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Godder

Gutted, another one of the icons goes.

canefan

Rowdy Roddie Piper gooonnnee

red terror

Died in his sleep, reportedly.
 
Jess Ventura's tweet says a lot about how he might have died of natural causes at a relatively early age:
 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote">Sad to hear about Roddy Piper. He once worked 91 nights w/out a day off. WWE wouldn't be what it is today w/out him. Wonderful athlete & friend.
 
</blockquote>

Stockcar86

WWE tribute on RAW today
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='

'>

</a>

red terror

I watched Piper vs. Hart for the Intercontinental Ititle at WM8 last night. Just a great-great-great match. The whole thing can be seen here (scroll down on the bleacher report page):
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2383374-wwe-classic-of-the-week-bret-hart-vs-roddy-piper-from-wrestlemania-viii'>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2383374-wwe-classic-of-the-week-bret-hart-vs-roddy-piper-from-wrestlemania-viii</a>
 
The complete match isn't on youtube unfortunately, but an uploader did create a superb edit tribute yesterday:

The song is kinda suckage, but the spots are so uniformly great, and the story so well told by true masters, by the end I'm kinda choked up.
 
The edit - unfortunately - misses what for me is the even better part of the match, the long sequence of Piper strapping the belt around Hart's waist, the embraces, the words and eye contact between the men -- absolute, utter respect. So if you can, watch that bleacherreport link of the whole thing. A special match where Roddy gave his ALL to put over and pass the torch. A true mentor. The match -- with the blood splattered face -- puts into beautiful perspective the legendary "double-turn" of Hart v. Stone Cold five years later at WM13.

red terror

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Stockcar86" data-cid="505500" data-time="1438655296">
<div>
WWE tribute on RAW today
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='

'>

</a>
</div>
</blockquote>
 
ps. If you get a chance, try to watch the Wade Barrett vs. Zack Ryder match - IF ONLY for JBL's ridiculous comment that Wade "King" Barrett was responsible for England getting this years' Rugby World Cup.
 
Edit: Uploaded.

Godder

NXT Takeover Brooklyn was awesome. For anyone with the network, watch it, especially the women's title match (co-main event).

red terror

I'm watching Summerslam right now. Looking forward to "the match too big for Wrestlemania," as well as the Cena vs. Rollins bout.

Godder

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="red terror" data-cid="510583" data-time="1440376171">
I'm watching Summerslam right now. Looking forward to "the match too big for Wrestlemania," as well as the Cena vs. Rollins bout.</blockquote>
 
Was a good event. Not the finish to the main event I'd have gone with, but it will generate controversy, and publicity with it. The Green Arrow was also an excellent celebrity wrestler - kudos to him.

red terror

The finish to Cena v. Rollins was rubbish, but the bout itself was top-notch. (And really, since I honestly didn't see the interference coming the way it played out, you can count me as surprised & tickled, even though the finish was rubbish.)
 
Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens, also really-really good.
 
And Brock vs. Undertaker was Epic for too many reasons. 
 
I've heard enough good things about the Sasha Banks vs. Bayley bout from NXT -- which Live Audio Wrestling called the best match of the weekend -- that I want to see, but Vince has pulled all the youtube uploads so I'll have to keep checking, or maybe it's time I became a WWE Network subscriber.

red terror

Jon Stewart came on Raw to explain himself. He did it for Ric Flair. Cena came to the ring and confronted, then scooped Stewart up and laid him out with a near-perfect AA. An incredible stunt for any untrained man in his 50's.

Godder

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="red terror" data-cid="510818" data-time="1440420073">
I've heard enough good things about the Sasha Banks vs. Bayley bout from NXT -- which Live Audio Wrestling called the best match of the weekend -- that I want to see, but Vince has pulled all the youtube uploads so I'll have to keep checking, or maybe it's time I became a WWE Network subscriber.
</blockquote>
 
It was absolutely epic - the build and story, basic as it was, sucked me right in and I was really looking forward to it since Bayley won the #1 contender match.

is the WWE preshow for NXT Takeover Brooklyn - skip to about 10 minutes for the discussion of the women's match (co-main event, and rightfully so) and in particular the video package that WWE does so well.
 
The match itself is available on Dailymotion here: <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x32q90f_720phd-wwe-nxt-takeover-brooklyn-8-22-2015-sasha-banks-vs-bayley_sport'>http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x32q90f_720phd-wwe-nxt-takeover-brooklyn-8-22-2015-sasha-banks-vs-bayley_sport</a>
 
I defy anyone not to get goosebumps for the finish, but if you feel the need for some feels, <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='

'>

</a> is the Twitter link for Izzy's reaction to the finish (Izzy is the little girl focussed on in the video package who wears the Bayley shirt and the tassels - Bayley is her favourite wrestler, and is an example of the enormous popularity Bayley has with kids, especially girls, which is a demographic almost unheard of for WWE).
 
Alternatively, signing up for the network is an option, particularly since the first month is free - that said, I maintain a subscription because it has every WWE, WCW and ECW PPV ever, the current PPVs are live and included in the cost, plus they do network specials (PPVs not on PPV, basically), NXT and other stuff like Stone Cold podcasts.

red terror

I watched it last night. Some really great spots, and a hot crowd.

red terror

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="red terror" data-cid="510917" data-time="1440469878">
<div>
Jon Stewart came on Raw to explain himself...
</div>
</blockquote>

Godder

Props to Jon Stewart for taking that bump! 
Apparently Sasha Banks is Snoop Dogg's cousin, and she got introduced to pro wrestling by him.

Milk

<div>Jimmy 'the Superfly' Snuka charged with 32 year old murder</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Retired wrestling legend Jimmy Snuka has been arrested and charged with murder over the death of a girlfriend 32 years ago.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The 72-year-old, who was nicknamed Superfly during his wrestling heyday in the 1970s and '80s, was taken into custody following an arrest at his home in New Jersey early on Tuesday on counts of third degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.</div>
<div> </div>
<div> </div>
<div><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11506735'>http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11506735</a></div>

red terror

Oh man, crazy story. There were rumours several years ago. I met him at a Comic-Con about five years back, but he wasn't real talkative, I swear there was a cloud hanging over the guy, so I sidled over to a much happier Bushwacker Luke. It doesn't look good for him.

red terror

<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_71180.shtml#.VeZuwCX2Asa'>pwtorch timeline...</a>
 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote">
- May 10/11, 1983: Nancy Argentino died at the age of 23 after being found unresponsive in Snuka's hotel room at the George Washington Motor Lodge in Whitehall, Pa. - May 1983: Snuka attended Nancy's viewing along with manager Buddy Rogers and reportedly cried as he leaned over the casket. The family believed Snuka would return to the funeral the next day, but he did not attend. - May 27, 1983: District Attorney William Platt, now a Pennsylvania Senior Superior Court judge, said the investigation into Nancy's death was nearly complete. "It's just a matter of getting everybody together," Platt said about getting the investigators and attorneys on the same page. - June 1, 1983: Snuka and WWE head Vince McMahon met with Platt, then-Assistant District Attorney Robert Steinberg, Dr. Mihalakis, and Whitehall Police detectives for a follow-up interview about the events surrounding Nancy's death. McMahon, who Snuka noted in his recent autobiography brought a briefcase with him to the meeting, "did all the talking," according to Steinberg. "I remember Vince McMahon being what Vince McMahon has always been - very effusive," said Steinberg. "He was very protective, a showman. He was the mouthpiece, trying to direct the conversation." Steinberg noted he "couldn't recall specifics of the conversation," there is no record of the content of the conversation, Snuka said in his book that he doesn't remember much of the conversation, and Platt said he is "not permitted to discuss this matter." - June 1, 1983: The local police investigation effectively went cold after the follow-up interview with Snuka, who was represented by McMahon. The case remains open today and there is no record of Snuka being interviewed on the case ever again. Snuka wrote about the meeting in his book: "All I remember is McMahon had a briefcase with him. I don't know what happened. ... The only thing I know for sure is I didn't hurt Nancy." Wrestling author Irv Muchnick, who published an <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://amzn.com/B00CPTP6VM'>e-book</a> on the case called "Justice Denied," analyzed this piece of the story and speculated on the events surrounding the meeting in a <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://concussioninc.net/?p=7681'>new blog</a> at ConcussionInc.net: "All the evidence is that McMahon didnâ€™t give the Argentinos any money; Nancyâ€™s sisters say their mother would hang up on a WWF representative who called to offer her $25,000. Whether McMahon gave the family any money is a non sequitur. The question raised and unanswered by Snukaâ€™s tantalizing quote is something entirely different: whether WWF, in protecting one of its most popular stars from a homicide indictment, handed out strategic cash to anyone else."
 
...
 
</blockquote>
 
Crazy to think Vince was representing him! There's more at the Torch link.

red terror

Tonight's finish to Raw was ridiculous, but definitely worth catching. Anyway, I just have to say the Cena-Rollins feud the past year has given us one incredible match after another. Last night and tonight were both excellent, both are amazing workers, and full marks to Cena for developing his skill-set. At last nights' Night of Champions PPV and tonight's Raw, he was showing new & impressive moves and believable counters combined with eye-popping shows of strength & endurance. He works with all types and gets excellent matches out of them, He's on top of his game and is clearly getting better. Hogan's limited skill-set never evolved, and the same could be said for quite a few champions of past, but Cena has challenged himself and risen to the challenge. He's fun to boo, and I never imagined I would ever do this, but I tip my hat to the man.

Godder

Funny thing about Hogan is he could absolutely go in the ring, but his style regressed rather than evolved in WWF/E, because that's what they wanted. Check out Youtube for some of his Japanese work...

The Silver Fern

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