There are hundreds of sites related to pro wrestling news and information. As a wrestler myself who works in the pro-wrestling field, I battled through all the news from this past year to bring you wrestling’s biggest news stories of 2011.”
The Death of a Legend
On May 20th 2011, the wrestling world was shocked by sudden and tragic loss of “The Macho Man” Randy Savage. The multiple former Heavyweight Champion of the world hadn’t been seen in a wrestling ring since a brief stint in TNA several years before. Savage started coming back around however, as he did a promo to introduce his newest WWE Legends wrestling action figure. In typical “Macho Man” style, Savage cut a prime promo, off the cuff, and better than what you get on television today. The 58 year old Randy Poffo died after a cardiac arrest on the morning of May 20th. His death made national headline news. It was a bittersweet moment for wrestling fans. They were saddened by the loss of one of the all time greats, but it was great to see so many people fondly remember “The Macho Man.”
Grumpy Old Men
Over twenty years after their historic Wrestlemania 6 main event, The Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan were still at each others throat. Using social media networks like Twitter and Youtube, The Ultimate Warrior released a homemade shoot interview regarding the once mighty Hulk Hogan. In the video, Warrior accused Hogan of being a giant coke head, holding other wrestlers down, and letting his wife cheat on him with other wrestlers. Hogan laughed the accusations off, though initially he did flirt with the idea of taking legal action. Since then, the two have not mentioned much of each other. Jack Lemon and Walter Mathau have nothing on these two men.
A Night of Big Returns
The WWE touted this years Royal Rumble pay per view as their biggest one ever. The match was filled with 40 wrestlers, rather than the usual 30. The event took place in Boston, and saw the in-ring returns of two of the biggest names of the last decade. Fresh off their failed runs in TNA, Booker T and Kevin Nash returned to a WWE ring. Both wrestlers received a tremendous ovation from the Boston crowd, and the internet was abuzz the next day with people wondering if they were staying around for good.
Scott Hall Hits Rock Bottom
For months, Scott Hall was doing well. After completing rehab, Scott Hall was able to keep his demons at bay. But the longtime drug and alcohol abuser fell off the wagon when he decided to travel to Fall River, Massachusetts for an independent wrestling show for the biggest New England wrestling company, Top Rope Promotions. Scott Hall showed up for the event in a wheelchair and barely able to speak. Throughout the night he made several attempts to hold the owner up for more cash and even threatened to kill him. Hall made it clear he had no idea where he was, as he told the crowd they were a bunch of wankers. Hall thought he was in England, not New England. Hall was then hospitalized and was later featured on and episode of E60 on ESPN.
“R” Stands For Retired
“The Rated R Superstar” Edge appeared on an episode of RAW in April of this year and made a surprise announcement. He had to retire from wrestling. The shocking announcement spread across Twitter and Facebook and became viral almost instantly. Edge retired due to his long battle with serious neck injuries.
Hey, Isn’t That The Guy From The Movies
Casual fans may now know him as Dwayne Johnson, but to us, he’ll always be The Rock. After 7 years in Hollywood, The Rock finally returned to the WWE in February. The most electric man in the history of sports entertainment also got involved at Wrestlemania, getting mixed up with the WWE golden boy John Cena. Since then, The Rock has announced he will wrestle John Cena at next years Wrestlemania event in Miami.
A Trip To Chyna
In one of the more random moments of 2011, the female wrestler formerly known as Chyna returned to in ring action. Joanie Lauer wrestled for TNA at their Sacrifice pay per view. The former WWE diva and adult movie star did fairly well in the ring, though she was nowhere as good as she was in her prime. Unfortunately for TNA, the arrival of Chyna did not pop the ratings like they had expected. It was a decent treat for long time fans who wondered if they’d ever see her wrestle again. But other than that, nobody really cared.
It’s A Shoot, Brother
In one of the most memorable moments of 2011, C.M. Punk shocked the world when he broke down the fourth wall on an episode of Raw. At the end of the show, C.M. Punk grabbed a live microphone and started running down the WWE and the men who run it. This included Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. In addition, C.M. Punk acknowledged his good friend Colt Cabana, who doesn’t work for the WWE. The internet got worked, as everybody felt like something real was happening. However, little did the internet wrestling community realize that, if it wasn’t planned, the microphone would have been cut right away and the camera would never have been on him. Regardless, it got people talking about WWE again.
Hardy Gets Stung
Sting was supposed to wrestle Jeff Hardy at the TNA pay per view Victory Road. What happened instead was a massacre. Jeff Hardy showed up to the event under the influence of drugs. TNA, against better judgment, allowed Hardy to work the show. When the two were in front of the crowd, Hardy kept stumbling and was clearly out of it. Sting, being the veteran, grabbed Hardy and pinned him. It was a 90 second match. Of course, that’s what they want you to believe. The whole angle was a work and meant to build up Hardy’s salvation and return later on in the year.
The Hulkster Returns
The mighty Hulk Hogan returned to the ring after several back surgeries at TNA’s biggest event of the year, Bound For Glory. The week before the event, Hogan went on a media tour, appearing on several radio and television programs. The Hulkster stressed that he wasn’t “wrestling,” but rather, he was going to “Fight.” The match was awful, and proved why Hogan needs to stay out of the ring. The almost wheelchair bound icon even bumped on his back a couple of time. The ending of the match saw Hulk Hogan come back as the ultimate good guy and save the day for his former enemy Sting.
Hopefully in 2012, we won’t being reporting on an angle that includes a 90 second pay per view main event, or the death of a legendary icon. Have a happy New Year wrestling fans, and I’ll catch you at ringside.