Twitter Request Line, Vol. 111

Jericho may have commandeered a camera once, but I don't think he ever wrestled with his list Photo Credit: WWE.com

It's Twitter Request Line time, everyone! I take to Twitter to get questions about issues in wrestling, past and present, and answer them on here because 140 characters can't restrain me, fool! If you don't know already, follow me @tholzerman, and wait for the call on Wednesday to ask your questions. Hash-tag your questions #TweetBag, and look for the bag to drop Thursday afternoon (most of the time). Without further ado, here are your questions and my answers!

@tholzerman early for #tweetbag, but question re: 1004 holds Jericho. Am I imagining a match where he had the mic & counted as he did moves?
— Michael E. Kirby (@abvavrg) February 24, 2015

I want to say you're misremembering things, but I wasn't the most avid viewer of Nitro at that time. I remember the promo, mainly because of YouTube saturation and replays on WWE programming. But I don't ever remember seeing him actually do that kinda thing in an actual match. However, if you want a good example of a wrestler calling his own match in the ring, check out some Ring of Honor TV from its HDNet run early in 2010. Kevin Steen did running commentary in at least one of his matches from that run from right after he turned on El Generico and partnered with Steve Corino. It's highly entertaining.

@tholzerman I don't like to analyze body composition, but is it fair to speculate if changes to an NXT performer signal anything? #TweetBag
— Star of Savage (@StarOfSavage) February 25, 2015

On one hand, looking at fluctuations in body appearance and making judgments about it seems kinda gross, but WWE can be a gross company when it comes to image at times. It might not be possible to view how relatively lean someone like Kevin Owens is becoming means for a possible push in the womb or beyond it, especially since at least one person allegedly has been released thanks to body issues (hint, he had the same initials in NXT that Owens has now). My advice would be to tread lightly with such comparisons, and try to look at them from a "what would WWE do" standpoint and not make judgments on your own.

@tholzerman Dare I dream of Joe the Samoan in G-1 Climax-uh this year? #TweetBag
— Rich Fann II (@RDotDeuce) February 25, 2015

I may not be the person to trust on this because I'm just getting started as a NJPW scion, but I really think he's going to be in the field this year. AJ Styles has made a huge splash in New Japan, and he comes from the same pedigree as Joe. I still think it's not a done deal, and I wouldn't be surprised if Joe never does even a tour for the company. But if you're New Japan and you want to make a splash internationally, wouldn't you want to have Joe in the fold and part of your biggest tournament of the year?

@tholzerman#TweetBag Who is your favorite Tiger Mask? Both under the hood and (if applicable) without it.
— What a Maneuver!! (@what_a_maneuver) February 25, 2015

I'm not entirely familiar with the work of any Tiger Mask, but I appreciate the influence that Satoru Sayama had as the first one. As for without the hood, no question that my favorite Tiger Mask is Mitsuharu Misawa, whose work as the ace of All Japan in the '90s informed a lot of my early shithead smart-ass hardcore fandom.

@tholzerman what'd you get nature boy for his birthday #tweetbag
— Violence (@PhilKenSaban) February 25, 2015

I had a rough time shopping for Ric Flair, because what do you get the guy who invented the cool heel? I wracked my brain and wracked it and even asked people, but I found the perfect present for him. I got him Jim Herd shackled up in a pillory and three dozen rotten tomatoes to chuck at him. Seems like the perfect gift for the man.

Unless you meant Buddy Landel, in which I got him a tie. Cuz I didn't really know Buddy Landel. And Buddy Rogers is dead, man.

@tholzerman What are you doing to stop that Vigilante Sting? #tweetbag
— The Masked Lutefisk (@MaskedLutefisk) February 25, 2015

Nothing. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. AHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

@tholzerman What has you most excited for Wrestlemania? #TweetBag
— The Lady (@LadyNearTheLake) February 25, 2015

A lot of what's been announced so far has been pretty unappealing, and if you believe what the recent Smackdown spoilers indicate, then the rumored match that had me the most interested, Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus, is just not happening. I hate to be the wet blanket, but not a whole lot looks appetizing this year. I hope Roman Reigns can succeed in his given role, but I have no hope for his match vs. Brock Lesnar being anything more than passable as a best case scenario. John Cena/Rusev is going to be like waiting for the other shoe to drop on yet another bauble (Rusev's fake-ass undefeated streak) laid in front of Cena as a sacrifice. Seth Rollins/Randy Orton could be good, but I am still not buying Rollins as a heel in the ring, and he annoys the shit out of me out of it. I want no parts of an Intercontinental Championship clusterfuck, and Bray Wyatt vs. the Undertaker is a no-win situation for anyone involved.

I guess by default, that makes the Andre the Giant battle royale my specific hook for this year, at least right now. Battle royales are fun, and the first three entrants - Ryback, Curtis Axel, and The Miz - are all fun dudes. Of course, my feelings could change as the builds for the individual matches progress, but right now, this year's Mania looks like a giant nosedive from last year's.

@tholzerman If you had to organize a synchronized swimming team to the theme of "Baby Got Back" , which 3 wrestlers do you pick? #TweetBag
— Frank Puddle (@francisadujr) February 25, 2015

Naomi, Kimber Lee, Drew Gulak. Imagine that routine with Sir Mix-A-Lot performing live. That would be one ass-bonanza.

@tholzerman WAIT DID ROMAN REIGNS FAIL A DRUG TEST? WHATS GOING ON HERE?
— CAPS LOCKA FLAME (@matt_T) February 25, 2015

So, this story just sprouted out overnight and gained crazy legs despite a) the source material being written like the most wishfully-thought fantasy booking scenario, and b) having been debunked by The Site That Shall Not Be Linked getting word from a WWE PR rep. But someone on Reddit, fuckin' REDDIT, posted a long-winded spiel about the real reason why Brock Lesnar stormed out of RAW Monday. Basically, he alleged that Reigns failed a drug test, but Vince McMahon demanded that he not be suspended so as not to lose face for the Mania main event. Lesnar caught wind of it and left in a huff because he didn't want to put over a drug abuser, especially since UFC, his other potential landing spot after Mania, is having a big drug problem and he didn't want to be associated with it.

I don't want to say definitively that Reigns has or hasn't failed a drug test, because I don't know. No one knows, although I doubt that with the extra scrutiny that UFC is receiving for its drug problem that WWE would pick now to relax its Wellness Program. I also have no idea why Lesnar left in a huff. As of right now, no one knows, not Dave Meltzer, not Dolphins 1972, not anyone except for Lesnar and McMahon, and neither are talking. Meltzer, for what it's worth, doesn't think it'll affect the Mania main event, but he's been wrong before. So who knows.