Remembering ‘The Brain’
Last Sunday, the wrestling world lost one of its greatest performers in history as Bobby 鈥淭he Brain鈥� Heenan passed away after almost two decades of health issues.
Heenan蘑菇视频 death was not a surprise to anyone who was aware of his health, but it still shook the wrestling community to its core.
Well over 100 wrestling personalities tweeted out their feelings on Sunday, and their respective, yet collective, words were all along the lines of love and respect for 鈥淲ease,鈥� as he was known to his friends in the industry.
Let this stunning fact resonate:
After he finished his managerial career as the greatest manager in pro wrestling history, he became the greatest color commentator in pro wrestling history.
If you want to really see how respected Heenan has been and always will be inside the business, click on https://www.pwinsider.com/article/112348/updated-the-industry-reacts-the-passing-of-bobby-heenan.html?p=1.
A couple of great pieces can be found at https://pwinsider.com/article/112347/looking-back-at-the-illustrious-career-of-bobby-the-brain-heenan.html?p=1 by Mike Johnson and at http://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/20746914/wwe-bobby-brain-heenan-lasting-impact-world-professional-wrestling by Peter Rosenberg.
Perhaps the most poignant tribute came from Jim Ross, the greatest play-by-play announcer of all-time.
鈥溾�obby Heenan was simply the best to ever combine the diverse skill sets of wrestling, managing and broadcasting in the history of the pro wrestling game. Arguably the most talented overall performer in the history of the biz was our beloved 鈥榃easel.'鈥�
No Mercy tonight
Tonight蘑菇视频 Raw PPV, No Mercy, is a brand-specific event, but it feels like a major show.
Raw蘑菇视频 creative team has done a solid job of building up the card, and even the mid-card matches have an important feel to them.
Lesnar vs. Strowman
Brock Lesnar will defend the Universal title against Braun Strowman in a match that has been built a lot better than their match at SummerSlam.
Granted, both men have rarely been on the same show over the last month, but there is a big match feel to the match.
Cena vs. Reigns
Is this the match when John Cena finally passes the torch?
Cena has been the face of WWE since 2005 and now that he is venturing off into other entertainment avenues more frequently, and considering that Vince McMahon has been grooming Reigns to be the man, tonight may be the night.
Then again, WWE could throw everyone for a swerve and have Cena win.
If Cena were to win, he would tie The Undertaker for most PPV wins of all-time with 94 and it would be a safe bet that a rematch would be forthcoming.
It is known that Cena will be leaving to film a new movie, and with Reigns expected to be the man to dethrone Lesnar, will his build continue?
Considering that Reigns apparently retired Taker at WrestleMania, a win tonight would catapult Reigns into a new stratosphere.
Make no mistake about it though, Reigns is already in rarefied air as he is one of only five men in WWE history to main event three straight Mania蘑菇视频 along with Cena, Hulk Hogan (two times), Triple H, and The Rock.
And could Taker appear?
Rest of No Mercy card
Four other title matches will take place as The Miz defends the Intercontinental title against Jason Jordan, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins defend the Raw tag titles against Sheamus and Cesaro, Alexa Bliss defends the Raw Women蘑菇视频 title in a five-way against Sasha Banks, Bailey, Nia Jax, and Emma, and Neville defends the Cruiserweight title against Enzo.
In the only other non-title match, Finn Balor takes on Bray Wyatt.
WWE bringing back Starrcade
Until WCW closed its doors, its version of WrestleMania was Starrcade.
The show dated back to the NWA days, and when McMahon bought WCW, it was one of the show names that people wanted to see.
In a surprising move, WWE announced this week that it is resurrecting the event on Saturday, Nov. 25, at the Greensboro, North Carolina Coliseum.
Look for it to be a WWE Network special, although it has not been hinted at as of yet.
Pro wrestling class coming to local college
Registration is going will for a pro wrestling class being taught at CCAC蘑菇视频 North Campus for two weeks in October, and there is still time to register.
Tom Leturgey, a respected pro wrestling historian, will teach the class on Oct. 11 and 18.
鈥淧ittsburgh has such a rich history when it comes to professional wrestling,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n addition to producing some of the most unique and impactful personalities throughout the decades, just about every significant performer has spent time here, some of which may be surprising!鈥�
The classes will be three hours each and begin at 6:30 p.m.
A reporter in Pittsburgh for more than 20 years, Leturgey currently serves as ring announcer for the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance (KSWA) and is also an editor for several pro wrestling websites.
Most notably, Leturgey, a Cal U grad, has contributed to www.1wrestling.com, World of Wrestling online, the Pittsburgh Sporting News, and The Patch among other sites.
For more information on the class or to register, visit www.ccac.edu/community-education or call (412) 788-7507.
Tom, a longtime friend who turns 50 Monday, can be reached at tom.leturgey@gmail.com for more information.
Happy 50th birthday, my friend!
Email questions/comments to Bill at powerhousehughes@gmail.com or tweet them to me @BillHughes_III