The Wrestling Thread: WWE WrestleMania 31 [NSFW]

[Ginga]

Remember when Kevin Smith was kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight for being too fat? Well, John Cena ran into trouble today because he wasn't fat enough...
Bought a bunch of seats to take kids to Mania but because he'd taken two for himself (I think) he had no end of hassle. Been on Twitter today.

http://twitter.com/#!/JohnCena

[Return_of_the_STAR]

I don't mind Stanford, he's actually quite good. Matthews is improving, too.

What I like about Matthews is that he actually calls the matches. He can make matches that I wouldn't normally be interested far more watchable.

[Something Fishy]

Finlay has gone.

World Wrestling Entertainment released their top Producer/Agent Dave Finlay yesterday, PWInsider.com has confirmed.

The story making the rounds is that The Miz was booked to come out an interrupt the national anthem during a house show in Champaign, IL over the weekend. There were a number of representatives for the national Guard, who are a HUGE partner and sponsor for WWE, in attendance. Obviously, they were not pleased with the anthem being used to get heel heat.

When word made it's way back to WWE management, the decision was made to release Finlay, who as the top Producer of the show, "had to fall on the sword", as it was described to me.

There were a lot of shocked people within the company today as word began to make the rounds among the wrestlers and staff. Finlay was well liked and more than a few people I spoke to hoped that it was a situation where he was let go only to be brought back down the line.

Finlay, a third generation wrestler, had been with the company from 2001 and was considered the top Producer backstage, with Arn Anderson directly behind him in the line of command. Finlay had long been given credit for the rise and improvement of the WWE Divas division over the last decade. He worked for several years behind the scene for the company before returning as a wrestler in a full-time role as well in 2006, mostly to help introduce the Hornswoggle character and work with younger talents that needed help in the ring. WWE had quietly retired him as a wrestler last year when the decision was made to go with younger faces on the television product.

Finlay had been wrestling since 1974. He was considered one of the top heels in Europe in the 1990s and also toured New Japan Pro Wrestling. He finally made his way to the United States during the Monday Night Wars for WCW as the "Belfast Bruiser."

Crikey they really can just hire and fire on a whim over there can't they.

[Prototype]

KKLEIN, I'd like to formally ask that after Wrestlemania we lock this fine topic and archive it.

I would utterly love to run this topic and the front page.

What do you say?

"Where it all begins again"

[Mafro]

Just noticed all the WCW stuff on wwe.com http://www.wwe.com/wcw/

[gaminglegend]

KKLEIN, I'd like to formally ask that after Wrestlemania we lock this fine topic and archive it.

I would utterly love to run this topic and the front page.

What do you say?

"Where it all begins again"

What the hell type of post is that?

[Poncho]

I see no reason to start a new topic.

[Prototype]

KKLEIN, I'd like to formally ask that after Wrestlemania we lock this fine topic and archive it.

I would utterly love to run this topic and the front page.

What do you say?

"Where it all begins again"

What the hell type of post is that?

Great reply, well written.

This topic is huge, it's hard to look back and find what was being posted at a certain time around a certain angle, as I often do.

I'm not asking for a monthly thread per se, just so that it's not a clusterfuck to look through.

...and as I said, I'd like to run the topic. In hindsight, I should've PM'd KK.

[gaminglegend]

KKLEIN, I'd like to formally ask that after Wrestlemania we lock this fine topic and archive it.

I would utterly love to run this topic and the front page.

What do you say?

"Where it all begins again"

What the hell type of post is that?

Great reply, well written.

This topic is huge, it's hard to look back and find what was being posted at a certain time around a certain angle, as I often do.

I'm not asking for a monthly thread per se, just so that it's not a clusterfuck to look through.

...and as I said, I'd like to run the topic. In hindsight, I should've PM'd KK.

So you want your name on the topic creator basically? I mean all running the topic means is chaning a title and the front occasionally, but I'd estimate close to no-one uses the front page in honesty Fair enough I guess if people look through the topic for stuff, just one of those things I never do, but meh.

[Pontius Pilate]

Yeh, I can't say I've ever taken time to look through this thread, unless I've not been online for a couple of days. Plus, I like Kkleins title changes.

[Skippy]

Personally I think the thread should return to it's rightful owner

Me

[Prototype]

Triple threat for the ownership of this thread?

[Cuttooth]

New thread, KKLEIN stays as GM.

[Mockmaster]

Brand split.

[KK]

This topic is huge, it's hard to look back and find what was being posted at a certain time around a certain angle, as I often do.

I'm not asking for a monthly thread per se, just so that it's not a clusterfuck to look through.

Apart from a way of notifying people of what's going on, this is partially why the thread topic is changed so things are easy to find using the Search facility. Dates, notable events, & in particular PPV names, will get you where you want to be relatively quickly. For example 'Hulk Hogan signs with TNA'. First page of the search, & it brings up page 694: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=48&p=934978&hilit=Hulk+Hogan+signs+with+TNA#p934978. Maybe you want to read about last year's Slammy Awards? Typing 'Slammy Awards' takes you in to the heart of the discussion on the night: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=48&p=1730299&hilit=Slammy+Awards#p1730299.

IMO this thread is about the many who contribute to it, & not about who's occasionally updating page 1. If there's any improvements or changes people want done to it, or any links in particular, I'll happily put them up.

[Wedgie]

This thread stays or GTFO.

[A J Styles]

New thread, KKLEIN stays as GM.

This.

[Prototype]

I'm off to work on my invasion angle...

[A J Styles]

Watching WrestleMania 23. Mr Kennedy Ashley Massaro

[Cuttooth]

It does seem like a good idea to make a new thread though. Maybe not because the size is too big, but because it makes sense to make them annual like the Football Thread; from the Raw after WrestleMania to the next WrestleMania.

No need for a change of creator though, you've done a sterling job thus far, KK, and I see no reason to disrupt the status quo.

Even if you did orchestrate Raw getting into the top 10 TV shows.