Official Monday Night Raw & Smackdown Thread

[pwaldo]

It's a shame it came to this. But in the end, Rey deserved a much better farewell than this. A surefire HOFer.

Yeah last I remember of him was the Royal Rumble crowd taking a big dump on him because he wasn't DB when he came out at #30

[DaKidder]

#axelmania!!!!

[Greengoblin782]

Connor Michalek, a Pittsburgh native and passionate WWE fan who passed away last year from cancer, will be the first-ever recipient of the Warrior Award, which will be presented each year at the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
The Warrior Award will be given to someone who has exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance, and who lives life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of WWE Hall of Famer, The Ultimate Warrior. This year, the award will be presented by The Ultimate Warrior’s widow, Dana Warrior, and WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan to Steve Michalek, Connor’s father.
With the love of his family and WWE Superstars, as well as the tremendous care by Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Connor battled cancer like a true warrior for as long as he could, and his charisma made him a local celebrity in Pittsburgh. Connor’s spirit inspired WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon and WWE Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative, Paul “Triple H” Levesque to launch “Connor’s Cure,” a fund dedicated to furthering Pediatric cancer research. Donations can be made by visiting www.givetochildrens.org/CONNORSCURE.
“On behalf of my family, we are truly humbled and honored that WWE will present an award in my husband’s name each year at the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony,” said Dana Warrior. “Connor displayed all of the positive traits that Warrior stood for, and he is the perfect recipient for this inaugural award. I am sure that Warrior is smiling today, knowing that this award is being given to a true warrior.”
“My family is forever grateful for the gift that WWE, its Superstars, Divas and executives gave to Connor,” said Steve Michalek. “They made him smile and encouraged him to continue fighting. His visits backstage, and his time in the ring with Daniel Bryan, brought Connor true joy and undoubtedly extended his life, giving us more time with him. Now, with this award and Connor’s Cure, Connor’s legacy will live on.”
"Connor Michalek had a profound impact on so many people,” said McMahon. "His spirit and love of life were so strong, you would have never known he was sick. I can think of no better way to honor Connor, than by recognizing him with our highest honor, the first fan to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, as a Warrior.”

[patriotsguy]

I guess I should admit axle mania is growing on ne

[Zeppelin1985]

I'm in no way trying to be a debbie downer here. I think it is SO awesome what the E is doing for Conor's family and immortalizing him forever with this award.. But as I recall from Ultimate Warrior's HOF speech, mind you I haven't rewatched it since it was live that Saturday night last year, but didn't Warrior say he wished there was an award for the people who work behind the scenes in WWE and don't appear on camera? Like the cameramen, workers who assemble the set & ring and tear it down after each show etc. etc.? Or is my memory totally wrong? That's what I thought he was talking about.

[pwaldo]

If there was a viable alternative to the WWE right now who on the roster would have already jumped ship to this hypothetical WCW? I know CM Punk would already be there but who else?

[ajcorleone]

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!



At Tuesday night’s SmackDown tapings, Daniel Bryan announced he is entering himself in the Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match at WrestleMania.
That brings the total number of participants to 7. With all the Sheamus promos that have been airing in recent weeks, he could also be added to the match.
Mark Henry also made a surprise return at the tapings and interrupted an in ring promo with Roman Reigns. Henry told Reigns that he still needs to earn the respect of fans and the wrestlers backstage, leading Reigns to lay him out with a spear and a Superman punch. It appeared they were setting up a match between the two of them on RAW.
Henry has lost a lot of weight since his last WWE TV appearance and has been rumored for the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania.

[ajcorleone]

How about this tid bit

Dan 'The Beast' Severn was one man who was incredibly deserving of his nickname during his career as a wrestler and UFC fighter.
Severn was a 13-time National AAU wrestling champion, a UFC Champion, and a NWA World Heavyweight Champion that could make any man tap out at whim.
During his time as the NWA Champion, Severn would appear on WWE programming as part of a 'Takeover Storyline.' Severn spoke about his time in Vince McMahon's company recently and revealed the real reason why he left, and how he wanted to completely ruin a Pay-Per-View.

Undertaker's Disciple

Severn appeared in a on a YouTube channel called Hannibal TV, where he first off revealed the incredibly dumb idea that drove him to the edge in wanting to leave the WWE.

"One of the road agents was pitching me an idea," Severn recalls. "We want to put 666 across your forehead, the mark of the beast, we want to make you an Undertaker disciple."

Severn was having absolutely none of the idea, saying that he lived in a small town and didn't want any repercussions from it, i.e his family and businesses being effected.
Very Real Threats

Severn said that the road agent then told him that they could start using him poorly and lose matches. Severn noted that "you could ask me to lose a match," but what would happen if he would turn "fantasy into reality" and make their stars look silly by beating them up for real and going off script to make them hurt and be forced to tap out to him.
Ruin the Rumble

Severn went on to note that The Royal Rumble was coming up and he could have very easily gone out there and completely ruin the live Pay-Per-View in front of millions of viewers.

"The Royal Rumble was coming up and it crossed my mind that WCW was still in existence. Maybe i'll go over and talk to Eric Bischoff and tell him i'll turn fantasy into reality and i'll clear that ring, just busting up every one that enters and every 90 seconds i'll be waiting for fresh meat...i think i could easily have gotten $1million+ dollars."

Later on in the interview Severn added that things ended amicably, without the need for any potential shenanigans. It's still a scary thought nonetheless of what might have been an incident that would have gone down in WWF lore.

[Zeppelin1985]

If there was a viable alternative to the WWE right now who on the roster would have already jumped ship to this hypothetical WCW? I know CM Punk would already be there but who else?

Alberto Del Rio aka Alberto El Patron currently in Lucha underground? Johnny Nitro aka John Morrison aka Johnny Mundo currently in Lucha Underground, MVP, Mr. Kennedy, Ted DiBiase Jr., Rey Mysterio Jr., Sin Cara? Maybe he would've thrived in an actual cruiserweight division?, Brian Kendrick, Paul London, Vladimir Kozlov, Mike Knox, Drew McIntyre aka Drew Galloway in TNA currently, Samoa Joe?, AJ Styles?. So much talent that could've jumped shipped when their tenure ended with their respective companies.

[pwaldo]

How about this tid bit

Dan 'The Beast' Severn was one man who was incredibly deserving of his nickname during his career as a wrestler and UFC fighter.
Severn was a 13-time National AAU wrestling champion, a UFC Champion, and a NWA World Heavyweight Champion that could make any man tap out at whim.
During his time as the NWA Champion, Severn would appear on WWE programming as part of a 'Takeover Storyline.' Severn spoke about his time in Vince McMahon's company recently and revealed the real reason why he left, and how he wanted to completely ruin a Pay-Per-View.

Undertaker's Disciple

Severn appeared in a on a YouTube channel called Hannibal TV, where he first off revealed the incredibly dumb idea that drove him to the edge in wanting to leave the WWE.

"One of the road agents was pitching me an idea," Severn recalls. "We want to put 666 across your forehead, the mark of the beast, we want to make you an Undertaker disciple."

Severn was having absolutely none of the idea, saying that he lived in a small town and didn't want any repercussions from it, i.e his family and businesses being effected.
Very Real Threats

Severn said that the road agent then told him that they could start using him poorly and lose matches. Severn noted that "you could ask me to lose a match," but what would happen if he would turn "fantasy into reality" and make their stars look silly by beating them up for real and going off script to make them hurt and be forced to tap out to him.
Ruin the Rumble

Severn went on to note that The Royal Rumble was coming up and he could have very easily gone out there and completely ruin the live Pay-Per-View in front of millions of viewers.

"The Royal Rumble was coming up and it crossed my mind that WCW was still in existence. Maybe i'll go over and talk to Eric Bischoff and tell him i'll turn fantasy into reality and i'll clear that ring, just busting up every one that enters and every 90 seconds i'll be waiting for fresh meat...i think i could easily have gotten $1million+ dollars."

Later on in the interview Severn added that things ended amicably, without the need for any potential shenanigans. It's still a scary thought nonetheless of what might have been an incident that would have gone down in WWF lore.

Him or anybody screwing up the Royal Rumble would be AWESOME. Just the fallout and reaction from Vince would make it worth it. On a side note I always wondered why he was poorly used in the WWF and now it looks like I know why. If you say no to Vince you basically get buried.