The Daily Chinlock

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 16

Paul” The Nitro” Skivers

(Editor’s Note: Our thoughts and prayers go out to Scott Hall aka Razor Ramon, who passed away Monday Night at the age of 63. Thanks for the memories.)

Welcome to Day 16 of the Real Road to WrestleMania on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. Today, I want to talk about a WrestleMania that was a gamble at the time because it was going to be held from three different cites- WrestleMania 2.

The concept for that year’s WrestleMania was to have a separate card in all three cities and use the closed-circuit capabilities to air the cards to the people at the arena featuring three separate main events- Long Island, NY.- Roddy Piper vs. Mr. T in a boxing match, Chicago, IL. had the NFL/Pro Wrestler battle royal and Los Angeles, CA. had Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy in a cage match. However, this was a disaster for the following reasons:

The undercard for these cities did not support the main event. Some of the matches they had just did not hold the audience’s attention. It was just some throw away matches like McIntyre vs. Moolah, Orndorff vs. Muraco and Kirshner vs. Volkoff. This would bore the audiences to the point where they were begging for the main event.
The Battle Royal was okay, but nothing came from it. We all knew that Andre was going to win the battle royal, and it was a case of hotshoting certain encounters that would capture the audience attention for a small amount of time. Unfortunately, it was a bad idea that should have never happened.
Hogan vs. Bundy had run its course, and no one cared about the cage match and the big blue cage looked stupid. It should have been Hogan vs. Savage in the main event in Los Angeles. This match would have gotten more interest and would have the staying power for rematches for the rest of the spring of 1986.
Piper vs. Mr. T made Piper a star at the expense of him carrying the lackluster effort from Mr. T. Mr. T missed most of his punches and Roddy was basically carrying the match and him throwing the stool at T to motivate him was Roddy’s last attempt to save the match. This showed the professionalism of Piper and the fact that he never ripped the fans off of a great effort in the ring and Mr. T had no place inside the ring at all.

In closing, WrestleMania 2 was a disaster that could have been avoided by doing it in one city and had a strong card to keep fans interest. Otherwise, it will be as forgettable as it is now. With that in mind, that will do it for Day 16 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, I will discuss if Seth Rollins really needs to be at WrestleMania this year. Until then, thanks for joining us today and have a great day!

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 15

Paul ” The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome to Day 15 of the Real Road to WrestleMania here on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. We are at the half-way point of the Road to WrestleMania and it is time to reflect and offer these thoughts as we are near the “Stupendous” event.

It may not hurt for AEW to have another big event the week before or on the week of WrestleMania. This may be an aggressive move, but if AEW can produce something that will have the fans divert their attention from WrestleMania, then they have won the battle for WrestleMania weekend. Also, the WWE will have to reinforce their card to counter this move if it happens. AEW has the talent and the momentum going for them and the WWE looks like they are looking for the homerun moment to get relevant again in the world of pro wrestling.
I will expect another major roster cut a week after WrestleMania. It usually falls on a Wednesday and I would think that the following talents may be released based on the fact that they have outlived their usefulness and need a fresh start elsewhere. They are as followed: Doudrop, Niki Ash, Viking Raiders, Aaliyah as well as several NXT 2.0 talents. They have not been seen on TV and they have no future plans for them at the moment. A change to another organization (AEW, NWA, etc.) would do them good.
The womens matches at WrestleMania will be overshadowed by Brock vs. Roman. Even with Charlotte vs. Rhonda as the main event in Night 1 and Bianca vs. Becky also at Night 1, the fans will only focus on Brock vs. Roman because they have seen the same act at last year’s WrestleMania and may not want to see it again. Brock vs. Roman is so hyped that all the other matches are fighting for second place.
Kevin Owens will move to the next level of superstardom after facing Stone Cold at WrestleMania. As mentioned in a previous column, Kevin will have to meet Austin half-way and Stone Cold will take the rest from there. It will be the only notable WrestleMania moment beside Roman vs. Brock.
Brock vs. Roman may be a Match of the Year Candidate, but where will Roman and Brock go from here? A lot of questions will be asked after the winner gets declared. Some include where does a unified champion go from the “greatest match in WrestleMania history” to a credible angle and will there be a rematch down the road would be some of the questions asked. However, at the end of the day the winner will be the top dog in the WWE.

With that in mind, that will end Day 15 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, I look back at a WrestleMania where the gamble of being three different cities in one night did not pay off. Until then, thanks for joining us and have a great day!

Sunday Evenings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 14

Paul” The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome to Day 14 of the Real Road to WrestleMania here on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. Today, I want to talk about some factors that need to be in play for the “Go-Home” editions of Raw and Smackdown. Before we begin, we need to define the term “Go-Home” show. The Go-Home Show is the final edition of a show before a pay-per-view. It is designed to get any last details in the angles before the pay-per-view or promos from the stars to get people that have not decided to buy the event to change their minds. With the term defined, let us look at those factors:

Some last-minute pushes of the mid-card matches to build more interest and strength in the card. The mid-card is looking mediocre at best with the only match of interest is Edge vs. AJ Styles. However, the rest of the card is not exactly thrilling. Maybe, have a couple of matches between some of the mid-card participants with the emphasis of getting the people interested in their match. If it is executed right, then fans will get interested in seeing what may happen at WrestleMania.
Have less involvement of the celebrities before the event. I do not need to see another episode of Johnny Knoxville trying to be a wrestler or Logan Paul trying to look cooler that the egotistical Miz. We are going to endure these bouts at WrestleMania and the last thing that we need before the event is these celebrities getting in one cheap promo or sneak attack before the event.
Brock vs. Roman need one more “shoot” style promo in a face off. I think that since this is going to be hyped as “the greatest match of all time”, then it would help if Brock and Roman were let loose with some strong comments towards each other in a face to face that would lead to an intense fight that needs to be broken up by security and everyone in the back locker room to break it up. A good place for it should be the last segment to the show so that the fans will start to anticipate what could happen in the main event.

I believe that with these factors implemented in the “Go-Home” shows before WrestleMania, then it will peak the fans interest in the event and be the talk of the town all the way through WrestleMania weekend up to the event. With that in mind, that will end Day 14 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, we are at the halfway point of the Road to WrestleMania, and I will have some halfway thoughts towards the Road to WrestleMania. Until then, have a great day.

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro: The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 13

Paul ” The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome to Day 13 of the Real Road to WrestleMania here on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. Today, I want to look at the two main womens singles title matches at WrestleMania and want to ask which match is more important for the participants to win as far as career protectory of the winner themselves. So, let us begin with the Raw Womens Title match.

The Raw Womens Title match between Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair is a revenge match from Summerslam 2021 as Becky beat Bianca in 26 seconds to win the title and ever since the title change, Becky has undergone a significant change in attitude as she became “Big Time Becks”. Meanwhile, Bianca worked her way into contention for the title by first being the sole survivor at the Survivor Series for Raw, then was one of the last 6 at the Royal Rumble and finally winning at Elimination Chamber in February to earn the shot. As far as Becky being champ, she has barely held on to her title in her defenses against Liv Morgan, Doudrop and Lita. She is getting worried about her losing the title and the big mystique that goes with it. This is a good background for them to enter WrestleMania as Belair main evented the show last year in Night 1 against Sasha Banks for the Smackdown Womens Title. Becky has also main evented WrestleMania two years ago in the winner take all triple threat against Charlotte Flair and Rhonda Rousey. Now, let us look at the other womens title match, which is the main event of Night 1 of this year’s WrestleMania.

Rhonda Rousey and Charlotte Flair have history against each other ever since Rhonda debuted at the 2018 Royal Rumble. Their first battle was at the Survivor Series, where Rhonda got the win on a DQ over Charlotte. The queen was not going to be one upped by Rhonda and nearly beat her in the winner take all triple threat match at WrestleMania two years ago. But that was yesterday, and this is today, and time does change things. IN this year alone, Rhonda made a surprise return at the Royal Rumble and won the Rumble match to earn the shot at Charlotte at WrestleMania. Ever since then, Charlotte has used Sonya Deville to do her dirty work to try to take out Rhonda. It did not work, and Rhonda is now motivated to win the title.

With all the history in these two matches explained, I believe that Becky vs. Bianca is more important based on the simple premise of retribution. Bianca needs to avenge her loss at Summerslam by winning the title at WrestleMania to justify her long climb back into contention. With Charlotte vs. Rhonda, there is a bleak future for the winner as the smackdown womens division is very weak at this time and may take a while to get a new credible opponent to face the champion after WrestleMania. In conclusion, if Bianca beats Becky for the womens title, then she will be the talk of the industry again as champion and a new crop of contenders will be ready to challenge Bianca for the title.

With that in mind, that will do it for Day 13 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, I will give some factors as to what the WWE needs to do in there “go-home” shows of Raw and Smackdown before WrestleMania. Thanks for joining us and have a great day.

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 12

Paul ” The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome everyone to Day 12 of the Real Road to WrestleMania here on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. Today, I want to look back at a WrestleMania that ushered in the “Attitude” era in WWE, WrestleMania 14, and the factors that led to the beginning of the “Attitude” era in the WWE that came from WrestleMania 14.

One of the major factors is Stone Cold Steve Austin. He was the hottest property in all of the WWE with his kiss my a%#@@ type of attitude towards the authority figure- Vince McMahon and the ending of the era of the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. Austin came back from a severe neck injury at Summerslam 1997 in his bout with the late Owen Hart. The fans were totally behind and was the most relatable talent to the fans as far as his blue-collar worker mentality. His winning the WWE Title was the launch of Austin 3:16 to the next level and being the forerunner of the “Attitude” era.

The second factor is the level of talent in the WWE that were at their best for this sold-out crowd in Boston. From the Rock vs. Ken Shamrock for the IC Title that would elevate both men to bigger things in pro wrestling throughout the year and beyond, Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie beating the New Age Outlaws in a dumpster match for the tag titles, which made Terry Funk and Mick Foley Bonafide legends and the New Age Outlaws into the most successful teams in the WWE for the remainder of this decade. There were no bad matches on the card as everyone put inn a great effort to the fans at the event and at home watching.

The third factor is the fans involvement in the show. They literally blew the roof off at the Boston Garden and their creativity with the signs added a level of excitement and anticipation for each match and the consequences after the match. They went with the flow and enjoyed the ride throughout the three-hour broadcast.

Finally, and most importantly, the ultimate factor is Mike Tyson! The baddest man on the planet had the mega star power to bring the fans that may not have been a wrestling fan into ordering and watching the event. I bet that those fans watched and became wrestling fans themselves at the end of the night. As far as Tywon himself, he played his part as guest enforcer referee very well and landed the shot heard around the world by knocking out Shawn Michaels. The shot forced HHH to fire Shawn from Degeneration X and started to build the new version with the Outlaws and X-Pac and they would have a tremendous run for the rest of the year.

Without a doubt, WrestleMania 14 was significant as it became the launching point for the “Attitude” Era in the WWE that made the company become true household name for the next decade and beyond. With that in mind, that will do it for Day 12 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, I will look at which women’s bout at this year’s WrestleMania is more important and why. Until then, thanks for joining us and have a great day!

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 11

Paul ” The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome to Day 11 of the Real Road to WrestleMania here on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. Today, I want to talk about the Hardy Boys reuniting in AEW and if that is going to distract the WWE Universe from WrestleMania. The fans of the Universe would say No, but the wrestling fans will say something different. Let me explain;

First, the Hardy Boys reuniting in AEW is major news as Jeff Hardy will probably never return to the WWE after the passed drug test fiasco and Matt Hardy needed something fresh since he was attacked by Andrade on Dynamite. Also, Jeff needed something new to challenge him, since he was languishing in the lower mid-card status on Smackdown. As far as the AEW tag team roster goes, it is another injection of action from a legendary team.

Second, the WWE was one upped by Jeff Hardy’s entrance. How? If you go back to the segment, listen to the theme music that brought Jeff into the ring and see if it is familiar with you. If you guessed that it is the same theme music that he used in the WWE, then you are correct. The WWE seemed to not take the time to copyright the theme music, since the fact that any superstar that leaves the WWE does not own anything that the wrestler used during his time there. With this slip-up, the WWE is showing a slight crack in the proverbial wall in the mechanisms that is the WWE.

With these two reasons stated above, I believe that the wrestling fans will see the WWE distracted leading up to and including WrestleMania. The Hardys and AEW have just checkmated the WWE on the proverbial chess board and now we all wait with speculation as to what the WWE will do next.

With that in mind, that will do it for Day 11 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, I will look back at a WrestleMania that was the passing of the torch of the previous era and the attitude era- WrestleMania 14 and the factors that help bridge the two eras. Until then, have a good day everyone!

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 10

Paul ” The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome to Day 10 of the Real Road to WrestleMania on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. I want to talk about a particular segment that will take place at WrestleMania and that is the KO show with special guest Stone Cold Steve Austin. In my opinion, this is a make-or-break moment for the career of Kevin Owens. If this delivers, then Kevin will be taken to the next level after almost 10 years in the WWE and a major drop in stock if this fails.

Kevin must be at his best and then the next level when you are dealing with a Texas legend and Hall of Famer like Steve Austin. Stone Cold has taken many wrestlers to the next level of popularity, like the Rock, Mick Foley and HHH for example. His Austin 3:16 slogan is iconic and is known throughout the world. Even though it has been 2003 since he retired from the ring, he is still revered as the toughest SOB in all of the WWE. As far as Kevin goes, this could be the boost that he needs to be taken to the next level of superstardom.

Kevin is at a stall in his career as he failed to win the Universal Title to Roman Reigns at the 2021 Royal Rumble and has been a mid-card afterthought since that time. However, Kevin is stepping up in his angle of hating Texans and Texas in general knowing that this talk will anger the rattlesnake. This is the perfect recipe for a WrestleMania moment that will be talked about for the rest of the year and would be a fitting end to the Rattlesnake in the WWE. It will also elevate Kevin to the next level as a last act of professionalism in the career of Steve Austin and Kevin will be grateful.

The bottom line is that Kevin will do everything in his power to make Austin look like the true Rattlesnake of the attitude era and will make both men look like a million bucks! With that in mind, this will end Day 10 of The Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, I will discuss if the Hardy Boys reuniting in AEW will distract the momentum of WrestleMania. Thanks for joining us and have a great day.

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 9

Paul ” The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome to Day 9 of the Real Road to WrestleMania on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. Today, I want to get real with our fans as WrestleMania weekend is coming in a few weeks and that would mean that independent promotions would be trying to promote a show on WrestleMania weekend like in the past year. However, this may be an impossibility this year and maybe for several years to come and here are some reasons why:

The price of gas in the country: As of now, the price of gas in Dallas as of this column is $3.72 a gallon and it will probably be rising each day because of our problems with Russia. Will the wrestling fan be willing to pay that amount or more to travel to where the card is held, and would it be worth it? This will be a main concern for anybody, especially the wrestling fan. This is the main reason that WrestleMania will be at half the projected number for both nights.
The quality of talent and matches for the promotion: There are many independent promotions in the US right now and the fans have to decide where they want to attend. If the talent and the matches that were booked are lackluster at best, the fans will not be coming to the event. Even if the card is good, will the fan be willing to attend the show itself? The promoter must have his plans together in presenting the best product and convince the fans to attend it.
The WrestleMania card itself: If this year’s WrestleMania can attract the fans attention, then the promoter can piggyback on the momentum and if they have a solid plan and card for their promotion, it will work. But, the WrestleMania card has been OK thus far and if it continues to be in this manner, then the promotion may not have a successful event as projected because the fans may not be coming to Dallas at all.

I hope that things will change in the future and more promotions can promote well on WrestleMania, but I feel that at the rate that this world is going, it will be a long time before we ever see that amount of success again. With that in mind, this will end Day 9 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, I will talk about why the return of Stone Cold may make or break the career of Kevin Owens. Thanks for joining us and have a great day!

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 8

Paul ” The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome everyone to Day 8 of the Real Road to WrestleMania here on Sunday Evenings with the Nitro. Today, I want to discuss how one match is making the WWE work harder to get the fans attention even more for WrestleMania and that is the dog collar chain match at AEW Revolution between CM Punk vs. MJF. Here are several reasons as to why this match is influential:

The sheer drama and gut-wrenching action between Punk and MJF was off the charts. Both men were bleeding and in true pain, but they fought on as if they did not want to be the one that is defeated in the match. The desire to be the victor in the match was seen all over the match. Then, the ending was tremendous where Wardlow gave Punk the ring and it was poetic justice in Punk using the ring to beat MJF. The WWE counter with the triple threat Raw tag title match the next night was there answer and even though it did not come close to Punk vs. MJF in overall heat and the action, the triple threat match came close.
The fans were 100% invested in the entire match and the where will the two participants be headed after the battle is over. In the triple threat match last night, people were wondering as to where Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens will head after their loss in the match. Seth was in a trance, while Kevin is challenging Steve Austin to show up at WrestleMania (which Austin accepted as of this column today) to appear on the KO show. If this turns out to be at least entertaining with Austin and the crowd is invested in the segment, then the mission is accomplished.
The Punk vs. MJF feud is transcending this era for its viciousness and is being compared to Piper-Valentine of 1983 and they have succeeded. I do not see anything in the WWE right now that is as transcendent as Punk vs. MJF and may not be able to pull it off.

In conclusion, the Punk vs. MJF dog collar match will be remembered by generations of wrestling fans for a long time, while the WWE can try, but will not be able to match the level of that match and especially at WrestleMania. With that in mind, this will end Day 8 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, I will look at some real-life hurdles that will prevent any independent promotions for booking a show in Dallas on WrestleMania weekend. Thanks for joining us and have a great day.

Sunday Mornings with the Nitro- The Real Road to WrestleMania: Day 7

Paul ” The Nitro” Skivers

Welcome everyone to Day 7 of the Real Road to WrestleMania on Sunday Mornings with the Nitro. Today, I want to look at the current card for both nights of WrestleMania and I saw a couple of matches that need a boost of creative momentum headed towards the event. Let us look at those matches:

Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory: Even though it was announced three days ago, there was no backstory as to why they are fighting. The only thing that I know about this match is that Vince McMahon offered Pat a match at WrestleMania and Pat accepted. I feel that this should have happen in February before the elimination chamber so that the angle has room to breathe. In order to boost the momentum, I would have Vince state that the reason for offering Pat the match is to make Austin Theory look good as a superstar. With that, Pat will be offended and motivated to prove Vince wrong in the match with Theory.
Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair: The rehashing of what happen at Summerslam is way over exposed and they need a new reason as to why they are battling beside for the championship. Maybe, Bianca wants to end the mystique of “big time becks” and humble her before the world would be a good reason for them to fight.
Charlotte Flair vs. Rhonda Rousey: The main thing that they need is a focus on one major thing that brings the reason that they are battling for the title. It seems that it is scatterbrained in the angle execution that is confusing to the fans. A need to focus on one main reason for the fight will help gain the momentum towards the match itself.

Remember that the full card is not set yet, but I feel that these matches need some extra pushing along to stand out at the event itself. With that in mind, this ends Day 7 of the Real Road to WrestleMania. Tomorrow, I will discuss how a dog collar match with CM Punk vs. MJF from Revolution should make the WWE nervous. Thank you for joining us and have a great day!