It's somewhat odd to think of but in a roundabout way, The Kliq -- and Triple H, specifically -- are indirectly responsible (at least partially) for the booming success of Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Back in early 1996, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, two of The Kliq's members, were leaving the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) for the larger contracts and guaranteed main event slots being offered by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Shawn Michaels and Triple H, however, were staying behind. During a house show at Madison Square Garden in May, the four orchestrated a small ceremony to say goodbye, in which each member got into the ring at the end of the night and hugged each other before giving a curtain call.
This was a major breach of kayfabe, as the group consisted of both heels and babyfaces, and showed enough lack of professionalism that someone had to be punished. With Hall and Nash leaving the company and Michaels the WWF champion at the time, that left Triple H to take the fall. This was unfortunate timing, too, for him, at least. That's because he was penciled in to win the King of the Ring tournament the very next month to begin a big push.
Instead, that push went to a rising star in the company, Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Last we left "The Rattlesnake," he was losing a Caribbean Strap match to Savio Vega at In Your House: Beware of Dog 2, which served to rid Austin of his manager at the time, Ted DiBiase. He entered the King of the Ring tournament immediately after and advanced by defeating Bob Holly in the first round and getting his win back on Vega in the second.
That led him to the pay-per-view (PPV) and a match-up against Marc Mero in the semifinals, which he won after a damn fine 17-minute match that saw him get his lip busted open. Because of this, he had to go straight to the hospital while the event continued on before returning later to meet Jake "The Snake" Roberts in the final.
Stone Cold made it back in time and the two had a mostly underwhelming match. Roberts had his ribs busted up earlier in the night by Vader after their match ended and he was selling that injury all throughout the match. Austin, of course, used it as his focal point before ending it just under five minutes in with the Stone Cold Stunner, a finisher he had just started using at that time.
The match itself was quickly forgotten but the promo Austin cut during his coronation will live on forever in the annals of pro wrestling lore.
Roberts was using a born again Christian gimmick at that time, as he had recently converted to as much in his real life. So Austin used it for inspiration in his promo and created one of the most famous catchphrases in pro wrestling history
source: cagesideseats.com
June 23, 2012
This Day in Wrestling History - The Birth of Austin 3:16
This Day in Wrestling History
Bronko Nagurski defeated Lou Thesz for the NWA Heavyweight Wrestling title.
June 23, 1939
Ted DiBiase defeated Junkyard Dog for the Mid-South North American Heavyweight title.
June 23, 1982
Stone Cold Steve Austin wins the King of The Ring tournament. The win marks the beginning of Austin's push. Triple H was scheduled to win this tournament, but that angle was scrapped due to his participation in the "MSG Curtain Call" incident and subsequent punishment.
June 23, 1996
Molly Holly defeated Trish Stratus for the WWE Women's title.
June 23, 2002
Billy Red Lyons passes away.
June 23, 2009Bronko Nagurski defeated Lou Thesz for the NWA Heavyweight Wrestling title.
June 23, 1939
Ted DiBiase defeated Junkyard Dog for the Mid-South North American Heavyweight title.
June 23, 1982
Stone Cold Steve Austin wins the King of The Ring tournament. The win marks the beginning of Austin's push. Triple H was scheduled to win this tournament, but that angle was scrapped due to his participation in the "MSG Curtain Call" incident and subsequent punishment.
June 23, 1996
Molly Holly defeated Trish Stratus for the WWE Women's title.
June 23, 2002
Billy Red Lyons passes away.
June 23, 2009
June 22, 2012
June 21, 2012
This Day in Wrestling History - 'Tough Enough' Debuts on MTV
The first episode of WWF(E) Tough Enough airs on MTV. The reality show/competition results in Maven and Nidia winning contracts after beating out 11 other participants. Nidia was released on November 3, 2004 and Maven was released on July 5, 2005.
June 21, 2001
June 20, 2012
Can WWE Break Out of Its Recent Stock Slump?
Shares of World Wrestling Entertainment (NYSE: WWE ) hit a 52-week low last week. Let's take a look at how the company got there to find out if it's about to get pinned to the mat.
It hasn't been a good time for entertainment stocks over the last few years, and WWE's just one of the specialist stocks that's gotten body-slammed by changing consumer interests. Fellow live-entertainment purveyor Live Nation (NYSE: LYV ) is doing worse, and even diversified brands like Time Warner (NYSE: TWX ) have fallen on hard times
WWE's bread and butter is its annual Wrestlemania pay-per-view match, but that event alone can't drive its growth. Neither, it seems, can its international events, which took in less revenue in 2011 than they did the year before. It wasn't just WWE facing headwinds with its live shows. Live event promoters of all kinds saw trouble -- Madison Square Garden (NYSE: MSG ) , despite strong share-price growth over the last two years, was hurt by the basketball strike that cut last season short.
Some companies associated with the WWE brand have been similarly smacked down. THQ (Nasdaq: THQI ) is one of the worst-performing stocks of the last five years (at least among those that haven't gone bankrupt), and a glance at past sales of its licensed WWE console titles offers one clue as to why. The series peaked years ago, and despite solid sales for the latest iteration, it hasn't come close to matching the high points in sales reached during the middle of the last decade.
WWE's well-known for paying out as much as it can in dividends, but is that strategy sustainable?...More?
source: fool.com
Rumor Mill - 3-Hour Raw Format
When Raw goes to three hours in July, look for WWE to spend the first hour of the show pretty much hyping up the match or segment that will be scheduled for the top of the hours at 9:00 and 10:00, as well as the main event or segment at the end of the night. Raw will also continue to have the overrun past 11:05. The plan is for Raw to have more of a structured feel to it, so basically the fans will sort of catch on to what times to usually expect something big or exciting to happen, such as at exactly 9:00 or 10:00 or the end of the night.
source: f4wonline.com
TNA Takes Legal Action Against Scott Steiner Over “Disparaging Remarks” On Twitter
A Twitter feud between pro wrestlers Scott Steiner and Hulk Hogan has spilled over into a Davidson County courtroom. Nashville-based Total Nonstop Action Entertainment, who Hogan works for, filed a verified complaint Monday in Chancery Court asking for an injunction to stop Steiner’s “disparaging remarks.” Steiner made headlines on wrestling blogs and websites in April when he launched a social media campaign to “save” TNA.
In a series of tweets, Steiner bashed TNA, Hogan, and TNA wrestling booker Eric Bischoff. In additional to critical, sometimes profane, comments on Twitter, Steiner called TNA “bush league” and compared them to the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling organization. TNA is claiming that Steiner’s comments violate a contract he signed with them in December 2010. The contract specifically stipulates that Steiner is forbidden from making public statements, including tweeting, concerning TNA or any of its officers, wrestlers, or other individuals without prior approval. TNA claims those acts constitute a breach of contract.
“In blatant disregard of the parties’ Agreement, Steiner has engaged in a concerted effort to disparage TNA, its wrestlers, and other talent and cast them in a negative light,” the lawsuit stated.
TNA formally demanded that Steiner stop the tweets on May 10.
Steiner responded on May 15: “Havent tweeted lately bcuz I got a letter from a lawyer representing hogan n [Bischoff] basically saying... They take my tweets seriously and if threats continue they will take to law enforcement....really hogan my.. Tweets scare you,Ive said worse in interviews on tv,LOL.”
After the official notice, Steiner also took shots at Hogan’s daughter, Brooke, whom he called a whore on Twitter.
Steiner, who turns 50 next month, has more than 54,000 followers on Twitter. According to his contract, he was paid $2,500 per pay-per-view performance during his time with TNA. The lawsuit by TNA accuses Steiner of breach of contract and asks for injunctive relief. TNA hasn’t, however, filed an order for injunction, so no hearing on that matter has been set.
TNA is currently involved in another lawsuit against World Wrestling Entertainment filed last month, claiming a former employee provided confidential trade secrets to WWE. A hearing in that case is set for July 12.
source: nashvillecitypaper.com
Triple H Appears at the SmackDown Taping in Baltimore, MD
Triple H appeared off-camera at last night's WWE SmackDown tapings in Baltimore, Maryland. After Jack Swagger cut a promo in the ring about how he was better than everyone else, Triple H appeared and hit a Pedigree before leaving the ring.
Next Week's Interim WWE GM Will Be...
During Tuesday's Smackdown TV taping, WWE announced that Vickie Guerrero would be interim GM for next week's Raw and Smackdown episodes.
