Life Etc Etc

Mr. Perfect is finally sitting atop the proverbial World Wrestling Entertainment (Federation) mountain in 1993 . Our fantasy booking picks up on the Monday Night RAW after WrestleMania IX, where the newly crowned champion makes his grand entrance and begins what promises to be a truly perfect title reign. Monday Night Raw after WrestleMania 9 Mr. Perfect soaks in the rapturous reception from his adoring fans and vows to defend the title against all comers, determined to establish himself as the perfect champion. No sooner have the words left his mouth than Hulk Hogan’s theme music hits, bringing the crowd to its feet. Hogan makes his way to the ring and tells Perfect that he respects what he accomplished at WrestleMania, but admits that it was painful to watch his friend Bret Hart being stretchered out after the actions of the thieving, conniving Lex Luger. Hogan then makes his intentions clear: once he settles the score with “The Narcissist,” he is coming for the WWF Championship. Pe...

Mr. Perfect was one of the hottest acts in the WWF at the end of 1992. He made a triumphant return at Survivor Series, teaming with Macho Man Randy Savage against Ric Flair and Razor Ramon, and immediately became a thorn in the side of the former champion. But what if the WWF had kept that momentum going into 1993? What if Mr. Perfect’s body had held up to the demands of the schedule? And what if the company had gone all the way and crowned him WWF Champion? Today, we’re exploring that fantasy-booking scenario and imagining how different the wrestling landscape of 1993 might have looked if Mr. Perfect had been given the chance to carry the title. 1993 Royal Rumble Our first stop on this fantasy-booking journey is the 1993 Royal Rumble, with Mr. Perfect entering the match while still embroiled in his feud with Ric Flair and Razor Ramon. Mr. Perfect enters the Royal Rumble at No. 10 and lasts all the way to the finish, eliminating Ric Flair, Jerry Lawler, Skinner and “The Model” Rick M...

One of the most recognizable names in the world of wrestling, Macho Man Randy Savage, concluded his final run as WWF (WWE) champion in 1992.   With Hulk Hogan's exit from the company after WrestleMania 8, this was a period of transition for the WWF and an ideal opportunity for a champion to carve out his own niche. That somehow didn't happen despite all of Macho Man's charisma and verve. So, what preempted Macho Man from cementing a legacy defining second reign? Let's take a look: Exit and face turn of several top heels post WrestleMania 8 : You are only as good as your opponents, an all-conquering hero needs a credible villain to prove his mettle. This of course didn't happens as: Sid Justice and Jake "the Snake" Roberts both left the WWF immediately after WrestleMania 8 The Undertaker turned face and was now a monster slayer rather than a tormentor of good guys Earthquake who once put Hulk Hogan on the shelf was now straddling the tag team scene with Ty...

Recap of the Royal Rumble 1991 For the second year in a row Hogan outclassed 29 other superstars to win the Royal Rumble and set up the main event for WrestleMania 7 with the American turncoat villain, Sgt. Slaughter. Hogan didn't need to win the 1990 Royal Rumble, Mr. Perfect should have gotten the nod there to launch a well-deserved main event run . Here however, Hogan was the only logical choice to win considering the circumstances of the Gulf War and his status as an All-American hero. And win he did by eliminating all the big men that were available (read Smash, Crush, The Warlord, Brian Knobbs and Earthquake). Other stars who shined included: British Bulldog eliminates Mr. Perfect with a brilliant dropkick <Courtesy: WWE > The Undertaker (still managed by Brother Love) who eliminated the likes of Bret Hart and "Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich "The Model" Rick Martel who entered at no. 6 and made it to the final five thereby setting a new Royal Rumble ...

This was the first time I had watched the World Wrestling Championships end to end and my interest was obviously in the Indian wrestling team which had a stupendous time in the 2022 Commonwealth Games at Birmingham . Now I am no wrestling expert, but I thought that the Indian team underperformed. If you look at the medals tally we ended up with the same number of medals as the 2021 edition where we had one silver and one bronze compared to the current edition where we managed to secure two bronze medals. But both of these tallies are behind the 2019 edition where we won five medals (1 silver and four bronze). Since 2018, at least one of the Indian wrestlers has been making it to the finals at these championships but that run was halted in 2022 which makes this edition the worst since 2017 where the team had won no medals at all. The Disappointments  None of the winners from 2021 could build upon their success in this edition with last time's silver medalist Anshu Malik pulling out...

It has been a topsy-turvy year to say the least. Things have started to open up, people seem more relaxed, there's also a hint of normalcy yet there is more to it than what meets the eye. We are not fully out of the pandemic but sport along with its myriad incarnations is back in a major way. This in my opinion has been a substantial factor in driving out the gloom that had settled in since the onset of the pandemic. But sport by itself is nothing without the unbelievable individuals who permeate its every fabric. I was fortunate to witness the fascinating stories of some very talented sports people this year. Here in this blog I will try to do my best to not only recount those stories but also the various lessons that can be gleaned from them. So let's begin! Lesson 1 - You can't have it all Rarely has a tennis player looked so complete and as perfect as Novak Djokovic in full bloom. The year 2021 was set to be his signature year. He trampled competition at the Australian...

Before the Rio Olympics began there was an intense debate about whether the sport of wrestling should be dropped from Olympics altogether. I believe that debate has been put to rest once and for all with the extremely intense and nerve wrangling bouts that were on display at the Olympics. Today we will look at five nail biters from the Rio Olympics which will prove that wrestling without an iota of doubt is as interesting as any other sport.  Sakshi Malik V/S   Aisuluu Tynybekova :   Everyone in India knows about this  match. Sakshi was trailing the Asian Champion from Kyrgyzstan 5-0 until the 4th minute when she executed two consecutive take downs to bring the score to 5-4. With 10 seconds left on the Clock Sakshi leveled the score by pushing Tynybekova out of the competition circle. That move tied the scores but even a tie couldn't help Sakshi's fortunes because i n the event of a tie the contestant with the least number of penalties would be adju...