Opening Day 2012 power rankings

[Astros]

Well, opening day is less than a week away (cause games in Japan don’t count), so I figured we might as well have a power rankings to start the year. Back in the day I did a few wrestling themed power rankings in 2006 and 2007, so the only well I have left is youtube and promos. So here we go, everyone is paired up with a famous, or infamous, promo that somehow fits your team.

1. Yankees. “This is the dealer!” 1986 Ric Flair & Arn Anderson

JB sits atop the power rankings once again because for the second year in the row, he is your IBC champion. The Yanks are looking to make it a Three Peat this year and the team is still loaded, though it is now starting to get older and the depth is not what it once was so it could be vulnerable. But as Flair and Arn say, in order to be the dealer you gotta be holding all the cards, and with 3 trophies JB has all the Cards. Hard to be the Nature Boy and the Enforcer for promos and this one goes all over the map, promoting upcoming matches, talking about women and running down every big face in the Crockett territory. That’s why they’re 2 of the best talkers ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzjzw4PkEYU

2. Pirates “Wargames” 1996 Arn Anderson
For the past three seasons JP has been the class of the National League, and for the past three seasons the Pirates have come up short. Last year a 3-0 deficit to the Yankees in the World Series came down to a furious Game 7 rally that came up just short. Now JP is ready, the rotation is retooled, younger and the pieces are in place for another run. JP is ready to leave everything he has on the field to win this title. Arn Anderson, once more (he’ll show up a couple more times), makes a power rankings appearance in this promo leading up to Wargames in 1996. The NWO had been terrorizing WCW for months, and an unlikely alliance of Double A, Flair, Sting and Lex Lugar was going to try to stop them. Arn conveys his desperation in the same way we all know JP feels about getting that illusive title. Watch out this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... 3nvg#t=79s

3. DBacks. “Your brush with greatness is over” 1993 The Hollywood Blonds

Jag started off in the IBC as a notorious prospect hound, taking his lumps and building his team for the future. Well folks, the future is now, as he has made the playoffs three of the past four years and has established himself as one of the best teams in the league. The pitching is fantastic, the lineup is deep, there’s still a couple of good, strong prospects on their way, this season might be the changing of the guard in the NL West that we’ve been waiting for forever, but you have to knock off the top dog, which is still Nils, before you can do that. The Hollywood Blonds were thrown together and became popular. When Ric Flair returned from the WWF, the Blonds targeted him and Arn Anderson as the guys they needed to take out to establish themselves as the new alpha males of WCW, which is the point they make throughout this whole promo. Unfortunately, Pillman would get hurt, the team disbanded and Austin fired over the phone once Hogan came in and brought in his old running buddies, so we never saw the Blonds reach their potential as a team. Jag hopes to write a different ending for his story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obErxv9qX2k

4. Red Sox. “Birth of a superstar” 1995 Steve Austin

We’ve all watched Pat build a contender in Boston, lurking in the shadows for the past couple years while Pat B. and JB dominated the AL East. Last year he finally broke through and made the playoffs. The Red Sox are poised to break out this year and become a team to be reckoned with. Steve Austin, after being fired on the phone from WCW, went to ECW in Philly. They told him go on the air and talk about why he was pissed off. He cut this promo, and you could see the future star that WCW didn’t see for some reason. He left ECW soon thereafter, went to the WWF, became Stone Cold and became the biggest moneymaker in the history of the business. Pat can only hope the same thing happens to him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKEgdQdh ... r_embedded

5. Marlins. “You’re looking at the measuring stick” 1988 Arn Anderson

Dan is still the team to beat in the NL East. You have to go through him to get to October. It is a top heavy team, with studs that carry the team. There’s not a lot of minor league depth to deal from should injuries strike, but barring something happening to Tulo or Verlander, Dan should be good to go to the playoffs for the fourth time in five years. Lex Luger was kicked out of the Four Horsemen in 1988 for worrying about his own glory instead of the good of the group. Arn Anderson (I love Arn, sue me) cut this promo on Luger letting him know where he stood, and that the Horsemen were the measuring stick for greatness in pro wrestling. Dan remains the measuring stick in the NLE and hopes for that to continue

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZtk9upl ... re=related

6. Rangers “If you’re a real man, you never go down” 1986 Ric Flair

BP won the title in 2009 and the ALC title in 2010. His move to Texas last year didn’t result in the division title everyone expected, but you look over the roster and you look at the farm and you see that this is a team that is going to be reckoned with for a long, long time. In 1986, Ric Flair was feuding with Dusty Rhodes, Magnum TA and Nikita Koloff (being a good guy when fighting evil Russian Nikita). Dusty saved Flair from an attack by the Russians in a cage in Atlanta, but Ole & Arn Anderson helped Flair break Dusty’s leg, resulting in a riot in the Omni. Flair had to explain himself on tv and the result was this promo, which is Flair at his best, minus talking about women. BP didn’t cry about not winning the division last year, but to be the man, you gotta beat the man, and BP is still the man in the west.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeR78GY4 ... AAAAAAAAAA

7. Nationals. “I hate this idea that you’re the best” 2011 CM Punk

Is this finally the year that Z makes the playoffs? It seemed for years he was the team to beat when he had the Royals, and never won the Central. Then he moved to DC, yet hasn’t won there either. Injuries, bad projections, bad teams, bad trades, something is always in the way. This year, it appears Z’s squad is legit, but counting on Chipper and Santana and the like, it is going to take a lot of luck to stay healthy and win. In the summer of 2011, CM Punk’s contract was expiring. They used this to blur the lines between storyline and reality and had him cut a variety of “worked shoot” promos where he exposed backstage stuff and aired his grievances about being held back. I’m sure Z has a lot of complaints too, but we’ll see if he takes the ball and runs with it like Punk did, or if he’s still on the outside looking in come October.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OS9wZGb_3g

8. Royals. “This is my time” 2011 Bobby Roode

Jason’s been in the league since the 2008 season and twice now he has came within an eyelash of the playoffs. While 2008 was a fluke, 2011 appears legit and now he has an opportunity to cash in. Led by good pitching and with an offense that looks to be carried by Youkilis and Ethier, the Royals won’t win big, but they will win. It could be their time finally. Bobby Roode had been in TNA since 2003, but never got near the main event. He was half of arguably the best tag team in company history in Beer Money, but in 2011 was fighting for the right for a title shot in November. It was through this that he showed his promo skills matched his ring work and was pushed to the main event and eventually handed the title to run with back in November, and since then he has been the best heel in wrestling. Jason can only hope the same holds true for him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWQ6hcOG7HY

9. Rays. “Starving to be a champion” 1986 The Four Horsemen

Once upon a time, it appeared that Martin was building a powerhouse in the NL West. Then in 2008 he lost a one game playoff for the division title and has been in a downward spiral ever since. Aggressive trades to bring in the likes of Joey Votto have proven that Martin’s all in and wants to win now. He wants to be the best. When you talk about the best, it begins and ends with the Horsemen. By late 1986 they had established themselves as the elite in the NWA. While they sometimes held all of the belts, at this point in time, the tag titles and US title weren’t in their grasp and it was driving them nuts. It must be driving Martin nuts to watch Pat T make the playoffs, while he has sat at the bottom of the standings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udb5cQmS ... re=related

10. Tigers “Austin 3:16” 1996 Steve Austin

Pat rejoined the league in January. Since then he has taken what was a roster with minimal talent and turned it into a legit contender for the ALC crown. Pat has acquired guys to build around like Matt Kemp and has also managed to build a pretty damn good farm system, making rebuilding look easy. Pat left us after dropping the 2005 WS to Nils, but could be ready to achieve even greater heights this time around. When Steve Austin came to the WWF in 1995, he had been a former US and tag team champion in WCW, a potential guy to build the company around in the late 1990s, but management deemed him expendable and fired him over the phone. When he got to the WWF, despite being a great talker, he was given a manager and the nickname “Ringmaster” but upon winning the 1996 King of the Ring he showed his own personality and would go on to become the biggest moneymaker in the history of the business. Pat can only hope his second act is as good as Austin’s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R-d17t0Nk0

11. Giants. “Who have you beat?” 2007 The Steiner Brothers

Nils has been the dominant force in the NL since the IBC was formed. Seven division titles, four pennants and a World Series title speak for itself. This year however, people expect Jag to win the West and become the new standard bearer for the division. Nils still has a good team and had a great draft this year. Until you beat him, you can’t be the best in the west. Heading into the Slammiversary pay-per-view in 2007, the Dudleys were challenging the Steiner Brothers for the TNA tag titles. While the Dudleys came respectfully, Scott Steiner reminded them how great he and his brother were, reading off a laundry list of great teams that they had beaten. Unfortunately, Scott suffered a life threatening injury in Puerto Rico just before the PPV and the match didn’t happen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRvu82TM ... ure=relmfu

12. Blue Jays “Just let it be” 1998 Arn Anderson

Pat Bishop has seemingly been in contention since he joined the IBC in 2002. He made the playoffs every year from 2007-2010 and won a title. He has two other playoff berths. But now he has been surpassed by Boston and of course JB is still a mile in front of everyone in the AL. Pat has never been one to make a lot of moves, and the roster has gotten older as time has went on. Now all of his core guys are in their 30s and father time may have passed the Jays by. One of the biggest WCW angles of 1998 was the reforming of the Four Horsemen. For months, Dean Malenko had been trying to get Arn Anderson to reform the group after Arn had to retire due to a neck injury. What followed was one of the most intense, passionate, emotional promos you’ll ever see, so much so that even before youtube I could remember it from watching it happen back in 1998. Arn didn’t have the tools to go in the ring anymore, and Pat may have to face the harsh reality this year that don’t have the tools to win on the diamond.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhdOAMfkJ-A#t=4m13s

13. Mariners “Try us, we’re that good” 1986 Ole Anderson

Ropers time in the sun was in the early part of IBC history. Since then, with the exception of 2010, the M’s haven’t made the playoffs. BP is clearly the class of the AL West but Seattle should be able to win quite a few games. Good pitching, good hitting, there isn’t a glaring hole on this team and Ropers has made some good deals over the winter to strengthen the team. Ole Anderson, one half of two incarnations of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew, is probably the least memorable member of the original Horsemen. Ole gave the group veteran credibility, and his straight, no nonsense approach to promos where different from Flair and Tully’s yelling. Hey, I’m going to kick your ass cause I’m the best. Well, Ropers team isn’t the best in the west right now, but once the teams get on the field you never know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fh9ZE7g ... AAAAAAAACA

14. Mets “Trust Me” 1991 Jake Roberts

John has had to retool his team since moving to the Big Apple from Coors Field. After a narrow playoff miss in 2007, it has been a struggle for John ever since. The Mets are an older team this year, but could have a one year window with their older offensive players to make a run at a playoff spot this year. We’ll have to trust John and the moves he makes. Jake Roberts turned heel in 1991 and had a hot feud with the Macho Man (including having a cobra bite Savage in the ring, for real). After DDTing Savage at a one night only PPV, Roberts slapped Miss Elizabeth and cut this dark promo. Jake was at his best as the pure evil heel. John hasn’t been at his best in a while, but now could be the time. Trust me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaDxp_NV34s

15. Rockies “The Black Hart” 1997 Owen Hart

Jake has been in the IBC half of its existence. In 2009 he lost a one game playoff with Nils for the NL West crown and has not come close to the playoffs since. This year though, he has a legitimate shot, maybe not at the division, but certainly at the WC. While he isn’t great in any one area, there’s not a glaring weakness either. After the Montreal Screwjob and Bret Hart leaving for WCW, Owen was the only member of the Hart family left in the WWF. When he returned he was hell bent on revenge against Shawn Michaels for screwing his brother out of the title. After weeks of jumping the guardrail to sneak attack, Owen finally opened up and it was an Owen Hart we’d never seen before. The shame of it all is that Michaels played politics and refused to work with Owen, and his best chance at cementing himself as a main eventer was gone. Owen never would win the title and died in a tragic accident at a PPV in 1999.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7JdKfqN ... re=related

16. White Sox “Claim to be the icon” 1997 Jim Cornette

Jim finally made the playoffs in 2011 but he was stopped in the ALDS. Now he is in a three way fight in the ALC and looks like the weakest of the three. Some head scratching moves (Ubaldo, Garza for Jay) haven’t helped matters. The team is older, the farm isn’t really strong and Drew Storen is the marquee player you could build around. Jim Cornette started doing segments on Raw in 1997 on the state of wrestling, because he hated where wrestling was headed as an old school, NWA purist. So he cut this promo on the biggest stars in the business. What he says at the end about Hogan could be prophecy about Jim’s team this year, but Jim better hope not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM-jFWe5fFk

17. Dodgers “You’ve been the big deal” 1988 Jim Cornette & The Midnight Express

Shawn has tried to repeat his success of 2007 unsuccessfully. Last year he won 91 games and still couldn’t get in. This team is loaded for this year, but the loss of Soria to TJ surgery will hurt. Shawn sold the farm to go all in for this season. He’s not a one year wonder either, this team has staying power, but it is best to strike while the iron is hot. The question is can he beat the mainstays of the NLW, Jag and Nils? Jim Cornette is one of the best talkers and best minds in the history of the business. He made his name managing the Midnight Express and gave Big Bubba Rogers (Big Bossman) his start in the business. Here he spends two minutes running down Dusty Rhodes and comparing him to Muhammad Ali (not in a good way). It is Cornette at his finest. If you ever get a chance to find one of his shoots on youtube and have 4 hours to kill, it is very entertaining.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anvUMe6- ... re=related

18. Cubs “Does this look soft to you?” 1987 The Road Warriors

Gabe has climbed the NLC ladder, mainly by virtue of Aaron & Ken rebuilding. He does have some great pitching. He doesn’t have great hitting or a particularly strong farm. If he’d rebuilt during the past two or three years he could be in position right now to take advantage of this soft schedule he has this year. The Road Warriors were the dominant tag team in pro wrestling by 1987. The two had spent 1986 headlining some big cards facing Ric Flair for the NWA title, that’s how credible and dominant they were. By 1987 they were still wrestling Flair some, but were involved in a feud with a poor man’s Road Warriors in the Powers of Pain. Hawk gets a little rapey here in his promo, but it will be hard all year long for Gabe, but perhaps one of the wild cards ain’t out of the question.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng6kpHpc ... ce=message

19. Braves “Cane Dewey” 1995 Cactus Jack

It has been a long road back for Brandon. After losing out on the 2008 Wild Card in Game 163 to a walkoff grand slam (Yep, brought it up again Brandon!), the Braves were dismantled and rebuilt from scratch. Two years of cellar finishes and an 80-82 2011 later, the Braves are good again. Good enough to contend? We’ll see, but there’s a lot of young talent to like, some vets sprinkled in and a solid farm. If Brandon can find a top of the rotation SP, he’ll be in good shape. Mick Foley left WCW in 1994 and went to ECW, where he continued as Cactus Jack. While there, after seeing a sign in the stands that said “Cane Dewey,” meaning cane Foley’s 3 year old son, Foley started trying to get all of ECW’s young talent to sign with WCW and be spared the harsh wrath of ECW fans. Many consider Cane Dewey to be the greatest promo of all time. Brandon too, has suffered and is now looking to make the IBC pay for his anguish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-lJTvgaZME

20. A’s “I’m a winner!” 1997 Owen Hart

Finally, after years of trying, Jake made the playoffs again by winning the ALC in 2011. Despite his best efforts, BP never could catch him. While Jake’s time in October was short lived, nobody can ever take it away. But, that looks like a fluke, and it won’t repeat itself. Owen Hart had already won a Slammy award when he had to present at the 1997 show. What did he do? He stole the award he was presenting, bragged about being a winner and was the Owen that everyone loved to hate. May want to take notes Jake, I don’t see an October repeat without stealing it somehow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOSDvpfz ... re=related

21. Reds “I Quit, HA HA HA!” 1986 Tully Blanchard

Ken lost Game 163 last year and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008. That, along with the juggernaut in Pittsburgh, led to Ken blowing up his team and rebuilding. This year will be a struggle for Ken. It’ll be a while before he is heard from again. Tully, in his own words, was the blasting cap of the Horsemen. You could root for everyone else, but you hated Tully regardless. Here he promotes all of the upcoming matches on the Great American Bash (which was a series of summer supercards before it was a single PPV) gloating about knocking out Ronnie Garvin. Ken may be currently knocked out, but it remains to be seen how long it is before he gets off the mat and strikes back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY-r3hhva3k

22. Phillies “They’re the future.” 2006 Rhino

After winning the 2010 NLE title, Nick decided to rebuild. People thought he was crazy for dealing guys like Votto, but after a year of taking his lumps, you can already see results. There’s a farm system full of guys close to the majors, young guys like Freddie Freeman and Desmond Jennings to build around and the potential to be competitive this year and a true threat in 2013. Rhino was fired in 2005 for knocking over a flower pot in anger in a hotel lobby when his wife told him she wanted a divorce. He subsequently went to TNA and became their champion for a short time. When the WWF asked him to come back, he told them to fuck off, as he plainly says here. Come next year, Nick may be ready to tell everyone that told him rebuilding was stupid to fuck off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5cabLisakc

23. Brewers “You say I’m crazy, I say thank you” 1986 Roddy Piper

It has been a slow climb for Ben. From having one of the worst teams ever his first year, to being .500 and in the wild card hunt at the break, he has made improvements. Now the NLC is weak from rebuilding. But is this a team ready to contend? Probably not. There’s good players sure, but this team lacks a centerpiece and .500 is no longer a moral victory. Don’t look for a title around here this year. Roddy Piper made Hulkamania, plain and simple. Without him being the bad guy everyone wanted to see Hogan kick the shit out of, Hogan doesn’t get as big as he did in the mid 80s. Piper never held a belt during his prime, he didn’t need a belt to legitimize himself. He feuded with a variety of people after becoming a face, but never reached the top of the card again until 1996, once again working with Hogan. Ben needs a title to be legitimate, or even a playoff berth. Better get it while you can Ben.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99fitG5X ... r_embedded

24. Twins “Let’s hear from the man that wants the title back” 1984 Nick Bockwinkel

Andrew has fallen off a bit since his three straight ALC division titles from 2006-2008, including winning the AL in 2007. The Twins are not expected to compete in the central this year with KC, Chicago and a rejuvenated Detroit in the mix. Andrew has some pieces to build around, but the prospects need to blossom soon and the older guys need to be dealt off by the deadline to get pieces that will work. By 1984 Nick Bockwinkel was no longer the AWA champion. He was trying to get back to the top to get the belt from Rick Martel and cut this promo leading up to the big event. I’ll be honest, I picked this 99% because Bockwinkel uses a lot of big words and well, its Andrew, it’s a perfect fit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... ABrMNrnlKA

25. Astros. “Borne Again” 1994 Matt Borne

When we last saw Nate, he was inactive to the point that he was kicked out of the league and his juggernaut team was disbanded. Now, Nate has returned to the NLC (for a year) to take over the Astros. There’s a mix of old guys and young guys, but it took Nate a few trades to even field an active roster. Time will tell how this goes, but Nate’s team is at a new genesis. In 1994, Matt Borne went to ECW after his first stint in the WWF as evil Doink the Clown. When he was in WCW, he was a wrestling lumberjack. The shame of it all is that Borne was a very good wrestler (fun fact: Matt Borne, wrestling as the Executioner, was in the first match of the very first Wrestlemania). Before Borne could take off in ECW, drug problems derailed him. We’ll see if Nate’s new venture works, or is derailed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XUygxGbQBA

26. Orioles “Tonight, let the new era begin” 1994 Shane Douglas

Steve has now had two years of getting his ass kicked by the ALE. This year he’ll make it 3 in a row. The good news is, help is finally starting to arrive, with guys like Phil Hughes, Brett Lawrie and Mike Moustakas arriving and Shelby Miller and company in the minors. Progress is being made, but Steve has a couple years before he’ll be a game changer. In 1994, Eastern Championship Wrestling was going to have their top star, Shane Douglas, be given the prestigious NWA title. The powers that be decided they wanted nothing to do with it, and after winning the title, Douglas threw it down and declared himself the standard bearer for a new generation. Steve’s got a ways to go before he is the standard bearer, but hopefully he lives up to the nickname “The Franchise,” something Douglas never did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waBUA6Vf ... re=related

27. Cardinals. “Hard Times” 1985 Dusty Rhodes

The Cardinals had been a contender almost the entirety of the IBC. However, after Adam Wainwright had TJ surgery last year and the Cards fell out of the race, Aaron blew up the team and rebuilt. There is a lot of young talent to like here, especially pitching, but don’t look for the birds on the bat to be in contention until at least 2014. You could say the Cards are facing hard times, much like Dusty Rhodes faced in 1985 when Ric Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson broke his leg in a cage in Atlanta. The promo Dusty cut upon his return is considered by many to be the greatest promo of all time. The Cards may have hard times right now, but they will come back, just like Dusty always did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxC3oAD1iUg

28. Indians “What’s it even called?” 2006 Lex Luger

You know Kelly has been around since 2007? Well, he hasn’t really done a whole lot to get noticed after his initial “my team of DHs is winning the division” boasts. Make no mistake, this team is still dog shit but the past two drafts have the potential to turn this franchise around. Lex Luger was never able to talk. Ever. But he had a great body, so he always got pushed. This promo shows Luger at his worst. We’ve yet to see Kelly at his best. Expect another year of the worst.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHTj7qfnTak

29. Padres “Old Yeller ain’t no dog!” 1989 Terry Funk

Bren contended for years when he was in Boston. After “getting bored” with the AL East, Bren decided to try something new and moved to the NL West to have a rivalry with Nils. Since the move, Bren has not been a good team and was terrible last year. This year will be a repeat while he waits for his prospects to mature. Terry Funk had an amazing feud with Ric Flair in 1989 for the NWA title. He piledrived Flair on a real, not fake, table and put him out of action, then spent weeks calling Flair yellow and a coward (like some called Bren for “getting bored” in the ALE). The end result of this feud was Flair coming out on top and transitioning into a feud with Sting. Funk was left in the cold. Bren better buy a jacket, he’ll be in the cold all year as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft3fpSSX ... re=related

30. Angels “I’m just a sexy Kurt” 2005 Kurt Angle

Stephen is, well, he’s bringing up the rear right now. He took over a terrible team. He’s rebuilding and it’ll take a long time. Right now the team he can put on the field is almost funny. The silver lining is there are guys like Bundy and Taillon on the way, they’re just really far away. When they get to the bigs it may be time to take the Halos seriously. Kurt Angle was a guy to be taken seriously, but could always be counted on for some laughs. In 2005 he was in a heated feud with Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania. They were two of the greatest ever, and Kurt decided to show Shawn in this promo that he was better at being Shawn Michaels than Shawn Michaels. The usual comedy gold from Kurt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymF71I5zzp0

[BlueJays]

I have no idea what the hell any of these references mean, but excellent work, regardless.

All I know is I'm not dead last, so that's an improvement for me.

[Cardinals]

I'm not a wrestling fan, but I think Arn's speech is pretty much how I'm looking at this year.

[Guardians]

Yes, thank you Aaron for doing these. Like Steven, I don't know who most of these guys are. Would have preferred a Bushwhackers or British Bulldog reference, but at least I know who Austin is.
That said, I think 10 is way too high for me, but I appreciate the compliment.

[Astros]

JP, yours showed up on the side of another one that I had looked it. Since it was an Arn promo, I had to watch it. Once I saw it, there was no looking for a promo for you after that.

I know I went 1980s NWA heavy on these, but that is by far my favorite era

[BlueJays]

Everything was better in the 1980's because of cocaine.

[Astros]

Yes, thank you Aaron for doing these. Like Steven, I don't know who most of these guys are. Would have preferred a Bushwhackers or British Bulldog reference, but at least I know who Austin is.
That said, I think 10 is way too high for me, but I appreciate the compliment.

There were only 3 Bushwackers promos on youtube and they're all WWF. Before they went there and were a comedy team, they were world famous heels as the New Zealand Sheepherders. They went into every territory, destroyed the handsome babyface tag team. Heck they have one of the few 5 star matches in history from the 1988 Crockett Cup with the Fantastics according to The Wrestling Observer.

[Guardians]

Yes, thank you Aaron for doing these. Like Steven, I don't know who most of these guys are. Would have preferred a Bushwhackers or British Bulldog reference, but at least I know who Austin is.
That said, I think 10 is way too high for me, but I appreciate the compliment.

There were only 3 Bushwackers promos on youtube and they're all WWF. Before they went there and were a comedy team, they were world famous heels as the New Zealand Sheepherders. They went into every territory, destroyed the handsome babyface tag team. Heck they have one of the few 5 star matches in history from the 1988 Crockett Cup with the Fantastics according to The Wrestling Observer.

I only ever watched WWF, so that makes sense.

[Athletics]

Well at least there is solace in knowing that people find my team amusing...but I still think I have a better lineup this year than last, though I guess the trading of Weaver is worth a 6 team fall in the power rankings. But no mention of Cole? I am sure you could have tied some connection to a future great triple threat match with those aces.

[Giants]

Free associating but watched Wrestlemania for the first time in years on Sunday and it was awesome. Great to see my 3 favorite old guys win, I hope the Rock sticks around so I can indulge my nostalgia trip a little bit longer.

[Rockies]

Nice work Aaron, thanks for doing this. Had some fun the other day watching a few of the promos before heading off to work. Wish there was a Y2J reference in there.. but then again, while I am familiar with most of these faces, I am not familiar with the best all time promos. So you went the extra mile, nice job.

[Astros]

Jericho was on the list of guys I wanted to include Nate, but once I started doubling up on some guys, and once I started cherrypicking Horsemen promos, I had to bump a few guys

[Yankees]

This was awesome - actually it was this that got me to order Wrestlemania. I couldn't have cared less about anything except the HoF tribute, Punk/Jericho, the Undertaker/HHH, and the Cena/Rock - but those matches were a lot of fun. The rest of it did not do a whole hell of a lot for me...but it was definitely worth the purchase.

[Royals]

To add insult to injury, my division was so mediocre last year they couldn't do a proper job of beating the crap out of my godawful squad so I'd get one of the better draft picks. Thanks guys.

[Phillies]

Time for new rankings. Girls this time perhaps? I can help with whoever you give the top ranking to. The girl that plays Katniss. You see her as a blonde? Whoa. There's your start Aaron... Go!

[BlueJays]

Time for new rankings. Girls this time perhaps? I can help with whoever you give the top ranking to. The girl that plays Katniss. You see her as a blonde? Whoa. There's your start Aaron... Go!

Maybe another time when I'm not so sure that I'll be getting a man instead.

[Athletics]

Time for new rankings. Girls this time perhaps? I can help with whoever you give the top ranking to. The girl that plays Katniss. You see her as a blonde? Whoa. There's your start Aaron... Go!

Aren't the girls saved for the end of the year?

[Cardinals]

no usually the all-star break, I was lazy last year.

[Nationals]

Time for new rankings. Girls this time perhaps? I can help with whoever you give the top ranking to. The girl that plays Katniss. You see her as a blonde? Whoa. There's your start Aaron... Go!

Maybe another time when I'm not so sure that I'll be getting a man instead.

Relax. The men are saved for me.

[Giants]

Bren's mud-faced woman, however, is still fair game...

[Rockies]

Bren's mud-faced woman, however, is still fair game...

Kevin Bacon chick? lol

[Astros]

With Jerry Lawler suffering a heart attack last night on Raw, I was thinking about his feud with Andy Kaufman today and how great Andy Kaufman was in Memphis working with him

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bAQg-zWmsI

If you ever get a chance to see the documentary I'm From Hollywood, do it