Falls Count Anywhere

09/07/2009

Now planning a heist on the Moneybin.

I got a lovely DVD box set of old-timey wrestling. It featured Buddy Rogers, Haystacks Calhoon, Diamond Lil, June Byers and one match that I actually always wanted to see. It was Randy Savage vs. Jerry Lawler in a Steel Cage!

Now, I could talk about the match, which was kinda slow and ended with a lame disqualification ending when Jos LoDuc climbed into the cage and started beating on Lawler, but I’d much rather talk about Savage.

Not many wrestlers who were as big as Savage dropped out of sight as thoroughly as Savage has over the last years. He’s in his 50s, and maybe even pushing 60, but that doesn’t stop most guys from hanging around. He doesn’t do many signings, he has been brought back by Vince, and even his DVD release wasn’t pushed very heavily.

Vince has a thing against Randy. No one is completely sure why, but Vince does not like Randy and whenever his name is brought up (and it was during talks about who should be Special Guest Host on RAW), Vince says no way.

Randy Savage could still draw on just about any stage. If he was to come back and face just about anyone in a match at a WWE PPV, it’d probably draw bigger than Hogan would right now. If he were to show up on TNA’s TV next week, the next PPV might actually double the average buyrate. He’s money that’s waiting to be made, and the big reason that’s true is that he’s been out of the limelight for so long. Vince’s bitterness is probably making Savage even more money.

The Macho Man now...

I understand that he appeared at a signing in 2007 for something like $50k. That’s big money, but it only exposed him to maybe 1000 people. That means that he’s got more than a million folks who have no idea what he’s up to. They have no idea what he looks like (and I remember the last time he popped up, he was massively huge) and that’s enough to draw some interest for a PPV. His work wouldn’t really be that important, he could suck it up and still get heat from the audience that came to see him. It would be interesting.

The fact is the guy was a major part of the WWF’s 1980s Golden Age and the brief run of WCW as the dominant brand. He had some classic matches, many of which are on his DVD set, and the ones that come to mind instantly are the ones with Steamboat, Flair, DiBiase and even Rick Rude. The best way for him to participate would be to act as a Commissioner (no need to put him in the ring more than once, and being a commish is a good way to build to a big match without having to be in the ring too often.

The other problem is Savage’s rap career. He released at least one, and I seem to remember a second, absolutely terrible albums. He was not made for the music game. Hogan released a couple of albums, Cena’s wasn’t bad, but Savage was out of his league. It was just pure crap.

So, here’s hoping we can get Savage back, for at least one night. I mean, the man made Vince a ton of money and you’d think he’d be perfect for the Hall of Fame.

The defense might work better if this weren't actually the way Rey sees the world...

A few notes. Rey Mysterio was suspended for a Wellness Policy violation. There’s a lot of bitterness from Rey who says he had a prescription for the drug found, but the WWE would not allow him to produce proof.

It’s a shame, as Rey is a big deal and easily their biggest draw to kids. This could be a big hit to his youth popularity, and he was forced to drop the IC title to John Morrison in what I’ve heard is a fantastic match. His feud with Dolph Zigler wasn't even ended, since it was Dolph who cost him the belt. Should be an interesting time when he comes back.

Randy Couture lost to Antonio Nogueria, which was not expected since Randy looked decent against Brock and Nog was destroyed in his last fight. Nog vs. Brock would be a decent fight, but I’m betting we’re not getting that anytime soon.

That’s al for this week. More later!

Chris Garcia