The Daily Chinlock

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 26

Paul ” The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome to Day 26 of the Real Road to WrestleMania here on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. Today, I want to talk about the return of Ring of Honor under the new ownership of Tony Khan and ask whether they can compete with the WWE.

Ring of Honor is making the right steps in getting back recognition and interest from the fans in putting their promotion out once again. First, they have a solid card with their Supercard of Honor with the Brisco Brothers vs. FTR. Second, they announced that they will be seen on TV each week, even though they have not announced which network will air their television shows.

However, the question is whether this Ring of Honor can compete with the WWE, and I say not yet. Ring of Honor is still in its infancy under new management and maintaining the momentum from WrestleMania will be vital to sustain their impact. I would look at possibly 2023 as the year they can challenge the WWE in the fans interest. Until then, Ring of Honor needs to focus on rebuilding the brand and establishing its fanbase once again.

I feel that Tony Khan will be the right man to steer the ship in the right direction and with AEW’s help with ROH using some of their talent and mentions on Dynamite and Rampage will only help this promotion grow. In closing, I look for Ring of Honor to compete with the WWE in 2023. With that in mind, this ends Day 26 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. We are in the home stretch of this series as it ends this Thursday. Tomorrow, I will talk about the recent announcement of the retirement of HHH from in ring action. Until then, thanks for joining us and have a great day!

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 25

Paul ” The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome everyone to Day 25 of the Real Road to WrestleMania here on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. Today, I want to talk about a biography that was released late last year and how much of a life this hall of famer lead and I ponder whether this legend in his prime could possibly headline WrestleMania. The legend that I am talking about is the man that was the first ever man to hold both the NWA and WWWF World Champions and he is Nature Boy Buddy Rogers.

Buddy’s biography-Master of the Ring by Tim Hornabaker is one of the best books that have read this year. He led an extraordinary life from going up in a working-class family in Camden, NJ to becoming World Champion. He defeated every superstar of the 40’s and 50’s including Doru Dixon, Killer Kowalski, Bruno Sammartino, Lou Thesz and Antonio Rocca. Also, dealing with the politics of promoters who never believed that Buddy was telling the truth about his injuries and falling out with his manager Al Haft and Toots Mondt.

Another facet of Buddy is being the prototype of a heel in pro wrestling. From his colorful robes, strutting around the ring and his boastful abrasive promos, he showed how to get over to the crowd so that the babyface looked good. A great example of this prototype of a heel is when he won the NWA World Title from Pat O’Connor in Chicago, IL. at Comiskey Park. Buddy put his arrogance on full display, but he backed it up with his skill and toughness in winning the title. Then, he delivered a classic line in his promo after the match- “To a nicer guy, it wouldn’t have happened!”. But it gets me to ponder if Buddy was in his prime in 1959-1960 in the current age, could he possibly headline WrestleMania. In my opinion, he could pull it off in the main event, because he could be a face or heel in this instance without missing a beat. However, I do not think that he would possibly win the match, but he would come close.

In closing, I highly recommend getting a copy of this book (It is available on http://www.crowbarpress.com) and read it. You will thank me for this great story. With that in mind, that will do it for Day 25 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, I will talk about if Ring of Honor under the ownership of Tony Khan can compete against the WWE. Until then, thanks for joining us and have a great day!

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 24

Paul “The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome to Day 24 of the Real Road to WrestleMania on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. Today, I want to focus on the upcoming return of Cody Rhodes to the WWE and may possibly be at WrestleMania. This return is one of the main talking points of this year’s event and the impact will be felt throughout the wrestling world. But, how much of an impact will Cody have on his return to the WWE?

I feel that the impact will be huge, because his return is under different circumstances this time around. He is coming in after being the Executive Vice President of AEW and a 3-time TNT champion. Cody helped start AEW, which is now the top promotion in the country right now. The scrutiny of the fans will be laser focused on everything that Cody does and especially the AEW fans and maybe the stars themselves to see if Cody missteps even once so that they can pounce on him.

As far as positioning on the card for Cody, anything less than semi-main event would be a huge miscalculation by “Creative”. He could be facing Seth Rollins as his first opponent since Seth is looking for his WrestleMania moment. What better way to make your return to the WWE by giving Seth the opponent of Cody Rhodes for WrestleMania and even on Raw the next night.

In closing, Cody Rhodes will be at his very best in the WWE this time around, because he knows what happened the last time he was in the WWE, and he definitely does not want history to repeat itself. With that in mind, that will do it for Day 24 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, I will talk about a biography that was released that made me wonder what would happen if this person in his prime could main event this year’s WrestleMania. Until then, thanks for joining us and have a great day!

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 23

Paul ” The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome to Day 23 of the Real Road to WrestleMania here on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. Today, I want to discuss a homerun that the WWE finally made this past Monday night on Raw and a phenomenon that is a true gold mine and that is Stone Cold Kevin Owens. You might be wondering why I am describing this imitation of Steve Austin as a phenomenon and the answer is simple.

The answer is that the fans reacting to Kevin as a true heel who got a lot of heat just by his presence and Kevin mocking the attitude era and at the same time ushering in a new era of being a bad ass. This is the rub that Kevin needs going towards WrestleMania, and he has definitely met Austin halfway before the event happens. As far as Austin goes, all he has to do is show up and deliver a stunner to Kevin or he can take a shot for the team and have Kevin give him a stunner. Imagine if Kevin is allowed to do the stunner on Austin. Stone Cold Kevin Owens will be a household name overnight and Kevin has the promo skills to continue the momentum as he will no doubt get a major push towards a title shot at the champion, whether it be Roman or Brock.

One final point is that I hope that “creative” does not drop the ball on this gold mine, because it would be totally inept and foolish to do that, and they will never get that momentum back again. I would let Kevin just run with the ball and it will pay off. Enclosing, that is the bottom line because Stone Cold Kevin Owens said so!

With that in mind, that will end Day 23 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, I will talk about what kind of impact Cody will have in his return to the WWE. Until then, thanks for joining us and have a great day!

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 22

Paul ” The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome to Day 22 of the Real Road to WrestleMania here on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. Today, I want to talk about a match that has finally been signed for WrestleMania weekend for Ring of Honor and that is the Briscoe Brothers vs. FTR! This is the most anticipated tag match of 2022 featuring two of the best teams in the world today. Let me explain why they are of that distinction.

The Briscoe Brothers who are from Sandy Fork, Delaware (located in Sussex County in Southern Delaware) have represented tag team wrestling in there own unique way. They are multiple time ROH tag team champions and most recently became the first wrestlers from Delaware to win the Crockett Cup for the NWA. The stock of the Briscoe Brothers continues to rise each day as they are still considered free agents and their battle with FTR will make them a high commodity team to be employed by either AEW or WWE.

Meanwhile, FTR has long been established as the toughest tag team in wrestling today. From winning the NXT tag titles to winning the AEW tag titles, they have proven to be a team that brought back the renaissance of old school tag team wrestling. Now that they are taking independent bookings to prove themselves against tother top teams, FTR are raising their game and are ready to win titles from any organization at any time.

I feel that this will compete with MJF vs. CM Punk in the dog collar match as a match of the year as the potential for greatness is there and the fans are looking forward to with anticipation and excitement. As far as WrestleMania goes, this match will definitely be the match of the weekend and will prove how weak the tag team division is right now in WWE. I bet that no one will care what happens in the tag title matches respectively Monday morning at WrestleMania as they will all discuss Briscoe vs. FTR!

With that in mind, that ends Day 22 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, I will discuss the phenomenon that is Stone Cold Kevin Owens and how this is a major gold mine for the WWE to take advantage of. Until then, thanks for joining us and have a great day!

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 21

Paul” The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome to Day 21 of the Real Road to WrestleMania here on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. Today, I want to discuss one person that would be the hottest free agent in wrestling once his contract is up in AEW and that is MJF, as well as discuss what it would it be like if MJF decided to go to the WWE.

Maxwell Jacob Freeman is the top heel in pro wrestling right now. His promo skills are the standard of pro wrestling in this current age and his ring work as a heel is just as equal. The feud with CM Punk will go down as the top feud of this decade as well as possibly this century and everyone wants to know what is next for MJF. We got a glimpse of his possible future in the years to come in a promo about two months ago where he mentioned that he might go to the other organization meaning the WWE.

Now, if this becomes a possibility and MJF does go to WWE, then the WWE will never be the same again and it will be for the better. I can envision his debut that could take place at a future WrestleMania or possibly Raw after WrestleMania where he will interrupt the current champion. Maybe he can interrupt Roman Reigns and humble the tribal chief by saying the real head of the table is here and he is better than you and you know it. The fans will go nuts and Roman will be perturbed but outclassed by the verbal onslaught of MJF. Also, I would not put it past him to take his jabs at Vince McMahon by saying that MJF is better than VKM and the old man knows it! The comment alone would have people talking for the rest of the year and beyond.

However, if the WWE decides to play their “WWE” format and conform MJF, then you can bet that MJF will rebel that with a harder vigor, so the “creative” team can forget about that immediately. Let MJF be MJF, and the momentum will switch in the WWE favor. In closing, the possibility of MJF going to the WWE after his AEW contract is up a real possibility and he could be the one to once again change the face of pro wrestling for years to come.

With that in mind, that will do it for Day 21 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, I will discuss the realization of the Briscoe Brothers vs. FTR on WrestleMania weekend for ROH and how that can influence WrestleMania alone. Until then, thanks for joining us and have a great day!

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 20

Paul” The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome to Day 20 of the Real Road to WrestleMania here on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. Today, I want to put on a fantasy booker hat and answer what would happen if Hulk Hogan in his mid-80’s prime (19084-1988) battle the 2002 The Rock at WrestleMania 18 in 2002.

I would have the Rock as a heel when he turned his back on Kurt Angle at Armageddon 2001 and cost Kurt his opportunity at the WWE Undisputed Championship and then injure Angle at the Royal Rumble 2002 in Atlanta. Then, the next night on Raw, the Rock talks about being the GOAT of the WWE and there is no person or force that can stop the Rock. The comment would cue Eye of the Tiger and out came Hulk Hogan in the classic yellow t-shirt that read Hulkamania and Hogan comes to the ring with the fire in his eyes and tells the Rock than no force is more powerful than Hulkamania! Then, The Rock looks perturbed and tells Hogan who in the blue hell is your sorry behind! Hulk gets in the Rock’s face and tells him that he is the man that will lay the smackdown on the Rock and he wants to do it on the grandest stage of them all- WrestleMania! The rock has a smirk on his face and accepts the challenge and tells Hogan that the eye of the “tiger” is getting ripped out of his skull and then, the Rock will hit the most electrifying move on the planet, the Rock Bottom and that he will be the one that killed the overinflated hype of Hulkamania! If you smell what the Rock is cookin! Then, Hogan retorts with What you are going to do, but the Rock nails him with the Rock Bottom and leaves with the smirk on his face.

The one segment that was mentioned above is the only thing that is needed to get the hype going for WrestleMania. Let us go to the match. I think that it would go as similarly as their real-life encounter, but Hogan would be the winner when he nailed the Rock with the Rock Bottom and then the legdrop for the win. Then at the end of the match, Hogan put a boot on the chest of the Rock and raised his arm as a mockery of the Rock as the crowd cheered loud for Hogan. Then, Hogan would go to his normal posing routine and leaves. This match would lead to Hogan of the 8-‘s possibly having a longer run as WWE Undisputed Champion as he beats HHH in a more exciting match. I say that his reign will last until WrestleMania 19 when Hogan would lose the title to the Undertaker to keep the streak intact and that will end the fantasy booker edition of this match.

With that in mind, we are at the end of Day 20 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, it is back to reality as I will discuss whether MJF will ever go to the WWE when his contract is up and how that will look in the WWE. Until then, thanks for joining us and have a great day!

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 19

Paul” The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome to Day 19 of the Real Road to WrestleMania here on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. Today, I want to look at the role of the celebrity being involved in a match and whether it is beneficial or detrimental to a wrestler’s career. I am of the personal belief that celebrities that have no training or experience in pro wrestling should not be involved in a match whatsoever. However, I do not have the power to stop it, so I must take a different approach to the celebrity issue and that involves the wrestlers who are involved in the match itself.

Now, a celebrity that can hang with the wrestler, like Bad Bunny at WrestleMania last year, Karl Malone at WCW Bash at the Beach 97 or even Andy Kaufman’s feud with Jerry Lawler, can be beneficial to a wrestler’s career as it pertains to the rub that is received from the celebrity in association even if they win or lose. The reason being is that the wrestler would be associated with that celebrity at that event in a positive light.

Unfortunately, a celebrity usually beings a negative aspect in the business and I know that the Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville match at WrestleMania is headed in that direction. Some other examples of a detrimental effect would be Dennis Rodman in Bash of the Beach 97, Mr. T at WrestleMania 2 and Snooki at WrestleMania 32. If the match is a stinker and the celebrity causes a major stinker in the match, it will permeate to the wrestler themselves as well through guilty by association. It may also give the company a bad reputation for a while that is hard to ignore for allowing this celebrity to get involved in the first place.

The bottom line is that a celebrity that has not been trained or have any experience in pro wrestling have no place in wrestling in the first place. With that in mind, that will do it for Day 19 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, I will play Fantasy Booker and see what happens if Hulk Hogan in his prime in the mid-80’s faced the Rock at WrestleMania in 2002. Until then, thanks for joining us today and have a great day!

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 18

Paul” The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome to Day 18 of the Real Road to WrestleMania here on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. Today, I want to focus on a great and emotional moment this past Wednesday Night on AEW Dynamite as Thunder Rosa and what could the women’s title matches at WrestleMania could learn from this moment.

First, I want to acknowledge the fact that Thunder Rosa accomplish her dream of winning the AEW Womens Title in her hometown. It was an exhilarating moment as the crowd counted along with the referee as Thunder got the pin inside a cage match. Also, I want to give credit to Dr. Britt Baker as she had a solid reign as champion and delivered on her end in the cage match last night.

Back to Thunder Rosa and let us focus on her emotion towards achieving the goal. If you heard her interview on Busted Open on Sirus XM the day of the match, she showed real emotion and was thankful and grateful for the opportunity and wanted to do it for her fans in San Antonio Texas as well as the world. She also earned every moment of the journey leading to the title match and of the match itself. The match itself paid off in the action and the emotion behind it was tremendous.

Now, what can this emotional and historic match be as far as a learning tool to use for the women’s title bouts at WrestleMania. The two things that come from it is the emotion of the struggle to achieve the goal of winning the championship and the other is the roller coaster ride of taking the crowd through the match from the moves to the emotion that you enlist form the crowd after the execution. I believe that if these two things are incorporated, then the matches will be must- see for the fans and will be talked about for the rest of the year.

With that in mind, this will end Day 18 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, I will discuss how a celebrity can either help or be detrimental to a wrestler’s career when they match up with a celebrity in a wrestling match. Until then, thanks for joining us and have a great day.

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 17

Paul” The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome to Day 17 of the Road to WrestleMania here on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. Today, I want to take a look at Seth “Freakin” Rollins and whether he really needs to be at WrestleMania. As everybody knows by now, Seth has no scheduled match at WrestleMania and with two weeks to go, it is highly unlikely to get anything going as far as an angle with a credible opponent goes for a match at WrestleMania. But I wonder whether we need Seth Rollins at WrestleMania this year.

The answer is surprisingly No. What value does Seth Rollins in his latest incarnation can contribute to make any moment at WrestleMania a memorable one. As of this time, there is no value of Seth at this time. Please do not get me wrong. Seth is a great athlete and a championship caliber star, but his stock has slipped so much down the ladder that his character is becoming annoying and cringe worthy.

I feel that this could be a good opportunity for Seth to reevaluate his career at this point and a positive reinvention is necessary. This is a step that must be taken for Seth to get his career restarted after it has been stalling for the past 2 years. Who knows if this reinvention will work out for Seth? If it does work, then Seth will be in a feature match at next year’s WrestleMania. If not, then it is time for him to consider other options like AEW, NWA, New Japan, etc. As I always say, when you leave a promotion, it is a fresh start for the star to begin his next phase of his career. It is all up to Seth as to whether he makes this change or go to other green pastures, but for now he will not be missed at this year’s WrestleMania.

With that in mind, this will end Day 17 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, I will talk about the heart and fighting spirit of a true warrior who deserved to be champion- Thunder Rosa and what the WWE womens title matches at WrestleMania can learn from the title change. Until then, thanks for joining us and have a great day!