THE GREEN TEABAGGER

Avatar of the Week

This one was pretty easy.  Given Edge's unfortunate retirement, which (Squeaky/TheGreatWhiteDope) has covered very well, there is one winner.  This is Anthony.Analog's avatar.

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Yep, for you Anthony, and for you Edge too if you're reading this.  Have some Victory Fudge.

THE GREAT WHITE DOPE

While I don't think TNA Wrestling is in a terrible situation by default, they are the number two promotion in America by default, it's getting kind of bad. When wrestling's core audience can only find "It's good to have a second place to go" as your only reason for survival, that isn't good. Most of us who watch the program and make that statement realize this. Oddly enough, the people who should care about the entire situation seemingly don't give a crap their entire audience is filled with people who watch the program in spite of the program itself. Want the World Wrestling Insanity forums to break it down for you? Let what I'd call "the hate train", if it weren't for it being almost every person who watches the Impact show, begin:

WolfChild

Okay, I'm gonna try and pepper my comments tonight. For every negative, there is a positive.

I love the Bully Ray character. It's awesome and comes across as fresh. However, I really feel bad for Devon since he's the one that wanted to keep wrestling and Ray wanted to do other things...

The Green Teabagger

Brian Kendrick wrestling? I didn't know he was allowed to do that.

RowdyRodimus

Is it just me or are Taz and Tenay a horrible commentary team? Taz, while I dig him, just comes across as an idiot. I swear I expect him to start asking "How much does this guy weigh?" anytime now.

            Mike Johns

            it's clear Taz doesn't care. I think he looks at TNA the way people look at The Room, and commentates accordingly.

Wolfchild

And why is TNA breaking up all their popular teams? Beautiful People, Guns, Gen Me...

                Bundorama

                I dug Gen Me as a tag team, but if they are ever going to get truly serious about pushing The X Div. again, maybe breaking them up was the right thing to do. Then again, if I had a dollar for everytime they said they want to push The X Division again.....

Speaking of which, bring back "The Top 10" System, and actually stick to it this time.....

The Green Teabagger

In the Hoganverse, Hulk Hogan just put over Christopher Daniels because he thought enough of him to touch him in public.

T-Dog

This company doesn't feel like dying days WCW because nothing can ever be like that.

However this company currently does feel like post-glory days AWA and WCCW. Nothing really matters anymore and it's impossible to take the product seriously. The crowds are burnt out and just showing up out of habit.

This company needs to die for the good of professional wrestling.

                Bundorama

                O.K., I'll bite. Why would it be good for pro wrestling if we had only 1 major national pro wrestling company around like we did in 2001-2002? I don't know about you, but I don't look back at that time period as being great for pro wrestling....

                                Mike Johns

                                That's one thing I'll argue in defense of TNA day in, and day out. Another option for wrestlers to actually make a living is available is the best thing for the business. As long as other companies don't start copying TNA like TNA does WWE, WCW, and whatever other crap comes their minds, then I hope TNA stays around.

                                                James Bullock

                                                The way it runs, it deserves to fail. But, at the same time, it's survival is necessary for the health of the wrestling industry. At least until there's another company at its level, which there won't be so long as the public image of wrestling remains what it is, or UFC takes some sort of major hit in credibility.

Basically, the only way TNA dying helps anyone is if people start thinking MMA isn't on the level, or someone like John Cena pulls a Konnan, and starts basically his own promotion.

T-Dog

The only people that make a living in TNA are those who either don't deserve to make a living off pro wrestling or those who compromise potential earnings and happiness for the sake of being on TV.

TNA talent have to block off so many days a year they might do house show. And then TNA only does a small percentage of those possible shows. Guys get pulled off indies for these possible shows and if they don't happen, they don't get a penny. There's a reason TNA only can get the bottom of the barrel indy talent and that's because the good indy talent can make more money and enjoyment out of wrestling than they can get in TNA.

The guys good enough will make it when TNA dies and even regain their love of the business.

Despite how much WWE wants to re-brand themselves as entertainment, TNA sucks so much more for their pathetic attempts at wrestling and entertainment. They are the farthest they've ever been from having good matches and their stories are comical. They're a farce of pro wrestling. Yes a void will be there if TNA dies, but the law of averages dictates something else will try to replace it and odds are it'll be something better.

So yes, TNA needs to die for the good of pro wrestling.

And in the sadder part of wrestling news, Larry Sweeney passed away. If that name doesn't ring a bell to you at all, you should Youtube the name just to see some of the greatness. He was on WWE television once as "Nick Hogan" during the Hulk Hogan/Randy Orton feud. Sadly, that was his only stint in the WWE. That's a disappointing statement to make. Larry Sweeney was beyond entertainment and had more charisma/character than all indy wrestlers combined. While some would think it would be an overstatement of his talent, I'd far and away disagree. Anyone who watched ROH during his stint there easily knows how talented the guy was. It says something about how talented of a manager he was when people talked about ROH. ROH fans would put Larry Sweeney's name next to Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuinness, The Kings of Wrestling, and The Briscoes as the main reasons to check out Ring of Honor. Members of the WWI forums were out quickly with sadness over the loss of Sweeney.

RDLee

Really sad to hear considering he was one of the best heel managers in the last decade.

Mike Johns

As much as I'll say I didn't "get" Sweet & Sour, the guy certainly had talent. Damn shame.

ZAH

LOVED Larry Sweeney. He actually participated in one of my columns back in '08...which I re-posted a little while ago:

http://www.worldwrestlinginsanity.com/am2/publish/ZAH/Remembering_Larry_Sweeney.shtml

James Bullock

A horrible end to one of the most talented individuals I've ever seen.

ZAH

Just a f***ing shame all around.

TheGreatWhiteDope

Wow, yeah, ummmm.....I loved Sweeney as a manager. The dude was an amazing character all around. He made segments just by being in them. Hell when it came to doing some of my random indy stuff I basically played off of what I knew of Sweeney because he was just so amazingly over-the-top.

Never seen a dude take so much time to shake hands with fans and sign stuff while just trying to get a water.

SQUEAKY

A week removed from Wrestlemania 27 and WWE still dominates the discussion landscape.

First, a spirited discussion the potential of Zack Ryder that somehow morphed into a discussion about the mountain of internet hate known as The Great Khali.

The Chosen 1: On a different note though... It seems like alot of GUYS in WWE, like Punk & Cena are big fans of Zach Ryder... I wonder if that will ever translate onto the the on-air product

Squeaky: Did you see Triple H on the latest episode of True Long Island Stories? That answers your question.

And lets be realistic here. Zach Ryder isn't making TV anytime soon until he can translate his ability to make semi-amusing pre-taped segments translate to in-ring entertainment

The Chosen 1: Yes, but to be fair to that point HOW do you even know he's not good in the ring? When's the last time you saw him in a match or even further than that one that lasted more than 30 seconds?

It's the same point I make for people who complain that Santino sucks in the ring when he has ZERO incentive to do so... except in this case Ryder has the incentive but is he given the opportunity to do so?

Squeaky: Santino was able to get over by making the most of the limited time he gets. He is only now allowed to have a finisher and win matches, but he was a joke for years.

Ryder had a chance. He was given opportunities on ECW, he RETIRED Tommy Dreamer, and he got moved to Raw and couldn't keep developing. I like what he's doing now because he's trying something, but tell me this...

Is Ryder a heel or a face? What's his hook aside from being a goof from Long Island? If he's going to be just a comedy character, that spot is already taken by Santino and Koslov. He needs to show a side of himself that will warrant people wanting to see him again on television.

Mike Johns: Let's play a game of "Name How Many Current Main Roster Superstars Zack Ryder is Better Than"...

let's start with the obvious - Heath Slater, Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, Alex Riley, The Great Khali, virtually every diva outside of Beth, Gail, and Nattie, Michael Cole, Tyler Reks, Primo, Ted DiBiase, Drew McIntyre, Ezekiel Jackson...

Right now, the only more talented guy getting less/the same amount of TV time is Yoshi Tatsu.

Squeaky: You're using the existence of some kind of charisma as justification for him just being arbitrarily better.  

He's not better than Khali. Khali serves a business purpose, and is a giant. Khali's gimmick is his size. I'm sorry if it got it from genetics, but it's there. Same with Ezekiel Jackson. He may not work as hard on his charisma, but his size and dominant appearance are all the gimmick he needs. What, Ryder is going to step in as enforcer for the Corre?

Say what you will about Slater & Gabriel (and you have) but Slater can sell a whipping, and Gabriel is the only guy in the company allowed to do a 450. I'm not saying that's going to lead to the main event of Mania (obviously), but if they were performing so badly, they'd be back in developmental with the rest of the Correxus.

Don't even start with Wade Barret. Now you're just being petty.

I agree with Riley. In fact, Ryder would be better in that spot. That's just bad luck and timing on his part.

Fun Fact: Zack Ryder is not a woman.

Fun Fact #2: Zack Ryder is not a commentator.

Tyler Reks and Primo are on the main roster like I'm a member of WWE Creative.

Ditto for DiBiase.

And what has Ryder shown in the ring that lets you believe he has more talent or potential then McIntyre?

Mike Johns: What has Drew McIntyre done outside of have an awesome theme music and a decent finish that says he deserves HALF the hype he gets? Seriously, I've tried, really tried, to see anything in Drew. personality? meh. Skill? he has a cool finish, and then what? Nice hair? a sexy accent?  

When Alicia Fox gets more TV time than you, the comparison is fair. So too when the commentator is in a Semi-Main at WrestleMania.

And, outside of being INSANELY popular in India, your case for Khali has been, and will always be, a joke. The guy does nothing but be big, and happens to be beloved for some reason in his home country. That's IT. You're basically saying we should all suck the dude's dick because an entire country that WWE virtually NEVER GOES TO does slightly better business there because a guy, WHO THEY COULD STILL USE ON THE FEW OCCASIONS THEY ACTUALLY DO GO TO INDIA, WHICH IS NEXT TO NEVER, and does virtually NOTHING for business ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD because you already have no less than four other guys at roughly the same height who are all more talented in-ring and more over as characters (save Barrett) in every non-India place on the planet.

Seriously, your case for Khali is "we can use him to do promos for Indian TV". Wow. Because there are no other wrestlers of Indian decent who can actually do something in the ring other than raise his arms and smack people in the head as .02 mph who can do those promos, not force hours of re-editing in order to make sure Khali always comes off looking like Superman because you're afraid you'll start a riot if you don't, and have something of a modicum of appeal to an audience outside of India, as well, where the SMALL hit you MAY take from not using Khali, which, if you haven;t noticed, they barely do anymore anyway, will be made up by having a character that adds something to the overall show besides being really big and insanely popular in India for some reason.

I mean, really, Khali isn't half the deal you guys make him out to be, or else, they'd make it a point to use him more often in better ways. They don't, which should tell you something. Khali is basically a higher-priced version of Tatsu, who they'll use to do promos for international syndication. The difference is, Tatsu can wrestle, too. Khali barely walks.

TheGreatWhiteDope: ::Slow clap::

Squeaky: ::Looks over previous post:: Where did I mention India? Sure he's got a presence there, but his presence as a wrestler in this company is based on the fact that he's over 7 feet tall and looks like he can kill you. He and Big Show are the respective giants for the company. Comparing Ryder to Khali makes no sense, because his spot is based on his size, and if Ryder got a spot it would be based on his personality.

And I don't get Drew McIntyre either, but I know that he was a great part of the recent Elimination Chamber PPV. In a match he had no business being in based on recent booking, he showed an intensity that was impressive. It was something to build on.

Nowhere amidst all of your 'big guys boo' rant did you answer my question. What does Ryder DO on WWE TV? What is his character? He he a heel or a face? Tell me, shoot me an idea and turn me into a Ryder believer!

Mike Johns: Nowhere in my "big guys boo" rant? I put over Kane, Taker, and Show, and yet, it's Big guys, Boo? Seriously? Just because Wade can only talk, and Zeke has more of the "want to" than "actually can do"? The guy that actually sees something in Matt freaking Morgan is "big guys boo"?

 

You ever see an episode of Jersey Shore? You see TNA's rip-off? You realize, right, that Ryder was doing the jersey Shore gimmick before Robbie E, right? And doing so without being a direct rip off of Pauly D and Snooki?

That's the character he's been playing for 2 years now.  

How do you use Ryder? Well, you start by using him. let him talk. let him wrestle in competitive matches, and have him lose. But have him actually try. it's not like it's going to hurt Daniel Bryan to win a close match against someone you are considering pushing. let the audience tell you what they want, just like you should for MOST PEOPLE. Put them out there, let them present a gimmick, and see whether people like it or hate it. Then book accordingly. if they like, go underdog babyface. They hate, overly cocky heel. they don't care, then you win, and the guy goes back to nothing on Superstars.

I swear, it's the first thing I was taught about booking, and no one uses it...

James Guttman: Zack's not doing the Jersey thing really. It's a Long Island thing. Subtle differences but they're there. He's actually from the same town my wife is from.  

And - just my opinion - Zack is really underrated by WWE...

...and really overrated by the Internet.

Squeaky: There is a difference in wrestling between a big man and a giant. Yes I know I messed up my own smarky remark by saying 'big guys boo' instead of 'giants boo'. Khali is a rarity that has a place until another 7 foot plus guy comes along who takes his spot. What you expect from a big guy is different then what you expect from a giant. Khali earns his paycheck just by slowly walking to the ring and having a bunch of people go 'holy shit he's big'. And he has improved over time as he started even worse than he is now. (hard to believe)

And the booking plan you described for Ryder happened in ECW. They tried it, he gained no traction, so now's he's on Superstars until he figures something out or shows some improvement. These youtube videos are a step in the right direction, but nothing in the 7 episodes so far, or in his limited TV time makes me say 'I hope I get to see Zack Ryder' other for the obligatory 'OOOO ZACK RYDER MADE IT ON THE SHOW' moment.

Tangent that isn't about blowjobs: Something that might work with Ryder is that bit he did with Primo. They are the tag team that is prepared to compete every week, but something happens to them preventing them from doing so. Or the match is against catering, or they're psyching themselves up to sell programs or something. That was the only segment that seemed almost ready for TV to me.

Mike Johns: Okay, let's talk Giants, for a second...

Andre the Giant moved around quite a bit in his day. Territory to territory, spending maybe a month, total, in each. Why? Because "ooh, he's big" wears off once you see him a few times. Then, you actually expect him to do something. This was also the 1970's, before national TV deals, before the Internet, and before men over 6' went to the top rope. Promoters knew this back then, and used the Giant sparingly, in battle royales, and against their top guys for once a year/once in a lifetime showdowns.  

You think that simply because Undertaker and Kane are two inches shorter that the world immediately changes between them and Khali? In a time of weekly, national TV, when men over 6' regularly go to the top rope, where a guy a mere two inches shorter has a regular aerial move in his arsenal and it doesn't even finish a guy off? Where even a guy like Big Daddy V is more mobile? Where the expectations of even the most casual of fan is raised because smaller guys do more nowadays? You think the specter of "ooh, he's big" lasts for more than maybe a few seconds in a LIVE show?

If Andre the Giant walked into wrestling today, he'd get overshadowed by the Undertaker, who is a mere 2 inches shorter, and about 7x more athletic. Things have changed. Just being big now doesn't have the advantages it did in Andre's day. Hell, in Andre's day, they were smart enough to limit his appearances in each territory to a few weeks a year. meanwhile, Khali has been in WWE since 2006, appearing weekly for around three years before taking any real extended time off. Since then, he's only been around sporadically. Meanwhile, giants like, say, BIG SHOW have been able to maintain a similar presence on TV without getting old, worn out, or losing steam. If anything, he's gotten more over as time has gone on, because, once again, there's more to him than just being big. He has personality. Comic timing. The guy can actually ACT, and he continues to improve in the ring at a rate somewhat quadruple of Khali.

If I can get a mobile giant with personality who improves at a greater rate than a giant who is virtually immobile, doesn't even speak English (as he is working for a company that holds their shows primarily in a predominantly English-speaking country), can't act, shows no discernible personality, to the point where we need to have one of our writers play his translator, just so we can do SOMETHING with him, and continues to do virtually the same stuff he was doing when he started 5 years before, to less and less of an effect, which one do you think I'm going to book? The mobile giant with personality whose merchandise sells everywhere I actually hold shows, or the immobile giant who can barely promo in his native tongue, let alone the one spoken in the countries where we do the majority of our business, who is becoming less and less effective every time we use him in every other market we run, or even have TV in, except India, where he is, for some reason, a living God?

I mean, hell, I'm not saying "fuck India" or anything, but unless the money we're making from them is paying for Khali's contract, travel, medical, whatever else and then some, why is he here, because he's not doing a whole hell of a lot for us except give us an excuse to make a big-ass cutout of him for kids to stand next to at fan conventions, and fill a spot on RAW every now and then.

squirrelz!: Woo Hoo, (...or should I say Woo Woo Woo?) a conversation about Zack Ryder!

Squeaky- Zack Ryder isn't a face or a heel right now. He's just a character on a show where Face or Heel doesn't really matter. The guy is going above and beyond to improve his character, put his name out there, promoting his merchandise etc... He's trying his ass off to connect with the fans and prove he belongs on the main show, you have to give him credit for that. Also, nobody really paid attention to WWECW when Dreamer got retired by Ryder so I'm not sure that counts.

As for who Ryder could beat out on the main shows in my opinion...

I agree with Mike Johns about Khali. His appeal is gone. They should release him.

Ryder is better than both Slater and Gabriel, not Barrett and Ezekiel. Barrett is serviceable in the role he is in now, got no problems with it and Ezekiels role is that of a powerful enforcer so he fits the puzzle. Gabriel can do a 450 but I bet Sin Cara, Rey Mysterio and Evan Bourne can also do that if they wanted to. Slater has red hair. That is his appeal.

McIntyre is above Ryder. Ryder has more personality but McIntyres role seems to be more of a cerebral, merciless individual and he plays it decently.

Primo, Tyler Reks, Chris Masters, Curt Hawkins, the Usos and Trent Baretta are all behind Ryder but they are mainly featured on Superstars. Trust me, I watch every episode these days and write rambling columns about it.

Ted DiBiase really sunk after Evolution and think he fell into a creative hole. I'm not counting him better or worse than Ryder right now.

Honestly, I believe Ryder will go to Smackdown in a couple months when everything gets shuffled around. He can be the Smackdown comedy relief character and play on the main show over there. Too many people featured on RAW for him to get a break on that show.

Mike Johns: I wouldn't out and out say "release him". More of just realizing he's not worth what people think he is. 5 years ago, an argument could be made that he was valuable. Now, it's seriously time to assess what that value is and be honest about it.  

It's really more of a question of why anyone still defends his spot as "extremely important to the international market" because, as we've seen, it really is only in one place - India. Just how often does WWE do a live show there? Worst Case Scenario, you cut a deal with him that prevents him going to TNA, let him work most of the year internationally, bring him in for the occasional appearance, the Rumble, whatever shows you do out in his part of the world, and spend more time on people that can contribute more to the product. If people really miss him that badly, you can always bring him back, but, as we've seen, he's spent the past year mostly gone, and people don't really miss him all that much.

squirrelz!: Your Khali idea is better than mine, Khali statement retracted

Squeaky: Johns, I don't know how our Ryder discussion turned to Khali. And I don't think Khali is more valuable than Big Show, but he is certainly a different kind of giant. He looks more imposing.

But you're right about waning the giants because they can't get by with the 'punching through a brick wall' like they did before syndication and monthly PPV's. That being said, I think they are not over-exposing Khali, and every time he comes out, like at the Royal Rumble for example, Punk's reaction and the reaction of the crowd was priceless. It was a big deal that Mason Ryan eliminated him, but it also meant something that the Khali came out as well. The fact that he still garners that reaction makes him better than Ryder right now.

squirrelz! I give Ryder 100% credit for trying. This is the blueprint for what you do as a buried mid-card talent. You try and try and try until something sticks and then you run with that and hope you run into something else that is fresh before your current gimmick wears off. Ryder is close, and I hope he figures something out and that his YouTube show helps him figure out something that makes him successful.

I'm just saying, and this is all I've been trying to say, is that RIGHT NOW there is nothing about Zack Ryder that warrants TV time.

The Chosen 1: I don't think Ryder is GREAT... I just think he should get rewarded for the 4,000 steps he tries to take with his character. He's from Long Island, he's playing up the whole "Bro, one more word, ONE more word, I swear ta god" thing and he was doing that LONG before Jersey Shore... more when My New Haircut was cool. Online he puts a helluva lot of effort in short videos where he is gaining a following and is actually quite entertaining.

Aaron Wood: Personlly, what I love about it is the literal 1 second cut-in of a Dolph Ziggler figure and a Ghostbuster figure with a toilet roll between them.

RowdyRodimus: Reading this about Ryder got me to thinking about what WWE could try and I thought of something that wouldn't cost them much at all (if anything). Ok, most people forget that when the HonkyTonk Man debuted he was a face but then they did the "Vote of Confidence" thing that he lost ("No, you lost idiot!") and turned him from baby to cocky,cowardly heel. Why don't they try that same thing with Ryder? It's been long enough for it to be a new idea again and as I said before, it doesn't cost them a dime extra and you never know what will happen.

The moral of the story?  Never talk smack about Zack Ryder on the internet.

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Now it's time for the OUT OF CONTEXT COMMENT OF THE WEEK!

The Green Teabagger: ... and the horse would have pinned Samoa Joe.

This has been the OUT OF CONTEXT COMMENT OF THE WEEK!

Markus Ramius (he's extremely mean) proposed an interesting question to the Insanity Galaxy.   It involved the revival of an old wrestling brand…

Markus Ramius: With the upcoming release of "The Best of Monday Nitro" it got me thinking that since WWE is PG and ECW is gone if WWE wanted a third brand they could use WCW or just Nitro. If the DVD sales do well enough and there is even the slimist chance Vince decided to do this who would you put on the re-branded WCW or Nitro?

Here are a few of my suggestions...

DDP or Pual Ellering as GM perhaps

Booker T and Josh Mathews on commentary, they seem to work well together.

Rey Mysterio
The Corre
Chavo
Khali and or Big Show
Santino
Koslov
David Hart Smith
Tyson Kidd
Shamous

Bring back.

Billy Kidman
Juventud
Shawn Stasiak (apariantly he wants to come out of retierment)

Mike Johns: Never going to happen. Sorry man, but you have a better chance of living long enough to see the Sun supernova and destroy our Solar System as we know it.

Drewcifer: I don't know about that above statement. One thing I've learned from being a wrestling fan for over 25 years is that you never say never.

Also, being a Bond fan has taught me to never say never again.

The Green Teabagger: That may be true, Drew but I think reviving WCW is as close to "Never going to happen" as never gets, even more "never" than The Rock never wrestling again. Even more "never" than The Undertaker losing at Wrestlemania.

Bundorama: I very much doubt they'd ever bring back WCW/Nitro again, considering they tried and failed to do it when the name was still fresh in everybody's head 10 years ago. However, nearly nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to the pro wrestling world....

Drewcifer: Let's name a few...

Bret Hart will NEVER work for Vince again.

Mike Mizanin would NEVER be taken seriously as a   wrestler   entertainer.

I'm sure there's a hundred more examples. Unfortunately, I've already turned my brain off for the night.

Anthony .Analog: They already did do that. Except they call it TNA instead of WCW. (editor's note: I'm STILL convinced that Hogan & Bischoff are on WWE payroll to this day.)

Drewcifer: I'm still convinced that the Montreal Screwjob was a work.

TheGreatWhiteDope: I'm still convinced wrestling is real to me, dammit

kheneth: I'm convinced that I still need convincing.

The Chosen 1: SU-PER DRAG-ON! SU-PER DRAG-ON!

How many more internet wrestling cliche's can we fit into one thread?

Oh! Oh! I know!

TheGreatWhiteDope: I'm convinced I'm still not booked.

Tenchi: I'm convinced that if I jump around on a trampoline in my underwear with dumbells, I'll get booked some day.

Canadian Bulldog: I'm still convinced Vince McMahon died in a limousine explosion.

James Guttman: There's always a chance of anything. There's a chance that there will be long unknown security footage showing Chris Benoit fighting off attackers at his house, thus making him a hero and leading to a "Best of Chris "The Great Hero" Benoit DVD".  

But it's rather small.

I think after ECW, WWE won't be bringing back any more third brands. Feels like a step back and there will be so many comparisons to the whole ECW brand thing. Plus, ECW was brought back in like 2006, which was only five years since it died. The originals were still young enough to bring back to work with the new guys. Plus, the gimmick of a Sandman was that WWE and WCW couldn't use him - only ECW - because he was such a "hardcore misfit" or what have you.

WCW died at the same time and now it's been 10 years. Any WCW stars are either too old to be marketable or so far removed from WCW that they're not just seen as WCW guys. Since WCW was somewhat on par with WWE, it wasn't a place for "misfits" or "not ready for primetime players". So most of those guys moved on. There really isn't a core group of guys who could join the group and be seen as strictly WCW talents.

WCW used in a storyline? Maybe. WCW stable? Less likely, but still possible. A new brand or revival? Nah. Too many years have gone by. It would be like doing an AWA revival in 1999.

All this calamity and we haven't even gotten to the glory that is Monday Night Raw! It was special not because R-Truth leapfrogged the whipped John Morrison into the ‘not really but why not' title picture.   Not because Kong had a vignette aired that made me long to see a debuting for the first time since…ever.   Not because of the botched but ultimately incredible top rope C4 performed by Sin Cara.   No, Raw was special because it had the announcement for the end of the Rated R era seemingly out of nowhere.

JohnnyCraze: Last week, Cena and Rock made a match for next year's WM. What does that mean for tonight? I have no idea. Who will Miz face at Extreme Rules? Maybe we'll get an answer tonight.

Aaron Wood: Hey, if Morrison's recent attempts at being a cockend are an attempt at being noticed, then who knows?

My guess would be a rematch with Cena or, at something of a stretch, we'll get a Fatal Four Way with Miz, Cena, Orton & Punk.

squirrelz!: On a side note, I think Sin Cara should just randomly point and attack people from here on in. Screw matches, that pointing he does at the entrance is awesome.

Aaron Wood: How about this RD?

WWE is suggesting that Edge's career may be over and there will be something about it TONIGHT!

http://twitter.com/#!/WWE/status/57606910504992768

wolfchild: And I just realized something...

IT'S A GIANT APRIL FOOLS DAY PRANK!

Cena vs Rock?
... Good try WWE. South Park got me with the 'Who's Cartman's father episode.' I'm not letting you get me this time. So I'm officially denying this is going to happen.


Or... Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong wrestling program. Whatever.

JohnnyCraze: A gauntlet match?? Yea, Cena is winning.

The Green Teabagger: KONG VID!

Average: I thought that was Mark Henry at first.

The Green Teabagger: Oh great...Co-Divas champion again...just as Kong is about to start killing Divas.

T-Dog: I remember when WCW did the same mark-on-the-hand thing with the Harris brothers and all they did was steal the marker from the ref and make the mark on their own hand.

wolfchild: Oh My God! The Undertaker's joining the Deadliest Catch!!

The Green Teabagger: Okay, who's Sin Cara pinning tonight?

Primo or Zach Ryder?

I'm guessing Primo.

wolfchild: Oh. My. God!!!

Buy a Lottery Ticket.

The Green Teabagger: Did Santino lose his mind? He traded in Kofi Kingston, Big Show, Kane for D-Bry, Evan Bourne, and Mark Henry?

Fuck it.

GO APPLES!

RDLee: Did anyone catch what APPLE stood for?

T-Dog: Allied
People
Powered by
Loathing
Everything (the Corre stands for)

JohnnyCraze: Can't Daniel Bryan find something better to do?

wolfchild: I kinda find it funny that the only person to get an introduction for this match was JR.

JohnnyCraze: Oh great, another match between Cole and Lawler

The Green Teabagger: Lawler-Cole in the Cage!

Do it!

wolfchild: Michael Cole Heel Tactic #17:

Repeat everything you say at least three times in a row.

Hellsinger: I'd pay good money to see Micheal Cole get owned by Lawler and JR!

The Green Teabagger: Do we really need to see the Triple H kiss-ass fest?

Squeaky: What the fuck did I just watch?

wolfchild: The thoughts of everyone watching right now.

JohnnyCraze: Wow, I'm speechless. I am so sad right now....

T-Dog: Edge grabbed his neck after spearing Brodus on Smackdown which would explain this.

He has recently said he had 1-2 years left but I guess that spear tweaked something that caused this.

Holy shit. I saw Edge's last match live.

Hellsinger: Wow! So Edge is gone. The whole time I was wondering if it was a shitck, or if someone was going to come out. It's a sad night.

Squeaky: I was waiting for a Del Rio run in...

JohnnyCraze: Stone Cold retires at WrestleMania 2003 and now Edge retires at WrestleMania 2011. Two of the greatest of all time.

Squeaky: Jesus with the clapping and everything...what the hell...where did this come from? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

T-Dog: I really don't give a shit about the rest of Raw now. Between this and Larry Sweeney, I'm done for tonight.

The Green Teabagger: I'm done for the night.

If that was for honest to God real.....then I am done for the night.

wolfchild: I keep trying to think of something to type right now and the only word that comes to mind is...

...Shit.

Squeaky: Yeah I mean seriously...you have to close Raw with that...now who gives a shit. G'night. Holy fuck... R-Truth could win this gauntlet and I couldn't care. Just...wow.

Wolfchild: 100% agree. That should have closed the show. Now I just don't care...

JohnnyCraze: I think Edge is only 37. Too young to retire.

T-Dog:

EDGE RETIRES
by Mike Johnson @ 10:18 PM on 4/11/2011

For those who are wondering, the Edge retirement speech was 100% legitimate and real. We were told by a company source earlier this evening that when the major announcement was made tonight, it was not an angle and not storyline.

The story that Edge told about medical tests coming back and showing there was a new issue with his neck and being advised he must retire are true. He was basically handed a mic and told to go out and say goodbye however he wanted.

JohnnyCraze: Ziggler just beat Orton??

Hellsinger: R Truth get's the W over Ziggler. But more so, I just someone would just shut the Miz up!

T-Dog: I'm irrational and don't care.

If WWE has Cena come in last and beat Morrison, then fuck them. Fuck them hard.

JohnnyCraze: That's probably gonna happen.

The Chosen 1: Oh my God... NO! He can't retire.... this is so unbelievably sad.

My girl is so upset.. I got her DEEP into wrestling this year and Edge was her #1 Guy..

Edge was ALWAYS in my Top Guys for 10 years

wolfchild: The crowd is just dead... I know how they feel to be honest.

JohnnyCraze: Truth is in the finals?? Who's smoking here??

Hellsinger: I really want to see R Truth win this. If Cena wins, I'm going to put my foot through my TV!

The Chosen 1: Wow does anyone actually believe R-Truth will win? Whatever I might as well turn the show off Edge should have closed the show... No one has ever retired like that... its too sudden and so sad... I was looked forward to that Christian-Edge feud or Tag Title reign so much..

I JUST bought me and my girl Edge hats last week... it was so sad watching her watch that in her new favorite Edge hat, which she wore all day today.

Canadian Bulldog: So shocked about Edge, even though he'd been hinting about it for a while now.

His (very classy) speech reminded me what a constant he's been to WWE over the past decade and a half. He literally went from being a fan to one of the top competitors in the company. Unreal. If there was ever an ideal candidate for the Hall of Fame, he's gotta be it.

Anyways, just had to weigh in on that. Best of luck in his retirement....

JohnnyCraze: Damn, I don't want Cena or Truth to win. This sucks.

Hellsinger: What the hell move was that from Cena? The flying ass of doom attack?!

JohnnyCraze: You've got to be fucking kidding me. I'm gonna cry. Cena and R-Truth in the main event at Extreme Rules. And Edge retires. What a fucked up raw....excuse my language.

Hellsinger: No, you hit it on the head. That was pretty fucked up!

The Chosen 1: Why R-Truth?

Ugh who cares... Edge retiring really makes me lose a great deal of interest in WWE... Who's left that I have a true long term bond with as a fan?

T-Dog: <img> http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d131/Tha_Kid_Joker/Edge.gif</img >

squirrelz!: Strange RAW as documented... My head kind of hurts after watching.

Edge retiring on RAW was strange. First, shouldn't he retire on Smackdown since, oh I dunno, he was only the Champion of that brand! Second, as everyone pointed out, why wasn't this the shows finish? Have him come out after that match and do his speech. I'll always remember seeing Edge wrestle as Sexton Hardcastle for the now defunct local promotion in Cambridge Ontario that my cousin trained at known as ICW when I was 15(also saw Christian and Rhino there too) and then seeing him succeed in the big leagues. Enjoy the Hall of Fame in about five years!

R-Truth number one contender huh. Didn't see that one coming so here's a question... What are the odds that Truth gets jumped by someone and won't even be in the match? No way he competes in the main event.

The Chosen 1: He gave the speech on RAW because it's the live show and it's far more respectful to give him the mic on the flagship live show then a taped segment they might edit that airs days after its taped.

Plus, what does it matter if he's on SD? This is a HUGE WWE deal... it was going to be announced on the very next show after he found out. If he found out Tuesday it would have been SD.

RYTMAN: We all have to post this at least once.

THANK YOU EDGE.

The Chosen 1: Edge was a connection to how I originally fell in love with wrestling. I've buried myself into all kinds of books and documentaries and articles and wikipedias concerning everything pre-1998, to the point where I would be surprised to find out there was any big moments from the 80's on that I don't know about or haven't seen... but it was 1998 that I first began to fall in love with pro-wrestling... and No Mercy 1999, the Edge & Christian vs Hardys ladder match was the night that I still remember vividly being THE moment I knew I loved it and would never fall out of love with it. I forever became a fan of all four men and over time, and with Jeff & Christian leaving WWE for years, Edge was the one that truly remained the constant reminder of why I fell in love with professional wrestling and the WWE in the first place. Watching his career evolve right before my eyes is something I'll never truly get to experience with anyone else because no one else will ever be someone I watched and cheered for back when I was a new, innocent, not dirtsheet obsessed, un-cynical, un-jaded,TRUE fan of the WWE. The type of fan we all, deep down, wish we could be again.  

Edge was my constant reminder of that time throughout his career... I'll never forget hating his new song back in 2005.. and then in one instant loving it so much because it would always bring me back to one of my favorite moments in My WWE history. The night Edge won the title for the first time, my eyes filled with tears of joy, it was one of the most fulfilling wrestling moments I had ever lived through, and I will never forget that night for as long I love pro-wrestling... which I'd imagine might be a while... I wouldn't have believed he'd go on to become such a rock for not just me, but the entire WWE, for the next 5 years or that I'd get to see him with 10 More World Titles and see him participate in some of my favorite matches in that time frame.

I'm really very sad to see it all come to an end so suddenly, I'm even more sad since he had become my girl's favorite wrestler since becoming a full-fledged fan back around SummerSlam... but on a human level, I'm beyond glad that if the truth of the matter is that any match he was in was potentially one that could put him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, that he was able to call it quits before having to deal with those consequences. I'm much more at ease saying that one of my favorite wrestler's was forced to retire than I am saying that I watched one of my favorite wrestlers get paralyzed right in front of me.  

A BIG part of me will always be hoping that he was somehow misdiagnosed or that in a year's time he will magically be healed and be able to come back, but if this is truly it, I'm beyond sad that it's over, but if I could ever speak to him personally, would thank him 1,000 times over for all the memories he has given me over the past 10 years of my life, I truly, truly, hope he forever finds himself employed by a McMahon for literally sacrificing his body that company for all those years just to give me and all of the Edgeheads around the world, those amazing memories.

Thank You Edge.

Anthony.Analog: Thank you Edge.

Mike Johns: The sad part about Edge announcing his retirement? I found myself saying, repeatedly, "please don't swerve". Because I've seen them swerve this so many times, now.  

Sprout1883: Thank you Edge for some great memories.

Would have been nice to finish the show with it, and I really hope this isn't a swerve coming, but it has been said/reported that Edge was probably winding down due to his injuries.

I only had the opportunity to see Edge live once, the episode of Smackdown where wheelchair ridden Vickie Guerrero stripped Undertaker of the World Heavyweight Championship for using the then unnamed and too dangerous ‘Hells Gate' submission.

Edge, who never said a word, only pushed Vickie's wheelchair, was so captivating that I'll never forget his facial expressions.

He made the fans cheer Cena when NOBODY wanted to cheer Cena.

He did everything in his power to make the fans hate him and remain a perfect heel despite how badly we all wanted to cheer him.

Edge has a talent and a mind for this business that is rare, and it is truly a shame to see it gone, especially when the flame was extinguished instead of dying out.

Thank you Edge.