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When talking about the world of pro wrestling, wrestlers are often greeted by different reactions from the fans. It depends on the role that you are delivering. One can be a baby face, drive an entire narrative, and always walk out to laurels and loud pops. On the contrary, heels drive those catcalls and boos for various reasons. However, there is an entire emotion reserved for the fans when Hulk Hogan and Hulkamania run wild.

Hulk Hogan carried the company at one point in time, almost single-handedly, drawing admiration from the fans always. However, the fandom got splintered when he formed the nWo and joined forces with Diesel and Razor Ramon. This is what kayfabe is all about. The drama and the tension set it all up.

What is Hulk Hogan’s perspective on getting booed? Hulk Hogan as a part of nWo / Credit – WWE

Speaking on the Ariel Helwani Show,...

Top 5 Longest-Reigning WWE Champs: From Hulk Hogan To Pedro Morales (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Ever wonder who’s left their mark by holding the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for ages? It’s one thing to grab the gold, but holding onto it while hungry challengers circle is a different game altogether. These legends didn’t just win; they dominated, turning their reigns into epic sagas. From the Hulkamania days to the unforgettable dominance of Bruno Sammartino, these champs turned their title runs into iconic chapters of WWE history. Imagine becoming unbeatable by even the fiercest competitors.

So buckle up as we look at five wrestlers who won and held the WWE title for what seemed like forever. The longest-reigning champions showed that staying on top is more challenging than getting there.

1. Bruno Sammartino: 2,803 days

Bruno Sammartino’s name is the ultimate gold when you think of top-notch WWE champs who’ve...

Few WWE Superstars were ever as larger than life in every sense of the phrase as Andre the Giant. Born as Andr Ren Roussimoff, his charisma was as huge as his stature and his presence defined the word aura, as they say nowadays. When Andre walked into a room, the world stopped to take notice of him.

By proxy, when he passed away at age 46 on January 28, 1993, the world stopped to mourn the Eighth Wonder of the World. In his death, the native Frenchman left behind a legacy of iconic moments and matches, all of which are deserving of a spotlight. In his memory, this list hopes to balance out his five best matches worth talking about and his five best moments, both those in WWE and outside of the company.

Becoming the WWE Champion Andre the Giant vs. Hulk Hogan on The Main Event, February 5, 1988

Andre the Giant vs.

Vince McMahon has managed to stay relevant in the wrestling industry despite being almost 80 years old and currently under investigation by the U.S. government. McMahon revolutionized the wrestling industry by breaking the regional boundaries of the sport and turning it into a billion-dollar enterprise. Despite facing numerous controversies and scandals, McMahon has maintained a monopoly in the wrestling industry and guided WWE to new heights. However, his age suggests that a new boss will have to step in soon to fill the void he leaves behind.

Vince McMahon is a true survivor in a business where most personalities are lucky to live past 60 without making a living signing t-shirts at conventions. Nearing 80 years old, the tycoon has managed to stay relevant, never mind that he is currently under investigation by the U.S. government. If his reputation is anything to judge by, he’ll shake the Securities and Exchange Commission’s probes as usual.

Jimmy Hart remembers riding to Madison Square Garden for the first WrestleMania with Greg “The Hammer” Valentine. The last time he performed there was as a member of the Memphis band The Gentrys opening for The Beach Boys. In 1985, he was just starting out with WWE, managing top villains of the time including Valentine and King Kong Bundy. Once inside the venue, the now Hall of Famer looked at the empty seats where more than 20,000 fans would witness history. The calm before the storm. “I got such a thrill and goosebumps,” Hart recalled to TV Insider ahead of A&e’s Biography on WrestleMania. “Walking through the hallways I could see the different names on the doors where the stars were going to be. Liberace, Billy Martin, Cyndi Lauper, Muhammad Ali. The anticipation was tremendous.” The legendary manager is among those featured in the season finale of the WWE series of Legends documentaries.

Marvel actor and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star Sebastian Stan has revealed that he would love to play professional wrestling legend Ric Flair in a biopic. While discussing his new movie, the romance drama Monday, Stan was asked by his I, Tonya co-star Paul Walter Hauser what project he would like them to work on together next, with the actor quickly asserting himself as Flair while also casting Hauser as fellow Four Horsemen member, Arn Anderson.

"That's it, man. We got to do that Ric Flair/Anderon biopic. You know, by the way, did you ever... you have to have interviewed [Hauser] at some point, right? [...] He's so funny. I mean, he's such a big wrestling fan, you know, and I was a big wrestling fan too growing up. Like, I love WWF and stuff. And we both have a kip-up. So, maybe Ric Flair. I'll do it in...

Thor: Love and Thunder star Chris Hemsworth has become known for his physical talents just as much (perhaps even more so) than his acting ones. With Hemsworth set to play WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan in Joker director Todd Phillips' upcoming biopic, the actor has now teased the sheer volume of chiselled bulk he is packing on to go with the handlebar mustache and bandana in a snapshot from his recent holiday with wife Elsa Pataky.

"Just one of those truly rare natural moments caught on film where I was completely unaware there was even a camera on me......"

Once again demonstrating his ever-reliable wit, Hemsworth certainly looks the part as he works hard to show-off his talents for picking up heavy things and putting them down again. Aiming to match Hogan's iconic "24-inch pythons," Hemsworth has been training hard for months in order to best be able to portray the wrestling legend.

Chris Hemsworth is looking more shredded than ever in recent photos posted online, and Hulk Hogan says the Thor star is now officially "ready" to play him in the upcoming Hulkamania Biopic. Last year, it was reported that Hemsworth would be playing Hogan in a biopic about the wrestling megastar. The project will also reportedly reunite Joker team Todd Phillips and Scott Silver, with the former directing and the latter co-writing the script with John Pollono.

Aiming to beef up his muscles to match the size of Hogan's "24-inch pythons," Hemsworth has been training nonstop for months. Now, even Hogan himself has been left very impressed with Hemsworth's transformation. Posting some comparison photos of himself from his wrestling years and Hemsworth working out, Hogan tweeted, "He's already there! He's ready Brother!!!" In jest, the WWE Hall of Famer adds, "But is he good looking enough to play me?"

In July,...

Extraction and Thor: Ragnarok star Chris Hemsworth is an inspired choice to take on the role of Mr. America himself, Hulk Hogan, for Netflix's currently untitled Hulk Hogan Biopic. Whilst nobody is really questioning the casting, we are all wondering exactly what one of Hollywood's most handsome leading men will look like under the guise of The Hulkster, and, thanks to a face-swap app that has been doing the rounds, we now have a pretty good idea.

An idea of how Chris Hemsworth might look playing Hulk Hogan in a biopic pic.twitter.com/Flz4XqLywg

— Ryan Satin (@ryansatin) August 12, 2020

The Deepfake clip proves to be a wonderful demonstration of what Hemsworth will look like in the role, handlebar moustache and all. Shared on social media by Pro Wrestling Sheet's Editor-in-Chief, Ryan Satin, the short clip takes Hemsworth's photogenic face and crams onto the body of Hulk Hogan, creating...

Chris Hemsworth as wrestling legend Hulk Hogan is one of the more curious-yet-somehow-brilliant casting decisions of recent years, with this new artwork demonstrating just how well the Thor: Ragnar&#246k star can step into Mr. America's garish, yellow boots. Imagining what a teaser poster for the Hulk Hogan movie might look like, the artwork disguises Hemsworth with Hogan's all-important trademark bleached blond handlebar mustache and mullet, as well as his reflective sunglasses and Hulkmania bandana.

As if that were not enough of a treat, the poster featuring Hemsworth is followed up with one depicting fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe star and Captain America himself, Chris Evans, as Macho Man Randy Savage. Another popular wrestler of the time, and part of a tag team with Hogan before igniting a bitter rivalry, Randy Savage is likely to be included in the Hulk Hogan biopic movie, though who will be portraying him has yet to be revealed.

Thor and Extraction star, Chris Hemsworth, has become well-known for his physique, with the actor having become a walking set of biceps since his introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor is taking on the upcoming Hulk Hogan Biopic. Hemsworth recently revealed that playing "The Hulkster" is going to require him to put on even more size than that of the famous Asgardian.

"This movie is going to be a really fun project," he said. "As you can imagine, the preparation for the role will be insanely physical. I will have to put on more size than I ever have before, even more than I put on for Thor. There is the accent as well as the physicality and the attitude."

"I will also have to do a deep dive into the rabbit hole of the wrestling world, which I'm really looking forward to doing," Chris Hemsworth added, before...

Professional wrestler Kia Stevens turned heads in the first season of Netflix’s 1980s-set comedy “Glow” as Tammé Dawson, a mother by day and champion in the ring at night. In the second season she got to dive even deeper into Tammé’s challenges to be a role model for her college-age son while adopting the sports persona of Welfare Queen on local access television. The fourth episode of the second season saw her son’s first glimpse at his mother’s new life and gave Stevens the chance to show just how detrimental portraying such negative stereotypes can be.

Stevens: “These are things that black women, and black people in general, had to go through in order to gain employment in the entertainment industry. We wanted to illustrate the profoundness and the extremeness of it — how far people had to go to be in the entertainment industry and how...

WWE is calling John Oliver to the mat. To be fair to Vince McMahon & Co., Oliver worked himself into a shoot — and this program — with what sports entertainment fans would call a particularly scathing promo.

(Are those enough pro-wrestling terms for you, WWE Universe? No? Ok, more to come.)

WWE has released a statement that is pretty bluntly titled “John Oliver Ignores Facts,” a response to the comedian’s Sunday smackdown of how he believes World Wrestling Entertainment treats its athletes.

And then WWE invited Oliver to Sunday’s WrestleMania 35.

Also Read: Bret Hart Talks Punching WWE Boss Vince McMahon in Trailer for Viceland's Wrestling Docuseries (Video)

Below is the full WWE statement as sent to TheWrap.

John Oliver Ignores Facts

John Oliver is clearly a clever and humorous entertainer, however the subject matter covered in his WWE segment is no laughing matter. Prior to airing, WWE responded to...

Sid Sheinberg, the longtime president and chief operating officer of McA and Universal Studios who is also credited for discovering Stephen Spielberg, died Thursday. He was 84.

His son, producer and director Jon Sheinberg, made the news public on Instagram. A cause of death was not disclosed.

“Sadly my dad (Sid Sheinberg) died today,” Jonathan Sheinberg wrote. “He was an amazing man and will be missed very much. We loved him tremendously and will forever miss him.”

Also Read: Marshall Brodien, Who Played Wizzo the Wizard on 'The Bozo Show,' Dies at 84

“My heart is broken at this news. For now let me just say that Sid had a big personality and a tender heart,” Spielberg said in a statement through Amblin Entertainment late Thursday. “He was the tallest most stand up guy I ever knew. He gave birth to my career and made Universal my home.

“He gave me ‘Jaws,...

Legendary WWE broadcaster Jim Ross says he’s leaving the professional wrestling company when his contract expires on March 29.

“I need to move on,” Ross said on his podcast. “I still want to play in the game. I still want to stay busy. I still think I can do play-by-play even though others that may surround Vince [McMahon] think I can’t.”

“At this stage in my life where you’re an empty nester, and you lost your best friend, she’s no longer there — I need to stay busy,” the 67-year-old said. “I need to get back on the road. I needed to get back out there and do what my passion leads me to. So that’s what I’m gonna be doing.”

Also Read: WWE Legend Jim Ross' Wife Dies After Vespa Accident

Though Ross did not share his next move, assuming he knows it, the wrestling lifer...

Emanating from their studio in Cincinnati, Ohio, The History of Bad Ideas sees hosts Jason, Jeff and Blake talk about all things geeky on their podcast. Whether it’s rumours of the latest comic book movies, debating who really is the worst villain of all time, discussing the latest comic issues or just wondering about life in general, you are sure to have a fun time with them! In theory.

If you haven’t listened to the show before – why not? – you can check out previous episodes of The History of Bad Ideas podcast on iTunes and look out for new episodes here on Nerdly each and every week…

Episode 270: Jay Marvelous and his Princess Drinks!

The Hobi Gang is back to their original cast as they ring in Fat Tuesday! The guys remember everyone that passed this week, including Luke Perry and King Kong Bundy, but try to...

Axs TV has renewed “Wow – Women of Wrestling” for Season 2. The next run gets three times as many episodes — 24 — than Season 1.

The all-female professional wrestling league — and the only one with a weekly TV show — is owned by David McLane and Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss.

“Wow” is McLane’s follow-up to the original “Glow,” which has been adapted into a scripted dramedy on Netflix.

Also Read: Glow Founder's New Wrestling League Avoids 'Demeaning' Characters

“‘Wow’ is proud to partner with Axs TV to bring this incredible promotion to viewers across the country,” Buss said in a statement Wednesday. “It is an honor to be able to continue this organization’s long tradition of showcasing the absolute best in all-female wrestling. The women of Wow appeal to a wide and diverse audience because of their strength, competitive spirit, and impressive athleticism, and the tremendous viewer response we’ve received is proof of that.

King Kong Bundy, who joined the original World Wrestling Federation in the early 1980s and participated in the first two WrestleMania events that helped launch the sport of pro wrestling into the pop culture mainstream, died Monday at age 61. The WWE confirmed the news Tuesday; the cause of death was not disclosed.

Bundy, whose real name was Christopher Pallies and hailed from Atlantic City, NJ, was 6-foot-4 and more than 450 pounds and would finish off most of his overmatched opponents with his signature “avalanche.”

“In fact, Bundy was so powerful that he demanded referees count to five when he pinned his opponents to show that there was no way they were getting up,” the WWE wrote today in a tribute on its website.

Bundy had been scheduled to sign autographs at next month’s WrestleCon in New York City.

A mammoth figure in the ring, Bundy famously wrestled (and lost...

“SNL: Weekend Update” anchor and head writer Colin Jost made a critical mistake Monday on his visit to WWE’s “Raw,” where he encountered Braun Strowman.

“Hey, can I ask you something? I mean, between me and you? Is any of this stuff even real?” Jost posed to the “Monster Among Men,” who was not in a mood for such silliness.

Big mistake — this was an even bigger one than Jost wearing that New York Mets hat to the Philadelphia arena.

Also Read: King Kong Bundy, WWE Legend, Dies at 61

Strowman let his muscles do the talking, grabbing Jost by the throat and hoisting him a good two feet up in the air. And then he let his talking do the talking.

“What do you think?!?” Strowman yelled at his captive prey. “Does that answer your question?!?”

Jost’s “Saturday Night Live” partner Michael Che returned from the bathroom to save the day,...

WWE legend King Kong Bundy, real name Chris Pallies, died on Monday at the age of 61. The news of his death came just hours after Bundy posted on Twitter that he was appearing at WrestleCon with Al Snow. He said in the tweet that all requests should go through David Herro, the man who officially reported on Bundy’s death. Who was King Kong Bundy? King Kong Bundy was a massive star in WWE in the ’80s and was actually in the main event of WrestleMania II as he battled Hulk Hogan in a steel cage match for the WWE […]

The post King Kong Bundy death: Tributes flood in, cause of death still unknown appeared first on Monsters and Critics.

Wrestling legend King Kong Bundy, real name Christopher Alan Pallies, has died. He was 61.

“WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Legend King Kong Bundy has passed away,” WWE said in a statement. “WWE extends its condolences to Bundy’s family, friends and fans.” The cause of death is not yet known.

The New Jersey native, who stood at 6-foot-4 and weighed in at 458 pounds, had a dominant wrestling career, and chalked up a record-fast win versus S.D. “Special Delivery” Jones at the very first WrestleMania. Bundy main-evented WrestleMania 2, losing to Hulk Hogan in a steel cage match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship.

In addition to pro-wrestling, Pallies played two different roles on TV’s “Married With Children” — first as Peggy’s brother and then as his wrestling...

Professional wrestler King Kong Bundy has passed away at the age of 61. WWE confirmed the news on Tuesday. The cause of death was not revealed. Standing at 6-foot-4 and 458 pounds, Bundy was known as the "walking condominium."  "The sight of Bundy stepping between the ropes was intimidating enough, but his crushing offense proved that he was every bit as destructive as advertised, WWE wrote on Tuesday. "In fact, Bundy was so dominant that he demanded referees count to five when he pinned his opponents to show that there was no way they were getting up." Bundy, whose real name was Christopher Pallies, was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1957. He then started...

Pro wrestling legend King Kong Bundy -- who famously battled Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 2 -- has died, WWE confirms. He was 61. Details surrounding Bundy's death are unclear. We're working on it. Bundy was a monster in the ring -- billed at 6'4", 458 pounds -- he mauled opponents and usually made the refs count to 5 instead of 3 ... just to prove his dominance. He made his WWF debut in 1985 -- while managed by the "Mouth of the South,...

Just two months after the death of wrestling announcer "Mean" Gene Okerlund, another major star from the golden era of wrestling has passed away. It is being reported that King Kong Bundy, real name Christopher Alan Pallies, died today at the age of 61. Details on the wrestler's passing or possible cause of death haven't yet been revealed, though some of Bundy's friends and colleagues are taking to social media to offer their support. On Twitter, Bundy's longtime personal friend David Herro confirmed the news in tweet accompanied with images of the two together. "Today we lost a Legend of a performer and someone that I considered family," the post reads. "Rest In Peace my friend. Thank you for believing in me."

After spending a few years working in various wrestling territories, Bundy joined the WWE (then WWF) in early 1985. As one of the company's most prominent villains, Bundy had obliterated...

Gavin Jasper Apr 8, 2019

Three women. Two titles. Winner take all. We have the results of all 16 WrestleMania 35 matches!

With Royal Rumble left in the dust, Elimination Chamber hung up, and Fastlane behind us, that means that WrestleMania 35 is on the horizon! WWE’s biggest show has been a staple since the 80s and has given us plenty of fantastic moments. From the days of King Kong Bundy crushing Special Delivery Jones in mere seconds to Braun Strowman pulling a child out of the crowd to help him win the tag titles, WrestleMania has been the wrestling show with the brightest spotlight.

Then again, the Raw and SmackDown after it are way better. The Nxt TakeOver show the night before is pretty much superior too. The Hall of Fame ceremony...? Eh.

Here are the complete WrestleMania 35 results...

Wrestlemania 35 Results Buddy Murphy (C) Vs. Tony Nese Cruiserweight Championship

Results: Unable to put Nese away with Murphy's Law,...

The Dynamite Kid -- one half of the famed British Bulldogs tag team duo -- has died, his family announced Wednesday.  The wrestler -- real name Tommy Billington -- had been battling health issues for years though his exact cause of death has not been revealed. He turned 60 years old on Wednesday ... the same day he passed away.  Dynamite made his WWF debut back in 1984 and famously wrestled stars like Bret "The Hitman" Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart.

Gavin Jasper Nov 12, 2018

Whether four-on-four or five-on-five, the traditional Survivor Series tag team match tends to give us some memorable moments.

In the early days of PPV, WWE had its Big Four system down. There was the biggest show of the year, the second biggest show of the year that happened in the summer, the show where they had the cool 30-man match, and the show with the elimination tag matches. Even though it nearly got dropped once or twice over the years, Survivor Series is a tradition that I fully embrace. The traditional elimination tag gimmick is seriously underrated as a fun showcase that stretched good stories, ended bad stories, gave us random battles, and built stars when necessary.

See related WCW WarGames: Ranking the Matches Every Royal Rumble in WWE History Ranked WWE Elimination Chamber: Ranking All The Matches

Unfortunately, the company has been more obsessed with giving...

The pro wrestling world is in mourning today after the loss of one of sports entertainment's most colorful and iconic managers and entertainers. Bobby Heenan, a.k.a. "The Brain," passed away at age 73. While no cause of death was announced, the famous loudmouth manager had been in poor health for years, after he was diagnosed with throat cancer back in 2002. He died at his home in Largo, Florida. Here's part of the WWE's statement on Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

"WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Bobby Heenan, regarded by many as the greatest manager in sports-entertainment history, has passed away at age 73. With a career spanning more than four decades, Heenan was the "The Brain" behind some of the most prolific Superstars in sports-entertainment history. Heenan plied his trade as their mischievous manager by running his mouth on their behalf with a sarcastic wit...

WWE Hall of Fame manager Bobby “The Brain” Heenan died on Sunday at the age of 73, according to the WWE. Heenan, known for his sarcastic wit and telegenic presence, was widely considered one of the great managers in WWE history. In later years, Heenan became arguably the greatest heel TV announcer of all-time. During Heenan’s time as a manager, he managed such wrestling stars as Andre The Giant, Ravishing Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect, Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, King Kong Bundy and countless others. Heenan had been out of the spotlight in recent years as he had his jaw removed due to.

Gavin Jasper Apr 3, 2017

As the Undertaker announces his retirement, we look back at his Wrestlemania record...

This article is from Den Of Geek Us.

WrestleMania XXX was an eventful show. It calmed the fears of those afraid that it would crash the WWE Network and cause major damage to the company's latest venture. Cesaro broke away from his tag team and broke out by winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Trophy. Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and the Rock hung out in the ring and had a blast. Mr. T and Roddy Piper buried the hatchet. Daniel Bryan went through an endless supply of punishment before being defeating Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista.

That was a big moment and a major story, but the thing people will be talking about for a long time is the end of Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar. For the first time ever, Undertaker lost at...

WWE.com

In the Rock ‘n Wrestling Era, it was Andre the Giant, Big John Studd, and King Kong Bundy. Into the nineties, The Undertaker, Psycho Sid, Yokozuna, and Diesel dominated main events. Undertaker held over well into the Attitude Era and beyond, standing shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Kane and The Big Show. Undoubtedly, the Vincent K. McMahon-era of WWF/E has been haven to a number of memorable goliaths, colossal immortals presented on the merit of immensity and intimidation factor.

Since the closing of the Attitude Era, however, WWE has failed to yield many brand new monsters with lasting power. Brock Lesnar and Batista qualify to an extent, but they’re also promoted with human qualities. If you’re talking ‘larger than life’ in the sense of going beyond human qualities, you can add Umaga to the list of successes, as well as to a very small degree,...

WWE

Our worst fears have been confirmed.

Yesterday on the Wrestling Observer Live radio show, Bryan Alvarez indicated that he’d heard from a source within WWE that the plan is for Braun Strowman to square off with The Big Show at Fastlane and beat him, which will then set up a WrestleMania showdown with The Undertaker.

Dave Meltzer has spoken at length in his Wrestling Observer Newsletter about The Undertaker’s scheduled WrestleMania match with John Cena, which was scrapped due to Cena’s recent shoulder injury and surgery.

With a lack of top level opponents for The Deadman, it seems the choice has been made to go with the huge monster of the Wyatt Family.

In the early days of ‘Taker’s WrestleMania career, he would work with larger opponents like Giant Gonzalez and King Kong Bundy which resulted in generally awful bouts that fans still complain about over twenty years later.

WWE.com

Every great hero needs a great villain to battle, for without evil, there can not be good. Without Darth Vader, there is no Luke Skywalker. Without the Joker, there is no Batman.

In any event, nothing can revitalize a character like a good heel turn. The most recent major WWE heel turn took place when Seth Rollins turned against his brothers in the Shield and became the latest Corporate Champion. Recently, some online fans have advocated turning either Dean Ambrose or Roman Reigns heel to fill that top bad guy spot, shaking up the main event scene and giving us fresh matches.

With all this recent talk about heel turns and how they could potentially greatly improve the promotion, I thought it would be a good time to look back through history at some of the best and most effective heel turns we’ve ever seen in wrestling.

Chris Pallies is best known for playing the ruff and tumble wrestling villain King Kong Bundy -- and even went head-to-head with Hulk Hogan during the WrestleMania II title fight -- in the heyday of the World Wrestling Federation. Guess what he looks like now! Read more...

WWE.com

According to Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, Hulk Hogan’s been a f***ing liar who didn’t give a f*** about the fans since I was seven years old and Heenan traded for the contract of King Kong Bundy from Jimmy Hart in order to put an end to Hulkamania. However, what a Bundy victory in the steel cage at Wrestlemania II hasn’t done, a mix of time, space, place and happenstance have done to the belief that Hulk Hogan is a good, kind and honest man most concerned with the well-being and happiness of his “Hulkamaniacs.”

From kayfabe moments throughout his career that had shoot implications to moments as a shoot where Hulk Hogan’s errors in judgement proved to have far-reaching implications, Hulk Hogan’s sadly proved more often than not that he may actually be a carny a**hole who gives zero f***s...

WWE.com

Finishing moves have come a long way over the past few decades. Bruno Sammartino’s bearhug, Ultimate Warrior’s running splash and even Jake Roberts’ Ddt simply won’t cut it anymore. These match ending moves have evolved to become flashier, look more devastating, and often require an incredible amount of strength and athleticism to pull off.

It wasn’t that long ago that you didn’t even need a finishing move to get over. Now, it’s imperative. They are an integral part of the current professional wrestling scene, just like theme music. But who has the best one? It’s a tough call, but that’s what we’re here to find out.

The finishing moves listed here are ranked on a variety of factors: How cool they look, how legitimately painful they appear to be, the surprise factor, the big situations which they’ve been used,...

Gavin Jasper Aug 10, 2019

For decades, Undertaker was deemed a legendary force at WrestleMania, but do his matches at SummerSlam back him up the same way?

For so long, the Undertaker was a starring attraction at WrestleMania due to his lengthy winning streak. Only in recent years has he been beaten by the likes of Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, two of the few wrestlers modern-day WWE cares about protecting.

WrestleMania was always the Undertaker at his strongest, where you have to be at the top of your game to defeat him. But what is the Undertaker without his mythological plot armor? Sure, he’s a top tier threat, but has SummerSlam given him the same unstoppable mystique? Well...no, not really. SummerSlam honestly hasn’t been all too good for Undertaker all in all.

Undertaker started with the WWF in the end of 1990 and he almost immediately became the company's top heel.

WWE.com

When you think about WrestleMania one of, if not the, first thing that comes to mind is The Undertaker. The man has become synonymous with the event and his matches on the show have become the most anticipated of the year.

There is a good reason for this, despite the obvious fact that ‘Taker is a WWE legend and that, given his limited schedule in recent years, fans are always eager to catch a glimpse of the Dead Man: The Undertaker’s matches, more often than not, produce in the ring.

His matches against the likes of Randy Orton, Batista, Triple H, Edge, Cm Punk and especially Shawn Michaels over the past decade have been some of the best ‘Mania matches of all time and some of the best of The Undertaker’s illustrious career. But it wasn’t always that way.

For years, The Undertaker had dud...

Lionsgate

We’ve seen many pro wrestlers move from the world of choreographed fighting to the movie business. Given they’re required to preform on the mic as part of their pro wrestling duties, WWE stars seem to make a decent go of it, at least some of the time: Hulk Hogan played Thunderlips in Rocky III, but he also headlined in Mr. Nanny – not exactly a great career move, acting wise.

The most successful crossover star from the wrestling realm to the movie business is, of course, The Rock – Dwayne Johnson has actual acting ability to go with his charisma, which is what propelled him past Hogan levels in regards to his acting career, but there have been others: John Cena, Kane, The Big Show, Triple H, Randy Orton, Kevin Nash, Diamond Dallas Page, Mick Foley – they’ve all tried their hand at movies and television shows, mostly in WWE productions.

The world of professional wrestling has, for many years, featured hundreds of various alliances, groups of men and women who, for countless reasons, teamed together in order to achieve something that they would be unable to achieve alone. Be it a group of good guys sticking together, as friends, to take down the heels, or the bad guys forming a gang as a way to intimidate, attack and overthrow the babyfaces. It has worked for decades and continues to this very day, with factions such as The Shield and The Wyatt Family (oh… and don’t forget 3Mb) running rough-shot through WWE on their way to super-stardom. But, like I said, factions aren’t a new thing, they’ve been around for as long as steel folding chairs, brittle announce tables and sneaky managers, and this release is WWE’s look at some of the standout factions that have firmly...

When Thq took to nostalgia to revitalise their stagnating WWE video game franchise with the “Attitude Era” mode in WWE 2K13, they struck gold. All of a sudden the games weren’t just designed with current fans of the product in mind but now they were also designed to be as equally appealing to those who were a part of the most exciting time in the history of this business, but who at some time in the past decade or so moved on or grew out of wrestling.

What this smartly allowed the game makers was to market more than one generation of fans. Those who grew up with Stone Cold Steve Austin’s heated employee/owner feud with Vince McMahon in the late 90s and the brothers of destruction, The Undertaker and Kane, fighting over a sibling rivalry with their mentor Paul Bearer and the rise of D-Generation X...

There are so many great docs on the various institutions, characters, fans and businessmen that make up professional wrestling. Stories about Hulk Hogan, the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, Bret Hart, and even the feature film "The Wrestler" have not only stocked festivals like Tiff and Hot Docs, they have also been very successful in theatres and on television. "The Sheik" is yet another tale from this so-called sport, but this time it features one of the most disliked heels to ever enter the ring. Lucky for us, the story of Khosrow Vaziri and his roller-coaster of a life is just as compelling as fake wrestling.

The Iron Sheik is one of the most memorable and iconic characters to ever come out of Vince McMahon's WWF/E machine. In a time when caricature (or maybe even racism) was something a little more up-front in the culture, the Sheik and his...

WWE.com

A lot of people have been talking about Benjamin Morris’ 538 piece, “Are Pro Wrestlers Dying at an Unusual Rate?”

Like Morris, I am neither an actuarial scientist nor a demographer. So, our interpretations of the data should be taken with a grain of salt. My results were somewhat different from Morris’ due to a difference data set and changes in how we calculated actuarial predictions.

Differences in methodology from Morris

I also used Social Security Actuarial Life Tables, but my “expected mortality rates” for the age groups were not the same as Morris’. For each wrestler, I calculated what their age would have been as of today. Then, based on gender, I looked up the number of lives (out of 100,000) that were expected to still be alive and converted that to a percentage. His analysis looked at wrestlers who were on 20+ WWF PPVs through 2002. I went with a...

Gavin Jasper Apr 5, 2019

With the Dead Man's return to WWE imminent, we look back at Undertaker's WrestleMania career.

WrestleMania XXX was an eventful show. It calmed the fears of those afraid that it would crash the WWE Network and cause major damage to the company's radical streaming venture. Cesaro broke away from his tag team and broke out by winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Trophy. Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and the Rock hung out in the ring and had a blast. Mr. T and Roddy Piper buried the hatchet. Daniel Bryan went through an endless supply of punishment before being defeating Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista.

That was a big moment and a major story, but the biggest, most shocking moment came at the end of Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar. For the first time ever, Undertaker lost at WrestleMania and nobody saw it coming.

The legendary Streak started in 1991 at WrestleMania VII.

Copyright: WWE Dx One Last Stand DVD

Stables have long been a part of professional wrestling. Usually consisting of a group of heels banded together to battle the babyfaces, a stable presents seemingly insurmountable odds for the hero to overcome.

They’re also a very useful tool to elevate up and coming wrestlers; by placing them in a faction with established stars, the newcomers are given a significant rub by being elevated in the eyes of the fans.

Jimmy Hart’s First Family is commonly credited as being one of the first stables, uniting to battle Jerry Lawler in Memphis during the 1970s. And of course The First Family helped serve as a launching pad for many men who would go on to become major stars, such as “Ravishing” Rick Rude, Randy Savage, Eddie Gilbert and King Kong Bundy.

Let’s take a look at the stables who have garnered...

As I write this we are only a couple of weeks away from the thirtieth WrestleMania event, which is being held on April 7th 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The excitement for wrestling fans, and more-so, WWE fans, often reaches it’s height in the weeks leading to the so-called “showcase of the immortals” and what was once, prior to Vince McMahon feeling like it made the event sound “old”, “the grand-daddy of ‘em all”.

I started watching wrestling in 1992 and the first show I ever watched was WrestleMania 8, held at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana. The show featured two spectacular matches, being Bret Hart vs. Roddy Piper and Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair. Randy Savage would remain my favourite wrestler of all time from this event on. Looking back on this event in 2014, and these matches still hold up today. Great selling, wonderful story telling, and top notch wrestling from these four men.

Copyright: WWE WrestleMania 29 Blu-ray

Every serious wrestling fan knows that The Undertaker is 21-0 at WrestleMania. It’s pretty incredible that The Streak has lasted this long, as it wasn’t originally conceived to have ever started. The first few Manias he competed at, he could have just as easily been booked to lose. But over the years his consecutive victories have transformed his matches into events that rival the main event for most anticipation. Among his list of defeated opponents have been big stars like Ric Flair, Edge and Jake “The Snake” Roberts. And while The Streak is absolutely impressive, it does feel a bit incomplete.

After all, some of the biggest names from the past couple decades are not among his victims. Part of the reason is because he had two WrestleMania matches with Kane, two with Shawn Michaels (which were both fantastic) and three against Hhh.

WWE.com

For the 23+ years that The Undertaker has been contracted by WWE, he has to yet to lose at a WrestleMania. What started out as a simple string of victories against the likes of Jimmy Snuka and King Kong Bundy has escalated into one of the most coveted aspects of contemporary wrestling, and with the streak sitting at an unbelievable 21-0, speculation surrounding its continuation seems to run rampant around this time of year.

Some matches, like the ones contested earlier in his career, were not exactly tough ones from which to emerge victorious – Taker was riding the crest of a wave and was in physically impressive shape, cutting an intimidating figure with his career ahead of him, but as the streak grows the competition seems to get tougher and the near falls get even closer. Over the past ten years, WWE has become famous for always inserting one...

Shizuo Kambayashi/AP/Press Association Images

In the world of professional wrestling, celebrities are kings. Whenever one shows up on Raw or SmackDown, the wrestlers just fawn over them, and the announcers gloat over their appearance. The fans for the most part are sick of seeing them. After all, they’re watching a show filled with talent who are celebrities in their own right. Why should they care about a B-movie star or someone from a cr*ppy reality TV show?

People watch wrestling to watch wrestling. That simple fact never seems to have fully registered in Vince McMahon’s mind. Because of that, we get weird dancing segments, singing competitions and plenty of celebrities. Unfortunately, besides the rare appearance of someone like Mike Tyson (who helped elevate Steve Austin), celebrities in professional wrestling are usually a bad mix. While there have been a lot of lame ones, some have been downright terrible.

Copyright: WWE Legends Of Mid-South Wrestling Blu-ray

When most wrestling fans think of New Orleans these days, they think of WrestleMania 30, coming up on April 6 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

What many younger fans may not realize is that New Orleans was one of the hottest cities in the old Mid-South territory back in the early ’80s, with Ted Dibiase, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Junkyard Dog, King Kong Bundy, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Kamala, Steve “Dr. Death” Williams, and announcer Jim Ross being among the prominent names who left an indelible mark on professional wrestling.

With athletic, bruising matches orchestrated by no-nonsense promoter “Cowboy” Bill Watt, Mid-South garnered national attention for its evocative storytelling and Superdome Extravaganzas, featuring the Road Warriors, the Midnight Express, the Von Erichs, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, and Andre the Giant.

In recent years, WWE purchased the Mid-South Wrestling video library — more than 1,200 hours of TV programming from...