Wrestlespective

Jason Mann and Don Owens of the Future Endeavors podcast discuss Royal Rumble 2011, the 40-man Rumble, what they expect out of Elimination Chamber and Wrestlemania, and debate whether fans deserve to see The Rock in a WWE ring again. #WWE #wrestling Originally published: 2/3/11

Jason Mann talks to K Sawyer Paul for the very first time, about pro wrestling as an artform, C.M. Punk’s brilliance, rushed WWE storytelling, TNA’s concussion angle, acting as Fake Vince, plus some great matches that all coincidentally went nowhere: Raven v. Chris Jericho at Halloween Havoc 1998, Ric Flair & Arn Anderson v. Steve Austin & Brian Pillman at Clash of the Champions 23, Hulk Hogan v. Lex Luger from the 8/4/1997 Nitro, and the Stone Cold Steve Austin v. Triple H epic at No Way Out 2001. #WWE #wrestling Original airdate: 1/26/11

Jason Mann and Josh Hachat go back to the (metaphorical) mailbag and tackle some pressing matters in the world of professional wrestling. They discuss why Shawn Michaels might not be the greatest of all time after all, unpopular opinions we might have about wrestling, greatest entrances, whether tag teams can be relevant today, what specifically Jason doesn’t like about ECW, what TNA is doing right these days, which wrestlers might move up or down in 2011, WWE’s insistence on sticking with theme pay-per-views and much, much more. #WWE #wrestling Originally published: 1/20/11

Don Owens and Jason Mann discuss TLC 2010, including the great John Morrison v. Sheamus ladder match, the merits of a non-title main event, whether Morrison is or ever shall be a good professional wrestler, the overall John Cena v. Nexus story, the best and worst moments of 2010, and favorite past TLC and ladder matches.. Originally published: 12/21/10

Jason Mann and Seth Roy review Randy Savage v. Junkyard Dog in the finals of The Wrestling Classic. They recount the best and worst of the 16-man tournament, marvel at Savage’s ability to draw heat, discuss the difference in perception between the WWE and Intercontinental titles at the time, the relaxed commentary of Gorilla Monsoon, Jesse Ventura and Mean Gene Okerlund, and much more. #WWE #wrestling #prowrestling #rasslin Originally published: 12/11/10

Jason Mann and Razor discuss War Games from WrestleWar 1991, the good and bad in wrestling websites, whether WWE is really unfairly treated in the mainstream media, dealing with the negativity, being a young WWE fan in the 1980s, finding WCW and ECW in the 1990s, why it’s hard to watch TNA in 2010, Hulk Hogan v. Andre the Giant from Wrestlemania 3, whether John Cena is a good candidate to break Undertaker’s Wrestlemania win streak, greatness of Brian Pillman, Randy Orton v. Chris Jericho from Armageddon 2007, and much more. #WWE #wrestling Original airdate: 12/3/10

Jason Mann and Josh Hachat discuss the brief but wild AWA Champion Rick Martel v. Stan Hansen at Superclash 1 on 9/28/1985, the atmosphere at Comiskey Park, Martel’s abilities as a babyface, answering the challenge of the WWF, the loaded card, Verne Gagne’s relationship with the NWA, Hansen’s falling out with the AWA, and more. #WWE #wrestling #prowrestling #rasslin Originally published: 11/30/10

Jason Mann and Josh Hachat talk more about TNA’s failings coming out of Turning Point (though they could apply to just about any TNA pay-per-view), just how disappointing the Bischoff-Hogan regime has been, comparisons between Vince Russo and M. Night Shyamalan, why wrestlers sometimes can’t see the forest for the trees, how the argument that outsiders can’t understand the wrestling business is completely faulty, and how “This is Awesome” chants and the like from fans ruin the fun for everyone. Then they talk about a recommended Chikara match, Mike Quackenbush v. Claudio Castagnoli from Negative Balance (8/13/2005), on the Best of Chikara DVD. #WWE #TNA #wrestling Originally published: 11/26/10

Don Owens and Jason Mann discuss Survivor Series 2010, The Miz’s big WWE Championship win, John Cena’s firing from WWE and how he could eventually return, whether WWE is too averse to risk, the outlook for the next TLC pay-per-view, WWE’s recent firings, how much Triple H could have left, next week’s King of the Ring, another season of NXT, the Ezekiel Jackson push, our favorite entrance themes and much more. #WWE #wrestling Originally published: 11/23/10

Geno Mrosko of Cageside Seats talks to Jason Mann about Stone Cold Steve Austin v. Dude Love at Over the Edge 1998, frustrating continuity errors in wrestling and the constant shifting of Kane’s back story, Shawn Michaels v. The Undertaker Hell in a Cell at Bad Blood 1997, skillful podcast segues, Team WCW v. Team NWO War Games at Fall Brawl 1996, WCW’s good times and bad, the disappointing Hulk Hogan v. Sting match at Starrcade 1997, how big of a difference that made in the demise of WCW, Goldberg’s time in WCW and WWE, the infamous Brock Lesnar v. Goldberg match at Wrestlemania 20, the potential of unifying the WWE and World titles, considering ways to turn John Cena heel, whether the Undertaker should remain undefeated at Wrestlemania, the attractiveness of various championship belts, whether The Miz will successfully cash in Money in the Bank, developing concrete characters in 2010 in wrestling, why many MMA fans despise pro wrestling, why ignoring the connection between the two is silly, and much more. #

Jason Mann and Seth Roy talk about the buildup to the show, the incredible depth of talent in 1987, how much fans loved Randy Savage and hated the Honky Tonk Man, the awesome Jumping Bomb Angels, the less awesome Fabulous Moolah, women who can wrestle but don’t look like models, the breathtaking 37-minute 10-team tag match, why Hulk Hogan might not want to trust Paul Orndorff, Jesse Ventura’s contradictions the beginning of the Survivor Series cop-out finishes, and the incredible reaction to Bam Bam Bigelow. Originally published: 11/17/10

It’s time again to dig into the mailbag (or the Twitter equivalent) with Wrestlespective’s Jason Mann and Josh Hachat as they discuss a random assortment of topics, including: which women’s wrestler has the most provocative Twitter picture, worst gimmick matches ever, best Intercontinental title match at Summerslam, the best way unify the WWE and World titles, why Diesel was doomed to fail as the next Hulk Hogan, the most pointless titles in wrestling history, why a studio used to be a great atmosphere for a wrestling show, poor promotion of pay-per-views, lack of good women’s wrestling, the Hart Dynasty breakup and more. Originally published: 11/15/10

WWE’s list of top 50 wrestlers (sorry -- superstars) of all time has been released for its upcoming DVD, and boy some of the choices are kind of baffling. While it’s not worth getting mad about in any way, Jason Mann and Josh Hachat break down the top 50, try to comprehend what criteria could justify the list, consider what kind of political effects influenced the choices, debate which wrestlers were overlooked, who was ranked too high or low or not at all, why Hulk Hogan v. Bruno Sammartino debates need context, and why no one is qualified to call anyone the greatest wrestler of all time. Originally published: 11/15/10

Mitch of PIZZABODYSLAM and host Jason Mann talk about trying to create a distinctive voice in the wrestling blogosphere, defending the ugly new TNA belt, massive love for 1997 WWF, how the stigma of being a wrestling fan has changed, best iron-man matches, excitement of attending Ring of Honor shows, getting into the independent style, dealing with chant-happy crowds, the joy of a great live crowd, having an arm on the cover of a DVD, the missed opportunity that was TNA, the badness of Jeff Jarrett, and the following matches: -Bret Hart v. The Undertaker, Summerslam 1997  -Edge & Christian v. The Dudleys v. The Hardys, Wrestlemania 2000  -John Cena v. Randy Orton, WWE Bragging Rights 2009  -Bryan Danielson v. Claudio Castagnoli, ROH Northern Navigation 2008  -Samoa Joe v. A.J. Styles v. Christopher Daniels, TNA Unbreakable 2005 Original airdate: 11/12/10 #WWE #wrestling

Jason Mann and Josh Hachat discuss Hulk Hogan & Mr. T v. Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff at Wrestlemania 1, Hogan’s first year as champion, Mr. T’s importance in the popularization of the WWF, the War to Settle the Score and the rock-and-wrestling connection, Piper’s unmatched ability to be hated, Orndorff’s perpetual underratedness and more. #wrestling #WWE #prowrestling #rasslin Originally published: 11/8/10

Jason Mann and Seth Roy discuss Ric Flair v. Dusty Rhodes at Starrcade 1984: The Million Dollar Challenge, the awesome promos that set up the match, Dusty as a preacher, Flair straddling the line between face and heel, whether the quest for one million dollars worked as a story, the Mid-Atlantic territory’s evolution into WCW, Joe Frazier as a referee, Kyle Petty as a seemingly unnecessary ringside judge and more. #WWE #wrestling #prowrestling #rasslin Originally published: 11/5/10

Seth Roy shares his thoughts on Mick Foley’s Countdown to Lockdown and the new Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 video game. Then he and Jason Mann answer reader questions about Raw’s mystery general manager, Sting’s future in wrestling and how he might fare in WWE, Harley Race’s king gimmick and more. #WWE #wrestling Originally published: 11/2/10

Jason Mann talks to Thomas Holzerman about his love for Chikara, covering independent wrestling and attending shows, why WWE pay-per-view business is declining, why nostalgia almost never works, learning from WCW’s failures, how TNA could be successful, the merits of wrestling as sport vs. entertainment, pushing non-wrestlers in prominent roles, promotions catering to the Internet crowd, whether the Beer Money-Motor City Machine Guns best-of-five series was a success, WWE’s lack of recent breakthrough stars and much, much more. They also discuss Tom’s evolution as a wrestling fan and some of his favorite matches: -Ultimate Warrior v. Randy Savage, Wrestlemania 7  -Chris Jericho v. Pit Bull No. 2, Hardcore Heaven 1996  -The Rock v. Hulk Hogan, Wrestlemania 18  -Young Bucks v. CIMA & Susumu Yokosuka, Dragon Gate USA No. 1 Originally published: 11/1/10

Kevin Sullivan, author of “The WWE Championship,” and Wrestlespective’s Jason Mann talk about the evolution of the title and how its value has changed over the years, fascinating stories from past champions such as the Iron Sheik, Bret Hart, Ric Flair, Sid and Sgt. Slaughter, overlooked champions, Kevin’s tenure at WWE.com for a decade, experiences working under Vince McMahon, his first memories of pro wrestling and his favorite wrestlers, matches and moments. #WWE #wrestling Originally published: 10/29/10

Special guest Don Owens and Jason Mann look ahead to Survivor Series 2010 with Wade Barrett v. Randy Orton with John Cena as referee, talk about their favorite moments of Survivor Series past, express frustrations at pay-per-views with few announced matches, and answer questions from Twitter regarding Santino Marella’s push, how to best use the Undertaker, who might win the Royal Rumble, and more. Originally published: 10/27/10