Latest news with #WhatIf
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'ECW What If?' with Paul Heyman: How MMA legend Frank Shamrock became the one that got away
"What If?" was one of the most popular Marvel comics of the 1970s and '80s. It'd tell hypothetical stories across the Marvel universe, like what if Spider Man joined the Fantastic Four or what if Captain America had been elected President. Professional wrestling has its own set of what ifs. For the rest of this year, we're going to talk to Paul Heyman about some of the alternative ideas he had while running ECW. Welcome to, When Peter Senerchia started wrestling in ECW in 1993, he was The Tazmaniac, a silent, face-painted, wild-man brawler. However, Heyman saw something different. 'He was always part of the of the crew that was in the car with me from New York to Philly and from Philly to New York,' the former ECW headman says. "And always very quiet on the way down to Philly, always just venting about other people on the show that deserved criticism on the way home. 'Not only the level of anger that he could display, but how articulate he could be in his venting just made me realize, if positioned and showcased correctly, he could be one of the five best talkers in the entire industry, if not the best. And certainly one of the most credible, if not the most credible.' Taking inspiration from the burgeoning Ultimate Fighting Championship, The Tazmaniac became Taz, the human suplex machine. 'He was the first UFC-style character in all professional wrestling," says Heyman. "The first to win his matches via tapout, and he was instantly the most credible promo in the entire industry at the time. And it propelled him to the top even before we were ready to put him there. 'We would have him take old-school routines of how spots and matches would go in professional wrestling, and [then] break them, so that it could be demonstrated that everyone else is working a certain style, but he's working one that's unique and exclusive to him and him alone." One idea Heyman had to boost Taz's credibility at the time was to get an on-air endorsement from Lou Thesz, the multiple-time wrestling world champion of the 1950s and '60s, and someone who was long considered one of the most formidable 'shooters' (real-life tough guys) in wrestling history. "We saw Lou at an awards ceremony in New Jersey, and Lou actually came up to Taz and said, 'I really like what you're doing. I really like the credibility that you're bringing to the presentation,'" Heyman recalls. "And I had known Lou for a few years and said, 'I'd love to get this to happen on television.' And he said, 'Great, call me.' We had a couple of messages back and forth and the dates just never worked out. And by the time we could actually put it on the schedule, it was when we were going deep into the heeldom of this character, so I didn't feel Lou Thesz's endorsement was going to benefit the character of Taz. Unless Taz suplexed him and choked him out, which was never going to happen.' Heyman had another plan to legitimize Taz — bringing in a big star from the world of MMA. 'Before Taz became the ECW World Heavyweight Champion, I had a trajectory for the title, to where Frank Shamrock would be the one to beat Shane Douglas for the title,' Heyman says. "And we would build up to Frank Shamrock versus Taz for the title, and Taz would take the title off of Frank." Shamrock, the adopted brother of UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock — who was a star in the WWF at the time — was one of the most dominant MMA stars of the sport's early era. A former King of Pancrase, he'd taken UFC by storm, beating Olympic champion Kevin Jackson in 16 seconds to win the UFC middleweight championship (now considered the UFC light heavyweight championship). He then went on to clear out the division before retiring from the UFC undefeated in 1999. 'I firmly believe, first day in the door, Frank Shamrock could have been one of the top performers in this industry," says Heyman. "He understood the business. Every time I'd spoken to Frank, he had a true knowledge of, number one, connecting with the crowd, and number two, the concept of drawing money, becoming an attraction, how to sell a fight. If you just look at Frank's work in Strikeforce [from 2006-09], and if you watch him promote his fight with Cung Li, you watch him promote his fight with [Cesar] Gracie, you watch him promote his fight with Nick Diaz — Frank knew how to sell fights. "He understood crowd psychology. Even in the shoot environment of a fight, he knew how to work a crowd. If anyone who never spent time in the genre of professional wrestling could have transitioned over into professional wrestling and been a No. 1 top star, it's Frank Shamrock." ECW would have presented Shamrock as someone outside of the bounds of pro-wrestling. 'Much like we did with Taz, the whole thing was going to be: 'Everybody else can do what they do. What I do is much different,'" Heyman says. "Without ever saying the words ... 'Everybody else is fake and I'm real,' going as close to that as possible. Just letting you know, 'Everybody else does their thing. What I do is a completely different definition,' and then demonstrating that in the ring — which is what we did with Taz. 'At the time, Chris Candido was helping out a lot in several aspects behind the scenes, and Chris had a good relationship with Frank and was discussing it with him. And I believe [currently incarcerated wrestler and then-girlfriend of Candido] Tammy [Lynn Sytch] got involved a couple of times on the phone call and completely turned Frank off to any involvement in ECW, and it just all fell apart from there. "By the time I called Frank and said, 'Hey, let's see if we can get this back on track,' his answer was something along the lines of, 'Nah, I kind of got a taste of what's going on. I'm just going to respectfully bow out,'" Heyman continues. "I don't know what went on in that conversation or two, but it completely turned Frank off to working for us — and probably for working for anybody in professional wrestling." Taz ultimately went on anyway to win the title directly from Douglas and hold the ECW World Heavyweight Championship for nearly a year, feuding with Sabu and Candido, before signing with the WWF and dropping the title in a three-way match with Mike Awesome and Masato Tanaka. It was a dominant reign, but a Shamrock feud would have gone along way to establishing a directed stylistic difference. Ironically enough, Heyman used a similar presentation later in his career with WWE star Brock Lesnar. 'There is an expression that I love using and instilling in young talent: Just because you can, doesn't mean you should," he says. "I can't throw a dropkick. I guarantee you, I can't get three inches off the ground. I have no leaping ability whatsoever. But even if I could throw the most picture-perfect dropkick in the history of professional wrestling, I guarantee you I never would. And I would never admit that I even could, because it doesn't fit the character, nor would it add to anything that I could possibly do in the position that I'm cast. So just because I can doesn't mean I should. 'It's what we did in WWE with Brock Lesnar once he conquered 'The Streak' [Undertaker's undefeated WrestleMania record in 2015]. Because then we had the leverage to do it. If you watch any Brock Lesnar match after he conquered 'The Streak,' he never whipped anybody into the ropes, he never was whipped into the ropes, he never threw anybody into a turnbuckle. It was a very mixed martial arts presentation. Brock didn't do traditional pro wrestling things after we conquered 'The Streak,' because we wanted his style to be completely different to where the ring would become the Brocktagon. When Brock Lesnar came out, you knew — this will not be a typical pro wrestling match. We did it with Taz, wanted to do it with Frank Shamrock.' Taz's most memorable matches in ECW were always styles clashes, where it was interesting to watch how a shootstyle performer would perform against a wild brawler like Sabu or an agile giant like Bam Bam Bigelow. But how would the trajectory of American wrestling have been different if the ECW title was contested between a pair of MMA-inspired wrestlers at the height of ECW's popularity? With the way ECW set the tone for the other companies of the era, would wrestlers like Kurt Angle and Bobby Lashley have leaned more into their legitimate credentials in their wrestling presentations if they had an ECW world title feud leading the way? More than three decades later, what if Shamrock had said yes — might we have seen WWE World Championship matches that more closely resembled MMA fights?
The Review Geek
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Eyes of Wakanda Season 1 Review – A realm of possibilities, but little time to develop them
Season 1 Episode Guide Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 In recent years, Marvel have given birth to a series of animated projects, such as What If…? and X-Men '97, creating a new pool of possibilities and stories. The latest one of this batch is Eyes of Wakanda, created by Todd Harris, a storyboard artist for the company. And it feels exactly like that: a breath of fresh air filled with possibilities. The show follows special warriors responsible for secret missions rescuing Wakandan artifacts from outside their nation. While the first episode explains this concept, the rest center almost exclusively on the hunt for these objects. What makes the episodes even more interesting is that all of them happen in different periods. Eyes of Wakanda's first advantage is that it can be part of the MCU, but also a standalone project. The necessity of every Marvel movie having to be connected and address continuity has been a constant critique of fans for a few years now. So, it's great getting to watch something without worrying about how it relates to past events or how it'll change the future of the universe. We can see how this change is important to fans because Fantastic Four: First Steps is being praised for the same reason. Let's hope this indicates that Marvel is understanding what viewers want to see. As each Eyes of Wakanda episode focuses on a different person and artifact, the characters aren't all that interesting. But that isn't what the show is about. It's much more about what being a War Dog means and the sacrifices they make for their country, and it excels at that. Even though you hardly care about B'kai, it's hard not to relate to his struggle at the end of episode 2. After being away from Wakanda for so long, the place he longed to return to, he feels like an immigrant. As a War Dog, he can't see any place as his home anymore. Nonetheless, there's one character who steals the scene with her charisma and skills. She's Jorani, the Iron Fist. Episode 3 has an incredible introduction to the character's myth, and Jorani easily proves she's worthy of the mantle. The fight scenes in episode 3 surpass all expectations. They're fluid, intense, smart, and, most of all, fun. It features a fight in an artifact room, which will constantly keep you with the silliest smile on your face. The characters use all kinds of weapons to get an upper hand, and I just wish it could have gone on for longer. The last episode is the only one that's significantly weaker, as it lacks stakes and feels somewhat rushed. Still, it's nice how it connects the sacrifices the War Dogs make to an important character growth instead of something bad or sad as usual. But the series's biggest problem is its length. It's easy to imagine how it could have had way more episodes featuring recurring characters and more artifacts. However, when you're getting more excited about the plot, it ends abruptly. It does tie its story nicely, but it lacks the impact that only a longer length could give it. You don't have enough time to get attached to the characters or the beautiful visuals of Wakanda. Characters, such as B'kai, could easily be in two or more episode arcs, which would also make them deeper and more likable. Eyes of Wakanda proves in only 4 episodes that it has the potential to be much more and grow into something even better. But don't let that take you away from the great story it tells in that short time.
Fox News
27-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Kristy Swanson Celebrates ‘What If'
What if your life had taken a different path? Actress Kristy Swanson sits down with Shannon to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the faith-based film What If… . Kristy describes the filming process and working with great individuals, such as Director Dallas Jenkins and shares her experience reuniting with the cast. Later, Kristy highlights how growing up in faith helped her to choose fantastic faith-based projects, such as 'What If.' What If will be in select theatres August 5th and 7th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Fox News
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Kevin Sorbo shares why 'What If...' message is still relevant today
Kevin Sorbo told Fox News Digital that the message behind his 2010 faith-based film, "What If...", is still important because Hollywood doesn't make movies like that anymore.
India Today
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Lollapalooza Berlin: J-hope owns the stage and delivers as BTS was watching
BTS' J-hope brought the house down at Lollapalooza Berlin on Sunday night [Midnight IST], delivering a jaw-dropping 90-minute headlining set that turned the Olympiastadion into a sea of glowing lightsticks, booming fan chants, and high-octane energy. With 21 songs on the setlist, including his solo hits 'What If', 'Pandora's Box', and 'On The Street', as well as BTS favourites like 'MIC Drop', 'Dynamite', and 'Butter', the performance was nothing short of the final slot of the festival in front of more than 60,000 fans, J-Hope made it clear why he's not just BTS's "sunshine", but also a powerhouse performer in his own right. With his signature mix of choreography, charisma, and raw emotion, he had the crowd singing along in Korean, dancing in sync, and chanting his name louder than ever. (Credit: X/bts_bighit) 'I'm here in Berlin, after my first [Lollapalooza] in 2022,' he told the crowd. 'There were so many things I became grateful for during my tour. Thank you so much for being there with me all the way through. I love you all.' The performance marked the grand finale of his 'Hope on the Stage' solo world tour, which spanned across Korea, the US, Mexico, Southeast Asia, and beyond. (Credit: X/bts_bighit) But J-Hope wasn't the only one lighting up the BTS bandmates Jimin and V (Taehyung) tuned in real-time, hyping him up on social media with posts that sent ARMY into a frenzy. Sharing clips and cheering him on, their digital support mirrored what fans witnessed onstage: a family reunited in spirit, if not yet physically. (Video Credit: Instagram/j.m.) (Video Credit: Instagram/taetaebooo)'I told the staff to just enjoy this, to put an amazing end [to my tour]. You've made it come true for me,' J-Hope said, hinting at what's next. 'Now, I'm going to focus on music for my team.'With all seven BTS members having completed their military service and a 2025 group comeback in the works, J-Hope's final solo stage was a perfect closing chapter, and a joyful reminder of why ARMYs worldwide still believe in the magic of seven.- EndsMust Watch
