Comments on: Lightning Round

By: JP

JP — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:24:43 +0000

Indeed “on his best day” tips the scales towards Shawn. Bret Hart was virtually bred to become a professional wrestler, and he was a great thoroughbred at that. But Shawn Michaels was a prodigy the likes of which come around once a generation at best. I hope the Survivor Series match sets the stage for a heel turn, or even a quasi heel turn like he did with Hogan. That Montreal promo he did in the lead up to that match is still one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen, and shows that he can be a great heel even when he’s not all drugged up:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2clf4_shawn-michaels-speech-wwe-raw-08150_sport

Bret was the hardest working professional wrestler in the business. Shawn was (is) the best.

By: Sharkboy

Sharkboy — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:55:36 +0000

1. Of all you books, which is YOUR personal favorite to read? (or i should say write)

Tonight in this very Ring

2. Best Hogan match ever?

Hogan vs. Savage–Wrestlemania V is the first thing that comes to mind. I also like Hogan vs. Flair–Bash at the beach ‘94 and Hogan vs. Hansen–Japan 1990

3. Demolition or Road Warriors?

Demolition are the better workers, Road Warriors are the more legendary team. I used to be bigger fans of the Road Warriors growing up, but now appreciate Demolition much more. Especially after watching their shoot interview. Ax and Smash ruled it!

4. Midnights or RocknRolls?

Midnights (Lane & Eaton version)

5. Citizen Kane, The Godfather, Casablanca, Raging Bull, Singin in the Rain, Gone with the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, Schindler’s List, Vertigo, The Wizard of Oz. These are the American Film Institue top 10 movies all time. Agree with the choices? If not what needs to go and what needs inclusion? (i think 2001 DEFINITLY belongs, thats me though)

The Godfather should be # 1, Casablanca is 1A. Singin in the Rain should be removed, Goodfellas is better than Raging Bull, Star Wars should be in the top 10 (even though Empire Strikes back is the best of the series), Lawrence of Arabia is really, really boring and should not be in the top 10 either. Godfather part II should be in the top 10. Pulp Fiction should be in the top 10 as well. And for the record, Jaws is my favorite movie.

6. On the best day’s of their lives, whose a better worker Bret or Shawn?

Shawn is the better worker, especially since his comeback in 2002.

7. Isnt wargames the greatest gimmick match ever?

War Games rules if done right. 1987, 1989, 1991, and 1992 versions are all *****. Ok, well 1989 is more like **** 1/4–*****1/2, but still. I also like The Royal Rumble and OLD SCHOOL Survivor Series.

8. If Terry Funk retired in 89 after the I quit with Flair and never had his ECW stint, would we REALLY consider him a legend nowadays or would he be another old timer we barely recognize like Verne Gagne or Lou Thesz?

I think he’d be fondly remembered anyways, but coming back and doing everything else, really cemented his legacy and he’ll never be forgotten.

9. Favorite Sting-Vader match?

Bash ‘92 hands down. I also really like the strap match from Super brawl III, but the Bash was awesome. It was Vader time that day all day.

10. Ever seen AJ-Joe-Daniels from Unbreakable 05? If so what you think? Meltzer said its ***** and the best 3 way ever (better than WM20 even)

WrestleMania is better for the impact of the moment, although it has soured on me now for obvious reasons, still one of the best matches of all time. although this makes me want to go back and watch Unbreakable again.

By: SHough610

SHough610 — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:34:48 +0000

Totally agree. I was a film major and in one of my early film studies classes I got into it with a professor over why the Godfather was better. The only argument he couldn’t counter was, “point me to the embarrassingly dated musical number in the Godfather?”

By: SHough610

SHough610 — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:33:00 +0000

Totally agree. And I think this current fetishizing of legendary status has hurt Randy Savage and his greatest of all time consideration.

Imagine Savage and Hogan flipped roles post-WCW, is there any question we’re considering Savage the Greatest of All-Time? Did Savage ever really embarrass himself? He could talk, he could wrestle, he drew like Hogan and wrestled like Flair.

By: Darryl The Hitman

Darryl The Hitman — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:58:07 +0000

I’m not going to say it’s anywhere near the top 10 of all-time but in terms of movies with which I have an emotional connection no matter how many times I watch it, I’ll stand up for “Donnie Darko.”

By: jvc113

jvc113 — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:45:09 +0000

I think it’s the “on his best day” part of the question that is causing such a one-sided response for Shawn.

On his best day, Shawn was a little bit better than Bret, no doubt.

But overall, I would say Bret’s body of work is far more consistent, with a longer run as a top-to-tippy-top guy and a much longer list of very-good to great matches for Bret.

By: jvc113

jvc113 — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:36:57 +0000

It starts out good enough, but when they lower the “chair of torture” (of course they couldn’t call it an electric chair, not that any of this makes any sense anyway), the guys have no more room to work and it becomes pointless.

Also, if you are keen eyed, you can see the “lever” is up, then down, then back up again before it’s finally pulled by Cactus.

Abdullah climbing the cage is wild though.

By: JP

JP — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:28:52 +0000

1. Of all you books, which is YOUR personal favorite to read? (or i should say write) I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't read one yet. For someone just starting off, which book would you recommend first? 2. Best Hogan match ever? Yeah, Hogan vs Warrior from WM6. 3. Demolition or Road Warriors? Road Warriors. Demolition were better workers, but just didn't have the aura of the Warrior (Powers of Pain are, of course, a distant third) 4. Midnights or RocknRolls? Midnights. Much more versatile, and had Cornette to talk for them. Though I would give RnR the nod over both the Original Midnight Express or the New Midnight Express. 5. Citizen Kane, The Godfather, Casablanca, Raging Bull, Singin in the Rain, Gone with the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, Schindler's List, Vertigo, The Wizard of Oz. These are the American Film Institue top 10 movies all time. Agree with the choices? If not what needs to go and what needs inclusion? (i think 2001 DEFINITLY belongs, thats me though) The Grapes of Wrath is still my all-time favorite movie, and deserves a top-ten spot. 6. On the best day's of their lives, whose a better worker Bret or Shawn? Shawn. 7. Isnt wargames the greatest gimmick match ever? Sorry, TLC gets the nod from me. 8. If Terry Funk retired in 89 after the I quit with Flair and never had his ECW stint, would we REALLY consider him a legend nowadays or would he be another old timer we barely recognize like Verne Gagne or Lou Thesz? We barely recognize Dory Funk these days, so yeah, the 90's exposure definitely kept him fresh. I doubt that people will talk about him 20 years from now though. 9. Favorite Sting-Vader match? King of Cable finals. 10. Ever seen AJ-Joe-Daniels from Unbreakable 05? If so what you think? Meltzer said its ***** and the best 3 way ever (better than WM20 even) Generally I think that X-way singles matches (where X>2) suck, but the hypothetical imaginary affair at WM20 was definitely the best of the bunch.

By: PatrickD

PatrickD — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:40:49 +0000

I couldn’t disagree with you more on Citizen Kane. Orson Welles’ performances is one of the top five in cinema history. Substance? There’s a TON of stuff going on in each scene. It’s number with a silver bullet and then some. No emotional connection? OH MY GOD! I’m right there with Kane and Susan Alexander from start to finish. You might not have the Charles Foster Kane, Richard Nixon, Jet Rink personality, but I do. So, I can connect with him in HUGE way. To each his own I guess, but Kane has NO equal.

By: The Brain

The Brain — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:05:45 +0000

Glad to see there are a few that agree. It’s true, what you say- in one way it’s sad that for all those years in wrestling, big stars got no respect and were chewed up and spit out at the end. It’s a nice gesture that they treated Flair so well on the way out. So for the big stars like that, it’s actually nice. And all the perks like the great DVD sets make it nice for old-school fans. Unfortunately, it makes for an awful product.

Totally agree with your last paragraph there. And you mentioned Hogan-Andre… I feel like Cena has tried to reenact the famous staredown about ten times now. No originality anymore.

On another note, is anyone bothered by Randy Orton’s constant staring? All he does is stare. That doesn’t make you a good heel; it just makes you boring. Or the fact that 50% of matches now end with the participants staring each other down as one backs his way up the ramp? Off-topic, I know, just something that I haven’t had a chance to get off my chest.