Robert Roode, a Real Superstar whether Hogan says it or not

If anyone knows Mr Main Event BDuB like they claim they do, they understand that I am one of the biggest Hulkamaniacs in the world. But one thing in this world I understand, not all good things last forever. Hulkamania is one of them. Sure I was happy to see Hogan return to the WWE in 2002 and become undisputed champion. Sure I was happy to see him become apart of TNA and hoping that he could possibly turn the company into a legit competitor for the WWE. But I do understand that he should not be a "power of be."

What should a superstar possess in the world of professional wrestling? They must have in-ring ability, regardless whether or not they use it every match like Ric Flair did. They must have charisma, the ability to make you love them or love to hate them. They must have microphone skills, the ability to make a crowd listen and be captured by their words.

Personally, I do not watch TNA as much as the average person. The product is simply hard to follow and become attached to. This is my opinion. However, I will never forget the night that I saw that Robert Roode and he captured me by his words. On this night he told Hogan face to face that they say you should never meet your childhood idols, because they will disappoint you. The way he approached the microphone and stood toe to toe with the biggest icon in the history of professional wrestling truly displayed that he was ready. A few weeks later, Hogan himself went on a radio show and indicated that Roode has a bright future in this business. Then months later he stated that Roode is not ready, and is a mid-carder at best. Really?

As "The Real" Dwayne Allen (dwayneallen24 on twitter) said, "great players do not make great coaches, look at Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson." The point he is making, these guys think because they are talented and were also  hard workers, that no matter how much you work if you are not talented, then you will not achieve the same type of success. We all witnessed what Hogan, Bischoff and Russo did to WCW. A company that stood to toe to toe with Vince McMahon go straight down the drain in less than 3 years. Will Roode ever reach Hulkamania status, probably not. But he surely has the potential to rise to the occasion and bring new life into TNA. With a guy like that on the Horizon, and Triple H in the front office of the WWE, one can only imagine what he could do on a stage like WrestleMania!

The Very Best of WCW Monday Nitro

It has been awhile since I have been excited for a dvd release, well since the History of WrestleMania. Which came out in March, however, last year it seemed that there was a new DVD out every week. This one seems to be a highly anticipated one. WWE has been a great in putting DVDs Together. Since its departure in 2001, WCW fans have been screaming for something like this. Monday Nitro was the flagship program for World Championship Wrestling and it was what put them on the map and allowed them to become a serious opponent in the ratings against the WWE. The WWE has put together some great DVDs including Hart & Soul, The History of WrestleMania, and the Monday Night Wars just to name a few. They have also dropped the ball on a few DVDs including Edge a Decade of Decadence, and  The Top 50 Superstars just to name a couple. With these DVDs I felt they could have did so much better, adding some more flavor to them and telling a better story. From the looks of it, the Nitro DVD, they are using the format of having a match in between each segment, rather than tell a story throughout the DVD and show just highlights of matches and save the full matches for the other disc. Here is the format for the upcoming Best of Nitro DVD
 

Disk 1

WCW History Lesson

Flyin’ Brian Pillman vs. Jushin Thunder Liger
4th September, 1995

Hulk Hogan vs. Big Bubba Rogers
4th September, 1995

“Macho Man” Randy Savage & Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair & Arn Anderson
8th January, 1996

“Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

WCW World Tag Team Championship Match
Sting and Lex Luger vs. The Road Warriors
5th February, 1996

Parking Lot Brawl
Lord Steven Regal vs. Belfast Bruiser
29th April, 1996

Eddie Guerrero vs. Ric Flair
20th May, 1996

Scott Hall Nitro Debut
27th May, 1996

Kevin Nash Nitro Debut
10th June, 1996

Migrating to Hot’Lanta

WCW World Tag Team Championship Triangle Match
Sting & Lex Luger vs. The Steiner Brother vs. Harlem Heat
24th June, 1996

nWo is Taking Over
8th July, 1996

nWo Awoke a Sleeping Giant

The Outsiders attack WCW Superstars
29th July, 1996

Sting & Lex Luger vs. The Outsiders Scott Hall & Kevin Nash
12th August, 1996

nWo takes Over
26th August, 1996

“Sting” attacks Lex Luger
9th September, 1996

The Enigmatic Sting

Sting walks out on Nitro
16th September, 1996

Rowdy Roddy Piper confronts Eric Bischoff
18th November, 1996

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Dean Malenko
30th December, 1996

Disk 2

Badda Bang!

Diamond Dallas Page vs. Mark Starr
13th January, 1997

Harvey Schiller suspends Eric Bischoff
3rd March, 1997

Sting attacks the nWo
17th March, 1997

The High- Flying Cruiserweights

WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match
Syxx vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.
21st April, 1997

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Lex Luger
4th August, 1997

Disregard for Tradition & Authority

nWo mocks the Four Horsemen
1st September, 1997

Diamond Dallas Page vs. Buff Bagwell
29th September, 1997

Sting Saves DDP from the nWo
27th October, 1997

Sting vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage
2nd February, 1998

Jericho’s 1004 Holds
30th March, 1998

Who’s Next?

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Goldberg
6th July, 1998

WCW World Tag Team Championship Match
Kevin Nash & Sting vs. Scott Hall & The Giant
20th July, 1998

Non-Title Match
Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Chris Jericho
3rd August, 1998

WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match
Juventud Guerrera vs. Billy Kidman
14th September, 1998

Tradition Returns!

Ric Flair Returns to the Four Horsemen
14th September, 1998

WCW United States Championship Match
Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. Diamond Dallas Page
26th October, 1998

Ric Flair vs. Eric Bischoff
28th December, 1998

Disk 3

Cracks in the Armour

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Kevin Nash vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan
4th January, 1999

Goldberg Spears The Hitman
29th March, 1999

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Sting vs. Diamond Dallas Page
26th April, 1999

Solidifying a Legacy

Eddie Guerrero vs. Juventud Guerrera
21st June, 1999

Hulk Hogan & Goldberg & Sting vs. Kevin Nash & Sid Vicious & Rick Steiner
9th August, 1999

Billy Kidman vs. Diamond Dallas Page
16th August, 1999

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. Goldberg
20th December, 1999

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Kevin Nash vs. Sid Vicious
24th January, 2000

Last Ditch Effort

The Bischoff & Russo Era Begins
10th April, 2000

Steel Cage Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Jeff Jarrett vs. Diamond Dallas Page
24th April, 2000

Tag Team Ladder Match
3 Count vs. Jung Dragons
18th July, 2000

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Booker T. vs. Lance Storm
7th August, 2000

Triple Cage War Games Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
4th September, 2000

Vince McMahon Buys WCW
26th March, 2001

Sting vs. Ric Flair
26th March, 2001

Celebrating WCW

Special Features

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs Mr. JL
26th August, 1996

Diamond Dallas Page Monday Nitro Highlights

Smith Hart Interview

Smith Hart is the eldest child of Stu and Helen Hart. He wrestled for his father’s promotion, Stampede Wrestling promotion and in Puerto Rico’s World Wrestling Council in the 1970s. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the eldest child of the Hart Family. Here is what he had to say.

1. How long did you wrestler?

I wrestled 18 years professionally.
2. Where was your favorite place to wrestle?

Puerto Rico and Hawaii stand out. I’ve since made Puerto Rico my home. But no matter where I went to wrestle, near or far, I was fortunate enough explore my surroundings and learn intimacies of unique foreign cultures.

3. How long did your title reign last with Bret at World Wrestling Council?

3 months before we forfeited them and went back to Calgary.

4. Who was your favorite wrestler outside your family?

Several come to mind: Brian Pillman, Curt Hennig, The Funks, Waldo Von Erich, Luther Lindsay, Billy Robinson, George Gordienko, Abdullah the Butcher, Archie Gouldie, Dynamite Kid who was very much like family.
5. Who was your closest sibling growing up?

Dean

6. Bret stated in the dvd titled “Hart & Soul” that he didn’t think your mom did not want he and Owen to wrestle at WrestleMania X, how did you feel?

I don’t think my mother cared as long as they got paid fairly and were treated with respect. I thought it was one of the best wrestling contests I have ever seen.

7. Is there anything that stands out that you know you taught Bret and Owen when you watch them perform?

Their street smarts and perhaps some humor or drawing pointers.

8. What was your favorite Bret match?

Against Owen at Wrestlemania 10, but I must say I saw Bret in absolutely flawless tag matches against people like The Bulldogs, The Funks, and Curt Hennig, Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, The Stomper, Roddy Piper, Undertaker, and single contests.
9. What was your favorite Owen match

I think the One with him and Bret was the best, but any match Owen had was a great match. I never seen him have a bad match.

10. When was the dungeon was first created?

Almost immediately after my father bought the house, approximately 1951
11. When exactly did it become “infamous”

I don’t know when it became infamous, but we were using international wrestlers immediately. Canada had much easier immigration laws, so it was easier for us to use Japanese, Mexican and European talents. We had a lot of Africans, Australians, New Zealanders and other Indo-eurasian visitors testing my dad’s wrestling and promotional skills in those sorely missed early years.

12. What was your finisher?

The Bulldog

13. Do you remember when Bret and Owen mastered the sharpshooter?

Bret approximately 1991 after Konan taught him the move. Owen the first time he ever attempted it.
14. Do you still watch WWE?

Yes I do

15. Do you have a favorite wrestler today?

David Hart Smith

16. What you think of WWE removing the word “wrestling” from the title?

I seldom know much about their “logic”.

17. One of my favorite moments when I think of the Hart family was July 6, 1997 WWE In Your House: Canadian Stampede. Can you describe the energy in the building that night?

I’m sure the energy was as intense as it could be because of our home audience.

18. Were you in Montreal on the night of the infamous screw job?

No

19. Being around professional wrestling all your life, someone like myself would say that you were lucky, was there ever a time that you felt that you needed a break?

I consider myself lucky for never injuring myself or another opponent. But, no, I’ve never needed a break from the business, I think there are aspects of this business that are hard to love, but I am trying to use my influence to correct such aspects of the business I love.
20. What did you think when you learned that Natalya, Teddy, and D H were going into the business?

I wish them all the best; they all have tremendous passion and with the bonus of incredible genetics and Hollywood good looks.
21. Are your children interested in becoming professional wrestlers? If so, how do you feel about that?

I don’t know that any of them are pursuing it. But if they did I would encourage them to exercise caution and build their expectations on a sound foundation.

22. What do you think of TNA?

I would like to be of help to TNA. I admire Dixie Carter (and family) for their passionate tenacity. I know I could be of help to TNA. TNA is as poorly managed as WCW was, and I cannot fathom the logic behind much of their booking haste. I think they do have a deep talent pool, with a lack of direction or proper management.

BDuB
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