesn't care about the wrestlers: they want the publicity, and to look good, so anything that could be called discreet is unacceptable, and so this tragedy will become a scandal will become a joke because the American government and the global media haven't the slightest idea how to handle something that is serious without an agenda. Sometime ago, the "mainstream media" decided that professional wrestling was a world of idiots and trailer trash and said, "We should stomp them with every opportunity we get." Now everyone will suffer, from the fans who have to watch their product trashed by the Ultimate Warrior and Nancy Grace to the wrestlers who will have to deal with the uncertainties of their profession in the coming months to the taxpayers who will watch as the government pays the world's respect to matters it should handle on the down low to the to those of us who hope that something can be done to ease the pressure on these athletes and provide them with something of an offseason.

 

There are a lot of walls to be broken down before that can occur, and I'm not sure they'll ever fall.