Reported by Adam Martin of WrestleView.com
On Monday, September 15, 2008 at 4:28 PM EST

The Wrestling Professor sent this in:

Welcome to the Armpit wrestling quiz for the week of September 15, 2008.

This week’s quiz is dedicated to the men and women who lost their lives seven years ago, who lost or risked their lives fighting for freedom overseas, and to the troops still over there in Iraq and Afghanistan doing the hardest, most important jobs in the world.

This quiz is also dedicated to another great American who lost his life 5 years ago: John Ritter. Ritter is my all-time favorite actor, and the Jack Tripper character has made me laugh harder than anyone /* ever has. Also want to wish a belated happy birthday to Paul Heyman.

This week’s quiz is based on a word that has been in the news quite a bit lately: experience. While pundits discuss the lack of experience of Barack Obama and Sarah Palin endlessly on cable talk shows, those of us who follow wrestling know better. Experience is nice, but Vince McMahon had little experience promoting wrestling when he expanded the WWF to national prominence. Eric Bischoff had zero experience promoting anything when he turned WCW around after those with tons of experience failed before him. And Dana White had no experience to speak of when he made UFC into a worldwide juggernaut.

In other words, experience doesn’t matter. Just ask Dusty Rhodes, Bill Watts, Vince Russo, and Ole Anderson. What matters is if you can do the job.

Granted, running the country is harder than running a wrestling promotion, but you get my point.

Inspired by Sarah Palin and the incredible impact she has made on this country in just 2 weeks, this week’s quiz is called “Memorable Debuts.”

Answers from last time:

-Hogan took time off after WMVI to devote more of his time to acting.

-Hogan worked a program with Billy Kidman in WCW in 2000. The feud buried Kidman, just as Hogan knew it would, when it was first sold on the idea that it would elevate him. That’s why Kidman remains in obscurity today, despite being a bright young talent who could’ve really been something. Read “Death of WCW” for more examples like that.

-The transition champion between Chris Benoit and HHH was Randy Orton.

-Goldberg didn’t wrestle Kevin Nash in that Nitro after Starrcade because he was arrested by the police. Why? For stalking. And you wonder why that company went belly up? Well no, you probably don’t wonder.

-The Hogan-Goldberg title switch took place in Atlanta, GA.

-At WM18, Scott Hall wrestled Steve Austin.

-In 2005, Steve Austin’s role at WrestleMania was as a guest on Piper’s Pit. The crowd, spent from the Hogan run-in, gave Austin a lukewarm reaction.

-When Batista finally turned face on HHH, he did the thumbs down. I thought it was really effective.

Here are this week's questions. Remember, the new rules are that you no longer need to submit your questions, and no winners will be declared. We're just doing this for fun and to honor the forgotten world of wrestling history.

1. Never burn bridges in life unless you’re absolutely certain you’ll never need the money. Lex Luger learned that when WWE never hired him after WCW’s demise. Luger joined NWA/WCW in 1987, but he returned to the company in 1995 on the first ever Nitro. His appearance was a definite shocker. What venue was that show held in?

2. After getting its tail kicked all throughout 1997, the WWF got a jolt of life when Sean Waltman made a very memorable return to the company and joined DX. What WCW wrestler did X-Pac cut a promo on during his debut?

3. Chris Jericho used to be so cool. The long-haired, blond rock n roller had the flashiest wardrobe and glammiest look of any wrestler, and now he looks like a boring, bland, normal, regular guy who spends his days at home chasing his kid instead of chasing women. But his Raw debut in 1999 was actually pretty boring, although highly anticipated. Luckily his debut was saved by what other wrestler, who proceeded to cut an awesome promo on Y2J?

4. John Cena’s WWE debut was well received, even though his look and persona were nothing like they are now. In 2002, Cena debuted on SmackDown and wrestled whom?

5. Missy Hyatt debuted with the WWF in 1987, but you’d never know it because it never aired. The only reason a non-newsletter-reading fan would know that was if you read the WWF Magazine in those days, which featured a column on Missy before the decision was made to axe her. What kind of segment did Missy tape for WWF TV, a segment that will be forever lost somewhere in the WWE video library warehouse?

6. Jake “The Snake” Roberts gave WCW a much needed shot in the arm in 1992 when he debuted on the same show (TV taping, actually) that Ron Simmons won the WCW title on. Whom did Jake DDT when he did that surprise run-in?

7. Rick Rude also gave WCW a boost of star power in 1991, when he returned to the company after being its tag team champion 5 years earlier. Rude debuted under a mask, and unmasked after his match, although it was very easy to recognize him by his physique. On what WCW PPV show did Rude debut on?

8. In a sign the WWF was desperate and on the losing end of a very long war (until they won), they had Jim Ross cut a great promo on Raw and bring in “Diesel” and “Razor Ramon.” They were fakes, of course, and the WWF ended up looking second rate, as everyone predicted going in. Who were the wrestlers who played the roles of the fake Diesel and Razor Ramon?

9. People say the Undertaker’s gimmick is the most successful gimmick ever because of its longevity. That might be true, but it’s a lot easier to have longevity when you have major political power and can basically book your own programs. Nevertheless, Undertaker’s debut in the WWF definitely made an impact, as anyone who saw it at the time would remember. On what PPV did the Undertaker grace us with his haunting presence?

10. There have been do many memorable debuts that I might continue this quiz next week. I happened to be in attendance when the 7 foot 6 inch El Gigante from WCW made his WWF debut in 1993. They called him Giant Gonzales, and with his costume, he looked like a giant ape. “What in the Hell is that?” asked a fan behind me, who apparently never watched WCW. On what PPV did Gonzales debut with the WWF?

Answers will be posted next time.

The Armpit
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