VIDEO: Ask My 1-2-3 Cents: nWo in HOF

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

It's time for a new feature on the My 1-2-3 Cents YouTube Channel. It's called Ask My 1-2-3 Cents. I will be answering questions there as they come in.

The first one is about the nWo going into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. Be sure to check out the video and don't forget to subscribe. Ask your questions here or on the My 1-2-3 Cents Facebook page. 

Take a look:

Instead of Diesel, how about Bulldog?

Bulldog vs. Diesel
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I'm starting a new feature here on the blog, looking at former heavyweight champs and offering up a different Superstar to hold that belt. In no way am I disrespecting the chosen wrestler, instead just wondering 'what if.'

For the first installment, why I would have rather seen British Bulldog as WWF Champion instead of Diesel.

Courtesy: WWE

This is the part where I contradict myself. I don't dislike Kevin Nash or Diesel, however, the character and the performer never resonated with me. I respect what he's done in the business. I appreciate the fact that he overcame a myriad of crappy gimmicks to achieve Legend status. I was shocked when he won the Intercontinental Championship from Razor Ramon in early 1994. I was amazed when he beat Bob Backlund for the WWF Championship in a matter of seconds later that year.

It was November 1994. Bret Hart had once again dropped the title, this time to Backlund. I personally would have liked to seen Bret hold the belt and have a long-term, meaningful run with the gold. Yes, I know it's all a work, but I can still have an opinion on what I wanted to see on my favorite wrestling programs. Since the plan was to obviously put the title on someone new and who was a good guy, I would have gone with Bulldog. (My bad guy pick is Owen Hart here). I had an internal debate between Bulldog and Ramon for this blog, but my favorite tag team of all-time is the British Bulldogs so that's why I went with Davey Boy Smith.

Courtesy: WWE

Ramon was still going back and forth with challengers for the IC title, trading it for years to come with Jeff Jarrett and Goldust. But Smith seemed lost for a period and ended up forming a tag team with Lex Luger. The two were impressive and I thought they'd end up finally dethroning Owen and Yokozuna for the tag team titles, but it never happened.

Courtesy: WWE

Imagine Bulldog winning the belt that night in Madison Square Garden from Backlund. He could have then gone on to defend it against contenders like Shawn Michaels, Diesel and Owen. (I would have kept Diesel a heel too). Bulldog's run could have lasted a year and culminated at Survivor Series 95 where he'd drop it back to Bret much like Diesel did. This would have given Bret a win after losing the IC title to Smith at Summer Slam 92 and still kept the plans in place for Michaels' rise to the top in 1996. 

This is obviously a quick look at what I would have liked to have seen. Look for future 'Instead Of' blogs. Let me know who you would have had to win the WWF Championship instead of Diesel. 

Click the pic to shop

Fun Fact Friday: Austin Lane

Austin Lane
Courtesy: Dreadhead Kev Photography

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Austin Lane is the reigning Cape Championship Wrestling champion. I've had a couple of chances to see him in action at CCW and he lives up to his nickname "The Best of the Best." After getting some info from him for this week's Fun Fact Friday, it makes sense how Lane earned that moniker.

The champ

Lane says he mirrors his wrestling philosophy from "Nature Boy" Ric Flair. "I make every opponent look like a star and could beat me," Lane recently told me.

Lane and Kurt Angle (yes, that Kurt Angle) are the only two wrestlers to win the Power Pro Championship while being undefeated.

Jerry Lynn is Lane's mentor. He calls the former WWF Light Heavyweight Champion his "wrestling dad" and the two remain close today. 

Lane holds a victory over former WWE Champion Kevin Nash. It came during an event in 2004. 

And not only is Lane "the best of the best" in the ring but in the writing world too. In high school, he won several literary awards and has many of his work published.

Remember you can check out Austin Lane Saturday, Nov. 25 at the final CCW show of 2017. He'll team with former rival Brandon Barbwire as they take on Justin Smart and Osby Tomlin. That show is happening at the Delta Community Center. 

Wrestling mysteries that were never solved

Owens wins
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

This blog is probably going to end up being more cynical than I planned, but I really don't have much to say about Raw from Monday (I haven't finished the show) and I am really making an effort to be more positive with my posts. This will stray from that, but I'll be back on course tomorrow as the blogging streak continues. Today I am looking at a few mysteries in wrestling that never seemed to be solved.

Why did Triple H help Kevin Owens win the WWE Universal Championship? There is still time to answer this, and I think had Seth Rollins not gotten hurt we might be an answer to that question in the near future. Sometimes as fans we get impatient and want to know details as they start to unfold. As we learned in 2013/14 the slow burn is worth the wait. And yes I know allegedly the original plan was not for Daniel Bryan to go all the way to the top at WrestleMania XXX.

The McMahons vs. Austin
Courtesy: WWE

Who was pulling the briefcase during The McMahons vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin? This ladder match was for the title of CEO of the WWF. The briefcase that hung above the ring could only be reached via a ladder and when Austin climbed to the top, the case suddenly got yanked away. This eventually allowed the McMahons to regain control, climb the ladder and retain control of the company.

Hummer collision
Courtesy: WWE

Who was in the white Hummer that nearly destroyed Kevin Nash? Before WCW folded, Nash was involved in a storyline with Randy Savage. Savage drove a limo that Nash was inside and parked it before someone in a white Hummer slammed into the luxury car several times. The Macho Man told viewers it was his new bodyguard that we would meet later, but guess what, we never did. 

GTV is always watching
Courtesy: WWE

Who was behind G-TV? WWE fans watched as someone had set up a camera backstage and was spying on Superstars and Divas. The feed was played for months, but we never learned the mastermind. Bruce Prichard recently revealed it was supposed to be Goldust, but he departed the company before the payoff. 

These are just a few things I've questioned as a wrestling fan. What storylines never had a resolution that you're curious about?

Streaks are meant to be broken

Cubs win!

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I'm not a huge sports fan. But I did get caught up in the buzz of the Chicago Cubs quest for a World Series championship. By now you know they won the trophy after a 108-year drought. Growing up in St. Louis I've always been a Cardinals fan. However, I tip my hat (if I was wearing one) to the Cubs and their fans. 

One thing I don't understand is the snark on social media. Yes, the Cardinals have more championships under their belt. But how could you not be excited or at least happy for a team that has not played in the World Series since World War II? Rivals or not, I'm proud of the Cubs and happy for my many friends who have rooted for the Cubbies through the tough times.

Undertaker's streak ends

The breaking of that World Series winless streak got me to thinking about other streaks (in wrestling of course).  The most impressive streak in the business is, of course, the Undertaker's WrestleMania streak. In March 1991 he beat "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka. Year after year (except 1994 and 2000 when he didn't wrestle at Mania) the Undertaker was victorious. Then in a move that still kinda baffles me, Brock Lesnar beat the Undertaker at WrestleMania XXX. The Deadman is now 23 and 1. Still impressive, but that one little one is the fly in the ointment.

Charlotte Flair wins again
Courtesy: WWE

Another streak that I'm loving right now is that of Charlotte Flair. The Raw Women's Champion has not lost in singles competition on pay per view since debuting on the main roster last summer. Charlotte is 13 and 2 on PPVs, with the only two defeats happening in tag team competition. She has the best record of any WWE Superstar on pay per view. It's impressive and word on the street is WWE plans to continue it until WrestleMania.

Goldberg
Courtesy: WWE

Goldberg once touted a streak of 173 (alleged) victories before finally losing to Kevin Nash at Starrcade 1998. It was done in less than stellar fashion and could have been so much more.

So there you have it, a few streaks that have been broken and one that remains intact. What are your favorite streaks in sports and wrestling?

Remembering the NEW World Order makes me feel OLD

nWo has arrived
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin 

It's hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that 20 years ago today (July 7, 1996) the New World Order was born. Hulk Hogan was revealed as the third member to join Outsiders Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, who had shown up on WCW Monday Nitro weeks earlier. Hogan turned his back on the fans and in the process helped turn up the heat in the Monday Night Wars.

That evening and the weeks that followed provided some great storytelling by WCW. I had always been a WWF loyalist, but I will admit the early days of the nWo made for compelling television. WWF was down and WCW had the right formula in place to keep the momentum and take over in the ratings. Quite honestly WCW was kicking WWF's ass and Vince McMahon and his crew needed to do something and fast.

Too sweet or too crowded?
Courtesy: WWE

But like all good things in the wrestling industry, someone has to ruin it. WCW made the mistake of adding new members at a rapid pace and soon ex-WWF guys like Virgil and IRS were a part of the squad. It took away the cool factor, and that's not a knock at Mike Rotundo. The creation of the Wolf Pack and the lWo also watered took away the coolness Hogan, Hall and Nash originally brought to the group. But old school fans would likely argue heels aren't supposed to be cool, but I digress...

Reunion 2015 at WrestleMania 31
Courtesy: WWE

The other hard to believe factor is less than five years after the nW0 revolutionized the wrestling business, WCW would be the property of McMahon and his stockholders. His attempt to resurrect the group on a couple of occasions served as a nice nostalgic pop more than anything. While it's not my favorite moment from the Monday Night Wars (remember I'm a WWF guy) the nWo certainly played a huge role in the way things ended up going in the wake of its formation. I hated to see Razor Ramon and Diesel gone from the WWF, but as Hall said on a recent episode of Table for 3, going to WCW helped build new SuperStars in WWE and everyone won as a result. We may have never had "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock or Mick Foley had Hall and Nash stayed.

 

Thank you Jeff Jarrett

Ready to rumble

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin 

I felt it was necessary to post a follow up to my blog earlier in the week, My Wrestling Resume. It was a blatant pitch (pun intended) to Jeff Jarrett to be a part of the Global Force Wrestling Grand Slam Tour stop in my town. GFW set up at Rent One Park, home of the Southern Illinois Miners, this week. 

Photo courtesy: jitterymonkey.com

I was offered the opportunity to announce one of the matches. Their ring announcer Brandon Baxter introduced me and plugged My 1-2-3 Cents, Jittery Monkey and WSIL. He also complimented my "Bobby Heenan" jacket that my mom made for me when we went to WrestleMania 27 as the Heenan family.

Four corners match

I announced the four corners match between Kongo Kong, Mike Outlaw, Joey Avalon and "Hot Shot" Danny Duggan. Sitting on the field very close to the ring was an awesome experience and when Kong went to the top rope and splashed down on Outlaw I could see the breath escape Outlaw's body. Kong pinned his fallen opponent and won the match.

Yes that's a hoverboard in a match

The announcing experience was awesome as always, but getting a chance to talk with the wrestlers in the locker room and along the concourse was amazing too. I got to meet Karen Jarrett, who was absolutely amazing. Colt Cabana was there and remembered me from the days when he was on AAPW shows here in Marion. It always impresses me when someone who has so much going on in this business remembers my name. I know he's probably not reading, but thankkkkks.

Nash is in green

Kevin Nash and Swoggle were there too, but I didn't really have a chance to interact with the two of them. They were clearly the busiest guys there, meeting fans, taking pics and signing autographs. I did chuckle when a fan asked me "Is she really a Von Erich?" referring to GFW Women's Champion Christina Von Eerie. I told him no and reminded him her name was Von Eerie, not Von Erich.

My view before hitting the ring

Thanks again to everyone who made the show possible and those who came out to watch. I hope one day GFW finds a home on TV. Support these shows when they come to your town and if there's indy wrestling near you, go out and watch as well. You're helping men and women live their dream and you're getting entertained at a fraction of the cost.

What If Wednesday: Sting Is the Third Member

Sting on the night the nWo formed
Photo courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents

Recently on the WWE Network program The Monday Night War (available for $9.99 a month), former WCW President Eric Bischoff said the original plan was for Sting to be the third member of the nWo, along side Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.  But as Hall said in the documentary, that idea simply would not have worked.

Even 13 years after its demise, Sting is still remembered as the franchise for WCW.  He's the only major star in the company to have never worked for WWE.  Greats like Ric Flair, Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, and Terry and Dory Funk ended up on Vince McMahon's payroll. The decision to make Hulk Hogan that third member of the trio and founding father of the nWo was the only way to go.

For Life!
Photo courtesy: WWE

The stable was formed on the idea that Hall and Nash were still working for WWE when they appeared on Nitro back in the summer of 1996.  That third member HAD to be a former WWE guy.  Ultimate Warrior, Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart were all under contract in WWE, but any one of the three would have fit the bill nicely too.

Back to Sting, fans weren't ready to boo him.  He was still extremely popular.  Hogan and the Hulkamania concept had worn thin with the fans.  The character was stale and passe and needed a change.  His heel turn was organic.  Sting as a bad guy just wasn't going to work, the fans wanted him to save the company.

Hogan vs. Sting
Photo courtesy: WWE

Like Hogan's character, Sting ended up evolving too, going from the "Beach Bum" to the "Crow."  In terms of the first couple of years of the Monday Night War, keeping Sting as the hero and making Hogan that third member of the nWo worked out for the best.  I don't think the nWo would have been the same or as successful with the real Sting as a member.

If you have a suggestion for a What If Wednesday, let me know.

Boo: Ghosts of Halloween Past

Oh yeah!
Happy Halloween from the Macho Man

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Since it's Thursday, I'm going to tie today's Halloween blog in with Throwback Thursday.  I haven't posted one in the last couple of weeks, so here's to killing two birds with one stone.  Children of the 1970's and 80's will remember those plastic Halloween costumes with the face mask that you could barely see out of or breath from.  The little rubber band that held the mask to your head would always snap about half way through trick or treating too.  Remember?

Ultimate Warrior

By the time the WWF jumped on this bandwagon of costumes, I was too old to wear them.  But I strolled down memory lane and found a few.  Based on what I've found, it appears the WWF only produced costumes in the likeness of their top baby face superstars.  Hulk Hogan, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, and the Ultimate Warrior were all I could find.

Imagine though a mini "Ravishing" Rick Rude strutting down the streets of suburbia, thrusting his hips at the female neighbors and hurling insults at all the fat, out shape, and ugly ones.  Or how about a pint sized Andre the Giant tripping over his own feet because he can't see out of the poorly constructed mask.  Oh the memories those would have made.

Hulkster

I found a Hogan costume on eBay.  The seller is asking $99.90 for it.  No big shock that there aren't any bids yet.  The Ultimate Warrior one I came across is only five bucks.  I didn't have any luck finding the old Savage costumes eBay, but there are a ton of vintage Macho Man t-shirts in a variety of colors that pay tribute to the late superstar.

Goldberg

Upon further examination though, it looks like WCW came out with some Halloween costumes too.  It looks like a slightly higher quality grade of plastic mask, and the part that covers the body looks like it would stand up against more than a stiff wind and are made of cloth instead of plastic.  Goldberg, Kevin Nash, and Sting are the ones I found on my search.

Kevin Nash: A Retort

Kevin Nash

By Chad Smart

@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter

I wasn’t planning on commenting on Kevin Nash’s idiotic comments. Mainly I felt Nash made the comments knowing they would cause uproar and it’d get his name back in the spotlight. Since Kevin gave his thoughts, and I like stealing Kevin’s gimmick, I felt there were some additional points to make. Thus, this essay was born.

Growing up in the 80s, I was/am a fan of glam rock/hair metal and remember when bands like Motley Crue, Def Leppard and Warrant got pushed aside for Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden there was some backlash from “rock” fans. There’s a quote I remember reading from around 1993-94 that said, “Musicians stopped looking like rock stars and started looking like guys who just got off work at the gas station.”  In a sense, I see where Nash is coming from with his comments about Benoit, Eddie, Punk or Daniel Bryan not standing out in a crowd. There was a time when wrestlers were taller, bigger, and more muscular than they are now. Does that automatically make today’s wrestlers inferior? I don’t think so. As Gorilla Monsoon used to say, ‘any small guy can beat a bigger guy on any given day.”  Before I move on to my thoughts on why wrestling isn’t as popular as it was during the Attitude Era let me ask you this, if Steve Austin wasn’t “Stone Cold” and you saw him at the airport would you notice him. A guy in a ball cap and camouflage jacket sitting by himself playing Angry Birds on his phone doesn’t exactly scream big star.

I won’t say Nash is wrong to say wrestling business hasn’t been the same as it was during the Attitude Era. However, I don’t feel that has anything to with Benoit or Eddie or Punk being champions. It has more to do with the wrestling landscape and the reluctance of WWE and TNA to change the status quo. As I’ve written about before the Attitude Era happened because of a perfect storm in wrestling. Eric Bischoff positioned WCW to be a competition to WWF and had the financial backing to level the playing field. This forced Vince McMahon to stop going through the motions of lazy booking and come up with some new ideas. At the same time Paul Heyman was leading his land of misfit toys under the ECW banner providing a different, more mature presentation to the standard wrestling product. Had WCW not launched Nitro, had ECW not developed a cult following, would wrestling have had a boom period in the late ‘90s? Would anyone have cared that Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were trying to take over WCW Saturday Night? Would middle fingers, hardcore matches and “puppies” become a staple of RAW if there was no pressure to improve viewership to compete with Nitro?

The night Austin 3:16 was born
Courtesy: WWE

Another aspect to look at from when the wrestling business was popular is the amount of freedom wrestlers had over their character compared to today’s wrestlers. No writer came up with “Austin 3:16.” Steve Austin thought up the phrase as he was walking to the ring to face Jake Roberts. If “Austin 3:16” wouldn’t have been uttered, would Austin be as popular as he is today? Once again I have to point out that had Kevin Nash not played a part in getting Triple H in trouble as Nash and Scott Hall were on their way out of WWF, Triple H was scheduled to win King of the Ring ’96 and that would have had a major impact on the Attitude Era.

One of the biggest problems over the last ten years, which seems to be slowly fading, is the lack of characters in wrestling. Hogan, Savage, Dusty, Austin, Rock, even Nash were larger than life personalities. That’s what draws fans in and makes them want to watch. Look at the past decade, it seems every wrestler had a similar look; muscular, six-pack abs, short hair, may or may not have tribal tattoos, lacking in personality.  When everyone is the same, no one stands out.

Vintage Chris Jericho

Since he’s tweeted his thoughts about it, I’ll use Chris Jericho as an example of what’s changed in wrestling. Jericho is about the same size as the guys Nash critiqued. When Jericho first debuted in WCW there wasn’t any real reason to pay attention to him. Sure he was a good worker, but it’s not like WCW was presenting him as a star. What helped get Jericho over with the fans was his exaggerated persona. Putting his hair in a stupid side ponytail, wearing flashy jackets, basically doing anything he could to stand out from the pack. Then when he got to speak, Jericho ramped up the personality, created several catchphrases and over time the fans started flocking to him. Imagine if Jericho’s debut in WCW was the character he was portraying in WWE during his last run before this year. Would a suit wearing, slow speaking, serious Jericho had gotten over in WCW or WWF back in 1996? Doubtful. But because he had 10 years of being a superstar, Jericho could modify his persona and keep fan interest.

I may get some backlash for what I’m about to say. I think of CM Punk’s biggest faults isn’t his size, but his inability to create the bigger than life persona. Doing the straight edge, “I’m better than you” persona in Ring of Honor works because the fan base is made up of people who fit into the same demographic as CM Punk. The same persona doesn’t translate to an audience comprised of and a product aimed at children. Sure, when Punk dropped the pipe bomb last year it got people talking because it was a throwback to the Attitude Era where guys would make shoot comments and wrestling fans would hit their keyboards to post on message boards about not believing what they just saw on TV. Unfortunately, within a couple weeks, WWE went back into safe mode and made John Cena the focal point even though he wasn’t champion.

John Cena
Courtesy: WWE

That brings me to what I consider to big the biggest detriment to the wrestling business and why there won’t be another spike in business anytime soon. WWE, for whatever reason, doesn’t want anyone besides John Cena to be a star. Sure other guys may be champions, but they will never be presented as bigger or better than Cena. This is not a personal attack on Cena as I feel he’s an underrated wrestler and should be commended for the charity and publicity work he does for WWE. The problem is Cena has been the focal point for 7-8 years while only missing about 3 months of work due to injury.  And, I would think that Cena has the body type Kevin Nash would think a wrestler should possess.

In addition to keeping Cena on the forefront, remember when he was “fired” during the Nexus angle yet appeared on every episode of RAW until he was reinstated, the template for booking shows has grown stale. RAW still operates under the same set up it started in 1996-97. Most TV shows which air for more than 5 seasons run into fatigue of becoming tiresome due to repetition. The difference is most TV shows only do 22-24 episodes a year, while WWE (as they’re proud to tell you) does 52 episodes a year. After 884 shows, it’s time for something to change. That’s why I have to give TNA some credit. They seem to be trying to mix up the generic wrestling television show formula and are having some success. Hopefully in time fans will forget the 9 years of mediocre television TNA produced and will give Impact another shot.

To summarize, Kevin Nash is an intelligent idiot who knows how to stay in the spotlight. Wrestling’s popularity has nothing to do with the size of the wrestlers bodies. It is the size of the wrestler’s personalities that attract fans. 

Kevin Nash Bash

Kevin Nash
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

In the name of fairness, if you're a Kevin Nash fan, stop reading this blog now.  Instead, check out some other posts or subscribe to My 1-2-3 Cents on YouTube.

If you've decided to keep reading, you probably feel the same way I do on this situation.  Kevin Nash recently did an interview with Grantland (click here to read the whole thing) where he buries "smaller" wrestlers like Chris Benoit, CM Punk, and Eddie Guerrero.  Here's a direct quote:

"When Benoit and Guerrero hugged [at the end of WrestleMania XX], that was the end of the business," he says. "Has business been the same since that WrestleMania? Has it come close to the Austin era? Has it come close to the nWo or the Hogan era? You put two f----- guys that were great workers that were the same height as the f------ referees, and I'm sorry, man. Are you going to watch a porno movie with a guy with a three-inch d---? Even if you're not gay, you will not watch a porno movie with a guy with a three-inch d---. That's not the standard in porno films. So you put a 5-foot-7 guy as your world champion."

2 champs celebrate
Photo by WWE

I'll start with statement.  In my opinion, that celebration between Benoit and Guerrero remains one of the greatest moments captured in wrestling history.  If you eliminate what Benoit did to his family and focus solely on his wrestling, I'd say it's hard to argue that he was one of the all time great technicans.  Guerrero belongs in that category too.  Unlike Chris, I felt like Eddie was more of an entertainer.  His work with Chavo as Los Guerreros and his time with Chyna and "Latino Heat" was superb.

HBK, HHH, and Benoit
Photo from: WWE

Secondly, look at the picture I posted.  This was prior to the match where Benoit won the title.  He and Shawn Michaels are billed as different heights (Benoit 5'9", Michaels 6'1"), but if you look closely, if there really is a four inch difference it's hard to see.  They look pretty darn close as far as I'm concerned and I've never heard Nash bash HBK's height. 

Who cares how tall a wrestler is?  Or how fat or thin or physically fit.  That's what I like about wrestling.  There are all different body types who are highlighted.  Should guys like the Great Khali and Ron Ries (remember him?) get world title runs because they're taller than CM Punk or Daniel Bryan?  Hell no.

Speaking of Punk and Bryan, here's what "Big Sexy" had to say about them...

"They are not bigger than life," he says. "I bet they could both walk through airports and not be noticed unless they have a gimmick shirt on and the belt."

Punk laughs at Nash (so do I)
Photo from: WWE

Punk is billed as 6'2", a whole inch taller than Nash's buddy Shawn's alleged height of 6'1".  The bottom line is it doesn't matter.  Being tall has no impact on a wrestler's ability and as we've seen doesn't seem to impact them in getting over with the crowd.  I'm not condoning a Hornswoggle run as champ, but D-Bry and others in the under 6 foot club can bring something to the table.

Why is Nash making these comments now?  My guess is he wants to attempt to remain relevant.  People are talking about him again, and I've fallen into the trap too by posting this blog.  I really wanted to voice my opinion on the situation.  I'll be honest I was never really a fan of his in the first place, so coming up with a way to criticize him is easy.  It didn't matter to me if he was Oz, Vinnie Vegas, the Master Blaster, or Diesel, I always found Kevin Nash to be rather blah. 

Vince McMahon took a chance on him in 1994 and Nash made the most of the opportunity.  I'll give him credit for that, but he by no means produced anything memorable outside of his feud with Shawn (but really Shawn told that story)  I cringed when Nash won the WWF title and then went on to WCW to do the same thing there.  Then there's the trainwreck he helped create when he started booking there.

But I feel like I've made my point.  My opinion is size does not matter when it comes to the world of wrestling (or sports entertainment) and I feel like the WWE has finally gotten that message with Punk running as champ for nearly a year now.  We don't need a world of giants, muscle heads, and knuckle draggers.  Thanks for reading.

Whose Side is He On?

Here comes Hulk! (WWE)

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I'm watching some classic videos on WWE's YouTube channel and I again came across the 1996 Bash at the Beach.  For those unfamiliar with that show, it was a WCW pay per view that was the site of one of the most historic heel turns in the history of wrestling.  Heck, dare I say it, maybe it WAS the biggest turn ever.

The match was to feature the Outsiders, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash and a tag team partner against WCW mainstays Randy Savage, Sting, and Lex Luger.  For some reason the third Outsider never showed up, but Hall and Nash were able to take out Luger, rendering him useless in the match and turning it into a tag team affair.

After a back and forth battle, all the contestants end up flat on the mat when who should appear, but former WCW champion Hulk Hogan.  He wasn't booked on the show for some reason, I really don't remember the story line as to why he wasn't a part of team WCW.  Anyway, the point of the post is this.  During commentary when Hogan strolls down to the ring, Bobby Heenan wonders out loud, "Whose side is he on?" To me, it was to imply that Hogan was not coming down to help his allies Savage and Sting.

Heel turn!

After Heenan's question, Dusty Rhodes (who is also on commentary) seems to almost stumble and actually seems surprised by the question.  I don't know if anyone has talked about this before, but were the announcers in on the Hogan heel turn?  Or was Heenan just being inquisitive and trying to cast that shadow of doubt in the minds and hearts of the fans?

I love the Brain, but I think if the announcers were in on it, he may have let the cat out of the bag about 30 seconds too soon.  In the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter all that much I suppose, but I would think that some fans found this to kinda ruin the surprise.  That was more than 15 years ago and that line "whose side is he on?" still echoes in my memory bank.  Of course the turn was successful regardless, I just wonder if it was a legitimate accident or if Heenan was trying to get someone's goat.

Watch for yourself.  And tell me your thoughts?  Post them here or on Facebook.  Thanks for reading.