The Joey Styles' Punch-Out!! Pro-Wrestling thread

Mike Bell, a former WWE jobber in the 90s and sporadically until 2003, has passed away of unknown causes at this time. He was 37.

He had a successful Indy career but is most famous for working as enhancement talent for the WWF in the 90s, working Raw on several occasions. One of his more famous moments came when he was wrestling Perry Saturn on C show Metal. Perry became pissed at several botched moves and legitimately dumped bell on his head on the outside and then rammed him in to the steel steps.

Bell was most recently featured in his brother's steroid documentary "Bigger Stronger Faster," where it was revealed he suffered from depression and had once tried to commit suicide.
Click to expand...

Here's the match. The bump out of the ring happens around the 2:30 mark. You can hear Bell say "...right on my head".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP085eYK4Nw
 
I just watched Bigger, Stronger, Faster a few weeks back on XBL Netflix. Decent documentary, but fairly superficial in terms of an actual focus on steroids, and most geared towards steroids as an intrinsic part of American culture. Seeing Mike Bell move out west at the end of the flick for the chance of getting seen/getting a shot with the WWE was just sad, because everyone knew that he stood no chance. Even himself to a degree.

Sad for him and his family.
 
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Whoa. I just watched that too. I didn't realize that guy had been around that long (in wrestling). Obviously everyone knows about the Saturn thing but I didn't remember him being around for many years prior.

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REALLY hoping my friend comes through on suite tickets for the Rumble now...
 
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Have fun, Lemon! :mrgreen:

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One of these things is not like the other...
 
I'm pretty sure that is the match that put Saturn in the doghouse, and consequently made him tote around that mop.
 
[quote name='Chase']Have fun, Lemon! :mrgreen:

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n536lt.jpg


One of these things is not like the other...[/QUOTE]

I wonder who's there in the real cover?

Looking back, Saturn didn't really go too hard on Bell in that match. He wasn't particularly kind to him, but what he did was nothing like what a cat like Bradshaw does when he wants to assert his status in the company.
 
Yeah, but that's not right.

Your life is in the hands of your "opponent".
 
I'm not justifying it. I'm saying that the reaction was overblown, and his punishment absurd, given that "punishment" is modified by your position in the company, and not what it is that you do to harm someone.

If you intentionally fuck someone up, it should be your ass. But it's not if your name is JBL.
 
Saturn claims that he "blacked out" during the match, so maybe they handed him the mop because he lied.
 
Was the mop punishment? It's hard to tell sometimes when people are saddled with things to punish them (black and yellow polka dots) and when people are saddled with shitbag gimmicks that creative really thinks will get over (take your pick).
 
[quote name='mykevermin']I wonder who's there in the real cover?

Looking back, Saturn didn't really go too hard on Bell in that match. He wasn't particularly kind to him, but what he did was nothing like what a cat like Bradshaw does when he wants to assert his status in the company.[/quote]


Supposedly, that is the real cover.

As for the Bell/Saturn incident, if Perry had been a bigger name, or had friends in high places, it wouldn't have been an issue. Comparing it to what JBL does is a good example.
 
Matt vs. Kozlov was somewhat short for a PPV match, but good while it lasted. Matt did a great job of selling Kozlov's offense, while Grisham, and especially Striker, did an amazing job putting Kozlov over on commentary. Kozlov's offense looked good, but his bumping looked stiff at times, like during the small package from Hardy. It looks awkward, but kind of works with him being put over as an emotionless cyborg.

Punk vs. Rey was full of great stuff; Rey working a more mat-based style worked well with Punk's, and each man hit some good-looking flying attacks as well. Cole did a good job putting over each man's world title credentials - making this match seem like a bigger deal, and also making the IC title seem more important as a result. Rey busting out La Mistica was pretty awesome to see, and furthered the mat wrestling-heavy story being told. While a mat wrestling-heavy match does tend to result in a dead crowd, I'm surprised this crowd wasn't more lively since they worked a fairly brisk pace. At least they got excited for near-falls. The finish, with Punk countering a spinning rana into the GTS, was awesome. Well, aside from Rey's nose getting smashed by Punk's knee, but at least it looked good.

Jeff's weird promo reminded me of the night vision ones done before a Monster's Ball in TNA, but did a great job at making it seem like he'd finally win the big one - they definitely should've run this during the previous week of TV instead of just having it here. Shawn's promo was excellent - he's raised the game on his promo work this year, and this was another great one from him. The angle with him losing all his money is certainly hard to take as plausible, but they had him rattle off a bunch of perfectly logical reasons for them, which is a huge plus.

Mark Henry vs. Finlay was slightly better than their usual meandering TV match, but still not great or even memorable. The wacky Christmas skit was mildly amusing, but seems redundant given the wacky skit done on Raw. Orton vs. Batista was quite good - not a classic, but very well-worked and somewhat memorable due to the Punt avoidance by Batista late in the match, and then the Alabama Slam>Batista Bomb finish. The divas match was perfectly fine, but was absolutely hilarious due to the commentators, with Tazz and Striker being consistently awesome behind the desk. Striker's line about Kelly being Jewish was hilarious, and I loved him stating that Victoria is considered by some to be the best in-ring diva ever.

Cena vs. Jericho was a little shorter than I expected, but still very good, aside from some rough spots (like the "leg drop" turning into a pseudo bulldog because Cena overshot Jericho, and Jericho nearly missing the lionsault). Cena's still nowhere near his '07 peak in the ring, but held his own here, and the additional layer of psychology added to his matches because of the neck injury helped out as well.

Jeff Hardy vs. HHH vs. Edge was another well-worked match on the card, and more memorable than most because of how much the crowd was into it. The spear through the announce table by Edge to Jeff looked fantastic - and made the story of the match better by J.R. stating that it took Jeff out the match.

This had some good near-falls, and I actually liked the run-ins by Kozlov and Matt since they made perfect sense - Matt's defending his brother, while Kozlov is still in the WWE (and seemingly the ECW) Title picture, and has had issues with two of the three men in the triple threat match in recent memory. This also gave the ECW Title a much-needed rub. The finish ruled, with Jeff swantoning Edge after HHH went for the cover. In a nice twist from the past, with HHH mocking Jeff for just being a second away, here, HHH was the one robbed of the title by Jeff, and I also like that the new champion beat the previous one in a triple threat - it usually bugs me to see a new champion crowned by pinning the other guy who wasn't the champion.

This made Jeff's reign seem a bit more legit, and gives him some more credibility as champion. It seems a bit odd for Edge's big return to just be used as a means to transition the belt from HHH to Jeff without having Jeff pin HHH for the belt, but it also adds more rage to Edge's character, and should lead to more great material when they finally pay off the whole "Who attacked Jeff?" angle. Jeff's celebration didn't quite get the whole crowd unglued, but it looked good anyway with the front row clapping in unison and holding up signs behind Jeff as he put the WWE Title around his waist for the first time. The celebration finishing on top of the set was a memorable twist, and one that fits him perfectly.

Match-wise, this was a good show, although it didn't feel like a significant one aside from Jeff's title win. As far as "B" shows go, I'd put this above most, but behind No Mercy, which had some fantastic stuff (like Show-Taker, Jeff-HHH, and Jericho-HBK) that was better than nearly everything else on this show. It's amazing to think that a little over a decade ago, Matt and Jeff were WWF jobbers, and now one of them is a world champion, while Matt is...whatever you consider the ECW Title to be. Either way, it's an amazing rags to riches story, and it's kind of a shame that they've already got a book out as their WWE runs since its release would have been excellent to read about from their perspective.

Monday news - Tomko is backstage at Raw, and TNA will be putting a show called TNA Epix into syndication, with a bunch of older matches being shown.
http://www.f4wonline.com/content/view/7762/

It'll be interesting to see if Tomko is used on-air or if he's just there to shoot promo shots for vignettes. I'm rather excited about the TNA show as they do have a wealth of fantastic matches to use for it, and it'll be a good way to show the matches they've had with really well-known guys (like Jeff Hardy, the Road Warriors, etc.) without having to use a DVD release to do so.
 
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[quote name='mykevermin']Was the mop punishment? It's hard to tell sometimes when people are saddled with things to punish them (black and yellow polka dots) and when people are saddled with shitbag gimmicks that creative really thinks will get over (take your pick).[/QUOTE]
You forgot to mention the punishment gimmick that killed Owen Hart.

As for Saturn, I've read that Moppy was his punishment gimmick for having his way with a jobber... (I'm still not 100% sure if that's the same match in the videeya.) According to Saturn, a stiff blow to the head, from the jobber, caused him to "blackout" and snap.
 
Don't be too shocked when they reveal HHH as the guy who attacked Jeff, setting up their WM main event match. WWE history repeats more than anything else, and in the past 9 times out of 10 the "mystery attacker" turns out to be HHH, fueling his big heel turn.

I'd tentatively put the WM 25 card as
HHH vs Jeff (c) - sd
Batista vs Cena (c) - raw
doesn't matter vs Kozlov (c) - ecw
Taker vs HBK

You could see Christian vs Edge on that card too, or see them tagging in a TLC match of some sort. Not sure where that puts Orton or Big Show though.
 
Masked Lemon, hope to see you on Raw!

I'm wondering how long they will draw out JBL vs. HBK. Before the twist with Shawn being in JBL's employ, I assumed they would have a match at Armageddon. I figure both men will be in the Rumble match itself, so I guess the match would have to happen at No Way Out if the company is indeed going forward with HBK vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania. If the match takes place at NWO, that would mean the two could not be in an Elimination Chamber match if one takes place, but Raw has more than enough main event level stars to take their places.

To those mentioning a possible TLC match at Mania- don't count on it. In one of my fantasy booking scenarios, I considered a TLC main event in which Hardy would win the title from Edge. However, I don't think a TLC match would work at Mania. It would undermine the Money in the Bank match. One ladder match on a show is enough.
 
[quote name='JaytheGamefan']It's amazing to think that a little over a decade ago, Matt and Jeff were WWF jobbers, and now one of them is a world champion, while Matt is...whatever you consider the ECW Title to be. Either way, it's an amazing rags to riches story, and it's kind of a shame that they've already got a book out as their WWE runs since its release would have been excellent to read about from their perspective.

Monday news - Tomko is backstage at Raw, and TNA will be putting a show called TNA Epix into syndication, with a bunch of older matches being shown.
http://www.f4wonline.com/content/view/7762/

It'll be interesting to see if Tomko is used on-air or if he's just there to shoot promo shots for vignettes. I'm rather excited about the TNA show as they do have a wealth of fantastic matches to use for it, and it'll be a good way to show the matches they've had with really well-known guys (like Jeff Hardy, the Road Warriors, etc.) without having to use a DVD release to do so.[/quote]


While I am not a fan of Matt or Jeff Hardy, I certainly acknowledge how they worked their way up to the top, and tip my hat to them. I am glad they have given Jeff the opportunity to play with the ball of yarn before Triple H paws it back into his domain.

Yay for Tomko! Though I have no idea where he would fit in on Raw. :whistle2:k

[quote name='Vince McMahon']Don't be too shocked when they reveal HHH as the guy who attacked Jeff, setting up their WM main event match. WWE history repeats more than anything else, and in the past 9 times out of 10 the "mystery attacker" turns out to be HHH, fueling his big heel turn.

I'd tentatively put the WM 25 card as
HHH vs Jeff (c) - sd
Batista vs Cena (c) - raw
doesn't matter vs Kozlov (c) - ecw
Taker vs HBK

You could see Christian vs Edge on that card too, or see them tagging in a TLC match of some sort. Not sure where that puts Orton or Big Show though.[/quote]


That looks highly-probable, Vinny Mac. I also agree that Triple H will be revealed as the attacker---unless Rikishi secretly re-signed with WWE.

"I thought he was a giant glazed donut." -- Rikishi
 
Hacksaw got Jerichowned. He didn't even get angry or attempt to fight back. He just looked like a bitch who was about to cry. Hopefully, this leads to him retiring. I liked him 15 years ago, but now, his presence on TV is embarrassing.

Kelly will reveal she is a lesbian, leading to Kane feuding with Kelly's butch girlfriend, eventually leading to a threesome.
 
Maybe Tomko will be Kelly's man, since this angle showed up out of nowhere on the night he's first backstage at Raw
 
BABYFACES AND HEELS CAN'T DATE EACH OTHER!

Maybe Kelly just said it was The Miz to get revenge for him treating her like shit back in ECW.

Seriously, though, why do this now, right after Mizorrison just won the tag titles? It would be nice to try to elevate Miz as a solo star, but now obviously isn't the time.
 
This Michaels / JBL angle is completely unrealistic... :lol:
 
[quote name='Brak']This Michaels / JBL angle is completely unrealistic... :lol:[/quote]


But it is entertaining. At least to me. :whistle2:#
 
The popping corn that was firing out of my television screen was pretty tasty, I guess... :whistle2:k
 
JBL/HBK is somewhat unrealistic given that it's HBK, but it is very plausible given how many ex-WWF stars ARE doing the whole high school indy thing and have fallen very far. He's the wrong guy to have in this role in some ways, but damn is he awesome on the mic with it.
 
I'm with Brak. The JBL storyline *is* smart, and *should* work.

But a good idea with the wrong person involved is no longer a good idea.
 
Apparently TNA is getting another 1-hour time slot to air "TNA Epix", a best-of/greatest moments show weekly that will show classic and memorable moments from TNA's past.

That could be interesting, but I can't help but think that no one's going to watch it.
 
Raw thoughts -
This was mostly a boring show, with nothing standing out as far as matches except for the world tag title match, which was quite good, and the handicap match, which meandered along until Orton got in, hit the RKO, and hit the PUNT! to knock Batista out. While it bored me a lot, tonight's show did move things forward - the Legacy claimed a new victim partially with the help of Steph (who made the match), and they announced a mini-tourney with former champions (seemingly meaning World Heavyweight champions, but including ex-WWE Champions like Kane and JBL), and including guys who were also in the IC title tourney, which seems a bit strange, but furthers the whole "bringing prestige back to the IC title" deal they're doing by having World title-level guys also go after the IC title.

The stalking stuff got old fast, but was hilarious thanks to Kelly hiding from Kane behind glass, Kane hilarious promo about reading way too much into what Kelly said at the Slammys last week, and then Kelly continuing to try and act. Just awesomely bad stuff. Jericho refusing to wrestle Duggan was somewhat interesting, and Santa Cla-Haas vs. Ziggler was hilarious due to Dolph's rejection of Santa's gift and constantly yelling "I'M DOLPH ZIGGLER" while kicking his ass. Also, this week's DX shilling skit was the funniest yet - with each poking fun at their shittiest merch, receding hair, and horrendous fashion sense.

Screens -


















More screens -












Key Quotes definitively proving that Michael Cole sucks -
Cole - It’s the DANGEROUS BULLY! Mike Knox!
Lawler - What a slap in the face of Jim Duggan!
Cole - AND THE WWE UNIVERSE!
Lawler - …absolutely…
Lawler - If I was a chick, I’d be into Morrison’s hair. I love what it does during his entrance.
Cole - WHAT ABOUT PUNK’S HAIR!?
Lawler - Well…
Cole - YOU ARE WATCHING RAW, THE LONGEST-RUNNING EPISODIC TELEVISION SHOW IN HISTORY! WE HAVE BEEN ON THE AIR LONGER THAN GUNSMOKE, ER, AND THE SIMPSONS!
(after Kane attacks Miz)Cole - WAS THAT OUT OF JEALOUSNESS!?
Cole - THE LONGEST RUNNING EPISODIC TV SHOW HAS COME TO THE STEEL CITY!
(after Dolph throws away his gift)Cole - SANTA SAYS HE DESERVES COAL AFTER THAT!
Lawler - No one deserves Michael Cole…

Full Quotes -
Lawler - LAST NIGHT, JEFF WON THE BIG ONE!
Cole - AND WE LEARNED THAT HBK IS BROKE!
Lawler - Santino says they’ve named the Slammy, Slamantha.
Cole - Santino’s got a Christmas CD.
Lawler - I heard it wasn’t released, it escaped.
Deuce - I would like to be called by my real name - I’m the son of Jimmy Snuka, and I’d like to be called Sim Snuka.
Lawler - Well, we’ve got Rhodes and Manu out here watching, if it’s true, another second-generation wrestler.
(after a reverse leg lariat from Snuka)Lawler - The face of Rey has become a face-magnet!
(after a no contest due to Priceless attacking)Cole - RHODES STARTED IT!
Cole - It’s the DANGEROUS BULLY! Mike Knox!
HBK - You know the key to cold weather? Layers - lots and lots of layers.
HBK - There’s also the HHH King of Kings bear, I guess that was from the Conan the BarBEARian collection.
HHH - And if that’s not enough, you can get this HBK Village People Bear - look at the hair, it even has a button in the back to make it all fall out!
Jericho - I am the superstar of the year, and I’ve been carrying this show on my back for the past 12 months, and it’s a slap to my face that I have to compete against someone like you! If Lebron misses a shot, does he get banished to the end of the bench the next night? No! I AM THE BEST IN THE WORLD AT WHAT I DO TODAY! AND I REFUSE TO LET MYSELF FACE A BOTTOM OF THE BARREL TALENT LIKE YOU, JIM! I REFUSE TO WRESTLE IN THIS RING AGAIN UNTIL IT’S FOR A TITLE OR I FACE SOMEONE WORTHY OF THE SUPERSTAR OF THE YEAR!
Lawler - What a slap in the face of Jim Duggan!
Cole - AND THE WWE UNIVERSE!
Lawler - …absolutely…
Cole - For those of you just joining us, THIS IS THE WWE UNIVERSE AND THIS IS RAW!
Sign 1 Man/1 Flight/64 Beers
Lawler - If I was a chick, I’d be into Morrison’s hair. I love what it does during his entrance.
Cole - WHAT ABOUT PUNK’S HAIR!?
Lawler - Well…
Cole - YOU ARE WATCHING RAW, THE LONGEST-RUNNING EPISODIC TELEVISION SHOW IN HISTORY! WE HAVE BEEN ON THE AIR LONGER THAN GUNSMOKE, ER, AND THE SIMPSONS!
(after Kane attacks Miz)Cole - WAS THAT OUT OF JEALOUSNESS!?
Cole - THE LONGEST RUNNING EPISODIC TV SHOW HAS COME TO THE STEEL CITY!
JBL - Ladies and gentlemen, I invite you to watch the comments made last night by my newest employee - Shawn Michaels.
Cole - IT’S SANTA CLAHAAS!
(after Dolph throws away his gift)Cole - SANTA SAYS HE DESERVES COAL AFTER THAT!
Lawler - No one deserves Michael Cole…
(while kicking ass)Dolph - I’M DOLPH ZIGGLER! DOLPH ZIGGLER!
Crowd - LET’S GO SANTA! LET’S GO SANTA!
(during a chinlock)Ref - Santa, do you wanna give up!?
Lawler - IT WAS NEWS ALL OVER THE WORLD - JEFF HARDY BECAME WWE CHAMPION!

Hogan from TMZ on Monday -


Hogan doing the big boot led to him being compared to...


IGF 7 stuff -
Tatsumi Fujinami vs. First Tiger Mask -
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Q3OA2R36

The Predator (Sylvester Terkay doing a Brody impersonation gimmick) vs. Necro Butcher -
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TW5OCGXB


The 2006 Hall of Fame issue of the Observer, with a rundown of Eddie's life, and his career (including his incredible ratings drawing power in the past few years of his life).-
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5V5B5089

It includes this great line -
Edouardo Gori Guerrero in his far-too-short life, left
behind a complex legacy in wrestling.
Click to expand...
 
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You're welcome. Sayama is a physical marvel - I've watched other matches of his from this decade, and it's amazing to see that no matter how much time has past since his physical prime, and how much weight he's put on since then, he can still move swiftly from time to time. You'd think the pounding on his knees alone would render that an impossible task.
 
Raw Thoughts/Misc:


Tyson Tomko had a dark match before Raw started, against Paul Birchill. Tomko got a pretty good pop.

It sucks going to a live event and having it be 80% backstage crap and Armegeddon results. The Tag Team match was really well done, however.

The few matches they did have, most did not have a real finish, another negative.

After Raw went off the air, Y2J and Cena had a street fight for the title, which was the best match of the night, by far. Cena won after dodging a chair shot and delivering the FU.
 
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