"Flashback Friday": Hulk Hogan(Part 1)

When you mention professional wrestling to the average person on the street, they may have never saw a match, but rest assured, they’ll know it’s “that thing that Hulk Hogan does”.

“The Immortal” Hulk Hogan was the first in the sport to achieve mainstream popularity in the 1980’s and beyond. Hulkamania ran wild and brought the professional wrestling business to a whole different level.

Let’s be honest. Today’s superstars owe their million dollar paychecks to Hulk Hogan. Vince McMahon’s vision for Wrestlemania 1 in 1985 probably wouldn’t have worked without Hulk Hogan in the main event.

If Wrestlemania didn’t work, there wouldn’t be a WWE and there would be no Wrestlemania. This year, we’re going to see Wrestlemania 30 in the New Orleans Superdome bring in nearly 70 thousand fans and millions of dollars of revenue for the company.

Hogan was born as Terry Eugene Bollea in Augusta, Georgia in 1953. He grew up a fan of baseball and music. Despite his massive physical stature, professional wrestling wasn’t even on his radar.

While in high school, Hogan began attending wrestling events at the Tampa Sportatorium and looked up to guys like “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes and “Superstar” Billy Graham for inspiration. When he first saw the “Superstar” on TV, he wanted to match his look.

Hogan went to college at Hillsborough Community College and the University of South Florida. When his music gigs for his band, “Ruckus”, got in the way of his studies, he chose music and dropped out of the University of South Florida.

Some of the wrestlers that were competing in the Florida region would visit the bars where Ruckus performed and when the Brisco brothers, Jack and Gerald, got eyes on Hogan, they were greatly impressed with his physical stature.

The Brisco brothers went back and asked Hiro Matsuda, a trainer well known for roughing up his trainees, to train Hogan. He agreed and when the brothers asked Hulk to try wrestling, he decided to give it a try.

As Hogan came up through the ranks in the southern territories as the Super Destroyer and Terry Boulder, he appeared on a local talk show in Memphis where he sat next to Lou Ferrigno. The talk show host noticed that Hogan actually dwarfed Ferrigno, the star of the “Incredible Hulk” television series. After his appearance on the show, he became Terry “The Hulk” Boulder.

In late 1979, he was introduced to Vince McMahon Sr. about working for the World Wrestling Federation. McMahon wanted him to have an Irish last name so he became Hulk Hogan.

This run with the company was short, but culminated in a big match with Andre the Giant at Shea Stadium in August 1980 and a big World Championship shot against Bob Backland.

Hogan moved on to New Japan Pro Wrestling and the American Wrestling Association in the early 1980’s. The reason for the move to Verne Gagne’s AWA was for filming a scene in Rocky 3 against McMahon’s wishes.

After money problems with the AWA, Hogan looked to leave the promotion in 1983 and Vince McMahon Jr., whom had just purchased the WWF from his ailing father, offered Hogan a contract. Hogan agreed and from there, McMahon chose Hogan to showcase as the company’s main attraction.

Hogan became a babyface character and in 1984, he defeated the Iron Sheik to become the WWF Champion. From there, Hulkamania ran roughshod over the professional wrestling business and pop culture in general.

Hogan came out to the ring each night to “Real American” by Rick Derringer, which has become an iconic song over the years. To this day, the WWE Universe will go wild when they hear the opening riffs to “Real American”. Hogan urged the kids to eat their vitamins and say their prayers, and became a hero to them. 

He was regularly booked against unstoppable monsters such as Andre the Giant, King Kong Bundy, Zeus, and Earthquake, and would overcome the odds after “Hulking up”, hitting the big boot, and finishing his opponents off with a big leg drop.

Hogan went on to headline 8 of the first 9 Wrestlemanias and led McMahon’s “sports entertainment” movement into uncharted waters, alongside guys like The Ultimate Warrior and “Macho Man” Randy Savage, who will surely be subjects of future “Flashback Friday” pieces.

Hogan was the most requested celebrity of the 1980’s for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, he appeared on late night talk shows, starred in Hollywood movies, he had t-shirts, coffee mugs, lunch boxes, action figures, and even his own Saturday morning cartoon. The “Hulk Hogan” brand began to transcend professional wrestling.

In 1992, stories came out alleging that Dr. George, a doctor for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission, illegally sold steroids to wrestlers, naming Hogan in particular.

Due to intense public scrutiny, Hogan took a leave of absence from the WWF and eventually left the company in 1993. In 1994, Hogan appeared in front of congress to testify in the trial of Vince McMahon throughout the steroid scandal. He admitted to using anabolic steroids since 1976 to gain size and weight, but denied that McMahon sold him the drugs or ordered him to take them.

The evidence provided by Hogan proved to be costly and McMahon was found not guilty. If McMahon were found guilty and went to jail, the WWF would have shut their doors. AGAIN, today’s crop of WWE superstars owe their paychecks to Hulk Hogan.

After the trial, things got interesting when Hogan jumped to the competition in the summer of 1994 and signed with Ted Turner’s WCW promotion. At the time, Hulk Hogan was the biggest star in the business and his presence instantaneously made the WCW a threat to McMahon’s WWF.

Now that Hogan was with the competition, would he destroy the company that he helped build? I think we all know the answer to that question, but you’ll get the story in Part 2 of this “Flashback” Friday feature with Hulk Hogan next week.  

Continue to support the "Worked Shoot" by liking our page on Facebook, tweet me at @majorlugo, or e-mail me at jlugo22@hotmail.com

Top 3 Best Opponents for The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 30 + A Thought Provoking Honorable Mention

 In two weeks on February 24^th, WWE Raw will be live in Green Bay, Wisconsin and The Undertaker is expected to make his return to begin the build towards his match at Wrestlemania 30.

Rumors are swirling about who the next challenger to the streak will be. Most of those rumors point to Brock Lesnar being the Undertaker’s next Wrestlemania opponent, but is he the best option?

I’ve made a list of the top three best candidates to challenge the Undertaker’s undefeated streak at Wrestlemania. Here it is:

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3. John Cena

John Cena would be a great choice to challenge the streak at Wrestlemania and there are some people out there that believe that we should see this match at Wrestlemania 30. John Cena is a 14 time World Champion and has competed in the Championship match at 8 of the last 9 Wrestlemanias, with the only exception being his Wrestlemania 28 match against The Rock in Miami. Challenging the Undertaker’s undefeated streak seems to be the only big match that Cena hasn’t been involved in and I believe that he will have that opportunity eventually, but Wrestlemania 30 isn’t the place for it.

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2. Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns would be a fine choice as well. He was dominant in the 2013 Survivor Series when he eliminated four opponents and was the soul survivor for his team. At the 2014 Royal Rumble, he broke the all-time record for the most eliminations in a single Rumble match with 12. Some believe that Reigns is the heir apparent to John Cena as the WWE’s top guy. Nothing would be more helpful to Reigns than valiant performance against The Undertaker on the WWE’s grandest stage. Surely, the WWE has big plans for Reigns, but should he be the Undertaker’s opponent? I don’t think he is.

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1. Brock Lesnar

 If the rumors are true about the WWE’s plans to have Brock Lesnar challenge the Undertaker’s undefeated streak, I think the WWE has the right idea. Brock Lesnar is the best opponent for the Undertaker at Wrestlemania and the reason could be summed up in two words: Paul Heyman.

As the legacy of the streak grows, there aren’t many fans left that actually believe that the Undertaker’s Wrestlemania streak will ever be broken. If there’s one man that I think is capable of making me believe that this year could be the year, it’s Paul Heyman. He’s the number one hype guy in the wrestling business and will make the WWE Universe think that Brock Lesnar will physically dominate Undertaker and will end the streak at Wrestlemania. There’s no question that Brock Lesnar will back up that talk.

Brock Lesnar is the only WWE superstar that SUCCESSFULLY made the transition to real fighting. Brock Lesnar is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and a NCAA Division 1 wrestling Champion. He’s the real deal and it shows in his rough and stiff style in the WWE ring. There have been questions whether the Undertaker could work that kind of style at his age, but I believe that he’s done a good job at re-inventing himself in the ring and has incorporated more MMA moves into his style. He’ll hold his own in there with Lesnar.

As of this writing, I don’t believe that we’ll see any other outcome than the Undertaker leaving New Orleans at 22-0 but the duo of Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman have the best shot at making the people believe that Lesnar will do what CM Punk, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels couldn’t.

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Honorable mention: Sting

Rumors swirl annually around Wrestlemania season that WCW’s last lone warrior is going to cross the line and join Vince McMahon’s “evil empire”. The Stinger has been close to signing a few times, but has opted to re-new contracts with TNA. This time, it seems like a done deal that Sting will sign in some capacity.

In years past, the rumored match that keeps being discussed is a “dream match” of sorts between Sting and the Undertaker. Sting himself has stated time and time again that if he were to ever wrestle in the WWE that the Undertaker would be the first guy he would want to face.

So, why is Sting on the outside looking in on my list of the top 3 best opponents for the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 30? It’s hard to believe that a physically limited, 54 year old, Sting would be able to come in and defeat the streak.

There needs to be some build to this match. You have to make the people believe and I just don’t think they could pull that off in a month.

Not to mention, there are a lot of WWE fans, particularly of the younger generation, who don’t even know who Sting is. If Sting were making his WWE debut in 2001 fresh off the war with WCW, re-introducing him to the crowd wouldn’t be necessary. This is 2014. This generation needs to learn who Sting is and what he’s all about.

The launch of the WWE network will help with that since fans will have access to the WCW video library at their fingertips. Exposure on WWE television will help with that as well.

So, I say that if I were Vince McMahon, I’d build to the debut of Sting and hold off until the Raw AFTER Wrestlemania to bring Sting in front of the WWE crowd for the first time. 

On that show, Sting walks out to the ring to confront the Undertaker and challenge him to a match at Wrestlemania 31. ONE YEAR to build Sting and re-introduce him to the WWE universe before facing Taker at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Sting is billed to be from Venice Beach, California. Wrestlemania 31 is right in his back yard.

Give him his Hall of Fame induction there and give the fans their “dream match” there. Wrestlemania 30 just isn’t the right time for that, but rest assured, things may be working out for the best.

Take my word for it. The Undertaker has THREE Wrestlemanias left in him. It will be a match with Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 30 in New Orleans, a match with Sting at Wrestlemania 31 in Santa Clara, and his farewell match will be in his backyard, Dallas, Texas at Wrestlemania 32 against John Cena.

Bank on that.  

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Who do you believe is the best opponent for The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 30? Leave me a comment in the comments section, tweet me at @majorlugo, or e-mail me at jlugo22@hotmail.com. Continue to show your support for "The Worked Shoot" Wrestling Blog by liking our fan page on Facebook.

Predicting The Card: Wrestlemania XXX

55 days and counting until Wrestlemania XXX in New Orleans and there isn’t a single match on the card that appears to be set in stone.  Under normal circumstances, we’d assume that the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match would be a singles match with the Champion, Randy Orton facing the winner of the Royal Rumble, Batista. The Internet wrestling news sites are telling me that there’s been some talk this week about adding Daniel Bryan into the mix.

Obviously, SOMEONE in the WWE front office read the first post of the “Worked Shoot” that went up last week about Daniel Bryan’s rising stardom.

I’m obviously just kidding, but a guy could dream can’t he? Speaking of dreams, Wrestlemania XXX is a milestone event for the company and in many ways, could be pivotal in changing the wrestling business, as we know it. If you read the second post of “The Worked Shoot” that also went up last week, you know all about that.

Wrestling fans everywhere have been thinking of “dream matches” all year that they’d want to see happen at the 30^th anniversary of Wrestlemania. Most of those fans are hoping that the subject of the third post of “The Worked Shoot”, CM Punk is there. If you read that post, I came up with a scenario of how that could play out on television.

We already know that the subject of the fourth post of “The Worked Shoot” will be there. Congratulations again, Jake.

When I spent the day today thinking about what I should write next, my mind kept coming back to the uncertainty around the Wrestlemania XXX card. Therefore, this post is going to be my predicted matches and outcomes for the card.

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Triple Threat Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Randy Orton (champion) vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan

Outcome: Daniel Bryan wins via submission

20 years ago, the company workhorse, Bret “The Hitman” Hart walked out of Wrestlemania X as the WWE Champion to pave the way for smaller, talented technical wrestlers to be the “franchise player” in the wrestling business. 10 years ago at Wrestlemania XX, the company tried to do the same thing putting their faith into another company workhorse, Chris Benoit as the WWE Champion. We all know how that turned out.

Now, it seems as if it’s going to be Daniel Bryan’s time to shine. He’s been a workhorse and technical wrestling mastermind for the last few years. The fact is that the fans are begging for a change at the top of the card. Wrestling fans around the world are growing tired of “Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect”, and have started a “Yes” movement.

For years, a growing concern has been who would be the WWE’s franchise player when John Cena got too old to go anymore. Daniel Bryan is the people’s choice and it’s hard to see a scenario where the powers that be ignore that. They have to know the fans of New Orleans would riot if they got Randy Orton vs. Batista in the main event. This is Wrestlemania. This is the time to have the underdog come out on top, just like they did at Wrestlemania 10 and 20. Daniel Bryan will win when he makes Randy Orton tap out to the “Yes” lock and we will have a NEW “face of the WWE”.

 

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“The Streak”

The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman

Outcome: The Undertaker wins via submission

As the Undertaker comes near the end of his career and his undefeated streak at Wrestlemania stands at 21-0, it’s becoming less believable that any man could end the streak and beat the Undertaker. If there’s anybody in the world that could get on that microphone and persuade me otherwise though, it’s Paul Heyman. I have complete faith in the buildup to this match being excellent because Paul Heyman knows more about the wrestling business than anyone in the world. Jim Ross is a close second, but I digress. Brock Lesnar, former UFC Heavyweight Champion, is a legit bad ass and one of the toughest men breathing. Brock Lesnar embodies someone that’s good enough to threaten the streak and Paul Heyman will be masterful in expressing that fact verbally. 

Some people question whether the Undertaker could handle Lesnar’s rough, hard-hitting style in the ring, but I think he can. My prediction is that this match will be a match of the year candidate. The Undertaker will win when he makes Brock Lesnar submit to the Hell’s Gate. For the record, I don’t think the Undertaker’s streak will ever be broken, but it will end when he defeats John Cena in Dallas, Texas at Cowboy Stadium in Wrestlemania 32.

 

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Singles Match

John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt

Outcome: Bray Wyatt wins via pinfall

From the moment that Bray Wyatt made his debut last summer, I told my friends that I thought that he’d be the perfect villain to match up against John Cena. Cena plays by the book. He’s a hero to the kids. Bray Wyatt says he doesn’t think there’s such thing as a hero. He’s a monster that just wants to see the world burn.

They started building this match already when the Wyatt family attacked Cena at the Royal Rumble and I believe the feud will go forward beyond Wrestlemania. Some question the choice to put Bray Wyatt into such a high-profile match so soon, but he’s got the chops for it. He’s the most diabolical promo guy since Jake Roberts and he has the ring skill to match. What a way to build a new star than to have him go over Super Cena in his first Wrestlemania match ever. Wyatt wins via pinfall after hitting Sister Abigail and the Wyatt Family carries John Cena out of the Superdome.

 

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Title-Unification Match

Intercontinental Champion vs. United States Champion

Big E Langston (IC Champion) vs. Dean Ambrose (United States Champion)

Outcome: Big E Langston wins via The Big Ending after Roman Reigns spears Ambrose.

They’ve been teasing the breakup of the Shield for months and there are a lot of people that believe it’s going to happen before Wrestlemania, but I think they’re going to save it for the big show. Earlier in the night, Roman Reigns will be in a tag match that I’ll post about next and the Shield will lose that match due to an Ambrose interference gone wrong and it’ll screw them out of the WWE Tag Team Championships.

Roman Reigns will come out during Ambrose’s match to return the favor. The ref goes down, Reigns comes down to the ring angrily to a big pop and spears Ambrose. This turns Reigns babyface and leads to a feud between Reigns and the Shield, who will stay together and replace Reigns with a new powerhouse, Mason Ryan. Big E wins both belts and becomes the Unified Champion. It’ll be called the Intercontinental Championship and the US title name will go away.

 

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Tag Team Turmoil Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships

New Age Outlaws: Road Dogg and Billy Gunn (Champions) vs. The Shield: Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins vs. Rybaxel: Ryback and Curtis Axel vs. The Usos: Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso vs. The Real Americans: Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro vs. Los Matadores: Fernando and Diego vs. The Wyatt Family: Luke Harper and Erick Rowan vs. Dolph Ziggler and The Miz

Outcome: The Wyatt Family wins when Luke Harper pins the Miz.

There’s a lot going on here, but I think it’s a great way to showcase the revamped tag team division on the grandest stage of them all. There have been reports out there stating that Dolph Ziggler and the Miz are going to join forces as disgruntled talents that believe they’re being mis-used. If that’s the route they’re going, I think they’ll be a force to be reckoned with. I’d throw the tag belts on them too, but not yet. They need to chase a bit first to make the title win mean a little more, and I think that the Wyatt Family are the right opponents for that. Also, as I said in my prediction for the previous match, I think Dean Ambrose will be involved in the Shield being eliminated from this match and this will be the driving force behind Roman Reigns turning on Ambrose later on in the show. 

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Singles Grudge Match

CM Punk vs. HHH

Outcome: CM Punk wins via pinfall

CM Punk will be back in time for Wrestlemania. He’s not going to miss the paycheck. After all, if Punk really were leaving, he’d be a fool not to grab one last Wrestlemania paycheck. CM Punk will have a “come to Jesus” meeting with Vince McMahon in the next two weeks to air out any and all issues and they will come to an agreement because the fact is that Vince McMahon WANTS CM Punk at Wrestlemania. The fans WANT CM Punk at Wrestlemania. Stockholders WANT CM Punk at Wrestlemania.  They were building this match up prior to Punk’s absence from the company, but if anything, I believe that Punk walking out on the company a few weeks ago will only add fuel to the fire for the Wrestlemania feud against HHH. A key point in the build will be HHH saying that the “WWE doesn’t NEED CM Punk to survive” and CM Punk rebutting with “CM Punk doesn’t NEED the WWE to survive”.

CM Punk wins with a GTS after a great match.

 

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WWE Divas Championship Match

AJ Lee (Champion) w/ Tamina Snuka vs. Natalya w/ Michelle Beadle

Outcome: Natalya wins via submission

Yes, I think that Michelle Beadle will be a part of Wrestlemania. A few months ago, a story blew up on social media claiming that AJ Lee and Michelle Beadle got into a backstage altercation at the Tribute for the Troops show. They’ll capitalize on this and get this story out in the public.

I’m banking on this being the best Divas match that we’ve seen in years with Michelle Beadle getting involved to help Natalya win the Divas championship and have her much deserved Wrestlemania moment.

 

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Brother vs. Brother Grudge Match

Cody Rhodes vs. Goldust

Outcome: Cody Rhodes via pinfall

The build started at the Royal Rumble when Cody Rhodes and Goldust lost the tag team championships. Later in the show, Goldust eliminated Cody Rhodes from the Royal Rumble match. The last couple weeks on Raw, the brother duo is losing tag matches after a red-hot couple months on top. Shortly after the Elimination Chamber, Goldust’s patience will run thin with Cody’s hotshot tendencies and he’ll attack his younger brother. The next week, Goldust will challenge Cody to a match at Wrestlemania that he’ll accept. I don’t think either man will be cast into a heel role, nor do I think this feud will last beyond Wrestlemania. Cody Rhodes pins his brother after hitting the Cross Rhodes. He helps Goldust up after the match and they hug. This has the potential to be the show stealer.

 

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Singles Match

Rey Mysterio vs. Sin Cara

Outcome: Rey Mysterio via pinfall

Since they debuted the Sin Cara character in the WWE, they’ve bounced around the idea of attempting to get into the Guinness book of records at Wrestlemania for the most people wearing masks in one place.

It never happened because well, the old Sin Cara couldn’t stay healthy, made too many mistakes, and killed all the momentum that he had. Now with Hunico under the mask, they’ll pull the trigger on this and it’ll be a fun little opener with Rey Mysterio getting the pinfall win over Cara. Cara will be the heel here and will attack Rey the next night on Raw to keep this feud going.

 

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Key Omissions from the Mania card: Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus, Big Show, Mark Henry, Kane, Christian

To elaborate on this, I won’t doubt that some of these guys or perhaps all will be involved in the show in some way. Unfortunately on a show of this magnitude, you can’t include everybody. Del Rio is disgruntled and that’ll hurt his status. Sheamus will miss out only because they’re putting Daniel Bryan in the Main Event.  Also, it’s likely that Kane may get involved in the Punk vs. HHH match. The other guys will take a step aside for some of the new talent to shine. And for the record, I DON’T think that Rob Van Dam or Chris Jericho will be back for Mania. Neither will Sting. He’ll make his debut on the Raw after Wrestlemania.

 

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Before I sign off, I do have one final prediction of the night however.

Host of Wrestlemania XXX: Hulk Hogan

It’s hard to believe that they’ll have Wrestlemania XXX without Hulk Hogan. He can’t wrestle and God knows that there aren’t too many people that would want to see him try at his age and health. So, this is the best role for him. He’ll play a vital role in the show, as he should. I say put him in Piper’s Pit. That would be golden.

Flashback Friday: Jake "The Snake" Roberts

In honor of the Throwback Thursday tradition on social media, I’m going to showcase a pro wrestling superstar, match, or moment of the past here on “The Worked Shoot”.  Since this writer missed Thursday and is posting this on a Friday, I’m going to call this feature “Flashback Friday”. The subject of today’s inaugural “Flashback Friday” feature was a no brainer for me and his story is one that I can’t wait to tell. We start with the newest member of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2014, Jake “The Snake” Roberts. 

Jake is the son of a six foot eight inch, three hundred and fifty pound powerhouse, Aurelian “Grizzly” Smith. Despite Jake following in his father’s footsteps as a professional wrestler, the relationship with his father was strained.  In the 2005 Jake Roberts “Pick your Poison” DVD, Jake told a chilling story about his conception in which he explains that Jake’s father was dating his grandmother and raped her 12 year old daughter and impregnated her. Jake was raised by his grandparents on his father’s side. His grandfather was an alcoholic and when his grandmother died, he moved in with his father. When Jake’s father was on the road wrestling, his stepmother tried to seduce him. After that, Jake moved in with his mother and stepfather until venturing out on his own. Jake’s younger sister married a middle aged man nearly 35 years older than her while she was still in her teens. The man’s ex-wife murdered Jake’s sister and her body was never found. In the DVD, Roberts explained that his father never smartened his children up to the fact that wrestling was scripted and would convince his kids that the injuries he suffered in the ring were real. Jake’s father would even come home wearing a neck brace at times to sell the TV storylines.

Despite the emotional disconnect that he felt from his father, Jake Roberts decided to follow in his father’s footsteps in the wrestling business and became a referee in the Mid-South territory in 1974. Jake started wrestling in 1975 and made a name for himself in Mid-South Wrestling, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Georgia Championship Wrestling, and the National Wrestling Alliance.

I’m sure that most of you are most familiar with Jake Roberts’ work in the World Wrestling Federation, but his work in the National Wrestling Alliance gave him his first big break. He joined the Legion of Doom stable in 1983 and started a legendary feud with Ron Garvin over the NWA World Television Championship. Jake went on to World Class Championship Wrestling in 1984 and won the WCCW Television Championship and the 6-Man tag team title with “Gentleman” Chris Adams and Gino Hernandez. He returned to Mid-South Wrestling for a short run and feud with Dick Slater, before leaving for Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation in 1986.

I’d say the thing that made Jake Roberts so special is that he never needed a championship to make him stand out. His character did that on it’s own. Jake’s psychology in the ring and on the microphone is second to no one. He knew how to make the fans love him when he was supposed to be loved and when he was a villain, he had the ability to make everybody in the audience hate his guts. Roberts is considered one of the best promo men of all-time because he realized pretty early on that he didn’t need to scream and raise his voice to make people hear him. Jake Roberts spoke softly and concise and it made EVERY word that came out of his mouth matter to whoever was listening. Unlike today’s product where you see so many false finishes and guys kicking out of each other’s finishing moves, you knew it was over when Jake Roberts hooked in the DDT.  I’ve also failed to mention so far that Jake brought his snake, Damien, in a bag to the ring with him for all of his matches. The fans went crazy when Jake had the opportunity to let the snake out of the bag and drop him on his opponents after the match. At times, even in the years that Hulkamania was running wild, Jake’s snake would get the biggest crowd pop of the night.

Jake had legendary feuds with Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Ted Dibiase, The Ultimate Warrior, and “Ravishing” Rick Rude. His first run with the WWF ended in 1992 when Roberts felt betrayed by Vince McMahon for being passed up for a spot on the writing staff, despite being promised one before. Jake threatened to no-show his Wrestlemania 8 match with the Undertaker if he was not released from his contract. He was granted his release and would not return to the company for four years. His last promo before the match with the Undertaker is one of my favorites so I decided I’d share. Here it is: 

Roberts went on to have a short run with WCW and AAA in Mexico before returning to the WWF in the 1996 Royal Rumble. Roberts’ struggles with substance abuse were well documented throughout his career and were brought into storylines for the first time in this run with the company, as he became a bible-preaching babyface. Jake’s character change was complete with a new albino snake called Revelations to accompany him to the ring. The highlight of this run was Jake’s performance in the King of the Ring tournament, making it to the final match against “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Jake lost the match in short fashion, but his Cinderella run in the tournament aided in making his opponent, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin a star.

Jake left the company in 1997 and had short runs with ECW, TNA, and other independent companies, but was most well known afterward for his struggles with drugs and alcohol. His demons got the best of him and despite three stints in rehab, Jake was unable to get a hold of himself and control his addictions. Jake felt that his rehab stints didn’t do him any good because he was easily able to manipulate his counselors. Jake often blames his substance abuse on the emotional trauma from his troubled childhood and surely, the physical effects of travelling and bumping around a wrestling ring for years probably didn’t help much either.

Finally in 2012, when it appeared as if Jake were at his lowest point and ready to die, a friend stepped in and changed everything for him. Wrestling peer Diamond Dallas Page called Jake a mentor and wanted to give back to the friend that helped him so much in the wrestling business. DDP created a workout program called DDP Yoga that helped transform people’s bodies and lives. With an intense exercise regime and dieting plan, DDP helped so many people lose weight and gain flexibility to heal their bodies from the past wear and tear that it suffered. DDP brought Jake into his home in Atlanta that he calls “The Accountability Crib” and there, he helped Jake get sober, lose weight, gain flexibility, and have a second chance at life. In this time, Jake was able to re-connect with his own children, whom he also was disconnected from while he struggled with his demons.

Today, Jake “The Snake” Roberts is a new man. At 58 years old, Jake feels that he is in the best shape that he’s been in for a long time and he went from waiting to die to looking forward to living. Jake Roberts made his return to the WWE in January 2014 at Old School Raw and was just announced as the newest member of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2014.

This writer would like to extend his congratulations to Jake on getting his life back and on his well-deserved induction to the WWE Hall of Fame. As a fan, it is so heartwarming to see Jake “The Snake” Roberts overcome his demons and be in a good place in his life today. He still has so much to give not just as a wrestling legend, but as a man, and I’m looking forward to seeing him have the opportunity to do that. 

Which character, match, or moment would you like to see featured on a future "Flashback Friday"? Let me know by commenting below in the comments section, tweeting me at @majorlugo or email-me at jlugo22@hotmail.com

Analysis on CM Punk walking out of WWE: Why did he leave? Will he be back?

 The topic I’m covering tonight is one that I already referenced in my last entry. The night after the Royal Rumble, CM Punk abruptly left the WWE. If you pay attention to any of the dirt sheets and wrestling news sites, you’ve seen some conflicting reports of what happened and the reason why it happened. I don’t know the definitive truth because the only man that knows what’s going on in the head of CM Punk IS CM Punk. There’s only speculation, but I read the reports and I looked back at recent interviews that he did and some of his recent work and I think I have this figured out.

Two and a half years ago on Raw, CM Punk infamously dropped a “pipe bomb” on the WWE. If you are one of those people that look at the name that I gave this blog and wonder what exactly a “worked shoot” is, this is the definition of one. A “worked shoot” is when a performer apparently breaks character and appears to go off the script, when in reality; it’s all part of the plan. The “pipe bomb” from June 27^th, 2011 is the best example of a “worked shoot” that there is. Check it out:

After the “pipe bomb” promo, CM Punk went on to become the WWE Champion in the last match of his contract and left the company as the Champion. Eight days later, he was signed to a much more lucrative contract. As a main eventer, CM Punk promised CHANGE. He told us that he was the “Voice of the Voiceless” and that the WWE would never be the same again. Fast-forwarding a few years to 2014, Randy Orton is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion and Batista is the number one contender. John Cena is still superman and Brock Lesnar is likely in a top spot on the Wrestlemania card against The Undertaker. The McMahon family continues to book themselves into big moments on Monday night Raw and part-timer Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has headlined the last two Wrestlemanias. Most of all, we STILL haven’t gotten our WWE Ice cream bars. We’re seeing the same faces on top of the card as we had 10 years ago and Vince McMahon still loves his big guys. Roman Reigns, the powerhouse of the Shield, is getting a big push after dominant performances in both the Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble. And how about Big E Langston running over everybody in sight as the WWE Intercontinental Champion? A few months ago after WWE management lost faith in Daniel Bryan as a Championship contender, the WWE thrusted the Big Show into the title picture. Big bodies everywhere…..

Let’s face it, NOTHING’S CHANGED and CM Punk knows it. There were reports that the reason why CM Punk walked out and went home a half hour before the start of January 27^th’s Raw is because he was frustrated with the creative direction of the company. Reports say that he was upset that Batista won the Royal Rumble in his first match in four years and appears to be getting that spot in the Wrestlemania main event that the world believes that Daniel Bryan deserves more. Additionally, those same reports say that CM Punk believes that he deserves more than the planned feud with HHH and the Authority. If those reports were true and that’s the reason that Punk walked out, he’s right. However, while I do believe that frustration is there creatively, I don’t think that was the primary reason that CM Punk left.

In my last entry about the WWE network, I referenced the fact that the network model would change the pay per view business, as we know it. The truth is that while the WWE network seems like a dream for every WWE fan around the world, the talent is weary of the changes. When the talent on the roster get paid after a pay per view show, they’re likely to receive “pay per view bonuses” based on the number of buys on pay per view that the show generates. The wrestlers are left wondering what this means for their pay per view bonus. Will they make less money?  There were reports that WWE officials were supposed to hold a talent meeting a few weeks ago to clear the air on any questions that any of the boys may have about this, but the meeting was cancelled at the last minute and wasn’t re-scheduled.

CM Punk confirmed this in an interview that he did with Ariel Helwani, which was posted up on YouTube on January 25^th, only two days before he walked out of Raw and went home. Surely, there must be frustration over the fact that there’s a question about how he’ll be paid going forward. However, I don’t think that’s the primary reason that CM Punk left either.

I think it’s simpler than that.  The wrestling business has lost so many of its stars at a young age due to the toll of drug and alcohol abuse. Professional wrestling is tough physically on the human body with many of its stars working hurt and being on the road so much has its effects emotionally on them. Most of the stars of the past turned to drugs and alcohol as a way to cope with those things. There’s a wellness policy in place today and things are cleaner than they used to be, but a majority of the guys will still rely on painkillers here and there when they feel the grind.

CM Punk has prided himself his entire career on living a straight edge lifestyle. His father was an alcoholic and his experiences with him scarred him enough to make him promise himself that he wouldn’t follow in his father’s footsteps. Punk doesn’t drink or do drugs, so when he gets hurt and is exhausted from being on the road, he doesn’t take a pill to help himself. He toughs it out without a pill and at the age of 35, it’s not getting any easier for Punk to wake up in the morning hurt.

There were reports that CM Punk “got his bell rung” during the Royal Rumble match and was believed to have suffered a concussion. When he was questioned and given an impact test, CM Punk got frustrated and left. While it came out that CM Punk did NOT have a concussion and that he passed the impact test, I do believe that he’s banged up and I believe that the pain combined with the exhaustion of being on the road for so long without a break IS the primary reason why CM Punk left the WWE.

He has openly expressed that he isn’t in the wrestling business for the long haul and that his days as a professional wrestler are numbered. With that said, I don’t think that CM Punk has wrestled his last match with World Wrestling Entertainment. As a matter of fact, I think it’s likely that CM Punk will be back with the company in time for Wrestlemania 30. That may be wishful thinking, but I can’t see him missing this milestone event. I may be wrong on that, but if done correctly, a CM Punk return in March could be the jolt in the arm creatively that the Wrestlemania 30 card needs.

If I were booking the WWE, I would keep the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on Randy Orton after the Elimination Chamber pay per view. And yes, that means that Daniel Bryan will come up short once again, likely at the hands of the Authority. My reason for this is because in order for Daniel Bryan’s ascension to the top to be most effective, his Championship win has to be saved for Mania. It’ll give Wrestlemania 30 it’s feel good storybook ending that it needs to be successful.

Daniel Bryan will come out on the Raw after the Elimination Chamber on February 24^th and be pissed about being screwed out of the championship yet again by the Authority. This is the time for Bryan to drop a “pipe bomb” of his own and really lay into HHH, Stephanie McMahon, Vince McMahon, Randy Orton, Batista, and whomever else he wants. The “pipe bomb” will be interrupted by HHH and after some back and forth banter, HHH will agree to fight Daniel Bryan NEXT WEEK on Raw with the stipulation that if Bryan wins, he’s in the Wrestlemania main event. If he loses against HHH though, he won’t be on the Wrestlemania card at all.

On March 3^rd, Daniel Bryan will fight HHH with a No DQ stipulation. Halfway through the match, Randy Orton runs out to attack Bryan. Batista comes out to even the odds and chase off Orton, keeping him a babyface in all of this. Bryan makes a comeback, but before he could finish the job, Kane comes in and chokeslams Bryan. Suddenly, CM PUNK hops the guardrail to massive cheers and hits Kane with a GTS. HHH gets up and Punk lays him out as well with a GTS. Daniel Bryan crawls over and scores the 3 count on HHH to secure his position in the Wrestlemania main event. Raw that night will be in Rosemont, Illinois, coincidentally CM Punk’s home state, so the crowd reaction will be thunderous.

Just like that, the Wrestlemania main event will change to a triple threat match and will give the fans the opportunity to see Daniel Bryan FINALLY overcome the odds and win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania. Also, this adds some fire to the originally planned CM Punk vs. HHH match at Wrestlemania.

Again, this may be wishful thinking, but if everyone plays their cards right, I think this whole CM Punk controversy could be capitalized on and everyone, especially the fans, could come out of all of this happy.

Do you think that CM Punk will be back in time for Wrestlemania 30? Let me know what you think below in the comments section, tweet me @majorlugo or email me at jlugo22@hotmail.com

           

How will the success of the WWE network and Wrestlemania 30 change the business?

With the Royal Rumble come and gone, we’re officially on the road to Wrestlemania. By now, WWE management should have a general idea of what direction they’re headed in regards to the top matches on the card. We’re 62 days away from Wrestlemania 30 as of this writing, and based on recent reports, it seems that things are in turmoil backstage. Everything is up in the air, including the main event. Live crowds are pretty much demanding that WWE puts Daniel Bryan in the main event, and it seems as if there were no previous plans to do so. CM Punk unexpectedly left the WWE, which I will cover in detail in my next entry. Fans are shitting on the Randy Orton and Batista feud over the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a way that nobody in power expected. With the WWE network launching in 3 weeks, it seems that now is the time to make all of it right. There’s a lot riding on the network being a long-term success, but will the WWE universe invest their money monthly for a stale product? 

There’s no doubt that the WWE video library sells itself. Fans of the Hulk Hogan era in the 1980’s could go back and watch those shows. Fans of the Attitude era could watch their favorites. Fans that never watched WCW could re-watch the product that nearly put the WWE out of business. Fans of ECW could watch the innovative material that ECW put out at the time. But, what happens when the casual fan gets bored watching the old stuff? The 1992 Royal Rumble is gold and I could watch it over and over, but how much will the average wrestling fan be willing to watch before they get bored? My point is that in order for the WWE network to have long-term success, the release of quality new content is equally as important.

The WWE plans on giving away their “pay per views” on the network to subscribers. This could spell the end of their run on pay per view. As a wrestling fan myself, I forked over $45 for the Royal Rumble. Who’s going to pay that much money for a show on pay per view when you could get that show and more on the network for nearly one-fifth the price?  There will always be that one major show a month that the WWE is going to build to, but make no mistake about it, the new emphasis will be on the weekly television ratings. Emphasis will be on making Raw and Smackdown the best episodic television that they could put out.

Why is this? The WWE is looking for new television deals and are looking to make nearly three times the amount in their new deal as they’re worth now. But, will television companies fork over that kind of cash for a sinking ship? The higher the ratings, the more money that there is to be made. If you want television ratings, you make it cool to be a wrestling fan again.

No doubt that guys like John Cena, Randy Orton, and Batista are great at what they do, they have their value and deserve to be put on a pedestal for their accomplishments, but if you want compelling television, you give the stars they’ve been chanting for. If I’m Vince McMahon, I do all that I could to convince CM Punk to come back, even if it’s on a lighter schedule. I give Daniel Bryan the ball as the face of the WWE. You make him the WWE Champion and you make every World Championship match “must see” television. You give them Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes. The “big bodies” that the WWE tend to put on top of the card will still have value, but the business is changing and so is its fan base. You change with the times.

Wrestlemania 30, coincidentally the first “pay per view” event that will ever be made available on the WWE network, could change the business if done correctly. The success of BOTH Wrestlemania 30 and the WWE network depends on the company’s ability to provide the fans with the perfect blend of superstars of the past AND showcasing the next generation. Until next time….

 Will you be purchasing the WWE network? What matches do you want to see at Wrestlemania 30? Let me know what you think below in the comments section, tweet me at @majorlugo or email me at jlugo22@hotmail.com

Are the "Yes!" chants falling on deaf ears?

Welcome everybody to the first edition of “The Worked Shoot”. This is a blog about professional wrestling written by a lifelong fan that knows the ins and outs of the business. I’m not in the business and never will claim to be something I’m not, but what I could promise you is an educated opinion on the hottest topics in professional wrestling. I will always be open to any and all feedback so send your emails to me. If you have any questions or comments that you’d like for me to address in future posts, send those along too.

If you’ve been keeping up with professional wrestling lately, particularly the WWE, it’s an interesting time in the business in front of and behind the curtain. Crowds at WWE live events all over the country are seemingly “hijacking” shows as of late to show their support for Daniel Bryan being inserted into the WWE title picture, but it seems to be falling on deaf ears while current plans are keeping him out of the main event of Wrestlemania. For a company that apparently cares so much about what the fans want, why wouldn’t they give the fans their wish and give Bryan the run with the championship that so many people around the world think he deserve? Popular opinion is that the best course of action for the WWE going forward would be for Daniel Bryan to have his Wrestlemania moment on the grandest stage of them all, Wrestlemania 30 and finally break through the metaphorical glass ceiling to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. It seems that the opinion of those in the WWE front office think differently.

 

Hulk Hogan was. The Ultimate Warrior was. The Undertaker was. Triple H was. John Cena was.  Batista was.  Brock Lesnar was. The Rock was. Vince will look at a guy like CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Chris Jericho, Rob Van Dam, Rey Mysterio, Kurt Angle, Dolph Ziggler; and he’ll call them a great hand to have, but never the #1 guy. They’ll be in the main event feuds here or there, but they don’t get the ball to run with. Those guys aren’t the “face” of the WWE; they’re not the  “franchise player”.

Throughout history, the two exceptions to this rule were Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, but one could make an argument that Vince McMahon didn’t have a choice but to give them the ball after the old guard flocked to WCW in the mid 90’s. This was a monumental time in the history of the business because the WWE gave their fans a hero that looked just like them. These guys got by on their TALENT, not on their size or strength.

The business is always changing, because the world is changing. The average wrestling fan doesn’t have the attention span to wait a year to see a storyline unfold, they want to see it in a matter of weeks. In the eyes of the average wrestling fan, Daniel Bryan is the real deal. Daniel Bryan is a ring general. He’s one of the best, if not, THE BEST technical wrestlers in the world. He’s charismatic and showed his range as a character primarily during his run with Kane in Team Hell No. The “YES!” catchphrase is catching on in a way that the WWE could only dream of. If you think about it, there hasn’t been a guy on the roster since Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Rock that could win the ENTIRE CROWD over just by walking through the curtain. I guarantee that if Daniel Bryan were to get his title shot at Wrestlemania 30 and win, the crowd would go ballistic. 100 % of the people in the Superdome will be on their feet chanting “YES!” and a new SUPERSTAR will be made. So, will it actually happen? Probably not, but I don’t think that all hope is lost.

As a lifelong fan of the business, I’ve noticed why certain guys are put in certain spots on television. On an episode of Monday night Raw, the opening segment and closing segment are typically the ones that the WWE wants you to remember. Those are the biggest of the night. Let’s use the January 20^th edition of Raw for example, the go-home show before the Royal Rumble. Having the return of Batista in the opening segment of Monday night Raw was the WWE’s way of letting the fans know, “Hey, pay attention to this guy. He’s winning the Rumble”. The closing segment of Raw had John Cena chase Randy Orton out of the building. That was WWE’s way of telling its fans that they’re putting emphasis on the WWE World Heavyweight title match.

Now let’s go to last week’s Raw. Daniel Bryan was involved in BOTH the opening and closing segments of the show. Let me assure you, the WWE would NOT position Daniel Bryan like this if there weren’t HUGE plans for him down the line. WWE is giving you the great underdog story that you all wanted; it’s just taking a little longer than we’d like to get the payoff.

I was just as mad as the rest of you probably were when Daniel Bryan didn’t enter the Royal Rumble, but I’m fairly confident that it’s all going to work out in the end. The live crowds are too loud; there are too many tweets, too many legends speaking out on Bryan’s behalf. He’ll get his time. He’s too good.

With that said, it’s doubtful that we’ll see the storybook ending at Wrestlemania 30, but it’s mighty interesting that WWE moved the venue of their Extreme Rules pay per view at the last minute to Daniel Bryan’s hometown. Stay tuned…

Do you think that WWE will finally give in to the crowd reactions and give Daniel Bryan the ball? Let me know what you think below in the comments section, tweet me at @majorlugo or e-mail jlugo22@hotmail.com.