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Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The D'Amore Drop: The Hulk Hogan stories you never hear about — and what it all means after a complicated week
The D'Amore Drop is a weekly guest column on Uncrowned written by Scott D'Amore, the Canadian professional wrestling promoter, executive producer, trainer and former wrestler best known for his long-standing role with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling, where he served as head of creative. D'Amore is the current owner of leading Canadian promotion Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling. You hesitate to comment on the passing of Hulk Hogan, and I want to be very clear that I am one of those who feel his legacy is very complicated. It contains a lot of good and some very bad. The memory of the biggest star of a generation, perhaps any generation, is tarnished. The question for all of us is whether the good is completely erased by the very bad. As other commentators have written volumes about, Hogan completely changed wrestling forever. Twice. Sure, his motivation there was his own fame and fortune, and the high tides he brought raised plenty of boats. But there was no personal benefit to doing the thousands of off-screen appearances he did with no cameras and no reason to do them other than to make others happy. John Cena is rightly celebrated for doing more Make-A-Wish appearances than anyone else, but Hogan is a close second. I've been privileged enough to be asked to do these types of Make-A-Wish appearances. Please believe me — and I think every parent or anyone with a soft spot for kids will get it immediately — these visits can be gut-wrenching. The first one I did was with a kid named Joey who was a massive Border City Wrestling fan. Three of us went and Joey was so excited. I held it together for two hours talking to this great kid. And when the parents told us their boy had made sure to rest extra for days so he'd have energy to talk, I hung on while they told me their son probably didn't have long. Then I ran the last few meters to my truck and just bawled my eyes out for 15 minutes straight. Hogan did that thousands of times. Usually at least once in every town he visited on the grueling WWF tours of the 1980s and '90s. I can mention this next story now, because the kid passed away in the '80s and Hulk's gone now too… This comes via George 'The Animal' Steele, who went to many of those Make-A-Wish meetings with Hogan. George was so proud of Hulk doing these all the time. He added that Hulk instinctively found the right tone and words, depending on each child and how sick they were. If the kid had a chance of getting better, he'd talk with them about kicking out, Hulking up, and running wild on their illness. He'd tell them he believed in them. But where he was truly great was with the kids who knew the end was closing in. George said Hulk would tell them, 'Hey, there's always hope, but if that day does come, you'll get to meet our brother Jesus Christ. And I'll see you again in Heaven and you can introduce me.' I think it is OK to tell this now that everyone involved has passed on. One time, it was in St. Louis, a boy dying of cancer told Hulk that he wouldn't be going to Heaven … because the boy had done bad things. Over the next hour, the kid trusted Hulk enough to tell Hulk that he was being abused. George said Hulk told the kid that it wasn't his fault, that Jesus loves him. He stayed with the child until he fell asleep. Then Hulk took the stairs to the hospital administration floor five at a time — burst in and made sure the authorities were alerted. Arrests were made. Hulk Hogan really cared about kids. That shouldn't be forgotten. Neither should the fact some of those kids were desperately hurt by Hulk's words later on in life. I don't pretend to have the answer on whether you can separate that kind of good from the bad, or even if separating them at all is the right thing to do. Maybe we have to look at the good and look at the bad, side-by-side. Maybe we have to remember both. One interaction I had with Hulk Hogan was in WCW in the mid-'90s. I was working as a job guy — what they now call enhancement talent — and my boss, Jody Hamilton, pulled me over and asked if I'd be able to make it to more of the shows. He added that it was Hulk Hogan who'd insisted on it — and that Hogan said I should get a raise. I was 21 years old and on cloud nine that Hulk Hogan even knew my name, much less rated my work and went out to bat for me. I was floating around and then I got a tap on the shoulder. I turned around. 'Did they talk to you, brother?' Hulk said. 'Y-yes, sir! Yes they did — thank you!' And then he said the most Hulk Hogan thing ever: 'Don't thank me. I know you think I did it for you, and I am happy for you, brother, but don't make any mistake about it: I did it for myself. 'Because while you and me will probably never wrestle, you are great at putting over the guys that I wrestle. I need monsters to slay — and you help create those monsters.' While finishing this column I got the news my friend 'Champagne' Gerry Morrow had also passed away. Gerry's name won't be known to many of today's fans, but he had a huge impact on professional wrestling. In the ring, Gerry was a massive regional star in Stampede Wrestling and, with partner The Cuban Assassin, won tag-team gold all over North America. He was a friend and mentor not only to me, but a generation of Canadian stars like Chris Jericho, Lance Storm, Edge, Christian Cage, Don Callis and many others. Rest in peace, Gerry. We'll all miss you. My friend Bully Ray over at the mighty "Busted Open" podcast is predicting, or at the very least fantasy booking, that Seth Rollins returns this weekend at WWE SummerSlam and cashes in his Money in the Bank briefcase to win the WWE World Championship. There's certainly something odd about the way Rollins' injury has been reported on. If the idea was to make fans wonder what on Earth is going on, it's worked. MLF's big role in the massively successful "Happy Gilmore" sequel is yet more evidence that AEW has become entrenched not only as a super-massive planet in the wrestling solar system, but also increasingly in pop culture. I'm excited to see who the next challenger for AEW World Champion Hangman Adam Page will be. Obviously MJF won the Casino Gauntlet and can step up and challenge for the title at any time. He's the top and most likely major challenger for Hangman — but is he next? AEW has major options: Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland — coming off a big win over the Young Bucks — are both gunning for the gold. And on the women's side, the debut of Alex Windsor from the U.K. adds some fresh blood in that division too. AEW's title scene is loaded. Meanwhile, the WWE women's roster have a great opportunity to continue the red-hot run they've all been on this year. Iyo Sky, Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair had the best match of WrestleMania Night 1 — no, WrestleMania WEEK — in April, and Sky, Ripley and new champ Naomi will, I think, steal the show at this weekend's SummerSlam event. WWE is on fire — they are very close to selling out their first ever two-day SummerSlam — but wrestling is doing great up and down. This week the NWA, the historic promotion owned by Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, debuts on Roku. My buddy Pat Kenney — better known as Simon Diamond — is one of the guys driving the NWA, and it's great to see. Corgan loves wrestling and keeps finding ways to get content to fans. Obviously, Billy used to co-own and run TNA. I'll never forget getting Billy, Dixie Carter and Ed Nordholm in one photo at TNA's 20th anniversary. Three presidents from three different TNA eras of the company, all in one shot. We had a blast at Downtown Throwdown, Maple Leaf Pro's outdoor show on the streets of Windsor, Canada this past Saturday. You roll the die when you run outdoor shows, and rain was given out but, luckily, never arrived. Main-eventers the Good Brothers, especially, had fun performing for a street audience. We recorded the event and it will be going up on our YouTube channel shortly. In the meantime, check out this classic from earlier in the month between Josh Alexander and Ace Austin. Speaking of The Good Brothers, my guys also got a deal with Roku too, for their own promotion Lariato and their always hilarious "Talk'n Shop" podcasts.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The D'Amore Drop: Welcome to pro-wrestling's biggest weekend since WrestleMania
Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Adam Page for the AEW World Championship headlines Saturday's All In mega-event. The D'Amore Drop is a weekly guest column on Uncrowned written by Scott D'Amore, the Canadian professional wrestling promoter, executive producer, trainer and former wrestler best known for his long-standing role with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling, where he served as head of creative. D'Amore is the current owner of leading Canadian promotion Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling. This weekend is pro-wrestling's biggest since WrestleMania 41 in April. Advertisement Saturday is headlined by the biggest show on AEW's calendar: All In. We went over what a home run this is for AEW last week — today, let's focus on the matches. As a promoter/booker, you dream of the times where everything just clicks. Everything in AEW is clicking right now. The main event is a Texas Death Match for the AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Adam Page. We know this is going to be a violent, personal, emotionally-loaded match. Some people have been critical of Moxley's title run, saying the Death Riders have outlived their usefulness. Well, ratings and attendance have gone up during Mox's reign as champ. If you're going to blame the world champ when things go down, you have to credit him when things goes well. Advertisement With that said, it is time for Hangman to complete his redemption arc and regain the title. WWE presents its latest mid-year edition of "Saturday Night's Main Event," just hours after AEW's big event (how'd that happen?), with the headliner being 58-year-old Bill Goldberg's retirement match against WWE World Champion Gunther. A lot of people are asking if Gunther can carry Bill to a good match. That's not a fair question — and it isn't the right one. What fans want is simple: That knock on the door, that music to hit, the smoke, the fireworks, Goldberg punching the air on the way to the ring, the spear, the Jackhammer — and a near-fall. Advertisement They just want the chance to believe in Goldberg one last time. Don't we all want that — just one more time seeing our heroes as we remember them? That's what WWE aims to deliver on Saturday. Some fans argue WWE has telegraphed that Goldberg is losing, because he's not getting the belt in his last match, especially with WWE establishing that wrestlers 'Jon Jonesing' the heavyweight title 'ruins' things. Even if that was the case, sometimes the result is not as important as delivering the moment. Also on "Saturday Night's Main Event": LA Knight vs. Seth Rollins in the co-main event. It's a big spot for LA Knight — well earned. He's incredibly over and super talented. Some people compare him to The Rock, others to Stone Cold. If you're compared to both, you're doing something right. Advertisement Meanwhile, Rollins is having one of the best — maybe the best — in-ring years of his career. He had the best match on Day 1 of WrestleMania 41 with his triple threat against CM Punk and Roman Reigns. And he's followed that up with banger after banger. His match with Penta this week on "WWE Raw" was just a perfect TV match — everything you'd want from weekly wrestling. Sometimes it takes a while for even a top hand to find their footing in a new environment, but Mercedes Moné now looks like an AEW superstar and not 'Sasha Banks from WWE.' However, to me, this is the — ahem — 'time' for Toni Storm to retain her Women's Championship and then circle back to this feud a little down the road. Saturday's biggest match in terms of pure wrestling is, of course, Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega. This is the fifth match in a series that not only is one of the very best in the sport's history, but a massive reason AEW even exists. Advertisement Okada and AEW took some criticism about how Okada was used early on in his AEW run, and some of that was fair, but there's no question that since linking up with Don Callis, Okada is on fire. If I had the pencil — and I don't — I'd have Okada go over, 100%. He needs the win way more than Kenny does. He's just starting to really hit top gear in AEW, in part because he's been paired with a heat machine like Callis. Okada losing would put him at 1-3-1 against Kenny in singles matches. I'd have Okada draw level in the series. Maybe I'd lean into the idea that Kenny's been off hurt, maybe plant the idea he's not quite what he was, give him something to prove to the fans and himself. Advertisement Then do another rematch in September or even early next year when Kenny Omega proves the old adage from Toby Keith, 'I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was.' Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega's rivalry goes back to their NJPW days. (Etsuo Hara via Getty Images) That's all this weekend. Last weekend was a huge one for my new promotion, Maple Leaf Pro. It's hard to call our July 5 event in Montreal anything but a smashing success. Montreal is a wrestling city with deep roots, but it's also fiercely competitive. There's always a lot going on every weekend and you have to fight to sell every ticket. On the same night we ran our show, the CFL's Montreal Alouettes drew 21,000 fans, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami were in town, and one of North America's biggest Comic-Cons was happening a few blocks away. Advertisement And yet — in a market we'd never touched before — we still drew 2,800 fans. That's an incredible statement about what we're building with MLP. This promotion is just 10 months old. We don't have a TV deal or national distribution. What we do have is a passionate crew, a growing digital footprint … and a roster of talent that's second to none. And in Montreal, we had a secret weapon: PCO. Carl Ouellet, 57, is a Montreal legend, and he and his team put in the old-school hustle — boots on pavement, posters on walls, shaking hands and filling seats the hard way. And then, as advertised, PCO had a wild, unforgettable main event against Dan Maff with AEW's Billy Gunn as special guest referee. Advertisement The spot PCO did — at his age and after three decades in the business — through the table was as legit of a 'Holy s***!' moment as I've seen all year. And Maff underlined that he also absolutely belongs in a main-event spotlight. The show itself was our best yet. We even had a surprise reunion of AEW's Dark Order with Stu Grayson and the unexpected return of Evil Uno. That moment was so cool to give the fans — those guys haven't teamed in years. Then we added another layer of fun with TNA's Santino Marella making a one-night-only appearance as MLP's Director of Authority. That whole segment, with AEW, TNA and MLP talent all sharing the ring, was a great example of the kind of cross-promotion and fan-first moments we love delivering. NWA Champion Thom Latimer is criminally underrated. His match at MLP last week against Matt Cardona was as good as anything you'll see on WWE or AEW week to week. Shotzi Blackheart hit free agency like a ton of bricks — already appearing on MLW and then having a great match against MLP Women's Canadian Champ Giselle Shaw. Advertisement Similarly, hot new free agent Ace Austin reminded — as if anyone should need reminding — what a massive talent he is against Josh Alexander. The entire team — in front of and behind the camera — delivered big. I left that night feeling humbled, proud and more excited than ever for what's next. Which brings me to Downtown Showdown. On Saturday, July 26, Maple Leaf Pro literally takes wrestling to the streets — closing off downtown Windsor, dropping a ring at the intersection, and letting the action fly. This is wrestling on the patios. Wrestling on the sidewalk. A fair show on supplements. Last year's trial run drew about 500–600 fans. This year, we're expecting to pack in around 1,000. Advertisement The vibe is casual and electric — no video wall, no big stage, just daylight, great matches, a sound system, and the energy of a live crowd standing (or sitting) just feet from the action. It's free, it's family-friendly, and it's world-class wrestling in the heart of my hometown. Expect to see The Good Brothers, Giselle Shaw, Ace Austin, and more — not behind a velvet rope, but right there, where you can shake hands, grab a photo and make a memory. We're proud of what we're building with Maple Leaf Pro. And we're just getting started.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The D'Amore Drop: In defense of the John Cena heel run
The D'Amore Drop is a weekly guest column on Uncrowned written by Scott D'Amore, the Canadian professional wrestling promoter, executive producer, trainer and former wrestler best known for his long-standing role with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling, where he served as head of creative. D'Amore is the current owner of leading Canadian promotion Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling. I know it's fashionable online to rip on John Cena's heel run, but I think the man is doing fantastic work. Advertisement Before I go on, I get that people were expecting nothing less than the new nWo — with Cena and Rock and their own 'third man,' going on a generation-defining run as the most powerful heels in the game. The historical comparisons to Hulk Hogan were obvious and unavoidable — no heel turn in 30 years has been so long in the making and so unthinkable when it happened. The Hogan/nWo turn is still the gold standard. It's the bar every heel turn has been measured against for the past 30 years. (Though old-timers still shudder when they remember Larry Zbyszko turning on Bruno Sammartino in 1980.) That said, it's not the fans' fault that The Rock was a massive part of Cena's heel turn — literally directing him to take out Cody Rhodes at the Elimination Chamber — and then just vanished and was barely mentioned again. Whatever the reason, Rock was central to the setup but absent from the execution. But if we focus purely on Cena's work, he's been a revelation as a villain. I've loved it — and then came Cena's own 'pipe bomb.' Fourteen years almost to the day after Punk laid out Cena and delivered one of the best promos in WWE history, Cena returned the favor by putting Punk through a table and getting some things off his chest while Punk was left laying, 'as uncomfortably as possible.' Advertisement I loved the promo. It was dramatic, believable and, like you have to be these days, it worked on two levels. Cena stayed fully in heel character, so the fans willing to suspend disbelief could enjoy it in-story. But he also mixed in just enough 'inside baseball' for the smart marks … the fans who like their wrestling with a wink and a nod. One of the first names out of his mouth was Claudio Castagnoli — formerly Cesaro in WWE — who is now under contract with AEW. That got everyone's attention. It was like, 'Whoa — he's not supposed to say that.' Leading with Claudio was genius. I really don't think that promo hits the same if he doesn't lead with the AEW guy. That was the key. Claudio made it feel like a one-off name drop. But then, bang — he follows it up with two guys WWE could actually use: Nick Nemeth, who wrestles for TNA and, of course, TNA has a relationship with WWE; and then he mentioned Matt Cardona, who is the ultimate free agent and has made no secret he'd like to return to WWE before his career is up. Advertisement What Cena did there was offer fantasy matchmaking. He gave fans one name that's impossible, followed by two that are technically very possible. That's genius. It's a tightrope walk to be an effective heel and still give just enough reality for fans who won't fully suspend disbelief but still want to feel something real. Overall, I think Cena's been fantastic in this run. I know that's not a popular opinion in some circles — but too bad. I like what I've seen. Cena's doing excellent work. Cena defends his WWE Universal Title vs. Punk in Saudi Arabia at Night of Champions this Saturday. It is yet another "Cena retirement tour dream match" WWE is delivering … just think of all the crazy things that had to fall into place for this match to actually happen in the middle of 2025. Advertisement Cena should go over. He's holding this title for a while yet. Will John Cena beat CM Punk and retain his title this Saturday? (WWE via Getty Images) I expect Cody Rhodes will win the King of the Ring and challenge Cena at WWE SummerSlam … with the wild card of Seth Rollins holding the Money In The Bank briefcase over the head of the champion. The Queen of the Ring finale pits Asuka — who only just returned from a year out with a serious knee injury — against Jade Cargill in one of her biggest singles matches to date. No prediction on this one, I am just rooting for both women to put on the performances that will elevate them both. Around about this time last year I invited several friends to a Zoom call. Advertisement None of them are names you'd be expected to know, but all of them were vastly experienced pro-wrestling guys — not on-screen talent but award-winning television producers and behind-the-scenes talent who'd done incredible work for WWE, AEW, WCW and even the UFC. They were all close friends of mine, but I started the meeting proper by introducing myself. 'Hello,' I began, 'my name is Scott D'Amore and I have an addiction — it is called pro-wrestling. You all know I am no longer with TNA … but I am not done with pro-wrestling.' In that meeting I told my friends I'd bought the rights to Maple Leaf Wrestling, the historic Canadian promotion, and planned to relaunch it in the modern era as Maple Leaf Pro-Wrestling. All of them wanted to join me, and I'm incredibly proud of the work we've done in the past 12 months — five sell-out shows, great results on pay-per-view and social media. Advertisement And our biggest event yet takes place July 5. After that Zoom call, one of my friends called me directly and asked me why I was prepared to spend (a lot) of my own money to get right back into the pro-wrestling business. At first, I deflected. I pointed out I was going to spend lots of my own money to buy TNA, only for its parent to decline. But the real, honest answer is that I love pro-wrestling and pro-wrestling people. I mean, in real life, what does someone like Don Callis — who's very educated — have to talk about with someone like Tommy Dreamer, a sweetheart who can barely count to five? And yet we are all the same in this one critical aspect: We love this crazy, so-called fake sport that most of the world can't imagine anyone being this interested in. Advertisement Wrestling came to me when I really needed it. In the early '80s my grandfather was in hospital for a while. I wanted to go see him, but hospitals are spooky to a kid, and seeing someone I loved looking so sick, hooked up to scary machines … it was tough. But there was a tiny — remember this was a public hospital in the '80s — TV in the corner, and my grandfather would put pro-wrestling on when I visited. We'd sit there and we'd be transported to a place with larger-than-life characters who weren't afraid, who overcame. It became our thing. Once he was discharged from the hospital, we'd watch wrestling together for the rest of his life. And that's part of what I love about pro wrestling — it brings people together. I always say, when we do what we do right in pro wrestling, we create moments. And moments are meant to be shared. It's parents and kids. Siblings. Best friends. The guy at work who you noticed wearing an nWo shirt. Wrestling creates this sense of community. You experience it together and for a little while, you just escape. Advertisement That's what got me hooked. That's what keeps me hooked. As I said on that Zoom: I am never, ever leaving this business. Have we really gone two whole months without naming Seth Rollins's faction? C'mon Trips, give 'em a name. (WWE via Getty Images) I am very excited to tune into AEW tonight, for Kota Ibushi's first AEW match since 2023 booked for "AEW Dynamite." He is a real-life and on-screen friend of Kenny Omega, and he takes on Don Callis Family member Trent Beretta. Speaking of Kenny Omega, he got a kick out of last week's column showing his uncle, the Golden Sheik, photographed next to Don Callis and his flowing mane of hair. It was interesting, booking-wise, that Jey Uso lost clean again on "WWE Raw," this time to Cody Rhodes. Advertisement Yes, Uso was protected in the loss — kicking out of three Cody Cutters and even giving Rhodes a Cross Rhodes for a near fall — but the fact is this is his second clean loss on the flagship show in two weeks, having lost his WWE World Title via submission to Gunther. You have to trust WWE has a plan for one of the most over performers on their roster. One direction they could go with Uso is for him to be the first major opponent for a heel Cody Rhodes. Cody himself said last week that he's 'coming to the end' of his run as a babyface. Talking to a reporter at the Fanatics Fest he said: 'There's only so much someone can like you. I would love to do it (be a face) until the end of my career but … at a certain point they want to cheer someone else. I get that and that's when you have to change as a character.' Pressed, Cody said he thinks the heel change is about a year or more away… Or maybe he turns heel in time to headline WrestleMania 42 against Jey Uso in Las Vegas next April?
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The D'Amore Drop: Why wrestling fans get what they need, rather than what they think they want
The D'Amore Drop is a weekly guest column on Uncrowned written by Scott D'Amore, the Canadian professional wrestling promoter, executive producer, trainer and former wrestler best known for his long-standing role with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling, where he served as head of creative. D'Amore is the current owner of leading Canadian promotion Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling. I'm really enjoying what WWE's doing right now with Ron Killings — and not just because I've known Ronnie for well over two decades. Advertisement The dramatic, fourth-wall-breaking storyline that is unfolding right now wasn't even thought of two weeks ago. As you know, WWE decided not to renew Ronnie's contract, and the fans basically said, 'You made a mistake.' Loud and clear. To their credit, WWE listened, and now we are getting this gripping narrative that weaves reality into story. THIS is why I love professional wrestling! This business is a living, breathing beast. It's not a movie that gets written, rewritten, shot, edited, maybe reshot, maybe reedited and then released a year later. Wrestling happens in real time, every time. That instant feedback — cheers, boos, ticket sales, pay-per-view sales, merch, reactions online — you get it all as you are telling your story. You can't fall into fan-service — you have to give fans what they 'need' rather than what they think they 'want.' Otherwise, the most popular babyfaces would all be champions, fan-favorite tag teams would never break up, there'd be no real changes and the whole thing would die. Advertisement You have to trust the process and believe in your story enough to not panic and abandon it (which was the knock on Vince McMahon, especially later on), but also be humble enough to pivot. One example that comes to mind is when Eric Young went out and had an amazing performance to show the TNA powers that be that he shouldn't be let go from TNA's roster 20 years ago. To be clear — I wasn't in charge at this time, but what was supposed to be his final match was a tag match with "EY" and Bobby Roode vs. America's Most Wanted. But Eric went out there and stole the damn show. (And truthfully, the other three guys knew what was at stake and worked their asses off to put "EY" in a position to shine.) Advertisement After that performance — one of the best in company history — there was no way TNA could let him go. Eric didn't just save his job, he showed TNA that he should never have been in a position where we were even considering not having him part of our show. That's why I've always loved this business. Because it's unpredictable. Because it's alive. Because Ron Killings, at age 53, can go from being cut to being the most entertaining guy on the show — just like that. Seth Rollins is so awesome that the fans don't want to boo him. And that would be a big problem, considering he is clearly being positioned as WWE's top villain, but … Seth Rollins is *so* awesome he can make the fans boo him anyway. The whole main event on this past Monday's "WWE Raw," where Jey Uso won a Fatal 4-Way to set up a King of the Ring match vs. Cody Rhodes next week, clicked so well. Everyone in the match — Jey, Sheamus, Rusev and Bronson Reed — were given big moments, but so were LA Knight, Penta and Bron Breakker, who interfered throughout. Advertisement Then Seth Rollins came out — and everyone cheered and sang his song. He was about to attack Uso, who'd wrecked his plan for teammate Reed to be in the King of the Ring, when Cody Rhodes stepped between them. Seth sold it like he was enraged. He hyperventilated. Spittle flew out both corners of his mouth. The hatred he had his eyes for Cody … and then with just one look he told us that he'd decided: 'No, not here. Not one-on-one.' And he backed down from a fight with Cody — and the fans rained down boos. A masterclass! Seth's timing — knowing exactly the right moment to back down from a fight to lose the respect of the audience — reminded me of Bret Hart's heel turn at WrestleMania 13 all those years ago. Advertisement For younger fans, Bret had just beat Steve Austin in a match that set 'Stone Cold' up as the WWF's top babyface and, at the same time, was supposed to turn Bret up as the company's top villain. Only, the fans weren't booing Bret as he continued to attack Austin even after he'd won the match. Special referee Ken Shamrock pushed Bret off of Austin … and Bret made as if he was going to fight 'The World's Most Dangerous Man' … the fans thought they were going to see it … and then Bret ducked out of the ring, prompting the fans to boo him all the way back to the locker room. I'd already filed last week's column before I saw "AEW Dynamite," but what happened on June 11 — with Don Callis setting up Okada to attack Kenny Omega — was absolutely astonishing television. It was shocking on so many levels. Casual fans know Don was Kenny's manager, then turned on him and has been a thorn in his side since. Hardcores know that Don and Kenny are basically family in real life; Don's first manager when he wrestled was Kenny's uncle, the Golden Sheik, and Don has known Kenny since he was a boy. Don Callis (left) with Kenny Omega's uncle, The Golden Sheik. Don skipped chest day even in the '70s. (Photo via Scott D'Amore) Don sticking his nose in Kenny's business — the Okada match — made perfect sense, but it was the execution of it that was next level. Omega initially being all, 'You again? I am wise to your tricks,' and Don, the mastermind, smirking back, 'Well, you didn't see this coming,' with Okada attacking him from behind — it was gripping stuff. Advertisement You don't see blood much in modern wrestling, and you sure as hell don't see someone choking on it like they're suffering horrific internal injuries. But that's what AEW showed us: Kenny Omega coughing and gasping, looking seriously, dangerously hurt. The visual alone was enough to jolt fans into silence. Don Callis is the most effective heel manager of this era. As multi-talented as Paul Heyman is, when it comes to lighting a fire of hatred in fans' guts, no one stokes that inferno quite like Don. (Of course, he has a great head start, being very, very, very unlikable in real life.) Fans were already excited for another Omega vs. Okada match. Now? There's a whole new emotional charge baked into it. It's personal, it's venomous, it's heart-wrenching — and that's exactly what wrestling should be at its best. I can't wait for their match at AEW All In next month. No one gets the reaction that Bill Goldberg got on "WWE Raw" this week without being a very special performer. I am not here to put over his work rate, but anyone who denies the man's 'it' factor doesn't understand charisma. Advertisement It's been 28 years (!) since Goldberg's legendary 'streak' in WCW … and the fans still believe in him. I worked with Bill back in 1997 at WCW's Power Plant in Atlanta. The Power Plant was a training facility decades ahead of its time and I got a nice check for going down there and basically taking bumps for Bill in the practice ring. In typical WCW fashion, though, I only worked out with Bill a few times and I got paid for two weeks of sitting around drinking coffee. Bill's athleticism — especially his raw power — was incredible. And he had that focus of a real athlete who knew he had a great opportunity in front of him. I'll echo Bret Hart, though, in saying I'm not sure Bill knew how to control his raw power. Advertisement I was supposed to be an early number opponent for Bill, maybe No. 15, I can't remember, and be part of his legendary streak. But I had to go back to Canada for business and the match didn't happen, which was too bad. As WCW began to inflate the streak, claiming it grew to 170-0 when the real number was closer to 120-0, I joked with Mike Tenay that I was one of the phantom 50 matches Goldberg was supposed to have had. Bill turns 59 later this year and all signs are his match in Atlanta against Gunther will be his last. Gunther will shoulder much of the load, but whatever they do, I know Bill will go out with a bang. Inflating the streak was a real WCW misstep. Even casual fans realized they were cooking the books. A genuine 80-0 works far better than a fake 100-0. Advertisement In TNA, Mike Tenay had the idea to replicate Goldberg's streak for Samoa Joe … and he made sure it was 100% accurate. Staying with WCW, I've heard great things about Marc Raimondi's book on the nWo. Entitled 'Say Hello To The Bad Guys,' it covers the legendary WCW faction and their massive impact on pop culture. There have been many attempts to replicate the magic of the nWo, but it is impossible. The shockwave of Hulk Hogan's 1996 heel turn is something that is never going to be replicated — just look at how much bigger it was than even John Cena's heel turn. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were so effortlessly, uniquely cool … the nWo formula will never be replicated. And then Eric Bischoff and team were innovating at a crazy place — backstage segments, fights in the parking lot, breaking the fourth wall. Wrestling had never seen anything like it and no one will ever forget it. Advertisement As Marc mentions at the start of the book, if you wear a nWo hoodie or t-shirt, you're likely to get a complete stranger throwing up the 'Wolfpac' hand sign at you. The nWo captured the imagination of a generation — and never let go. For those fans, nWo is truly FOR LIFE! Congrats to my friends Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson — the iconic tag-team known as the Good Brothers — who signed a deal with Hulu (!) to stream their Lariato pro-wrestling promotion. Check out the Good Brothers taking on the Bullet Club War Dogs above.
