Bob Holly, what a ****-head!

[Mark]

I got this from prowrestling.com but it's everywhere this morning:

For those who do not know anything on the matter, there have been a lot of angry fans that have made their feelings clear on WWE superstar Bob Holly. The reason for it stems from last night's Tough Enough broadcast, an impromptu match involving the current cast and former cast members and trainers was started. During the match, Holly proceeded to victimize current cast member Matt, mauling him with stiff kinks and slaps, making no attempt whatsoever to protect him. The end result was a bruised and battered cast member who was swollen and bloodied. Holly has a well-known reputation of being stubborn and un-willing to help others in certain situations; this latest development has done nothing to help that, instead leaving a very shaken Tough Enough cast member and a lot of unhappy fans.

:evil

FIRE. HIM. NOW.

Honestly, he's a good wrestler but would you miss him. Really?

[Peter]

The mans got a hell of an ego on himself as well, as evident in the Brock/Hardcore match on Smackdown a few months back. I wouldn't miss him if he went.

[Kam]

This is from the W-O Newsletter:

> NO REGRETS FOR HOLLY FOR HIS TOUGH ENOUGH INCIDENT
- During yesterday's Tough Enough broadcast, Hardcore Bob Holly beat the holy hell out of one of the finalists, Matt during a wrestling match. Matt suffered a horrible black eye, was busted up and his chest was red hot after those hard chops. "He was crying over a black eye and bruises on his chest from when I chopped him. This isn't ballet," said Holly during an interview with WWE.COM. In a business where the first objective is the protect your opponent from getting seriously hurt, Bob Hardcore' Holly showed his true colors on the show, and continued to badmouth the Tough Enough III contestants, calling them crybabies during an interview with WWE.COM. You can read it at:

http://www.wwe.com/news/headlines/1204736

[Tajiri]

You have to love how Tough Enough is all about how physical wrestling is when in WWE one stiff shot or move on a main eventer is enough to get someone burried on a jobber show for months. Sticking him back in the Sparky Plugg gimmick for a few months would be much better than firing him.

[Simon]

Indeed, just like in the case of Perry Saturn, Holly needs humiliated. To me he's just like a Bradshaw or an X-Pac, they think they are like the top guys in the business cause they've been around so long and are just a bit jealous of young guys coming up with talent that are actually going to get somewhere, rather than be some midcarder who comes out an does a dropkick once every 4 months.

Humiliate him. He's a piece of crap.

[Goldy]

I thought Holly would of learnt his lesson after Brock dropped him on his head,but obviously not.The man needs taking down a peg or two!.Wrestlings about having respect for your opponent and taking care of them in the ring.holly should know better.

[The Crippler]

Absolute idiot. If McMahon is wanting Tough Enough to do well he'd be best taking Holly off the show. That will just put people off even thinking about it.

Agree with Simon, it seems the likes of Holly, Bradshaw and X-Pac all think they are bigger than they actually are. A couple of them need a good kick up the arse.

[The Genetic Jackhammer]

:D

[The Crippler]

I've just visited that page with the interview on wwe.com.

"As far as Tough Enough III goes," Holly said, "I've never seen a bigger bunch of crybabies in all my life. I'm serious. Matt gets on there and says I disrespected him? I don't have to respect somebody I don't know (and have never been in the ring with).

"He was crying over a black eye and bruises on his chest from when I chopped him. This isn't ballet. People are going to get black eyes and busted lips. I don't know how many times I've had those in my career. But you don't cry about it.


Some of the comments in that piece of text disgust me. "I don't have to respect somebody I don't know(and have never been in the ring with)" - that is beyond ignorance. I have never been in the business but I know that rule number 1 is that you respect your opponents body. And if you have never been in the ring with them surely it is all the more cause to respect their body?

"People are going to get black eyes and busted lips. I don't know how many times I've had those in my career." - Yeah Bob but I'd say the vast majority were accidental. I don't think your opponent went out of their way to rough you up.

"But you don't cry about it" - What was the Brock Lesnar thing about then. He stiffs you then you lose it.

The guy is a complete asshole.

[Skullmonkey]

Wreslting is a tough sport. Some of those who work in the business tend to be on the stiff side, and these kids need to learn that.

Did anyone notice that Chis "Harvard" Nowinski had a black eye a couple of weeks ago? No.... Was there a big deal about him crying, and moaning? No....

The only time you hear about these things is when they are on television, and the "fans" are outraged.... Like the Perry Saturn incident. If that had not been televisied, no one would even know about it. The other wrestler did not raise a big stink about working with someone who was stiff, the "fans" did.

There is a point in your life were you have to just grow up, and accept that there is a certain way to things. This is Matt's time. If he does not come to the realization that sometimes it will be hard, and that people will try to push your buttons. Then he should just quit now.

[Anime Otaku]

even though i'm not anywhere near the business except for TV i do realise there is a difference between bob holly (in an earlier show infact the clip was shown) where he told the men he was gonna give them an intentionally hard chop so the knew what it was like as holly, angle and Bubba Ray are known to be a bit stiff in the heat of a match, and bob holly just busting a guy up for what sound like no actual reason except he doesn't seem to like the guy.

[K.J]

I agree with Skullmonkey that the Tough Enough guys need to learn that there is a possibility of them getting into the ring with guys who will give them a good beating.

What I don't agree with is Hollys comments in that interview, about himmnot needing to respect a guy who he doesn't know or hasn't been in the ring with.

It a shame the Accolytes are no longer around, a match involving them and Holly would have been interesting after this, remember what they did to Public Enemy and Perry Saturn?

[Rudi El Fire]

So you don't feel this is being milked as the basis for a Hardcore Holly heel turn?

As I recall, even though I've only seen TE1, the final students vs. instructors match is always an ass whipping.. sort of to stop them getting big headed and forgetting they never finish learning. It sounds like the match in this instance got out of hand a little.. but beyond that...

TE3 has already been the source of a number of bizarre internet reports (remember the news of the mystery psycho-woman that 'leaked' out from the WWE last summer?), which coupled with WWE's falling ratings and desperate attempts at reversing the trend makes me wonder if the TE house really has provided such a wealth of extreme soap-opera moments by itself of its own accord. Though there's still time for the final awards to be presented by someone with a big fake bushy beard who turns out to be Jeremy Beadle.

[The Crippler]

Originally posted by Rudi El Fire
So you don't feel this is being milked as the basis for a Hardcore Holly heel turn?



The only thing is that nobody gives a crap about Hardcore Holly so even if this was being milked for a Holly heel turn it would be met with no response anyways.

[Brian Houlihan]

he should be fire. Never liked him anyway

[Tajiri]

This was up on 1Wrestling (http://www.1wrestling.com) , its by Rick Silver an indy worker in the US, it's pretty interesting to get a wrestlers take on the Bob Holly incedent:

Rick Silver “Cuts a Promo” on Bob Holly and Respect

Bob Holly may have behaved in a way that shocked Tough Enough viewers, but as far as I'm concerned, it's old hat. If I could have a dollar for each time in the past 8 years I’ve seen a "professional" worker lay into a student just for the fun and games of it because they couldn’t help themselves, I’d be a pretty wealthy guy. I've seen promising young students, guys with ability and charisma, quit the business forever after getting punched out, beat up and chopped until they've bled through their shirts. It's what happens in the business. But that doesn't make it right.

I understand, from a fan’s standpoint, why Bob Holly’s antics crossed the line. But you have to take a step back and realize just who perpetuates this sort of behavior in the first place. From any worker’s standpoint, including my own, this garbage is just another day at the office. Wrestling today in the indys, especially around the NJ/NY/PA area, is all about making yourself look good and putting yourself over at the expense of your smaller, weaker fellow workers. If you bump, sell or work the crowd, you won't get asked back by the promoter.

There is, of course, a psychological bend to all of this. A lot of workers are people who never had the chance to beat anyone up growing up because they were too shy, too weak or too scared. It's all too easy to take advantage of someone who offers themselves up as a crash test dummy. Other workers are just bullies to begin with, and this affords them an opportunity to bust people up without having to worry about getting hit back. Treating the new kids rough, we are told, is a way to see "who really wants it," or "who's tough enough to really be a professional wrestler." When that's the way you're brought into the business, it's normal practice to continue the cycle of violence. Most of us just take our lumps and move on. We even get "respect" for "playing through the pain." The worst part is that when students finally get fed up, figure out that getting beat up for real sucks and they complain about it, they are ridiculed until they either learn to punch back for real or decide to quit. If they stay, they more often than not repeat this cycle of violence on the next group of students.

During my career, I’ve been purposely knocked out, gotten concussions, broken bones and worked through that match, the match the next night and the one the week after that. It's not because I'm tougher than anyone else. It's because I was afraid not to. It's because there really is no choice. You either work, or you don't get asked back. That’s just part of being in the business in 2003. Heck, it was part of the business in 1995. I can guarantee you that a good majority of workers in this area who watched Tough Enough cheered Bob Holly on while he pounded the snot out of that kid.

Just try going to wrestling school and see where being cooperative, selling for your fellow workers, and attempting to have a professional-style wrestling match gets you in the indys. I’ll give you a hint: I’m doing it right now – sitting home not working. Working professionally, what has become termed a “comedy” match, is for people who “can’t work a more athletically challenging style.” If by that, they mean there are some workers who don’t potato people, interact with the crowd, and don’t drop people on their head.

Unfortunately, it's not about learning how to cut a promo, work a crowd or sell a headlock so that fans care about your match anymore. It's all about this abstract concept of "respect." Respect in the locker room, many times, is cherished yet rarely given. Too many workers care more about what the boys in the back think of them than what the paying fans, who are their meal ticket, think of their ability. Working stiff, wrestling injured, performing with a concussion - they're all part of the game. Wrestlers perform with injuries that would make most professional athletes go on the DL for two weeks. But we have no choice. If we don't, we lose a payday. We don't get asked back. We're "pussies." And the last thing you want to do is have someone in the back start a rumor that you're a prima donna who won't work injured.

What's funny is that you can refuse to job. That's professional. You can demand more pay and threaten to leave if you don't get it. That's also professional. You can disobey the bookers and make up your own finishes in the middle of a match. That's professional as well. But God forbid you don't play hurt, or you don't work tight enough, or you don't really kick that guy in the head - then you're embarrassing the business and acting unprofessional. That's what it has come down to. Frankly, it's ridiculous.

The way to earn respect is no longer measured by how well you work the crowd, what kind of promo you can cut, or whether or not you sell tickets. It’s based 100% on whether or not you go out there and either kill someone else or yourself to get that “holy shit” chant during your match. This is why people act unprofessionally, stiff people left and right, refuse to sell for their opponents and selfishly get off their own big moves without worrying about making their opponents look good - because they’re trained to. Trained by people like Bob Holly, who just want to get their rocks off beating people up.

So what Bob Holly did was neither surprising, shocking nor abnormal. As a fan, you might not like it, and as a worker, I might think it's crazy, but that's how it goes. Workers have to take the beating, get up and get on with the day. That's just how it is. That's just how it's always been. Actions like Holly’s are never "right", but they're all too commonplace. And the reality is, they’re not going away any time soon.

[HSM]

Have to say i agree with what that guy said. It may be cruel but its really part and parcel of the wrestling business. Doesnt mean i agree with it though.

[Anime Otaku]

i saw the holly incident on Velocity last night and it was not as bad as i expected.... IT WAS 10 TIMES WORSE! And while perhaps what the indy guy is saying is true in the indies but thinking back to TE1 that was shown over here in the UK, whenever they were doing practice in ring Al in particular always drummed it in to the kids that they had to be trusted with peoples health. Bob Holly obviously an't be trusted and frankly the trainers or even one of the students should have stopped him.

[The Genetic Jackhammer]

How do`ya like me now??