Picture Of The Day

Knockout Of The Day - Taryn Terrell

Taryn Terrell

Wrestling History

Triple H in WCW

WWE Urban Legends

An urban legend is a tale with obscure origins and little to no supporting evidence that spreads in various ways and is often accepted as fact. WWE history is not immune to such far-out stories and there have been a number that have persisted since they were first started.

WWEClassics.com investigated eight urban legends that have ignited debate amongst the WWE Universe and, in some cases, have come to be accepted as fact. Some of the stories are fringe conspiracy theories and others are genuine head-scratchers that have captivated the imagination for years. Either way, our research should settle a few debates.



The Rockers were fired in 1988

Debuting in 1988, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty were a kinetic duo that helped pave the way for highfliers and smaller, more agile Superstars. However, their debut in 1988 was not the first time The Rockers were signed to WWE —  a year earlier they joined WWE and were fired after an alleged incident at a bar.

The legend states that after Michaels and Jannetty joined WWE, they were encouraged to fraternize with their fellow Superstars  and ultimately captured the attention of Jimmy Jack Funk. In his autobiographical DVD, “Heartbreak & Triumph,” HBK talked openly about the incident. After imbibing too much alcohol, Funk — who was eating glass at the time— encouraged The Rockers to prove they could party. After some trepidation, Michaels had enough and wanted Funk off his case.

“Finally, I grabbed a glass that was sitting on the table and I broke it on my head and said, ‘There! You satisfied?’ And I left,” Michaels recalled of the incident.

Following the wild night in the bar, Jimmy Jack Funk allegedly spread a rumor that Michaels and Jannetty trashed the bar. As a result of Funk’s story getting blown out of proportion, The Rockers were fired.

“They called me and said, ‘Marty, we’ve got to let you go,’” Jannetty said on “Heartbreak & Triumph.” “He said, ‘Evidently, the story got blown out of proportion and Mr. McMahon thinks it’s best to let you guys go.’”

VERDICT: TRUE



Mr. McMahon sent The nWo to kill WCW

The speculation that Kevin Nash and Scott Hall were still under contract with WWE when they first appeared in WCW sparked an urban legend that grew with the addition of Hulk Hogan and the expansion of The New World Order. Were they agents of Mr. McMahon sent to spy on and eventually destroy WCW?

At first glance, it’s a preposterous notion. Hulk Hogan’s transition to “Hollywood” Hogan reinvigorated his career and The New World Order became the hottest commodity in sports-entertainment. For 88 consecutive weeks WCW dominated WWE in television ratings thanks mostly to The nWo and Goldberg. However, following the end of Goldberg’s undefeated streak and a failed attempt to recapture The nWo magic in the form of “The Fingerpoke of Doom,” WCW began a downhill slide and never recovered. Was it all an elaborate scheme to build up the organization and ultimately destroy it?

The simple answer is no. It’s well known that Hall and Nash were offered lucrative contracts to compete in WCW and The nWo ultimately bolstered the promotion’s popularity. The organization’s demise was ultimately a result of the AOL-Time Warner merger that ousted Ted Turner and the conglomerate shifting focus away from professional wrestling.

Verdict: FALSE



Andre the Giant drank 156 beers in one sitting

The late Mike Graham once stated that Andre the Giant drank 156 beers in one sitting. The claim was made during a segment on the WWE Classics on Demand series, “Legends of Wrestling,” and fellow panelists Dusty Rhodes and Michaels Hayes quickly backed it up. The thought of such a feat is impossible to fathom any normal human being even attempting, but the first-ever WWE Hall of Famer was anything but a normal human being.

Although it’s difficult to validate such an exact number of brews consumed, Andre's close friend Tim White confirmed that the giant was more than capable of putting down enough suds and grub to feed a frat house. Still, it wasn’t typical behavior for Andre.

“He could drink an airplane dry before it got to takeoff,” White told WWEClassics.com. “He’d go into a restaurant and eat 12 steaks and 15 lobsters. He didn’t do that often, but if he felt like putting on a show and having some laughs, he’d go ahead and do that.”

Verdict: TRUE

The Hardcore Title was the same WWE Title that Mr. Perfect smashed

When Mr. McMahon presented Mankind with the Hardcore Championship, the title was obviously a smashed version the classic “winged eagle” WWE Title with shattered plates held together by duct tape. Since the title’s inception, there has been an urban legend that the Hardcore Championship was made from a WWE Championship that once belonged to Hulk Hogan.

So what happened and why was the title smashed? On Saturday Night’s Main Event on Nov. 25, 1989, “Mean” Gene Okerlund conducted an interview with Mr. Perfect and The Genius. As the cap and gown clad goon pranced around the interview area, Mr. Perfect was down on one knee with a hammer in hand smashing the WWE Championship. The WWE Hall of Famer’s motive was to simply express his desire for a WWE Title opportunity.

The footage certainly makes it plausible that the Hardcore Title and the title Mr. Perfect smashed were one in the same. Unfortunately, no one really knows if they are — not even inaugural Hardcore Champion Mick Foley.

“I have no idea,” the WWE Hall of Famer told WWEClassics.com. “But it makes ‘perfect’ sense.”

Verdict: UNDETERMINED

WWE loaned money to ECW to keep them in business

In 1996, the Monday Night War had begun and WWE and WCW battled for sports-entertainment and television ratings supremacy. Competitors regularly transitioned not only between the two wrestling giants, but also Paul Heyman’s ECW.  Making no apologies for ECW’s unique brand of competition, Heyman was loud, outspoken and often clashed directly with WWE.

At WWE In Your House: Mind Games, Sandman, Tommy Dreamer and Paul Heyman sat at ringside and were directly acknowledged by WWE Superstars and Mr. McMahon. In February 1997, ECW competitors invaded Monday Night Raw and engaged in a rivalry with WWE Superstars — specifically Jerry “The King” Lawler. The battle inevitably led to the birth of an urban legend — Mr. McMahon willfully promoted ECW and loaned Paul Heyman money to keep his organization in business.

The rivalry between the organizations occurred during the height of WCW's popularity. WWE was losing the Monday Night War and ECW was trying to prove themselves a major player in sports-entertainment.

"They needed a boost and we [ECW] needed a boost," Tommy Dreamer told WWEClassics.com. "WWE was getting their butt kicked by WCW and they needed something that said you have to tune in to Monday Night Raw because anything could happen."

"Paul [Heyman] said we were working on deal with WWE to get us national exposure, but not a lot of people know about it," Dreamer revealed. "I think it was Paul, Mr. McMahon and Bruce Prichard – the head of talent relations at the time. That was it."

Verdict: TRUE

Bret Hart knew about The Montreal Screwjob

There’s always been a theory that The Montreal Screwjob was one big set-up perpetrated by everyone involved. The incident has been examined from every angle — Mr. McMahon, Shawn Michaels and Triple H have all acknowledged their respective roles on a number of occasions. Yet, there is still a belief that persists that WWE Hall of Famer Bret “Hit Man” Hart was actually in on the entire thing.

There is some speculation that suggested it was part of a grander scheme to destroy WCW and that the entire affair was to reveal Mr. McMahon as the power behind WWE. There’s a small group of fans that have overanalyzed what transpired in Montreal a bit too much and have come up with a relatively insane urban legend and conspiracy theory.

This sort of nonsense is best left to inciting radio hosts like Alex Jones. Fact is, there was no grander scheme at play, nor was the Montreal Screwjob a way to make people hate Mr. McMahon, propel “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and establish Bret Hart as WCW’s biggest Superstar. The Screwjob was exactly as it appeared — a business decision.

That's not to say the situation wasn't tense.

“I had an idea that something like that could happen,” Hart told WWEClassics.com. “I just put too much faith into [former WWE referee] Earl Hebner. My ‘Spidey sense’ was certainly up, but you can’t know the unknown.”

Verdict: FALSE

There were two Ultimate Warriors

Perhaps the longest standing urban legend in WWE history, there has long been a theory that when Ultimate Warrior returned to WWE at WrestleMania VIII, it was not the same man under the face paint.

The reason for the belief that the original Warrior had not returned — with some claiming he actually passed away —stemmed from the fact that the former WWE Champion returned with different hair, a much more defined physique and new singlet ring gear as opposed to trunks. 

Nevertheless, the Superstar who rescued Hulk Hogan from Papa Shango and Sid Justice was the very same one that defeated The Hulkster for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania VI.  The intense individual named Jim Hellwig (now known simply as Warrior) has always been the one and only Ultimate Warrior.

WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel chimed in on the long-standing urban legend and offered a definitive answer on the unique competitor: “Often imitated, often duplicated, there was only one Ultimate Warrior … thank God.”

Verdict: FALSE



"Macho Man" caused Hulk Hogan's WrestleMania IX black eye

At WrestleMania IX, Hulk Hogan teamed up with Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake to battle the team of The Million Dollar Man & IRS for the World Tag Team Championships. Hogan had not competed for nearly a year, but his return was overshadowed by a very conspicuous black eye.

Although Money, Inc. escaped the battle with the titles due to disqualification, the WWE Universe couldn’t help but speculate on why Hogan’s eye was nearly swollen shut. Even after he defeated Yokozuna to win the WWE Championship that same evening, The Hulkster could not turn attention away from his shiner.

So how did it happen? Legend tells the story of a second Mega-Powers explosion. One source of speculation claims that upon his return for the WrestleMania festivities, The Hulkster was confronted — and punched — by “Macho Man” Randy Savage. At the time, Savage and Miss Elizabeth had just gone through a divorce and “Macho Man” blamed Hogan for the dissolution of his marriage.

However, Hogan claimed in his book that he suffered the black eye following a Jet Ski accident in the days before the event. Sure, the version that Savage clocked Hogan sounds more exciting, but after asking around, it’s a hard pill to swallow.

In his autobiography, Hogan described the frightening Jet Ski accident that occurred the day before WrestleMania and the possibility that he would be unable to compete. Nevertheless, The Hulkster was in action on The Grandest Stage of Them All after allegedly telling the doctor the black eye wasn't real in order to be cleared for competition.

Verdict: FALSE

Picture Of The Day

Diva Of The Day

Kelly Kelly

Wrestling History

Picture Of The Day

Knockouts Of The Day

Wrestling History

The Mega Powers

Picture Of The Day

Knockout Of The Day

 

 Heather Clem (Hogan Sex Tape)

Wrestling History

Roman Reigns Is The Rock's Cousin

Big birthday love to my cousin WWE's Roman Reigns.

Future WWE Champion.

Proud of you uso. Stay humble and hungry. #FaaSamoa

Summer Slam Poster 2013

Brock Lesnar Invades WWE Headquarters

WWE.com sources have confirmed an incident involving Brock Lesnar occurred at WWE headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Monday.

WWE employees who witnessed Lesnar and his adviser, Paul Heyman, inside WWE’s headquarters described the former WWE Champion’s unexpected presence in the building as “intimidating” and "disruptive."

Heyman posted several cryptic tweets throughout Monday afternoon that appeared to show serious damage inflicted at the headquarters. Heyman’s last tweet stated that this damage occurred in Triple H’s office and that he would share footage of the incident on Raw, which he did.

“Superstars are here pretty regularly, but this was something different,” said one employee who saw Lesnar and Heyman on the fourth floor of WWE HQ. “You could tell they were here on a mission.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it here,” another employee commented about Lesnar’s unscheduled appearance. “This isn’t supposed to happen in an office.”

Hottest Magazine Cover

 Trish Stratus

 Sunny

 Kelly Kelly

 Torrie Wilson

 Lita

 Stacy Keibler

Bret Hart Appreciation Night

Immediately after Raw goes off the air this Monday in Calgary, WWE will present “Bret Hart Appreciation Night,” in a Raw Post-Show, paying tribute to the five-time WWE Champion’s illustrious career. And the only way to catch all the festivities is exclusively on the WWE App.

WWE.com has learned that WWE Hall of Famer Bret “Hit Man” Hart will be in attendance at the Scotiabank Saddledome for the monumental WWE App special. Join the rest of the WWE Universe in honoring the pink and black when The Stampede City’s favorite son comes home.

Picture Of The Day

Jeff Hardy

Diva Of The Day

Trish Stratus

Wrestling History

Ric Flair & The Rock

Comment on this photo and create your own caption!

Comment on this photo and create your own caption!

TNA Changes PPVs

TNA IMPACT WRESTLING today announced a new worldwide Pay-Per-View programming initiative for 2013.  The 52 annual episodes of IMPACT WRESTLING on SpikeTV will lead to four, live epic Pay-Per-View events commencing with “Genesis” on January 13th, “Lockdown” on March 10th, “Slammiversary” on June 9 and “Bound For Glory” on October 13th.   

In addition, seven Pay-Per-View specials that will be branded as “TNA Wrestling: One Night Only,” series will debut in April 2013 and continue throughout the year during the additional months.  The 3-hour taped Pay-Per-View specials will premiere on the first Friday of each month.  The first two “One Night Only” specials will be “Joker’s Wild Tag Team Tournament” and “X-travaganza” which will feature the X-Division. 

“The Pay-Per-View industry has changed so much in the last decade,” says TNA President Dixie Carter.  “The traditional pay-per-view wrestling model needed to evolve and we believe this strategy will positively impact not only the Pay-Per-View events but the weekly television programming as well.” 

The company will continue to produce TNA Wrestling’s “Unfinished Business”, which are one-hour programs available on a Video on Demand (VOD) basis.  The monthly titles continue to focus on the history of a rivalry or a specific past PPV event.  These titles are available for two months at a time.

My First Post To Reach 100,000 Page Views!

Adam's Wrestling: Edge & Lita... Sex In The Ring!: January 9, 2006 - RAW: Edge & Lita vowed to celebrate by having SEX live in the ring and drew in the highest ratings in Raw...

Picture Of The Day

Diva Of The Day

Sable

Wrestling History

Best Tag-Team In WWE/WWF History... Demolition!

What I Would Do With The Aces And Eights

The Aces And Eights have been going on for too long and they haven't done anything major yet asside from Bully Ray stealing the title. I think they need to either have a major push or be dropped all together. 

The already have Bully Ray as the TNA Champion and Devon as the Television Champion. I think they should take all the gold. Perhaps just on an open fight night. They could start calling out all the remaining champions and just take all the gold. It could be known as the 'night the Aces And Eights took over' because that is exactly what they will do. 

I would have the show start with the Aces And Eights surrounding the ring and Bully Ray in the middle on the mic saying that this night is open fight night and the Aces And Eights are running the show and taking over. 

Then I would have Bully call Ken Anderson into the ring and tell him that he is up first. Anderson would call out the X-Division Champion Kenny King and with the Aces And Eights working as his lumber-jacks Anderson would win his first X-Division Championship. 

 

Then I would have Bully Ray back in the ring after the break and he would call Doc and Knox into the ring and tell them that he was putting them together as the tag-team of the Aces And Eights. They are the two biggest members, both from the WWE, they are monsters. They will be like the twin towers, the enforcers of the Aces And Eights. They could be like Demolition of the Legion Of Doom (Road Warriors). They could come up with a name for their team. Bully could call them anything he wants. 

They would call out the tag-team champions who I belive is still Chavo and Hernandaz. Again with the help of the Aces And Eights lumber-jacks, the new tag-team would destroy Chavo and Hernandaz and win the match and become the new TNA Tag-Team Champions. 

The next segment would be the TNA Gut Check. I keep thinking that Garrett Bischoff was a Gut Check winner but he just had the match with Wes Brisco when Wes won his contract. So I kind of want to have Garrett compete as a Gut Check contestant so he can officially win a contract as well. But since he is already part of the team and on the show it might seem redundent. So instead I would just have him in Wes Brisco's corner as his partner / mangaer for this Gut Check part.

I would have Bully Ray announce next that they will be having a Gut Check battle royal to crown the first ever Gut Check Champion. TNA doesn't need another belt obviously, so I was thinking it could just be a trophy. However, it would be funnier if it was a gold medal for the connection with Wes and Kurt Angle. 

I would have all of the previous Gut Check winners come out to the ring. Alex Silva, Sam Shaw, Christian York, Jay Bradley, and even though he didn't win and get a contract because he's still in TNA you could even include Joey Ryan. Most of them have been pretty disapointing, except for Christian York who should be the X-Division Champion. 

 

Instead of a battle royal I would make it a fatal four way. I would have Christian York defeat and eliminat all of the other three: Alex Silva, Sam Shaw, and Jay Bradley. York would be the winner but would then have to face Wes Brisco one on one in the finals for the Championship. Of Course Garrett would help Wes and they would defeat York making Wes Brisco the first ever TNA Gut Check Champion! 

To be fair you could also have a match between the only two female Gut Check winners to crown a Miss Gut Check. Ivelisse Vélez vs Taeler Hendrix. I would have Taeler win. She seems like the better of the two. I don't know if you can connect this to the Aces And Eights since they don't have any female members and I don't know if adding one would fit their whole story. But if they were going to add one I would go with Taeler. 

Now you would have had such an amazing show. Taeler Hendrix is the TNA Miss Gut Check. Wes Brisco is the TNA Gut Check Champion. Ken Anderson is the X-Division Champion. And Doc and Knox are the TNA Tag-Team Champions. 

For the main event I would have Bully Ray team up with Devon for the first time since the Team 3D split up. They would take on the two people they defeated to win their titles in a tag-tam table match for the main event. Those two wresters were Samoa Joe and Jeff Hardy. The Dudleys would obviously win the table match since this is Aces And Eights night and they would have their lumber-jacks around the ring. But what an amazing match that could be. 

This would be the epic night that would make everyone remember the Aces and Eights. But it would also cause all of TNA to rise up against them. It would pose the question who can stop the Aces And Eights? Who can take the titles back from them? I think this would make the whole story line mean something and work like it should have. What do you all think?