Category: WWE

Coffee Talk #253: How Will The Miz Do as WWE Champion?

The “Era of Awesome” has begun! The Miz (Mike Mizanin) is your new WWE Champion!!! From MTV’s The Real World to Tough Enough, The Miz has come a long way from reality television.

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Brad Childress’ next job, the Coava Kone, or your favorite Thanksgiving dish, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The “Era of Awesome” has begun! The Miz (Mike Mizanin) is your new WWE Champion!!! From MTV’s The Real World to Tough Enough, The Miz has come a long way from reality television. Due to his atypical background, The Miz had to work extra hard to get a top spot in the WWE; some people resented that he didn’t pay his dues in the traditional way and made things difficult for him. Through hard work, continuous improvement in the ring, and extraordinary mic skills, The Miz has made it to the top — WWE Champion and the cover of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011!

How do you think he’ll do as WWE Champion? Will he be a strong enough heel to lead a chasing face all the way to WrestleMania? Or will he be a transitional champion? Will his incredible promos retain their edge now that he’s not chasing the prize? Or will he be better than ever now that he can gloat to the entire WWE roster? I’m digging WWE’s youth movement and hope the company lets The Miz run with the belt for several months. What do you think? How will The Era of Awesome play out?

Coffee Talk #249: Your Top 10 Wrestlers of All Time

A lot of you posted great comments on WWE’s list of the top 50 WWE Superstars of all time. Most of you agreed with the majority of the picks, but some of you were puzzled by various rankings and omissions. RPadholic Nightshade386 suggested that we all start our own lists and I thought that was a brilliant idea!

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the RPad.tv merchandise sale, why the hell people like pomegranates, or the best bourbon you’ve ever had, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

A lot of you posted great comments on WWE’s list of the top 50 WWE Superstars of all time. Most of you agreed with the majority of the picks, but some of you were puzzled by various rankings and omissions. RPadholic Nightshade386 suggested that we all start our own lists and I thought that was a brilliant idea! Here’s mine:

  1. Ric Flair: Simply the greatest of all time. In his prime, he could put on an outstanding match with a broomstick. Even after he lost a step, Flair could work the mic like nobody else. He carried the NWA and the early days of WCW.
  2. Shawn Michaels: The Heartbreak Kid started off as a dynamic wrestler and transformed into the greatest in-ring performer I’ve ever seen. I dropped him to the second slot because his mic work was uneven and he didn’t do a great job carrying the WWE when he was champion.
  3. Ricky Steamboat: Some of you will question this pick, but can you think of someone that wrestled in two of the best matches ever seen in the NWA and WWE? People still talk about Steamboat’s championship match with Flair and his WrestleMania III match with Randy Savage. Also, has anyone ever made an arm drag look so cool?
  4. Steve Austin: I remember watching him in WCW as “Stunning” Steve Austin and enjoying his work in ECW. I never thought that he’d define an era of WWE and become its most popular Superstar. The crazy part is that he couldn’t wrestle his best at the height of his popularity due to a neck injury. For a brief period of time Austin was perfect: he could wrestle great matches, carry the company, and cut fantastic promos.
  5. The Rock: The other wrestler that defined WWE’s “Attitude Era”, The Rock cut some of the most hilarious promos ever and was brilliant at putting people over with the mic. His wrestling was good offensively, but his ability to sell was better (nobody sold the stunner better than he did). I honestly believe that he could have topped this list if he didn’t cut his wrestling career short to pursue acting.
  6. Hulk Hogan: I’m going to get heat for ranking Hogan this low, but nobody can deny that he sucked in the ring for most of his career. Even in his prime he was a mediocre wrestler. Still, his charisma was undeniable, he carried the WWE, he made the company global, and he sold almost as much merchandise as Austin (yes, that was a dig).
  7. Andre the Giant: The Eighth Wonder of the World was always limited in the ring, but he could singlehandedly sell out arenas. He’s a legend that became known throughout the world. He was also a great locker room guy. I loved when he decked the Ultimate Warrior with a stiff shot for getting out of line. Andre helped make wrestling larger-than-life entertainment.
  8. Sting: While most people know him from his Crow-wannabe days, I still remember the bleached-blond kid with a rat tail and neon tights. He was dynamic and charismatic. He put on fantastic matches with Flair and even carried the limited Lex Luger to excellent shows.
  9. Arn Anderson: Double A was the best complementary wrestler ever. As The Four Horsemen’s “enforcer”, Anderson was an integral part of making the group seem so bad ass. Flair had the belt and the spotlight, but Arn was the heart and soul of The Horsemen. His wrestling was excellent, his promos were intense, and nobody made the spinebuster look so forceful.
  10. Kurt Angle: Arguably the greatest athlete to ever wrestle professionally, Angle’s in-ring work was ridiculous in his prime in terms of offense. As far as selling and physical storytelling, there are better…but not many. I never bought into his “intense” promos, but a lot of people liked them. I was thoroughly entertained by the wise-ass and comedic versions of Angle.

Anyway, that’s my list. I’d love to see yours! Feel free to rip mine apart too.

WWE Reveals Top 50 Superstars of All Time

WWE is releasing a DVD called WWE Top 50 Superstars of All Time. Are you curious about the list? Well here it is!

WWE is releasing a DVD called WWE Top 50 Superstars of All Time. Are you curious about the list? Well here it is!

  1. Shawn Michaels
  2. The Undertaker
  3. Steve Austin
  4. Bret Hart
  5. The Rock
  6. Harley Race
  7. Ricky Steamboat
  8. Andre the Giant
  9. Rey Mysterio
  10. Roddy Piper
  11. Eddie Guerrero
  12. Triple H
  13. Gorgeous George
  14. Randy Savage
  15. Curt Hennig
  16. John Cena
  17. Ric Flair
  18. Dusty Rhodes
  19. Edge
  20. Jerry Lawler
  21. Lou Thesz
  22. Terry Funk
  23. Hulk Hogan
  24. Bruno Sammartino
  25. Chris Jericho
  26. Ted DiBiase
  27. Fabulous Moolah
  28. Freddie Blassie
  29. Randy Orton
  30. Pat Patterson
  31. The Iron Sheik
  32. Jimmy Snuka
  33. Mick Foley
  34. Kurt Angle
  35. Buddy Rogers
  36. Gorilla Monsoon
  37. Junkyard Dog
  38. Billy Graham
  39. Jake Roberts
  40. Big Show
  41. Jack Brisco
  42. Sgt. Slaughter
  43. Kane
  44. Nick Bockwinkel
  45. Jeff Hardy
  46. Dory Funk Jr.
  47. Bob Backlund
  48. Rick Rude
  49. Batista
  50. Killer Kowalski

As much as I love Shawn Michaels’ work, in my mind Ric Flair is the greatest of all time, with HBK just behind him. Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho are ranked lower than they ought to be; I’d certainly put both of them ahead of Edge. Cena and Mysterio are way too high. Batista absolutely does not belong on this list. I’d drop Jeff Hardy too.

Obviously some of the list is based on WWE politics, but it’s mostly solid. What do you think of it? Are there any wrestlers missing from the list? Anyone on it that you think is unworthy? I’m super looking forward to discussing this with y’all!

Source

Mick Foley Plugs Countdown to Lockdown on The Daily Show

Mick Foley

Former WWE Superstar and current TNA wrestler Mick Foley was recently on The Daily Show to plug his book Countdown to Lockdown. Although he’s taken way to many chair shots to the head, Foley is a wonderful writer and a fantastic spokesperson for professional wrestling. In addition to talking about his book, Foley discusses the various charities that he’s involved with. Mick Foley is just an excellent person and I encourage you to watch this clip.

Hulk Hogan Did Not Flash His Penis for Def Jam Rapstar

Hulk Hogan made quite the stir in a Def Jam Rapstar commercial that shows him allegedly flashing his schlong. While it was censored, it appeared that Hogan whipped out his penis in front of his daughter, Brooke Hogan, and “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart. This video shows that he only teased the lewd act…which is still a freaky thing to do in front of your daughter. I suppose this is better than actually doing it. *shrug*

Hulk Hogan Plays Def Jam Rapstar, Flashes His Schlong

In this video, the immortal (not really) Hulk Hogan plays some Def Jam Rapstar with his slut daughter and “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart. For some reason, The Hulkster flashes his junk at the camera…which is a really weird thing to do in front of one of your oldest friends and downright creepy to do in front of your daughter. The whole thing is rather…disturbing.

WWE Undertaker Confronts Brock Lesnar at UFC 121

Here’s a fascinating interview with WWE Superstarstar The Undertaker at UFC 121. He’s out of character, which is super rare for ‘Taker; he’s very protective of his character and rarely makes appearances — let alone gives interviews — as his “real” self. Secondly, he has a brief confrontation with Brock Lesnar (fresh from his thrashing by Cain Velasquez). The Undertaker has heat with Lesnar over some old WWE issues.

Check out the clip and let me know what you think (please)!