Hulk Hogan

From the NAI Archive – March 17, 2015 – DC Network Diaries – Wrestlemania VII

The year was 1991. America was in the midst of a war in the Persian Gulf. One of our greatest military heroes (WWF’s, at least) had just turned his back on his country and allied with the Iraqi regime. Only a Real American could stand in his way, as DC’s Network Diaries brings you Wrestlemania VII.

Authors Note: I watched this PPV close to 2 weeks ago and in the efforts of full disclosure, I wasn’t paying intense attention. Thus, my column will be more #NAIstalgia than anything else. Apologies to those who were hoping for a real in-depth analysis.

Willie Nelson sang a song of patriotism. Pretty sure that’s the only time I’ve ever seen him not under the influence of cannabis.

From the NAI Archive – March 4, 2015 – What if Wednesday – What if Randy Savage had stayed in WWE?

I’ve made myself a deal that this month will be “Mania March” – my posting, Tweeting and WWE Network viewing will likely be focused on “The Granddaddy of them All” (despite Starrcade technically being born first), although I also will be continuing my quest to watch every NWA / WCW PPV as well.

Oh, and I want to watch NXT.

And Jason might finally talk me into trying out this Ring of Honor business.

*sigh* I guess I’ll keep watching RAW, too.

Damn, how many sick days do I have left?

From the NAI Archive – March 3, 2015 – Defending Daniel – Why Bryan fans shouldn’t be “Crippled” by their hero’s supposed fall from grace.

One of the most anticipated matches at this year’s Wrestlemania, at least according to the NAIbors I’ve spoken with, is the ladder match for the IC title. Not only is it impressive because it’s received so much TV time, or its, in just a couple of weeks, seemingly revived the multiple-time-dead career of one R-Truth, but it also is going to be, it seems, the Wrestlemania spot for one Daniel Bryan. You know, the guy who won the World Heavyweight Championship at the main event of last year’s Mania.

This got me thinking. How does this rank among others who have won a World title at wrestling’s greatest stage? Specifically, I looked at those who won in the main event match. The results, as expected, were surprising

From the NAI Archive – January 7, 2015 – What If Wednesday – What if Hulk Hogan had never left WWF?

On today’s installment of NAIpod, Jason and Liam discuss the unique situation regarding John Cena, and how he’s NEVER GOING TO EVER GO AWAY!

Excuse me. . . Got a bit emotional. . .

In doing so, they discussed Hulk Hogan’s departure from the company in mid-1993, and wondered what may have happened if the Real American never left WWF?

Sounds like the perfect “What If Wednesday” to me. . .

What if Hulk Hogan never left WWF?

From the NAI Archive – December 23, 2014 – DC’s Network Diaries: Summer Slam 1990

Funny how random things don’t wind up seemingly random, isn’t it?

As I’m sure I’ve mentioned a time or seven, I’m a bit of a nerd. And I like making lists. So, I spent some time updating my list of all the content on WWE Network. . . Because I use my time wisely.

After making sure my dork-OCD levels were topped off for the day, I went to my good friend Random.org in order to decide what I’d watch. . . Isn’t that how everyone watches WWE Network? Pull a random number off a website, look up what Network event that refers to on your spreadsheet, then watch it?

. . . I really should keep these things to myself, I think.

Anyway, the number I picked took me to Summer Slam from 1990. Conveniently enough, I had just finished the Rumble from that same year this morning. Isn’t that a weird coincidence?

. . . Let’s just get to the card.

From the NAI Archive – December 20, 2014 – DC’s Network Diaries: Royal Rumble 1990

Welcome to the first installment of DC’s Network Diaries, where we document one insane man’s attempt to justify spending hours upon hours poring over the massive amount of #NAIstalgia that exists on the WWE Network.

If you’ve been a fan of mine from back before NAI, you know that this is not a new venture. Back before I had a name, in my Teacher days, I tried doing this over at Number Two Contenders, even including a snazzy syllabus and everything. Since trying to find “lessons” in each PPV was a difficult endeavor, and also because each of those entries seemed to be about 10+ pages, consider DC’s Network Diaries to be a streamlined version.

As I go through each PPV, I’ll share the following…

– My personal favorite moment / highlight of each match.
Note: This will not be a play by play recap, nor will I presume to “rate” matches. Wrestling, like all art, is subjective, so I will allow you to like what you like.

– In some cases, a “lowlight” – Either a problem I have or some other “ughhh” moment.

– A “so what”, in which I aspire to tie in the match with something happening in the modern WWE.

– At the conclusion of each event, I’ll offer a single recommendation (Match of the Night, if you will), along with a few discussion questions, since you can take the Teacher out of the classroom, but you can’t keep The Teacher from assigning homework.

From the NAI Archive – December 18, 2014 – Throwback Thursday – A NAIstalgic look back at DC’s favorite Royal Rumble

I’d like you all to do me a favor. Close your eyes. . . And take a deep breath.

. . .

You can smell it, can’t you?

No, I’m not talking about what The Rock is cooking – It’s The Road to Wrestlemania, and it’s getting closer.

In fact, for my money, the first stop on the Road is the best one… Yes, my friends, I’m a Royal Rumble junkie.

From the N2C Archive – September 8, 2014 – Lessons from the Network: RAW and PPV’s from early 1993

It’s hard to be a wrestling fan.

It’s even harder to be a wrestling fan who then has to produce original content about said wrestling.

On behalf of Doc Manson, I apologize to our fans for being absent these last weeks. I wish I had a hell of an excuse, but I think it just comes down to fatigue. Tired of writing, tired of editing, tired of having to watch RAW week after week and think of a new angle to blog about.

WWE just isn’t that exciting these days.

From the N2C Archive – July 28, 2014 – The Teacher’s Lounge: Why do we hate John Cena?

Why do we hate John Cena?

Why is it that the majority of adults who watch professional wrestling groan every time they hear his music? Why do we despise the jean shorts (Austin wore them), the multi-colored t-shirts with bumper sticker phrasing (The Rock was a slogan machine) and his incessant way of reminding us all exactly where he is? (In case you had forgotten, the champ is here.)

Do we detest the man himself? Hardly. We admire his tenacity to accomplish what he has done in the world of wrestling and we applaud his dedication to charitable work. Yet why are the WWE fans that frequent social media so rabidly against him?

From the N2C Archive – July 26, 2014 – Lessons from the Network: No Way Out 2003

When WWE acquired both ECW and WCW in the early 2000’s, they were flush with talent from all 3 of the major companies, though in some cases, “talent” is a word I use relatively loosely. As time went on, the invasion angle faded away and only a handful of stars from Atlanta or Philadelphia remained, having been fully incorporated into WWE storylines.

No Way Out 2003 was the table-setter leading up to Wrestlemania XIX, famous for McMahon vs. Hogan and infamous for the botched shooting star press from Brock Lesnar.