• Tag Archives: Shawn Michaels

    This Or That (3/24/2015) Wrestlemania Edition

    Everybody loves binary decisions, especially wrestling fans! In This Or That, we’ve forced ourselves to choose between two options that relate to wrestling.

    Over four questions, @TimWelcomed, @JoeySplashwater and @TomBlargh will have to choose one of two options and give their reasoning on each of their choices. You can then vote on which one you’d choose, giving you the false impression that you’re somehow involved and we care about your opinion chance to join the conversation!

    Before we start, here’s last week‘s results:

    Better wrestler?

    Adrian Neville – 68%, Bad News Barrett – 32%

    Better wrestler?

    Rockstar Spud – 87%, Grado – 13%

    Better wrestler?

    Nigel McGuinness – 67%, Dynamite Kid – 33%

    Better food?

    Fish and chips – 75%, Meat pie – 25%

    More valuable to Wrestlemania history: The Undertaker or Shawn Michaels?

    taker-shawn

    Tim:

    The Undertaker and his streak became more important for Wrestlemania later on. I think his two matches with Shawn Michaels, the Wrestlemania 27 match against Triple H, and his match against CM Punk were not only great but pretty important to those specific Wrestlemanias. Besides the matches I just named there are no Undertaker matches at Wrestlemania that I actively go back and watch.

    Shawn Michaels definitely had a few of his own Wrestlemania clunkers but there was always something about him that captivated me. He just oozed charisma. As a kid who was raised on WCW, HBK was the main reason to ever get excited about a Wrestlemania. Now that I’m older HBK is still one of, if not THE, biggest reason to go back and watch old Wrestlemanias on the WWE Network. You just knew you were going to see a star do what he does best even if the chemistry wasn’t right or the build was shitty. When The Undertaker is in a boring or just plain bad match he does not grab my attention at all. Without the right build or the right opponent, The Undertaker at Wrestlemania was and is just an entrance.

    Shawn Michaels

    Joey:

    Guess what – half of The Undertaker’s Wrestlemania matches are unwatchable. They started to get better in the 2000’s but didn’t become as legendary as they are viewed until Shawn Michaels and ‘Taker had arguably the best match of all time at Wrestlemania 25.

    The crazy thing is you can debate it wasn’t even Michaels best Wrestlemania match. His bouts with Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Triple H, Chris Benoit and others could rival it based on your preference. Not to mention all the other classics he had over the years. Undertaker may have meant more for a few years but in the bigger picture, Michaels provided better matches, better moments and will always stand the test of time.

    Shawn Michaels

    Tom:

    I came into this assuming that it’d have to be The Undertaker, but thinking back, he really did have too many clunkers to take it. Not all of Shawn’s were classics, but he was still almost always in the best match on the card. He was also pretty much responsible for solidifying Undertaker’s Wrestlemania legacy and making “The Streak” the attraction it became, so yeah, gonna have to go for HBK here.

    Shawn Michaels

    [poll id=”150″]

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    This Or That (2/17/2015)

    Everybody loves binary decisions, especially wrestling fans! In This Or That, we’ve forced ourselves to choose between two options that relate to wrestling.

    Over four questions, @TimWelcomed, @JoeySplashwater and @TomBlargh will have to choose one of two options and give their reasoning on each of their choices. You can then vote on which one you’d choose, giving you the false impression that you’re somehow involved and we care about your opinion chance to join the conversation!

    Before we start, here’s last week‘s results:

    Who will leave Wrestlemania 31 as champ?

    Anyone else – 52%, Roman Reigns – 48%

    Better tag team break-up tease?

    Miz and Sandow – 53%, Gold and Star Dust– 47%

    Better guest on the Steve Austin Podcast?

    Vince McMahon – 83%, Triple H – 17%

    Better video game series?

    Mortal Kombat – 57%, Street Fighter – 43%

    Will Bray Wyatt face The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 31: Yes or No?

    Is The Undertaker who Bray Wyatt is referencing in his promos?

    wyattundertaker

    Tim:

    I don’t see this as a good idea or something that really makes sense. I figure Vince is all excited about putting the two supernatural characters against each other. I think it will happen although it doesn’t seem like it will this late in the build-up to Wrestlemania. It doesn’t even look like they know for sure if The Undertaker will be back yet and that’s kind of absurd. The streak is over and Bray Wyatt isn’t that great. There’s nothing here for me so of course this will go down.

    Yes

    Joey:

    The rumors about expected Wrestlemania matches during “Wrestlemania season” are almost always true but I just can’t see how they can make this match happen. The Undertaker’s Wrestlemania streak ending is arguably the greatest long term storyline in WWE history.

    How can you just have ‘Taker return after finally losing only to not be involved in a story with the person who defeated him? It just would make zero sense for The Dead Man not to get his revenge and move on to someone else. Bray Wyatt has done a very good job over the last month but it would also feel like a step down for Undertaker in a match where it would be need to be its biggest for him to return after losing. I just can’t see it. Wyatt has to be referring to someone else as a fake out. Maybe someone else on the roster that will be getting a push out of this?

    No

    Tom:

    The idea of Bray Wyatt faking us all out and targeting someone other than ‘Taker is very appealing, but I can’t imagine who else it could be and not feel like a total wet fart. Also, WWE isn’t generally that creative or restrained – if it WAS a fake-out, I’m pretty sure we’d have heard Cole and the other commentary knobs referencing Undertaker by name after Wyatt’s promos. Anyway. I think the match will be kinda bad but YES, Undertaker WILL wrestle Wyatt at Wrestlemania. Hopefully he has all the surgeries he needs by next year so he can have his actual final ‘Mania match with Bryan and it can be something fantastic.

    Yes

    [poll id=”127″]

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    This Or That: Who Did It Better? (10/28/2014)

    Everybody loves binary decisions, especially wrestling fans! In This Or That, we’ve forced ourselves to choose between two options that relate to wrestling.

    Over four questions, @TimWelcomed, @JoeySplashwater and @TomBlargh will have to choose one of two options and give their reasoning on each of their choices. You can then vote on which one you’d choose, giving you the false impression that you’re somehow involved and we care about your opinion chance to join the conversation!

    Before we start, here’s last week‘s results:

    Which new wrestling program are you more likely to watch?

    Lucha Underground – 73%, British Bootcamp 2 – 27%

    Which rumored WWE return would you interest you more?

    Chris Jericho – 55%, The Boogeyman – 45%

    Better PWG commentary legend?

    Kevin Steen – 52%, Chuck Taylor – 48%

    Better bear?

    Grizzly Bear– 51%, Polar bear – 49% (Grizzly bears won by one vote)

    Better frog splash: Eddie Guerrero or Rob Van Dam?

    Flying high.

    eddiervd-splash

    Tim:

    While Eddie Guerrero’s frog splash had a certain grace to it I was always enamored with Rob Van Dam’s frog splash more. The height, the distance, the style, and the way he sold that it hurt him as well after impact with the bounce. It was so perfect. He doesn’t do it with that amount of style but he has far and away the best frog splash I’ve ever seen on a consistent basis throughout his career. The frog splash can be one of the most beautiful wrestling moves when done right and both of these guys had it down to a science but Rob Van Dam had a way of mixing style and realism almost flawlessly.

    Rob Van Dam

    Joey:

    Fun fact: The frog splash is my favorite top rope move!

    Eddie Guerrero had a more accurate and effective frog splash that was a thing of beauty. From a realistic point of view, he would hit it and pin the opponent instantly. RVD’s would have more elevation and would sell that extra height by not going for the pin right away.

    Even so, I’m going to have to side with Rob Van Dam. Before seeing RVD in ECW, I felt like I watched wrestling in black and white then Van Dam showed me the beauty of color with his unique move set that was so far out of the realm of what I knew of in my wrestling world. The Five Star Frog Splash and the crazy elevation he got was a big part of it.  I hate ending this with a bad pun but RVD just got higher and it was glorious.

    Rob Van Dam

    Tom:

    Pretty disgusting that D’Lo Brown isn’t an option here. ANYWAY. Even with how sluggish he’s gotten in all his recent returns, there’s still a part of me that will always be an RVD mark. He was my number one favourite guy for a good couple of years (so I’m completely biased here) and I think his frog splash just looks that much more devastating than Eddie’s. Eddie’s might be prettier, but that Rob Van Dam is DENSE, y’know? Dense like a muffin. Imagine a big old muffin man landing on you, forget it.

    Rob Van Dam

    [yop_poll id=”97″]

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    This Or That (10/7/2014)

    Everybody loves binary decisions, especially wrestling fans! In This Or That, we’ve forced ourselves to choose between two options that relate to wrestling.

    Over four questions, @TimWelcomed, @JoeySplashwater and @TomBlargh will have to choose one of two options and give their reasoning on each of their choices. You can then vote on which one you’d choose, giving you the false impression that you’re somehow involved and we care about your opinion chance to join the conversation!

    Before we start, here’s last week‘s results:

    Who will face Seth Rollins in the Cell?

    Dean Ambrose – 76%, John Cena – 24%

    Who will retire first?

    Big Show – 75%, Kane – 25%

    Which product would you rather try first?

    DDP Yoga – 58%, JR’s BBQ sauce – 42%

    Who reigns supreme?

    Beyoncé – 51%, Rihanna – 49%

    Better Hell In A Cell Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker or Mankind vs. Undertaker?

    With Hell In A Cell in two weeks, which early Cell match did you like more?

    hell-cell

    Tim:

    Both are memorable matches in their own ways but no Hell In A Cell match tops the storytelling of the Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker match. From the big stuff, such as it being the first Hell In A Cell, to the small intricacies, like the narrative of the chair being used in this feud culminating here, all being superbly intertwined and exploding to life thanks to the out-of-this-world chemistry and talent of The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels.

    The way these two can always strike a genuine emotion by a simple move or a facial expression is amazing. I also think it’s something special to have the debut of Kane which was pretty big at the time. It’s always nice to see two storylines unfolding at once without being too much. So… umm… yeah. I’d say I like this match more than the Undertaker vs Mankind match, which wasn’t bad by (hardly) any means.

    Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker

    Joey:

    Both are classics but I lean towards Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker. Shawn Michaels from 1996-1997 was on another level from any wrestler I’ve ever seen aside from the last few years of Daniel Bryan. That match was an emotional roller coaster that ended with the debut of Kane, which was a big deal at the time. You got to see two stories unfold, a classic match between two of the greats and it was the FIRST time you ever saw The Hell In A Cell cage so it just holds a special place in my little ol’ wrestling heart.

    Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker

    Tom:

    While the first is objectively the better match, the second is one of those few spectacles in wrestling that I don’t think will ever be matched. It’s also the match that got me back into wrestling as a teenager, so as much as I like the HBK / Undertaker Hell In A Cell, I’ve got too much tied into the Mankind / Undertaker one to put anything above it.

    Mankind vs. Undertaker

    [yop_poll id=”85″] Continue reading →

    Seven Things: 7 Matches I Want To See In 2014

    Welcome to Seven Things, a list that will run weekly and consist of very eclectic topics. These are of my opinions and doesn’t express the views of others on WrestlingOnEarth.

    The first edition of Seven Things in 2014! I have some interesting ideas in the works for future Seven Things columns but for most of January, I am hoping to focus on some forecasting for 2014.

    Year end reviews are always fun to write about but the launch of a new year should create fresh ideas, new hopes and a positive outlook to everything, including wrestling. These are some of the matches I would like to see in 2014 via various promotions.

    I tried to pick a different promotion for each match but ended up having to go with two WWE matches to fill out the list. Enjoy!

    7. The American Sting Rays vs. The Bro Mans: TNA

    7things7

    The Bro Mans with DJ Zema Ion are currently the best act in TNA and criminally underrated in the current landscape of entertaining characters in wrestling. I don’t care what your natural instinct to rebut is telling you! They are spot on with this gimmick.

    Davey Richards and Eddie “Eddie Edwards” Edwards were unfortunately turned down by WWE after their NXT internship and rumors say a certain pastry enthusiast with clout in TNA is hoping to bring them in. The American Sting Rays is my educated guess of TNA’s answer to The American Pitbulls.

    A match-up of this caliber sounds like an “ironic” choice on the surface but I think it would lead to an interesting program. Both teams are excellent at what they offer but both have some perceived weaknesses. The Wolves are on point in the ring but many “in the biz” critic their ability to tell a story with their matches or characters. The Bro Mans are stellar at their bit but many fans are none too pleased when it comes to their in ring skills. Aside from a fun program, both teams would probably be better for it in the long run.

    Disclaimer: I know if this feud really happened, while it would be really fun, the losing team would then be off TV for months after and forgotten in true TNA fashion.

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    Over/Under: 9/23/2013

    Is it possible to predict the future of the wrestling world? Given that ‘plans change’ might as well be the official motto of the WWE, this might be easier said than done, but in Over/Under, we’re still gonna try!

    Each week, we choose five scenarios and predict how likely they are to come true, by saying whether it’s ‘over’ (i.e. we think it’s over the odds that it’ll happen) or ‘under’ (i.e. we think it’s under the odds). With usual site member @TomBlackett on sabbatical, we have @BradWardFGN here to replace him for the week. He’ll join usual members of the site @TimWelcomed and @typicalROHfan to embarrass themselves by being the ones to make the predictions.

    January 26, 2014: The date John Cena returns

    The rumors are that John Cena will return at the Royal Rumble, which is slated for January 27, 2014. Cena has a history of returning from injuries way earlier than expected.

    CenaOverUnder

    Tim:

    John Cena always comes back early but I think he’ll be back at the Royal Rumble this year. I don’t dislike Cena at all but I have enjoyed him not being around for a bit. He needed some rest anyway.

    OVER.

    typicalROHfan:

    John Cena‘s history of injuries usually result in a shockingly early return but I don’t see it happening this time. Due to being older in age, protecting him for Wrestlemania and the current storyline going on.

    With someone important (Triple H) involved in the feud, I think the boss (Triple H) will give them (Triple H) more faith in running time until Cena comes back around the time of the Royal Rumble giving a bit more time to get ready for WM season.

    My prediction would be Cena is hyped to return at the Royal Rumble but ends up getting eliminated via underhanded tactics by Triple H’s group leading to either a WM match vs. Orton for the title or vs. Triple H in an attraction match.

    OVER.

    BradWardFGN:

    This is a weird one because you have Sheamus returning around the same time frame and you want to give the Cena Wrestlemania feud enough time as possible.

    For that reason, I think Cena may return later. I think he’ll return the day after Royal Rumble.

    OVER.

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