General WWE Discussion: Roman Weeps, Taker Retires, MNK/SAM/RDM LFP

[Delirium]

Finn is healthy, apparently

[Delirium]

Took this bit from the Observer about Ivan Koloff.

Spoiler: show

On January 16 on television, announcer Ray Morgan noted that the previous night, in a tag team match at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, that George “The Animal” Steele, a heel who had worked three mid-card matches at the Garden over the summer, had hit Sammartino in the shoulder with a chair, and that Sammartino would go into the match with Koloff with a separated shoulder. Sammartino being hurt before a title match wasn’t unheard of to add drama. Nobody thought anything of it. And that angle was more to cover Sammartino’s loss in his home promotion and set up a Sammartino vs. Steele feud in Pittsburgh where Sammartino vowed revenge on the man who cost him his championship. Steele wasn’t working the WWWF at the time, since school was in session and he was a high school teacher in Michigan. He just did weekend shots for Sammartino, and he didn’t come back to the WWWF until the summer of 1972. But that storyline was the catalyst for copying it with a similar injury angle with Bob Backlund right before his title loss to the Iron Sheik.

It was a night just like any other night in Madison Square Garden. Until it wasn’t.

“There was nothing special about the night Bruno faced Koloff,” remembered current Olympic games sportscaster and former Olympic fencing team coach Jeff Bukantz, who was 13, but through connections was able to get into Madison Square Garden even though at the time children under 14 were banned. “Koloff was just the latest heel, albeit a believable one.”

Behind the scenes, the promotion was very cautious. The plan was for Koloff to win, and rush him out of the ring immediately. There would be no announcement of the winner until Koloff was safely backstage. He wouldn’t be presented the belt in front of the people, only backstage. A riot was feared. There were vivid memories of “The riot at the Garden,” on November 19, 1957, which led to children being banned from attending pro wrestling matches in the building.

There was only one thing they knew for certain before the match started. The strategy to rebuild Koloff with his high profile wins on the prior shows and the Albano interviews had worked.

A sellout crowd, announced as being 21,166 fans, a worked number since MSG at the time only really held 20,225 for wrestling, paid $85,554. It was exactly $162.18 shy of the Madison Square Garden record that Sammartino and Verdu had set on June 15, 1970.

“He was 300 and I was 270 at the time,” said Sammartino. “I felt we both had a good match. I wanted out so bad because I was hurting so bad. That night I warmed up a long time because I wanted to be as good as I could be so it would be a great match for people to remember and be good for Koloff. I was hurting bad, but I think I did very well with my moves with him that night. He was a 300 pound guy and I thought he moved really terrific. I thought the guy was great. I loved working with him.”

“The match is going along and Bruno goes to shouderblock Koloff, who was against the turnbuckle,” remembered Bukantz. “Koloff raised his right knee and down goes Bruno. Koloff snatches him and bodyslams him. Koloff quickly climbs the top rope and comes down with his kneedrop.”

A kneedrop off the top rope was a devastating move in 1971. Still, it was Bruno Sammartino. Of course he’d kick out.

“Referee Dick Kroll counted to three, no delays, nothing special, just one...two..three,” said Bukantz.

The place went dead silent for a few seconds. Many described it as time standing still for those few seconds. Sammartino, selling on the mat, thought he had broken his eardrum.

“There was an eerie silence in the Garden,” remembered Bukantz. “Stunned disbelief. No shrieks.

“Dead silence and disbelief.”

“Nobody saw it coming,” he said. “Bruno never got pinned for eight years. Not one person thought it was going to happen.”

Several seconds later, when people started digesting what they had just seen, there was light noise, most women in the audience crying. The men, if they were holding back tears since men weren’t supposed to cry in public, were still not reacting.

“The only other time I encountered that eerie silence was at Giants Stadium in 1989 when Flipper Anderson of the Rams scored the touchdown, and, other than a few Rams fans and the Rams players shrieking, the stadium went silent.”

“He hit me hard, he really did, and then there was this death silence,” remembered Sammartino. “I really thought the blow that I took did something to me. I’m expecting the boos. Here’s this bad Russian, he beats me and I’ve been the fan favorite for eight straight years. But I can’t hear a thing. I’m laying there and Arnold Skaaland came over and said, `Bruno, are you okay?’ I heard him perfectly, I heard him so clear. I slowly got myself up and it’s still silent. As I made my way out of the ring, I started to hear tears and I saw women crying. That touched me so deep. When I was in the dressing room I was very depressed. I was glad to get this load of my back but I thought there would be a lot of boos because Koloff beat me. I didn’t know if security would be able to get him out of there, but I never expected what happened. It was such a shocker. I really felt bad. I really felt I let the people down.”

[Anoat]

It looks like we're heading towards Sami Zayn vs Samoa Joe at Fastlane, but strangely enough WWE decided to upload to their YouTube channel the full 40+ minute 2/3 falls match from NXT last year.

[Melena]

So got a promo code for fast lane tickets. Just can't justify the 375 a ticket for floor seats right now for a raw ppv.

[Nitsuki]

Welp, 4th row in the NXT house show, saw sanity tag team against Ohno and Nakamura, couldn't be any more excited today. Lol

And got to sing happy birthday to nakamura!

[Tomiko]

Great match between the Bucks and WarMachine at Honor Rising. I think my favorite moment was the konnichiwa superkick.

[Delirium]

Damn, Cody feuding with everybody in the world at this point.

[Tomiko]

Cody vs Shibata should be great when it finally happens.

[Delirium]

"Is there any Revival t-shirts?"
"Uh no."
"Why?"
"Not famous."

Damn, shots fired.

Apparently Dash got into it with some people on twitter. I hate to say it, but he got wrecked.

[Kalmado]

Possible seeds planted for Cole to be moving on from ROH/NJPW

https://streamable.com/0ox7m

[Vagrant]

Drew Galloway announced on twitter that he's finished with TNA. Could be possibly heading back to WWE or might just focus on the numerous other indy companies he's working for. He's currently working for Evolve, Rev Pro, ICW, and WCPW off the top of my head and I think there are a couple other smaller ones I'm forgetting.

[Anoat]

Sounds like the Hardys might be done with TNA as well, their deals supposed to expire this week and they haven't been renewed yet.

I eagerly await the Broken Matt and New Day promos.

[Vagrant]

They would be a nice surprise for WM or the night after. And they are confirmed to be in Orlando that weekend for the WWN activities

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

[Tomiko]

Bullet Club (Bucks, Omega, Cody, Cole) did a Q&A on YouTube:



Adam Cole has to have the knot on his head surgically removed.

Edit: Honor Rising Day 2 will be starting in 20 mins.

[Tomiko]

Solid match between War Machine and GoD.

Edit: Main event was just about everything you could hope for. Make sure to check out the post match promos as well.

Here's the promo:

Spoiler: show

https://streamable.com/pb6jg

[NotGreyheim]

Watching this past week's Smackdown, I think that's the best promo I've ever seen out of the Usos

[Krandor]

Sounds like the Hardys might be done with TNA as well, their deals supposed to expire this week and they haven't been renewed yet.

I eagerly await the Broken Matt and New Day promos.

@MATTHARDYBRAND

It shall be an INTRIGUING week for the professional wrestling industry.

[Kalmado]

Solid match between War Machine and GoD.

Edit: Main event was just about everything you could hope for. Make sure to check out the post match promos as well.

Here's the promo:

Spoiler: show

https://streamable.com/pb6jg

Good to hear. I'm a huge fan of GoD.

[Delirium]

I can't speak money-wise, but Cody looks like he is having the time of his fucking life since leaving WWE.

[Krandor]

According to Meltz if the Hardy's aren't at Impact tapings on Thursday it almost certainly means they're WWE bound.