Sunday, October 28, 2012
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Did Goldberg End Bret Hart's Career? Or Did Bret Screw Bret?
by Brian Phelps
Back in 1999, while wrestling at WCW Starrcade Goldberg accidentally ended Bret Hart's career with a thrust kick that resulted in Bret Hart's premature retirement from pro wrestling. Fast forward nearly 13 years and people are still hating on Bill Goldberg and blaming him for Bret Hart's career ending injury. The question now... is it fair that Bill Goldberg is still getting so much heat from wrestling fans for ending Bret Hart's career? My answer is NO, and I'm about to tell you all why.
I think it's very hypocritical of the average wrestling fan to STILL be hating on Goldberg for ending Hart's career. Pro wrestling is a very physical sporting activity and just like in the NFL or any other professional sport, injuries are part of the job. As a professional athlete you are taking up a career where severe injury is a constant risk. That's why you train properly, and stay in peak physical condition. Bill Goldberg was properly trained at the famed WCW Power Plant, and let's not forget that Bill Goldberg before becoming a professional wrestler was a trained NFL Football player. So let's not act like simply because he accidentally injured Bret Hart that Goldberg was just some reckless guy who went around hurting people because he didn't care about doing his job correctly. Goldberg was a highly intelligent individual and was trained at multiple sports.
Injuries can happen to anyone no matter how highly trained or skilled you are. It's a part of a life that accidents do happen. Bill Goldberg just happened to accidentally injure Bret Hart, and unfortunately it was severe. Once again, it can happen to anyone.
I love how people never let Goldberg live it down that he ended Bret Hart's career, but no one bashes Sting for ending the legendary "Ravishing" Rick Rude's career. No one bashes Steve Austin for ending Shawn Michaels career for FOUR YEARS. No one bashes Sheamus for ending Jamie Noble's wrestling career. No one says anything about D'Lo Brown paralyzing Droz, Owen Hart breaking Steve Austin's neck, Brock Lesnar breaking Hardcore Holly's neck etc. For some reason though, people are still giving Goldberg flack for ending Bret Hart's career. So, people need to just stop it. It's a part of the profession.
I also got one more little gem for those that want to hate on Goldberg for ending Bret Hart's career. Did Bill Goldberg give Bret Hart a severe concussion? Yes. But here's the elephant in the room that no one wants to admit. After this match, Bret Hart CONTINUED TO WRESTLE!!!! Bret continued wrestling which included a hardcore match with Terry Funk where you know he was getting hit in the head with foreign objects after he already sustained that concussion from Goldberg. Bret Hart kept wrestling matches even though he had a severe concussion. BY HIS OWN ADMISSION, Bret Hart kept wrestling because he says he didn't realize the severity of his injuries!!! He wrestled a hardcore match with Terry Funk, and wrestled Kevin Nash too. In other words, he continued wrestling for nearly 2 months KNOWING he was having lingering effects from his severe concussion (even if he didn't know how severe his injuries were). He knew something wasn't right and he kept wrestling, and kept getting hit in the head when he should have been recovering from his injury. Bret Hart did not seek the medical help that he should have because he said he didn't realize how serious his injury was. So, knowing all this... it is VERY REASONABLE to assume that had Bret Hart gotten the medical attention that he should have afterward instead of continuing to wrestle hardcore matches and get beat on the head for 2 months after his initial concussion that there's a chance he may not have ended up having to retire prematurely.
So, did Goldberg injure him by giving him a severe concussion? Yes. BUT Bret Hart COMPOUNDED the injury and made his situation FAR WORSE by continuing to wrestle for months afterward instead of taking a few months off to recover. It was said that he may have suffered as many as 3 more concussions after the initial injury. So he chose to keep wrestling with a concussion instead of taking time off. So, while Goldberg did injure Bret Hart... he is obviously not totally responsible for ending his career. Bret Hart very well may have ended Bret Hart's career. As sad as it is to say, Bret may have screwed Bret.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
FAQ: Is 'King Mo' Lawal the First to Do MMA and Pro Wrestling at the Same Time?
Answer: No. Despite TNA and MMA Uncensored in 2012 claiming that Bellator fighter 'King Mo' Lawal is the first person to do both MMA and Pro Wrestling at the same time this is actually false. UFC Hall of Famer Dan "The Beast" Severn is the first person to do both Pro Wrestling and MMA at the same time dating back to 1995. Dan Severn competed for the UFC, WWF (now WWE), and NWA as well as other promotions simultaneously. In fact, Dan Severn (pictured below) is the only man to hold both an MMA and Pro Wrestling Championship at the same time (Severn held the NWA World Championship and the UFC Superfight Championship simultaneously).
Bobby Lashley also competed in MMA and Pro Wrestling simultaneously from 2009-2010 competing for TNA Wrestling at the same time he was fighting for Strikeforce, Maximum Fighting Championship, and PFP: Ultimate Chaos.
TNA and MMA Uncensored Erroneously Claim King Mo Is The First to Do MMA/Pro Wrestling at the Same Time
I was watching this TNA video hyping the debut of King Mo. It was of TNA President Dixie Carter and Bellator fighter King Mo on the show MMA Uncensored Live.
The host of MMA Uncensored Live ridiculously and erroneously states that "...it's never happened before where a fighter decided to do both (pro wrestling and MMA) at the same time."
Some people will erroneously state that Ken Shamrock did both MMA and Pro Wrestling at the same time, but this is actually quite false. He didn't do MMA fights at the same time that he was doing Pro Wrestling. He just coached MMA fighters from his Lion's Den training facility while he was wrestling. He never actually fought MMA fights while he was an active pro wrestler. In 2002, Shamrock had two MMA fights and worked for TNA Wrestling; however, Shamrock went to TNA Wrestling about four months after his first MMA fight that year and had already left TNA Wrestling three months before his second fight that year. So even then, he didn't do both at the same time.
Some also erroneously claim Tank Abbott successfully did both MMA and Pro Wrestling at the same time but that is also false as Tank Abbott left MMA in 1998, joined WCW from 1999-2000 before returning to MMA in 2003. Tank Abbott never did both at the same time.
However, even Bobby Lashley is not the first fighter to do both Pro Wrestling and MMA at the same time. Dan "The Beast" Severn is the first fighter to do both MMA and Pro Wrestling simultaneously going all the way back to 1995. Severn also is the first and still the only person to hold an MMA and Pro Wrestling championship at the SAME TIME. Dan Severn in 1995 won the UFC Superfight Championship (later re-named the UFC Heavyweight Championship) and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Dan Severn is the only known person to successfully do both MMA and Pro Wrestling at the same time and for a long period of time. Severn was the NWA champion for 4 years while simultaneously doing MMA the entire time. Severn was wrestling for both the NWA and WWF (now WWE) while fighting for UFC and other MMA promotions at the same time. For example, Dan Severn submitted Sam Adkins at the International Fighting Championships 8 event on June 20, 1998 and eight days later wrestled The Rock at WWF King of the Ring 1998 while still holding the NWA World Title.
So, to proclaim King Mo the first man to do both Pro Wrestling and MMA at the same time is a slight to both Bobby Lashley and especially Dan Severn. Dan Severn was the Bo Jackson of the fighting world. Trying to say that King Mo is the first man to do both Pro Wrestling and MMA at the same time is as silly as saying Miguel Cabrera is the first man to win the Triple Crown in baseball or that Drew Brees is the first quarterback to surpass 5,000 yards passing. I understand you have to try to hype the media machine, but please don't do it at the expense of the legacy of Dan Severn and the accomplishments of Bobby Lashley.
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