Tagged: CM Punk
Please WWE: Bring back “Eye of the Tiger” for Hulk Hogan
We know C.M. Punk got the WWE brass to buy the rights to play “Cult of Personality” by Living Colour instead of some generic tune the organization had previously given him.
The WWE also purchased the rights to a song by Mark Crozer, who has toured as a member of The Jesus and Mary Chain. The tune, renamed by the WWE as “Live in Fear,” is now Bray Wyatt’s entrance music.
So, the WWE will spend money for songs that it wants certain stars to come out to. With that in mind, why can’t the WWE also buy the rights to “Eye of the Tiger” for Hulk Hogan?
Embed from Getty Images“Eye of the Tiger” was recorded by Survivor, a 1980s group that was well-known to the MTV generation. Survivor catapulted to the big time when “Eye of the Tiger” went on the soundtrack to the Rocky III movie, which Hogan co-starred in. The movie was no doubt Hogan’s inspiration to start using the tune during his AWA days, and he brought it over when he jumped to the WWF in late 1983.
Paul Heyman Channels Captain Lou and Bobby “The Brain”
Watching Paul Heyman these days reminds me of two of the greatest WWE managers in history, and both of those guys played huge roles in wrestling in the 1980s: Captain Lou Albano and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. Continue reading
My arguments for why CM Punk is the best heel champ ever in WWE history
On my blog, I tend not to stray too far out of the 1980s, but as we all know, wrestling lives on in 2013.
My friend, Eric Gargiulo, over at the Camel Clutch Blog gave me the spotlight this week to discuss CM Punk’s recently-ended WWE Heavweight Title reign.
Punk’s title run clearly set him apart as the greatest heel world champion in WWE, WWF, and WWWF history. Six months ago, I would have argued that Superstar Billy Graham held that honor, but Punk took things to a higher level before losing to the Rock at the Royal Rumble.
Finally, Bob Backlund will enter the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013
It seems to me that when the WWE started its Hall of Fame, the top five or 10 longest reigning WWF Heavyweight champions should have automatically been inducted in the initial years. As we know, that has not happened, but a big step in the right direction occurred on Monday Night Raw this week with the news that Bob Backlund was going into the hall’s 2013 class.
Backlund is technically a three-time former WWF champion, although I believe the official record books still say two-time. That’s because in 1979, Backlund did a quickie title exchange in Japan with Antonio Inoki that was not publicly acknowledged at the time (and still isn’t talked about often).
Taking the brief Inoki run out of the picture, Backlund held the belt from February 1978 until December 1983, nearly six years. Take that, CM Punk.
As was the case back in those days, Continue reading
Royal Rumble 1988: Vince McMahon’s FU to the NWA
While 1988 wasn’t the year of the first Royal Rumble (the little-known original version was a flop in 1987), the ’88 Rumble was the first one nationally broadcast. It was a free show on the USA Network, which was great news for wrestling fans, but in reality the move to make it free was an assault against the NWA and Jim Crockett Promotions (which later morphed into WCW).
The story starts in 1987, when Crockett and Vince McMahon both promoted pay-per-views on Thanksgiving night (the first Survivor Series and Starrcade ’87). McMahon made a power play Continue reading
When CM Punk got strapped to the lie detector machine, it reminded me of George “The Animal” Steele’s shock therapy
The CM Punk lie detector performance on Monday Night Raw this week was silly, at least until the end, and reminded me of a long-lost skit involving George “The Animal” Steele.
Filmed for the WWF’s Tuesday Night Titans show (think Vince McMahon acting as Jay Leno), Steele is purportedly subjected to shock treatment as a way to cure his Continue reading
The WWE had low-brow angles and gimmicks long before CM Punk mocked Lawler’s heart attack
A certain segment of the pro wrestling community was up in arms after Monday Night Raw featured an angle that played off the real-life heart attack and near death of Jerry “The King” Lawler.
Some said the angle was in poor taste, particularly when Paul Heyman feigned his own heart attack and WWE Heavyweight Champion CM Punk pretended to administer CPR.
But such garish actions on wrestling aren’t exclusive to 2012. Unfortunately for all of us, the McMahon family has set a low bar at least since the early 1980s about what types of angles and heat are appropriate.
Here are some less-than-stellar moments that I can recall growing up Continue reading
Heel ref Brad Maddox harkens back to the great Danny Davis
There is some interest about where the WWE plotline is heading with crooked referee Brad Maddox, who gave Ryback a low blow at Hell in the Cell, leading to a CM Punk victory.
Maddox brings back memories of perhaps the most infamous heel ref, Danny Davis, who peaked in 1987 with the gimmick.
Davis, who is from New Hampshire, was a longtime referee in the early 1980s for the WWF, often working the house shows at the old Boston Garden. He got wrestling experience in the ring by competing under a mask as Continue reading
Ricky Steamboat: Overlooked in the WWF
It’s hard to believe that Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat held a championship in the WWF for only about three months.
He won the Intercontinental Title in the famous match with Randy “Macho Man” Savage at WrestleMania III in March 1987, but then lost it almost immediately to the Honky Tonk Man in June 1987.
I seem to recall that Steamboat took some time off for personal reasons at the time he lost the belt, so that likely explains the short reign. But how is it that a guy who held the NWA World Title and had classics with Continue reading
February ’89 was a memorable point for the big champions in the WWF
February 1989 was an interesting month for the WWF title picture. Two unusual events occurred around that time: Continue reading
Boston Garden Balcony 