The Power of Nostalgia

By Kevin Hunsperger @kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter Listen to the podcast  Follow my blog with Bloglovin

January 11, 1993-- I remember it well. I was a sophomore in college and ten years into my wrestling fandom. Over Christmas break, I watched the last of the Prime Time Wrestling shows, a program I had enjoyed for about a decade. Now it was time for something new, Monday Night Raw. 

It's hard to believe that was 30 years ago. Now, at 49 years old, I am still a fan, but I still need to become more committed to watching each week. Having cut the cable cord years ago, I have only had a few opportunities to watch Raw live. However, I located a feed of the special anniversary show via TikTok. 

From the opening segment, featuring the face of 80s wrestling, Hulk Hogan, to the final bell with long-time attraction Brock Lesnar, the show was packed with everything a nostalgic fan like me craves. Ric Flair, DX, Kurt Angle, Undertaker, and others. Memories from the past three decades flooded back. My favorite current storyline featuring The Bloodline provided even more entertainment. I can't wait to see how it all plays out, as I've seen plenty of conflicting theories. 

Sometimes fans of the current product frown upon the dusting off of Legends and allowing them to 'humiliate' the existing talent that's there week after week. That was the case with Raw is XXX (30, not pornographic). The Legends were used appropriately and helped give the rub to modern Superstars like Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, the Street Profits, and even LA Knight. 

Sure the latter was choke slammed by the Undertaker, but I still believe that being in the ring with someone the caliber of the Deadman (or Biker in last night's case) goes a long way. These moments provided feel-good moments for fans (I especially enjoyed it after a not-so-great day). 

Even though The Rock, 'Stone Cold,' nor Vince McMahon were there, as many had speculated, I believe Raw is XXX was a great show that flowed well. I'm even more stoked now for Saturday's Royal Rumble and the unpredictability that event will bring. 

What are your thoughts? Let me know!

The Ultimate WrestleMania

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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With the fate of WrestleMania still in flux and so many of us at home for the weekend and potentially for the next several weeks, I thought it would be fun to talk more about past WrestleManias. So I posed the question if you built the Ultimate WrestleMania, what 12 matches would you put on the show. 

Turns out this was a bigger challenge than I anticipated as there are hundreds of matches to choose from. The other caveat, no duplicate Superstars for me. But you construct your list however you see fit. These aren't necessarily the best matches of all-time, just ones that entertained me.

Oh, my list is in no particular order, other than the first, which is my all-time favorite Mania matchup. 

💪Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage: WrestleMania VII

💪Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton vs. Batista: WrestleMania XXX

💪Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels: WrestleMania XXIV

💪Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant: WrestleMania III

💪Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis: WrestleMania III

💪The British Bulldogs vs. The Dream Team: WrestleMania II

💪Trish Straus vs. Mickie James: WrestleMania XXII

💪Undertaker vs. CM Punk: WrestleMania XXIX

💪Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart: WrestleMania X

💪'Stone Cold' Steve Austin vs. The Rock: WrestleMania XV

💪Chris Jericho vs. Edge vs. Christian vs. Kane vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Benoit (MITB): WrestleMania XXI

💪Doink the Clown vs. Crush: WrestleMania IX (yes, I'm serious, I love how this played out.)



Because I limited myself on one Superstar only, I would have had other matches as well. So let me know your card.

AUDIO: Wrestling identities

Dexter Roswell in Stride & CCW

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Pro wrestling has had its share of identity change. Goldust, Kane and the Undertaker are three of the biggest. But don't forget about "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, the Rock and Mick Foley. Who are your favorites? Who are your least favorites?

We get into that discussion this week on the My 1-2-3 Cents podcast. You can listen to guest co-host Garrett Turner and I talk about our favorites. Plus, Garrett sheds some light on his own wrestling persona, Dexter Roswell and the fact that he plays two different personalities for the character (one in southern Illinois for Stride Pro Wrestling and the other in Missouri for Cape Championship Wrestling.)

Listen here! 

Who will win the Ultimate Royal Rumble?

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Since 1988 25 men have won the Royal Rumble. There have been a handful of two time winners, including Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Batista, John Cena and Randy Orton. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin has won the event three times and Braun Strowman is the winner of the first Greatest Royal Rumble. I did include him in this post. 

But of the 25 winners who would win the Ultimate Royal Rumble? 

Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Chris Benoit, Steve Austin, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio and Vince McMahon (yes, I know) all proved they can go the distance, choosing single digital numbers and winning. Yokozuna had the massive size. Braun Strowman, Hulk Hogan, Roman Reigns, Batista, Sheamus, Undertaker, Brock Lesnar Lex Luger and John Cena are among the most powerful.

I loved Flair's performance in the 1992 Royal Rumble. He's on my shortlist of men to win this time around too. The raw power and dominance that Strowman has shown for the past year or so has made him unstoppable. But I'm picking the guy who has won the most Rumbles, even though he kinda cheated in 1997, and that's Austin. 

Who is your choice? 

• 1988: Hacksaw Jim Duggan (entrant No.13)
• 1989: Big John Studd (No. 27)
• 1990: Hulk Hogan (No. 25)
• 1991: Hulk Hogan (No. 24)
• 1992: Ric Flair (No. 3)
• 1993: Yokozuna (No. 27)
• 1994: Bret Hart (No. 27) and Lex Luger (No. 23), co-winners
• 1995: Shawn Michaels (No. 1)
• 1996: Shawn Michaels (No. 18)
• 1997: Steve Austin (No. 5)
• 1998: Steve Austin (No. 24)
• 1999: Vince McMahon (No. 2)
• 2000: The Rock (No. 24)
• 2001: Steve Austin (No. 27)
• 2002: Triple H (No. 22)
• 2003: Brock Lesnar (No. 29)
• 2004: Chris Benoit (No. 1)
• 2005: Batista (No. 28)
• 2006: Rey Mysterio (No. 2)
• 2007: The Undertaker (No. 30)
• 2008: John Cena (No. 30)
• 2009: Randy Orton (No. 8)
• 2010: Edge (No. 29)
• 2011: Alberto Del Rio (No. 38)
• 2012: Sheamus (No. 22)
• 2013: John Cena (No. 19)
• 2014: Batista (No. 28)
• 2015: Roman Reigns (No. 19)
• 2016: Triple H (No. 30)
• 2017: Randy Orton (No. 23)
• 2018: Shinsuke Nakamura (No. 14)
• 2018: Braun Strowman (No. 41 in Greatest Royal Rumble)

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VIDEO: Reaction to Shawn Michaels' return to the ring

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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On the Oct. 8 edition of Monday Night Raw, the rumors of Shawn Michaels returning to the ring were confirmed. The Heartbreak Kid along with Triple H announced Degeneration X is back and will face the Undertaker and Kane at the upcoming Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia on Nov. 2.

My 1-2-3 Cents on the announcement can be seen in the video below. Thanks for watching and please subscribe.

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Undertaker vs. Stride Pro Wrestling

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Please note: The Undertaker is NOT coming to Stride Pro Wrestling. This is a fantasy booking blog post.

Saturday night the Undertaker returned to the ring to team with Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns to beat Kevin Owen, Elias and Baron Corbin. Since Undertaker is doing some house shows, I figured why not have Undertaker pay a visit to Stride Pro Wrestling. Here are a few opponents I'd like to see Undertaker work with on the Stride roster.

Wraith
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

Wraith seems to make the most sense from a gimmick standpoint. The ghostly figure has been a menacing force in Stride since his debut in January. He's the winner of the first Stride Cup Tournament and the current Legacy Champion. His size, strength and agility would make for a competitive match with Undertaker. Plus with Disciple Ryzer ringside, you never know what might happen.

Hatton soars

In what would be billed as a face vs. face encounter, Heath Hatton would give Undertaker one helluva match. He's held every championship in Stride and has proven himself in high-pressure situations. He's grappled with guys bigger than him with success, including Frank Wyatt and the late Red Daniels. Hatton's execution of the flying punch and his spear could pose a huge threat to the veteran Undertaker.

Roger Matheus vs Jay Spade
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

When it comes to brawlers in Stride Pro Wrestling, it's hard to find anyone better than Roger Matheus. I went over his qualities in the Vader vs. Stride Pro Wrestling blog a couple weeks ago. Matheus has trained with the likes of Bobby Lashley and has had an intense match against Abyss in Cape Championship Wrestling. His dominant run as Stride Pro Wrestling Champion punctuates the brutality he'd bring against Undertaker.

Bo Sawyer
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

Bo Sawyer is a rough and tough member fo the Midwest Monster Hunters. Some consider Undertaker a monster. It would only make sense to see these two big guys mix it up in the ring. But remember, the Monster Hunters don't travel alone so the Undertaker could find himself outnumbered quick.

What other Stride competitors would give Undertaker a good match? I could also see the likes of Chris Hargas, Farmer Billy Hills and Ax Allwardt all providing the Deadman with some stiff competition. 

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Ten years later: WrestleMania 24

Ready to rumble as Hornswoggle

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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It's hard to believe ten years have already passed since WrestleMania 24. It was March 30, 2008, at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando. I was one of the 74,635 in attendance that day. It was the second WrestleMania my buddy Chad Smart and I attended.

Here are a few takeaways from that event a decade later. 

Flair says goodbye

I was there for Flair. When rumors of Ric Flair's retirement match being a part of WrestleMania, Chad and I made an extra effort to get tickets. We sat in what I believe was the fourth row that night and watched as our childhood hero wrestled for the last time in WWE. Even though we had speculated it would be Flair's swan song, I still found myself cheering for Naitch, hoping he'd pull off a surprise win and stick around a little longer.

The next night we watched as Legends and Superstars honored "Nature Boy" on Raw. I'm not going to lie and say that I'm disappointed Flair ended up wrestling again in TNA after his retirement. But I still hold a special memory of that night and can proclaim I was there for Flair's last WWE matchup.

Triple threat fun

That night also marked John Cena's first WrestleMania loss. He was pinned by Randy Orton in a triple threat match for the WWE Championship. Cena had won the Royal Rumble two months earlier and I figured he'd be a lock for winning the gold. Even though it's a little blurry the pic here is one of my favorites I took at WrestleMania 24.

Main event

Undertaker's Streak continued as he repeated from WrestleMania 23 and won the World Championship, pinning Edge in the main event of the night. Fireworks popped in celebration after the victory and it turns out a fan was injured in the process.

Big chokeslam from the Big Show

Another big moment from the night was Floyd 'Money' Mayweather taking on the Big Show. The giant had just returned after a hiatus from WWE. In my mind, Big Show was a lock for this one too, but I loved how they put the match together and Mayweather getting the underhanded victory. 

Bunny time

CM Punk won Money in the Bank that year. Admittedly I wasn't completely on board with Punk at the time, as I hoped John Morrison would have a moment to shine. The Playboy BunnyMania Lumberjill match is exactly what you're thinking. It goes to show how far WWE executives and creative have come in terms of their treatment of women's wrestling. 

Those are just a few of my memories from the show. We dressed as Hornswoggle for some unknown reason that year. We had a great time and got to keep our chairs and added to our collection of photos and autographs from a variety of WWE Superstars. 

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3 WrestleMania options for John Cena

The Road to WrestleMania closed?

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Once again John Cena has come up short in finding his Road to WrestleMania. He failed to win the Royal Rumble in January, which would have insured him a shot at the Universal or WWE Champions. Cena lost his effort to be the number one contender for the Universal Championship after losing at Elimination Chamber in February. And it was seemingly 'strike three' for the16-time heavyweight champ when he couldn't win the gold in the six-pack challenge at Fastlane. 

Where does this leave Cena for the biggest event of the year? I've got a few options in mind. Since 2004 Cena has been in a championship match or a high profile match at WrestleMania. Even in 2016 when he was out hurt, Cena appeared during the Rock's impromptu match against Erik Rowan. Cena is as much a part of WrestleMania as Superstars like Shawn Michaels, Hulk Hogan and the Undertaker.

Undertaker
Courtesy: WWE

Speaking of the Dead Man, he's my first option for Cena. I'll admit I don't like how WWE ended last year's show with Undertaker losing to Reigns and the unanswered questions about Taker's future. But Undertaker seems to be the most logical choice in this scenario. He's the one guy who Cena hasn't faced on the big stage. Even with the Streak long broken, in my 1-2-3 cents this would still be a compelling match and if they don't push Undertaker past the limit the work rate will be great.

Bobby Lashley
Courtesy: Impact Wrestling

I would have much rather seen Bobby Lashley enter and win the Royal Rumble and go on to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, I think the former ECW Champion coming in to do battle with Cena could be epic. I know Lashley is no spring chicken in the business, but he has come a long way since leaving WWE a decade ago. There's still plenty of gas in the tank and Lashley facing Cena (win, lose or draw) at WrestleMania would be an amazing comeback and boost to his career.

Buddy Murphy
Courtesy: WWE

NXT is full of great talent. Usually, a handful of Superstars are called up to the main roster at the Raw after WrestleMania. However, how great would it be to see one of these men come up early and face the biggest Superstar of them all on the grandest stage of them all? Admittedly, I don't watch NXT like I should. If I was forced to pick someone, I'd go with Buddy Murphy. I know he's on 205 Live at the moment, but this guy looks like a million bucks and I like the 'best-kept secret' gimmick they're doing with him. Cena could come out on Raw and complain about not having an opponent and then Murphy bursts onto the scene and reveals the secret is out and he's ready for Cena. I know the likelihood of this happening is next to null, but it would be something unexpected and give an up-and-comer the ultimate rub.

Who do you think Cena should face at WrestleMania? Weigh in here. 

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Pre-Buried Alive thoughts

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Stride Pro Wrestling returns to the Illinois Star Centre Mall in Marion this Saturday night (Dec. 9) with what may be the biggest show in the history of the company, Buried Alive. Don't get me wrong, there have been some big events in the past 21 months, including the first TLC match that featured Roger Matheus winning the Stride Pro Wrestling Championship from Heath Hatton in May. Then there was the company's first ladder match in which Jerry "T-Dog" Travelstead was crowned the inaugural Legacy Champion after a hard-fought win over Tony Flood.

But there's something about this weekend that has, even more, electricity around it. In my 1-2-3 cents, it's because it is the FIRST Buried Alive match to be contested in an independent wrestling company. At least for any indy promotion I've ever heard of. Chris Hargas and Red Daniels will make history. To date, I'm only aware of five Buried Alive matches, all taking place in WWE and all involving the Undertaker.

1. The Undertaker beat Mankind in October 19996.

2. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin beat the Undertaker in December 1998.

3. The Undertaker & Big Show beat The Rock & Mankind in September 1999.

4. Vince McMahon beat the Undertaker in November 2003.

5. Kane beat the Undertaker in October 2010.

Hargas pummels Daniels
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

The rules will be simple for Saturday night. Beat the hell out of your opponent, dump them in the grave and cover them in dirt. Hargas and Daniels have both told me they're not afraid to beat the crap out of one another to make this happen. Each man is determined to be the last man standing. The hatred and disdain run deep for each competitor. I'm excited to not only be on hand to announce this contest but to be able to see my first Buried Alive match in person.

Join us. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children. The main event alone will be worth the price of admission. I'll be running down the full card for the show later in the week. Expect the unexpected as two of the biggest and best competitors in Stride put it all on the line. 

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