Pillar to Post

Book on Stampede Wrestling

2006-01-31T14:40:00.000-05:00

Writing a history of Stampede Wrestling, the legendary Western Canadian promotion founded by Stu Hart, is a major undertaking because of the complexity of the story. But Heath McCoy, a reporter with the Calgary Herald, has done an excellent job of telling that story in his new book "Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling" (CanWest Books).

Part of the difficulty in telling the story is that the history of the company is so tightly interwoven with the history of the Hart family, but to his credit McCoy focuses as much as possible on the company and avoids travelling over the Hart family history that has been relatively well described in other sources. And it's quite the company story, including tours that ranged from tiny recreation centres and school gyms in tiny Western Canadian towns to big arena events, being flush with cash to being near-bankrupt, major TV attractions to playing shows for 50 audience members (most of them non-paying) and being surprise TV stars in Antigua through the broadcast of bootleg tapes.

McCoy is clearly respectful of the importance of wrestling and the Hart family for Calgary, and when he has conflicting versions of events he resists taking sides but instead presents all the versions of the "truth" and lets the reader assess them. He recounts some of his experiences in reporting on the Hart family conflicts after Owen Hart's death, and it's clear from the way he writes about them that he has a great deal of admiration for the third-generation stars (e.g. Nattie Neidhart and Harry Smith) who are trying to keep the promotion going.

McCoy has done a lot of original interviews and research for the book, including many visits to the Hart family archives in the Glenbow Museum in Calgary. The book is also greatly enriched by the wonderful black and white photographs of Bob Leonard, who was the official Stampede Wrestling photographer for three decades.

This book is well worth tracking down (ISBN 0-9736719-8 if that helps your local bookstore find it).

Batista Injured

2006-01-09T14:14:00.000-05:00

According to Dave Meltzer at the Wrestling Observer, WWE Superstar Batista was injured in a match last night against Mark Henry. No real information has come out yet, but remember Batista was wrestling through a torn lateral, so speculation (and ONLY speculation) is already beginning that this may lead to early retirement for The Animal.

Edge Wins WWE Heavyweight Title

2006-01-08T22:43:00.000-05:00

Following the Elimination Chamber match, Edge craftily decided to cash in his "money in the bank" stipulation and a match immediately began against John Cena. Subsequently, Edge is your new WWE Heavyweight Champion. In other news, hell has frozen over.

Stephanie McMahon Pregnant

2006-01-08T14:19:00.000-05:00

As per WWE.com Stephanie McMahon is pregnant. No word yet on whether the child will deliver a 20 minute promo burying its proud parents upon its birth.

Juventud Released by WWE

2006-01-06T13:28:00.000-05:00

Who had just under 6 months in the pool?

For those still crazy enough to actually be reading this, and unaware Juventud has had a bad reputation for YEARS, he's basically got a rep for being a big primadonna -- so a lot of speculation began when he was hired as to how long he'd actually manage to last. I'm honestly surprised he made it to 2006.

WWE and Tajiri Part Ways

2005-12-08T16:35:00.000-05:00

As per WWE.com, Tajiri has seemingly amicably departed WWE.

[exposition mode: ON]

On Monday's RAW (what I will dub the Shoot episode) Tajiri made comments to the effect of "I was a superstar in ECW and I've been used for nothing much at all here." Clearly there was a tremendous amount of truth to that statement. Tajiri is a fantastic wrestler, with a ton of charisma, and WWE had countless opportunities to get him over...which they utterly failed to do.

So here's the count, as of today:

Chris Jericho -- departed, has no intention of returning anytime soon.

Christian -- departed, now a superstar in TNA.

Tajiri -- departed, returning to Japan to write a book.

The departure of Chris Benoit seems more and more inevitable.

A Visit to the Toy Store

2005-12-08T14:39:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my sweetie and I made our annual visit to what Dave Barry calls "Toys Backward R Us", and part of the annual ritual is a trip to the action figure aisle to see what WWE is shilling this year.

WWE's financial statements indicate that their "merchandising" generates a lot of revenue. After viewing the action figure selection, all I can say is they must be making all that money from T-shirts and other licensed/logoed items, because their action figures are, quite frankly, terrible. It looks to me like action figures are one of the pieces of merchandise WWE produces (or licenses) quickly and cheaply so they can say to a mid/lower-card wrestler, "No, we're not ignoring you. Look! You have an action figure!" What other possible reason can there be for an action figure of Shannon Moore in his "Tintin meets the Road Warrior" persona, which he made maybe three TV appearances in before he got canned? And who on earth, other than Billy Kidman, is going to buy an action figure of Torrie Wilson in her Uncle Sam outfit, labeled "Winner - Great American Bash"? Is it good marketing to tie an item to one of the least successful PPVs of the year?

There are some action figures that raise a hearty markish laugh (what does the Eric Bischoff figure have in his briefcase? Directions to the Gold Club? Hair dye? Fed Ex envelopes?) - but, even assuming that WWE actually makes some money on any of this, they really need to be worried about the quality of the figures. Todd McFarlane's action figures, although they're clearly aimed at a collector market that is likely not too interested in WWE buyers, really seem to be raising the bar in terms of the action figure resembling the person, being crafted with some care to attention and detail, and being carefully packaged. Although I have to admit that McFarlane's "Slash" action figure (the Guns and Roses guy) kind of struck me as the McFarlane equivalent to the Shannon Moore WWE action figure....as in "who is actually going to buy this"?

For what it's worth, this was the first year that I saw TNA action figures in the store. There were only two of them, AJ Styles and Raven. But hey, TNA, here's a hint...if you're going to make an action figure of one of the few wrestlers on your roster that people might actually recognize, then you might want to actually try to make it look like him. If Raven was that handsome and that much of a HOSS, WWE probably wouldn't have fired him.

Kennedy Out for Six Months.

2005-12-08T05:15:00.000-05:00

I know that we had previously reported Ken Kennedy's injury however given the length of his expected absence I thought we needed to print his latest interview.

Kennedy sidelined six months

On Tuesday, SmackDown Superstar Ken Kennedy underwent surgery to repair a tendon that was ripped clean off a bone in his back. WWE.com caught up with Kennedy convalescing at home to find out how he’s doing now.

WWE.com: How did the surgery go, and how are you feeling now?

Kennedy: I’m pretty achy, pretty sore. But the surgery went even better than they thought it would. The doctors said they got it really tight; the tendon re-attached perfectly to the bone, and they didn’t have to cut me open as much as they thought they’d have to cut me open.

WWE.com: What restrictions will you have during the recovery period?

Kennedy: I’m not allowed do to anything with my right hand for the next six weeks. So, that should be interesting. I’m not at all ambidextrous. I’m very right-handed, so I’ve been having a hard time doing anything. But I’m in a huge sling with a cuff that is attached to a cooler and it fills with cold water, so it’s pretty slick. My hand and wrist are Velcroed to my belly-button for the next six weeks. But I’m doing okay. I’m a little groggy still, obviously. I’m on pretty strong pain medication. Every once and a while it starts to wear off and I start to feel it, but what can you do?

WWE.com: What will you do to pass the time?

Kennedy: Well, I can’t play video games like I wanted to because I’m not allowed to use my right hand, so I’m a little bummed out about that. So, I’ve just been watching seasons 1-3 of The Shield on DVD.

WWE.com: When will you be able to get an update on your condition?

Kennedy: I have to go back in two weeks and see the surgeon again. But hopefully, they’ll tell me that since the surgery went so well that maybe my recovery time won’t be quite as long as they originally thought.

WWE.com: Will you have to take any special precautions once you return to the ring? Your finishing maneuver, for example, would seem to put a lot of impact on the surgically repaired areas.

Kennedy: Well, I won’t be able to do anything for six months, but once I’m ready to go back in the ring, I’ll be fully ready to go. I should be able to take a full swing at it.

*sniff* I miss him already....no Brian, be strong...Ken wouldn't want to see you cry.

Thoughts on Hemme's Release

2005-12-05T14:19:00.000-05:00

In a rather bizarre set of circumstances, Christy Hemme has been released from WWE.

Christy posted a message on her website stating that she was going to be off Smackdown for a while to work on learning how to be a better wrestler by going to OVW. This is somewhat similar to what diva Trish Stratus did years ago to improve her own in-ring work.

However, today WWE.com posted up a message that WWE and Christy had agreed on her release, and promising more information would be forthcoming.

Naturally speculation about this has abounded, but while I wasn't a fan of Christy's, I admired her ethic and her desire to improve in the business, and her decision to go to OVW for a while seemed to be indicative of that. I can't help but (warning: my opinion ONLY here) wonder if the current powers-that-be could not possibly fathom a cheesecake diva wanting to take time off to improve and decided to simply cut their losses. It certainly is no secret that WWE has not had any particular interest in legitimate women's wrestling in quite some time.

Anyway, if/when something comes up about what really happened, I'll post it here.

WWE News : Christy Hemme released.

2005-12-05T14:13:00.000-05:00

wwe.com is reporting the following :

WWE and Diva Christy Hemme have come to terms on her release. WWE.com will
have more details as they become available.

Not really a big loss to the company, an unexpected one though. Christy's last big feud was with Melina, as she proved to be the worst thing to happen to LOD since, well, Heidenreich. I will miss the fiveheaded tardette.

Ken Kennedy Injured

2005-12-04T20:43:00.000-05:00

WWE Smackdown wrestler Ken Kennedy has torn the lateral in his back on the recent WWE overseas tour. He's going to have surgery later this week, but it is estimated that he will be out for at least 7 months.

This may not be devestating news per se, however Kennedy was one of the brightest prospects on the current WWE roster, and one of the few positive rookies in recent years to appear on WWE programming.

Hopefully he'll be able come back 100% and the fans won't have forgotten him in the interim. I for one will miss his hilariously unique ring entrance.

And Now For Something Completely Different

2005-12-02T09:22:00.000-05:00

You're a mean one, Mr. Flair
You really are a heel
You're as cuddly as a cactus
You're as charming as an eel
Mr. Flair

You're a bad banana
With a greasy black peel

You're a monster, Mr. Flair
Your heart's an empty hole
Your brain is full of spiders
You've got garlic in your soul
Mr. Flair

I wouldn't touch you, with a
thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole

You're a vile one, Mr. Flair
You have termites in your smile
You have all the tender sweetness
Of a seasick crocodile
Mr. Flair

Given the choice between the two of you
I'd take the seasick crocodile

You're a foul one, Mr. Flair
You're a nasty, wasty skunk
Your heart is full of unwashed socks
Your soul is full of gunk
Mr. Flair

The three words that best describe you,
are, and I quote: "Stink. Stank. Stunk."

You're a rotter, Mr. Flair
You're the king of sinful sots
Your heart's a dead tomato splot
With moldy purple spots
Mr. Flair

Your soul is an apalling dump heap overflowing
with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable
rubbish imaginable,
Mangled up in tangled up knots

You nauseate me, Mr. Flair
With a nauseaus super-naus
You're a crooked jerky jockey
And you drive a crooked horse
Mr. Flair

You're a three decker saurkraut and toadstool
sandwich with arsenic sauce.

Christian an Unsung Hero?

2005-12-01T19:14:00.000-05:00

Rumors are circulating that Christian [Cage] has become something of an unsung hero in the WWE locker room. Now, this is wrestling so -- by default -- we have to pay a little bit more credence to rumor than one would normally allow. Be that as it may, bear in mind, this is all just rumor, ultimately.

Apparently the fact that Christian exited the way he did, on his own terms, has got some in the WWE locker room wishing they were able to do the same thing. Now, presumably Christian has been very careful with his money and was therefore able to afford to decline the WWE's proposed contract, but be that as it may, this "news" does reveal a certain, shall we say antipathy in the WWE locker room.

Now those who are following the current wrestling scene can't be overly surprised by this, but it certainly opens the road to speculation about what Chris Benoit -- whose contract is coming to an end very soon -- may choose to do when he is inevitably faced with the same situation.

While TNA is certainly no WCW, there is an air of change in the wrestling business right now, and it is possible that one day we may look at Christian turning WWE down to go to TNA as being as significant as Jericho jumping ship to the WWF.

Greg Helms Attacked!

2005-11-30T12:44:00.000-05:00

If you've noticed the stitches on Greg Helms' hands, he has posted a message on his forum detailing how it happened. He was attacked by...

A roving gang of ninjas!

We here at PTP wish him the best in his recovery, and hope that the Pirates will aid him in getting his revenge on those accursed ninja.

The story can be found here.

Thoughts on Cena

2005-11-29T10:20:00.000-05:00

WWE continues to try and shove Cena down our throats, and fans continue to turn away from him in droves. How does WWE choose to counter this? By having him come out on RAW and sneer. Yes, the almighty sneer will turn all WWE's fortunes around.

You'd think after incidences like "The Blue Chipper" Rocky Maivia and Randy Orton that WWE would understand that the more they try and shove a babyface down the fans' throats, the faster they're going to turn on said babyface.

The Cena experiment is over. I'm calling it now. He's had his run but he desperately needs to get away from this horrible gimmick. When he was a heel and used his charisma to mock faces he was over. Unfortunately he got TOO over. But instead of doing what they did with Steve Austin -- e.g. keeping his character exactly the same, only as a face -- they castrated Cena and tried to make him into a Hulk Hogan-esque children's icon, with a 21st century twist.

It hasn't worked. In the process of turning Cena into a mega-face they decimated everything that was, at one time, cool about him. Cena was already not a great wrestler, yet WWE limited his move-set even more by demanding he be a mega-face.

Ultimately, WWE has milked Cena dry. At this point he's completely useless. Attempting to NOW make him into an "attitude" face is akin to shutting the barn door after the horse has already gotten out. It won't work. It was laughably bad last night.

WWE had the perfect opportunity at Taboo Tuesday to restore Cena to heel greatness by having HBK win the title. HBK wins and Cena snaps, destroys HBK and takes the belt. This isn't rocket science. Now, I suspect its too late to do anything more than start slowly depushing him towards the mid-card. The question is, how long will it be before WWE finally realizes this?

Ric Flair - Road Rage

2005-11-28T19:36:00.000-05:00

Strange one this, I would think that WWE wrestlers were more susceptable to roid rage rather than road rage. I like the mental image of Flair going mad and elbow dropping his jacket in front of traffic.

Courtesy of Wsoctv.com:

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Pro wrestler Ric Flair faces assault charges after a road
rage incident on Interstate 485 in Charlotte. Another driver said Flair
attacked him and his car.

The driver said he was on I-485 on Wednesday, trying to get out of town for
the Thanksgiving holiday and traffic was slow.

The driver said he noticed someone behind him flashing their headlights, so
he hit his brakes.

The driver said the car then pulled along side him, police said. The victim
said he immediately recognized the driver as Ric Flair.

The driver told police that Flair got out of his car, walked over to the
vehicle, grabbed him by the neck and damaged his car.

Police said there are two warrants out for Flair -- simple assault and
damage to personal property.

Flair's attorney, Richard Finnell, said Flair is unaware of the warrants. He
said Flair is in Michigan this week for a pay-per-view wrestling event.

Finnell said Flair would be back in Charlotte on Tuesday.

Survivor Series 2005 - Results

2005-11-28T19:26:00.000-05:00

I didn't actually watch the event so I can't comment on the matches however here are your Survivor Series 2005 results

Booker T d. Chris Benoit in the first of their seven match series for the U.S Championship.

Trish Stratus d. Melina to retain the Woman's Championship.

Triple H d. Ric Flair in a last man standing match

Edge introduced his new interview segment "The Cutting Edge", the crowd goes mild.

John Cena d. Kurt Angle w/Davairi

Teddy Long d. Eric Bischoff after interference from the Boogeyman

RAW v. Smackdown Survivor Series Match : Smackdown win, Orton is the sole survivor.

After the match Orton is joined in celebration by the SD roster, until the Undertaker shows up and lays out everyone bar Randy who escaped.

NJPW: Inoki sells to Yuke's

2005-11-15T21:17:00.000-05:00

According to a report at Gamasutra, Antonio Inoki sold controlling interest of New Japan Pro-Wrestling to game developer Yuke's.

Yuke's, a Japanese developer who primarily creates wrestling games, has purchased a controlling 51.5% of shares in the New Japan Pro Wrestling league from star Antonio Inoki. The deal to buy the necessary 27,800 shares in the league is scheduled to happen on November 30th...

Simon Kelly Inoki, son-in-law of Antonio Inoki, who founded the NJPW league in 1972, explained that the sale was made to fend off a potential hostile takeover by unknown investors, according to additional information translated by consumer website IGN.

Yuke's, as you may know, has been responsible for the WWE Smackdown games on the Sony PlayStation systems. What effect this may have on the promotion remians to be seen.

Jimmy Jacobs on Eddie Guerrero

2005-11-14T10:59:00.000-05:00

I don't like to post too much about industry reactions to wrestling deaths but I felt the need to point this one out from Jimmy Jacobs. If you recall last year Jacobs had a match with Eddie on SD where he got totally squashed to put over Eddie's latest sadistic gimmick. Here's a snippet:

...but that day when I found out I was working with Eddie, I went up to him and said "Hi. I'm Jimmy. I think we're working together tonight." The first thing Eddie did was apologize. "Jimmy. I want to apologize for the match. I would love to have a competitive match with you, but tonight this match needs to be %100. Please understand this is just business. I'm truly sorry, and I want to thank you for your professionalism. God willing, we'll work again under better circumstances." It really struck me that he would do that.

You can read the rest here as you learn more about the kind of man and how professional Eddie was.

WWE.com Reporting a Tragic Loss

2005-11-13T11:23:00.000-05:00

WWE.com is reporting that Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his hotel room this morning. I'll try to put more up about this as news becomes available...

I'm seriously choked up at the moment...

Update (11:43AM): Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that he has confirmed this news. He has no further information at this time.

Update (12:33PM): Wade Keller of the Pro Wrestling Torch reports that Eddie had breakfast with Chavo this morning, and at least one other wrestler, then went back up to his room. When he didn't come down in time, friends went looking for him and found him dead.

Update (12:39PM): Dave Scherer of the Pro Wrestling Insider reports that WWE is planning to make both shows tonight at the combined taping in Minneapolis a tribute to Eddie. They are adjusting the show's format to allow for tributes.

Update (1:56PM): Keller is now reporting that Eddie was found with his toothbrush in his mouth. WWE personnel are now of the belief that he died of heart failure while brushing his teeth.

TNA Genesis 2005 Preview

2005-11-13T08:38:00.000-05:00

Let's be honest here. Does anybody actually want to buy this ppv for the matches they have lined up? Does anybody actually know more than 3 of them without looking them up? No. By all accounts this is TNA ppv Generico. No major storyline developments expected. Only one title on the line. And a few of the TNA generic match listing favorites.

No. Tonight's ppv is memorable for one reason only: Christian (spoiler). Yep. The guy we all know and love. The guy WWE refused to believe was actually over with the fans. The guy who WWE lowballed during contract negotiations. The guy who could become one of the biggest named in professional wrestling.

Let's take a look at the ppv.

The Naturals & Lance Hoyt vs. Diamonds in the Rough
Most likely on the pre-show. Isn't Chase Stevens out with a broken neck? Diamonds in the Rough, for those who forgot or didn't even know, are TNA mainstays Simon Diamond, David Young and Elix Skipper. Yep, Elix giving TNA some of its best highlight reels ever is rewarded by being put in a jobber heel stable while his former tag team partner, Christopher Daniels, gets a major angle or 2.
Prediction: Lots of "Hoyt" chants. He'll probably pin David Young for the win.

Nigel McGuiness vs. Shark Boy
NIGEL! ROH's Pure Wrestling champion gets a TNA tryout match tonight which will probably also be on the pre-show. If there is any wrestler in the indies today who could benefit from the 6-sided ring it is Nigel. His European style with lots of rolls and slow, psychology-driven approach is best suited for what is essentially a rounded match area. For his sake I'm hoping he does well. I don't see too many people who are a good fit for his style in the company but damn it if he doesn't deserve a chance.
Winner: Nigel McGuiness

3 Live Kru vs. Bobby Roode & Eric Young & A-1 - Hockey Sticks Legal Match w/ Kip James as special guest referee
How do you make a match with a special guest referee even more ridiculous? Make hockey sticks legal. Team Canada has more than run its course. Let it end already and let these guys show what they can really bring to the table. Will 3LK be DQed if Konnan throws his shoe? This isn't a Throwing Shoes is Legal match...
Prediction: Will they please have B James turn on 3LK and team with Kip James already? The Outlaws could do a lot to bring back some of the Monday Night Wars audience who are turned off by WWE's current product. So just do it already. As for the match, I don't care. This is the TNA Midcard Tag Match of this ppv.

Jeff Hardy vs. Monty Brown - Contenders Match
And this is the (upper?) midcarders who aren't even feuding match of the ppv. Presumeably this sets up the winner for a title shot against NWA World Champion Jeff Jarrett. But it's a "Contenders Match". Not a "#1 Contender Match". Monty has been slow-building a rivalry between himself and the champ lately so we know who should win this match.
Prediction: Could go either way.

Samoa Joe & Christopher Daniels & Alex Shelley & Roderick Strong vs. Matt Bentley & Austin Aries & Sonjay Dutt & Chris Sabin - Survival X match
A Survival X match is like the WWE's Survivor Series match - but with X-Division workers only! This match fulfills the multi-person X-Division match of the night. Joe and Daniels have a rivalry building up. Will it result in a new tag team or a singles feud? And did you notice that there are 5 Ring of Honor workers in this match? And that 4 of them comprise the heel team?
Prediction: TNA raids ROH of more workers. Oh -- and the Joe/Daniels rivalry costs Team ROH the match.

Sabu vs. Abyss - No DQ
This match fulfills the freak.monster match of the night. This one will be ugly. Hopefully Sabu wraps his arm in bared wire again so Abyss can get himself counted out.
Prediction: Blood.

Raven vs Opponent of Larry Zbysko's Choosing
Could this be where Christian debuts? Let me take a look at the roster on their website... Who isn't getting used? We've got Apolo, Raven's lackey Cassidy Reilly, Jerelle Clark, Johnny Devine, Johnny Fairplay, Kevin Nash (it isn't him), Sean Waltman, Shocker and Sonny Siaki. If this isn't where Christian debuts fans will NOT be happy.
Prediction: Unhappy fans as Raven defeats Sonny Siaki.

A.J. Styles(c) vs. Petey Williams - X-Division Championship
Oh please, please, please keep Scott D'Amore out of this match. Off tv as well. If this match is meant to make the fans happy then just let them wrestle one on one. Again: Team Canada has run its course. End it!
Prediction: Lot's of "This is Awesome" chants as AJ poses for the crowd after doing a kick. Also it will be the perceived MOTN. AJ retains.

Team 3-D & Rhino vs. Jeff Jarrett & AMW
And now we have TNA Main Event C: The 6 man tag. People who made their names in ECW versus those synonymous with TNA. Rhino is still filling in for Kevin Nash it seems. The Deadlies are going to get revenge on all the people they heard were at the mock funeral -- because they couldn't watch it on tv. They had to hear about it. Oy... How are they blowing their money feud? And so early too? Meh...
Prediction: TNA cheats to win.

TSN-WWE News

2005-11-10T20:10:00.000-05:00

It was announced this week that TSN has picked up the Canadian contract to air Monday Night Football. They put this message up on their wrestling subsection on their website:

"WWE RAW is still very much a big part of TSN's programming lineup. During the NFL season, TSN will air RAW at 12:30am et/9:30pm pt. following the NFL game on
Monday night. TSN will also air two encores: Tuesday afternoons at 3:30pm et/12:30pm pt and an additional encore on Tuesdays in prime time."

WWE Losing Its Faithful

2005-11-01T10:41:00.000-05:00

If youve been reading this blog and enjoying it you may have noticed the lack of updates recently. Why? Because we're trying not to be negative here. But sometimes that which you love needs a slap upside the head.

I've made the decision to no longer watch Raw live. I may tape it but that fast forward button is going to be used. A lot. I still love wrestling but I am burned out on WWE.

Todd Martin's Raw review this week has a lot of commentary at the end that really says what I've been feeling. Here's a snippet:

Then you’ve got a promotion which for the past month has just been
hotshotting whatever they can think of. There is no discipline, no
stability, and no greater philosophy. This reminds me of the October 1995 In
Your House. After the card failed on so many levels, and the promotion felt
in serious problem, Vince McMahon threw a fit in front of the audience after
the show went off the air. Things started to get better after that.

So why isn't this happening now? The shows are obviously horrible. Are Vince's rose-tinted glasses a little too tinted? It's no secret that his daughter, Stephanie, has been in charge of the creative aspects of the company. And in that she has been a miserable failure more time than not. How many times now has her handling resulted in Austin or another incredibly talented performer to leave the company? Quite simply, if this really were Hollywood and she delivered this many bombs and animosity among talent then she would not have her job.

But it isn't even all her fault. Add to it JR retiring from his position as head of talent relations and the promotion of Johnny Ace to the job. You know the guy: the one who helped piss off even more of the wrestlers in WCW. In an admittedly biased column, self-proclaimed JR loyalist Dr. Tom Prichard said this about Ace:

Of course he did a lot of great things with WCW and his instituted dress code along with handing out fines for guys who were even two minutes late made him show the corporate brass at Time Warner that he was a man they could count on to get those no-good, degenerate wrestlers in line. And boy did he ever! He turned that company and locker room morale around like nobody's business! I guess that still holds true today...

I have heard so many negative things said about Ace and his recent firings, finings, and dress code. All he's trying to do is make the company, and in the process the boys, a classy and better perceived product. Just look at the results so far.

Is this what they mean when they say "westling is cyclical"? I think there is an element of truth to that little cheap shot. Wrestling is, was and always will be a boys' club centered more on politics and loyalty. The workhorses get sent to the glue factory while the pigs in fancy dress and slick way of talking get to move into the house. Why would you want people who get results to be the face of the company when you can get the smooth operator?

Something that Vince and the WWE do not understand is that wrestling isn't seen as being that low brow anymore. You had this huge war between to companies that got international attention and drew in just a massive fanbase. You have college professors openly admitting to being fans and writing articles on the product. You have crossover stars like the Rock who people will always remember as being a wrestler.

The problem is not the image! The problem is the handling. There is no need to micromanage every aspect of the company. Look at the results so far: lower ratings, lowr buyrates, lower gates, less merchandising (with exceptions to all of course). What brought in more people was the unpredictability of the product. It was not an attempt to emulate a soap opera. The long speeches delivered with all the skill and emotion of an Emmy acceptance speech is not going to keep people around.

The WWE, to put it simply, is just trying to hard in every single way it is not needed. They have a huge talent base between their two brands and their two developmental territories. Use them! Give them the chance to get over. And if they look like they will, and this is important, LET IT HAPPEN! The company had a huge star waiting to happen in Christian. WWE essentially did to him what WCW did to Chris Jericho: depush, devalue, underutilize, lowball. What does the company have to lose by allowing somebody to get over because of their own creativity and work ethic?

Rather than focusing on non-sensical melodramatics and professional dress, the company needs to do what all entertainment companies need to do: put out work that captivates the current and potential audience. Forsaking the current audience for the potential is never a good idea. In the comic book industry in the 1990s, you had a ton f publishers doing gimmicks like holograph covers, variant covers, near naked women books, and just a complete flooding of the market. And the end result? It crashed. Big time. Why? Because inside these shiny devices the product was hollow at best, outright attrocious at worst.

Redressing your product for the speculators may work temporarily but that is a very fickle fanbase. They'll get up and move to the next "in" thing. That's why you don't focus on them. Focus on the core. Appease them. When the buzz is back then the speculators will return. During the height of the Monday Night Wars you had around 10 million people watching any given week. That means there are about 6-7 million people who at one time enjoyed professional wrestling. Pretending the product is something that it isn't is not going to bring them back. They know what you are. So stop being bullheaded and just fucking do it.

Christian Quits WWE!

2005-10-31T13:13:00.000-05:00

WWE.com is reporting that Christian has quit the WWE. Bob Ryder of 1wrestling.com has put up a notice that, according to his sources, Christian did not renew his recently-expired contract. What this means ladies and gentlemen is that, if true, Christian is NOT UNDER WWE's typical 90-day No Compete clause (ala Matt Hardy) and could IMMEDIATELY sign with another fed. Naturally many are assuming he'll end up in TNA, but there's no confirmation about that as of yet.

I'll update this as more news comes out.

UPDATE (1:35PM): Dave Meltzer of the Pro Wrestling Observer has given a quick update on the situation, saying that Christian was asked to sign a new contract on the spot and did not sign. His last television match with WWE was taped last night in Los Angeles.

ROH Live Report - October 15, 2005

2005-10-15T18:12:00.000-04:00

Last night, I attended my first ever live Ring of Honor event which was (not so coincidentally) their Cleveland debut show. I’ve been to a number of wrestling events the past few years as WWE passed through town and a few indy shows. But no show was nearly as fun for me as a wrestling fan. At least not since the ECW debut show here in the summer of 1998.

I’ll spare you pre-show details like looking over DVDs and eating a pre-show snack. Because hell, that doesn’t even interest me.

My friends and I took our seats — front row, off the ramp, center. Great seats. No ring post in the way or anything like that.

The show opened at 8 PM. ROH Commentator Dave Prazak came down to bring out the new ROH World Champion, “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson. Europe’s “The Final Countdown” kicks out and he makes his appearance just after the intro. He’s dressed in a shirt of the Californian wrestler nicknamed “Top Gun” (sorry, can’t recall his full name), sweater, jeans and New Balance shoes. He clears his throat a bit mockingly.

He tells fans how great it is to be in Cleveland which gets him a little heat. He yells out “Hey! I’m the World Champ. I can say whatever I want!” He then talks about how some world champs think that you have to dress a certain way if you want to carry a title and discusses his clothing saying he obviously doesn’t agree. He then thanks the former world champs for making the belt what it is today. Low Ki, Xavier, Samoa Joe, Austin Aries…

“Personal Jesus” blasts as Aries makes his way down to the ring. Danielson never got to mention CM Punk or James Gibson which is curious; anyway, Aries says that they have a match against each other tonight. He already ended the longest ROH World Title reign -- Samoa Joe’s 2 year run -- and tonight he will end the shortest. He heads to the back.

Danielson says he can’t allow that to happen since Aries now works for TNA. A “Fuck TNA” chant breaks out and Danielson quickly hushes that one up. He says it’s great that there is an alternative wrestling program on tv now to the WWE. He adds that he doesn’t want Aries as champ because of the commitment he has to TNA. The ROH title is about freedom. And to hold the title means you represent wrestling freedom from corporate interests. He says he’s out to keep have a long title reign. The promo ends and he heads back.

Match 1
Claudio Castagnoli vs Nigel McGuinness in a non-title match
Nigel is the current ROH Pure Wrestling champion. The rules of these matches are kinda weird. You’re only allowed 3 ring breaks and other odd things like that. This match is under normal rules. Claudio comes out first. I’ve never seen him wrestle before. He’s all pimped out wearing flashy clothes. He’s sorta heelish but good natured about it. Nigel them comes out with the belt and holding his iron with the UK flag on the bottom. He has a great t-shirt. It has his name done like the Guinness logo. On the back it says “No Bumps Necessary” which sums up his European style very well.

Beginning of the match we see a lot of the classic counter style match-up which the crowd (myself included) really appreciated. Some of the counters were very innovative. One spot had Nigel grounding Claudio in a headlock to the mat. Claudio maneuvered his head loose a bit, did a handstand, and walked on his hands away from Nigel.

Every once in a while they’d offer a handshake and it would be accepted. Until Claudio slowly pulled his hand back and away once with a “HEAAAAY”. From there we got a ton of stiff European uppercuts, kicks, slaps and slams. The match was mostly about them countering each other. Instead of kicking out they would grab the ropes which says to me that they are leading to a Pure Wrestling matchup soon. Eventually Claudio picks up the win with a backslide (IIRC).

Post match, Claudio heads to the back. Nigel complains that Claudio didn’t respect the code of honor and shake his hand. Claudio comes back out, pretends he will pull back but doesn’t. They shake, Nigel acts like he will attack, but doesn’t. Very, very good match. You don’t get a match rating because I don’t do that.

Match 2
Rickey Reyes vs Matt Stryker
When Reyes came out he walked past me and my friends. A friend commented “He’s shorter than me!” I should point out at 6’ tall, I am quite a bit taller than these friends. And most ROH and other indy workers. This Stryker is not the same one we saw in the mini-feud with Kurt angle recently. This one used the name first and is just as good a worker.

Short, brutal match which saw Reyes pretty much tear through Stryker but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a squash. Reyes picks up the victory with a choke. I’m not sure if Stryker tapped or passed out. Reyes heads to the back to cheers. Post-match Stryker gets up and is angry. He heads to the back. After Reyes…?

Match 3
Lacey’s Angels (BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs) vs Tony Mamaluke & Sal Rinauro (c) for the ROH Tag Team Championship
Lacey is absolutely gorgeous in person. Not to be rude, but she looks like what people seem to think Stephanie looks like. I also had the benefit of her standing right in front of me the entire match as she wore a short skirt. Great legs… anyway, Jimmy Jacobs, you may recall, was on Smackdown a few months back defeating Eddie Guererro via DQ when Eddie kept hitting him with a chair. As a face he wore furry boots and would yell out a Berserker “Huss” to the crowd. But now as a heel, they are sadly gone. “Eye of the Tiger” kicks out which brings us the arrival of Tony and Sal. I’ve never seen Sal before and was very entertained by him.

Match stared off very comedic. One spot had Tony Mamaluke, after getting worn down a bit by the other team finally putting one of them in an arm wringer and tagging out. Sal came in, wrang the arm again, and immediately tagged a shocked Tony back in. Tony wrang the arm, tagged Sal back in. Repeat a couple times.

Eventually the match spills to the outside where it starts getting brutal. A few “Holy Shit” chants bust out as we see some stiff shots and high flying. Back in the ring, Whitmer and Jacobs are in control again for a while until the Italians make a bit of a comeback. Lots of back and forth action and a few near falls until Tony and Sal use a double team move off the top for the win and to retain the titles. After the match they are forced to shake hands (because it was a title match). They do grudgingly. But BJ is furious and wants to tear them apart. Jacobs holds him back and Lacey eventually calms him down enough for Tony and Sal to leave safely. This write-up doesn’t give this match justice at all. Sorry…

Match 4
Roderick Strong vs Jimmy Yang
Strong was AJ Styles’s opponent in the first match on TNA’s Spike TV Impact debut. He also was mentored by Jamie Noble (aka James Gibson) as well so you know where he’s coming from in the ring. Jimmy Yang (Akio in the WWE) came out to a pretty damn big pop. He’s picked up a bit of mass since we last saw him. This match was fun as hell. We got chops, kicks, chops, kicks, chops, chops, and more chops. I don’t think anybody in wrestling chops harder than Strong. Akio’s chest was more lit up than the keg queen at a frat party. Despite some very stiff shots once in a while you’d see Yang just break out into a grin at the reactions to the match. He definitely looked like a star here. You couldn’t help but feel happy for him. Yang attempted to hit the Yang Time once, but got caught. Tried again, but Roderick moved that time. Eventually Roderick wins with his series of backbreakers and a driver of some sort. Yang left to a standing ovation.

Match 5
Colt Cabana & Steve Corino vs Homicide & Low-Ki of the Rottweilers
Oh man. This was some funny shit. Steve Corino and Colt Cabana came out together to Corino’s “La Fortuna” techno remix theme. But… Corino was dressed like CM Punk! He was wearing Punk’s old baggy shorts. Where Punk has a tattoo on his stomach saying “Straight Edge” Corino used a marker to wrte “I Love Beer”. Where Punk has the Pepsi tattoo on his shoulder, Corino wrote “Almost Alcohol Free”. I couldn’t quite make out what he wrote on the shoulder where Punk has the Cobra tattoo unfortunately. The crowd started pounding the drum beat to Punk’s face theme -- AFI’s “Miseria Cantare (The Beginning)”. Then Corino’s ring announcer, Bryan Reagal, grabbed the mic.

Reagal and Corino always have a long list of names to read off for whatever reason whether it’s a list of wrestlers from Philadelphia (where Corino is also from) or reading Colt’s list of women he’d like to have a 3-way with. One thing you can count on: You’ll laugh. I’ll do a bit of paraphrasing on this.

“Tonight we’re mourning the loss of a great wrestler to the Evil Empire also known as the WWE. Tonight we will read off a list of wrestlers whose careers have been ruined because of the Evil Empire:

Ludwig Borga, TL Hopper, Duke “the Dumpster” Drosse, the Goon, Freddy Joe Floyd (“Tracy” chant broke out), Techno Team 2000, Simon Dean (am I the ONLY one who likes this gimmick?), Salvatore Sincere, Bastion Booger…” There were probably a few more but I can’t recall.

He ended it by reading off a very upper-middle class preppy name and said “You may know him better as CM Punk. Mr. Punk will be held prisoner of the Evil Empire for another 997 days. We will now offer a 5 bell salute in the memory of CM Punk’s career. We would do a 10 bell salute but the Evil Empire owns the rights to it.”

The bell sounds 5 times. Then the Rottweilers come out. Their manager, Julius Smokes, wasn’t with them tonight which was disappointing to me. Colt Cabana and Homicide are involved in the beginning of what should be a fantastic feud. Match started with Homicide and a bloated Corino in the ring. They were about to lock up when Homicide backed up and tagged Low-Ki in. Colt reached over and slapped Corino’s back tagging himself in. He said to Ki “I ain’t afraid of you! Let’s go!”

The match started off really slow, but stiff. Eventually Homicide gets tagged back in. He slides to the outside in frustration. He grabs an empty can of Red Bull and rips it in half, wincing a bit when it poked him unexpectedly. He puts half in his pocket to use later. Corino tells the ref to check his pockets. ‘Cide insists he has nothing. The ref finds it and yells at him and throws it out.

This match was brutal after the slow start. Whether it was really loud slaps to the face, chops, punches, ear biting or Ki’s jumping double stomps you know they all had to be sore as hell.

The match spilled to the outside a couple times. One time Corino was getting the hell beat out of him. Homicide throws him into the corner about 3 feet in front of me. The railing jumped back about a foot into me. Homicide grabbed Corino and slapped him really hard in the face. He grabbed a folding chair (plastic, not steel) and hit Corino in the stomach, then just crushed it over Corino’s head. A “Holy Shit!” chant broke out and deservedly so. I’ve heard that the plastic chairs actually hurt more because there is less give to them. If true, Corino had to be hurt pretty frigging bad because that chair bent back. The ref took the chair from ‘Cide as Corino slumped to the floor knocked out.

Low-Ki came out and dragged Corino back into the ring to try to get the pin. Colt breaks it up. Low-Ki does some more jumping stomps to both men as Homocide just keeps slapping Corino in the face. Somehow Colt ended up draped across the second rope. Low-Ki got to the top turbuckle, leaped off, and stomped Colt hard on his back. When Colt got up later there was a huge red welt mark from where his chest was draped across the rope. Homicide held Corino out, face up. Low-Ki went to the top turnbuckle again, leapt and stomped Corino in the face knocking him out of ‘Cide’s arms. God damn this was brutal.

I’m not sure of the sequence but somehow Corino ended up getting the pin on Homicide. After the match both teams wanted to keep fighting. Homicide grabbed the mic saying it wasn’t over. Corino then took off the Punk shorts, laid them in the middle of the ring and grabbed the mic. “I’ll probably get fired again by Gabe for this since I’m not supposed to be on the mic tonight. I just wanted to let you guys know that it feels great to be back in ROH and I promise I won’t stay gone this long again. And remember, only 997 days until CM Punk can return to wrestling.”

Now we enter intermission. I talk a bit to my friends and see some of the local CAPW workers in the crowd. I didn’t talk to them since I have never said more than “Great work” to them. JT Lightning, owner of CAPW gives me a flyer advertising his next show. Scheduled is Chris Hamrick vs Jerry Lynn.

Intermission ends and we move to a match featuring ROH Training Camp workers.

Match 6
Bobby Dempsey & Pelle Premeau vs. Davey Andrews & Shane Hagadorn
So how was this one? Non-existent. Prince Nana came out and cut a fantastic little promo first saying that nobody wanted to see people still in training in a wrestling match so why is this even on? He talks about how the Embassy has picked up a monster of their very own. He stands in front of me as he names him – “ABYSS!”

Big guy. Real big! Huge head too. A friend of mine only got into wrestling recently and doesn’t really follow it very much. He wondered how Kane was able to work for ROH. I thought he was kidding at first LOL.

Abyss and Nana get in the ring. All four trainees swarm Abyss who throws them all down and does his pose. He just runs right through them. Nana grabs the smallest guy and delivers a sick looking suplex to him. I was wondering if he was hurt. Another trainee runs back in and tries to attack Abyss. What happens? Black Hole Slam!

Nana grabs the mic again. “What are you? Stupid? Are you stupid? How can you attack this man? Nobody in ROH has what it takes to take down this monster! Nobody has the guts to stop Abyss!” And out comes Jack Evans with Jade Chung!

Match 7
Abyss (w/ Prince Nana) vs Jack Evans (w/ Jade Chung)
Jade Chung recently split from the Embassy after months of abuse at their hands. Nana is very upset that she’s out there with Jack (who is a member of Generation Next along with Austin Aries and Roderick Strong). We get a very typical monster/jobber squash here. At one point, however, Jack gets Abyss out of the ring. Jack jumps to the middle of the top rope hitting a springboard sky twister press onto both Abyss and Nana. Impressive! Eventually Abyss hit the Black Hole Slam for the 3.

Nana grabs the mic and orders Abyss to kill Jack. Jade slides in and lays over top of him to protect him. Nana says “Fine! Kill her!” Roderick Strong runs out with a chair and chases them away. He picks Jack up, carries him on his back and leaves with Jade Chung at his side.

Match 8
Jimmy Rave & Alex Shelley (the Embassy) vs Samoa Joe & Jay Lethal
Rave is excellence. He wears a blue and gold robe to the ring and uses a song from Ben Hur as his theme. As he gets in the ring and disrobes, 3 rolls of toilet paper get thrown in the ring at him. He is pissed and throws them back out at the crowd. Then Lethal and Joe come out. Joe is insanely over. As they stand in the ring the crowd launches into a schoolyard taunt of “Joe’s gonna kill you” as a chant. Joe smiles as the Embassy (sans Nana and now Abyss) get upset.

Lethal and Rave to start. Lethal tags in Joe. Crowd chants “Fuck him up, Joe, fuck him up!” clap clap Joe points to the crowd chanting. Shelley runs up to Joe and gives him a few knife edge chops. Joe no sells. Shelley goes to the corner and tags in Rave. Rave doesn’t want in! Rave goes to Joe and gives him a few knife edge chops. No sell! Rave turns around, tags Shelley back in. He doesn’t want back in! Knife edge chops onto Joe. Nothing. Rave gets tagged in. Shelley to the apron and turns around to face the crowd, afraid to look. Rave walks up to Joe, turns around, closes his eyes. Walks back to Shelley without doing anything, slaps his back to tag him back in. Shelley gets in. Is about to do the same thing but Rave jumps down and pretends to be yelling at a fan.

Joe gets to work taking out Shelley. Lethal tagged in, some teamwork, but eventually ends up taking some punishment. He then plays Ricky Morton for most of the match as Shelley and Rave work him over. Lethal finally gets a tag in to Joe and Joe gets to work taking out the Embassy. Rave hits Joe with a surprise move and capitalizes. Lethal helps out some as the four men battle. Joe hits some of his trademark kicks and knees. He gets double teamed and Lethal assists once again. Some back and forth from here with Lethal looking strong. Eventually Joe hits the muscle buster for the win. Fun match. How long until Lethal turns heel on his mentor Joe…?

Match 9 – The Main Event
Austin Aries vs “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson(c) – ROH World Championship
Wow. You know something? Words can’t do this match justice. It was an amazing match. It starts out with a lot of chain wrestling similar to Nigel/Claudio, but more traditional. Both men are over HUGE. Crowds alternately chanting “Let’s Go Dragon” and “Austin Aries”. The crowd is so appreciative of the skills being displayed in the first 10 minutes or so. Eventually Danielson takes control and starts working over Aries’s arm. Twisting, hitting, kicking, bending, contorting, that arm is thoroughly getting worked over.

Daneilson ties Aries up on the ropes and works on his arm. The ref starts his count. Gets to 4, Danielsen releases. “I have ‘til 5!” He does it again. Ref counts. Releases again at 4. “I told you: I have ‘til 5!” That should be on his t-shirt. Austin gets out of a hold and fights his way back. His arm his hurt.

The match moves onto more catch as catch can with kicks, chops, suplexes and slams. Ground work is then displayed again as Aries tries to fight Danielson off then succeeds and does his own. Then the kicks and hits and slams start again as we get some innovative exchanges. Danielson catches Aries in some mat-based action. At one point he goes for the surfboard, can’t get it, so he just jumps and stomps the back of Aries’s legs. He tries again. He grabs the arms and starts rocking back with a “Whooooa!” each time. Finally gets it on.

More back and forth and they are stiff as hell. Both of their chests are red with welt marks. Aries is in control for a while, getting some near falls. Danielson catches him again though and works on the arm some more. At one point Danielson is holding Aries in a very weird position. Danielson’s head was pressed back and his cheek was lying on his own back! How is that possible? Aries tries to fight back but Danielson catches him. A suplex (IIRC) and he holds onto the arm, twists it back and catches Aries in the crossface chickenwing! Aries taps and Danielson retains! Standing ovation for both men.

Again, my write-up doesn’t do the match justice. The crowd was hot throughout with both men very over with the crowd. They shake hands and Aries goes to the back. A “Dragon” chant breaks out and turns into an “ROH” chant. Danielson hops out of the ring and sees the response -- with everbody in the front row pounding on the steel signs covering the guardrail in unison with the chant. He puts the belt on his shoulder and pounds on the ring apron joining in with the chant. He holds the belt high to a sustained standing ovation.

A few notes: During the first half of the show, ROH owner and booker Gabe Sapolsky was in the balcony watching the event. I’m not sure where he was for the second half but I’m sure he was watching somewhere. The entire floor of the Grey’s Armory was full but no seats in the upper deck. I’d say there were at least 500 people there which is a very good crowd considering A) they’ve never been here before, B) there was relatively little promotion and C) they aren’t even on tv anywhere, existing solely on the strength of the internet and sales through their website. At intermission they announced they would be returning on January 28, 2006 and tickets were on sale now. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the cash to get a ticket last night. But I am definitely returning for that show. If ROH has a show anywhere near where you live I encourage you to go. If you’ve never seen them, buy a DVD from their website. You don’t want to miss the best wrestling promotion going in the United States.

On Booking - Part 2: the Smart Audience

2005-10-12T13:49:00.000-04:00

As the American wrestling scene continues to be dominated by the WWE it’s hard not to see them as representatives of the scene entirely. This represents a number of problems for us as wrestling fans. The biggest problem, of course, is the booking. Who does the WWE creative team want as an audience? Do they want the longtime fans? Do they want a new, hip audience? What demographics are they shooting for? In my views, the WWE is floundering; unable to make a distinction as to which crowd they want.

In this series of articles I will be taking a look at various aspects of what makes a WWE show and the problems with each. These booking aspects are comedy, booking to the smart audience, edginess/traditional booking and pet favorites.

If you wish to read the earlier installment, please click the link below.
Part 1: Comedy

2. Booking to the Smart Audience
Let’s face it: chances are if you’re reading this you are part of the “smart” crowd of wrestling. This automatically means that you are not the intended audience of a WWE program. Despite being the “internet age” there are still plenty of wrestling fans who don’t get online and read the dirt sites or read the dirt sheets with any regularity. Like the majority of the audience, even the casual fan today knows that wrestling is scripted. But the similarities between the audiences ends there.

Wrestling promoters now regularly admit that their shows are scripted during off-camera promos. But a few years ago wrestling audiences were treated with this knowledge during the shows. This treat came to us via Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara. What we’d see in these shows is the Boss gimmick telling workers on camera that they wanted them to lose or sometimes even having workers discuss what they will do in their matches together just before they have their matches.

I don’t think I really need to get into the problem with that type of booking but for clarities sake I will. Actually, I think I do very well need to precisely because it expresses the problem with booking to the smart audience. There is a concept in narrative storytelling called metatext. Metatext, to put it simply, is when the narrative stops addressing the story itself and starts addressing the process behind drafting the story.

We’ve all encountered metatext before whether it was covert such as the author expressing his difficulties in writing through a character or whether it is incredibly over such as with the film Adaptation which was about screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s struggles to adapt an unadaptable book for the big screen. Many people, such as myself, are fans of this literary device while many others are not.

With wrestling metatext can sometimes be unavoidable. It’s a business fueled by testosterone and ego. Wrestlers will sometimes go out and cut a borderline promo on his rival and bring up facts from real life to try to draw heat. The successful promos rely on material that has been in the news recently or will focus on something readily evident to the audience but not focused on in the storylines. The poor ones do not.

The major problem with metatext is that it pulls the viewer out of the experience and forces them to watch from a different perspective. If it isn’t handled with care, the jolt of becoming metatextual can confuse or otherwise put off the viewer from a pleasurable viewing experience. Of course, in rarer cases, it can help bring the viewer into it.

When booking to the smart crowd, a promoter will tend to either live or die by the metatext. The successful bookings that rely on these ideas will merely use the information as a jumping on point. From what could be as innocuous as a throwaway comment in a promo or as involving as a storyline that follows the ideas, a booker has enough rope to either hang himself or build a bridge to the next level in the company.

Years ago, ECW found themselves in a position where their audience were savvy enough to know some ins and outs of the industry. So they did what they had to do to survive: they found new ways to work the audience. Whether it was allowing former WCW or WWF workers to vent on their programming or creating new scenarios and “leaking” reports that an event was “real” they garnered a reputation of “keeping it real”. By using innovative methods a small promotion became one of the most beloved (and missed) promotions of all time.

But where ECW did it well, most every other attempt in the major feds in recent years has failed. Excepting the excellent “Loose Cannon” Brian Pillman angle in WCW, I’d say nearly every attempt to garner this reputation of the real has been a miserable flop. To be fair, sometimes it isn’t the fault of the writers/bookers but sometimes an announcer may have been at fault and, many other times, the workers themselves were unable to sell it.

To book to the smart fans is to handle fine china at the end of a stick; a balance is needed or there will be a mess to sweep away. And when an attempt fails, promoters tend to not hesitate to sweep the mess up under a rug and hope that the fans don’t see it. Problem is, the fans the mess happened to be booked to are the fans who will remember. Excepting a few early examples, WWE seems to have (somewhat) learned this lesson.

Another major problem with metatext is the inherent laziness involved. When WCW was on its sickbed, they tended to be quite lazy in the creative department. Let me illustrate my point: One instance that sticks out is when Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo demanded that Sid Vicious return the WCW Heavyweight Championship to them. Upon Sid’s reluctance to drop the title, Eric quipped “What are you going to do? Stab me with a pair of scissors?”

Let’s examine that a moment. Here we have what is essentially a throwaway line. Not a problem until you consider that it is a throwaway line that only a small percentage of the fan base will understand. Now, this small fan base may be shocked or even appreciate that something is booked for their little group but this group isn’t going to care enough that it will benefit the company. This leaves us with the rest of the viewers. What they get from this is confusion. Why would the heel, with a smirk on his face and bass in his voice, accuse the babyface champion of attacking somebody with a pair of scissors? This isn’t how a face would act. And they certainly never saw this on television. So what you get is the belt being handed over for something only a small part of the viewers understood and a much larger viewership confused.

If this had been at a smaller, more intimate regional or otherwise underground promotion then chances are most of the audience would understand. But this was at the number two promotion in the country. The bookers made the decision to use a very intriguing real life event from the past and trivialize it. Yet in the trivialization, they attach this event to a major moment in the direction of the company. And given the hero/villain roles in the provided example, fans are left to contemplate the characterization they had just been presented.

Sadly, the scissor comment is one example of many. Writers in WWF/E (and WCW when it was around) routinely make the mistake of not considering the implications of metatextual writing. Before committing to this brand of storytelling a writer has a few steps he must consider:

1) Will this help the storyline?
2) If it doesn’t matter for the storyline, will it help with character development?
3) Should the viewership not know the reference will it take away from the show for them?
4) Will my performers effectively sell this?
5) Is there any other course of action I could take?

If the writer have more “No”s than “Yes”es then he needs to explore another direction. But as a creative person the writer should welcome the challenge. An important factor in being a creative writer is being creative. Laziness and shortcuts will only work so far and are generally not an effective foundation to the story being built.

An even more dangerous route to go is to take the real and to draft a long-term storyline around it. As we’ve seen countless times whether it was the Hogan/Kidman feud in WCW or the more recent Matt Hardy/Edge feud, there is far too little room for error in storylines that involve working the real.

These extended storylines tend to involve the same pratfalls as the metatextual throwaway lines but, because the storyline is derived from real situations and conflicts, the presentation needs to be handled with even more care. With the extended meta textual storylines a major problem is following the text too closely and not allowing the workers the levity they would need to bring it to life. It’s understandable that the writers feel the need to make it seem as real as possible so, in their eyes, it is best to present the real in as close a manner as possible. Unfortunately, this seldom, if ever, works.

A key component to writing is to bring out the truth in the given story. Now, something may have “really happened that way” but that doesn’t necessarily follow that it will ring true to an audience. And, usually, it does not. Instead the audience is left with something that seems unbelievable, or worse, something that seems like a static, reproduced photocopy of an original that may have the same characteristics of the source material but is actually dull, lifeless and lacking heart.

With the reality-derivative storyline, one major aspect that is often ignored is that of the announcers. Not to slight anybody, but when it comes to these storylines the people who tend to ruin them the most is the announce team. And this really isn’t their fault. Their role is to sell the action on-screen to the audience at home. Now, when there is a storyline that is not a standard script, then the announcer do need to adjust accordingly. They can’t yell too much but they also can’t get too quiet either. If the script calls for this to be shown on the air then they need to find the right balance for the announcers to perform.

I haven’t got an answer for how this could be done better, I just know it can be. It’s really something that needs worked on and I think the best course of action would be to review tapes of newscasters reporting on major events as they happen. They tend to remain calmer and less secretive. Perhaps that is a direction to go, but again, I can’t say for sure.

[One aspect I haven’t discussed is the political nature of the wrestling industry. Often the promoter will get in the way of the script and use it to push his own favorite stars in spite of the storyline. But this discussion we will leave for another day.]

Metatextual writing is a sometimes important literary device but it isn’t one that can be handled by just anybody. It takes a very capable writer to properly handle it. To be fair, many of my favorite authors have done metatext to less than desirable effects. In a bastard medium such as professional wrestling, you not only have the writers handling the scripted portion but you also have to rely on the performers to make it work, the announcers to further sell it and audience response to give that little extra nudge to the singular viewer. A failure at any one of those stages, especially in the case of metatext, can be very detrimental to the product. If a writer isn’t strong enough to write something convincing, believable and known to the audience then they either need to hand off the responsibilities for the segment to a more capable writer or be creative and find another way to make the angle work.

WWE Fans Fired By Vince

2005-10-10T23:13:00.000-04:00

Creative has nothing for us.

Brock Lesnar: New IWGP Champion

2005-10-10T17:10:00.000-04:00

On October 8. 2005 Brock Lesnar defeated Kazuyuki Fujita and Masahiro Chono to become the new IWGP Champion in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Chono, as you may recall, was the first Japanese wrestler to join the nWo back in WCW. The finish came when Brock delivered the Verdict (don't call it the F5!) first on Fujita then to Chono whom he pinned for the win after about 7 minutes of action. Following the match, Brock is presented with a trophy and the IWGP Championship. He and Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki shake hands before Lesnar heads back to the locker room.

WWE No Mercy 2005 Results

2005-10-10T10:33:00.000-04:00

Much to my surprise, and I'm fairly certain many others', there was a WWE Smackdown PPV last night. I know...shocking right? Anyway, if you came here first to discover the results (and if you did, I love you) here they are. If you came here hoping for snarking on the results...well, I haven't seen the PPV yet, so I can't snark. Sorry.

Here's the results:

Match on Sunday Night Heat:

William Regal & Paul Burchill def Brian Kendrick & Paul London

PPV:

(1) Road Warrior Animal, John Heidenreich & Christy Hemme def MNM

(2) Bobby Lashley def Simon Dean

(3) Benoit def Orlando Jordan, Booker T and Christian to retain the US Heavweight Title

(4) Ken Kennedy (KENNEDY!!!) def Bob Holly

(5) JBL def Rey Mysterio, Jr.

(6) The Ortons def The Undertaker in a casket match

(7) Juventud Guerrera def Nunzio to win the Cruiserweight Title

(8) Batista def Eddie Guerrero to retain the World Heavyweight Title

ROH News & Results 10/05/05

2005-10-05T14:49:00.000-04:00

It's no secret that I consider Ring of Honor to be the most entertaining wrestling promotion going on today. In 9 days I will be sitting in the front row as I watch my first ever ROH live event as it debuts here in my home city of Cleveland, Ohio. The card that has been announced so far has my excitement level building up with each passing day. Here is some news from the promotion this week (including new matches listed for the Cleveland debut) and match results from this weekends spectaculars which features Japanese wrestling legend Kenta Kobashi.

ROH News & Notes:
- Two new matches have been signed for the Cleveland debut on 10/14. One is a first time ever dream match pitting Roderick Strong vs. Jimmy Yang!
- Prince Nana has taken advantage of an open contract and signed a mismatch for 10/14 in Cleveland. Generation Next signed an open contract for any member of Gen Next to face any member of The Embassy. Prince Nana has taken advantage of that contract to sign a David vs. Goliath type match as Abyss takes on Jack Evans!
- Your new ROH Commissioner is none other than the legendary Jim Cornette!!! Commissioner Cornette will have a video message for all the fans later this week here at ROHwrestling.com
- Claudio Castagnoli has earned a spot as a regular in ROH with his upset victory over Colt Cabana in Manhattan and strong showing in Philadelphia last weekend
- There was some kind of attack on Roderick Strong in the locker room after his match against James Gibson on Sunday.
- New ROH Tag Team Champions Tony Mamaluke & Sal Rinauro have stated that they will be fighting champions. They have already signed on for title defenses in Cleveland on 10/14 and Buffalo on 10/15. Cleveland will see former champions and new Lacey's Angels BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs with Lacey get their rematch vs. Mamaluke & Rinauro. Ricky Reyes has cashed in his prize for being on the winning team at the "Trios Tournament" and will team with Homicide to challenge the tag champions on 10/15 in Buffalo.
- 10/29 in Woodbridge, CT. It will be Colt Cabana vs. Homicide
- ROH officials have already decided that there will be no commentary during the Kenta Kobashi vs. Samoa Joe match from 10/1 on the home release.
- Kenta Kobashi and Samoa Joe each suffered numerous injuries after their weekend matches. Kobashi had one of his teeth broken in half. Joe suffered a minor ankle injury, but will be fine to compete on upcoming shows. Of course, both men where covered in bruises.

And speaking of Samoa Joe/Kobashi, here are the results from the two ROH shows Kobashi was on:

ROH Results from 10/01/05 in Manhattan:
- Claudio Castagnoli def Colt Cabana due to distraction from Homicide and other members of the Rottweilers
- Christopher Daniels def Azrael and Matt Sydal in a Three-Way Dance
- Tony Mamaluke & Sal Rinauro def BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs to win the ROH Tag Team championships
- ROH Pure champion Nigel McGuiness pinned Jay Lethal
- Roderick Strong defeated Jimmy Rave in a grudge match. Prince Nana accompanied Rave and was dragging Jade Chung around on a leash. At the end of the match Jade Chung finally turned on Nana and Rave. She and Roderick left together.
- Ricky Reyes forced ROH student Pelle Primeau to tap out in 2-3 minutes
- James Gibson def. Jimmy Yang via tap out with the guillotine choke
- Jack Evans def. Homicide after Colt Cabana distracted Homicide. After the match there was a war of words between Homicide and Cabana.
- Kobashi def. Samoa Joe is what was said to a fantastic match that was stiff as hell. One spot reportedly had Kobashi hit Joe with a flurry of about 50 unaswered knife edge chops.

ROH Results from 10/02/05 in Philladelphia
- Tony Mamaluke & Sal Rinauro def. The Ring Crew Express
- Matt Sydal pinned Jimmy Rave (w/Prince Nana). Jade Chung prevented Rave from cheating to win.
- Jay Lethal beat Claudio Castignoli and Davey Andrews and Nigel McGuiness when Lethal hit Andrews with a Tiger Suplex for the win.
- Ricky Reyes beat another ROH student.
- Percy Prinlge came out to say he is the new ROH Commissioner. This brings out Jim Cornette who reveals that it is really he who is Commish.
- Roderick Strong def. James Gibson in what is supposed to be a great match.
- B.J. Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs def. Lacey's Angel (Deranged & Izzy). To begin with Lacey stated that she was tired of losing so she fired all the Angels and acquired the services of BJ and Jacobs
- Colt Cabana def. Jack Evans
- Christopher Daniels def. Jimmy Yang
- Kenta Kobashi & Homicide def. Samoa Joe & Low Ki in what was supposed to be another excellent match.

More Academic Wrestling

2005-10-02T16:03:00.000-04:00

I approached “Wrestling with Hypermasculinity” by Patrice Oppliger (McFarland & Company) with some apprehension. The title led me to believe that the book would be about gender roles and portrayals in wrestling, which I assumed would lead to the usual overwritten academic discourse blaming wrestling for violence, world hunger, global warming, lost socks in dryers, etc. etc.: the standard rant that watching wrestling is inherently dangerous (especially for child viewers) and wrestling is therefore responsible for everything bad in the world.

To some extent my apprehension was unjustified. The book is written in reasonably clear language, and the title is somewhat misleading, because the book deals with more than gender issues; it looks at how storylines and characters in wrestling have evolved along with trends in popular culture in general. Oppliger admits that she is a wrestling fan, and in the course of her research actually goes to wrestling shows (including some indy shows) and interviews audience members. She also conducted her own survey on a group of schoolchildren to assess whether watching wrestling has anything to do with aggressive tendencies or behaviour.

However, despite these good qualities, on balance I found the book very unsatisfying for a number of reasons. First, Oppliger makes the point early in the book, based on her survey of media effects literature, that it’s difficult to determine causality when looking at whether exposure to violence in media causes violent behaviour (i.e. does the exposure cause the violent behaviour, or would other factors have resulted in violence regardless of the exposure). Yet, at the end of the book, her argument returns to the standard “wrestling causes violence so it should be regulated” argument, which seems to fly in the face of what she was arguing earlier. If there’s no clear causal link, how can wrestling be blamed for causing its viewers to feel or act violently? Also, in making her arguments, she relies far too much on sources that I personally would say are not reliable because they clearly have an agenda and aren’t at all well researched or logically reasoned, e.g. Sut Jhally’s “Wrestling with Manhood” video.

Oppliger also has an annoying habit of putting statements together which have nothing to do with each other and expecting them to prove her point, e.g. following a quote from the WWE’s parents’ guide about parents “letting” children watch wrestling with the “fact” that 75% of American kids have TV in their bedrooms (a number which seems somewhat high, but anyway…) OK, so what? Where is the proof that those kids are all watching wrestling and/or being negatively influenced by it? I would think there was more potential for them to be damaged by blow-em-up shows on HBO or soft-core romances on Cinemax. It’s this kind of lackadaisical reasoning that really makes this book look unreliable and ill-informed.

The second big problem with this book is that it totally misses the role of humour and comedy in wrestling. Now I will freely admit that I have problems with how women and violence are used in wrestling, so I’m certainly not going to argue that these aspects of the sport should be overlooked, nor do I believe that it’s inherently funny to beat people up or to harass women. On the other hand, it would seem important to acknowledge that a lot of what wrestling does is so exaggerated and so tongue-in-cheek that even kids recognize it as satire and not reality. Did anybody really think that Al Snow was a necrophiliac promoting oral sex when he waved a mannequin head and yelled “What does everybody want”? Or that Jake Roberts’ snake was really a “phallic symbol” and his opponents cowered in fear of this representation of his mighty manhood – instead of, oh, I don’t know, being afraid of a BIG SNAKE? Not seriously discussing this part of wrestling performance, and why it is so popular, is a very large omission that further weakens the validity of Oppliger’s arguments.

The other major problem with this book is the HUGE number of mistakes, which a supposedly well-informed fan should not have made. Let’s see: Mark Henry did not win an Olympic weightlifting medal. Mae Young did not give birth to the infamous hand “in the middle of the ring”. Shouting “You f***ed up” and “Holy S***” does not only happen at indy shows. Jamie Noble’s girlfriend’s name was not “Ninia”, and unless I’m missing something, Jeff Jarrett, not “Jared”, is the guy with the guitar. (Amazingly, for a book supposedly dealing with gender roles, the even more infamous Katie Vick incident gets only a passing mention. Now there’s a coffinload of gender portrayals that deserves to be unpacked….)

So I would have to turn “thumbs down” on recommending this book. I sympathize with the author in liking wrestling while being uneasy with some of its portrayals and concerned about the effects it might be having on some of its viewers, but the evidence and arguments in this book are far from being convincing that wrestling really is responsible for all the badness it's associated with.

Great TNA Moments: When Styles Met Savage

2005-10-01T13:41:00.000-04:00

A dejected AJ Styles stands in the center of the ring after he, Jeff Hardy and "the Macho Man" Randy Savage defeated Jeff Jarrett, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. Unable to hide his emotions, AJ breaks down.

"It's not fair!" he pouts as the viewers at home cheer his team's great win. "I should have been the one to get the pin on Jarrett! I'm the Phenomenal One!"

The aging Savage walks over to the youngster, pats him on the back and offers some words of encouragement.

"Take is eaaaaaasy, brother" Savage states in his gravelly voice. "I'm gone after this match and you'll still be the cornerstone of this company, oh yeeeeeeaaaaaah!"

Wrestlers You Should Know About

2005-09-30T14:30:00.000-04:00

Occasionally I will post one of these about an indy wrestler I've noticed and really taken a shine to, guys you should know about if you're a wrestling fan. Broaden your horizons folks, there's more out there than WWE.

With the impending debut of TNA on SpikeTV, I thought one of the current best wrestlers in the world would be an ideal beginning for this article. If you only watch WWE television then you're really missing out where this guy is concerned. The individual in question? The currently styled "Samoan Submission Machine" Samoa Joe.

Samoa Joe's rise to fame began in 2002 when he debuted for Ring of Honor, a wrestling fed that focuses heavily on wrestling and lightly on angles. In March of 2003 Joe won the Ring of Honor Heavyweight Title and held it for 21 months. If you think that sounds like an ungodly long time for one individual to hold a title, you've never seen Joe wrestle.

Let me tell you about Joe. He's big. The first time you see him, your mind simply cannot help but make comparisons to Yokozuna or Rikishi...and it becomes very easy from there to dismiss him entirely. Until you see him move. He has insane speed for what appears to be a fat guy. He exudes presence in the ring, and makes you legitimately believe he will destroy his opponent. He's also a master of psychology; his moves and motions all make sense in the grand fabric of a match. On top of all this, he's excellent on the mic. There isn't a more complete wrestler in the United States than Joe.

Since debuting for TNA, Joe has been placed in a dominating position, essentially destroying all-comers, culminating in an X-Division (essentially TNA's separate title for high-octane, high-flying wrestlers) match at TNA's last Pay Per View, Unbreakable. Joe wrestled TNA's favorite son AJ Styles and the X-Division Champion "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. Ultimately Joe and Daniels were defeated in a match that simply has to be seen to be believed and is far and away the best wrestling match so far this year.

Unfortunately, Joe will not be on the first two episodes of TNA Impact on SpikeTV, however it well behooves you as wrestling fans to track down some of this guy's matches. ANY Joe match you can track down is worth seeing but the holy grail of all Joe matches is his one hour bout with CM Punk at the marvelously titled "Joe vs. Punk II" Ring of Honor event held on October 16, 2004.

Enjoy, folks.

The Rock: Host of the World Stunt Awards

2005-09-27T14:15:00.000-04:00

Here's a nice pic of the Rock meeting stuntman Jim Trella (with his suit on fire) at the World Stunt Awards. The Rock was host of the event.

Wrestling News September 22, 2005

2005-09-22T16:24:00.000-04:00

A couple of interesting occurences the last few days that I wanted to hit upon.

WWE News & Notes

-As per many wrestling news sites, the wrestler formerly known as Muhammad Hassan, has been released by WWE. There appears to be some speculation as to whether he legitimately asked for his release -- the rationale being that he wanted to pursue acting opportunities in Hollywood and/or he refused to work in OVW (he is living in LA currently), or that he was fired at the time of his removal from television in late-July following the train bombings in London.

James Ray's Thoughts: It is abominable to me that Copani has, in essence, been fired or released (however you'd like to phrase it) for simply doing what was asked of him. The blatant PC-ism that led to this incident is absurd. The company seemingly made no effort whatsoever to reward the fact that Copani loyally did what was asked of him at the Great American Bash on the alleged promise that he would be briefly sent back to OVW and repackaged. Instead, clearly, none of these things have actually happened. The WWE can allow a "personality conflict" spin all they want to, but in the end they've let an "offended" minority allow for the termination of an employee. If I were Shane Helms, I'd be shaking in my green and purple boots right about now.

- A minor note, "The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior" DVD has been released. Reviews are fairly mixed as to how badly Warrior is, ultimately (pun intended), treated.

TNA News & Notes

- TNA has signed the former "Dudley Boys" to multi-year contracts. The current plan has them debuting on September 27. It will be intersting to see if TNA uses the "Team 3D" concept or tries some other method to take a jab at WWE. For those unaware, the WWE has pressed their trademark rights on the "Dudley Boys" name and therefore Bubba Ray and D-Von can no longer use them.

WWE Unforgiven 2005 Results

2005-09-20T12:23:00.000-04:00

A day late and a dollar short as usual.

1) Ric Flair def. Carlito to become the new Intercontinental Champion. He grabs the mic and says that win means as much to him as any of his 16 World championships. He regrets that his bestt friend Triple H wasn't there to see it. He then grabs some ladies from the crowd.

2) Trish Stratus & Ashley def. Victoria and Torrie Wilson

Flair led the women into his limosine. He waited outside and took some viagra and washed it down with champagne.

3) Big Show def. Gene Snitsky.

4) Shelton Benjamin def. Kerwin White.

5) Matt Hardy def. Edge in a steel cage match. Fantastic match that build towards its finish. Among the best of the year IMO.

6) Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch def. Hurricane & Rosey to capture the World Tag Team Championship.

7) Shawn Michaels def. Chris Masters.

The women left Flair's limo. He then climbed out backwards covered in sweat, ass hanging out of his tights. Pulled his tights up. Took a swig of champagne from the bootle. Was about to "Woooo" but stopped. Flair flopped onto the cement. Ha!

8) Kurt Angle def. John Cena by DQ when Cena hit Angle with the WWE Championship belt in front of the ref. Cena retained.

WWE Unforgiven 2005 Preview

2005-09-18T12:37:00.000-04:00

Later tonight we'll see the next Raw-only pay-per-view, Unforgiven. Looking over the card you get the feeling that the company could possibly have a few plans in place or just threw a few matches/feuds together just to fill some airtime. Sometimes when I think it is one way it turns out to be the other. With a (mostly) new creative team in place I'm betting this will be a bit more story oriented than filler. There's really no way of knowing at this stage. So let's take a look at the matches and my predictions.

John Cena(c) vs. Kurt Angle - WWE Championship
Do you know how much I love Kurt Angle? The man has it all. Mic skills. Workrate. Psychology. He’s comedic. He’s dramatic. He’s what John Cena should strive to be. But he’s also what John Cena won’t strive to be. Cena has no reason to improve his game to be as good of a performer as Angle is. He’s over (even though there seems to be a backlash growing against him). This match will show us if Cena really wants to improve his game or if he’s satisfied being where he’s at now. I should also note how I find it frustrating that the Raw writers refuse to acknowledge this rivalry that started on Smackdown. It’s these little things that would make the shows that much better. Ah well.
Prediction: Cena pulls it out but will look worse for wear.

Ric Flair vs. Carlito(c) - Intercontinental Championship
WOOOOOOOOOO! Dass not cool. There’s been relatively no build-up for this match. Why are they even feuding? I don’t remember. I know it turned into Carlito taking Flair out in the back. Did it start with Flair saving Ashley? Whatever. If they are trying to build Carlito up to be a respectable champion than he needs a feud. A small rivalry with Flair won’t cut it despite Flair’s fanbase.
Prediction: I can’t imagine why they would put the belt on Flair for any reason than he has never held it before. And if that’s what they are shooting for then they went about the angle way wrong. If Flair wins, the title then expect the feud to keep going. But that would only make the backstage assault meaningless at that stage of the feud. Sigh.. Carlito. Gotta go with the Bad Apple.

Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Masters
Legend versus Hype. And despite my thoughts of how I believe where Masters will be in a few years, at this stage it is still all hype. I’ve insisted all along that he’s in the wrong gimmick. It’s holding him back a lot. Right now Shawn is carrying this feud entirely on his own. Shawn uses enough of his own crafted abilities to make it seem as if at least his half of the feud isn’t totally scripted.
Prediction: HBK doesn’t need the win but a loss to Masters at this stage won’t benefit either of them. Masters needs a clean loss to get to the next stage of his career. Shawn doesn’t have to break the Masterlock but putting Masters down will be just as meaningful. I’ve gotta give it to HBK.

Edge vs. Matt Hardy – Steel Cage Match
Wouldn’t it be great if this was handled right? Even accepting that the situation was turned into an angle they’re still not properly doing it. The announcers aren’t selling the angle as it is nearly enough. And if they were it would make the angle that much stronger. The angle is about Edge being the WWE’s next golden boy and how his actions resulted in a friend getting screwed. On top of that, Matt returning only because of Vince McMahon is seen as an insult to Eric Bischoff (the on-air representation of Johnny Ace) going out of his way to ruin Matt’s career getting him beat up, making him lose, etc. It’s not only going on backstage but it’s going on on-screen as well. Just acknowledge it. We all see it. Have JR sell it more!
Prediction: Does it need to be said that Matt needs the win? He has yet to get a victory over Edge in his revenge story. And he was even pinning Edge after the Side Effect off the ramp that got them loaded into an ambulance. Why the hell didn’t the ref count the pin anyway? But yeah – Matt needs to win. Edge wins.

Big Show vs. Snitsky
Why is this a feud? It was only a month or two back that Big Show was squashing the Snit. I’m probably the only person that enjoys the ringwork of both men as well. And why are they feuding? It’s not enough to know that they just are.
Prediction: I can’t imagine the Big Show not winning. That said, a win for Snitsky could be big for him if they followed it up with Snitsky being dangerous and on the loose. Still – Big Show wins.

The Hurricane & Rosey(c) vs. Cade & Murdoch - World Tag Team Championship
Stale versus Not Quite Ready. Does anybody really get excited when Hurricane and Rosey come out anymore? They’ve been treated like a joke for so long now. They were finally starting to build up momentum again with Super Stacy in their corner, but now that is over since she moved to Smackdown. Cade and Murdoch have great chemistry together and a lot of charisma to boot. I just wish their theme music hadn’t been changed this past Monday.
Prediction: Hurricane & Rosey holding the tag titles are doing the belts no favor. It needs off of them at least 3 months ago. Cade & Murdoch need the win and the WWE needs the belts on them. Just give it to them and find something new for Hurricane & Rosey stat.

Trish & Ashley vs. Victoria & Torrie
TRISH! HEEL VICTORIA! Oh. It’s a tag team match. At least they aren’t on the same team. There is a lot of truth in this angle they have going with the women not liking the Diva search. It’s apparent in how much weight Torrie has lost unnecessarily. What happened to her ass anyway? It’s gone! Anyway, coming off of the poor match Ashley and Torrie has last week expect some nerves to be a bit raw going out there tonight. We’ll see if Trish is ready to go or not yet/ Still. It’s great to see her back and wrestling against Victoria.
Prediction: They’re certainly not going to job out a returning Trish Stratus and somebody they just paid $250,000 for a year of work. The feud(s) continue on Raw when the heels get a small measure of revenge.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Kerwin White
Chavo’s new gimmick will never be anything more than lower midcard at best. But that’s fine because the WWE will never see him as anything more than that anyway. He’s done enough oddball gimmicks that people are used to it by now. Meanwhile you have Shelton Benjamin who should be in the upper midcard at this point getting held down until his mic work improves a bit. Nevermind the fact that he is already better on the stick and in the ring than Chris Masters who sure as hell won’t be putting on nearly as good a match with HBK and Shelton did on Raw a few months back. Bah. Anyway, the racial implications of this match are so wrong but so hilarious because it is so wrestling. And the feud is built only on the racism as well. You have two great wrestlers in a feud based solely around a joke centered on racism. And you know something? I’m just glad they’re on the pay per view. Now let them do a great technical match, I beg you!
Prediction: I have no idea. I really don’t. Neither can afford to lose and a win for either won’t help their careers much. Let’s give it to Kerwin.

Wrestling News September 18, 2005

2005-09-18T11:32:00.000-04:00

WWE News & Notes:
- The Million Dollar Tough Enough winner, Daniel Puder, was released by the WWE this week. He still went home with his guaranteed $250,000 for his first year. It’s expected he will return to MMA.
- The weekend wrestling show on USA will be called WWE Weekend Raw
- There will be a few preemptions for Raw in 2006 because of the move to USA. They are:
*February 13, 2006 will have the Westminster Dog Show; Raw will be shown Wednesday, February 15.
*The US Open will be on August 26 and September 24, 2006. There will not be a Raw the week of the 26th. Raw will air on Friday, September 8th.
- USA will air a special called "10 Best Raw Moments" on 10/7 at 10 PM
- WWE made efforts to have court records sealed involving the civil suit with Brock Lesnar.
- Speaking of Brock, his in-ring return will be for Japanese promotion IHGP in a triple threat match against IHGP Champion Kazuyuki Fujita and Masahiro Chono.
- Candice Michelle is the next WWE Diva to pose in Playboy.

ROH News & Notes:
- Jimmy Yang will make his ROH debut during the big Kenta Kobashi weekend on October 1st in Manhattan and October 2nd in Philadelphia. His opponent on October 1st will be “the Fallen Angle” Christopher Daniels. Yang is also signed for the October 14th debut in Cleveland.
- It looks as if Spanky's last ROH show was the 8/27 "Dragon Gate Invasion" event as he is booked on upcoming WWE house shows
- Last night was also Mick Foley’s final ROH appearance. He’s also signed again with WWE

Last night’s ROH show featured the crowning of a new ROH World Championship
1) Low-Ki d. Jay Lethal
2) Austin Aries d. Azriel
3) Nigel McGuiness d. Roderick Strong to retain the ROH Pure title
4) Colt Cabana d. Homicide via disqualification
There was a brawl with The Rottweilers, Samoa Joe and Jay Lethal
5) Jay Lethal d. Low-Ki with a top rope dragon suplex
6) Samoa Joe d. Adam Pearce, BJ Whitmer and Rickey Reyes in a Four Corner Survival
7) AJ Styles d. Jimmy Rave to win the rights to the Styles Clash
8) Bryan Danielson d. James Gibson with a chicken wing to win the ROH World title!

New Book on History of Stampede Wrestling

2005-09-16T20:09:00.000-04:00

I haven't seen a copy so I can't offer any opinion on how good and/or accurate it is, but here's the Amazon link for anyone who is interested.

http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/701-8630490-5103522

TNA News September 16, 2005

2005-09-16T12:04:00.000-04:00

It isn't often that TNA will have enough news to get their own post. But hey -- let's give it to them.

Jeff Jarrett is once again NWA World champion. The self-proclaimed “King of the Mountain” Jeff Jarrett regained the NWA World Heavyweight Title on Thursday night in Oldcastle, Ontario, Canada, defeating Raven with the help of America’s Most Wanted.

In a shocking turn of events, “Wildcat” Chris Harris and “Cowboy” James Storm turned their backs on the fans and aligned themselves with Jarrett, ultimately costing Raven the bout and the World Title.

The NWA World Heavyweight Title match took place under the banner of Border City Wrestling out of Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

SD: Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb! Especially since the show is debuting on Spike in about 2 weeks. Raven is by far a more appropriate centerpiece for a company looking to attract a bigger audience. I am so getting into this when (if?) I finally get to the appropriate section in my “On Booking” series. And I know you guys have something to say about this one, so let's hear it.

TNA arrives at the middle-to-lower class Macy's, Wal-Mart. The DVD box set, “TNA Anthology: The Epic Set” is now available exclusively at Wal-Mart Supercenter stores nationwide.

The set includes over 10 hours of Total Nonstop Action from “Victory Road 2004”, “Turning Point 2004,” and “Lockdown 2005” for only $24.96.

SD: That is an attractive offer. Maybe I’ll grab it next month and put a couple people out of work.

-TNAwrestling.com has learned that Japanese wrestling legend Jushin "Thunder" Liger will be competing at TNA's "Bound For Glory" Pay-Per-View on Sunday, October 23!

Here are the results from this past Sunday’s Unbreakable
3LK def Diamonds in the Rough in a 6 man tag
Austin Aries def Roderick Strong
Kip James & Monty Brown def Lance Hoyt & Apolo
Chris Sabin def Petey Williams
Abyss def Sabu
Bobby Roode def Jeff Hardy
The Naturals def Team Canada & AlexShelley/Johnny Candido in an elimination tag match
Raven def Rhino to retain the NWA championship
AJ Styles def Christopher Daniels & Samoa Joe in a triple threat match to capture the X Division championship

Secret Marks

2005-09-12T19:51:00.000-04:00

The business section of Toronto's Globe and Mail today has a lengthy profile of David Radler. His name probably doesn't ring bells right away, but he is the former right-hand man of newspaper publisher Conrad Black, who has been charged with a number of criminal counts involving suspicious transactions between the various companies he owns. Radler has also been charged in relation to some of the same transactions, but has now agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a reduced sentence and for telling what he knows about Black's activities.

I was totally surprised to read in the article that one of Radler's main passions is wrestling, to the point where he would phone up his managers late at night to discuss what was going on in the wrestling world. (Although, having known people who worked at Black-owned publications and were occasionally subject to Radler's wrath, I now wonder if Radler was copying his management style on Vince McMahon's....especially the "You're fired!!!" part.)

But now I'm wondering.....how many other marks are in charge at major corporations?

Thoughts From An Ex-Fan

2005-09-11T17:21:00.000-04:00

I promised Stefan I’d write something for the site because I’ve been absent for a while now, so here it is: I’m drawing a blank.

I’ll start with a confession: the only ways I follow professional wrestling any more is from habitual visits to the Wrestling Observer, Puroresu Power and RSPW. I can’t summon the will to sit in front of the TV for two hours, twice a week, and watch bland, predictable WWE TV any more. I’m not exactly sure why, because I forced myself to watch SummerSlam and, while it wasn’t perfect, it rekindled a bit of a spark for my old love of the mat game. Certainly nothing on it was horrible.

So this week, for the first time in a year, I sat down to watch the two hour international Smackdown. I did it with the benefit of fast forward, but here are my random impressions.

Mr. Ken Kennedy could be the future of Smackdown, if they give him time to grow. That said, we’ve said similar things about Carlito, and it led to him promptly being transferred to Raw and lost in the crowd. He comes off like The Rock and looks like Bob Holly, but he’s not half bad at all for a new character. This is not a cue for WWE creative to push him to the moon and completely over expose him.

Randy Orton, like any non-charismatic face, is 1,000% more entertaining as a heel. I won’t pretend I like him, but he has much more potential for entertainment this way.

JBL will forever be on that borderline between love and hate. He sucks, but he’s far more amusing than he has any right to be on the mic.

Paul Burchill is not ready for prime time network television. Giving him squashes is not the way to work around this.

I have nothing more to add. Meh.

Wrestling News September 9, 2005

2005-09-09T15:01:00.000-04:00

The big news of the week is WWE’s legal team cracking down on people who may bee violating the company’s intellectual property. It started with news of the Dudley Boyz last week and spread to “brother” Spike. Well now you can also add in some other prominent WWE owned ring names such as Billy Kidman, Justin Credible and many of the ECW names and trademarks that will appear as part of the Hardcore Homecoming tour. Also, WWE wants the owner of a Vader fansite to hand the rights over to Leon White because of how his WWE Legends contract is worded.

WWE also fired one of their new writers this week. World Wrestling Entertainment dropped creative team member Rudy Fischmann, who had been with the company about 8-12 weeks. Fischmann had a reputation for "acting markish" according to one source and for talking down to wrestlers despite his relatively low position on the creative team's totem poll.

One of the last straws was said to have been Fischmann browbeating and yelling at Ashley Massaro and Torrie Wilson after their match on Monday. Despite the Divas being told by several road agents and even Vince McMahon that the bout (which obviously didn't go well) was OK, Fischmann loudly complained that it wasn't what he wanted out of the segment.

SD: He must not have much experience in production if he thinks that a writer can act that way on set. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this was his first mainstream gig.

In other WWE creative news, Dusty Rhodes is officially a writer for SmackDown. The Dusty Finish is sure to bring fans back!

ROH News & Notes:
- Colt Cabana and Steve Corino will face Homicide and Low Ki in a Dream Partner tag team match when ROH debuts in Cleveland on Friday October 14th. This is Low Ki’s Cleveland wrestling debut. This match makes me happy in the pants!
- Jack Evans is healed up, training, and set to return on 10/1 in Manhattan, 10/2 in Philadelphia, 10/14 in Cleveland and 10/15 in Buffalo. Seeing Jack Evans wrestling live will also make me happy in the pants!

There’s a funny commentary here about a high school football player that compares him to on Simmons. Thanks to James Ray for the link.

And finally, apparently Christie Hemme trained Raw Diva Search 2005 winner Ashley Massaro to be a wrestler.

Wrestling With Reality

2005-09-06T16:21:00.000-04:00

It was the day after Christmas. I was at my best friend’s house. His wife was there. My girlfriend was there. Were we together for a bit of after-Christmas cheer? HELL NO! We were gathered around their big TV to watch a documentary about Bret Hart called “Wrestling with Shadows”. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?

In 1998 wrestling hit a never-before-seen apex of popularity and everyone was scrambling to cash in. 2 years before, Canadian director Paul Jay decided to film a documentary/biography about one of Canada’s beloved Native Sons, Bret “Hitman” Hart for the A&E network. Little did he – or anyone else – know that they would film behind the scenes one the most infamous moments in wrestling history, the Montreal Screwjob.

There’s a bizarre irony to the phrase “wrestling reality”. After all, how can something that is inherently unreal be reality? Don’t worry, I won’t get into Platonism here, but be that as it may what is it about wrestling that has attracted more than its fair share of wrestling?

After the success of “Wrestling with Shadows”, A&E went on to make several shows focused on wrestlers for their acclaimed “Biography” program including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Owen Hart, Jesse Ventura, Mick Foley and Andre the Giant. These were generally very well done, and accorded wrestling a respect that was previously unheard of in the television industry.

Try to understand that. Circa-1999 (a scant 6 years ago) wrestling was so popular, that a network long seen as “snooty” was airing Biographical documentaries of big-name wrestlers along with Biographies of men like Benjamin Franklin. It’s mind-boggling.

In 2001, the WWF and MTV began collaborating on their own wrestling reality project, which would be known as “Tough Enough”. In this series, 13 contestants were trained by WWF wrestler Al Snow (with help from Tazz, Jacqueline and Tori) in the hopes of winning a guaranteed developmental contract. The show, sadly, focused more on in-house rivalries and relationships than on the actual wrestling training, but eventually Maven Huffman and Nidia Guenard won the contracts. Both would go on to have on-air careers on WWF/E television, but neither would ever hit it big and both have since been released.

Tough Enough went on to spawn 2 sequels on MTV. The second carried on the legacy of the first, focusing more on interpersonal dynamics than on actual wrestling, but the third shifted the focus to wrestling and, for fans like us, was clearly the best of the three series’.

In 2004, after MTV declined to participate in a fourth series, WWE decided to hold the contest on its Smackdown brand shows, this time with a grand prize of a whopping $1,000,000 (paid over four years, naturally). Over the course of 8 weeks, viewers were shown training segments along with various showcases on television to help them decide whom to vote for to become the TE4 winner. Ultimately the prize was won by MMA fighter Daniel Puder, who beat out a long-time MTV reality veteran Mike “The Miz” Mizanin.

This segues directly into WWE’s next foray into “reality” programming, the Diva Search. Back in 1999, WCW held a contest to name a new Nitro Girl (WCW Monday Nitro had their own female dance troupe, for lack of a better term). The winner became Nitro Girl Skye and received a contract for $10,000. Her name? Stacy Keibler.

Sensing possibility here, the WWE decided to hold another such contest, this time for a new Diva. Over the course of 10 weeks in 2004, wannabe Divas performed a variety of generally demeaning acts in order to win a guaranteed $250,000 contract. In the tradition of reality television, WWE even had a villain in the form of former Playboy playmate Carmella DeCesare who was clearly uncomfortable with the wrestling lifestyle and rubbed most of the other contestants raw (not in that way). Eventually Christy Hemme, a former “Juggy” on Comedy Central’s “Man Show” took home the top prize and got the added bonus of appearing in Playboy magazine. She has recently signed a new 3-year contract with WWE.

Recently WWE finished their second Diva Search contest. This contest was held in 7 weeks (as opposed to 10) and resulted in Ashley Massaro winning the quarter-million dollar contract.

Finally, the latest wrestling-related “reality” show just recently started airing on VH1. “Hogan Knows Best” is focused on Hulk Hogan and his family, with particular interest towards his daughter Brooke, whom the Hulkster is hoping has a singing career in her future. The show is generally held to be a particular genre of reality television called “faux reality”, popularized by “The Osbournes”. In this case the show is quite tongue-in-cheek about it, from the title of the show (obviously a reference to the sitcom “Father Knows Best”) to the situations that take place. The show has done fairly well in the ratings for VH1 and has been guaranteed a second season.

In just these few examples we’ve seen that wrestling “reality” runs the gamut from the serious (Wrestling with Shadows) to the comedic (Hogan Knows Best) but we haven’t really determined why these shows do so well. All the shows or contests mentioned above were good money earners for their respective networks, so what draws people to them? I think it’s because wrestlers are larger-than-life figures. When we see them humanized by the reality around them, we’re able to relate far easier than we can when they’re on-camera playing characters. After all, who didn’t feel bad when they saw how crushed Bret Hart was on that night in Montreal in November of 1997?

As long as wrestling remains firmly established as a popular part of American culture, I’m sure we’ll continue to see more reality shows here and there that focus on it. For myself, I’d like to see a Tough Enough that actually deals with the training as opposed to one that has its primary focus on interpersonal relationships. At the very least, given the success of the two Diva Searches you can bank on WWE holding another one next year.

On Booking - Part 1: Comedy

2005-09-05T10:43:00.000-04:00

As the American wrestling scene continues to be dominated by the WWE it’s hard not to see them as representatives of the scene entirely. This presents a number of problems for us as wrestling fans. The biggest problem, of course, is the booking. Who does the WWE creative team want as an audience? Do they want the longtime fans? Do they want a new, hip audience? What demographics are they shooting for? In my view, the WWE is floundering; unable to make a distinction as to which crowd they want.

In this series of articles I will be taking a look at various aspects of what makes a WWE show and the problems with each. These booking aspects are comedy, booking to the smart audience, edginess/traditional booking and pet favorites.

1. Comedy
I love comedy. Comedy is a huge reason why I watch wrestling. I readily admit it. I love the lowbrow, politically incorrect, uniquely professional wrestling oriented comedy. In professional wrestling, you can have comedy that wouldn’t necessarily translate as well into other forms of entertainment. So how can I have a problem with something I readily admit makes a large part of my viewing pleasure you might ask? Easy: I have a problem with a lot of it because it makes up a large part of my viewing pleasure.

Les Thatcher, in another excellent column recently shot from the hip about the direction of the WWE -- My thoughts on attracting new fans, or viewers, or whatever the case, has always been. Take the approach that everyone taking their first look at professional wrestling does so with the opinion that it is a good portion slapstick, or low brow comedy. Yes, both those things are part of our industry. However I think the path the industry should take is to show new fans that there is much more to our business, instead of reinforcing their opinion that we are a shallow comedy act. There is a good chance that if we expect to hook them consistently, then we will have to suspend their disbelief, and hook them with that in ring product, not weak comedy.

I don’t think I have seen any of his products but I get the sense based on his columns that his is a wrestling show that I could solidly get behind week in and week out. It’s sad for me that I can’t get behind WWE 100%. I want to. I really do. But I am not their intended audience. Judging by the stagnating audience at the last few WWE events I went to they aren’t attracting the new audience. Like the comic book crowd (of which I am a part), the long-timers (again, like myself) aren’t going anywhere for too long. We’re going to keep an eye on things whether or not we purchase tickets or buy pay per views or DVDs. When one of us stops watching you know there are major problems in there. And in the above paragraph from Les Thatcher, we have a major reason as to why some of us may be leaving.

As I stated earlier, a lot of comedy in professional wrestling is unique to professional wrestling. Its form of entertainment is rooted in the traveling carnival days appealing not to major cities but to the small towns. The places that may not be quite as hip or sophisticated as NYC or LA. It centered on middle-America with every territory offering their own unique perspective. But the one common ground is that the crowd wanted their heroes to be masculine and to overcome adversity.

It’s from this early-20th Century perspective of masculinity that we get a lot of today’s comedy in wrestling. And let’s face it, a lot of wrestling comedy is homophobic in nature. From the early days when Gorgeous George would pomp it up in the ring or Ricky Starr performing pirouettes and other ballet moves to incite the crowd, this tradition in wrestling was born.

When you see Kurt Angle trying to perform a German suplex and repeatedly failing so it looks like simulated male-on-male sex, that is where it is rooted. Every effeminate wrestler you have seen through the years from Rico to Adrian Adonis to Lenny and Lodi are direct copies of those earlier performers.

The comedy is in the representation of masculinity. To be more specific (and this is another article entirely), the comedy is in the representation of middle-America white masculinity. This also allows for gimmicks construed as racist such as Kamala, Akeem and early thuggish John Cena.

But the problem that develops is when the performers stop approaching these types of gimmicks and instances with a wink and start to portray it in a manner that it wasn’t intended. Witness a few months back when Muhammed Hassan confronted “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in the ring. Austin, trying to go for this type of comedy, stopped and did the Sixth Sense parody by stating “I see sand people.” The problem here was that the Muhammed Hassan character was presenting a case of racism as a grievance but racist humor was used to counter it. It was out of place in the scene. It may have drawn some laughs but it was an embarrassing spectacle which crossed the line from low brow humor to uncomfortable.

Compare this to the current characters the Mexicools. Here we have three Mexican wrestlers who are knowingly out of their element in the WWE. They ride lawnmowers to the ring, use rakes as weapons and generally raise havoc for the fun of it. They find themselves in positions where their race is used to advance their own stories and to launch other stories. Psicosis has used a line a few times that states “Your ass is grass and we’re gonna mow it.” The racist humor fits because it stems from the performers themselves. It is done with a wink at the American perspective of the Mexican culture.

But unfortunately most comedy in current WWE is left to be dumbed down appealing to the writers themselves. Witness the Jillian Hall character (which is what inspired Thatcher’s statement). Her gimmick is based on a joke from a movie over three years old, Austin Powers in Goldmember. Watching Smackdown we see this giant, obviously fake prosthetic tumor attached to her face. Now instead of creating sympathy for her, which is the reaction such a deformity should inspire, the writers see fit to have the performers and announcers ridicule Jillian for this. And because it is based on a joke that never was funny and is mean spirited only, the fans are left ashamed of the spectacle they see on television.

The writers saw fit to make Jillian a heel so that the fans can’t even sympathize with her. Her character gets angry when people point it out to her. The source of humor isn’t treated as humor by the performer. The writers saw fit to have Jillian angry and spiteful about the reaction but never finding herself humiliated in another way to redirect the laughs writers saw fit to attribute to her character.

This redirected humor is a cornerstone in wrestling and one the WWE writers seen to have lost a grasp on. Redirected humor is what used to draw reactions from crowds and allowed the performers to get over (especially if they had a comedy based gimmick). The formula is simple enough: 1) the heel performer is comedic but hates that people laugh about it, 2) the face laughs about it to the heel’s face, and 3) the heel tries to defend his/her honor but finds him/herself humiliated in another way.

The result of the redirected humor is that the fans will latch onto that “sore spot” in the heel and taunt him/her with it. The crowd gets loud and the heel has the crowd to play off of now for their stories. With the case of Jillian Hall, and the Stone Cold/Hassan segment earlier, fans are deprived of this.

This failure to redirect the humor results in performers not getting over and fans not caring about the shows. To see a result of when it does work, take a look at John Cena. My thoughts on him as a performer aside, there was a time when he was excellent in this comedic role. When he first turned heel with the rapper gimmick he was not serious about it. Everything he did resulted in him getting laughed at. He was a Vanilla Ice wannabe. Threatening to no one and over the top so fans knew he was joking. He used this redirected humor as well as any top performer in wrestling. The end result is fans took to him and he is now one of the most over performers in the current wrestling scene.

But once he got over as a fan favorite, WWE was forced to make Cena take himself seriously. Out was everything that got Cena over in the first place and replacing it was a warmed over tough babyface with a side of comedy. But the comedy is no longer focused on Cena but on his adversaries. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, but the delivery leaves a lot to be inspired. What was once hip and edgy has been dumbed down for the masses. In place of mocking poseurs, we now have a poseur taken seriously. Where we once had contemporary mockery of current culture we now have uninspired jokes that are too out of date to inspire laughter and not yet out of date enough to get a nostalgia laugh such as the Geico joke this past week.

I think the WWE creative team has their hearts in the right places in this case but I think they don’t quite understand how it works. Whether this stems from not being knowledgeable about wrestling or just not doing their homework as to what makes it work, I can’t really say. I think the truth may lie somewhere in-between. In the television medium there is no excuse for jokes to be out of fashion such as the Goldmember or Geico jokes. The WWE records and airs their shows every week. They should have their fingers enough on the pulse of society to know what it is that we find funny. They should know their audience and how to work them into getting the appropriate reaction. But they don’t do it. And that’s one reason why ratings and attendance is down.

Wrestling News September 1, 2005

2005-09-01T16:07:00.000-04:00

Because of the situation in New Orleans, I haven't updated the news here. I haven't been able to concentrate on the wrestling scene, or any other scene, as well as I wish I could. My apologies for this but I hope you understand. Here's a quick and dirty spotlight on the news.

-WWE tells the Dudley Boys that they can not use their names anymore. WWE owns the trademarks. They will now be calling themselves Team 3D, BRD and D-Von.

-Chris Jericho will be touring internationally with Fozzy.

-Mick Foley agreed to terms to work with the WWE again. It's expected he will be in a team with Eugene.

-Gail Kim has just signed with TNA. Expect them to start a women's division.

-Christian's Captian Charisma shirts were pulled because another party owns a trademark on the name.

-Ray Gordy, son of Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy, has signed with the WWE. He will be working in the Deep South Wrestling developmental territory.

-Shawn Daivari is also in DSW. He notes that Mark Caponi, TWFKA Muhammed Hassan, never showed up for duty in OVW.

-ROHwrestling.com has videos on their main page for you to check out.

-"The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson is returning to ROH to challenge James Gibson for the ROH Championship on September 17th.

-More news tomorrow.

Copyright Infringement?

2005-08-29T19:48:00.000-04:00

According to the latest issue of PEOPLE magazine, Scott Peterson has a new prison nickname, which he claims was given to him by the female "fans" who write him letters....
"Scottie-Too-Hottie".
An interesting challenge for WWE's legal department.

Wrestling News August 25, 2005

2005-08-25T18:09:00.000-04:00

Here’s another case of promoter’s being unable to work out their differences. Jersey All-Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor got into a dispute recently over the booking of a pair of ROH workers on a JAPW show. James Gibson, the current ROH champion, was scheduled to face another ROH worker in Homicide.

Says Jersey All Pro Wrestling's Frank Iadevia "Due to outside interference from ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky Jersey All Pro Wrestling management has canceled the September 10th match between Homicide & James Gibson in Rahway, NJ. I feel bad for "ALL" the fans that were looking forward to this classic encounter and have been robbed by the actions of another promoter."

The problem, in this instance, is that JAPW wanted Homicide to go over Gibson cleanly. To confound matters, Homicide is considered probably the top contender to champion Gibson in ROH booking.

Says Ring of Honor’s Gabe Sapolsky There are finishes that can be done with our champion. Even though I didn't have CM Punk bring the ROH World Title belt to FIP, he still did two jobs in FIP while ROH champ. One was after run-ins and one after outside interference backfired into a roll-up.

There are ways to do things other than pulling talent off shows and then making it a public issue when no one knew the finish in the first place. I am not looking to rip the fans off or damage any other indies. JAPW is a good place for the guys to work and they have helped us and the indy world by developing some great talent.

I do wish that the JAPW staff had talked things over with me more before sending out a vague email making me a heel. JAPW had always respected our champion in the past and I don't see why this would be any different. JAPW was upset with the way I worded things with them and I do understand that and should have worded things with them differently by asking them to respect our title.

However, the letter that came from seems to have been taken down as I can no longer find the link. Sapolsky has since added his statement: ” The bottom line is that there is no war with JAPW and there won't be one. If they want one on their side it'll be like masterbation (sic) because we won't be involved."

SD: It seems cooler heads have prevailed although Gibson still appears to be off the show. It’s a shame that JAPW was unable to creatively book around ROH’s concerns since a worker should never be the one to lose a pay check when he is not at fault.

The Blue Meanie talking about 3PW closing its doors. Its amazing the things you read when you sign online nowadays. I logged on today to get hit with an IM that said, Do you want to give a comment on 3PW shutting down? Well color me fucking shocked when I didnt know 3PW was closed until I got that IM. Its the story of my life really. I found out WWF was sending me to Memphis, on the net. I found an ex had a new boyfriend while I thought she was still with me, on the net. Hey, so why not found out that the promotion I help start and I named, is shutting down and find out on the Internet no less.

Not one call, not one email, nothing. Nothing to say heres the deal. My phone can receive calls and not once did it ring in the last 2 months from anyone else in 3PW. Am I surprised? Surprisingly, not really. A lot of things were done without me knowing in the 3 years 3PW was running. So if this is to be, I want to say thank you to the fans that came to the 3PW and spent their hard earned dollars over the years. I want to thank EVERY wrestler who sacrificed themselves for the sake of entertaining the fans and for the sake of making 3PW an entertaining product.

SD: He says a little more about his detractors, but really, that is beside the point. 3PW may not have been the biggest or most popular fed out there but it was still a family for quite a few wrestlers. For Meanie, the guy who built the company up to where it was, to find out the way he did is just wrong. The man’s had a rough couple of month’s. He certainly didn’t need to find out like that.

Where one wrestling federation with a 3 falls, another rises from the ashes. World Wide Wrestling Alliance, or 3WA, announces some potentially major news on their website. David Nelson, the CEO for the WWWA Wrestling Company gave a speech before the show on the 21st. He was talking in front of over 45 wrestlers and announced he was stepping down as the leader of the WWWA and introduced Hacksaw Jim Duggan as the new head of the Company.
Minutes later, Jim Duggan gave a 30 minute talk to the wrestlers, crew, and family members about the future of the company and his expectations for the wrestlers. This was followed by Jim Duggan, TC Reynolds, and Dave Nelson, calling the first 20 Wrestlers from the Independent Federations all over the U.S. to Sign the first contracts with 3WA and Jim Duggan.

Announcements were made for the upcoming TV show to premiere on ESPN in late October, as well as the AFE tour to entertain the troops in Iraq for the holidays. Also announced was the upcoming pay per view for October 29th to kick off the weekly TV Show.

SD: Yowza. If true the tv deal announcement could be a major step in either the right or wrong division for the industry. Remember, during wrestlings “dark” period in the early-to-mid 1990s, wrestling was all over the airwaves including ESPN. Does 3WA actually have that deal? And if they do can they create a new audience? I have my doubts.

Just for a laugh check out Chris Jericho’s website. Thanks to Eric864 for the link.

SD: He is without a contract right now but does anybody really expect that to happen?

Hardcore Homecoming is proud to announce that the Extreme Reunion Tour 2005 will kick off in Cleveland on Friday, September 16 at the Agora Theater, Pittsburgh's Golden Dome on Saturday, September 17, and Buffalos Burt Flickinger Center on September 18. Tickets for all three events will be going on sale this Friday morning August 26th at all Ticketmaster locations nationwide.

SD: The Cleveland show’s tickets are $40. The seems especially pricey to me considering you won’t get ECW vets currently on the WWE roster and now the TNA roster.

WWE News & Notes:
- It’s the comeback you’ve all been waiting for: The Ross Report returns tomorrow, Friday August 26, to WWE.com.
- The new character debuting on Smackdown tonight in Brian Black. He is currently assigned to Deep South Wrestling.

WWE SummerSlam 2005 Results

2005-08-23T17:20:00.000-04:00

Whoops. They're a bit late, but here are the results form this year's Summerslam.

Chris Benoit def. Orlando Jordan to capture the United States Championship in 25 seconds.

Edge def. Matt Hardy via ref stoppage stemming from blood loss.

Rey Mysterio def. Eddie Guererro in a ladder match to retain custody of Dominic. Interference by Dominic and Eddie's wife helped Rey win.

Kurt Angle def. Eugene to regain his Olympic gold medal.

Randy Orten def. the Undertaker after interference by Bob Orton.

John Cena def. Chris Jericho to retain the WWE Championship.

Batista def. JBL in a No Holds Barred match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.

Hulk Hogan def. Shawn Michaels.

Summerslam at the Theatre

2005-08-22T02:39:00.000-04:00

For the last few years in Canada, WWE pay per views, in addition to being broadcast on television pay-per-view channels, have had “theatrical showings” at multiplexes across the country. Attending a PPV in this setting is a guaranteed good time. I’m more than old enough to watch a PPV broadcast at a bar, but despite the admission price and the overpriced bad movie theatre food, it’s much more enjoyable to see PPVs at the movie theatre.

If you watch wrestling on TV all the time from the comfort of your own couch, and/or read about it on the Internets, you tend to assume that everyone, or nearly everyone, perceives the product the same way you do – that most people like or dislike the same wrestlers as you do for the same reasons. Going to a “theatrical showing” gives you a much better idea of whether certain wrestlers are really over or not, and why. The other advantage to “theatrical showings” is that people are there because they want to be there, not because they’re spending the afternoon at the bar while some damn wrestling show is disturbing their drinking. Admittedly there’s always a few marks at the bar broadcasts, but nearly all of the audience at the “theatrical showing” is very well informed and extremely enthusiastic, and pays close attention to what’s going on – and has no problems loudly announcing their opinion about it too.

So who goes to these shows? Mostly a lot of kids and teens who are too young to go to the bar (some of the older ones deal with this problem by sneaking in mickeys) along with a fair number of fans of all ages who either don’t have access to PPVs on television or who just enjoy the fun of watching the shows with an audience. I’m always shocked at the number of kids whose parents drop them off and then pick them up once the show’s over. The kids are generally well-behaved – probably because they consume so much food they’re in a stupor by the end of the evening – but since PPVs tend to be more intense and graphic than regular WWE programming, I’m not sure children should be there without a parent.

In any case, parents or not, Summerslam and Wrestlemania at the theatre are always well-attended and raucous, and this Summerslam was no exception. It was the largest audience I’ve seen at the theatre for a couple of years, although I missed Wrestlemania this year so I’m not sure how that did attendance-wise. Here’s some of what happened:

Chris Masters on HEAT was roundly booed, as was Diva Search winner Ashley, who also got shouts of “Fix!” and “We want Elisabeth”.

Being Canadian, the audience booed the US Marine Guard and Lillian Garcia, and yelled things like “Take it off!” while Lilian was singing the National Anthem. Most of the audience also shouted “Ca-Na-Da” while Lillian was getting the Washington crowd to shout “U-S-A”.

Much cheering and jumping up and down when Benoit beat Jordan, although a fair number of people were going “How long was THAT?”

Eddie was clearly the heel in the “Dominick on a Pole” match, and there was a lot of derisive laughter when Dominick tried to shake Eddie off the ladder. Rey’s win was very popular, though, and there was lots of applause for the high spots of the match.
Since there were little kids sitting next to me, I wasn’t sure if I should chant “Holy s***” or not, but the kids solved this for me by chanting it as loudly as the rest of the audience.

Everyone booed Edge, Lita, AND Matt Hardy, and didn’t really seem to care who won.
There were no clear favourites in the Orton/Taker and Batista/JBL matches, with each competitor getting an equal amount of cheers and boos.

I was surprised at the strong anti-Cena reaction, but that may have been because (a) he beat a Canadian, and/or (b) there were very few teenage girls in the crowd. Either way, he certainly isn’t reaching the young male hip-hop audience he seems to be marketed for.

Also to my surprise, there were a lot of boos when Hogan appeared, although the audience seemed to be evenly split between Hogan fans and HBK fans. When the second referee went down, the audience was practically vibrating with excitement, expecting that Bret Hart would appear. Of course, he didn’t, but the match was so good that I don’t think anybody left too disappointed.

WWE SummerSlam 2005 Predictions

2005-08-21T15:15:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the next WWE pay per view predictions articles: SummerSlam 2005 edition. I'm feeling lazy and not really feeling the card this time around which is a shame since it is usually my favorite WWE event of the year. I will be doing this mostly shorthand. I'm not getting into the backstory really. I'm just going for SummerSlam and post-SummerSlam this time. Also, to entertain mostly myself, I will be doing these in the order I expect the card to play out.

Chris Benoit vs Orlando Jordan (c) - United States Championship
Prediction: Benoit busts his ass much to the crowd's approval. Orlando tries to cheat to win but fails this time around. Benoit going over to become the new United States champion.

Eugene vs. Kurt Angle for the Olympic Gold Medal
Prediction: Eugene frustrates the hell out of Kurt. Kurt capitalizes on Eugene by pretending to target Christie Hemme. This leads to Angle winning back his gold medal.

Randy Orton vs. The Undertaker
Prediction: Not as fast paced as their WMXXI match-up. Orton running initially but gets caught. Slower, more methodical as the UT dictates the pace. Orton plays the bouncing rubber ball for a while, then catches UT with his groundgame. UT mounts a comeback only to catch an RKO out of nowhere. Orton wins.

Edge vs. Matt Hardy
Prediction: Matt wins but it doesn't matter. The WWE is high on Edge so he'll be moving up the ranks. If Edge doesn't stif Matt then Mat's future looks a little brighter but otherwise I don't see Matt retaining his popularity after this feud. The WWE doesn't have faith in him as more than a midcarder and he's on a very top-card heavy show in Raw. If Edge realizes that the internet writings actually served to put him over more as a heel than he previously was then he should do what he can to make Matt look like a star to help his career in turn. If he does so, Matt could be in line for an IC title feud with Carlito. We'll see.

Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero - Ladder Match for Custody of Dominic
Prediction: Which Eddie do we get tonight? The Eddie with workrate better than 99% of the workers out there or the Eddie trying to retain his heel heat so he'll use every heel psychology trick in his book to prevent him getting cheered? There hasn't been much in-between the past few years. I expect this to be MOTN (match of the night). I expect Eddie to win and tell Rey he can have Dominic in a post-match promo.

John Cena [c] vs. Chris Jericho - WWE Championship
Prediction: Cena botches 3 of the 4 moves he attempts. Also, plenty of rules changing mid-match by Eric Bischoff and interference from Carlito. So it's a rehash of Austin vs Dude Love from Over the Edge 1998 (thanks, Eric864, one of my usually uncredited sources) which makes sense since Cena/Bischoff is a copy of Austin/McMahon. So, anyway, Cena overcomes the odds, gives Jericho the FU and sends him packing to focus on Fozzy for a few months when Bischoff fires him post-match for not getting the job done.

Batista [c] vs. JBL - World Heavyweight Championship
Prediction: I'm holding off from a dissection of JBL's in-ring character and psychology because it won't really fit in here but it will hold this match back from being as good as it could be. Short-form: bad-ass chickenshit rarely works and it doesn't work the way JBL does it. Lots of blood. JBL with a gusher. Batista with litle more than a trickle. Orlando interferes. Batista retains.

Hulk Hogan vs. Shawn Michaels
Prediction: A very loud audience. HBK showing Orton how to bounce around the ring effectively. 10-15 minutes. Me being disappointed because Brian Knobbs doesn't interfere wearing the red and yellow tights. HBK eeks out a victory.

There you have it. We'll see how well I did.

OVW TV for 8/13/05

2005-08-20T22:38:00.000-04:00

Your OVW TV Report for 8/13/05!
We start with footage from last week, which is in black and white so we know it's from last week. I like how when Heyman uses cinematic and movie-style techniques wrestlers call him a “genius” but when Russo did the same thing he's just a virgin video store owner. Actually there's a little bar at the bottom of the screen that says “LAST WEEK ON OVW” which looks all EXTREME and not goofy like Cornette's video graphics.

Anyway, Albright has the Crowbar on Jeter! Dan Puder and Ken Anderson yank the ref out of the ring! Jeter taps like crazy! No ref! (cut).

Jeter hits Albright with the superkick... 1-2-3! We have a new OVW Heavyweight Champion Johnny Jeter! Snow calls it a huge upset.

We cut to Johnny Jeter and the injured Matt Cappotelli on crutches outside the ring. Matt is super excited. “I told you I can do it!” “You did it baby!” “This is the greatest moment of my life... you know what... I don't think I need you anymore”. Oh my god, Jeter clocks him with the Heavyweight belt! Crowd is in complete shock. We cut to Jeter yelling in the camera that he's Johnny Jeter, OVW Heavyweight Champion, for LYFE!

LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR! Heyman has recut this in a really lazy, crappy way with a lot of scenes not fitting the music. Old scenes of Cornette decking Mark Magnus and even Chris Kanyon (!) survive the cut. There's even part of MNM's titantron for no reason. The end with Daniel Puder punching out some jobber looks real cool though. Please recut this.

Our Hosts are Dean Hill and the “Living Legend” Al Snow, which gets a chuckle from Al. Loud O-V-DUB chants. Double Main Events tonight, Bolin Services, Ken Doane and Bobby Lasheley versus Nick Nemeth and Chris Cage. We also get Brent Albright v.s. Johnny Jeter in a rematch from last week. Anyway, there's black and white letterboxed footage of the particpants as Hill and Snow talk about them from behind the desk, which is pretty neat. I think some of it is actually from later in the show, which shows Heyman's been watching Kill Bill too much.

Aaron “The Idol” Stevens (w/ Beth Phoenix & Shelly) v.s. Robbie Dauber
In the neverending quest to top MNM's entrance, the two women arch their backs over the middle rope as they get in the ring into a bridge and then unbridge and hop over the middle rope. They then rip Steven's shirt (which looks like one of Christian or Gangrel's old ones off. Stevens does the Dreamer “I'll take em both, I'm HARDCORE” pose. Snow and Dean Hill have Lawlergasms over the girls of course.

Let us cut backstage to Maria who reminds us that she's Maria. She's backstage with Brent Albright who isn't answering Maria since he's just staring, back facing the camera at a door. Brent says Jeter is going to walk through the door tonight and he'll be waiting. He says he'll have a conservation with Jeter, when he gets done talking, he's going to hunt down Dan Puder and Ken Anderson, and then he's going to talk with them. He's not going to talk with his mouth, he's going to let his hands do the talking (cut Benoit in ECW hand rubbing from Albright).

Back in the ring, the bell rings and Stevens rams his shoulder into Dauber in the corner. Again. Punch, forearm to the back. Elbow on the apron. Snow says the girls get turned on when Stevens beats up Dauber. Shelly beats on Dauber while the ref is distracted, whip, clothesline, kneelift into the corner. Snow calls these “running Japanese ___”. Dauber gets beat up, but comes back with punch punch kick. Dropkick by Stevens catches him. Reverse swinging neckbreaker! 1-2-3.

Your Winner: Aaron “The Idol” Stevens. It's orgy time in the ring! Shelly forearms Dauber on the mat for kicks.

OVW in Shelbyville KY... it won't be EXTREEEEME! OVW at the Derby Park Expo 5. Steal Summerslam with OVW, ya bum~!

Ken Anderson and Dan Puder are out. They both have their luggage. Anderson says you know everyone wanted to see us tonight. Anderson says it's with a heavy heart that I announce to you, the people of OVW.... that Daniel Puder and I will be leaving the building (says the last part really fast and tries to run off). Snow asks him what he's doing. Anderson says “Allen”, I do not feel like I am in a safe working environment. Puder says we're not leaving. Anderson says we are leaving. Anderson says he's out of his mind... HELLOOOOOO. Anderson says Albright is all crazy and looks like a rabid dog. Anderson says everyone in the crowd ought to follow him out the door because Albright is liable to snap and lock the crowbar on a fan. They start to leave and then Anderson runs back and says “Enjoy the veal, have fun, and when you go home, buckle up, remember, click it or ticket!” Anderson is GOLD on the mic! The two run off. The camera tries to follow them back but it's too dark to see jack. We see, according to Dean Hill them stopping to talk to Danny Inferno. Hill has night-vision glasses or something as he sees a confrontation. Puder and Inferno are jawing, which we can't see since the idiots are wearing all black. I barely see Anderson. Inferno comes out and tapes his fists up.

Daniel Puder (w/ Ken Anderson) v.s. Danny Inferno
Anderson says this contest is schedule for one fall with a 20-minute time limit. Anderson says Inferno has the hardest right hand in the business but does a straight introduction which is AWESOME. Replace Lillian Garcia with Ken Anderson NOW!

Snow says it's Striker v.s. Wrestler. Puder uses the stiff kicks. Inferno throws back really bad punches. Puder takes him down and fires away with UFC-style punches but Inferno has full guard. Puder goes to a side mount and punches away some more, but Inferno slips out. Snow says “on his feet, Inferno has an advantage”. Puder goes for a takedown but Inferno uses weak worked-looking punches to knock him down. Puder hooks the left leg and works up to a waistlock. Inferno throws more bad looking punches and some elbows to the back that look better. Puder grabs him and rolls him into the keylock. Inferno tries to fight out. He taps out! Anderson says “Puder is still your Million Dollar Tough Enough Champiooooooon!” Albright comes out. Staredown. Albright takes Puder down! Anderson pulls Puder out of the ring before anything can happen, which Puder is a little mad about. Anderson holds him back.

OVW in E-Town! OVW in Hodgenville!

Backstage, Maria talks to Johnny Jeter, who has arrived backstage while Albright was in the ring. Maria asks him if he came through a back door. Jeter says he's the champ. Jeter says Maria couldn't wait to rub her body against him. Albright appears and says excuse us for a second. Albright says right now, Jeter is the safest man in the history of OVW. Albright says it's because of him. He says he'll be his bodyguard, his Guardian Angel until their match tonight. He's going to stretch him and put the crowbar on, and you're going to tap like everyone else... and like you did last week. Albright says not a single person is going to lay a finger on Jeter tonight until then because he wants him at 100%. Albright wants to see the look on Jeter's face when he's holding his shoulder in pain and Albright is holding the OVW championship. Oh my god... it's Matt Cappotelli who tosses his crutches into the frame! He's really pissed. Albright has to hold him back as he hops on one leg.

Back in the ring... it's

Bobby Lashley & OVW TV Champion “The Golden Boy” Ken Doane (w/ Sosay) v.s. Nick Nemeth and Chris Cage.
Big pop for Cage and Nemeth. What's the logic in using the name “Bobby” for a monster heel again? This is our first main event of the evening. Kenny Bolin and some new member of BS from last week are outside the ring. Doane and Nemeth start. The new guy is Bolin's “Head of Security”. I miss Mr. Black. Nemeth hits the headlock on Doane. Shoulderblock. Hiptoss, blocked, hiptoss, armdrag. WWE style in full effect! Armdrag by Doane reversed into and arm bar. Doane up, Nemeth tags in Cage, off the top with an axhandle. Cage cranks on the arm and hits the armdrag. Doane to his feet. Shoulderblocks in the corner. Whip to the buckle, Doane runs in after Cage and Cage leapfrogs over him and his another armdrag. I think we have no doubt what Danny Davis's favorite move was at this point.

Doane up and clubbers him. Cage ducks, elbow, armdrag, armbar. Nemeth back in. Double whip, double hiptoss, double elbow. 2 count. Big headlock. Whip to the rope, Doane ducks down and Nemeth grabs him when he stands up and puts the headlock back on. RKO chants. Whip to the ropes, clothesline ducked, yet another armdrag. Are they trying to break a world record or something? Doane reaches for Bobby, but Nemth tags in Cage. Bulldog. 2 count. Whip to the ropes, hiptoss blocked, Cage spins around and hits a nice modified Russian Leg Sweep where he sweeps the guy and turns around and clotheslines him on the way down. Lasheley breaks up the pin. Punch, Whip to the corner. Big back bodydrop. Cage off the ropes, Doane uses the ref as a shield to get Cage to slow down and kicks him in the stomach. Lasheley in. It's HOSS TIME.

Clubbering by Lasheley. Head to the buckle. Elbows. Bobby is gassed already. Punch, kick, stomp, choke on the ropes. WE WANT NICK chants. Backbreaker. Whip to the corner. Doane in. Doane with Steve Austin elbow drops and the Ric Flair knee drop. 2 count. Doane can't believe that his DEADLY KNEEDROP didn't get the pin and jaws with the ref. Scooop slam. Austin elbow off the ropes. 2 count. Randy Orton side headlock now. Cage works his way up a few seconds after Dean Hill says “he's working his way back up”. Elbows out. Whip to the corner, Doane runs in after him and eats ringpost, Nemeth in. Punches, atomic drop, spinning elbow. Kick to the face, big dropkick, nip-up. Doane tries to bail and misses the superkick. Whip to the ropes, reversed, knee in the back by Lasheley! RKO by Doane!! Both men down for a bit before Doane makes the cover... 1-2....2.8! Doane can't believe it. Lasheley tagged in. Nemeth is completely limp. Big snap-suplex... Lasheley holds on and then flips up and over into a headlock... takes Nemeth up for another suplex, this time holding him in the air forever... JACKHAMMER! Nice combo of moves there. This gasses Lasheley so Doane tags back in. Doane slaps him around a big. Nemeth rolls Doane up. 3-count!

Your Winners: Chris Cage and Nick Nemeth. Doane can't believe it. Doane and Lasheley stare down. Lasheley is pissed.

OVW IS LIVE IN VARIOUS PLACES!

LET US TAKE YOU BACK TO MOMENTS AGO IN BLACK AND WHITE AND LETTERBOXED. Nemeth pins Doane.

Live in the ring. Johnny Jeter is out. He and Snow stare down. Man, Jeter is a great heel. Snow asks him if he had anything to do with Anderson and Puder coming out. Snow says even if he asked Jeter, Jeter probably wouldn't give him a straight answer. Jeter says congrats to himself. Good job Johnny, because nobody who matters has told him congrats this week. Oh wow... he sounds very, very much like Jericho doing this promo. The fact of the matter is he was the number one contender because Matt broke his leg. YOU TAPPED OUT CHANTS. Jeter says he was the legal man in the MNM match. Let's face facts, I'm the OVW Heavyweight Champion. He's tired of being Matt Cappotelli's BITCH. He's the OVW Champion, it's his turn to shine, his turn to be looked at. When you're the OVW Champion, you're in the limelight. That spotlight is on Jeter. YOU TAPPED OUT CHANTS. Jeter says he doesn't remember tapping, just winning the OVW title. As far as Jeter is concerned, the light is on him. Jeter would like to address Vincent Kennedy McMahon who he knows is watching, please call up Jeter to Raw or Smackdown. The only thing worse than having a partner who's selfish is living here with these people in “Looneyville”. YOU SUCK chants. Jeter walks to the ring.

OVW Heavyweight Title Match:
OVW Heavyweight Champion Johnny Jeter v.s. “The Shooter” Brent Albright
Big pop for Albright. Chris Kay your referee. The OVW title is on the line. Matt Cappotelli's music hits and he hops out on crutches, Albright has to hold him back and talk him down. He finally gets Matt to sit down at ringside. We gotta take our last break!

As we come back from break, Albright gets a quick rollup. Headlock, takedown. Ref checks Jeter's shoulders, headscissors by Jeter, reversed back to the headlock. A near fall or two. Jeter works his way back up. Whip, Albright holds on to the headlock. Jeter up, whips Albright out, shoulderblock by Albright. Camelclutch rollup gets 2 for Albright, Jeter comes back with a crucifix for two! Chop by Jeter. Another. Whip to the corner, Albright jumps over the charging, Jeter. T-Bone Suplex by Albright! 2-count. Albright goes for the armbreaker but Jeter counters. Spinning Wheel Kick by Jeter is ducked by Albright! Albright goes for the crowbar but Jeter makes it to the ropes before he can lock it in. Real nice sequence there.

Jeter backdrops Albright off the top rope, but Albright holds on and rams Jeter's head in the buckle, no, blocked by Jeter! Jeter sends Albright into the buckle and then dropkicks him off the ring apron! Albright works his way back up. Jeter tries to baseball slide him but Albright moves... Belly-to-Belly suplex on the floor by Albright! Better than last week's match so far. 2 count back in the ring. Snapmare, armbreaker to Jeter. Albright ties Jeter up in the ropes, hammerlock in the ropes, dropkick to the shoulder! 2 count. Nobody in US wrestling is better at working the arm than Albright. Hammerlock belly-to-back suplex gets two. Hammerlock into a slam but Jeter slips out and punches Albright outside of the ring. Jeter poses in the ring, then... ASAI MOONSAULT ONTO Albright!! Matt makes a kick in the direction of Jeter. Punch, punch, back in the ring. 2 count. 2 count. 2 count. Armbar, european uppercut to the arm. Head to the buckle. Hammerlock on Albright's arm now in the ropes. Chop by Albright, another.

Jeter comes back with some of his own. Man, Jeter really looks like Jericho now since he has his hair made up the exact same way and black tape around his wrists. Whip to the ropes, polish hammer! 2 count. Jeter unties a turnbuckle. Albright rolls up him for 2! Jeter pummels Albright on the mat. Jeter tries to ram Albright's head into the exposed steel a couple times but it is blocked. Albright elbows out of the corner, whips Jeter into the ropes, reversed, beautiful jumping spin kick hits this time on Albright. 2.99! Dean Hill cheers “YES”. Knee to the back of Albright's head. Cravate into a snapmare into a chinlock. Fastforward time. Albright elbows out. Sunsetflip blocked by Jeter who tries to hook Albright in the 1992 Bret Hart/Bulldog finish but Albright blocks that as well. Anyway, Jeter stomps the arm and the head and stuff. 2 count. Jericho, er, Jeter back to the headlock. Go Brent Go chants. Jeter yanks Albright down by the hair.

Jeter goes up top. Missile dropkick MISSES for the first time in the history of wrestling! Albright rolls him up for 2.9. MAKE HIM TAP Chants. Albright chops him in the corner, whip to the buckle, runs into a Jeter elbow, but Jeter runs into a overhead belly to belly suplex by Albright!! 2.99! Albright goes for a vertical suplex, no a SUPERPLEX. Here it comes off the rop rope, no Jeter slams him off. SPINKICK OFF THE TOP ROPE!! 2.999! Man, he stiffed him with that one. Jeter warms up the band for the superkick. Albright ducks the kick! Double leg takedown into a slingshot into the exposed turnbuckle... but Jeter lands on the second rope and stops himself! Crossbody by Jeter, Albright rolls through for 2.99!! Excellent match. Jeter punches Albright. Belly to back attempt by Jeter, Albright lands on his feet and pushes Jeter into the exposed turnbuckle!! Jeter's shoulder hits the steel!! CROWBAR, but Jeter makes the ropes somehow immediately. Jeter rolls out of the ring. Jeter looks under the ring for some plunder. Jeter kicks Cappotelli's crutch away at ringside and then superkicks his ass!! Oh man, how dickish (watches spot again). Jeter grabs the chair Cappotelli was sitting in. He clocks Albright right in the head, then nails Cappotelli who is just getting up outside the ring.

The Ref calls for the DQ and Albright is the winner. *** 1⁄2 or so.

Dean Hill yells “LORD LORD LORD”. Another chair shot, another, another! Another, another, another! The crowd is screaming, a ref tries to pull Jeter away. The whole locker room empties out to hold Jeter back. Hill and Snow are having a heart attack. The wrestlers are in shot. Jeter has asssaulted his former partner. We get a brief shot of Matt and his shoulder and half his face are completely soaked with blood. His white shirt is red and a couple guys who are working on him have their hands covered in blood. Sick sick, 1.0 Muta bladejob (if all of it is real). Don't think I've seen anything like this.

We quickly go to a break.

There is a crowd of people around Matt and we can't get a clear shot of him. There's blood everywhere. His entire shirt is all bloody. Back at the announce desk, Hill has his hands covered in blood and blood on his white shirt. Hill says he's been doing this for a long time and this is one of the most horrific moments I've ever seen in pro wrestling. What Johnny Jeter has done here tonight is unforgivable. Hill walks off and tends to Jeter as we fade out.

Wow, now that's an angle.

Wrestling News August 19, 2005

2005-08-19T22:49:00.000-04:00

CZW wrestler, Chris Cash, died last night in a tragic accident. Chri$ Ca$h - Christopher Bauman Jr. passed away last night after being involved in a motorcycle accident near his home in South Jersey. On behalf of the CZW family we would like to send our condolences to the Bauman family who are mourning Chris as are we. The thoughts and prayers of the CZW family are with them and those of the CZW fans also are.

SD: This is a shame. CZW is one of the top indie feds going and from what I hear he was a big part of it. PTP send its condolences to Chris’s family and friends.

Joey Styles will be unable to work the wrestling show he put together due to his WWE contract. "I was approached to participate in JOEY STYLES' EXTREMELY HARDCORE well over one year before I signed a part-time, non-exclusive, two-year agreement with WWE in June in order to host ECW branded television projects. However, I am disappointed to announce that there is language in my WWE agreement which makes it necessary for me to resign from JOEY STYLES' EXTREMELY HARDCORE." said Joey Styles.

The company will continue with a new name and a new announcer but will feature the same wrestlers and style of wrestling that hardcore wrestling fans crave and sorely miss.

The card for this Saturday Night remains:
Former WCW World Champion vs. Former ECW World Champion
Dallas Page vs. Justin Credible with Francine and Jason

Hardcore Street Fight
Atlanta's New Gangstas, New Jack and Murder One vs. Balls Mahoney and Axl Rotten

Dog Eat Dog
Pitbull Gary Wolfe vs. Rotweiller Rodney Begnaud

North vs. South
Buffalo, NY's Mikey Whipwreck vs. Raleigh, NC's The Enforcer, CW Anderson

SD: The bad news is, this will only further prevent Joey Styles from joining the WWE on a fulltime basis. The worse news is that the one thing that was making me lean towards buying this ppv is now gone. The horrible news is the only match I’d want to see is Mikey Whipwreck vs CW Anderson.

TNA is now playing hardball with their contracted performers because of their new DVD distribution deal. TNA has informed their talents that they must have their indy dates approved and that they may not work for indy groups that release DVDs nationally in retail sales chains such as Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, Best Buy, Circut City, etc. This would mean that TNA talents Raven, Jerry Lynn, Rhino and Sabu could not appear on Shane Douglas' upcoming Hardcore Homecoming shows (beginning next month) which will be distributed nationally by Big Vision Entertainment.

Now that TNA has their DVDs distributed nationally by Navarre, the national DVD restriction joins the pay-per-view restriction (and one would also assume television) for TNA talents.

This should not prevent TNA talents from appearing on Ring of Honor shows as ROH sells their DVDs direct response only.

SD: Great news for ROH fans anyway. Otherwise, this is a necessary move for TNA as they make their next move as the #2 promotion in the American wrestling scene. Merchandising is an absolutely vital move for NA at this stage of the game. If they want to look like major players they need to pretend they are and not allow other companies to put the focus on their stars in the public eye in case their people are booked to lose.

ROH News & Notes:
-If you are unsure of where to start. Check out this article for info of when the DVDs fit into their history
- The winner of the Four Corner Survival mini-tournament at "Do Or Die V" will be booked on the double shot featuring Kenta Kobashi on Oct. 1st in Manhattan and Oct. 2nd in Philadelphia.
- Tickets are now on sale for ROH's return to Chicago on Nov. 5th

WWE renewed contracts for Jonathan Coachman and Christy Hemme. Guess which one I am happy about and which makes me consider not watching Raw for a while.

Wrestling News August 18, 2005

2005-08-18T16:32:00.000-04:00

Frankie Kazarian’s website first told of his departure from the WWE. Frankie Kazarian has parted ways with World Wrestling Entertainment as of Saturday evening. Kazarian wishes WWE all the best in their future endeavors.

Then came notice from WWE.com – in their site’s game section. Frankie Kazarian and WWE have parted ways. We suggest you don't pick him for your roster.

And finally, Frankie himself comments on the break-up. In the end, I feel just did not fit personally or professionally with the company, at this point in my career. It was decided by both sides, that we, at this time should no longer do business.

WWE is a great company, and I wish all the people there nothing but the absolute best. Lets face it, WWE is the reason a lot of folks are wrestling fans today.

While there, I learned so much, and was able to reconnect with some old friends, as well as make some new ones. I thank everyone there for their help and input, and I thank the WWE for the fantastic opportunity.

SD: There are rumors circulating all over the internets about it. First, the writers not knowing he is on the roster, his not being used until he asked to be put on, his not appearing on Smackdown, officials asking him to get a haircut, not walking the dog, refused to eat figs, who knows.

Frankie was somebody to be built up slowly and groomed into the uppercard. He has the look, charisma, talent, whatever. As for where he’s going next, we’ll see. Will TNA want him back? Probably not right away despite his being undefeated on Velocity over the WWE’s top cruiserweights.

Personality clashes are a major problem in the industry. In an increasingly corporate WWE, an outside trained performer might not get the chance he deserves unless he’s already a household name. And a company like TNA is struggling to stay afloat right now. They aren’t going to respond lightly to a perceived slight against them. Kazarian is most likely in a tight spot now. Best of luck to him.

TNA released their official show schedules for the next few months and that they debut on SpikeTV on October 1st. TNA “iMPACT” will air Saturday nights on SpikeTV starting October 1.

The upcoming TNA Television Taping Schedule is as follows:

Sunday, September 11- “Unbreakable” live and exclusively on Pay-Per-View
Tuesday, September 27 – TNA’s first taping for “iMPACT!” on SpikeTV
Tuesday, October 11 – “iMPACT” on SpikeTV television taping
Sunday, October 23 – “Bound For Glory” live and exclusively on Pay-Per-View
Tuesday, October 25 - “iMPACT” on SpikeTV television taping
Sunday, November 13 – "Genesis" live and exclusively on Pay-Per-View
Tuesday, November 15 – “iMPACT” on SpikeTV television taping
Tuesday, November 29 - “iMPACT” on SpikeTV television taping

SD: I’m trying to get excited about this but TNA has dropped the ball so many times that I’ve just about lost all heart.

The Blue Meanie issued commentary over the rumor that the BWO is no more in the WWE. Hey everyone. Just dropping a quick (or not so quick) note to let you guys no what's going on. As far as the bWo goes and the WWE the only thing I can say is your guess is as good as mine. I knew going in that it wasn't a full time gig so I can't complain but I would have liked to have had my phone calls returned to let me know yay or nay.

I had an awesome time catching up with my friends, getting some new exposure and getting out of the finanical hole I was left in back in January. But most importantly it was great to perform for you the fans on a grander scale.

SD: From all accounts it doesn’t seem Johnny Ace is the most approachable boss does it? Still, the writing was on the wall. If they meant for it to go any longer Meanie wouldn’t have been on a week-to-week basis. Best of luck, Meanie.

ROH News & Notes:
- Jamie Noble promises he won’t leave ROH until after he loses the World title.
- ROH officials are considering hiring somebody for an “on-air” commissioner role for their programs. The scripted reasoning is that there have been far too many count-outs and other non-finishes lately which is against what the company was founded on.
- AJ Styles suffered a knee injury at last Sunday's TNA PPV and is taking things day by day. There is a good chance that he might miss this Saturday's event. ROH officials are urging AJ to take the show off if AJ isn't able to perform up the level that the fans expect and if there is risk at further injury. The final call will be made on Friday.
- BJ Whitmer has just left for a tour of NOAH. It looks like the next ROH Tag Team Title defense by champions Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs will be October 1st at the New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan. ROH
- And just for me and my Cleveland readers (unless you’re coming here during that time for some reason), Here is the first talent list for ROH's debut in Cleveland on October 14th: ROH Pure Champion Samoa Joe; ROH Tag Team Champions BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs; Bryan Danielson; The Embassy featuring Jimmy Rave, Alex Shelley & Abyss with Prince Nana; Generation Next of Austin Aries & Roderick Strong; Homicide & Ricky Reyes of The Rottweilers; Chad Collyer; Colt Cabana; Nigel McGuinness plus more to be added!!!

Wrestling News August 13, 2005

2005-08-13T19:06:00.000-04:00

The big news this weekend is that tonight is CM Punk’s final night in Ring of Honor. As one of the mainstays in the company, Punk has become as much a name for ROH as Taz was for ECW or even Ric Flair was for WCW. When the “unpleasantness” came about with one of the former owners of ROH, TNA pulled their weight to make sure their company was not tarnished by that reputation-by-proxy.

CM Punk was the only contracted TNA wrestler who broke ranks. He stuck with ROH through that trying time and the ROHbots respected him for it. But, like all good things, it must come to an end. Tonight he faces former in-ring rival and friend, Colt Cabana, in the ring. On the company’s website the two men shared some thoughts about their friendship:

Punk: “So now I'm leaving, and it kills me to think that this might be the last time I get to wrestle somebody who over the course of the last six years has become my brother. However, we're in Chicago. It's like it was meant to be. If I go out, I can't think of a better way. Two home town kids. Two best friends. Doing what they dreamed about doing since they were little kids. It's going to be emotional in Chicago Saturday night, and ya know, sometimes part of me gets nervous and thinks, "what if I screw up, what if it's a bad match?"

Then I smile, because it can't be a bad match....Colt Fucking Cabana is in it. I hope Saturday night never ends..."

Colt, in a very touching tribute: ”Now Punk is off to become the huge star we all knew he'd become. To me, he's an inspiration. He got himself that job without breaking his beliefs and way of life. Since day one, Punk knew his passion and has gone for it. There's been many hurdles for both of us. We don't stop though. He broke his skull and was back two months later. I know wrestlers who chipped a nail and gave it up. I hope when I have kids that they follow his work ethic, morals and beliefs.”

SD: Click the link and give it a read. You don’t often get this kind of display of friendship in professional wrestling so it’s nice to see it when it comes along. It’s not somebody else’s snippets from what they remember from an internet radio show’s interview. These are the feelings from the men typed out in their own words. Maybe I’m a big ol’ softy, but that kind of sentiment is nice to see in a testosterone driven industry.

Last night’s show in Dayton saw a new ROH Champion get crowned. Here are the results:

Ace Steel def. Sterling Keenon, Delirious & Matt Stryker in a 4-corners match
“Classic” Colt Cabana def Spanky
Jimmy Jacobs & BJ Whitmer def. Nigel McGuiness and Chad Collyer
Matt Sydel w/ Daisy Haize, Austin Aries, & Roderick Strong def. The Embassy (Alex Shelley, Jimmy Rave, & Abyss)
Low Ki vs Jay Lethal was a NC
Matt Hardy def. Homicide
In the 4-way Elimination Main Event James Gibson def. CM Punk, Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels to become the new ROH World Champion

In other ROH news, Tony Mamaluke will be returning to the company for a few dates this fall.

SD: Can anybody tell which fed I think has the best wrestling and angles going today? It’s a damn shame ROH isn’t in the position to do tv yet (outside of their random matches on England’s TWC). The past few months have been so damn exciting to read about for me. As soon as these latest shows are on DVD I implore you to check them out — especially if the entirety of your wrestling viewing is watching Raw or Smackdown just to snark on it.

Tomorrow night’s TNA ppv, Bound For Glory, has a potentially great card. Check it out:

MAIN EVENT
NWA World Heavyweight Champion Raven and Sabu vs. Jeff Jarrett and Rhino

SUPER X CUP FINALS
“The Phenomenal” AJ Styles vs. “The Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe

OVER A DECADE IN THE MAKING
The TNA in-ring return of Jerry Lynn vs. Sean Waltman

NON-TITLE INTERNET DREAM MATCH
X Champion The Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels vs. Austin Aries (as voted by fans)

CHALLENGE MATCH
Lance Hoyt vs. Abyss w/Jim Mitchell

DECISION TIME FOR BG JAMES
Konnan and The Truth vs. Kip James and The Alpha Male Monty Brown
Special Referee: BG James

EIGHT MAN TAG TEAM WARFARE
NWA World Tag Team Champions The Naturals and America’s Most Wanted vs. Team Canada (Williams, Roode, Young and A1)

TIED 1-1: FINAL MATCH
Shocker vs. Alex Shelley

Chris Sabin, Sonjay Dutt and Shark Boy taking on Simon Diamond, David Young and Primetime Elix Skipper

And the pre-show match will be Apolo & Sonny Siaki vs. Jerrelle Clark & Mikey Batts

SD: Half the card looks really good on paper and the other half looks like standard TNA booking on paper. We all know which ones will be abot the matches and which will be about stories. TNA’s bookers have never been strong enough to carry the company on their stories but they still keep plugging away at it. You’ve got to respect that tenacity. Still. This could be a sleeper ppv hit.

LIVE Notes from RAW!

2005-08-09T03:15:00.000-04:00

I was at RAW this evening, and overall, I have to say it was a lackluster show live. However, there were some high points.

- Kerwin White cut a promo for Heat, and he came to the ring...IN A GOLFCART. WITH A GOLF BAG IN THE BACK. This ruled on so many levels. The crowd loved it (well, until he started heeling on the crowd). When he left, HE TOOK AN IRON AND TOOK A FEW PRACTICE SWINGS. I can't tell you how much this ruled live. And he had this Frank Sinatra pastiche that talked about soccer moms and such. The key word again is "ruled."

- The crowd was HOT HOT HOT for the HBK/Hogan face-off. HBK was certainly getting cheers, but he was doing his best to heel it up. Hogan of course got massive cheers, but there was certainly an anti-Hogan (and anti-Cena) contingent present. They were right next to me and thus loud, so I have no idea how strongly they come across on TV.

- And speaking of "anti" crowds, the reaction for Eugene was a complete 180 compared to the last time RAW was here (that was the Iron Man match, where Eugene returned after a couple of weeks off and kicked some righteous ass to the crowd's delight). Eugene was booed MERCILESSLY by the crowd, and Angle might as well have been a face (in all the times I've seen him here, he's still commanded respectable heel heat despite being the hometown guy).

- The crowd actually was into the Diva contest (I really didn't hear any boos), at least when they paraded out. It was short and sweet, and relatively inoffensive.

- Getting "Real American" so many times was tremendous live.

One of the security guys in the Edge/Matt segment was local IWC wrestler Glenn Spectre (dark hair with sideburns). Chris Hamrick (also a regular in IWC, btw) was another guard, which makes no sense since he wrestled on SD a few weeks ago and was ID'd. Are we not supposed to notice?

The dark main event was a decent 15 min match of Cena/Hogan/Batista vs Angle/HBK/JBL. It had some comedy spots (like when Angle cowered in the corner by grabbing JBL's legs right in front of his crotch, and JBL had this incredulous look on his face while HBK just kinda walked away), and it served to put the faces over and did a good job at that.

At one point, some idiots in the crowd were chanting "You screwed Bret" to people not even remotely involved in Montreal.

I think people started out more indifferent than anything to Cena' video, but people were certainly waiting for it to be over.

Biggest FACE pops (in my subjective order, but I'm betting most people will agree):

1) Batista (deafening)
2) Hogan
3) Cena
4) Angle
5) Hardy

Biggest HEEL heat:

1) Edge (his promo was well received by the crowd, IMO)
2) Bischoff
3) Eugene
4) HBK (mixed, but dammit he tried)
5) Y2J (mixed...he incited the crowd at times but still was cheered)

Again, a lot of the show wasn't up to snuff (the Heat matches were particularly yawnworthy), and I personally was only really looking forward to the HBK/Hogan stuff, Hardy/Edge stuff, and the dark main event, and that all delivered. So I feel like I got my money's worth, even if I've been to better shows.

Wrestling News August 8, 2005

2005-08-08T20:21:00.000-04:00

The biggest new over the weekend was the edict by Vince McMahon for cruiserweights to stop doing certain top rope maneuvers. World Wrestling Entertainment officials have made an effort to tone down several high flying moves, putting the word out that there is an unofficial ban of sorts on both the 450 splash and the shooting star press. The edict, said to have come down from Vince McMahon, is due to several recent injuries from the moves (Billy Kidman giving Chavo Guerrero a concussion with a shooting star, Juventud Guerrera nailing Paul London with a knee to the face with a 450 and causing a major scare, most notably). The edict actually went out about two weeks back to the Cruiserweights. When Paul London used a shooting star against Nunzio on a recent edition of Velocity, he was told not to do it again by WWE officials and to come up with a new finisher. London was said to have been noticeably upset about being told to tone down his style.

SD: I know this move has caught a lot of hell from the internet wrestling community but I am mostly in agreement with it for a number of reasons. First, they have become too commonplace. Yes they are extraordinary but when a fireman’s carry gets a bigger pop you know something is wrong.

Second, the two moves mentioned involve a loss of control on the part of the performers who do them. They spend their energy trying to finish the flips that they are unable to fully protect their opponents. Witness: Kidman’s SSP on Chavo last year and Juvy’s 450 on London this year. Yes, those are only a couple examples but it’s part of the feeling now. Now, this may be unfair to London who has never been involved in an injury (as far as I know) and always looks extremely crisp out there but you really can’t take any chances.

Third, this doesn’t take away from the cruiserweight division at all. If anybody remembers early WCW CW matches, most of the performers in the division weren’t doing moves of the sort. Ohtani, Benoit, Malenko and Eddie made up the core of the beginning of the division and none of them did moves like that. Some moves off the top may have happened but they were relegated to impact moves rather than spots. If a problem is to be laid on problems with the division it begins and ends with the writers who refuse to give it the attention it deserves.

The Coach is going to be staying on as the third announcer on Raw according to the WWE. “Vince (McMahon) and the producers came to me the day before Vengeance and said I might be doing it,” Coach told WWE.com. “They wanted the broadcast team to get a little younger and a little better looking. But I didn’t know for sure I was in until a few hours before the show.”

From an interview with JR we learn his view about the decision: “A lot of people might not like Coach on the broadcast,” said Ross. “A lot of people watch wrestling for the steak, and I think I can bring that. But a lot of people watch it for the sizzle or the entertainment. They want somebody to stir the pot, and certainly both Lawler and Coach have the ability to do that. Coach brings a different demographic and a knowledge of pop culture, which is good. Every young guy should get the opportunity to see if they can come and hunt with the big dogs, and this is his chance.”

He continues: “I would have liked more time to prepare, but my job isn’t to question those decisions,” Ross told WWE.com. “I’m a team player, and if that’s what management thought was best for the company, then I’m going to make it work.”

SD: I don’t care what people may think: Coach is going to be a great color commentator. He brings a lot more to the table right now than Lawler has since late 1998. With all of the wealth of information about the product that Lawler has he pisses it all away to be the “cute” perverted tweener to stay over wit the fans. It doesn’t add to the product at all. With Coach out there we have somebody in touch with today’s demographic, willing to be the heel and actually calls the in-ring action.

The few times we saw JR and Coach alone (and they weren’t in that horrid feud) the product was far more enjoyable and wasn’t mentally (at least) muted by me. If WWE feels the need to go back to the 2-man system I hope they do the right thing and put Lawler on Heat.

The first edition of Joey Styles' Extremely Hardcore PPV will be taped alongside Women’s Extreme Wrestling on Saturday 8/20 in Atlanta, Georgia. A few of the names scheduled to appear are:

Sabu, Justin Credible, Axl Rotten, Balls Mahoney, Gary Wolfe, Mikey Whipwreck, CW Anderson, New Jack, and Rodney Mack, with John Finnegan refereeing and Stephen DeAngelis ring announcing.

The matches penciled in right now are:
New Jack and NWA Wildside wrestler Murder One vs Axl Rotton and Balls Mahoney
Sabu vs Justin Credible
Mikey Whipwreck vs CW Anderson
Rodney Mack vs Pitbull Gary Wolf

Styles' partners in the project are former ECW officials Steve Karel, Greg Bagarozy and Dan Kowal. The first PPV will air on In Demand on 9/9.

SD: Best of luck, guys.

Michelle McCool tells her local paper that she may not be on tv – but that’s good news! Michelle remains on the payroll and soon will head to Atlanta, where she'll begin training at a new WWE developmental facility.

"It's called Deep South Wrestling," she said Thursday. "They do their own shows, but they train every day. It teaches you in-ring psychology and keeps you in shape for the physicality of the business.

"Originally, I enjoyed the week off, but now I miss the friends I've made on the road."

SD: And we now have another name for what is sounding to be a very good wrestling territory.

TNAwrestling.com has learned that retail leader Wal-Mart will feature a new TNA Wrestling DVD combo pack in stores in time for the holiday season.
“TNA Anthology: The Epic Set” will feature over ten hours of Total Nonstop Action, featuring the “Victory Road”, “Turning Point” and “Lockdown” Pay-Per-Views as one mega set. In addition, TNAwrestling.com has learned that the box set will be priced under $30, making it an affordable, must-have for every wrestling fan. TNA Wrestling will post an official release on the Wal-Mart “TNA Anthology” box set in the upcoming days.

SD: At the link you’ll find a match listing of the best of the X-Division DVD as well. Really, this is a bargain for wrestling fans. I’m not the biggest fan of the company for reasons I won’t get into right now but $30 for 10 hours of DVD quality wrestling is a bargain. The ppvs have some excellent matches and moments.

ROH News & Notes:
- Ring Of Honor is pleased to announce that it has agreed to terms with "Scrap Iron" Adam Pearce. He is already signed for the 9/17 Long Island and 9/24 Boston events.
- A special match has been signed for the 8/20 afternoon "Do Or Die V" event in Morristown, NJ. It will be John McChesney vs. Sterling James Keenan and the IWC Super Indy Title will be on the line!

OVW TV for 7/22 & 7/29

2005-08-05T00:52:00.000-04:00

We open with Ken Anderson in the locker room watching last week's show on a big screen TV. Clips are shown in black and white and letterboxed of last week's show as Anderson talks about them. God, this is so Tarantino/ECW style, with Anderson even cutting a Dreamer/Raven type ECW promo. Anyway, read last week's report. The jist of it is Anderson says he may not be a nice guy, but he'd never attack someone from behind. Anderson was impressed with Albright and says he's the man. He always does business face to face. Tonight you will see a different Mr. Anderson. Really cool intro to the show with Anderson's promo acting as a recap and a prologue to this week's show, almost in a sort of narrator context. Buy the frigging July OVW tape already.

Let the BODIES Hit the Floor!

Maria starts us off and she's lost her IQ points again. It's “Tank and Chad the Tolands” with a “Blonde Bombers” chyron. Ah, Jillian Hall with an unobstructed face. Maria interviews Jillian. Maria is all stupid again. Apparently the Tolands are the most dominant tag team in OVW history or something and they're going to face the winners of a Battle Royal (Seth Skyfire and Paul Burchill OMG SPOILERZ OF A HOUSE SHOW YOU CAN'T GO TO OR SEE UNLESS YOU HAVE A TIME MACHINE) at Six Flags. Anyway, Jillian talks about how they've beaten everyone and crap. They're going to draw two random names to fight them tonight. It's Deuce Shade. It's DA BEAST.

Blonde Bombers (w/ Jillian Hall) v.s. Deuce Shade/Da Beast
Dean Hill says Al Snow is going to be in the Hall of Fame. Yeah right. Da Beast is a small hoss but he looks huge compared to the midget Tolands. Hell, Maria looked huge earlier. Beast tosses the Tolands around until he punches one of them and then hurts his hand. Shade in. He does some cartwheels and moderately impressive moves but I hit FF because I only have a half hour before this week's OVW show starts. Anyway, Jillian inteferes but Shade fights her and Chad off, only to get booted by Tank. Snow isn't calling Toland Wicks this week. One of the Tolands hits the cravate about 3 minutes in. Shade goes for the hot tag at the four minute mark. Beast has left because he's “hurt”. Shade hits his lame comeback, gets cut off, vegematic gets the 3 at exactly 6 minutes.

Da Beast stands in front of the announce table while Dean Hill and Al Snow run down the card for this week's show, blocking the camera so you can just see his backside. Cool shot. Hill says we'll talk to you after the break.

Cornette's voice lives! Steal the GAB with OVW! OVW card guaranteed to be better than the GAB card! OVW in E-Town!

We're back, and Da Beast is cutting a promo. Beast says he would fight for my bruddah, this ain't the streets and Shade isn't Beast's bruddah.

Here comes Elijah Burke! He stares down Da Beast. He says Beast abandoned his partner out there. Beast says his hand in broke. Burke says you cross Shade, you cross me. Beast says “go wrestle”.

Elijah Burke v.s. Russell Simpson.
Some usual stuff to start. Burke reels him in like he's Petey Wiliams about one minute in. X-Factor. Snow says Simpson is done. 1-2-3!
Your Winner: Elijah Burke (=~ 1 min)

Let's go backstage where we see the camera move up in the hallway to Elijah Burke. Apparently our announcers can talk to the wrestlers this way. Albright has his arm slinged up... in fact it looks exactly like Orlando Jordan's arm was this past week (7/28) on Smackdown. Snow asks Albright for a comment. Albright has no comment about getting keylocked by Puder. Snow badgers him as he goes into the locker room. Doring, Roadkill, and Thrillseekers are in there. Snow gets another “no comment” from Albright. Cappotelli says that's messed up, that was the same move that almost took out Kurt Angle. Albright gets in his face and says Matt needs to show respect and be less concerned about what he did to Kurt Angle and be more concerned about what Puder did to Albright. He's sick of people talking about Kurt Angle. Matt says he needs to get out of his face because he's not the one going after Albright's OVW title... yet. Albright gives him a headlock with his good arm. Albright tells Jeter to control his parnter, which gets Jeter all pissed. Albright says he'll take on anyone as some random jobbers hold him back.

OVW in Vernon! OVW in London... KY!

Aaron Stevens and Beth Phoenix are out. Here's Ken Anderson out with a mic. He says he does things face to face, eyeball to eyeball. I would never do something behind your back... which brings me to HER. Because... if you'd have seen what she was trying to do in the locker room last week. Stevens turns to look at Phoenix... allowing Anderson to jump him from behind! Big DDT! Anderson shakes Stevens' hand. Rolling Samoan Drop (Rocca Roll). Up to the top... SWANTON BOMB! 3-count. Where'd that come from? Squash!

Let's go backstage to where Maria and Alexis Laree are bouncing as Alexis is going to announce her big announcement. Beth Phoenix is whining about Stevens getting beat right off camera and the noise screws the interview up. Cat fight coming. Alexis says Phoenix shouldn't worry about the stuff in the ring from Idol, but who he's doing backstage. Slut! Hooker! Tramp! Maria gives us a “poopy pants”. They make a match for Six Flags and Idol pulls Phoenix away.

Backstage, Seth Skyfire is cutting a promo about being in the Battle Royal at Six Flags. OMG the lights go out.. there's some crashing and noise of stuff flying around.

Hahahahaha. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SOUL I'M GOING TO TAKE HOME WITH ME TONIGHT. HAHAHA ARE YOU STILL AWAKE? SHOULDN'T YOU BE SLEEPING? HISSSSS. GRUNT AAHHHH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA IM DA BOOGEYMAN AND SOMEBODY'S GONNA DIE.

RIP Seth Skyfire

Back at ringside, Hill and Snow have Lawlergasms over the prospect of Beth Phoenix v.s. Alexis Laree at Six Flags. They do some recap of stuff, particularly Ken Doane taking out Ric Flair at Six Flags.

Nick Nemeth is out. He says last week Ken Doane, the 19-year punk gave him a RKO and blindslided him. He says Doane overlooked him. Kenny Bolin is out. He starts a promo but Nemeth starts choking him out. He pummels Bolin... but gets RKOed out of nowhere on the concrete! There's Ken Doane! Nemeth is dead. Doane hits the Orton pose in the ring. Jobbers are out to attend to Nemeth as we take a quick break.

Doane says... look, is that Seven? Hey, redhead, I'm talking to you. It's Seven/Mordecai/Kevin Fertig. Wasn't he FIRED? He has the baseball cap of annoyance. Doane says you're an OVW legend. Rats chant “Seven”. Doane says if the has been had his gear on, he'd give him a TV title shot. Staredown in the ring. Refs separate them. Seven says he'll take the title and shove it up his ass. Doane says he doesn't have his gear and may not even have a ticket, he's not supposed to be in this building. One of the refs calls Doane chicken and he accepts the challenge.

“The Golden Boy” Ken Doane (w/ Desiree) v.s. Seven
Snow says Seven is on a “World Tour” and just stopped by OVW to say hello. Lots of stalling and a headlock. Hoss shoulderblock. Wristlock and shoulders against the arm and that's your two minutes of action. Shoulderblock. Headbutt. 2 count. Elbow. Clothesline. 2 count. Seven goes for Desiree. Doane goes for the RKO blow , low blow. Doane takes Seven's belt and WHIPS HIM LIKE A GUVAMENT MULE BY GAWD. Chris Kay notices the belt and takes it away. Stomps. Reverse chinlock takes us to the break!

Big dropkick by Doane! 2 count. Knees, 2 count. Seven makes his Nash-like comeback, but Doane cuts him off with an eyepoke that gets 2. Doane unhooks the turnbuckle. Doane chokes out Seven with his wrist tape. Big headlock. Elbows by Doane. Headbutt misses. Seven with right hands and more right hands, clothesline. Clothesline. Whip to the buckle, splash, splash. Samoan drop. 2 count. He goes for another Samoan Drop, Doane gets out, ducks a clothesline... DOANEation! 2.99! Doane calls for the RKO.. blocked! Kick to the head, Seven goes for a powerbomb, Doane shakes free and flips off the rope to get to his feet, then hits an RKO! Seven is dead and motionless 3-count.
Your Winner: Ken Doane (9:30)

Backstage, Puder is coming to the ring.

Next week, MNM returns to OVW!

Backstage Ms Blue and Mike Mondo tend to Kenny Bolin, who is koed and is talking in a squeaky voice. Quite funny. He freaks out over a medical guy who has a plastic glove on his hand (ala a Prostate exam). Doane and Desiree come in. Doane says he took out Nick Nemeth 2x, Ric Flair, and Seven. One of these things is not like the others. He says this Friday Night at Six Flags, he's coming for Orton!

Hill and Snow run down the card for Six Flags at the announce desk.

Dan Puder comes out with a mic. Ken Anderson comes out and says he's disappointed in Puder. He says Puder is no man because a man doesn't hit people from behind. Face to face, eyeball to eyeball, blah blah. The day I attacks someone from behind is the day I'm just like you Puder, nothing more than a CHICKENSHIT! Puder says we can go right now. Albright runs in as the two circle. Anderson tries to get Albright to fight Puder. Albright looks to have the better of Puder as Anderson watches. Anderson hits Albright from behind! Puder locks in the keylock! Albright tries to fight out as we go off the air!

We start with Maria in a hallway as MNM enter the Arena. Maria calls them former tag team champions causing Melina to choke a bitch. OH MY GOD. Melina says she doesn't want to hear that from a Raw girl. Nitro: “How'd she ever get a microphone?”

O-V-Dub chants as we go to the ring! Dean Hill says there will be a big announcement or something

Ken Anderson/Dan Puder v.s. James Smith and Jason Nelly
Ken Anderson does the ring announcing. Looks like OVW finally bought a wireless microphone... which is EXTREME for Louisville. Anderson has a great announcer voice. He says the opposing team weighs in at “935 and ¾ pounds”. Anderson says he's the Franchise of O V Dub and a bunch of other stuff. He repeats his name a few time for kicks. Puder comes out and it's all knuckle-up time or something as he's all MMAed out.

Puder starts out and is wrestling totally UFC style! Double leg takedown, waistlock, throwing the guy around. His partner in... sick double leg slam. Mounted punches. Fallaway slam! Ken Anderson gets tagged in and hits the swanton off the top for a 3 count! Anderson/Puder win!

Backstage, MNM and The Tolands get in a confrontation over MNM stealing Jillian Hall from them. MNM says they're going to take back the Southern Tag Team Titles. Chad thinks Melina is kinda cute as we leave.

Chett the Jet v.s “The Golden Boy” Ken Doane (w/ Desiree, Kenny “Starmaker” Bolin, Ms. Blue, and the TV title trophy)
Doane puts the TV title on the announce desk. Desiree has a new name but I'm too lazy to decipher it (Sosay?) Shoulderblock, Hiptoss blocked, armdrag, another, armbar. Chops. Jet in control. 2 count. Chet goes up top, but Doane dropkicks him off the top! Looks like there's no more “Over the Top Rope = DQ” rule. Doane stomps away as Jet is hung up. 2 count. Elbow. Stone Cold Elbow. 2-Count. Doane chokes Jet with the tape on his wrist. Randy Orton headlock. Doane backdropped over the top rope but holds on, but gets backdropped back in. Clotheslines a plenty, head to the buckle. Stinger splash, bicycle kick to the face gets TWO. 10-punch count in the corner, pushed off, Doane on the 2^nd rope.. jumps into a spinebuster for 2.99! Doane goes to bail but is stopped, some whips around and then RKO attempt blocked, Novocaine by Jet gets 2.99!

Suplex reversed, spun around, Doane hits the RKO! 1-2-3!
Your Winner: Ken Doane

Nick Nemuth runs out. Grabs Sosay, kisses her. Doane pissed, Nemuth hits a baseball slide on Bolin. Chases Doane around the ring. Finally hits a RKO on Ken Doane! Play his lame Collective Soul Song. Nemuth hits the Doane ripoff of the Orton pose.

Meanwhile in the locker room, MNM run into the Thrillseekers. Matt respects MNM because they represent OVW. MNM say that should have been a speech at Hawk's funeral, what a ruuush. Jeter says they'd like to wrestle them but they already have a match tonight. Matt says he can get that changed. They agree to wrestle later tonight, winner gets a title shot at the Southern Tag Titles. Tension between Jeter and Matt.

Here comes Deuce Shade. Hill and Snow run down the next Six Flags card when Da Beast blocks the view of the desk.

Deuce Shade v.s. Osama (w/ Mo Green)
Total squash more or less for Shade. Hits the Deuce's Wild for the 1-2-3.

Beast and Shade face off. Beat goes to hit Shade but his hand is hurt.

MNM run into Brent Albright. Albright says the Tolands are a tough team. Any time, any place, he'll put the belt on the line if you guys want to see how tough you really are.

MNM v.s. The Thrillseekers (Winner gets Southern Tag Team Title Shot, person scoring the winning pinfall gets an OVW Heavyweight Title shot)
MNM get their titantron entrance, which is kinda lame. LOD chants. Great noncensored ass shot from the cameraman. This is your MAIN EVENT.

Get a coke or something because this is a long one. First let's take a break.

Match starts as we come back. Chris Kay your ref. Mercury and Cappotelli starting off. Collar and Elbow, both guys reverse and push each other around. Waistlock by Matt, reversed. Mercury takes him down. Bit of matwork, Matt gets up. LOD chants from the crowd. Another tieup. Headlock by Matt. Reversed to an armbar, back to the headlock by Matt now. Mercury reverses to his own headlock. Into the ropes, shoulderblock by Mercury, goes for the elbow but nobody home. Armdrag, armbar. Jeter in. Jeter off the top with an axehandle. Kick in the corner, Mercury tags in Nitro. Kicks tin the corner, kneelift, headlock. Into the ropes, shoulderblock, leapfrog on the 2^nd try, armdrag by Jeter blocked, kick to the gut, Jeter goes for a Rocker Dropper but gets flipped... Jeter turns it into a rana! Kick to the gut, Matt in.

Punch, Head to the buckle, Irish whip to the buckle. Nitro slides in REALLY fast but Matt jumps over him. Armdrag by Matt. Nitro grabs the hair, tags in Mercury, doubleteam in the corner. Head to the buckle, again, chop WOOO. GO MATT GO CHANTS. Chop. Mercury poses, turns around into a choke, Matt comes back with chops. Biiig powerslam, 2 count. Mercury grabs the tights and throws Matt into the 2^nd turnbuckle. Nitro in. Double whip, double clothesline ducked, double clothesline by Matt!. Jeter in, double hiptoss, double nipup, double forearm to Mercury outside the ring. Jeter gets a 2 count. Whip, double sledge gets two. Nitro whips Jeter to the buckle, runs into a boot, another armdrag to an armbar. Matt in, axehandle to the arm, thumb to the eye, head to the buckle by Nitro, Mercury in. Suplex, reversed to a waistlock, Mercury pushed into the buckle, Matt follows him in and runs into an elbow. Whip to the buckle, Mercury runs into a boot, but gets pissed and lariats Matt over the top rope!!

Nitro with the big kneelift. Nitro pose. Stomp. Punches. Modified Octopus-type hold from Nitro, into a real Octopus. Nitro exposes his back to the heel corner and tags in Mercurty, who smacks Matt in the back! Nice. Whip, knee to the gut. 2 count. Eddy Guerrero stomp to the face. Melina chokes Matt, which draws Jeter in. Doubleteam stomps. Nitro with kick to the abdomen. Double legdrop, Nitro in between the legs and Mercury on the neck as Mercury is tagged in. 2 count. Whip to the buckle. Big spear into the corner knocks Matt through the ropes. Matt pulled back in, waistlock but Matt draws on his Fighting Spirit(TM). Matt tries to elbow out, but misses an elbow as Mercury releases the hold! Northern Lights Suplex (w/ Bridge) gets 2!! Headlock, Nitro in. Double gutbuster. 2 count. Belly to back suplex attempt, Matt lands on his feet, shoves Nitro into Jeter who punches him, Matt rolls around Nitro to get the tag! Jeter in.

Clotheslines, flying forearm, backbreaker, 2 count! Whip, a little sequence... jumping spin kick by Jeter(~!~!). 2.99 as Mercury pulls the ref out. Melina distracts the ref. Mercury throws Jeter into the ringpost! Aww yeah, extended Southern Tag Formula baby! Melina gets thrown out! WEGOTTAGOTOABREAK!

As we come back from the 30-second break, Jeter tries to fight out of a headlock. Punches, Whip, reversed, sunset flip but blind tag before that! Nitro tagged in. Right hands, 2-count. Leglock by Nitro, Mercury tagged in and drops the leg, 2 count. Jeter tries to fight back as the crowd chants GO JETER GO. A couple punches create space until Mercury comes back with a sick kick to the head. Mercury puts his arm around the ref to tell him something while Nitro elbows Jeter on the apron. Slingshot into the bottom rope. Jeter outside and gets tossed back in. Whip to the heel corner, big clothesline. Nitro chokes him. Mercury steps on Jeter's throat, Nitro in. Headlock sets up crossfaces from Nitro. A couple more. Cravate~! Seriously, is Chris Hero an OVW trainer now? There's a cravate in every match now. 17 minutes in at this point.

Punches and an armdrag frees Jeter, but Nitro knocks Matt off the apron! Jeter pulled to the heel corner. Big kneedrop by Mercury behind the ref's back. Suplex. 2 count. Crowd really starting to buzz. Backbreaker. Mercury mocks Heidenreich's arm motion. Big elbow. 2 count thanks to sloppy cover. Nitro tagged in, Mr. Perfect neck snap, Nitro slingshots into the ring with an elbowdrop! Nice! Matt breaks up the pin attempt immediately. Mercurty tagged back in, back rake. Another backbreaker into a submission attempt. Jeter kicks out of the hold. Jeter tries to get to his corner, but gets grabbed by the tights. Scoop slam reversed into a Jeter inverted DDT!! Race to Tag Time! Nitro in to stop Jeter! He grabs a leg but Jeter hops and tags in Matt!!! Punch, clothesline, whip, backdrop! Swinging neckbreaker. Punches in the corner. Whip, MNM sandwiched in the corner, big kneelift, jumping leg lariat on Nitro, Mercury clotheslined over the top rope. Big D'Lo Brown Legdrop... 2.999!! 20 minutes in! Whip, revsered, Mercury grabs Matt. Mercury is grabbed by the hair. Nitro goes to hit Matt, misses and hits Mercury! Rollup, 2.9!

Crisscross, double clothesline! Melina back out with a chair. Kay tries to kick her out. Mercury nails Chris Kay from behind! He's out. Mercury takes the chair in the ring. He goes to blister Matt... hits Nitro!! Matt dropkicks the chair into Mercury's face, knocking him outside the ring! Cover, no ref! Matt goes to revive the ref, throws him into the ring gingerly. Matt and Nitro fight, Matt whipped into the ref on the apron! Kick to the gut. Chop by Jeter, Chop by Matt, repeat for about 30 seconds, double chop, double fist. Matt holds Nitro as Jeter goes for something, but Mercury lowbridges him! Lowblow by Nitro. 25 minutes gone. They call for the Snapshot. They hit it! No ref still. Nitro covers him. Mercury clals for another ref. 2.9999!!! Big pop for the kickout. MNM can't believe it. They go for another one, no double whip, they go for a flapjack... reversed into a double DDT! Matt goes up top. Melina knocks him off the top! Maria out... here's Heyman's contribution to the Southern Tag Team Formula... CATFIIIIGHT CATFIIIIGHT! ECW-style of course.

About 3 or 4 refs are suddenly out to break it up (where were they earlier when the ref got bumped?) They get them broken up. Jeter finally gets up. All four men in the ring. DOUBLE SUPERKICK. 1-2-3! Both Chris Kay and Ray Ramsey (the other ref) count different people.

About 27:30 all together. I rate that *** 3/4
Your Winners; The Thrillseekers... Your Number One Contender for the OVW Heavyweight Title is now... Matt Capotelli AND Johnny Jeter??

Wrestling News August 4, 2005

2005-08-04T19:29:00.000-04:00

WWE is close to yet another major acquisition. World Wrestling Entertainment is close to finalizing a deal for the World Class Championship Wrestling video library, currently owned by the last surviving member of the Von Erich family, Kevin Von Erich. WWE is currently auditing the library to inspect the condition of the footage before they make their final offer.

SD: Huge news. Absolutely huge. I have seen very, very little World Class but it has a huge following so there has to be something to it. Just considering the number of performers who went through that territory is a who’s who list of wrestling legends. Hopefully the footage is all in good shape.

Former WWE Champion Bret Hart arrived at WWE Headquarters Wednesday. The “Hit Man” met with WWE officials regarding the possibility of an upcoming DVD. Hart will be in Stamford for the remainder of the week.

SD: As I suspected. If he’s there for the entirety of the week then the three possibilities are 1) very aggressive contract negotiations to be going on, 2) content disputes or 3) DVD documentary and/or alternative match commentary being recorded. Since this DVD has been rumored for a few months now I am going with #3.

WWE.com posted this yesterday evening about the meeting with Dusty. Dusty Rhodes’ meeting with Stephanie McMahon has ended. When asked about the meeting, McMahon responded:

“Dusty is an incredible asset both creatively and as a talent. We are exploring all possibilities of working with Dusty in the future.”

SD: Of course this is all about joining the creative team. That’s Stephanie’s job. Based on his history as a booker he’d be a good fit.

In some good news, Bob Ryder is reporting that Kid Kash has signed a WWE developmental contract. He’s been assigned to the DSW territory.

SD: He’s a natural for that territory. If he’s used as a heel then the news of near-riots at the shows should be waiting in the wings. Well…depending on who the booker will be. On a related note, I’m fairly certain Stephanie isn’t in charge of territory coordination. Dusty would be an excellent fit as booker for Deep South IMO. His brand of booking will be the perfect lead-in for the WWE proper team of writers.

Misc. WWE News and Notes:
- The pairing of CM Punk and Alexis Laree is reportedly dead. A shame on many levels.
- Boogeyman hyperextended both of his knees in a match against Steven Richards recently. Some WWE wrestlers blame this on wrestlers being called up way too soon. I’m sure Stevie is just glad he wasn’t the one injured yet again in a match against a rookie.
- According to the Torch newsletter, Hogan wanted the feud with HBK to start by HBK superkicking Nick Hogan. HBK nixed the idea right away and wanted it to have a legends build-up instead. Good call, sir. Good call.
- Add Daivari to the DSW territory. Hassan is supposed to return to OVW but I personally expect him to be sat out for a while first.
- Sorry there is only WWE news today.

Wrestling News August 3, 2005

2005-08-03T13:44:00.000-04:00

Update 3:00PM EST
Dusty Rhodes has just arrived at WWE Headquarters. The former World Champion is scheduled to meet with Stephanie McMahon. WWE.com will have more on their meeting once it concludes.

SD: Obviously he is meeting about joining the creative team. Because Dusty finishes are what we've been missing in the WWE.

Bret “Hit Man” Hart is scheduled to arrive at WWE Headquarters at 4:00 p.m. ET today to meet with WWE officials.

SD: That’s all it says. It’s most likely about the DVD box set in the works. Check back for any potential updates.

WWE.com offered some sad news if you believe it. After verbally agreeing to terms with WWE, Brock Lesnar has decided to withdraw from any involvement with the company.

But a PWInsider reader sets things straight for all of us: "As a an attorney I can tell you that this is a work. There is/was a lawsuit pending between the WWE and Lesnar. As was properly pointed out on yesterday's hotline, the lawyers involved would have NEVER allowed either side to publicly comment on negotiations between the parties during litigation. This is clearly a work."

SD: What the hell is up with WWE.com and their news anyway? They’re getting very annoying with their constant hopping between kayfabe and straight news. I can understand the company need to do it but they just aren’t handling it well. I know they want to try to make their site the only source of company news and it’s admirable for them to do so. But can’t we just get back to the days of the Ross Report where they were a little more sraight-up with their fans? Yes, a little mystery and shocks are good for the fans. But play it right. You already dropped the ball with the Matt Hardy stuff the first week after convincing the majority of fans he was gone for mood. So don’t you think your tactics need to change a little bit?

Two more shows are joining Velocity and Experience in the cancellation line. World Wrestling Entertainment issued a notice to their television carriers that both WWE Afterburn (a Smackdown recap show hosted by Josh Matthews) and WWE Bottom Line (a Raw recap show hosted by Todd Grisham) would be canceled in the fall, airing until the end of September. The shows air in different syndicated markets.

SD: And that explains why Mark Loyd is gone. This is a sad move for WWE fans who don't have cable. It's almost like WWE is encouraging fans to get online to find out what is going on with the company.

Once again we get a reminder that WWE isn’t heartless as “Tatanka” Chris Chavis” is offered a contract. From his message board: "So I was just offered a WWE contract. Stay tuned as I lose those extra pounds and get back to the old Tatanka that you remember.

HEEYEEYEEYEEYEEYEE HEE HEE HEE!"

SD: Yes, I left in the yell! I mark for it. Congratulations to Tatanka and the WWE for making good on another veteran’s career as short-lived as it may turn out to be. In other WWE signing news, Matt Striker is now apparently under contract as well. I hope the writers realize that he could be one hell of a monkey wrench in the Kurt Angle/Eugene match this Monday. Kurt called him a liar but then Eugene and Kurt both lied in the Invitationals. It’s just begging for a triple threat match at SummerSlam.

ROH News and Notes:
- "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson told ROH officials that he will return to ROH on 9/17 in Long Island.
- Everybody under WWE contract who is signed to wrestle their shows in August will still be making the shows. I don’t think there is anybody but Matt Hardy, but that’s what they said.
- Harley Race is having a special camp where you can train with NOAH stars Kenta Kobashi, Marufuji and KENTA. The camp will be in Eldon, MO and runs from September 21st-24th. This is a must go if you can possibly make it.

MMA News
UFC want to remind you that they have a great, free even for you this Saturday: Ultimate Fight Night on SpikeTV! The event starts at 7:15PM live but the cable telecast starts at 9:00PM. The card is as follows:

Middleweight Bout
Nathan Marquardt vs. Ivan Salaverry

Welterweight Bout
Pete Spratt vs. Josh Koscheck

Middleweight Bout
Pete Sell vs. Nate Quarry

Light Heavyweight Bout
Sam Hoger vs. Stephen Bonnar

Middleweight Bout
Patrick Cote vs. Chris Leben
Mike Swick vs Keith Rockel

Welterweight Bout
Kenny Florian vs Alex Karalexis
Drew Fickett vs Josh Neer

SD: Some potentially good stuff here. I know UFC isn’t as well liked but hell if I don’t like the Ultimate Fighter kids. They’re the future of MMA and it’ll be nice to see them develop from this stage on. If you notice, there is no Diego Sanchez or Forrest Griffin on the card. Diego has a fight on the August 20 PPV against Brian Gassaway while Forrest is in training for his next fight which is rumored to be a #1 contender fight for the Light Heavyweight championship currently held by his TUF trainer Chuck Liddell.

PrideFC moves a little bit closer towards putting on a show in California due to some small approvals by the California State Athletic Commission according to Sherdog. This amended legislation, which allows for the use of a ring, the 10-5-5 round system and special equipment like gis and wrestling shoes, but not the option to kick or knee to the head on the ground, extends the regulation process by at least 45 days and puts in jeopardy the entire legislation if it is not finalized by a drop-dead date of December 9.

SD: Let’s all hope this works out.

Wrestling News August 1, 2005

2005-08-01T17:13:00.000-04:00

Vince Russo finally announces his latest venture: Ring of Glory. What is Ring of Glory, you ask? Russo: ”“Ring of Glory” is using the “art” form of wrestling to bring people to Jesus Christ. It’s some of the greatest athletes in the world just going out in the ring and performing—doing what they do best--with all the glory going to God. It’s all about God. Without him none of us would have the gifts that we have. The problem is that we live our lives using those gifts to our benefit . . . not God’s. From there its wrestling meets Broadway meets the Gospel. Through God I translate the Bible into 2005—putting it out there in a format that is easy for everyone to understand and relate to. The message is clear—the characters are clear—and at the end with have an altar call where we steer the lost to God.”

Among those already a part of the fed are Jim Mitchell (the Sinister Minister in ECW), AJ Styles, “Prime Time” Elix Skipper, Chris Harris (of AMW), Abyss, Jimmy Rave, “Above Average” Mike Sanders, Glenn Gilbertti (Disco Inferno), Kim “Desire” Nielsen, Sonny Siaki, Tracy Brooks, Andrew Mincey and Alan Funk. The production team includes TNA’s David Sahidi and Jeremy Borash and the announcers will be Tony Schiavone and Scott Hudson.

SD: Christianity within the form of professional wrestling has a spotty history at best in my opinion. That isn’t to say that a venture like this couldn’t work, because I believe it absolutely could, but there is a very narrow line for them to toe. It’ll be rough to get their message across without having the empty, turning-off feeling that a Christian rock festival has for non-believers. I’m intrigued anyway.

Russo also goes into detail with his side of the infamous Hulk Hogan Bash at the Beach “shoot” that you can read here. I don’t have much to say on this because I doubt the legitimacy of this write-up which stems from it being a very one-sided story about how a real lawsuit came about. There are many discrepancies in the story as well including how Hogan’s contract and payment.

Over the weekend Tough Enough 3 winner and WWE developmental worker Matt Cappotelli broke his leg. This write-up is via Rich Jones from The Pain Clinic. I learned that Matt Cappotelli did not have to have an MRI this morning for his broken fibula. According to his mom Martha,

"The orthopedic Dr. said he didn't need an MRI as he could tell via xray and exam that the bones were lined up the way they should be and there was no ligament/tendon damage. He needs to keep weight off it for 2 weeks, and will probably be out of action for 6-8 weeks. I guess that's the best we could hope for!"

SD: This is a shame. This makes, I think, the third time Matt was about to be called to the main roster and he suffered an injury. I saw him in a dark match last Monday and he looked very crisp. Here’s hoping he recovers soon and can take his spot on the main roster.

WWE developmental territory Deep South Wrestling set to open soon according to PWInsider. DSW is looking at the third or fourth Thursday of August to hold their first TV taping, so they are close to their "official" grand opening. The Deep South facility, said to be smaller than OVW's Davis Arena, is located in a strip mall in McDonough, Georgia.

The promotion doesn't have any TV timeslots lined up yet, although Bill Behrens will be handling that aspect.

Among those currently training down in Deep South are the Shane Twins and Million Dollar Tough Enough runner-up Mike Mizanin.

SD: Good news for the industry hopefully. It makes me wonder how large they will allow these territories to get. Unless they want to stifle DSW and OVW from being as successful at training these workers as they can then the WWE needs to allow them the opportunity to actually use their regions as best as possible. This includes traveling, work at other venues, etc. Let these guys become stars in their region so that they’ll have more than just a 1 city following.

IWA-Mid South had a bit of a shake-up over the weekend as one wrestler was pulled for a few shows and others quit the company. Announcer Dave Prazak wrote: “Just got back from the IWA Mid-South show in Plymouth, IN... which was my last. Due to the unfair treatment and subsequent termination of BJ Whitmer on Friday night in Herrin, in combination with money issues and the general direction of things, I, along with Danny Daniels, Brad Bradley, and Kevin Harvey all elected to leave the promotion. It's just not a place we're comfortable working anymore, and I'm sad things have gotten this way.”

Says promoter Ian Rotton: Friday night when I called to check in on the show, I was made aware of a sitatution in which BJ Whitmer refused to do what was asked of him because of his current position with another company. And because of this, I had to set an example that the wrestlers don't run the show and pulled BJ Whitmer off of 3 upcoming shows he had with IWA. This was an action I had to take, to maintain my authority. When I spoke to BJ, he said he felt he was doing what he had to do and he understood I was doing what I had to do. The door is open for BJ to return to IWA sometime in the future if we agree on it. As far as the other 3 who have left the company, they certainly were not treated like "greenhorns" , they were treated the best they could be. And if they can't understand that, during these tough times, then I wish them the best of luck wherever they can go to be treated better. I do the best I can with what I have , and that is all there is to it. I did what I had to do to protect IWA and that is what I will always do.

SD: Does anybody know what is going on here? IWA-MS is one of the larger indie feds out there right now so it’s a shame to see these things going on.

What if...I created the gimmick for Jillian?

2005-07-30T21:50:00.000-04:00

On Smackdown this past Thursday, we were treated to the debut of longtime OVW developmental worker Jillian Hall's debut on WWE television. Creative, doing what they do best, got drunk together one night and decided to watch a bunch of pop-cultural favorite moving picture media for inspiration. After passing around a substance to deal with their collective glaucoma they came across Austin Powers in Goldmember...and a gimmick was born.

In typical WWE fashion, it wasn't bad enough to just steal a bad joke for a gimmick. No, they had to steal the bad joke and make it even worse! Why stop at a mole when you can make it a tumor? And why make it look the least bit realistic when you can make it an obvious Lee Press-On Face Tumor (coming soon to a store near you) when you can just have everybody on camera pretend it looks realistic?

You have to admit — that takes balls. It's a wink to the fans that says "We know you know it's not real but let's pretend anyways!" Yes, we are reminded once again that wrestling is fake! Via gimmick, no less!

Some of us wouldn't have it any other way.

So if they wanted fake and insulting to people with deformities why use the Goldmember deformity? This is the WWE! This is the company that made us love the developmentally challenged and pissed off the political pundits with their "Arab-American sacrifice" storyline. Surely they aren't afraid to go all the way are they?

Not if I was in charge they wouldn't be. See, there was a deformity in recent pop-culture that was actually funny, sickening and would still look fake if applied in real life. I am referring, of course, to the South Park Elementary school nurse who was afflicted with Conjoined Twin Myslexia. What is that you ask? Why it's when a mother has conjoined twins but one of the fetuses dies but can not be removed with the living person's body.

Dead babies? Surely WWE would never go that far...again. But they would if I was in charge! And to make it extra special? Let's give the fetus the head of everybody's favorite Baby Killer: The Snit~!

Now that, my friends, is a merchandiseable gimmick!

Jericho Not Going Anywhere

2005-07-28T23:18:00.000-04:00

From WWE.com: With various outside sources reporting that Jericho has yet to sign a contract extension with WWE, the former undisputed champion made sure to contact WWE.com and denounce those reports.

“I signed an extension on Monday in Cleveland at Gund Arena,” Jericho said. “I’ve been working with WWE for six years and I’m not going anywhere.”

SD: Great news. Not unexpected, but it does make for a good scare every few years.

Wrestling News July 28, 2005

2005-07-28T18:31:00.000-04:00

My apologies for the lack of updates the past few days. It was a result of some real life issues and no interesting news to report on. Anyway, onto the news.

Brock Lesnar is officially on his way back! WWE.com has learned that Brock Lesnar has met with his attorney, David Olsen, to discuss the written contract offer Lesnar received last week from World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. It is unclear when the contract will be signed. The terms were not disclosed.

SD: Finally! Here’s hoping that it everything goes smoothly.

Cruiserweights returning to WWE Numerous outlets are reporting that Brian “Spanky” Kendrik and James Gibson, aka Jamie Noble, are on their way back to the WWE. Both left the company on good terms.

SD: Great news for their fans who haven’t been able to follow their post-WWE career in Ring of Honor and other outlets.

Some notes from the latest Wrestling Observer newsletter:
- Three new writers (that know not a thing about wrestling) have been hired to the WWE creative team recently. One of them, a female brought in from the Nickelodeon channel, asked JBL recently how they made the “fake blood” continue to look like it was flowing out of his head.

- Chris Jericho is expected to be gone from the WWE within 6 weeks, with SummerSlam being his last show. Jericho has a multitude of gigs booked for his band, Fozzy, including a ten-day tour of the UK in October.

SD: I don’t know which of those two items is sadder…

ROH News & Notes:
- NOAH and World League Wrestling are bringing Kenta Kobashi to Ring Of Honor on October 1st in Manhattan and October 2nd in Philadelphia.

SD: This is worth taking time off from work to see. I implore those of you who are able to make it to these shows. You might not get the opportunity again.

- The saga of ROH World Champion CM Punk continues. It will come to an end in the Midwest. August 12th in Dayton will see the World Title on the line for the first time in a Four Way Elimination Match. The bout will put Punk vs. ROH Pure Champion Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels vs. James Gibson!!! August 13th in Chicago will see longtime friends battle as CM Punk takes on Colt Cabana!!! If Punk is still World Champion on 8/13 this match will be for the World Title.

SD: This is probably the swan song of CM Punk in ROH. At the Heat tapings this past Monday he debuted with former ROH and TNA stablemate Alexis Laree as his manager. Also the Heat tapings saw the debut of Johnny Swinger and showcased the new gimmicks of Rob Conway and Rene Dupree in singles competition against Rosey and Hurricane respectively.

- Mick Foley has also signed to be at the 9/17 Long Island event.

- Jimmy Yang, formerly known as Akio in WWE, has signed on for some upcoming ROH dates in the fall and winter.

SD: And this comes as a shock to absolutely nobody. But fans of his ringwork can’t help but be selfish in wanting to see his work uncensored.

"Killing" Hassan at GAB

2005-07-25T15:40:00.000-04:00

So Muhammad Hassan is apparently gone. Since the WWE parental guidance policy says that there are no murders on WWE shows, I guess he will spend the rest of his days in the hospital bed next to Paul Bearer, who despite being suffocated in a case of cement at last year's Great American Bash, apparently only suffered "serious injuries".

Having the Undertaker "seriously injure" Hassan and thus get him out of the picture is probably the only way that WWE could have dealt with the Hassan character after the (justified IMHO) criticisms of how the character was being used in the last few weeks, particularly in light of world events. It didn't help that WWE apparently had the chance to edit SmackDown! prior to its US airing in the week of the London bombings, but chose not to. It probably also didn't help that WWE then called it a "misunderstanding" if anyone was foolish enough to think that masked men in camouflage pants wielding piano-wire garrotes and carrying away a wrestler in a corpse-like position over their heads were intended to be terrorists.

However, did Hassan's end at the GAB really have to be carried out as tastelessly as it was? Anyone who is looking for good taste or restraint in professional wrestling is clearly looking in the wrong place - but having Hassan carried out on a carpeted dais by the masked terrorists, um, I mean, "sympathizers", and then playing the Arabic call to prayer while Hassan was in the ring was really insensitive. While I was watching this segment, I suspected I was seeing Vince McMahon's big F-U (not the Cena finisher) to UPN for getting on his case about Hassan - as in "you think *that's* tasteless? Ha! I'll show you 'tasteless'". While I'm sure framing the segment this way made Vince feel better about being forced by UPN to finish off Hassan, I'm not convinced that a head of a publicly traded company that wants to be seen as a legitimate multimedia entertainment empire should be displaying that kind of juvenile attitude, or at least displaying it so publicly.

Expecting rational reasoning from WWE is probably as fruitless as looking for good taste or restraint in professional wrestling, but it would seem that WWE should be looking at its nosediving house show and PPV revenues and be asking itself if it can really afford to piss off more fans or more TV networks. The only saving grace in the Hassan situation might be that the Great American Bash was so horrible overall that not enough people saw it, or watched the whole thing, for WWE's foolishness to have an impact.

Great American Bash Results

2005-07-25T12:59:00.000-04:00

1) Animal & Heidenreich def. MNM to capture the WWE tag team championships with the Doomsday Device. Post-match, Animal grabbed a mic, looked up and said "Hawk that match was for you."

Eddie Guererro announced that Rey's son Dominic would be at ringside.

2) Booker T def. Christian with the axe kick off the second rope.

Melina was backstage saying MNM would get the tag titles back and that fans would not see her in her bra and panties.

3) Orlando Jordan def. Chris Benoit to retain the US Championship by using an exposed turnbuckle. Benoit got a standing ovation after.

4) Undertaker def. Muhammed Hassan with a chokeslam to become #1 contender for the World Heavyweight championship. Lots of interferance from the "sympathizers" who carried Hassan to the ring. Post match UT takes out the "sympathizers" and Daivari. He removes two pieces of grating from the ramp and gives Hassan the Last Ride through it. We see Hassan lying all twisted a minute later presumeably with a broken neck or "dead".

Torrie said she's going to prove girls can kick ass. Then we see a bloody Hassan being loaded onto a stretcher.

5) Mexicools def. the bWo in a fun little match when Stevie took a springboard moonsault from Super Crazy followed by a guillotine legdrop from Psichosis.

Rey and a now blonde Dominic. Dominic is scared. Rey says he loves him and everything will be ok. Looking at Dominic I bet the secret is that Samoa Joe is his father. They look identical.

6) Rey Mysterio def. a very heelish Eddie Guererro with a crucifix pin after a cocky pin attempt by Eddie. Lots of great psychology in this match. At one point after Eddie uses Dominic to get an advantage over Rey Tazz yells out "Eddie is a freakin' asshole". Lots of heat in this one. Eddie throws a fit after the match since he lost and now the secret can't be told because of his promise. Cough.

Standard JBL promo.

7) Melina def. Torrie in a bra and panties match. then Torrie tears off Melina's pants to totally expose her bra and panties. Then Candie takes off her top and hot pants to show off hers. Which is the standard ending of these things.

SD:NOT IN THE SHOW! At the bar we saw the pay per view at we saw Eugene leaving. He talked to a couple fans and gave a non-Eugene wave to everybody. Since Raw is here (Cleveland) tonight, presumably he will be on the show. Back to the Bash, though, his timing made us realize he was smarter than the rest of us because...

8) JBL def. Batista by DQ when the ref catches Batista hitting JBL with a steel chair. Horrible match. Just horrible. Ending came when Orlando "Virgil" Jordan came to the ring after a ref bump to help out his boss JBL. Batista is fighting them off until he uses a chair on them. Post-match Batista takes them out with repeated chairshots to their prone bodies. He leaves. Sees JBL smiling in the ring. Batist returns and gives the Cabinet members a Batista bomb each. Somehow that is more brutal than the chair shots. Words cannot describe how bad this match was.

WWE Great American Bash 2005 Preview

2005-07-24T14:27:00.000-04:00

With WWE’s Great American Bash 2005 set to begin in a few hours, I figure it’s time to throw up my predictions for the card. Like Vengeance I’m doing this at least a day late so chances are you’ll read this after the show is already over. If that’s the case, compare my predictions with the results and we’ll see how well it fared. And away we go!

Batista(c) vs. JBL – World Heavyweight Championship
I’ll be honest and admit I can’t get too worked up about this one. The feud hasn’t done much for me and it completely ignored their history from the Royal Rumble until WrestleMania. JBL is doing the Mr. McMahon “Guarantee” angle but it already flopped against John Cena at WrestleMania so it doesn’t have the same oomph behind it that the writers want. So we’re stuck with: JBL wants to be champ & Batista toys with him. Prediction: Batista goes over. If anything happens beyond that I’ll be shocked.

Orlando Jordan(c) vs. Chris Benoit - U.S. Championship
There isn’t much to this one either. Orlando has held the title for a while an his run has been as impressive as Shelton Benjamin’s IC reign was. In other words, booked poorly and nobody cares. Benoit is seen as being above a second tier belt so what does it really do for him to hold the title unless it’s to put somebody over later on? The match is only here to give both wrestlers something for the show and to maybe get Orlando over more. Prediction: Don’t be surprised if this opens the show. Orlando wins by cheating or screwjob.

Booker T vs. Christian
Remember when I said last month that Christian would be the new RVD of Smackdown? Depending on how this match is followed up I could be proven right. Booker is on a rebound due to his popularity returning now that he has his wife Sharmell with him. Booker does best when he has a second. More focused, more energy, more crowd popping. Now that Christian is without a second he’s character is getting a bit nastier and more serious. He’s potentially being groomed to be a main event heel but it could also only serve to make him more boring. Prediction: Very interesting match here. We know they can have a good, solid traditional style match. But the booking after the match is what is important. Christian needs the win more. He should get it.

MNM(c) vs. Heidenreich & Animal – WWE Tag Team Championship
This is a potential disaster on paper but could be very, very good for the company. Here you have three rising superstars in Nitro, Mercury and Heidenreich and a veteran in Animal. So do you push the more traditional tag team in MNM or do you go with the odd pairing of a rookie hoss and a veteran? Prediction: MNM shouldn’t lose the titles yet. But a loss to Heidenreich and Animal would set them up as chasers for the title which could be a lot of fun. I’d give it to the new LOD.

Torrie Wilson vs. Melina - bra and panties match; special guest referee Candice Michelle
What purpose does this serve? We see them parade in what might as well be bra and panties all the time. Melina is getting pushed as the wannabe alpha-female. Torrie has been pushed as that since she got on the show. Candice is new to the brand and got attacked by Melina, saved by Torrie. Do we get the swerve with Candice helping Melina? Prediction: Lots of happy 14 year old boys and the grown men who never grew up. If I had to choose I’d say Torrie wins but gets humiliated somehow.

Undertaker vs. Muhammad Hassan - #1 contenders match
A book can be written about this one. WWE writers fucked up. They absolutely did. UPN is fucking up the WWE even more by saying they don’t want the Muhammed Hassan character on tv anymore. Meltzer had detailed plans on his site as to what the company wanted to do. It’s fairly obvious and unimaginative. So obvious and unimaginative that I can’t imagine those were the plans from a creative company. Prediction: If the WWE doesn’t do what I have suggested
http://pillartopost.blogspot.com/2005/07/wrestling-news-july-21-2005.html
then they are missing a golden opportunity and are doing a great disservice to Mark Copani (Hassan). So look for him to return to OVW as reported elsewhere for only doing what he was told. Undertaker wins but shouldn’t.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio
This feud is flawed. What is “the secret”? Whatever it is it most likely won’t be a good fit for a wrestling program. And if it does fit in within the boundaries of a wrestling program then it will be a disappointment. It’s a no-win situation. The story revolves around Eddie’s losing streak against Rey. It should probably have never been about anything else. Obsession makes for a better villain in stories than threatening to expose a secret. There are exceptions of course but this isn’t one of them. A secret in a story needs to be something that the audience is privy to otherwise the result will be disappointment because nothing can match the imagination in any individual in the audience. Still, this should be a good match and another potential show stealer from them. Prediction: Rey wins again. The secret gets told.

Mexicools vs. BWO
This should bea fun one. I am enjoying the hell out of both stables. They all have roles to play and can all get the crowd into their matches in their own ways. I do find it odd that the WWE is pushing Nova/Simon Dean as two characters on the same show. Frankly, I find Hollywood Nova to be a horrible gimmick and far too dumb to get over on a national level. Meanie still isn’t under contract either. If this match doesn’t get the crowd behind the bWo this might be the last we see of the Meanie and the Hollywood Nova character on tv. Prediction: Mexicools win.

This show has definite sleeper potential. If it’s over-written then I expect it to flop. If they allow in-ring action with a few storyline twists to dictate the show then it can possibly be on par with Vengeance. GAB leads directly into SummerSlam so I wouldn’t expect all of the feuds to end tonight. Eddie and Rey will no doubt be continuing for one. And with the Hassan situation we very well could end up with a twist in the storyline that leads to a Batista/JBL rematch. We’ll see. One thing is for certain: don’t expect this year’s Bash to be anywhere near as bad as last year’s.

OVW TV gets EXTREEEME (7/16/05)

2005-07-23T19:21:00.000-04:00

We are now leaving THE TWILIGHT ZONE on Louisville's WBKI!

Stay Tuned for A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT From OVW Owner Danny Davis

Davis in here in a pretaped statement in front of a blue screen. In 1999, OVW got the chance of a lifetime when Jim Cornette joined OVW. Jim worked tirelessly to provide OVW as the premiere training ground for WWE. His good friend Jim Cornette is stepping down from OVW's matchmaker position and the TV commentary position. Instead, he is pursuing other avenues to expand OVW and it's operations (SCREW YOU WWE!) Davis thanks Cornette for all his accomplishments in the wrestling industry.

LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOOOOOR!

THQ'S DESTROY ALL HUMANS PRESENTS: OHIO VALLEY WRESTLING

Your Hosts are Dean “ie the Martini” Hill and Al Snow
Your Booker is Paul Heyman (!)
Taped from the New Davis Arena in Louisville, KY on July 13th

Let's take you to the ring where Maria(!) welcomes us to OVW and introduces Danny Doring and ROADKILL. Dang, Lillian better watch out, she's got potential. Loud “E C DUB” chants. Doring goes to kiss Maria but Roadkill covers his mouth since that's not the Amish way apparently. AND YOUR NEXT TAG TEAM... it's the Thrillseekers.

Danny Doring and ROADKILL v.s. The Thrillseekers (Johnny Jeter and Matt Cappotelli)

Dean Hill at ringside with Al Snow. Hopefully Heyman can keep them on track. Snow continues Cornette's tradition of giving Hill a new nickname at the start of the show. This is a rematch from Six Flags (which actually happened after this match was taped... how confusing!). Hill gets his “Chris Kay is your referee, kickin' things off on the Dubya B” catchphrase in. Jeter and Doring to start. Tie up, waistlock. Wristlock. Punches by Doring. Snow is exciting to be back on the air in OVW. Go Jeter Go chants!. Blind tag to Captoelli whose last name I will misspell differently every time this week.. Some kind of neckbreaker by Jeter and then Matt bounces off the ropes a few times and hits the D'Lo Brown legdrop.

I'm sure Matt is going to get some lame fake first name from South Park now that Hardy is back (Stan? Kyle?). 2 count. Jeter in off the top rope on an axehandle. Thumb to the eye, clothesline by Doring to get back control. Roadkill in. Clubbering forearms. Whip to the ropes... BLACK HOLE SLAM! Jesus, they're teaching every moderately big guy in OVW that move now. Big Slam, sidewalk slam to Cappotelli. Vader bomb off the 2nd rope on Jeter. Jeter kicks out. Jeter fights back with fists. You can already tell these guys are wrestling harder than in the Cornette era. Cornette's name I also frequently misspell typing it up for some reason. Doring in... HART ATTACK. 2 count when Cappotelli breaks it up. Roadkill comes in but the ref actually stops the heel! Doring goes for a suplex by Cappotelli catches Jeter on the way down... double superkick!! 3-count

Winners: The Thrillseekers

Tonight, The Shooter v.s. “Mr” Ken Anderson. Let's go to pretaped comments from Ken Anderson in the locker room as he tapes up his fists. Tonight he's going to be OVW champion and that will bring him a lot of opportunities. He wants the whole world to know who I am. One thing, eyeball to eyball, that's how I do business man to man. Tonight I'm willing to do anything, anything... to take your title. Tonight there will be a new OVW Heayvweight Champion. His Name is Ken Anderson. Good promo.

Cornette's Voice LIVES. OVW Live at the Derby Park Expo 5! Steal the WWE PPV the Great American Bash with OVW!

Dean Hill voices over a bumper for OVW in Etown Ky.

As we come back, Doring grabs a cameraman backstage (!!, no magic invisible camera), and goes to the Thrillseekers with Roadkill. Doring says you guys beat us tonight and you guys are the better tag team. He shakes their hand. You guys made believers out of us. If anyone in OVW is not a believer, they can go choke... “THEIR CHICKENS” says Roadkill, as he does his pose. The Thrillseekers start laughing and shake their hands and say “that guy's cool”.

“The Giant Killer” Mike Mondo is out. No Bolin at the moment because he's in a meeting with Ken Doane.

Mike Mondo v.s. Elijah Burke

Wow, this should be good. Chain wrestling to start. Mondo gets a headlock, whip, Mondo holds on to the afro. Burke gets a headlock and then he grabs Mondo's hair when he tries to run out of it. 2 count. Shoulderlbok, Leapfrog---> atromic drop, dropkick, 2 count. Back to the headlock. 2 count. Another shoulderblock. Clothesline off the 2nd rope misses and Mondo gets a 2 count. Crossfaces to Burke. Burke comes back. Kneedrop by Mondo gets 2. Snow isn't annoying yet tonight which is an improvement. Face to the knee by Mondo. Reverse neckbreaker, 2 count. Another 2 count. Another 2 count. Mondo hits the boring CHINLOCK! Burke makes goofy faces and sticks out his hand to channel the crowd's FIGHTING SPIRIT (tm). Mondo hits a sleeper, countered with a jawbreaker. Right hands, right hands. Big uppercut, clothesline, Russian legsweep, 2 count for Burke. Sky high powerbomb... 2.999! Burke calls for it, blocked, rollup blocked. Mondo hotshots him on the top rope, grabs the tights... 2.99!!

Afro to the turnbuckle. Whip to the corner, Mondo rolls through but gets backslided.. 3 count!

Your Winner: Elijah Burke

2 for 2 so far. The lovely Maria is backstage with Alexis Laree. Maria got a brain transplant apparently that only works in Louisville. Laree says today is going to be a career changing moment. Anderson interrupts her and says he's going to be getting a title shot and all the hot chicks in Kentuckiana are gonna want to want to be with me. Go buy me some ham and eggs (points to Alexis). Laree looks pissed. Anderson says if you're pissed that I'm not a Southern Gentlemen, do something about it. Laree calls him a jerk and makes a hand like she's going to claw him but leaves out of the camera frame. Anderson says he's not a jerk, he's a BLEEEEEEP. He goes to hit on Maria but Albright interrupts him. Albright says try beating up on someone your own size. Anderson fakes being scared. Albright slaps him. Hey Ken Anderson, I just picked a fight with you, and I'll see you in the ring TONIGHT. Staredown!

Man, Heyman really gets how to book these guys, that sounded like a Benoit promo.

OVW returns to the VERNON Gym, call Jerome Croney for info! They actually give out his phone number on air.

OVW in London, KY!

It's slow-motion highlights of Randy Orton and audio of a phone call from Randy Orton. He apologizes to the fans for missing the last Six Flags Show. Orton says he is the Legend Killer and runs down everyone who he's beaten and how he was in Evolutoin, longest reigning IC champ, youngest WWE champion, blah blah blah. Orton says he's coming down July 29th to confront Ken Doane and put “an end to your mouth”.

Quick cut to the ring where Ken Doane (w/ Desiree and Kenny “Starmaker” Bolin) is in the ring. RKO Chant. Doane says he hears it everywhere. He says bull@#$%. I will prove once in for all that I am the future of the business today. Blaster Lasheley is there too, apparently. He says he's going to beat Orton with the RKO not because he likes the move, but because he can. Randy Orton, after Six Flags, I hope you enjoy being number two, because Ken Doane is number one. Bring out my opponent.

OVW TV Champion “The Golden Boy” Ken Doane (w/ Bolin Services) v.s. Nick Nemeth

RKO immediately when Nemeth hits the ring! Nemeth is dead. Doane hits the Orton Pose as Desiree starts grinding up and down on him. No match, apparently. Doane is still frozen in the ORTON POSE as we go to break.

Six Flags Summer Sizzler. Ken Doane v.s. Randy Orton in a RKO Challenge. More Matches NEXT WEEK.

Let's go to the BOOGEYMAN backstage. B-O-O-G-E-Y-M-A-N. (to the tune of the ABC song) I'M DA BOOGEYMAN. AND SOMEONE'S GONNA DIE. SO TONIGHT AFTER THIS TV SHOW IS OFF THE AIR HAAHA YOU ALL GO TO SLEEP NOW YOU HEAR HAHAHAH EVIL LAUGHING

Hill calls the Boogeyman twisted. I think it's twisted that someone thinks this gimmick is a good idea. Here comes the Tag Team Champions, the Blonde Bombers w/ Jillian Hall.

The Blonde Bombers (Tank and Chad Toland w/ Jillian Hall) v.s. Seth Skyfire and Chris Cage.

Wow, this should be good too. Hill calls the Bombers “Tank and CHAD THE TOLANDS”. Cage is Tank Toland's former tag team partner from a year ago and Skyfire's partner was injured by these two, so these team makes a lot of sense. Tag Belts on the line... NEXT

Everyone in the ring to start, and it comes down to Cage and Tank to start. Backdrop. Whip to the buckle, Tank comes off and runs into the Hitman Bulldog. Kneedrop. 2-count. Double whip, double hiptoss, double elbow and Skyfire is in. 2 count. Kick to the gut. Chad in. Kicks to the gut. Wristlock. Flippy flop to reverse to a headlock. Shoulderblock. Snow calls Chad Toland “Chad Wicks” a few times since he hasn't made his quota of fucking up the commentary this week. Hiptoss blocked by Chad, duck, spinning headscissors by Skyfire. Tank comes in to interfere but Skyfire comes off the top rope over the ref to give him a spinning kick! I can only describe the next move as a body walk dropsault. Skyfire whipped to the buckle but climbs to the top... this side kick misses! Snow calls Chad “Wicks” again. 2 count. Tank in. Punch to the back. Face to the knee. Elbowdrop. 2 count. Chad back in. Punches to the back. Whip to the buckle, stomp. Tank in, Chad holds the legs up so Tank can drop an elbow. 2 count. Cravate(~!). Jillian Hall slaps the canvas with her hands which causes FIGHTING SPIRIT(~!) to transfer from the crowd to Skyfire. The cameraman zooms in a bit on her implant breasts bouncing upppp and down, uppp and down. Armdrag. Chad gets backdropped but Skyfire hurts his back. Trading punches. Chad takes out Chris Cage. Skyfire flips off and goes for a tag but there's no Cage! Chad up to the top, Vegematic! This gets a “JESUS H. CHRIST” from Dean Hill.

You Winners: “The Tolands”. Ken Anderson hits the ring and grabs the mic since he hasn't had enough promo time. He high-fives everyone. Don't go anywhere... because I want you sitting front row and show you how good the OVW Heavyweight title looks on MEEE KEN ANDERSON. Let's get this show started! Albright get your butt out here riiight freaking noooow!

UP NEXT IT'S ABOUT TO SPLODE!

OVW Heavyweight Title
Ken Anderson (w/ Jillian Hall, Chad, and Tank Toland) v.s. Champion Brent “The Shooter” Albright

Skyfire and Cage are still being helped out of the ring when we come back. This is your TV main event. It looks like Cage and Skyfire will stay at ringside to protect Albright's back.

Dan Puder is out. He stares down both men! Ken Anderson, you're the hottest prospect in OVW today, you took my spot... I want it back!! Hold on one second. Brent Albright, you are the OVW Heavyweight Champion. You're a shooter, well, I'm a shooter too. I hooked Kurt Angle with my keylock but I had to show him mercy to protect his career. I think I can do that to you too. Puder challenges the winner of this match... at Kentucky Kingdom. Puder looks a lot bigger than he did on Smackdown, probably because OVW is full of midgets now.

Anderson and Albright lockup, Albright goes for a waistlock and does some mat wrestling which is nifty but I'm too lazy to describe here. They roll around a bit, amateur style. Albright finally gets a headlock. Armbar setting up for the crowbar. Anderson reverses. Albright runs Anderson out to the floor to break the hold, then Anderson comes back in and is dumped out of the other side. Cage and Skyfire toss him back in the ring. Anderson takes Albright into the buckle. Anderson looks like mini-Heindreich if he was about 6'2” and could wrestle. Albright goes for the crowbar but Anderson gets to the ropes. Kick to the gut, punch to the back by Anderson. Back to the turnbuckle. Clubberin on the back. Weak “GO Brent Go” chants. Whip to the buckle, undersold by Albright. Albright does his own whip falls down on the way and then Anderson crashes on top of him with a headbutt. My, that was convoluted. Hall distracts the ref. Tank clocks Albright. Cage and Skyfire brawl with Tank and Chad out of the building. Ref does the 10 count, Albright and Anderson get up. Anderson goes for a cheap shot but bails when Albright sees him. And we go to an abrupt break.

We're back, both men circling, Anderson with a punch. Punch. Okay, maybe he's not much better than Heidenreich. Head to the buckle. Zzzz. Choked on the ropes. Punch. Belly to back suplex. 2 count. Pace really slowed down. Anderson looks a little gassed after five minutes. Kick to the gut, punch, punch. Albright back with rights. Whip to the ropes, reversed, Anderson elbow. 2 count. Cravate! Is Chris Hero training for OVW now? Albright punches out, Anderson punches him in the back a few times. Choke. Rake to the eyes, more choking, fishhook. Snow says Anderson is totally off his game. Punch, Albright comes back with some stiff looking rights. Anderson clocks him with a flurry of rights and Albright is out on his knees... big boot off the ropes from Anderson! 2 count, no leg hooked. 2 count. 2 count. Snow oversells. Forearm, whip to the ropes, clothesline ducked, Albright gets the waistlock, DRAGON RELEASE SUPLEX! (Called WHATTA Suplex). Albright goes for the pin, gets 2.9. Dean: How in the wide world of sports is he able to kick out of that? Albright chops away on Anderson, whip, backdrop telegraphed and kick by Anderson. Suplex blocked twice... ROLL OF THE DICE by Albright! Nice sequence. 2 count. Forearms by Albright. Whip to the corner, revesred, Anderson gets him and gives him a rolling slam from a Samoan Drop position. 2.999! Albright is dead... Anderson goes for a big neckbreaker, reversed by Albright into a Dragon Sleeper, then straight into the crowbar!!! Anderson taps like crazy.

Your Winner: Brent Albright.

Snow sells it like we just saw Flair/Steamboat. Hey it was a good match, I admit. Albright gets his hand raised. Crowd chants “YOU TAPPED OUT!” Anderson calls for the music to be cut off. Anderson and Albright shake hands because they respect the Code of Honour. Anderson leaves... Albright poses, Puder runs in and hooks in the keylock, Anderson tries to roll out but Puder is shootin! Albright pounds away on him. Anderson and a bunch of refs try to pull him off, but they can't break it! Al Snow comes in and since he's a badass or something he breaks the hold. Puder looks over Snow and Albright. Puder SUCKS chants. Snow calls for medical attention. WHAT HAS PUDER ACCOMPLISHED TONIGHT?

Nice debut for Paul Heyman in the booking spot, with good angles and better wrestling than we have seen in OVW in a long while.

Wrestling News July 22, 2005

2005-07-22T18:41:00.000-04:00

The latest WWE release is Ivory: Ivory’s World Wrestling Entertainment television contract will not be renewed. She will make her final appearance on The WWE Experience this weekend. WWE wishes Ivory well and hopes to work with her again in the near future.
SD: We all saw this coming. She’s been on the E-show and almost nowhere else since WWE Experience started. With the upcoming move to USA they will only have 1 broadcast hour of weekend programming. No way the fifth most watched weekend show makes the cut. No reason to keep the host then either. Funny it says “television contract” though — even funnier that everybody seems to gloss over that word. Will she be a trainer in the Deep South Wrestling territory opening soon?

WWE.com put out a release about the Muhammed Hassan/UPN situation. Due to the unfortunate terrorist attacks in London on Thursday, July 7, which coincided with our pre-produced WWE SmackDown! program, UPN has asked us to be sensitive to the usage of the Arab-American character, Muhammad Hassan. We have agreed with UPN, and have not had the character on SmackDown! since that date. It is uncertain as to whether or not the WWE will continue with this character beyond this Sunday’s Pay-Per-View, The Great American Bash.

SD: I hope creative can think of something better to do than “killing” him. Such as my suggestion to have him use his real name and calling out everybody because he exposed their racism. The dirtsheets are seem to agree that he’ll be sent back to OVW but I think it would be a mistake not to capitalize on the situation. We’ll see.

WWE says: Gunsmoke jobs to Raw. World Wrestling Entertainment will celebrate the milestone of producing the most original episodes of any weekly fictional entertainment program ever on television when Monday Night RAW airs on August 1 on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

RAW celebrates original episode No. 636 on August 1, surpassing the previous record-holder, Gunsmoke, which produced 635 original episodes during its 20-year run on television, according to several sources, including the book Gunsmoke: A Complete History and Analysis of the Legendary Broadcast Series with a Comprehensive Episode-by-Episode Guide to Both the Radio and Television Programs by Suzanne and Gabor Barabas. With a production schedule that calls for 52 original episodes a year, RAW surpassed the mark set by Gunsmoke in less than 13 years.

SD: Definitely a milestone. Now where’s the Raw is War Season 1 DVD box set already…?

For Wrestling Fans who can Knit....

2005-07-22T15:24:00.000-04:00

or know someone who can knit, here you go....

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer05/PATTandre.html

(BTW if you or your designated knitter are wondering how difficult this would be, the main part is straightforward but the pattern would be a little tricky for a novice.)

RIP Lord Alfred Hayes & Miguel Perez

2005-07-21T14:18:00.000-04:00

Wrestling legend "Lord" Alfred Hayes died yesterday at the age of 77. Slam Magazine has an article about him.

Miguel Perez died this week as well at the age of 68. Check WWE.com for an article about him as well.

Wrestling News July 21, 2005

2005-07-21T13:47:00.000-04:00

Bob Ryder dropped this bombshell concerning Muhammed Hassan: UPN executives have reportedly made it clear to WWE that they don't want the Muhammed Hassan character on their network anymore.

Hassan has been held off Smackdown the last two shows after the controversy that erupted when Hassan was involved in a segment that simulated terrorist activity. The segment aired the same night as the London Subway attacks two weeks ago, and prompted a flood of negative press.

SD: If true, WWE has only themselves to blame. Where do they go from there? Easy: have Hassan come out, use his real name and deliver the exact same promo that he cut for WWE.com. That will free him up from the very negative connotations with his character but allow him to still be the same asshole which will get him just as much heel heat.

Spike TV and TNA officially announced that Impact! is coming to the network. TNA Entertainment, LLC has signed a deal with Spike TV to telecast TNA (Total Nonstop Action) Wrestling’s weekly action athletic entertainment series “iMPACT!” The weekly one-hour show will join Spike TV’s popular “Slammin’ Saturday Night” programming block starting this Fall, taping at Soundstage 21 at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL.

SD: All signs point to TNA taking over the Velocity timeslot, Saturday nights 11pm. If WWE really wanted to embarrass TNA then they would use their extra one hour on USA and keep Velocity. Imapct and Velocity at the same time would give a little bit of that Monday Night War feeling (on Saturdays) but it would also be a can’t lose situation for WWE. If Velocity gets higher ratings that establishes TNA as being inferior. If Impact gets higher ratings, big deal! They beat the WWE’s low-to-mid card show.

In other SpikeTV news, UFC Unleashed debuts this Monday following Raw. From the site: In the first episode of UFC Unleashed, we look back at The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 Live Finale. Catch the epic battle between Bonnar and Griffin that made history! The full schedule:

Stephan Bonnar vs. Forrest Griffin
Diego Sanchez vs. Kenny Florian
Alex Karalexis vs. Josh Rafferty
Mike Swick vs. Alex Schoenauer

SD: If you haven’t seen the Bonnar/Griffin fight then you need to stay up to watch it. It’s simply amazing.

In an interview with Steve Gerweck, Charlie Haas continues to talk about his release and the company. He believes that Smackdown writer Dave Laganza had it out for him. He said John Lauranitis wasn’t the person who released everybody but was responsible for making the calls and is helping Charlie secure bookings in Japan. He also notes that he “can compete anywhere for 90 days, but TNA” since he worked out an early release.

ROH has finished negotiations with Japan's Dragon's Gate promotion. An announcement is coming soon. They also said that their website will soon feature video clips. Now if they can just get a roster up there for the casual wrestling fan…

WWE News & Notes:
In addition to Earl, Dave Hebner has also been fired due to his involvement in the merchandising scam. It appears that the store Earl co-owned was selling bootleg WWE merchandising. Why Dave was also fired remains unclear to the public. If I were to hazard a guess I’d say it was because he knew and didn’t tell the company.

At WWE.com, you can check out photos from John Cena’s first concert. I’m particularly fond of this pic:

Wrestling News July 19, 2005

2005-07-19T16:45:00.000-04:00

Fightsport.com is reporting that PrideFC now has television clearance. Sources in Japan are saying that DSE/PRIDE has signed an American TV deal with the Fox Sports Network.

The deal will see Fox Sports air a 1-hour PRIDE highlight show on a weekly basis. The time slot for the show will most likely be on Sunday night.

SD: Finally! Those of you who have never seen a Pride event are in for a treat. I haven't seen nearly enough for some reason or another but I have enjoyed every show I've seen. It will be interesting to see who they spotlight in the debut episode. This past weekend's Bushido 8 spoilers are at the end of this report if you can't wait for the American airing of the event.

TNAwrestling.com has released the list of competitors for the Super X Cup Tournament. The finals will take place at the August 14th pay per view "Sacrifice". Winner will also recieve a TNA X Division title shot against Christopher Daniels. The participants are:

AJ Styles
Alex Shelley
Chris Sabin
Petey Williams
Samoa Joe
(Michael) Shane
Shocker
Sonjay Dutt

SD: There should be some great matches in this. I expect to see AJ vs Joe in the finals.

WWE News/Notes
- Matt Striker claims to have gotten injured last night according to Meltzer.
- The CAPW website says that Chris Hamrick is scheduled to work for WWE at the Great American Bash, Raw and Smackdown next week.
- Lance Storm's duties with OVW are now completed.

In ROH News/Notes:
- Dixie suffered an injured neck as a result of Homicide's Cop Killa last Saturday. Dixie is expected to miss a few months of action in ROH.
- CM Punk will finally face off against Christopher Daniels this Saturday in Philadelphia. Could this match possibly be more entertaining than the Diva Search segment from Raw in Philly last night? It'll be rough but I think it could.

Here are this weekend's Pride Bushido 8 results for you.
Takanori Gomi defeats Jean Silva by unanimous decision.
Phil Baroni defeats Ryo Chonan by KO at 1:40, RD 1.
Ikuhisa Minowa defeats Kimo Leopoldo by heel hook at 3:11, RD 1.
Tatsuya Kawajiri defeats Luiz 'Buscape' Firminho by unanimous decision.
Daniel Acacio defeats Kazuo Misaki by unanimous decision.
Joachim Hansen defeats Masakazu Imanari by KO at 3:34, RD 1.
James Thompson defeats Henry Miller by KO at 1:31, RD 1.
Kazuki Okubo defeats Ryuichi Murata by armbar at 9:30, RD 1.
Marcus Aurelio defeats Jutaro Nakao by unanimous decision.
Denis Kang defeats Andrei Semenov by unanimous decision.
Josh Thomson defeats Daisuke Sugie by kneebar at 2:30, RD 1.

Earl Hebner fired by WWE

2005-07-19T01:44:00.000-04:00

Dave Meltzer is reporting that Earl Hebner has been fired by WWE: Earl Hebner, the most well known referee in U.S. pro wrestling, was fired earlier today by WWE, allegedly for selling merchandise without authorization.

Reports that Dave Hebner was fired are said to be incorrect at the moment, although he was alleged to be involved and has been disciplined.

SD: Wow. Now this is a shock. After Howard Finkel (and of course any McMahons), Earl and Dave are the two people I never would have thought to ever be fired from the company. Suspended without pay, maybe. But fired? That is a major shock. Given his loyalty and name recognition there has to be a lot of money involved. I just can't see it being for a small amount given his tenure.

TNA No Surrender 2005 Results

2005-07-18T10:25:00.000-04:00

Pre-Show, Jarrett confronts Mike Tenay and Don West. He mentions all the recent WWE releases and said that if they get hired then those who helped build TNA, with himself at the top of the list, will be cut to make room. He makes fun of the fans for thinking the Matt Hardy stuff is real and think that he's going to show up tonight. He then asks the announcers if Rhino is there. He walks off without an answer.

Shocker def Jerelle Clark

PPV Starts

1) America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm) def Michael Shane & Alex Shelley (w/ Traci). Post match Shane superkicks Storm.

Shane Douglas interview with Team Canada . Jarrett interrupts saying he needs their help with the "Johnny come latelies". Petey says TC will. Bobby Roode isn't convinced they should.

2) Sonjay Dutt def Shark Boy, Prime Time Elix Skipper, and Mikey Batts to qualify for the Super X Cup.

Douglas interview with 3 Live Krew members Ron Killings (fka K-Kwik) & Konnan. They haven't seen BG James (fka Road Dogg) for a month.

Simon Diamond promo. He is bringing back David Young and will be his mentor so that he can start winning.

3) Sonny Siaki & Apolo defeated Simon Diamond & David Young

Tenay and West announce TNA Bound for Glory on October 23.

4) Samoa Joe defeated Chris Sabin in what I am told was an excellent match

Shane Douglas interviewed the Naturals, Lance Hoyt and Jimmy Hart.

5) Team Canada (Bobby Roode, Eric Young & A-1 Ralphz) defeated Lance Hoyt & The Naturals (Andy Doublas & Chase Stevens w/Jimmy Hart)

In a promo with Shane Douglas The Outlaw (fka Billy Gunn) announced his name is now Kip James.

6) Kip James & Monty Brown defeated 3 Live Kru (Ron Killings & Konnan) in a No DQ, Street Fight. Post match BG James (member of 3LK) came to ringside to tall Kip he can't believe what he changed his name to. He refused to hit Killings with a chair extending this storyline to month 6 or so.

Douglas interviewed the returning Jerry Lynn who promised to call the match down the middle even though he's had hate-filled feuds with both AJ Styles and Sean Waltman.

7) AJ Styles def Sean Waltman (fka X-Pac) with Jerry Lynn as special guest referee. Waltman tried using the ropes in a pin at the end of the match. Lynn kicked his feet leading to AJ hitting Waltman with the Styles Clash for the win.

Jarrett confronted TNA Director of Authority Larry Zbysko backstage and demanded a title shot. Larry said he had to wait in line. Jarrett asked where Rhino was. Larry said he's in the building somewhere. Jarrett said he's looking for him and raised his guitar in the air as if to hit somebody.

8) Christopher Daniels def Petey Williams (w/A-1 Ralphz) to retain the X Division Title

Tenay and West announced that the Super X Cup will begin this Friday on Impact with the finals at August's ppv Survival.

9) Raven defeated Abyss (w/James Mitchell) in a Dog Collar Match to retain the NWA Title. Post match Jarrett came to ringside to tell Raven that the belt is his because the fed is all about him. He told Raven to turn around. Rhino was standing behind him. Rhino gored Raven. Jarrett held the title in the air and celebrated his swerve.

TNA Says "No Matt"

2005-07-17T16:49:00.000-04:00

TNA.com put out a note on their website today saying Matt Hardy will not be on No Surrender tonight.

On Sunday morning, it was reported across the internet that WWE star Matt Hardy would be appearing at tonight's "No Surrender" Pay-Per-View.

TNA Wrestling would like to officially address this rumor as totally false.

In an effort to further his own agenda, Hardy told several people last night he would be traveling to Orlando for "No Surrender"

TNA Wrestling would like to let our fans know this is not the case and he will not be appearing.

SD: There you have it. Maybe.

Wrestling News July 17, 2005

2005-07-17T11:16:00.000-04:00

New WWE wrestler the Boogeyman (Marty Wright) made the greatest debut in wrestling history. Taking place in an outdoor venue in Frederick, MD, the Boogeyman proved to be a real show stealer. Here is a copy/paste from the Observer:

Then in came The Boogeyman! He ranted some but at the rant's climax where he exclaimed "I am The Boogeyman!" a huge clap of thunder pealed and lightning flashed in the distance. And when he then yelled "And I am your worst nightmare!" the heavens opened up and it poured. He obliterated Doug Basham in about 15 seconds in the rain.

The real crime is that there were no TV cameras. There are probably few special effects masters who could have provided that eerie thunderstorm atmosphere and timed the thunder and lightning and rain so perfectly. The heck with the match, this guy had perhaps the greatest ring entrance ever! I don't think I'll ever be caught in a storm again without "I am The Boogeyman!" bouncing around in my head.

The hard rain created a delay, and persistent lightning forced the show to halt.

This was the last match on the show because of the weather.

SD: What are the odds of that ever happening again? I wish there were cameras there as well. That would make for a hell of a DVD extra when the Best of the Boogeyman DVD boxed set inevitably comes out!

Tonight's TNA pay per view card, No Surrender, looks to be pretty good. Here's the official match listing from their websit:

STEEL CHAIN DOG COLLAR MATCH - NO SURRENDER
FOR THE NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
Raven (c) Vs. "The Monster" Abyss

X DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
"The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels (c) Vs. Petey Williams
"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles Vs. Sean Waltman

SPECIAL REFEREE: JERRY LYNN
America's Most Wanted Vs. Michael Shane and Alex Shelley

SUPER X CUP QUALIFIER
Primetime Elix Skipper vs. Shark Boy vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Mikey Batts

NO DISQUALIFICATION STREET FIGHT
Konnan and The Truth vs. The Alpha Male and The Outlaw

SIX MAN TAG TEAM MATCH
NWA World Tag Team Champions The Naturals & Lance Hoyt
vs. Team Canada

Samoa Joe Vs. Chris Sabin

TNA is also reporting that Rhino is in Orlando to finalize his contract negotiations. Don't be surprised if he makes an appearance on the show.

It was also reported yesterday that WWE approved Matt Hardy to work the show at TNA although at the time TNA wasn't sure if they were going to anymore.

SD: I think that this could be the perfect opportunity for TNA. Let Matt Hardy come out to cut an anti-WWE promo live on their pay per view. Have Rhino come out and agree with him and say that nothing is going to stop him from getting the NWA World title. Then have Rhino gore Hardy and work the crowd a bit.

Um — sorry for the fantasy booking. Won't happen again this post.

ROH's show featuring the debut of Matt Hardy seems to be getting mostly positive reviews. Here are the results.

1. Nigel McGinness defeated Claudio Castignoli
2. Austin Aries defeated El Generico after a Brainbuster/450 Splash
3. Homicide won the four corner survival by pinning Dixie following a Cop Killa.
CM Punk comes out to cut a promo. James Gibson confronts him but gets busted open by a shot with a chain covered fist by Punk.
4. The Carnage Crew defeated Dunn & Marcos, Lacey's Angels and Fast Eddie and Killer Kruel of the Embassy in an Ultimate Endurance tag match.
5. AJ Styles pinned Roderick Strong following a Styles Clash.
6. Samoa Joe pinned Jimmy Rave following a muscle buster to retain the ROH Pure Title.
POSTMATCH: Jade Chung was about to turn on Prince Nana, when the lights went out and Matt Hardy appeared in the ring. He got a huge pop. The Embassy ran out of the ring. Matt cut a promo solely against WWE.
7. Matt Hardy defeated Christopher Daniels after interferance by CM Punk, 3 Twists of Fate and made him tap out to a guillotine choke.
8. CM Punk defeated James Gibson to retain the ROH Title.
POST MATCH: Christopher Daniels came back down to ringside, KOed Punk with the ROH title belt and cut a promo on Punk. He said since Punk won't give him a title shot he'll just have to take the title. If Punk wants it back, he'll have to wrestle for it. After Daniels leaves a fan threw a bottle at Punk so Punk chased him through the crowd and out of the building.

Stevie Richards was also in attendance at the show. He and Gabe have been friends sicne their ECW days so I wouldn't read too much more into it — yet.

SD: As I said, most reviews are generally positive. Looking at the line-up and results I can see why. Hardy's promo didn't focus on the love triangle at all which was a very smart move. After WWE dropped the ball twice in one week after his fantastic return, this gives me a little more hope that the angle can work. Outside of that, this looks like a DVD to buy when it is released.

Wrestling - It's Academic

2005-07-15T19:55:00.000-04:00

The promising title of the new book Steel Chair to the Head: The Pleasure and Pain of Professional Wrestling (Duke University Press) led me to believe that maybe, just maybe, this would be the academic work with intelligent discussion about professional wrestling supported by reliable research. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. It’s not a total writeoff - there are some very good essays in this book. Heather Levi’s discussion of lucha and the role of the mask in Mexican culture and wrestling and Phillip Serrato’s analysis of portrayals of Latino wrestlers are both well researched and very readable. Laurence de Garis, who in addition to being a university professor has wrestled in various indy promotions for more than a decade, writes a fascinating description of the psychology of a match. And Henry Jenkins IV writes quite movingly about his journey of wrestling fandom, outlining the sort of internal debates that most wrestling fans have at one time or another (e.g. if you are raised to believe that all people are equal and should be respected, what do you do when the wrestling audience is shouting “Faggot! Faggot! Faggot!” at the Beverly Brothers?).

Unfortunately, the rest of the book consists of the sort of essays that give academic writing a bad name. Let’s take, for example, Nicholas Sammond’s statement in his introductory essay, “With each outcry against the company [WWE] for its corrupting influence on American youth, the company gains credibility with its core audience, which is disaffected from the usual avenues of social and political expression provided it” (p. 16). That’s a whole boatload of rather elitist assumptions about how WWE’s “core audience” interacts with the WWE product, and what forms of social or political expression are available to or are used by that audience, which don’t appear to have any research or facts to back them up. Catherine Salmon and Susan Clerc’s essay on female wrestling fans online makes similar unfounded generalizations, with its implicit assumptions that all female wrestling fans want to do is to look at pictures of “hot” wrestlers or write slash fiction. Um, no.
In the under-researched department, we also have Lucia Rahilly’s essay on “professional wrestling as popular S/M narratives” which seems to be based primarily on repeated viewings of the films “Beyond the Mat” and “Wrestling with Shadows”. The argument that both Bret Hart and Mick Foley present themselves as “family men” but engage in work practices involving commercialized pleasure and pain makes some rather dubious inferences about Foley and Hart’s private lives that I don’t think either of them would react very favorably to. And it’s amazing that an essay about S&M and wrestling could mostly ignore the huge numbers of wrestlers who dress in clearly S&M inspired outfits, and the implications of that form of “presentation”.

There are two other major problems that recur throughout the book. One is the horrible academic jargon that makes even the good points dense and impenetrable. The other is the large number of stupid mistakes. Hey, Prof. Sammonds, it’s World Wrestling Entertainment, not World Wrestling Enterprises. Hey, Henry Jenkins III, Stu Hart had more than four sons, and they did not “all enjoy WWF careers”. Hey, Sharon Mazer, it’s Starrcade, not Starcade, which you easily could have checked in two seconds with Google *before* you put “[sic]”into an online posting which spelled it *correctly*.

The bottom line, and I’m sure Stone Cold would say so too: worth taking out of the library, but not worth buying.

Wrestling News July 15, 2005

2005-07-15T17:08:00.000-04:00

WWE Diva Search contestant Alexis recently gave an interview to National Lampoon. Here’s what she had to say about the new Raw writers: On July 11, I was planning on making an allusion to Katie Vick in a poem I wrote for the talent competition... and one of the writers didn't even know who Katie Vick was. Very strange. (By the way, Eric Bischoff overheard my poem and was laughing his ass off, which made me feel pretty good!) When we Diva Search candidates wanted reliable feedback, most of us went to Stephanie McMahon.

SD: Despite their ignorance of the product I do think the new writers are generally doing a pretty good job. There are still some obvious problems but at least it seems fresh now. Also, be sure to check out that page if you want to see what Alexis’s nipples look like.

Les Thatcher gives some advice for promoters. Let the top wrestling talents wrestle, let the best talkers cut promos, and let the people who actually are funny do the comedy skits, and if all you do well is walk around and look hot, then that is what your job should be, and I believe there is a position open for that talent as well.

SD: Candice Michelle’s new look is great isn’t it?

Des Moines finally gets their own wrestling promotion in the form of 3XWrestling. In what is most likely a typo, fed co-owner Henderson (not Anderson as the article implies) does his best to counter the stereotype that wrestling is low brow:

"That couldn't be further from the truth," Anderson said. "These are people out for looking for a good time - the same kind of people who are watching baseball at Sec Taylor or NASCAR."

SD: Thanks for the help, big guy.

Also, I’d like to remind people in the Northeast United States that tomorrow night is the Ring of Honor debut of Matt Hardy in Woodbridge, CT. The show looks to be an event to remember. Hopefully WWE, Matt Hardy and ROH don’t make the same mistakes they have been making since after Raw by playing to the smart(er) ROH audience that the entire situation is a shoot. All they need to do is check the reports of the Shane Douglas appearance last month to see how well that stuff flies with that audience.

And finally, this Sunday is the TNA July pay per view No Surrender which many believe Matt Hardy is also booked for. I’ll be giving a final rundown either tomorrow or early Sunday for that one.

Vilifying WWE: Muhammad Hassan

2005-07-14T09:48:00.000-04:00

It is amazing to me that, over 20 years since Vince McMahon and company essentially turned wrestling into a – at least somewhat – legitimate business venture, he is still able to create controversy over events that, in any other form, are seen as innocuous entertainment.

This past Thursday on Smackdown an incident occurred wherein the Undertaker was assaulted by four masked men, an assault clearly meant to simulate a terrorist attack. It was the WWE’s misfortune to tape this incident last Monday, completely unaware that Thursday morning England would become the latest victim of terrorism.

Unwisely, WWE chose to air this segment in the US and ever since then, this “controversy” has slowly trickled into the national media’s attention, which is the focus of this column. (And yes, I’m aware that it’s very likely Mr. McMahon himself is the one who has stirred up this controversy)

WWE made a very poor decision to air the segment. I’m not going to deny that. Instead, I contend that scenes such as this are completely commonplace on American dramas and air unedited and uncensored every single day. And yet, with few exceptions, you hear nothing about it.

This past season on 24 Arab terrorists were the villains, which elicited a minor controversy. However, on the WWE segment we could not see the “terrorists”. In this post-9/11 world, WWE left it to the audience to assume that they were Arabs. And we all know what assumptions do.

The Hassan character has been woefully misused by WWE Creative. Had he been utilized in the manner he was originally intended to be used, e.g. as a disaffected Arab-American who could not understand why he was the victim of hatred post-9/11, then this nonsense would not have ever happened to begin with. Now that it is convenient to do so, however, WWE has returned to this “original” design to pitifully explain away the entire incident, which simply doesn’t cut it.

The fact remains, however, that WWE has no moral responsibility here. It is a scripted television show. It is low-brow entertainment. Since September 11, I have seen shows where people get their heads cut off -- no controversy. I’ve seen shows where people get kidnapped by terrorists -- no controversy. This kind of double-standard is piss-poor journalism.

The angle itself is ludicrous, offensive nonsense, but Vince McMahon is not the social conscience of this nation. God help us if we ever believe he should be. It is unreasonable and unfair to hold wrestling to standards that other scripted television shows are not held to simply because it’s wrestling. Attack the angle, attack the misuse of Hassan, but enough is enough with this hypocrisy that wrestling should somehow rise above what some of the so-called best shows in this country get away with on a weekly basis.

OVW TV for 7/9 : The Last Dance

2005-07-14T00:03:00.000-04:00

OVW TV Report for 7/9/05:
The Last Dance or Cornette's Last Stand...

Taped on 7/6/05 from the New Davis Arena in Louisville KY

Let the BODIES HIT THE FLOOR!

Your Hosts are Jim Cornette and Dean “The Howard Cosell of Kentuckiana “ Hill

Tonight, Elijah Burke v.s. “The Golden Boy” Ken Doane (ooo, what a match to go out on!), war between Team OVW and Bolin Services, the controversy continues between “The Shooter” Brent Albright and Aaron “The Idol” Stevens, my gawd, it's deafening in here!

Chris Cage/Nick Nemeth v.s. ???

I really like the look of Cage and Nemeth as a team coming out. We'll see how they look in the ring. And their opponents...

It's Danny Doring and Roadkill (w/ Tank Toland, Chad Toland, Ken Anderson, and Jillian Hall). Cornette tells us these two are the former World Champions who will fight the Thrillseekers at Six Flags. I mark for how Dean Hill announces Roadkill's name. Roadkill does the pose! Chris Kay is your referee, kickin things off on the WB!

Cornette says it looks like Roadkill came off the top of a wedding cake, and being former ECW World Tag Champions was like being the “nicest guy in prison, it's not much of an honor”. Doring and Cage start. The Tolands join us for commentary. Basically, the Thrillseekers have to beat Doring/Roadkill to get a shot at the Tolands aka the Blonde Bombers these days. Doring/Cage work off a headlock. Leapdrog, dropkick, 2 count by Cage. Nemeth and Roadkil in. Roadkill pose! Kick to the gut, crappy punches, Nemeth punches away on Roadkill, then hits a spinning headscissors that looks all crappy cuz Roadkill is selling it. Doubleteam, double elbow on Roadkill, 2 count. Cornette says “Roadkill is living up to his name”. Roadkill runs into an elbow, dropkick off the 2nd rope by Cage gets 2. Tank says on commentary they're being good spots to even let the Thrillseekers have a chance to get a title shot. Cage collides with Doring after being whipped into the ropes, and Roadkill gives him a slam. Vaderbomb off the 2nd rope gets 2. Doring in now. HART ATTACK! 2 count. Doring stomps away, drops some elbows. Roadkill in, kick to the gut. Scooop slam. Roadkill goes for a splash off the top, but he misses. Doring in, Cage rolls out of his way and tags in Nemeth. Punches for everyone! Backdrop! Dropkick. Superkick to Doring, Roadkill breaks it up. Cage in on Roadkill. The ref acttually does his job and gets Cage out of the ring, allowing Roadkill and Doring to doubleteam Nemeth. Roadkill holds Nemeth in a wheelbarrow position and Doring comes off the top rope with a legdrop to vegamatic him! 3 count. I'm sure that has some sort of ECW name but my mind is blank. Weak ECW chants.

Next, an interview with team OVW!

Derby Park Expo 5, steal the next WWE PPV with OVW!

See RAW LIVE with BATISTA, HHH, Benjamin, Ric Flair, and CHRIS BENOIT, plus Chris Jericho, Trish Stratus, Edge and MORE

Cornette is at the announce desk introducing a recap. It started as a tag match but ended in a riot!

A couple other refs come from the back and try to tell the ref what happened (Doane cheating), but Mondo takes them out. Bolin waves to the back... it's BIG GUIDO. Cornette says “By gawd, he's gotta be 7 feet tall!”. A bunch of jobbers come out of the back but Guido holds them off. We gotta get some help. Cornette says he has no business in the ring. Burke's eye is busted up. We're outta time! Bolin has declared WAR!>

Back “live”, here comes Elijah Burke and Deuce Shade to the ring. They play Shade's music which disappoints me greatly. Cornette introduces them and shakes their hands. Cornette says this Friday, Bolin Services is going to have a war! Shade says Bolin Services has declared war. You can tell he got the Jimmy Snuka Jr gimmick because he can't cut a promo to save his life. Shade says he made a few calls to Vegas and talked to a bookie. All the odds, everyone is betting on Team OVW. Shade knows the bookies at thegreek.com? They are going to experience some bombs from Team OVW. Burke says he knows about experiences, he had 8 experiences last week from the vicious attack last week. It failed in comprarsion to what they're going to do to BS. Brother this is a war we're gonna finish. Come 6 flags, me Deucemaster, we're gonna get funky like a monkey!

Cornette says this isn't a normal tag match, this is going to be a COWARD WAVES THE FLAG MATCH. The match can't be stopped until the cornerman for one team waves the white flag. Bolin will be in one corner... and the other cornerman is going to be... Jim Cornette! He's going to be there. Whoops, that might be a problem, now you've screwed over a Six Flags event WWE. Cornette calls Bolin a gutless coward and he's going to be waving the flag. Cornette doesn't care, he's never going to wave the flag even if his guys have bones sticking out of their legs. Cornette says Bolin is a gutless coward, and when he sees his life investment Bolin Services in the middle of that ring pummeled in the middle of the ring, he's going to wave the flag. His wrestlers can beg the referee, but the ref will say he can't stop it, only Bolin can. Team OVW is going to make sure Bolin Services has the worst day of their life.

Update on the OVW title... next!

Six Flags Summer Sizzler Series. Randy Orton face to face with Ken Doane. Team OVW v.s. Team Bolin Services. Cornette says he'll be in Team OVW's corner again here. Brent Albright v.s. Aaraon “The Idol” Stevens. Thrillseekers v.s. Doring/Roadkill. Plus two more BIG MATCHES!

Cornette is gonna talk and take us back to last week... ZZZZ. Read the report. Basically Idol slaps the figure four on Albright after the match outside th ring.

Let us take you to pretaped comments from Brent Albright, being interviewed by Maria. Maria doesn't sound like a ditz. Albright says it's going to take more than one submission hold to hang with the shooter. You can't hang with a 7-time freestyle wrestling champion who has the most devasting hold in pro wrestling today, the Crowbar. On July 15, it's going to be the crowbar v.s. The Idollock. After the match, the title and your arm all go home with me! Great promo.

Here comes

Aaron “The Idol” Stevens” (w/ Beth Phoenix) v.s. Chet the Jet.

Fat ringrat chants for Chet. Idol backs Chet into the corner. Cornette explains how the top-rope rule works in OVW. Chet taunts Idol as he gets the better of a couple exchanges. Shoulderblock. Akward wrestling sequence. Lots of headlocks and headscissors but it looked sloppy. Kick to the nuts by Chet, suplex. 2 count. Chop, chop, whip to the buckle, reversed, elbow, Phoenix on the apron and rakes Chet's eyes. Chop block, kick to the knee a few times by Idol. Idol cranks on Chet's knee. Some unique legwork offense here. Chet fights back but gets kicked in the knee. He goes for another kick to the knee but Chet spins around and clotheslines him. Plenty of punches. Suplex into a Falcon Arrow for 2. Chet screws up, hits his knee on the buckle, Idol-Lock! Chet taps! He won't break the hold. Here's Brent Albright. He rolls Chet over, reversing the pressure of the figure-four and then locks in the Crowbar on Stevens' arm. Stevens taps like crazy. Phoenix rakes both their eyes to break the hold up.

We'll be back with Seth Skyfire in action!

Raw LIVE in Louisville with all the RAW SUPERSTARS... and BATISTA AND CHRIS BENOIT

Seth Skyfire v.s. Cliff Compton. I smell Boogieman run-in. Cornette says it sounds like Beatlemania when Seth Skyfire comes out to the ring. Spinning headscissors is botched. Cornette says Seth Skyfire is “So quick he's sudden, and any other Gordon Solie cliches I can think of”. Running dropkick. Oh noes, it's the HALLOWEEN MUSIC! Cornette says “our sound man has obviously made a miscue”. My god, it's the Boogieman out from the ring apron. He's got INFLATABLE HORNS ON! And a STAFF! Cornette says he must have been under the ring since this afternoon. Cornette says this man has a history of violent assault. The wrestlers and refs bail. He definitely has Warryah style facepaint on. Cornette says this man lied about his record when he was on Tough Enough. He gets the mic and goes

HAHAHAHA. He says the Itsy Bitsy Spider song and the crowd laughs. BOOGIEMAN. BECAUSE YOU CHILDREN FEAR BOOGIEMAN HAHAH! YES AND YOU ADULTS YOU BEGIN YOU PRETEND LIKE YOU NOT AFRAID OF the BOOGIEMAN WELL YOU SHOULD BE HAHAH YEAS THIS FRIDAY NIGHT WHEN DARKNESS FALLS ON SIX FLAGS HAHAHA. YES I WILL MAKE ALL OF YOU BELIEVE IN the BOOGIEMAN BECAUSE THE BOOGIEMAN IS REAL THE BOOGIEMAN IS HERE THE BOOGIEMAN WILL MAKE YOU BELIEVE WILL MAKE YOU ALL BELIEVEEE BOOM-SHAKKA-LAKKA! (Yes, I'm not shitting you, he said "BOOM-SHAKKA-LAKKA" like he just dunked in NBA Jam).

It took him about 2 minutes to say that.

ROTFL, that was GREAT! Cornette says Six Flags is no place for someone this mentally unstable. This totally worked on a Plan 9 from Outer Space Level. Crowd chants “BOOGIEMAN”. He goes after some little kid in the front row, and goes out the emergency exit BACKWARDS as Cornette screams to go to break!

Okay here comes Bolin Services. Here's Kenny “Starmaker” Bolin, Ms. Blue, “The Giant Killer” Mike Mondo on Big Guido's shoulders FBI-style, Blaster Lasheley, “The Golden Boy” Ken Doane with Desiree and the TV title trophy. Whew. Dean Hill is doing this interview. He says Bolin Services will have all they can handle at Six Flags this weekend. When it comes to Randy Orton, Ken Doane can handle anything.

This Friday night, Ken Doane will prove why he is the best in the business today. He says Orton's record will be dust in the wind. Bolin says he's a ruthless heartless CEO and he could care less about the wrestlers' pain. He'll never wave the flag. He asks Mondo if he wants him to wave the flag and Mondo says he'll never surrender. Don't ever utter those words again. You want a war, you've got a war. You want a fight, you got a fight. It's going to be a dog fight, because we're going to punch and kick and do whatever it takes to survive. Ms. Blue hands a Boxing Pad to Bolin and Mondo throws some punches at it. At Six Flags, there's going to be no whistle-blowing, bring everything that you have, I'm going to show you guys what gutcheck time is. Blaster Lasheley says wave that flag in his squeaky voice. God, he sounds like Michael Jackson trying to talk in a deep voice. He says as far as the flag goes, we don't need a flag. Bolin says he brought in Big Guido to be his bodyguard so that nobody could make him wave the flag, and he swears on his father's grave he won't wave it this Friday!

Next: Ken Doane v.s. Elijah Burke for the TV title.

Elijah Burke v.s. Ken Doane (w/ Desiree and Kenny “Starmaker” Bolin)

Burke's right eye is bandaged up. Burke throws Doane into the ring and punches away on him. This should be good, with two guys who should be at least WWE midcarders in a year or two. He punches away like crazy. Head to the buckle. Doane tries to bail but gets punched. Whip to the buckle, backdrop! Cover, 2 count. Scoooop slam. Shade comes to ringside to guard Elijah Burke's corner. Burke goes up top... but Doane knocks the ref into the ropes and Burke falls violently off! 2 count. Doane stomps away. Head to the buckle. Punch to the back of the head. 2 count. He pulls off the bandage around Burke's eye. Burke tries to fight back but eats a knee. Head to the buckle. Scoop slam. Stone Cold elbow drop. 2 count. Head to the buckle blocked, Doane to the buckle! Doane comes back with a thumb to the injured eye. Doane acts like he kicks Burke on the apron, but he misses by a mile. Burke still rolls out of the ring. Burke thrown back in the ring. “Porky” chants. 2 count. Elbows, kicks, stomps in the corner. Bolin attempts to choke Burke in the corner but Deuce Shade chases him away. Kneedrop, 2 count. Man, this kick has the WWE style down already. Whip to the ropes, elbow. Reverse chinlock, cranking on it Orton style. Burke fights back. Whip to the ropes, clothesline ducked. Double crossbody at the same time and the ref counts to 10. Both men up. Burke gives him some big punches and kicks, chops, clothesline. Atomic drop. Flying forearm. 2 count. Whip to the buckle, Doane moves out of the way but Burke grabs him and whips him into the buckle again (that looked like a blown spot). Burke misses with a splash into the corner. Spinebuster by Burke! Bolin distracts the ref. Shade gets Bolin. Desiree hits Burke in the nards. Ring the bell, that's a DQ. Here comes Mondo and Lasheley. Cornette says “This Whole Arena has GONE WILD” as the crowd is dead silent. Shade triple teamed. He tries to fight them off to no avail. Powerslam on Shade by Lasheley. Burke in the ring with a kendo stick. By Gawd! He's laying it to them. It's going to be a war this night at Six Flags.

Okay, not as good of a show as it looked on paper from Ffing through it.

Is this the end of Jim Cornette? We'll find out VERY soon.

Wrestling News July 12, 2005

2005-07-12T20:45:00.000-04:00

WWE is now getting major press for their controversial Muhammed Hassan angle from Smackdown last week.
First, we get the half-assed WWE non-apology:"We all feel bad about the timing of the segment," said WWE spokesman Gary Davis, who said the show wasn't attempting to depict a terrorist attack -- although he said he understood how some viewers might construe it as such. "People will see what happens this week (as the storyline) gets straightened out."

Now, the UPN half-assed non-apology: "Due to the tragic events in London, we took the added measure of running an advisory four times throughout the broadcast so that viewers could make the appropriate viewing decision for their household," the network said in a statement. "We will continue to monitor the situation involving this character and storyline."

SD: Neither party is willing to accept any blame for the controversy. It’s obvious by how the statements are worded that both companies felt that this could give their respective companies a bit of a boost by being “edgy” but after it failed to deliver as they hoped they are out for the quick fix.

Kevin Dunn was quoted by a few media outlets giving what is most likely the company standpoint: "We're very proud of our product," said "Smackdown" executive producer Kevin Dunn. "We try and be sensitive with everything we portray, but there's got to be protagonists and antagonists on our TV shows.

"We just happen to reflect the politics of the world sometimes — especially with these Arab-American characters."

SD: And as somebody who has a number of friends and acquaintances who are Arab-Americans, let me be quoted as saying “Bullshit.” The only politics reflected in that angle were of those in charge of the WWE product. The actions certainly weren’t in character for Hassan and Daivari. It was an attempt to bring back Shock TV. And just like the Katie Vick saga it backfired tremendously.

But we’re not quite done yet!

As the controversy develops over this, UPN is nixing further developments in the angle according to Meltzer: UPN sent word today to WWE after all the negative media publicity stemming from last week's show that they didn't want the Muhammad Hassan character on this week's show.

WWE had planned a storyline change for Hassan tonight in Worcester after the storyline involving terrorists from last week backfired.

SD: And now they’re screwed. UPN has all the power in this situation. WWE fails to realize that what you do on cable doesn’t necessarily mean it is appropriate for network broadcast. It’s sad that it takes bad timing with a real life event to lead WWE to realize their problems with representation on their programming.

Jeff Jarrett recently commented on what a rookie needs to do to make it as a wrestler: It's pretty simple as far as advice goes…LEARN THE BASICS. The basics of psychology. To be fundamentally sound in the ring and to do the best you possibly can at learning who your audience is. That's the essence of the entertainment business, understanding your audience.

SD: No arguments there.

In other TNA news, AJ Styles vs Sean Waltman has been added to this Sundays “No Surrender” pay per view card. The special guest referee will be Jerry Lynn. The rest of the card, at this point, is as followed:

STEEL CHAIN DOG COLLAR MATCH - NO SURRENDER
FOR THE NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
Raven (c) Vs. "The Monster" Abyss

X DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
"The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels (c) Vs. Petey Williams

America's Most Wanted Vs. Michael Shane and Alex Shelley

Samoa Joe Vs. Chris Sabin

SD: Good looking card. I just hope that the Raven/Abyss dog collar match isn’t as bad as the Trimmins/Abdul match I saw last Sunday. There’s still no official word whether or not Matt Hardy will be at the pay per view.

ROH News:
Ring of Honor announced over the weekend that Kenta Kobashi will be working for the company on October 1st.

This weekend sees Matt Hardy’s debut for the company this Saturday in Woodbridge, CT. Here’s the card:
*ROH champion CM Punk vs. James Gibson
*Christopher Daniels vs. Matt Hardy
*ROH Pure champion Samoa Joe vs. Jimmy Rave
*ROH Tag Team champions The Carnage Crew vs. The Embassy vs. Lacey's Angels vs. The Ring Crew Express of Dunn & Marcos - Ultimate Endurance bout
*AJ Styles vs. Roderick Strong
*Nigel McGuiness vs. Claudio Castagnoli
*Austin Aries vs. El Generico
*Homicide vs. Kevin Steen vs. Azrieal vs. Dixie

SD: Kenta Kobashi in ROH is huge news. He's one of the biggest names in the Japanese industry. He's very well respected by "smart" fans and many American workers as well. As for the Woodbridge show, I wish I could be there. I can't see CM Punk vs James Gibson being anything other than a fantastic match. I also think this will be the first time that a WWE contracted wrestler (Matt Hardy) will go one on one with a contracted TNA wrestler (Christopher Daniels).

Matt Hardy on Raw

2005-07-11T23:27:00.000-04:00

Thoughts?

Cleveland All Pro Wrestling July 12, 2005 Review

2005-07-11T16:42:00.000-04:00

Yesterday afternoon/evening I attended the 12th Cleveland All Pro wrestling (CAPW) Anniversary here in Cleveland, Ohio. Like all indy feds, you see the usual fans in attendance and get to see a regular core group of workers as well. Being the 12th Anniverary, brought in a cast of irregulars and first timers as well. A good portion of these tonight were simply assholes. More on them later (mostly in match reviews). Let’s get on with the show.

Warning: Long Review. If you need to use the sidebar to skip to other posts

Match 1
Chris Cronus vs. Deviant vs. Bane vs. Raymond Rowe
In this elimination match you have two perennial CAPW workers in the recently turned heel Bane and one half of the Burning River Brigade (with the injured Josh Prohibition) Raymond Rowe. The other two workers are relative newcomers to the fed Deviant (who looks a bit like Randy Orton) and the undefeated Chris Cronus. All the wrestlers in this match were heels. Rowe was trying to get Jason Bane to form an alliance with him and would look to the crowd and point to his own head as if to say he was smart. The match had a lot of fun spots such as Rowe showing the rookies how to throw a good suplex (after the fans heckled them). Eventually Bane’s temper blew and he went after Rowe. They fought there way to the back and got counted out. Cronus then picked up the win following an F5.

Match 2
Jr. Heavyweight Title Match
Dios Salvadorr vs Aero
This was a good match but could have been great. I think they may have been flustered a bot by the fans who yelled about everything but the match. Like why was it important for the fans to yell about Dios’s ninja shoes for 5 minutes? Or talk about how skinny Aero is? Or which one is gayer? Dios at least looked a lot more flustered than the masked Aero and it seemingly affected his timing a bit. In what was probably the best spot of the night Aero hit a t-bone suplex standing from the top rope but held tight as he did a moonsault himself as the landed looking like a reverse flatliner. Very cool looking. Aero is the new CAPW Jr. Heavyweight Champion.

Match 3
Ian Roth & Ryan Reicz vs. Michael Hellborn & Barry Saggitarious
This was a quarterfinals match in the CAPW tag team tournament. I’m a huge mark for Barry and especially Hellborn (formerly the BasketNazi). Together they have a lot of great chemistry as Barry is a fun loon and Hellborn is a sadistic bastard playing the father figure role to Barry. The match had a lot of fun spots and Hellborn is starting to take off as a face (despite his previous gimmick). Barry took a lot of stiff suplexes from both Ian and Ryan while Hellborn gave “stiff shots to safe places” ala Regal and Holly. At one point in the match Reicz was going to do Jericho’s springboard dropkick to Hellborn but slipped and fell down. The crowd started the “You Fucked Up” chant and Hellborn started cracking up and joined in before he and Barry double teamed Reicz. I can’t recall how but eventually Roth and Reicz picked up the win to advance to the semi-finals next month.

Match 4
Carlton Kaz & Adam Cage vs. Extreme Violence
Actually only half the team was from Extreme Violence (Perry) but I can’t recall his partner’s name for the night. Lars something? Anyway, this was a quarterfinals match as well. Extreme Violence made it this far in the tournament by losing every qualifying match up to this point. But I don’t mind because they are very good workers. I honestly don’t remember much about this match except for the crowd giving Perry’s tag partner shit for being green. It was either this match or the previous that saw a wicked as hell double team maneuver for the win. Cage and Kaz advanced to the semifinals.

Match 5
CAPW Unified Heavyweight Title Match
Buff Bagwell vs. Chris Hamrick
Buff comes out and plays the face for the match. He’s looking a little more like Puff Bagwell now. Hamrick came down to the ring with Tracy Smothers, J.T. Lightning and Krystal Frost. All four of these workers get some very strong heel heat alone but altogether it was unreal. Before the got in the ring Buff invited CAPW superfan Randy into the ring to pose which got a pop from the crowd. Randy and Hamrick are always arguing with each other. Hamrick said that was the gayest thing he had ever seen. They ripped into the crowd a bit more and the crowd went nuts. Unfortunately a few of the irregulars kept going “AAAAAAAAAAAAA” in unison to drown out everything that was said on the mic. Hamrick then diverted his attention to Buff and asked him if his mom was going to save him from the beating he was about to take. Tracy, JT and Krystal then started yelling at the crowd again which caused about 10 fans to rush to the ring. Security was kinda holding them back (they didn’t really want to get in there anyway). For the next 10 minutes the heels tore apart these fans and were yelling at them to sit down and shut up. Buff grabbed the mic to try to smooth the situation over a bit which helped. Then Hamrick grabbed the mic back and directed his attention to Buff. He said (paraphrased) “Tell me, Buff Daddy. What would you rather have? This CAPW Unified Heavyweight belt or a bottle of painkillers you drug addict? Maybe you’d be better off going back to rehab than wrestle me for the title.” Buff looked pissed and mouthed something at him. Another fan came down to the ring and whispered something to buff. Buff handed him the mic and the fan cut a better promo than 90% of the wrestlers out there today about how they should just shut up and wrestle.

The fans finally got settled down and seated and Tracy, J.T. and Krystale went to the back. The match itself was fairly basic Southern heel vs face but still effective. I’d probably put it up there as one of Buff’s best matches I have seen. Towards the end Tracy, J.T. and Krystal trried to interfere but it all flopped leading to Buff winning the match and the title. After they heels started arguing. Hamick tore them all down for botching their interferance when he’d successfully defended the belt for 7 months in a row. When he turned around he got attacked and stomped down. Buff ran in for the save and made a challenge for a tag match at the next show; Buff and Hamrick vs J.T. and Tracy with Krystal. Including last night’s show Buff is signed to appear for three months/shows. So if (ie, when) Hamrick turns on Buff in the tag match it is sure to make him look stupid.

Next we got an intermission where buff would do polaroids and signatures for $10 a person. I got some pizza and a Pepsi at this point as I started to get a headache from the fans and thought actually eating something that day might help.

Match 6
Shiima Xion & Jason Scott vs. Unknown & Virus
This was the next quarterfinals match for the tag team tournament. Unknown and Virus, aka Q&A, are very talented workers who can get a lot of heel heat with very little trouble. Motormouths, cockiness and masks are a very effective combination. Jason Scott and Shiima Xion got to the quarterfinals because Jason Scott and his partner last month, Deviant, lost their match to Cage and Kaz. I don’t get it either but I don’t care because Jason Scott has a lot of promise. Anyway, Q&A noticed that the running theme of the night from the crowd was homosexual slurs so they patted each other on the butt which got a lot of heat. The match itself was very, very good indy wrestling. Q&A are crisp as hell and are great at ring psychology. Their moves are stunning and they know how to keep fans interested besides. If I recall correctly, Q&A picked up the win with this double team move that you just had to see to understand. I can’t even begin to describe it. Q&A advance to the semifinals.

Match 7
20 Man over the top Russian Roulette Royal!
What is a Russian Roulette Rumble you ask? It’s a Royal Rumble with the time span set at 30 seconds for entrants with a bunch of wrestlers I never heard of and without the benefit of Pat Patterson booking it. Or even seemingly without the benefit of J.T. Lightning booking it beyond the entrance order and the winner. Dios worked a double shift and was in this and I believe Aero was in it as well sans mask as the Hebrew Hammer (but I could be mistaken on that one). I believe Nick Tatum won the match. It was the first dud of the night.

Match 8
JT Lightning & Tracy Smothers (with Krystal Frost) vs Justin Idol & M-Dogg 20
The last of the nights quarterfinal matchups. Before the match began we got some of the usual Tracy Smothers banter like “If I hear anybody chant “Tracy suck Tracy suck then JT is gonna get out there and slap all the men and Krystal is gonna slap all the women in the audience”. Which got the desired chant rolling. Justin Idol, for the first time I have ever heard, then grabbed the mic and cut a bit of a promo. The audience started screaming about him having a speech impediment. Assholes. Anyway, Justin and (local boy) M-Dogg 20 made it to the quarterfinals when Justin and Dios Salvatore beat Q&A and Extreme Violence two months ago. JT and Tracy made it when JT and N8 Mattson beat the Tri Chi fraternity last month.

The match was a bit of a style clash as M-Dogg is mostly high spots and Justin is highspots with a more flashy traditional style whereas the much larger JT and Tracy are almost strictly traditional workers. At one point in the match somebody asked JT what the main event was. He replied with “I’m the main event!” We all laughed then later wished it was true. We got some topes to the outside and some classic veteran heel tricks and interference by Krystal. Speaking of Krystal, during the match the fans were absolutely brutal to her. Female indy workers usually have it pretty bad but the sheer overly sexualized comments hurled at her by the fans last night was far over the line — much worse than the usual cheuvanistic comments and into a creepy ouevre of pornographic obsessiveness.

Eventually JT and Tracy picked up the win somehow (my headache must have blocked out the details) to advance. Potentially JT and Tracy can have three matches next month as the Semi-Finals and Finals of the tag tournament are scheduled to take place as well as the special challenge issued by Buff and Hamrick.

So next month we have JT Lightning/Tracy Smothers; Q&A; Roth and Reicz; and Adam Cage & Carlton Kaz in the semifinals and finals of the tag team tournament. In addition we have Tracy Smothers & JT Lightning (with Krystal Frost) vs Buff Bagwell and Chris Hamrick. If we get three match with Tracy/JT/Krystal then I’m not going to complain one bit.

Match 9
Dog Collar
Sheik Abdul Hassan vs. Dick Trimmins
And now the second half of the double main event. Normally I don’t like publicly slamming a match because I truly appreciate the work that goes into it. I appreciate that the workers busted their asses to entertain the fans. I appreciate that the bookers are trying to do right with their workers and give the fans their money worth. I appreciate people doing something that they love for people who love the same thing they do. But this feud, and in particular this match, was just plain bad.

Let’s talk about the feud history a bit. These two wrestlers, Abdul and Trimmins, were part of a tag team called Da Munchies. They were very over faces struggling to get the tag team gold. After they won it, Trimmings turned on Hassan saying he is sick of carrying the team. The next month they have their first match.

Match 1: Dick Trimmins sports a table cloth on his head like Sabu or other Muslims would wear on their head and said he is now Richard Trimmins. Sheik is now called Too Cool Abdul and started throwing Twinkies into the crowd like Trimmins used to. Mocking the former tag partner as part of a feud is ok but these two overact. Comically. Their first post-Munchies match was simply not so good. They seemingly have no in-ring chemistry together. It ended in with Trimmins cheating to win. Sheik challenged for a rematch.

Match 2: Trimmins comes out first with Muhammed Hassan’s music and sporting an Iron Sheik-esque mustache complete with the former Iraqi flag. Then Sheik comes out to “Real American” and dressed like Hogan. They put on a show more than a match which fits their workstyle better. It ended in a No-Contest due to both beating up the ref to fight each other. Sheik grabbed the mic and did a very good Hogan impression challenging for a dog collar match. It was eventually accepted. This brings us to…

Match 3 from last night: Trimmins is wearing a more traditional head gear and no mustache or flag. Sheik comes outwearing the dog collar with a long, long chain attached to it. Trimmins bails refusing to take part. They are trying for reality but it isn’t working. A couple reasons are Trimmin’s high pitched voice and Shiek smiling and acknowledging marijuana referencing signs. The referee says that if he doesn’t wrestle he will be suspended from CAPW for life as per the contract. He puts it on while on the outside and gets attacked in the classic dog collar match ways.

Eventually Trimmins is pulled back into the ring and Sheik attacks him with the chain. Except he did the protective thing where you hit just on the other side of the body so it hits the mat thing. And it was too obvious. Fans started getting noisy and filing out the door. Shiek then wraps his hand in the chain and delivers shallow punches to Trimmins head before going back to looking to the crowd and playing with the chain as if he’s setting something up. He again whips the mat on the other side of Trimmins. The crowd is pulled more and more out of the match and is shitting all over it. They go back and forth a bit and eventually start really using the chain but by this point it was too late. Sheik tries to get the crowd back by wrapping the chain around Trimmins’s head and across his eyes. I know it has to hurt but the wannabe smart marks in the crowd thinks it is still fake. Sheik throws Trimmins over the top rope and really does hang him for a while that way since Trimmins slipped off the apron.

Back in the ring the crowd is getting worse and more people are leaving. Frustration is setting in with the workers. They try whipping each other for real with the chain — hard at that — but it isn’t working. Every swing of the chain or punch is totally at random. Nothing is targeted twice and both both go from beating down the other while invincible to selling like they were shot and back again. Both men got color but the crowd thinks it is ketchup because of low flow and how the match started. Eventually Trimmins gets to the top rope, punched in the groin with about 4 feet of chain wrapped around a fist and piledriven as he is bent over from that position. Sheik won the match and hopefully the feud.

After the match Sheik tore his dog collar off and started screaming at this one loud guy in the crowd who is always there as if it was all his fault the crowd turned on the match. "GET IN THE RING BIG BOY IF YOU THINK YOU CAN DO BETTER! COME ON! GET IN HERE! YOU FUCKING MARK! YOU'RE A FUCKING MARK!" he yelled much to the disbelief of everybody in attendance.

Why did this match fail to deliver so much? A number of reasons. 1) Both workers are best suited for comedy roles. They are capable of hardcore matches but they can’t help but do comedy spots in them. 2) The feud up until this match wasn’t treated as much more than comedy with some “I’m really angry”isms thrown in only at the end of the previous matches. 3) This particular match was made as both workers were parodying other characters. That setup got a pop but only because they were parodying at the time. The pop was for their portrayals — not for the potential match. 4) Neither worker convincingly sold that this match was going to be brutal going into it. Trimmins didn’t really seem scared and Sheik wasn’t convincing enough as wanting to be sadistic. And 5) The workers themselves set the “fake” stigma early on themselves by not actually using the chain and only pretending to. When the hits and spots had real moments the crowd didn’t buy into it. Even if the crowd didn’t turn on it the way it had it still would have been a bad match. There was no flow. No reason for any of the spots. No psychology or selling outside of when spots were done on them.

Granted, I am not a worker and am merely a mark myself (why else would I go see local wrestling and write about it?) but some things are blatantly obvious to even the untrained eye. Trimmins and Sheik didn’t do their homework before the match. There was nothing in this match reminiscent of Valentine/Piper, Sting/Koloff or even Raven&Stevie/Pitbulls. It was randomness and on the spot working with the gimmick. Nothing inspired, nothing delivered except obvious frustration from the workers and fan perspective. At one point in the match somebody saw JT Lightning in the concession booth gauging the match and the audience. Somebody yelled out to him and he looked over “Why did you book this match?” JT looked in the ring, smiled, and went back to counting the take in concessions.

Wrestling News July 10, 2005

2005-07-10T21:38:00.000-04:00

No real news today, but wanted to comment on this tidbit from the Observer:

--Paul Heyman will be writing OVW television at least this week. We don't have confirmation if that's a permanent deal or not.

JR comments (not that JR): This could go absolutely nowhere, but it could be huge news and I thought it was worth mentioning. If Vince goes ahead and gives Heyman free reign it solves several problems that have needed dealing with. First, it gets Heyman his own show, which means it gives WWE an excuse to keep him hired. I think the last thing Vince wants is Heyman to go to TNA. The man is a booking genius. Second, it gets Heyman out of the backstage WWE picture. As amazing as Heyman is with the book, he's horrible at playing WWE's political games, which he's proven time and again. The only problem I can really perceive coming from this is if/when Vince decides a young rookie is ready to move up to WWE and Heyman disagrees. Given Heyman's lack of tact, that could be a real future fireworks display indeed.

OVW TV Report for 7/2/05

2005-07-10T21:27:00.000-04:00

OVW TV Report for 7/2/05

Your Hosts are Jim Cornette and Dean “The Hammer” Hill

Tonight, a WWE superstar is revealed for the next Six Flags show, Brent Albright v.s. Aaron “The Idol” Stevens for the OVW Title, Bolin Services v.s. Elijah Burke and Deuce Shade, but first, let's go to the ring.

Chet the Jet/Nick Nemeth v.s. Robbie Dauber/Vik Delicious

Nemuth and Chet pick up the win. Slightly better action here than most OVW matches as far as spots go but no psychology or story at all from these guys who are still green. Cornette tried to put over Nemuth as having huge potential.

Let us take you back to the hot angle from last week when Doane pinned Deuce Shade with help from Bolin Services. Elijah Burke and Brent Albright tried to make the save but got powder thrown in their eyes, which caused Cornette to go nuclear and rush the ring, screaming “that's TOO DAMN MUCH”. Eugene made the save with a kendo stick to clear the ring!

Brent Albright/Mike Mondo (w/ Kenny Bolin and Ms. Blue) are out to the ring. Dean Hill is in the ring to interview Bolin. Bolin introduces TV Champion Ken Doane with a bunch of hype about how he's the best. He dubs him the “Golden Boy”. Doane's out with some random blonde who's pretty hot and dressed in all white. He's got a new look with some black baggy shorts and spiked up hair. Bolin says kids today want money, cars, and women. He says Doane received the most lucrative contract in the history of Bolin Services, he got a pimped-out Caddy with multiple TVs and DVD players and a maxed out soundsystem to tide him over until he gets a car from the “pimp my ride” guys. Desiree is the OVW name of the chick. She kinda looks like a cleaned up and tats removed Angel Williams, so that's who it might be. Bolin says Ken is like a son to him now. Doane says Cornette says he's being held back and he's going to be a younger world champion than Orton was and he's better than Orton in every way. Cornette cuts him off and is reading a letter than Randy Orton. Orton says hello to his fans in OVW. Orton has read the reports of what Doane has said about him. Orton says he is not yet cleared to wrestle, but as a man he will be at Six Flags on July 15^th to confront Doane. Bolin declares war on Jim Cornette. Bolin actually says “you'd better be smarter than George Bush and pull your troops out of this war because there's going to be casualities!” Wow, when OVW wrestlers are ripping on Bush you know he's history. Doane says after Six Flag, he will be known as the real Legend-Killer, and does the Orton pose in the middle of the ring!

Aaron “The Idol” Stevens (w/ Beth Phoenix) v.s. Brent Albright for the OVW Championship.

I wonder if they'll acknowledge Phoenix is Albright's storyline cousin Stevens says Albright can't put the crowbar on him. Stevens says he has perfected the figure-four leglock and it will now forever be known as the Idollock. Stevens talking about breaking Albright's legs gets Beth Phoenix all hot and bothered. Some okay mat wrestling to start. Stevens tries to brawl with Albright after losing that exchange and gets tossed out of the ring Phoenix distracts Albright and Stevens clips Albright's leg. Leg into the ringpost and few times. 2 count once we get back in the ring. Idol comes back with some generic work on the knee. He goes for the figure four, but it is blocked into a rollup by Albright for 2. Clothesline to Idol. Several. He goes for a T-Bone suplex but his knee is too hurt. Stevens off the ropes and gets belly-2-bellied for 2. Dropkick to the knee and Idol is back in control. Stevens goes for a pin, but Albright does a swank counter into the crowbar. Phoenix pulls Stevens to the ropes. Idol tries to jump Albright from behind, but he gets backdropped over the top rope. That's a DQ in OVW and Stevens wins the match! Solid match, nothing special though. Albright grabs Phoenix, but Idol goes to the leg. Figure Four leglock. Refs and plain-closed guys come out to breakup the figure four. Albright can't stand up. We'll be back with a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT about the Southern Tag Team Titles!

OVW in Vernon Indiana Friday!

WWE RAW IN LOUISVILLE WITH CHRIS BENOIT

Here come the Thrillseekers to the ring. Ringrats go nuts. Cornette has an important announcement. He announces July 16^th at the WWE Louisville Raw event, Thrillseekers v.s. Blonde Bombers. Jeter takes the mic for a surely painful promo. He makes RVD seem like the Rock. Cornette says “well there you have it”, and here comes the Blonde Bombers on cue. Jillian Hall is just wearing the tag team belts as a bikini. The entourage is Ken Anderson and Jillian Hall tonight with Tank and Chad Toland. Tank says the Thrillseekers have bodies of 12-year old girls. He says they only have to defend the titles once every 30 days. He says they just defended them at Derby Park so they don't have to defend the belts. Matt does a Joel Gertner “WELL WELL WELL” for no reason. He calls them scared. Anderson is about to lose it. He says he's got a couple buddies coming into town. July 15^th, it's going to be Anderson's friends against the Thrillseekers at Six Flags. They are former World Tag Team Champions. If the Thrillseekers beat them, they get a title shot. Cornette says they don't have to do this. Anderson calls them chickens. Thrillseekers take a couple shots at them. Next our TV main event.

Let's show you what happened last week on a nontelevised match. Skyfire and some guy taking on Robert Fury and Vik Delicious. My GAWD. It's the Black guy who got cut from tough enough for lying about his age. Clothesline from the top. Zombie situp! He's sort of dressed like Papa Shango. He's singing “Jimmy Crack Corn”. This is very, very, weird. He's cutting a Warrior-riffic promo talking about putting your kids to sleep at night. He says he never had a mother and father. He says he's not afraid of the Boogieman. I AM THE BOOGIEMAN. I can't tell whether this is the greatest thing ever or wrestlecrap. He goes after the guard rail around the and scares the shit out of everyone. He crawls out the emergency exit of the building backwards!

Cornette is back at the announce desk and he explains that was Martin Wright, who was a Tough Enough IV finalist but he got cut for lying about his background which includes a history of mental illness. Cornette says some wrestlers adopt public personas to intimidate their opponents, but this guy is the real deal. He says OVW has declined to train him, and if you see this man on OVW property, please stay the hell away from him. Our TV Main event is next!

Blaster Lasheley & “The Giantkiller” Mike Mondo (w/ Kenny “Starmaker” Bolin and Ms. Blue) v.s. Elijah Burke & Deuce Shade.

Burke and Shade hit the ring during the ring intros and doubleteam Lasheley. Double elbows for everyone. Shade and Mondo in to start. Elbows to Mondo. Clothesline from the 2^nd rope gets 2. Burke in. Hiptosses. 2 count. Shade back in with a slingshot splash. Mondo with a clothesline. Lasheley in illegally but Burke takes it to him. Shoulderblock, flying forearm takes him down. X-Factor on Mondo but the ref is distracted. Ken Doane in and hits a NICE RKO on Burke. Mondo gets the 3 count!

Winners: Bolin Services.

A couple other refs come from the back and try to tell the ref what happened (Doane cheating), but Mondo takes them out. Bolin waves to the back... it's BIG GUIDO. Cornette says “By gawd, he's gotta be 7 feet tall!”. A bunch of jobbers come out of the back but Guido holds them off. We gotta get some help. Cornette says he has no business in the ring. Burke's eye is busted up. We're outta time! Bolin has declared WAR!

Wrestling News July 8, 2005

2005-07-08T23:12:00.000-04:00

There isn't much news today.

WWE fired Jim Cornette from his training duties in OVW for his actions as of late. Included in these actions are abusive actions to students and other short-tempered things. This story really makes me wonder what the WWE if going to do now as OVW is owned by Cornette. Do they put in a new trainer and continue to use his facilities even though he isn't on the payroll anymore? Does OVW itself receive money from the WWE to "rent" their space and time developing their workers there? I really don't know how it is structured and haven't found any information online either.

I could see the WWE pulling their guys out and sending them to California to Rick Bassman and UPW and putting him back under their wing since he's operating already. This all ges back to the article James Ray wrote a couple weeks ago. Depending on the situation and set up if Cornette wanted to play hardball then WWE really wouldn't be in a situation to do anything about it. They have nothing else set up yet even though the southern developmental camp has been in the works for months now. There is a lot that can be said about this entire situation (past and present) but I think this is worth keeping an eye on.

Matt Hardy's no compete clause is just about over now as well. In his online commentary he gave more than a strong hint that he will be in TNA shortly.

From ROHwrestling.com: ROH officials had very good discussions with two talents that have recently parted ways with WWE. You can definitely expect to see some new faces in 90 days. Both talents were very excited about competing in ROH on a regular basis. One even wants to train at the ROH Wrestling School.

SD: Interesting...Jimmy Yang seems to be the choice most people online suspect to go to ROH. Who would the other be?

In "Defense" of the "Terrorist" Angle on SD

2005-07-08T16:15:00.000-04:00

Let me begin this post by saying that it is not so much a defense of the "terrorist" angle on SD as it is an offering of a viewpoint which I think people either quickly dismiss or do not consider.

Like the majority of wrestling fans, last night I waited in anticipation to see how intense the Undertaker/Hassan angle came across. I of course am referring to the angle where after Taker beat Daivari, a number of men dressed in stereotypical "hijacker/terrorist" garb attacked the Undertaker and choked him with wire, while Hassan not only looked on, but held his hands up and gave a stereotypical "jihad" scream. Following Hassan's putting Taker in the Camel Clutch, the attackers carried Daivari out of the arena, holding him on their shoulders, not unlike one might be carried in reverence in a religious ceremony.

My main reaction was not to the content of the angle itself, but rather to how gruesome Undertaker's face looked. The color and expression on his face looked not unlike those you might see on the face of a decapitated head: drained of color, and lifeless eyes. To me, that was the most striking (and disturbing) aspect of the angle.

But as for the rest of angle, which simulated a terrorist attack/sacrifice (Daivari), my reaction is this: This was not some great affront to humanity on the part of Vincent K McMahon. Was it disturbing? Yes. Was it unfortunate that it occurred on the same day as a terrorist attack in London? Of course.

But what irks me is that people feel the need to damn McMahon for this, as if he coldly and calculatingly devised this angle just to raise ire. While I concede that it might be an attempt at "cheap heat," has anyone ever considered the possibility that the angle with Hassan is that now he has decided to become the very thing he thinks people are expecting anyway? Maybe the angle is that he has felt so discriminated against and ignored that he decides it's worthless to try to plead his case, and that if it's a stereotype everyone else wants (all in his head, of course), it's a stereotype they get.

This is certainly not the 1st time that WWE has presented socially- and politically-based angles. Was there this much protesting when Terri Runnels "had" a miscarriage? Was there this much protesting when Jeff Jarrett attacked women? Was there this much protesting when Big Show's "father" "died" of cancer? All of those angles concerned serious issues, and yet I don't recall people damning Vince to Hell for them (although I do know there was plenty of "this is tasteless" comments).

My point is not to make light of the tragedy in London, nor to discount that people have had a very strong visceral and emotional reaction to the angle on Smackdown. Rather, I question why people feel that WWE should be held to a higher standard than other forms of entertainment. Is it because it is audience interactive? Is it because it is live? Is it because there is a history of children being interested in wrestling?

Why is no one damning the Eddie/Rey angle, which has very implied sexual predator overtones? The vignette with Eddie and Dominic (Rey's real life son) disturbed me more than the angle between Taker and Hassan. It seems to me that people cannot be selective about what they choose to damn and what they choose to pass off as "just another angle." I realize that there are levels of discomfort, but I think it's a bit hypocritical to pick and choose.

Or is this simply "the final straw"?

Wrestling News July 7, 2005

2005-07-07T14:23:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Spike Dudley posted on his website his feelings on being released by the WWE. “Hey, they gave me a great oppurtunity and maybe I didn't make the most of it. That's life. At first I was pissed, but I woke up this morning feeling, I don't know, alive. Check this out, this morning I woke up and visioned having a wrestling match without a script. I visioned going to an arena and actually having fun again. I visioned not having to go to the hospital after being hurt by a "future" WWE superstar who may look good but have the wrestling ability of a dead walrus. I visioned pitching an angle without having to get approval from writers who 6 years ago were buying ECW tickets and making signs(it's true). Hell, I visioned blading!!! I really don't want to burn bridges(if I haven't already) and all that, but that company sucks the life out of you and then spits you out. Enough on them.

I want to love wreslting again. I want to be passionate about the business. It's been so good to me, I want to give back. I don't know how yet, but it will happen.”

SD: I’m sure Spike is more than grateful for even being hired by the WWE at all. Given his size and type of charisma I never thought he would be in the company. I wish Spike the best. He can give some indie companies a boost with his name and abilities.

Lost in the news amid all the recent WWE cuts was their hiring of Big Vito (aka Skull Von Krush in ECW). He will probably be tagging with Nunzio if he doesn’t get a release.

SD: About this signing I just have to say “It’s about time.”

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has appointed Kevin Allton to the newly created position of sponsorship and promotions manager based in the company’s London office. Reporting to Jonathan Sully, vice president, international marketing, Allton will drive the company’s sponsorship acquisition and promotions programme across international territories including the UK, Australia, Italy and Germany.

SD: A bit about Allton’s history at the link. I don’t know enough about WWE’s overseas division to comment on this.

DirecTV announced a special rate if you purchase the next three WWE pay per views — Great American Bash, SummerSlam and Unforgiven. The cost is $34.95 each or all three for $88.95. Also announced is a free half hour special called SummerSlam recall which features clips of the greatest moments in Summerslam history. This will be on channel 123 July 21-23. I suppose I could do a mini-review of that if I remember.

ROH updated their news today. Among some discussion of upcoming shows and angles, they comment on more: There is a lot of talk about all the talent that has recently parted ways with WWE. ROH officials are highly interested in making one of the released talents a fulltime member of the roster. There is also interest in two other talents. Who will pop up in ROH next? Keep watching....

SD: Let the speculations begin – from me! Let’s take a look at who who the one WWE release they are interested in would be. Billy Kidman would add some starpower but I am not sure he’d fit in right. Shannon Moore is a very strong possibility especially if the Matt Hardy trials work out. Spike Dudley would add name value as well but I don’t see him fitting in either. Charlie Haas would be a great fit for the Pure Wrestling division. But my money is on James Yun (Akio/Jimmy Yang). His work would fit in very well with the roster. He won’t come with the large price tag that a Kidman or Spike would demand. And the ROH fans would be highly appreciative of what he brings to the table.

As for who the other two are, I have no idea. Your guess is as good as mine.

More: Negotiations continue with Rhyno, although no dates are set. Rhyno recently watched several new ROH home releases and was impressed with the style of action.

In other Rhyno news, his no-compete clause is now up. He starts working the indies this Friday Norval, Ontario. Next weekend he is main eventing Jersey All Pro Wrestling against the Sandman.

SD: This is great news for fans of the Man Beast. A Samoa Joe/Rhyno feud would be hot but I’d be worried about Rhyno’s surgically repaired neck.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling will release its newest DVD, “Enigma—The Best of Jeff Hardy” this Friday, July 8th. Get ready for one of wrestling’s most electrifying exclusives. This double disc DVD features the non-stop action from one of wrestling’s most surprising and colorful characters.

SD: I just don’t know… Has he really done anything in TNA that could be considered a “best of” even if it is only the bet of his own stuff? And two discs worth…? Serious fans only.

You can find an article about DDP’s Yoga book here.

WWE Has No Fear

2005-07-07T08:49:00.000-04:00

Vince McMahon has sent a message to the wrestling community over the last two days; he no longer fears any Indy federation unseating him. The wrestling Cold War has ended without TNA ever firing a shot. Ring of Honor, while wonderful, certainly never had a chance. There's no one left. The king has won. Hail to the king.

But here's the thing -- I am supremely optimistic about these releases. No, I have no doubts whatsoever that TNA will never rise to the challenge. However, RoH, IWA-MS, CZW or what-have-you do not NEED to rise to WWE's level because for the first time in years, WWE is loosening their grip on guys they never had any real business hiring in the first place.

Rest assured, Akio, Shannon Moore, Billy Kidman, Charlie Haas, Mark Jindrak, et.al. WILL find a place in the wrestling community to call home. Several of the above names will be superstars on the Indy level. Yes, they will take pay cuts. They will have to bust their asses, but I sincerely hope they are up to the task.

I have written that it behooved WWE to create a regional "farm" system for wrestlers to learn the ropes. This wave of firings tells me that they are no longer truly interested in that. My colleagues have ventured that WWE needs to move away from making every televsion match involve superstars wrestling each other, that a focus on building through enhancement talent is worthwhile. This recent wave of firings tells me Vince disagrees.

To this I say "great!" That's right, I'm countering my own column. I hope more firings ensue. The simple reality is the bigger the pool great feds like Ring of Honor have to choose from, the better it is for all the Independents in this country. When I say "Vince has no fear" I do not say it in a complimentary fashion. Having no fear is stupid. Fear is what separates us from the animals. Vince has finally dropped his guard and is allowing talent to slip through his fingers. Thank god.

Wrestling needs a boot in the ass. And don't mistake me, I'm not saying any of these recent releases will set the wrestling world on fire, but they could. More to the point, they're indicative of WWE weakening, which can only be a positive for the future of wrestling in this country.

I admit, it is callous to be happy about these releases. These guys have families and need the job security WWE can provide. But I won't be hypocritical about it. I'm a wrestling fan, and what WWE's total monopoly of wrestling in the US has done has aggravated me to no end. Finally I see a light at the end of the tunnel, and I will make no apologies for that.

WWE Releases: Summer 2005 Round 2

2005-07-06T14:13:00.000-04:00

Taken from WWE.com

WWE has decided not to proceed with any renegotiations with Bubba and D-Von Dudley. We wish both Bubba and D-Von the best in all future endeavors.

Also, World Wrestling Entertainment has come to agreements on the release of the following Superstars. WWE would like to wish them the best in their future endeavors.

* Matt Morgan
* Charlie Haas
* Jackie Gayda
* Marty Jannetty
* Dawn Marie

SD: These names are in addition to the ones posted yesterday. The total is now at 13 plus the Dudleys who are not renewing their contracts. Frankly some of these are surprising and some are not so surprising. Is this going to be an annual event until they are rebranded as one product? Certainly there is mor to it than the negotiations with Brock, the Diva Search and the move to USA. Two years in a row is suspect.

Update 4:20 PM
Add Kenzo Suzuki to the list which most likely means Hiroko as well. Bischoff sure did get the short end of the Raw/Smackdown trades didn't he?

5:15pm
Joy Giovanni added to the cull. Where is Lauren Jones?

WWE Releases: Summer 2005 Round 1

2005-07-05T20:18:00.000-04:00

Taken from WWE.com:

World Wrestling Entertainment has come to agreements on the release of
the following Superstars, WWE would like to wish them the best in their
future endeavors.

Mark Jindrak
Maven
Shannon Moore
James Yun (Akio)
David Heath
Billy Kidman

UPDATED: 10:26PM

Spike Dudley and Kevin Fertig (Mordechai) have been added to the list.

Wrestling News July 5, 2005

2005-07-05T19:32:00.000-04:00

There’s an excellent interview with Elix Skipper up at PWInsider. Some parts are kayfabed but overall those moments get lost. Here are a couple snippets I found interesting:
AW: From July to December of 2003 you were not on any TNA events. Was it the Japanese dates or personal issues that kept you off PPV?

Elix Skipper: What really happened was a mixture of Japan offering me more money and I got into a monetary dispute with TNA. I thought I should have gotten a raise, they told me money was tight yet they were bringing in guys who made twice my fee. I don’t care about them making money, more power to them but the people that were there week in and out weren’t being taken care of. They wanted me to hold my request until things got better financially and matter of fact we were planning to do a good deal tonight. I told them that’s great but when I go to the bank the teller doesn’t know I did a good deal she knows I am getting a crappy paycheck wrestling and any night could be my last time in a ring. I decided to go to Japan and said they could call me when they had things figured out. Their form of punishment was not calling me but it didn’t matter due to the Japan money. In December they called telling me they had more money to spend and I should come back to Nashville . I told them despite getting money I was still going to Japan but things worked out.

AW: On November 7th TNA hosted the first three hour PPV called Victory Road . But people tell me you don’t remember any of it including the Last Team Standing bout with AMW. What do you remember from that day?

Elix Skipper: 100% truth. I only remember talking to Sandra the promotion’s seamstress at the building; we had been working on a new scheme. From that meeting on I don’t remember anything including the match. People told me I came to in the hospital with the nurses removing my wrist tape and me saying you can’t do that I haven’t had my match yet. They told me Elix its 1am and the show is over. I said no way I wrestled I am dry; I was dry from being at the hospital for hours. I didn’t believe them and I asked the doctor who cared for me what time it was and he didn’t say Prime Time, he said 1:21am . The next day I watched a copy of the show at least four times and I watched our match. To this day I only remember what I saw since they told me some point in the match the concussion occurred and I suffered from short term memory loss.

SD: This really tells you what wrestling is about: making money and having fun but getting hurt doing it. It isn’t an easy life for any of them. When you have somebody taking these chances that Elix does you know he just needs to do what is best for his family. If that means signing with the WWE if they offer him a contract then he’ll do it if the money is right. It isn’t selling out. It’s not selling yourself short for the few.

Christian tells SLAM! Magazine that his rise up the ladder is a result of the fans accepting him rather than anything storyline driven. "That's what I think it should be all about. The fans are the ones we're there to entertain. They decide if they want to cheer for me or want to boo. They were just ready to see me in that light and I feel like I'm ready to step up. It's about capitalising on the opportunity when it's put in front of you, and I've done that."

You can also read about Jericho on his angle, Edge on indie wrestling and more at the link.

SD: And I just have to say that it’s about time fans accepted him. He’s a great talker and Smackdown is without an interview segment. A return of the Peep show would help him out even more.

Here’s the latest Press Release from NWA-Ohio and Dave Nelson NWA Ohio has just announced a new alliance with Southern Championship Wrestling and NWA Tri-State!

Robert Hochman of SCW Wrestling has joined NWA Ohio and will
be teaming up with David Nelson Sr., current owner and CEO of NWA Ohio. NWA Ohio is also working with NWA Tri State owner Richard Arpin and will be adding him to the team as the Assistant to Promotions & Operations, currently headed by Mr. Nelson. NWA Tri State is in the final stages of finalizing the deal.

The new alliance will bring together three strong wrestling companies and present major shows in the coming weeks. More details and show dates will be announced as they become available.

SD: Wait and see…

Misc. Notes
If you’ve been following the JBL/Blue Meanie situation then Smackdown is a “can’t miss” show for you. Spoilers can be found in the usual places.

The Diva Search slip-up isn’t news. It was pre-planned by her.

Joey Styles discusses the ECW:ONS buyrate and more here.

Wrestling News July 4, 2005

2005-07-04T20:48:00.000-04:00

The WWE and Hogan made a list of 74 reasons to love America.
- The WWE. Some sensitive types may object, and serious types will object, but the WWE is one of the best American success stories. It sells a product that is quintessentially American, and makes no apologies or stabs at political correctness. It’s also hilarious if taken with the large grain of salt it deserves.

- Hulk Hogan, because he is, as the song goes, a Real American.

SD: I agree with the WWE one obviously. To comment on the Hogan one would be opening a political can of worms so I won’t say any more on that.

Chris Jericho recently shared his thoughts with the Calgary Sun about the NHL’s continuing problems. "Newsflash for everybody in the NHL office: Hockey's not as big as they'd like to believe it is," Jericho said. "I live in Florida and, believe me, a lot of people just don't give a damn.

"Both the players and the owners have an ego about how big hockey is," said Jericho. "I hope they know what they're doing but I honestly don't think they do."

SD: Hockey. Jericho knows how I, and most Americans, feel about hockey. Meh…

Shreveport, LA native Summer DeLin Bryan got some local press for her entrance in the 2005 Raw Diva Search contest. As for their on-screen personas, Bryan said they aren't being asked to play a character but to be themselves, only a super-charged version.

"They said to be yourself, but your personality times 1,000," she said.

Bryan said she and her fiance, Shreveport plastic surgeon Dan Knight, were only passingly familiar with the WWE but have become quick studies since she entered the contest.

"No, I wasn't a fan, but it's been really fun to be thrown into the middle of it," she said.

"I've even picked up a little catch phrase," Bryan said. "Do you know what time it is? It's Summertime!"

SD: Well she admittedly doesn’t know much about wrestling but at least she knows how to get over in 1998.

In some media crossover news, WWE is giving fans at the San Diego Comic-Con International an exclusive first peak of Kane’s new movie. The film which is probably on it’s 4th or 5th title by now will be part of the Lion’s Gate Films panel on Friday from 4:30-5:30 PM in room 6A. In addition you will see an exclusive trailer for Saw 2. If you’re gonna be at the show I think it would be worth a look-see.

WWE News and Notes:
- Big Guido started working with OVW
- Ric Flair tweaked his knee against Angle on Raw last week
- Joey Styles is signed to do ECW voice over work for the WWE
- Hardcore Holly has opened up his own wrestling school. http://www.bobhollyacademy.com/ It probably doesn’t even need stated that “Only serious students need apply”
- Rumors continue about possible roster cuts. There is less television time coming up after the move to USA and the Diva Search does need to be paid for so it was bound to come up.