Happy freaking new year!
Two important pieces of business to take care of before we get started with this week's TWS:
First, I am nursing one MOTHER of a hangover today, so if you wouldn't mind, please try to keep the noise to a minimum. Second, it's time for my annual look back at the year that was, not playing this for laughs, but trying to remember 2007 as seriously and somberly as possible.
Or not. Whatever.
With that, I bring you The True Wrestling Story of 2007 (Part One).
January
K-Fed and J-Cen size each other up.
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John Cena (remember him?) suffers a rare clean pinfall loss on Monday Night Raw to the one person in the world less popular than him: Grammy award-winner Kevin Federline.
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The Doctor of Thuganomics also becomes the first WWE superstar to pin Umaga (real name: Gilbert McEachern). Promoters are furious because they wanted to headline WrestleMania 23 with an Umaga-Federline match.
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TNA programming revolves around the conflict between Abyss, Sting and Father James Mitchell. I liked it better when they were called The Undertaker, Kane and Paul Bearer.
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World Wrestling Insanity poster-boy Triple H is injured in a match at New Year's Revolution between DX and Rated RKO. Randy Orton and Edge are wished all the best in their future endeavors.
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So is Max Moon, for some reason.
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Canadian Bulldog soundalike Christian Cage wins the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, fulfilling his boyhood dream of not having to continually job to Jeff Jarrett.
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In an effort to promote its "extreme" ECW brand, former TNA star Monty Brown is brought in as Marcus Cor Von, which sounds kind of like the main antagonist on a soap opera ("I can't see you any more, Brock. I've been seeing Hunter Hearst-Helmsley and Marcus Cor Von behind your back.")
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Bam Bam Bigelow cartwheels himself into an early grave. Bam Bam is survived by his wife Pebbles. Folks, the jokes are in MUCH poorer taste as the year drags on...
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Column of the month:
Virgil "A Lock" For 2007 WWE Hall of Fame, Virgil Says
February
Mutual respect.
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Hated archrivals Batista and The Undertaker, set to wrestle each other at WrestleMania, are forced to -- get this -- team up against WM opponents John Cena and Shawn Michaels. As if there no was underlying tension there or anything! From there, the four close chums team up to fend off Edge, Randy Orton, MVP and Mr. Kennedy. The natural progression continues, with Batista, Taker, Cena, Michaels, Edge, Orton, MVP and Kennedy facing off against Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch, Deuce, Domino, The Boogeyman, Finlay, Max Moon and Tito Santana.
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TNA programming revolves around the conflict between Abyss, Sting and Father James Mitchell.
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Blue-collar hero Donald Trump challenges eddie punchclock-type Vince McMahon to a match at WrestleMania, less in the sense of actually wrestling him, but more in the sense of standing at ringside and looking disinterested. Trump reveals during a radio interview that his wringer will be none other than ECW Champion Bobby Lindsay. Note to The Donald: Misspelling wrestler names was my old gimmick. Step off, BITCH!
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Vinnie Mac chooses Umaga to face Lindsay in "The Battle Of The Billionaires" at WrestleMania, while the originally-rumored match of Hulk Hogan vs. Big Show takes place at an indy show in front of two thousand people in Memphis. Talk about mixed-up priorities...
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In an effort to promote its "extreme" ECW brand, WWE fires Test and books former schoolteacher Matt Striker as a top heel.
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Mike Awesome (real name: Jim Awesome) is found dead in his home in Tampa. The scary part? It's still better-received than any of the gimmicks Vince Russo came up with for him.
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Column of the month:
Peanuts Creator Schulz Watched Wrestling In Later Years
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March
YOUR class of 2007.
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WWE inducts Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Nick Bockwinkel, Curt Hennig, The Wild Samoans, Mr. Fuji, The Original Shiek and Max Moon into its Hall of Fame. I wonder why they never seem to include Randy Savage? Maybe someone should ask JR about that on his blog or something....
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In an effort to promote its "extreme" ECW brand, wrestlers such as Tommy Dreamer, Rob Van Dam, Sabu and The Sandman are continually booked to look like chumps against Matt Striker, Kevin Thorn, Elijah Burke and Marcus Cor Von.
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Former Club WWI guest Bad News Brown dies, leaving his entire fortune to a pack of angry, snarling Harlem sewer rats. Also, Ernie "Big Cat" Ladd and "Golden Boy" Arnold Skaaland go to the big... um, legends show (?) in the sky. Thankfully, this is about as tragic as 2007 will get...
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TNA programming revolves around the conflict between Abyss, Sting and Father James Mitchell.
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Stone Cold Steve Austin (real name: Melvin O' Toole) returns to WWE television, and oh -- by the way -- he has a film coming out soon to promote. "The Condemned" will go on to shatter all previous WWE Films box-office records. Unfortunately, that ain't saying shit.
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Column of the month:
The True Wrestling Story of Hulk Hogan
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