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-------------------- Mr. Tito, 12/24/11: I wrote a LOT on Wrestlemania as we head into Wrestlemania 27. Just scan BLOG is TITO Archive on LoPForums.com during March/April for a TON of Wrestlemania content, past and present. Plenty of Top 10 lists as well as the controversial Wrestlemania rankings, 1-27. But this Column was something I conceived when daydreaming at work, with the full realization that Undertaker, Triple H, Steve Austin, and the Rock were finally on a show together again. Enjoy! -------------------- MR. TITO has returned (to LordsofPain.net Columns section)! Today, on the "Excellence in Column" writing, I am going to absolutely GUSH over Wrestlemania 27. That's right, yours truly, the one known for being the cynical one on LordsofPain.net since October 1998, is going to give the WWE Creative Team and Vince McMahon praise. A few months ago, Wrestlemania 27 was looking scary... But for the past few weeks, it's shaping up to be a potential, and I'm serious about this, an all time great Wrestlemania... Maybe even break into the Top 10 Greatest Wrestlemanias of All Time! Yes, I'm liking the Randy Orton vs. CM Punk match. Not sure on the Alberto Del Rio vs. Edge match, but Edge has stepped up in the spotlight before and Del Rio seems to be decent. I'm actually warming up to the Miz vs. John Cena in recent weeks, provided how much stronger the WWE Creative Staff (yes, that's the second praise of this column) has booked the Miz in recent weeks. After turbulent weeks of feuding with a 61 year old Michael Cole, the Miz is now kicking ass and taking names later. I absolutely cheered on his beatdown of Daniel Bryan last night, and that should have been a long time coming after Miz initially won the WWE Title provided their U.S. Title feud. But where Vince McMahon and the WWE Creative Staff get major praise, but mainly Vince McMahon who is signing the checks as WWE Board Chairman and the Creative head of the WWE... Wrestlemania 27 is finally going to reunite the Fantastic FOUR of the "Attitude Era". Who is the "fantastic four", you ask? Simply put, it's The Rock, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, the Undertaker, and Triple H. Once Bret Hart was off to WCW (involuntarily) and Shawn Michaels was out with a back injury (involuntarily too, I suppose), those 4 wrestlers were in the spotlight of the PEAK years of the WWE from 1998 through 2001, with some carry-over into 2002-2003 as the Rock and Steve Austin's careers were wrapping up. Go look back to the 1998 to 2003 and see how many Pay Per Views that at least one of those guys headlined, let alone headlining together. Those 4 were interchangeable with many other great wrestlers who would come and go in the main event. However, it's been since Wrestlemania 20 since we've seen the Fantastic Four of the Attitude Era together. While Triple H and the Undertaker have wrestled through Wrestlemania 26 during 2010, Steve Austin's last official Wrestlemania appearance was Wrestlemania 23 during 2007 for the refereeing of Bobby Lashley and Umaga for the Donald Trump/Vince McMahon feud (unless he appeared at Wrestlemania 25 after his Hall of Fame induction that I'm forgetting?) and the Rock last appeared at Wrestlemania 20 during 2004 when Rock teamed with Mick Foley to take on 3 members of the stable Evolution (Randy Orton, Batista, and Ric Flair). Steve Austin, who hasn't been as successful outside of the WWE, has been making various appearances for the WWE and even made a movie with WWE Films (though at a loss in the box office, "The Condemned"). Meanwhile, the Rock has vanished from the WWE to chase after a moderately successful movie career and has proven to be the overall champion for wrestlers dabbling in acting (though, I'd argue Jesse Venture had a great career - Predator, Running Man, and others). The Rock has been gone mostly since Wrestlemania 20, with a few video appearances here and I believe a 2005 Divas Contest RAW appearance that is sticking in my head. But for the most part, the Rock has been pursuing the movie career for the last 7 years that he thanked the WWE fans for upon his return. For Wrestlemania 20 back during 2004, it was the last time that Rock/Undertaker/Steve Austin/Triple H shared a Wrestlemania together. And if you'll recall from that event, the Rock had a pretty good match, all things considered (both he and Mick Foley were rusty against Evolution), and Steve Austin was the referee for the epic final WWE match for both Brock Lesnar and Bill Goldberg. Unlike the memorable finish that Shawn Michaels had to his WWE career by fighting bravely against the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 26, the Rock wrestled in a midcard tag match and Steve Austin was the referee for an absolute disaster of a match with both Lesnar and Goldberg leaving (but major thanks to the Madison Square Garden crowd for making it interesting!). During the prior year, for Wrestlemania 19 during 2003, the Rock and Steve Austin DID wrestle in their 3rd Wrestlemania match... But if you saw the documentary about WM 19 that I believe was in the Wrestlemania 20 DVD, you'll know that Steve Austin was in horrible physical shape for that match, and if you'll recall, 2002-2003 was very troubling personally and professionally for Steve Austin. It was as if Rock and Steve Austin never had a proper send-off for their insanely successful WWE careers. It's somewhat of a shame, because both guys sort of flamed out, though much less for the Rock. I'd argue that the Rock had GREAT final years for 2002-2003 where he put over wrestlers and gave back to the business. Steve Austin, on the other hand, walked out of the WWE twice in 2002 (once after being upset for his Wrestlemania match-up, the other for refusing to lose to Brock Lesnar on a random RAW) from souring on the wrestling business. His personal life became a nightmare after he had domestic issues with his new wife, Debra McMichael. His stint as the "RAW Sheriff" was, to say the least, a joke. His neck injury reaggrivated, too... He has tried to crawl back up to the WWE mantle through various appearances, doing a WWE Films box office bomb, and the Hall of Fame induction during 2009. But to say the least, the man who dominated 1997-1999 of the Attitude Era never got to properly finish his career on the right note. Hence, probably why Steve Austin is hosting Tough Enough to start after Wrestlemania. Steve Austin, as you know, will appear on RAW next week. And for those who are new to the "WWE Universe", let me explain why each are "Fantastic Four" (no Marvel puns intended): #1 - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin - He was like a redneck Hulk Hogan from the time he told Jake Roberts that "Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your ass" at King of the Ring 1996. He's been mostly a heel throughout his career, as he was a snobby heel as "Stunning" Steve Austin from 1991 to early 1995 in WCW, to Austin joining the WWE during late 1995 as the "Ringmaster", a Ted Dibiase protege, which was a lamer version of "Stunning" Steve Austin. Then, the WWE repackaged him as "Stone Cold", decided to award him the King of the Ring crown (which Triple H was booked to win but didn't due to disciplinary reasons, Google "Curtain Call"), and then delivered the Austin 3:16 line. Suddenly, Austin 3:16 signs were everywhere in WWE audiences. Shirts were quickly made... The WWE knew they were onto something... Austin was then thrust into a feud with the returning Bret "the Hitman" Hart and Hart took Austin to another level by, though psychology, giving the appearance during his matches that Austin was his equivalent. Then, at Wrestlemania 13, Bret Hart turned heel versus Austin and Stone Cold could then switch to being a face. The rest was basically history... Add Vince McMahon, the boss that everyone wants to hate, and an awesome heel opponent in the Rock, and Steve Austin was crazy popular for 1997-1999 where his neck injury suffered during a 1997 match with Owen Hart ultimately did him in. Austin returned during 2000, but was NOT the same wrestler in terms of dominating popularity as a face. The WWE tried to turn him heel in 2001, but it was ineffective and like Hulk Hogan before him, WWE fans started eventually getting tired of his face act when Austin switched back face during late 2001. What? #2 - The Rock - If you smell... Rocky Maivia, the name of which he started as (combining his 2 generations above him in names), was an utter failure as your typical babyface wrestler from 1996-1997. WWE loves to push generational wrestlers as favors to the wrestlers of the past, and Rocky was shoved down our throats. An injury sustained during 1997 changed the course of wrestling history, just as Austin's injury outage in 1999 might have caused for major changes in the WWE as well. The WWE seized the opportunity of his return by having him join the Nation of Domination, a heel stable at the time... And during 1997, the WWE was desperate to try anything and gave wrestlers plenty of microphone time through allowed creative freedom. This gave Rocky Maivia the opportunity to shine and soon morph into a "heel within the heel group" by becoming an incredibly cocky heel named "The Rock". He imploded the Nation of Domination from within and through re-obtaining the Intercontinental Title, he declared that he was the "best IC champion of all time"... And then, with Steve Austin awaiting his chance for the World Title through Wrestlemania 14, he needed a feud through late 1997... He was fed the Rock. Go back and watch their feud from late 1997 as it's magical to see the chemistry develop. The Rock would remain in the midcard and hold the Intercontinental Title prominently until getting crowned WWE Champion at Survivor Series 1998. Then, he ramped up his main event heel status by a vicious feud with Mick Foley. The Rock, thanks to Foley, was ready to rule the WWE from 1999 and beyond. Awesome main event feuds with everybody and their mother during that period of time and the Rock put over many wrestlers of the time. #3 - Triple H - I absolutely love Triple H's career from 1995 to 2001. It's the perfect way to grow as a wrestler. He started off as a lower midcard act as a blueblood snob named "Hunter Hearst Helmsley" who was still within the old WWE mold of finishing jobbers with the "pedigree". Nothing was expected of Triple H but to be that midcard act who would grow over time. By 1996, aside from being the victim to the returning Ultimate Warrior during Wrestlemania 12, was in line for a serious push. Triple H was in line to win the King of the Ring 1996. However, the "Curtain Call", as I alluded to above, happened... Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, named Razor Ramone and Diesel respectively through 1996, were leaving the WWE for WCW. At a houseshow in Madison Square Garden, Shawn Michaels and Triple H, backstage friends of Hall & Nash, did a 4 man salute to the crowd after the show ended. This broke the blurry lines of belief of pro wrestling's realism that were still there during 1996, and Triple H took the punishment with Hall & Nash gone to WCW and Shawn Michaels needed as a main eventer. But the punishment was helpful... It kept Triple H in the midcard where he could have some pretty solid feuds (I love the Mick Foley one) and to be the second banana for Degeneration X formed during 1997. DX from 1997-1998 allowed Triple H to grow into the potential main eventer he would become... But it wasn't until Wrestlemania 15 where great booking turned him a full blown heel again after being an eventual face with DX. A haircut and new tights later, along with an Austin injury opening the door and Mick Foley putting him over, Triple H was made into a star. Then feed Triple H an incredible roster of new wrestlers (Angle, Benoit, Jericho) and the Rock to feud with through 2000, opportunity knocked hard for Triple H and he took it. I'd argue that Triple H had the best year & a half from January 2001 through May 2001 when it all ended with a quad injury. Triple H returned in 2002, but he was never the same though he had had great moments here and there since. During 2000-2001, he got real close with Stephanie McMahon and after their marriage, Triple H would eventually become the #2 man behind Vince McMahon. #4 - The Undertaker - I can't say that I was the biggest fan of the 1990's Undertaker. The gimmick was fun at first, as he was a near immortal wrestler... But soon, especially after Undertaker officially turned face by saving Miss Elizabeth/Macho Man from an attack by Jake Roberts, the Undertaker had some ridiculously lame feuds, including one with himself, through 1996. During 1997, and thanks to a hard chairshot by Shawn Michaels, the Undertaker loosened up a bit and started to lend himself to great matches with Michaels and later during 1998-1999, Steve Austin. WWE got ridiculous with the "Ministry" stuff, but yet again, an injury changes everything. Undertaker had a groin tear through late 1999 and returned during 2000 with a biker gimmick (dubbed the "Bikertaker" by many fans and publications). With the actual funeral parlor gimmick stuff lessened, the Undertaker's wrestling ability was allowed to shine. Undertaker had a great, great 2000's as his gimmick was no longer the focus (most of the time) and the wrestler behind the Undertaker was finally allowed to shine. Matches with Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Brock Lesnar, and many others are classics that cemented the Undertaker as a legend in addition this longevity. You cannot deny the awesomeness of his Wrestlemania streak, either, and the question always each year is "when will it end". Could it with Triple H, who put over the Undertaker BIG with a clean win 10 years ago at Wrestlemania 17? Getting back to Wrestlemania 27, in my mind as a fan who grew up and enjoyed all FOUR wrestlers, it's incredibly nice to see the "Fantastic Four" as I've dubbed reunite on this show. Granted, the Rock and the expectations of Steve Austin getting involved to hype "Tough Enough" will possibly just have non-wrestling roles... Just to have them around on the biggest and best WWE show of the year while Triple H and Undertaker do battle in just awesome in my mind. Being a wrestling fan since the late 1980's, and having the pleasure of seeing these FOUR being awesome during 1997 to 2003, together, is something I can relate in today's column to you, the fans who might have caught onto the WWE at a later date. Undertaker and Triple H, though in their twilight, are still full-time WWE employees and recent wrestling fans have seen some of their best from the past few years. But damn, seeing Rock/Austin kick major ass from 1997 to 2003 was an honor to watch. To have a glimpse of that, along with Triple H and Undertaker wrestling on the same show, is just awesome. Buy the DVD's, enjoy the WWE 24/7... Wrestling was NEVER better than when Steve Austin, Triple H, the Rock, and the Undertaker ruled the WWE together. And thankfully for the WWE Creative Team and Vince McMahon as an owner, we get to see the "Fantastic Four" again together on a Wrestlemania for one potential last time. 10 Things I Think1) Good for Chris Jericho dancing his way to another mainstream possibility. For Season 12 of "Dancing with the Stars" (are there really enough stars to fill 12 seasons?), Chris Jericho will be a cast member. Before you laugh your arse off, just look what it did for Stacy Keibler. Right? Her acting career has gone through the roof, right? Ohhhh.. Well, at least with Jericho, it's another good line item on his resume between his music career (though not successful, he's made records and toured), ongoing work on Vh1, and an author. What I like about Jericho is that he's not dependent on pro wrestling to survive, but he can always come back to it when he desires and he's always wanted. So before you laugh at Jericho, first consider the dancer he could be pair with on that show (DAMN!), but second, ask yourself this: do you have career options in your life like Chris Jericho? 2) Not sure about MMA fighters debuting at age 41. Batista will make his MMA debut here shortly, and I wonder "why"? Yeah, it's nice to pursue a dream, but Batista's background as a bouncer, bodybuilder, and pro wrestler doesn't exactly lend itself to a kid in his 20's who knows martial arts or used to be an amateur wrestler. Good luck, but Batista was best at pro wrestling and made a good living doing. But, I assume he saved his money to consider this career option. However, at age 41... I don't know. 3) RAW Ratings - Funny how they rise with STAR POWER. Let's face it... WWE wasn't fairing well after Shawn Michaels retired and Triple H was out with an injury and were forced to push a few younger wrestlers as tad too early in the Miz (though he's getting better), Wade Barrett, and Sheamus on the RAW brand. But then, thicken up the top with the addition of CM Punk and having him feud with John Cena and then bring in the Rock, have Triple H/Undertaker return, and now Steve Austin will return? WWE just went from the low 3.0's to the upper 3.0's in weeks... Hopefully, this influences the WWE to better manufacture stars or to inject means to keep this bigger stars around. 4) Speaking of potential star power, be patient on Sin Cara. Seems that with the official press conference to announce Sin Cara's signing, it seems that the Internet Wrestling Community's ADD has kicked into high gear about immediately pushing Sin Cara to the top. SLOW DOWN......... He's a 5'7" guy, who might not speak English fully, and wrestles a style much different what the WWE desires. Yeah, Rey Mysterio has fit the WWE style, but Rey Mysterio wrestled in the United States for YEARS in ECW and WCW to be seasoned and ready for his WWE splash during 2002 to present. Let the guy climb the ladder and earn it. 5) Great promo/segment by Triple H on Monday. I enjoyed what I saw from Triple H from this past Monday, as his noting for accomplishing everything but defeating the Undertaker for his streak and the Undertaker living for the streak was impressive. But what I liked was the pounding of Sheamus. I repeatedly called on the WWE to bookend this upon HHH's return, as well as what we may see from the Undertaker when he returns to Smackdown this week for Wade Barrett/Nexus and Kane. You know, that little term called "continuity". But with HHH and Sheamus, Sheamus clearly wasn't ready for the push or the honor of putting out Triple H for injury. Sheamus, at least at this point in his career, is not even close to Triple H's equal and is ready yet to rise to it. Keeping things simple by having him wrestle in a nice midcard feud with Daniel Bryan will work nicely. 6) Be cautious on the WWE stock. I think investors are looking very closely at the WWE's buyrates, as shown by their recent WWE stock performance. Yikes @ $12.97 per share through 3/2/11! Hence, why the "Fantastic Four" has been dispatched to save Wrestlemania 27 and its buyrate. 7) Can we get serious about the WWE Hall of Fame already? Let's run through the names of the usual snubs... "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Owen Hart, "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Bruno Sammartino, etc. I laugh at the commentary that nobody can outshine Shawn Michaels during the Hall of Fame ceremony. Huh? Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice went into together at the NFL Hall of Fame, just as Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken did as first ballot hall of famers in their respective sports. Come on, WWE! Get these guys in! 8) Not sure on "Bullet" Bob Armstrong. Koko B. Ware's induction into the fabled WWE Hall of Fame is now looking alright... What did Bullet Bob do for pro wrestling, aside from producing sons who were OK additions to pro wrestling, with the "Road Dogg" Jesse James as the prominent one? Especially with the HUGE names mentioned above, in addition to the Rock needing inducted, what on earth is up with this induction? Good for Bob, I suppose, but it raises questions about the legitimacy about a Hall of Fame. If you want to talk about legendary contributions to the WWE, why not finally reach out to Bruno Sammartino whose back held up the WWE in the Northeast for a long, long time? Randy Savage who I'd argue is the best Wrestlemania performer from Wrestlemanias 1 through 10? Yes, better than Hogan... 9) Be careful of Mr. Tito's 2011 Predictions. During my last Wrath of Tito, I made 2011 predictions... For one, I'm wondering how much Vickie Guerrero and Dolph Ziggler's "firings" will amount to the storylines on Smackdown or if it will open a move after Wrestlemania 27. I think the WWE likes the chemistry John Cena had with Vickie Guerrero and I believe that management likes Ziggler. With RAW being the showcase show, Vickie and Ziggler could continue their fun on the RAW brand, which I predicted... Tune in... But I'm watching the WWE releases... WWE's year-end financial performance, thank you low buyrates and other things strained by the recent recession, is going to prompt the WWE to make deep cuts, possibly sharper ones than ever. Plus, consider that the Rock and Steve Austin might not be working for cheap in their Wrestlemania 27 returns. WWE is hoping to make money by spending money, but if Wrestlemania 27 provides just a short-term buzz, the WWE is going to have to seriously cut expenses. I wish any of the wrestlers cut by these tough economic decisions the best. 10 - *SPOILER* - Unless you've read recent stuff, you'll know what's happening on an upcoming show... Thus, if you hate spoilers, just chill till the next episode and check me out DAILY on BLOG is TITO. But otherwise, follow the dots... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10) Sting returns to TNA. - Not only that, he returns to win the TNA Championship. That's right, TNA, the alternative to the WWE who once bragged about a new and innovative style of wrestling, has just resorted to awarding a 51 year old wrestler (turning 52 in 18 days, too) the TNA Title upon his return in attempt to thumb their nose at the WWE. For what? Because the WWE didn't get ONE GUY to host a DVD full of footage? The Ultimate Warrior and Macho Man Randy Savage weren't present for their DVD's and they still sold well. Now granted, both could have sold better with the wrestlers returning to partake in discussion of their careers, but the DVD's still sold. Sting had everything to gain by striking while the iron was hot, but didn't... He's going back to the safe option, and that's fine... The WWE having the Rock returning absolutely crushed any thought of Sting almost joining the WWE. Oh well, and that's a shame because with Sting being one of my all time favorites, I would have loved to check out a Sting DVD with the Stinger reflecting on his WCW career, specific matches, and maybe boldly mixing it up with a few WWE superstars he's never faced.... Maybe one of the "Fantastic Four" of the Attitude Era... Just chill... Till the next episode! CONTACT MR. TITO - Email: [email protected] - Twitter: @titowrestling - Join LoPForums.com: Feedback Thread BLOG is TITO Archive on LoPForums.com © Mr. Tito 1998 - 2011
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