Welcome to the June 14th, 2009 edition of Ask WrestleView! If you don’t see your question answered this week, make sure to check back next week as I will always pull questions from past emails. Just because you sent it in within the last week does not mean it will never appear here on Ask WV.
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All questions were answered by WrestleView’s Chief Historian, Ryan Droste
After Batista beat Randy Orton at Extreme Rules, was this the first time that the WWE Championship has changed hands inside a steel cage (not including Hell in a Cell, Elimination Chamber etc., although additional information would be most welcome!)
Thanks!
Andrew Bryce.
Believe it or not, this was indeed the first time the WWE Championship has changed hands in a traditional steel cage match. It has been defended in a cage numerous times over the years, but never changed hands until the Extreme Rules cage match.
Is it my imagination, or failing memory, but I seem to believe Rey lost his mask some years ago, and wrestled unmasked for so some time thereafter?
Mysterio wrestled in WCW with no mask from 1999-2001. He originally lost the mask at SuperBrawl IX in a “hair vs. mask” match where he and Konnan lost to Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. A classic WCW move, mostly for it’s stupidity. When Rey came to WWE in 2002, Vince McMahon specifically requested that Rey wrestle with the mask again.
I have a question about the win streak at WrestleMania involving the Undertaker. There was one Mania that he was not featured in and I have always wondered why? Was he injured or was it just part of the storyline? -Die Hard Fan
The Undertaker has performed at every WrestleMania from VII until today except for X and XVI (2000). The reason Undertaker missed WrestleMania X is because he was suffering from a back injury and needed time off. If you’ll remember, two months prior to WrestleMania X at Royal Rumble 1994, Undertaker lost a Casket Match to Yokozuna. Numerous heel wrestlers helped seal Undertaker inside the casket. Undertaker then appeared on the video screen warning he would be back. He then came back that summer and started the famous “Undertaker vs Undertaker” feud against the imposter Undertaker whom had started appearing. He missed WrestleMania XVI also due to being out of action for an injury (groin). When he came back from that particular injury in the Spring of 2000 he ditched the “dead man” gimmick for a couple years and returned to action as the American Bad Ass biker Undertaker.
Okay… this one has been bothering me for years and you are probably the last hope I have. There is a set of fans, a woman and a man who are at more than the average amount of live events. They seem to always be in the front row, either on the camera side or right at the entrance to the ring area. The man is bald and always wears a pink jacket and the woman wears a neon yellow one. When I look back at old PPVs, they are always there. When I look at RAW events from the past… there they are. I even recall Chyna stopping and hugging them one time, and a lot of other wrestlers shaking their hands, acknowledging them or stopping by them on the way in or out. Most recently they were just ringside this week at RAW (May 11). Are these people just the ultimate superfans or is there something else? I have tried to figure it out and I come up with nothing. I was ringside for the Legacy beatdown of Randy Orton in London, Ontario and when I got to the arena the first thing I looked for was them, but they weren’t at that event, but then they were on every other one I watched. I know it has been at least ten years that they have been on my TV screen, if not more. If you know and could tell me it would be great to finally know why these people are there ALL THE TIME!
Thanks… Mat Thompson
Their names are Chris and Jan Kazmerzak. Chris wrote a column about his friendship with Owen Hart for the Wrestling Observer a few years back (a great read, check it out here). These two fans were good friends of Owen Hart, and they often traveled around the Ohio area with Owen during Owen’s life. They became friends with several people in the company during this time, so this would explain why they always have such good seats.
Back when Sting Faced Hollywood Hogan in WCW and ended up winning the title from Hogan, what was the deal with Bret Hart coming down to the ring and restarting the match claiming there was a ?Fast Count? was this scripted or was this Hart’s way of screwing Hogan out of the belt?
Billy Sprague
Another classic WCW moment (sarcasm again), screwing up what had been one of the best built feuds of all time going into this match. Things like this are the reason that company is no longer in business. This was indeed planned, referee Nick Patrick was supposed to execute a fast count, in effect “screwing” Sting. Bret Hart, fresh off his Survivor Series 1997 screw job, was then to come down to the ring and restart the match (he was a special referee earlier in the card for the Bischoff vs. Zbyszko match) preventing another wrestler from being screwed as he had. In reality, Patrick’s count was not fast at all. I have heard different stories on this. Some people say Hogan secretely asked Patrick to not count the pin fast, using his backstage power in the company to make himself not look weak and get out of jobbing clean. Others say Hogan invoked his creative control to get the finish changed so it played out like this. Believe whatever you want, either way the count clearly was not fast and there has to be a reason for this. Everyone watching was very confused, as the announcers played up big time it was a fast count and Sting was screwed, but everytime they showed a replay it was a normal paced count. It was a huge letdown for a very anticipated match.
That’s all for this edition of Ask WrestleView.
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