23Submitted by Art0Donnell on Thu, 14 June 2018, 23:52
GLOW, 1985 With Netflix’s GLOW series returning for a second season in just a few weeks, it’s time to look back on where it all began: the 1985 pilot for the original women’s wrestling series. Now normally, we at Wrestlecrap leave GLOW alone – not just because we’d end up inducting a different GLOW gimmick every week for years, but Continue Reading...
36Submitted by RD Reynolds on Thu, 07 June 2018, 20:00
WCW, 2000 This induction has literally been years in the making. That doesn’t mean it will be good. It may be horrible. But I say that it IS something I have been wanting to do for years and could never do so. Why? Because I could never find footage of the legendary WCW superstar known as BASKET CASE. Basket Case, Continue Reading...
18Submitted by Art0Donnell on Thu, 31 May 2018, 20:00
Ohio Valley Wrestling, 2012 If you’ve been a long-time reader of Wrestlecrap, you’ll know that our inductions all tend to fall into one of these seven categories: A. Bad wrestling gimmicks B. Bad wrestling matches C. Bad wrestling events D. Bad wrestling media E. Bad wrestling angles with Kane F. Bad wrestling angles without Kane G. Feces Now, to see Continue Reading...
32Submitted by RD Reynolds on Thu, 24 May 2018, 14:44
WCW, 1997 I’m sure you’ve heard the news. Well, I guess maybe you haven’t, if for instance you’re not following me on Facebook, or on Twitter, or haven’t listened to the latest version of WrestleCrap Radio. Or, I guess, if you somehow can only look at the bottom 80% of your screen. If that’s the case, look up silly. Or Continue Reading...
39Submitted by Art0Donnell on Thu, 17 May 2018, 20:00
Video game, 1993 I have to admit that when it comes to video game consoles, I’ve never been an early adopter. Growing up, we always clung to our old systems well past the point when game developers stopped supporting it. We were a Super Nintendo household until Christmas 1997, and resisted upgrading from a Playstation to a Playstation 2 until Continue Reading...
32Submitted by RD Reynolds on Thu, 10 May 2018, 20:00
WOW, 2001 Don’t believe the propaganda. Despite what WWE would tell you, no matter how many times it is said, this woman did NOT invent women’s professional wrestling: She may have invented the worst hair dye job in the history of man back in 2005 (maybe – the more I look at it, I can’t decide if maybe I actually Continue Reading...
14Submitted by Art0Donnell on Thu, 03 May 2018, 20:00
WWE, 2015 When Sheamus made his return after Wrestlemania 31, he broke off in a new direction, turning heel by attacking the beloved Daniel Bryan… …and sporting a new, dumb haircut that fans weren’t shy about ridiculing. Now decidedly a bully, the 6’4” Sheamus targeted the shorter men of WWE whom he felt were, pardon the pun, not in his Continue Reading...
31Submitted by RD Reynolds on Thu, 26 April 2018, 20:00
Game Show, 1993 WrestleCrap just hit its 18th birthday earlier this month, and during nearly our entire existence we’ve loved inducting game shows featuring pro wrestlers. Be it Double Dare, Singled Out, or even other episodes of Family Feud, it’s a true passion for us. I mean seriously, what could be better than watching your in-ring favorites forgo attempting to Continue Reading...
19Submitted by Art0Donnell on Thu, 26 April 2018, 02:00
Nickelodeon/WWF, 1989 With two former wrestlers like Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan handling announcing duties for years in the WWF, constantly at odds, don’t you find it odd that they never squared off in the ring to settle their differences? Why, Michael Cole was barely a year into his insufferable jerk persona before he and Jerry Lawler had a series Continue Reading...
32Submitted by Art0Donnell on Thu, 19 April 2018, 20:00
Titan Sports, 1992 The World Bodybuilding Federation was Vince McMahon’s ill-advised foray into the sport of bodybuilding. I say, “ill-advised” for a number of reasons. For one, it launched just as former WWF steroid supplier Dr. George Zahorian was standing trial, leading to the WWF’s steroid scandal of the early 90s and McMahon’s indictment on distribution charges. That, and nobody Continue Reading...
27Submitted by RD Reynolds on Thu, 05 April 2018, 20:00
WWF, 1998-2000 I was there for 4,192. Sorry, I didn’t do that right. Let me try it again. “I was there for 4,192.” I put it in quotes, because that’s something I say every single time I meet a fellow Cincinnati Reds fan. You say that to anyone in the Cincy area, and they know exactly what you are talking Continue Reading...
44Submitted by Art0Donnell on Thu, 29 March 2018, 20:00
WWF, 1988 Anyone who knows wrestling will tell you that Wrestlemania is WWE’s biggest pay-per-view every year. Those same people will tell you that Starrcade was NWA and WCW’s biggest pay-per-view every year. But unlike Wrestlemania, Starrcade often fell victim to bizarre promotional ideas that transformed the show into one giant gimmick. Starrcade ’89 consisted solely of two round-robin tournaments Continue Reading...
22Submitted by RD Reynolds on Thu, 22 March 2018, 20:00
WWE ECW, 2007 If you weren’t a wrestling fan in the late 1980’s, I don’t know you can appreciate just what a revolutionary force Paul Heyman’s Extreme Championship Wrestling truly was. I say the 1980’s, not the 1990’s, because to really understand ECW, you need to know what ECW was in its heyday, but rather what the landscape was in Continue Reading...
28Submitted by Art0Donnell on Thu, 15 March 2018, 21:39
Syndicated TV, 1998 For me, the tag team of Bret & Owen Hart is one of the most frustrating “what ifs” in wrestling. Despite having such individual technical skill and natural chemistry, the two most famous of Stu and Helen’s boys only tagged a handful of times, including a great match against the Steiner Brothers seen only on Coliseum video. Continue Reading...
22Submitted by RD Reynolds on Thu, 08 March 2018, 20:00
WWE, 2016 It may sound insane, but my favorite wrestling “match” over the past several years wasn’t in WWE – it was on Impact of all places. You know, that company that everyone is shocked to hear is still alive. It was completely amazing, and even if you never watch that show, you most likely still may have seen it. Continue Reading...
38Submitted by Art0Donnell on Thu, 01 March 2018, 20:00
Syndicated TV, 1987 This week’s induction is “Mama Mania,” the ninth episode of the fourth season of Mama’s Family. Why is a situation comedy being featured on a wrestling website? Bear with me, perplexed reader, as your confusion shall be dispelled in due time. The show begins with the Harper family sitting down to a macaroni dinner. Supper time is Continue Reading...
31Submitted by RD Reynolds on Thu, 22 February 2018, 20:00
WWF, 1984 One of the cool things about the WWE Network is going back and rediscovering wrestlers who I didn’t give a second thought during the time when I was actually following their careers in real time so to speak. Case in point: Tito Santana. When I was watching WWF television back in the mid 1980’s, I didn’t give a Continue Reading...
17Submitted by Art0Donnell on Thu, 15 February 2018, 20:33
WWF, 1999 This week’s induction stems from WWF Raw’s highest-ever rated segment (or at least its highest-ever rated segment with no wrestling), the much-celebrated “This is Your Life” segment put on by Mankind for The Rock. Over the past two decades, WWE has repeatedly attempted to recapture the magic of this first “This is Your Life” segment… …with each version Continue Reading...
37Submitted by RD Reynolds on Thu, 08 February 2018, 20:00
WWF, 1992 It took four years after its launch but finally, FINALLY, Coliseum Videos are starting to show up on the WWE Network. Old geezers like me know all about these tapes, and yes, I said TAPES – these were originally released on video cassettes, and they were staples on the shelves of video stores such as Blockbuster and Hollywood Continue Reading...
23Submitted by Art0Donnell on Thu, 01 February 2018, 20:58
WWE, 2003 It’s no secret that a lot of fans didn’t like Raw’s recent 25-year anniversary episode. Even CBS Sports panned the show, and WWE put their article on screen to brag about how much mainstream press they got! But if you were disappointed in Raw 25, maybe you should check out Raw X. If, for example, you bought an Continue Reading...
41Submitted by RD Reynolds on Thu, 25 January 2018, 20:00
WWE, 2017 I have to admit, I was somewhat surprised the fiasco of Emma morphing into Emmalina placed so low in the 2017 Gooker Award voting. That’s not to say the winner, in which Jinder Mahal, a skinny jobber somehow magically became a jacked to the gills WWE champion, was undeserving. It was. Nor would I take exception to the hideous Continue Reading...
90Submitted by Art0Donnell on Thu, 18 January 2018, 20:00
It may have been the strangest long-term booking decision in WWE history. Jinder Mahal, career-long underneath guy, would win the WWE’s oldest and most prestigious title and hold it for nearly half a year. Jinder Mahal, who had never once wrestled for any WWE title. Jinder Mahal, who had never once won a match on pay-per-view. Jinder Mahal, who once Continue Reading...
31Submitted by RD Reynolds on Thu, 11 January 2018, 20:00
WCW, 1989 Before you ask, yes, the Ding Dongs have been inducted before. They are in our online archives, which you can get by going here. and giving us a small donation, either via PayPal or Patreon (where we are proud to announce we’ve hit our first goal – THANK YOU!!!). I don’t care this is a double dip – Continue Reading...
84Submitted by RD Reynolds on Thu, 04 January 2018, 20:00
2017 is in the books, and thank goodness for that, as it sure did stink! Speaking of reeking, let’s talk for a moment about the least prestigious award in all of professional wrestling: WrestleCrap’s 17th Annual Gooker Award! Named after the infamous Goobeldy Gooker, this prize goes to the dirt worst storyline, character, or promotional tactic that took place inside or Continue Reading...
42Submitted by RD Reynolds on Sun, 31 December 2017, 10:00
WWF, 1997 For a guy who loves Christmas as much as I do, you’d think the week after the blessed day would be a rough one each year. And you’d be right. While my full on post Christmas depression doesn’t take place until I take the lights and tree down (the weekend after New Year’s Day, which should be a Continue Reading...
81Submitted by Justin Henry on Thu, 28 December 2017, 20:00
Greetings, all. Hope you had a lovely Christmas, or whatever you may celebrate. This is my fifth year in a row writing this list for WrestleCrap, and I consider the final product a pretty fair (albeit subjective) barometer of what was bad in wrestling throughout 2017. Some items were, “Bad, but I smiled.” Others were, “Bad, and I shook my Continue Reading...
26Submitted by Art0Donnell on Tue, 26 December 2017, 09:00
In 2006, TNA felt the need to further live up to its reputation as the masters of pointless innovation. See, TNA was staging a “Fight for the Right” tournament, named after the Beastie Boys song, with the prize being a shot at the NWA title. While Dale Oliver had composed one of his famous and highly p(lagia)rized themes, TNA still Continue Reading...
14Submitted by RD Reynolds on Mon, 25 December 2017, 01:03
WWF, 2001 Text by RD Reynolds Office Christmas parties ain’t what they used to be. While I was never privy to the insanity that apparently took place back in the 70’s (according to TV and film, those things had everything from guys xeroxing their anuses to drugs to orgies to guys xeroxing their anuses with drugs while having an orgie), I Continue Reading...
11Submitted by RD Reynolds on Sun, 24 December 2017, 08:02
Movie, 2005 Hey, remember Bill Goldberg? Sure you do. The guy tore through WCW during its boom period, and were it not for the noodle heads running the company at the time, would likely have led them to even greater heights. He had that weird mix of charisma and intensity that made up for his lack of technical prowess inside Continue Reading...
40Submitted by RD Reynolds on Sat, 23 December 2017, 08:45
WWE Studios, 2013 The image above is unlike any I’ve ever led an induction with, but I think it may be the most appropriate ever. If not “appropriate”, it is the most personal. What you see in this photograph is my living room. That’s my crusty old Mitsubishi rear projection that is what the Reynolds family watches every night. No, we’ve never Continue Reading...
