On a special Thursday edition of RAW, Shawn Michaels forfeits the WWF(E) Title in a move that many felt he did in order to avoid losing to Bret "Hitman" Hart at WrestleMania 13. In his promo, Michaels said he needed to go home to quote "find his smile."
February 13, 1997
February 13, 2012
This Day in Wrestling History - HBK Loses His Smile
February 12, 2012
February 11, 2012
WWE to Release Another WCW Themed DVD
Following strong sales for the The Very Best of WCW Monday Nitro DVD last year, WWE has plans to release another video set highlighting the best of World Championship Wrestling later this year. Amazon.com is currently taking pre-orders for a WCW Clash of the Champions DVD from WWE on May 22, 2012. Run time is listed at 540 minutes.
Clash of the Champions were a series of professional wrestling television specials aired by WCW from 1988 to 1997. The specials were supercards intended to feature pay-per-view caliber matches, similar to the World Wrestling Federation’s Saturday Night’s Main Event.
source: twnpnews.com
Jim Ross Comments on The Undertaker vs. Triple H
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross made his weekly 10:30 a.m. CT appearance on the Sean Pendergast show on Yahoo Sports Radio on Saturday. The interview will be available later today at Yahoosportsradio.com. The following are the highlights of the interview.
Ross was asked about the Undertaker and Triple H saga on Raw. He said he thought it would be tough for the company to followup on the hot Undertaker return from the previous week. However, he praised the angle and said he loves the foundation laid for the story. He said it goes against the grain for fans who want immediate gratification. He mentioned Shawn Michaels appearing on Monday's show and said it's all playing out nicely.
Ross was asked about the direction the story could take now that Shawn Michaels is in the mix. He mentioned Undertaker retired Michaels, just as Michaels retired Ric Flair. He spoke of the real life friendship of Triple H and Michaels. Pendergast said he'd like to see Michaels show jealousy in that he doesn't want Hunter to be the guy who puts away the man who retired him.
Ross said he's tired of whiners on Twitter who don't like multiple matches involving the same wrestlers. He mentioned complaints from fans who point out that Taker and Hunter have already wrestled. "So what?" Ross said. He said he finds it asinine when people keep track of how many times guys have wrestled one another. He said he thinks that by the time WrestleMania gets here, people are going to be salivating to see how it plays out. "This is really compelling stuff," Ross said. "It's not about how they've wrestled once or twice at WrestleMania. I don't give a damn."
partial source: prowrestling.net
Background on the Quote Triple H Used on Raw - "That is Not Dead Which Can Eternal Lie Yet with Strange Aeons Even Death May Die"
The quote Triple H paraphrased on Raw last Monday was taken from fantasy and horror fiction author H. P. Lovecraft's The Nameless City:
"That is not dead which can eternal lie
Yet with strange aeons even death may die."
The correct quote is actually "And with strange..." instead of "Yet with strange...". A similar version of this phrase is used in Metallica's song "The Thing That Should Not Be" from the Master of Puppets album and in the Iron Maiden album Live After Death.
More on H. P. Lovecraft and the book The Nameless City
Triple H on Raw - The quote is at 3:12.
February 10, 2012
WWE's YouTube "Webisode" Schedule
WWE has released a schedule of their new YouTube webisodes. Tuesdays - "Backstage Fallout" following Raw and Dolph Ziggler's "WWE Download." Wednesdays - "WWE Inbox." Thursdays - "Outside the Ring." Fridays - Zack Ryder's YouTube show and "Backstage Fallout" following Smackdown. Saturdays - "Santino's Foreign Exchange. Sundays - "Are You Serious?" with Josh Mathews and Road Dogg. "Superstar Toyz" is not slotted for a date.
Legacy of The Kliq
From Mike Johnson of pwinsider.com:
In terms of a legacy, I don't think there is any question that Shawn Michaels, from an in-ring standpoint, will have left the best legacy, but I'm going to go with Triple H. He wields far more political power and stroke than any other member of the clique and that power will only grow with time as Vince McMahon gets older. In terms of the worst, that's really subjective, but I'll go with Scott Hall, because (in the long term) he did the least with the most amount of talent and still has issues to this day despite many of his closest friends trying to support him and every major company giving him chance after chance. I know that a lot of fans really detest Kevin Nash but the reality is that he overachieved in the business and at the end of the day, he walked out with much more money than anyone would have ever predicted.
Inside the Process of Elimination
There are many stipulation matches in WWE designed to intimidate, threaten and menace the Superstars chosen to compete in them—but there's only one that inspires actual terror.
Sitting in his stately office inside Titan Tower, Triple H cuts the same imposing figure now as the man who won a record four Chamber bouts in the past. "What people don't understand is the metal grating outside the ring is the same grating they make the stage with," he explains. "It's designed to support thousands of pounds, so there's no give at all. Then there are the walls themselves, which are made of thick metal chain. And at first, you think, 'Oh well, the chain moves a little bit.' But it's actually worse, because the chain shifts about an inch and a half, even though it's all connected, so it's like you're hitting a steel wall. And it's a bumpy steel wall that digs into you everywhere."
Interestingly, WWE's most hated and feared stipulation match was spawned from the mind of The Cerebral Assassin himself a decade ago. The company was looking for concepts for matches that might spin off into yearly events similar to the Royal Rumble, and The Game was ready with a winning idea.
The ambitious concept was well received, and the creative team set about turning Triple H's vision into reality. Of course, when he saw it, Triple H realized that he'd gotten far more than he'd bargained for. "In typical WWE form, it was twice as big as I envisioned it and twice as elaborate," he remembers. "We don't do anything small, so I should have known better. When I stood in it for the first time, I thought, 'Jeez. Please don't tell anybody this was my idea!'"
source: wwe.com
Details on the 2012 WWE Magazine WrestleMania Edition
WWE is to release four different "WrestleMania" covers for the March 2012 issue of WWE Magazine, featuring The Undertaker, Triple H, John Cena and The Rock. According to the magazine Triple H will face The Undertaker at WrestleMania 28. The cover for this magazine reads "Can The Game End The Deadman's Reign?" while the headline for the issue bearing The Undertaker reads "Will "The Streak" Survive?"
source: wrestling observer.com
Oderint Dum Metuant: Let Them Hate As Long As They Fear
