In what has to be a disappointment, the show did just 147,000 buys in North America and a total of 251,000 including international. It’s a bump of about 35,000 from last year.

And even worse, they beat him at the show, so his value is probably only going down outside of SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, and WrestleMania.

Credit Wrestling Observer/F4WOnine for the buys number.

Many people in the wrestling business are dealt a bad hand. Some make the best of their situation and keep their head above water. Others fold and fade into obscurity. In 1995, Steve Austin could have easily become a member of the latter category. Having been one of the most promising young stars in the business in the early 90s, Austin was cast aside by WCW when he was more than ready to become a top guy. Seen as nothing special by the likes of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff, Austin was fired without any form of remorse from his employers. Through a combination of desire, hard work and flat out stubbornness, Austin took this bad hand and rebounded to become the biggest star the business has ever seen.

Beginning his career in his local World Class Championship Wrestling promotion in 1989, Austin picked things up really quickly and was considered one of the can’t miss prospects in the country at the time. He was given the spotlight when paired with his trainer, the late Chris Adams, and their feud is one which holds up very well to this day. It was inevitable that Austin would be cherry-picked from the struggling group, and in 1991 he took his considerable talents to WCW. The first major title of “Stunning” Steve’s career was the TV title which he held for the guts of a year. At a time when alot of the new characters introduced by WCW were met with groans and confusion from the audience, the TV champ was a breath of fresh air, putting in stellar performances on a weekly basis. A spot in legendary heel unit The Dangerous Alliance followed for Austin and he shone alongside the likes of Rick Rude, Arn Anderson and of course the mouthpiece Paul E. Dangerously.

The most memorable period of Austin’s WCW run was also the most mishandled. Following the break-up of the Alliance, Steve was paired with newly heel Brian Pillman. The duo, known as the Hollywood Blondes were taking tag team wrestling to new levels with their amazing chemistry, charisma and workrate when the rug was pulled out from under them after less than a year. In a hair-brained plan, the two were split up and put in a terrible feud where Austin was seconded by Colonel Robert Parker. Ever the workhorse, Steve continued to give his all during this singles run and when paired up with the legendary Ricky Steamboat, the results were excellent. However, it was clear that the new regime in WCW were less and less in his corner as the months wore on and when Hulk Hogan arrived, Austin was cast aside for a brigade of washed up Hogan pals. Despite his lack of push, it was still a shock when Eric Bischoff fired Austin while he was at home nursing an injury.
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The most flawless in-ring competitor of his generation or any other, Bret Hart possessed the rare ability to connect with people through matches alone. He was an expert storyteller, bringing a Stampede realism and believability to mainstream pro wrestling at a time when it was needed most.

Hart made his own luck in WWE. We have grown accustomed to seeing “great workers” of the modern era fall flat or lose a crowd given the wrong program or card position. Bret never allowed an audience that option. He just dragged you into it – a meaningless match he could make mean something. And while the company was out looking everywhere else for their next big star, he took the choice from out of their hands.

Seen at the time as an also-ran by the powers that be, it was tag team success with The Hart Foundation which threw his career an early lifeline. He and Jim Neidhart mixed contrasting styles and characters, creating a compelling dynamic while giving Bret the platform to showcase his talent clearly. Once that door creaked open for him, Bret forced his way through – his combination of technical ability and match psychology separating him from the rest of the locker room.

It was at this time we first saw one of Hart’s greatest strengths as a wrestler; the duality he brought to The Hitman character. At the drop of a hat, he could slide from heel to face / face to heel, equally effective in each, without losing his edge. It gave him depth as a performer. He could show a darker side to the hero or redeemable qualities in the villain as a storyline or match required it. It was a concept he grasped better than anyone and was able to utilize effectively throughout his run.

Solo stardom was the next logical progression for the already very popular Hitman. His connection with the crowd and near-perfect match quality made him the guy to build the company around. Hart had a terrific wrestling brain and understanding of how to work around the limitations of opponents. His name on top of a card guaranteed the main event would always deliver. He could be paired up with anyone from the 1-2-3 Kid to Yokozuna and produce a match worthy of closing the show.
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After such a great PPV last month, this one doesn’t look so hot. They’ve cooled off Brock Lesnar considerably and now, Johnny Ace is in the main event and John Cena is right back in the ring. The product is so cold, but as shown by Rock and Lesnar, can have hot moments. But they spend so much time trying to cool off those hot moments. It’s pretty laughable.

1. Jobber Battle Royal for a shot at the IC or US title

Okay, not all of these guys were jobbers. The returning Christian, Miz, and William Regal were in the match. I saw Tyson Kidd in there. The final three came down to Christian, Miz, and David Otunga. After eliminating Otunga, it came down to Christian and Miz and the ending was pretty predictable. Miz thought he won, but he didn’t, and Christian eliminated him.

Winner: Christian

Christian chose Santino.

2. Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston and R-Truth

How do Ziggler and Swagger not have an official team name?

It was a very old school and traditional tag match psychology with tremendous athleticism. All four guys did a great job. Swagger and Ziggler had the heat on Truth forever. Hot tag to Kofi and all the high spots followed. Ziggler hit the Zig Zag and Truth broke it up. Truth did a dive over the top rope and Miz didn’t catch him. Just kidding. Ziggler ran towards Kofi and ate a Trouble In Paradise.

Winner: Kofi Kingston and R-Truth

3. Beth Phoenix vs. Layla
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An old friend returned to WWE last night as part of the Brock Lesnar storyline.

Sadly, a recurring theme of this list has been one of tarnished legacies. This is a sport where few know the right time to step aside. It’s pro wrestling after all, it almost goes with the territory. Hell, they even made a movie about it. The once great hang on past their prime and with each additional performance their standing diminishes that little bit further.

Now, rewind back to 2002 and It’s no wonder we were all skeptical about a Shawn Michaels comeback. He had walked away from the business as a surefire hall of famer, leaving behind a legacy of one of the truly great workers, perhaps even the greatest. With his place in history already long since secured, there seemed little potential upside to an in ring return.

You didn’t have to like Michaels to appreciate what he brought to the business. He broke down barriers for smaller performers. He was instrumental in popularizing the more athletic, high risk styled, main events. He was again a force of change during the DX era; introducing an edgier side of Pro Wrestling. With Bret Hart he shared the most talked about rivalry in wrestling history. And between the two of them, they inspired most of the current generation of superstars. Five star matches; believe me, he had those to. His was a career littered with iconic images from the barber shop window to the Tyson knock out.

But above all else, Michaels was a phenomenal in ring performer. And four years out of the business is a long time, especially factoring in the litany of injuries which put a halt to his career in the first place. Few believed he could still be the Shawn Michaels of old, and if not, then why comeback at all?
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