Pro Wrestling Impact

Sacrifice Tonight

2005-08-14T07:06:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder don't forget to tune in to tonights TNA PPV "Sacrifice"!! It is going to be a great PPV with the return of Sabu as Raven's tag team partner!! Talk about a shocking team! Not only do they need to watch out for the other team but they might have to watch out for each other! Plus you will get to see Jerry Lynn back in action!!

TNA Wrestling Presents: SACRIFICE
Live On Pay-Per-View
Sunday August 14th 2005 At 8pm ET / 5pm PT
Media Pack Now Online!

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Raven & Sabu Vs. Jeff Jarrett & Rhino

2005 SUPER X CUP FINAL
AJ Styles Vs. Samoa Joe

Sean Waltman Vs. Jerry Lynn

The Naturals & AMW vs. Team Canada
Abyss With James Mitchell Vs. Lance Hoyt

X DIVISION NON-TITLE MATCH
"The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels Vs. Austin Aries

Kip James & The Alpha Male Vs. Ron Killings & Konnan
SPECIAL REFEREE: BG JAMES

Shocker vs. Alex Shelley

Chris Sabin, Sonjay Dutt and Shark Boy vs.Simon Diamond, David Young and Primetime Elix Skipper

Tags: Sabu, TNA, Wrestling, Raven.

Updated Lineup For This Sunday's "Sacrifice" On Pay-Per-View

2005-08-11T03:31:00.000-07:00

Credit: TNA

August 10th, 2005 01:08
UPDATED LINEUP FOR THIS SUNDAY’S “SACRIFICE” ON PAY-PER-VIEW:

New matches were announced on Impact for this Sunday’s “Sacrifice” live and exclusively on Pay-Per-View. The lineup is shaping up to be one of TNA Wrestling’s most action-packed to date. The current card is as follows:

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. Winner of Voting
(Thus far, Austin Aries is commanding the lead – voting ends Friday)

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

In addition, one more match will be announced on Friday featuring Chris Sabin, Sonjay Dutt and Shark Boy. TNAwrestling.com will also release the Countdown Preshow match this Friday as well.

Tune in this Sunday live and exclusively on Pay-Per-View for “Sacrifice” starting at 8PM ET / 5PM PT!

Tags: Jimmy Hart, TNA, Wrestling, Raven.

Jimmy Hart talks about HBK vs. Hogan

2005-08-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

By Ed Williams III
August 5, 2005

With SummerSlam just weeks away, fans everywhere are clamoring to see the Legend vs. the Icon, Shawn Michaels vs. Hulk Hogan. With two of the greatest Superstars in WWE history slated to do battle, it’s almost impossible to pick a winner. WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy “Mouth of the South” Hart, knows both Hogan and HBK very well, so he was able to provide some unique insight into the upcoming match as well as several other topics.

WWE.com: What do you think about Hulk Hogan coming back to WWE and wrestling again?

Jimmy Hart: I think it’s awesome. Like I said, the past is still the future. It gets him back out in the public. The fans get to see him. And it helps promote the show. It brings a lot of wrestling fans over to Hogan Knows Best. And also, a lot of fans that aren’t wrestling fans that watch Hogan Knows Best will tune in to watch WWE so it’s a good deal for both companies. I keep saying the 80’s were so strong. And of course I did the song, Sexy Boy, for Shawn Michaels, so I have a double interest. I love both the guys. I think it’s great for the business. I think it’s great for the fans to see some of the stars they grew up watching.

WWE.com: How will a match of this magnitude play out?

Jimmy Hart: The people that are there will definitely get their money’s worth. I’m sure Shawn will have a lot of fans there that love him and the same thing with the Hulkster. I think what Vince is doing, bringing some of the legends back and putting them on TV – I know Jake was on a few months ago, of course Hulk, and Piper’s been in and out – I just think it’s great. It’s a little something for everybody. It gives people their money’s worth.

WWE.com: Last week, Shawn Michaels began poking fun at Hogan’s age and his ability in the ring. What do you think of those tactics?

Jimmy Hart: It’s like Hogan said a long time ago. He said it’s not about the best wrestler, it’s about who makes the most money. Hulkster, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair. Those are some of the stars of the past who are still able to talk the people into the seats. Of course, all of them were able to perform, too, in their own way. But I learned a long time ago you never say anyone’s old, you never say anyone’s fat and you never say anyone’s bald. Because if that fat, old, bald person beats you, it makes you look stupid.

WWE.com: Who is your pick to win at SummerSlam?

Jimmy Hart (jokingly): Here’s what I’d like to see happen. Hulk comes out to American Made, not Real American, because American Made is Jimmy Hart’s song. Shawn Michaels comes out to Sexy Boy, another Jimmy Hart song. They have a great match, all of a sudden you hear another Jimmy Hart song and here comes Bret “Hit Man” Hart. They both look at Bret and are in shock. And then out comes Vince McMahon. Then the next match is Bret Hart teaming up with Hogan against Vince and Shawn. Then down the line we can bring Stephanie back and bring Hulk’s daughter in. She’s 17 and knows karate. So before you know it we have three PPVs and can build up to WrestleMania and of course I’d like to see Jimmy Hart as special referee. We’d have tremendous buyrates and sold out crowds.

WWE.com: You’ve mentioned Hulk’s show Hogan Knows Best and you were even shown in the Hall of Fame episode. What do you think of Hogan’s show?

Jimmy Hart: It’s been awesome. It started out for his daughter because she has a great voice and singing and everything. And Jessica Simpson and Ashlee Simpson seem to be getting shows and they helped kicked off their careers. I think what happened is – we went down to shoot a pilot – Hulk called me and Brian Knobbs and we went down to shoot the pilot. They just loved it and picked it up. I just wish I could have been in it more, but I’ve been traveling all over the country. I do my stuff in Memphis Wrestling every two weeks for a live show on UPN with Jerry Lawler and have been working on all of my music projects. But being on this past week, if there was one show to be on that was it. I’m still grateful for anything I can get out of the wrestling business because wrestling has been so good to me. Being inducted into the Hall of Fame was the greatest thing to ever happen to me.

WWE.com: Speaking of the Hall of Fame, who do you think would make good future inductees?

Jimmy Hart: I definitely think Bret Hart. As far as tag teams go, maybe Bret and (Jim) Neidhart together as the Hart Foundation. I’d love to see the Honky Tonk Man in there. Entertainment-wise he was a major part of WWE’s success (in the 80s). Jake “The Snake” Roberts – I think Jake was a major part of it back then (the 80s) as well. There’s just so many people that we went up and down the road with that were tremendous and did so much for the business. There’s plenty more than that, but those are three or four that I think the world of.

Tags: Jimmy Hart, Hulk Hogan, Wrestling, HBK.

UPDATE ON HARDCORE HOMECOMING MERCHANDISE SHIPPING

2005-08-07T06:54:00.000-07:00

By: Bob Ryder
8/6/2005 12:51:15 PM

All domestic orders placed through www.hardcorehomecoming.com have been processed and mailed. International orders began shipping today. All new orders are being shipped within 48 hours of receipt of order.

To order the Hardcore Homecoming or Forever Hardcore DVD, or any other Hardcore Homecoming merchandise, click here

Tags: Hardcore Homecoming, Forever Hardcore, Wrestling, ECW.

JEFF HARDY'S TNA SUSPENSION IS LIFTED...FANS TO PICK DANIELS' PPV OPPONENT

2005-08-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

By: TNAwrestling.com
8/6/2005 9:20:35 AM

Jeff Hardy Suspension Lifted, "Internet Dream Match" Announced

TNAwrestling.com learned on Friday afternoon that TNA management has lifted their suspension on “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy, which resulted from Hardy’s failure to appear at May’s “Hard Justice” event.

According to TNA management, Hardy has been informed of the decision and that he is expected to appear at the Sunday, August 14 “Sacrifice” Pay-Per-View. Once more information is available, we will post it here on TNAwrestling.com first.

In addition, we’ve learned that starting this Monday on the website there will be a special vote by fans for an “Internet Dream Match” to determine The Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels’ opponent at “Sacrifice”. Fans will have the opportunity to select one of several independent wrestling stars, with the winner facing Daniels next Sunday, August 14 on Pay-Per-View in an X Division non-title match. TNAwrestling.com will release the names along with the official vote this Monday afternoon on the website.

Tags: TNA, Jeff Hardy, Wrestling, Christopher Daniels.

Just A WWE Rant

2005-08-05T06:02:00.000-07:00

Ok I know I have been slacking off on this blog big time but there is nothing really worth writing about going on in wrestling! Unless you are one of the people excited because WWE had a visit from Bret Hart and Dusty Rhoades! I mean does anyone really care about either one of them?

Lets start with Bret Hart. I used to really like him. But now he is doing nothing but whining all the time about the state of wrestling and how bad everyone is treated but he doesn’t do anything about it. Plus I have totally lost any respect for him after Owen Hart got killed and he went on about how he has washed his hands of WWE but every time you turn around he is running back to them with his tail between his legs.

He is stupid and lame now. If it was my brother and he died because he got bullied into doing something he didn’t really want to do in the first place, I would never go back to work for that company. Bret you need to learn how to hold your ground and learn to work for less pay!

On to Dusty Rhoades! Where do you start with someone that has been in the wrestling business for as long as he has? Oh I know lets start with how bitter he is with his fans now. I know and I understand that some fans are just stupid and don’t understand that wrestling isn’t real so they think that even when you are not working you are in character. But when you are at a wrestling venue and a kid wants to talk to you or a photo or an autograph take 2 damn minutes out of your busy schedule to do it for a kid! Don’t be rude about it.

I don’t know why WWE would waste there time and money they are losing money hand over fist to be bothered with Dusty. I really don’t see what Dusty brings to the table for WWE’S creative staff. I mean he did nothing for TNA they are doing so much better without him. I’m sure it wont belong before he brings Dustin on and well we all know how that goes. I hope that WWE knows what they are doing their storylines are stupid enough!

Other than stupid brainstorms there is nothing worth writing about in wrestling which does give me more time for other things such as band promotions! But I hate not spending more time on my wrestling blog. I hope something happens to liven things up a bit.

Tags: Bret Hart, Dusty Rhoades, Wrestling, WWE.

Ultimate Warrior Feelings about WWE'S Ultimate Warrior DVD

2005-07-31T06:37:00.000-07:00

Credit: http://www.ultimatewarrior.com

Hello warriors.
WWE is releasing an Ultimate Warrior DVD set. Two prominent rumors are on the street. One is that the title will be “The Self Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior.” The other is this, supposedly a WWE insider’s anonymous post put up at Warrior Central:

"Hi everyone,

I know there is a great deal of BS and lies on the
internet, so I understand if you do not believe me
during this post, but I will go ahead anyway. I do not
want to disclose my name, as I know the company
monitors the internet quite tight, but I have been
working as an intern at the production department of
Titan Television (WWE's studios). I have been involved
in the making of several DVD projects these past few
months, one of which was the forthcoming Ultimate
Warrior 2 disc set.

While I can't give out too many specifics on the set,
I can tell you a few things that may upset you as
Warrior fans, and would like your feedback which I
will happily return to my supervisor, Mr Chambers.

First off, Vince McMahon and Warrior have actually
spoke several times regarding this DVD. Those of you
who have purchased WWE 'Legends' DVDs will know how
they work...there is a documentary on the wrestler,
and fellow superstars and office staff will talk about
that wrestler - memories, favorite moments, opinions,
backstage stories, etc. We recently released a DVD on
the Road Warriors, which featured Animal tracing the
roots of the characters and giving insights into their
careers as superstars, wrestlers, and men.

Vince wanted Warrior to do the same, and called him at
home. Warrior apparently has his own documentary film
coming soon and said to Vince he would like to do a
deal where they could have flyers inside each DVD to
help advertise the other one. Mr McMahon said he
didn't want to do this, as it wouldn't be a 50-50
beneficial deal(it would benefit Warrior much more
than WWE), and that the shareholders wouldn't like
advertising with a former talent.

Warrior was worried about being seen as a hypocrite if
he appeared on the DVD, and when Vince refused
advertising and a smaller fee than what Warrior
wanted, Warrior refused steadfast to participate in
it. Negotiations ended there on the phone, and I was
told by my supervisor that Vince told Warrior "Well
then, we'll see what happens."

I can reveal to you that this DVD is not going to be
one that fans will want to see. Many talents have
appeared on this disc to talk about Warrior - Bobby
Heenan, Pat Patterson, Paul London, HHH, JR, John
Cena, Batista, Hogan, Eddie, Benoit and others - and
every single one of them has painted him a negative
light. All the comments make fun of Warrior, and talk
about what an idiot, flash in the pan, and lucky guy
he was.

There are also two bonus features on disc 2. The first
is "Ultimate Impressions" in which current WWE
superstars do their best impersonation of Warrior. It
is sad to say the least - Benoit foams at the mouth
and yells at the top of his voice...HHH messes his
hair all up and pretends to be Warrior shaking the
ropes, and Batista ties some bootlaces around his arms
and talks to his hands. More insulting, there is a
"Warrior Calamaties" montage of times when Warrior has
made mistakes - slipping over, bloopers during
interviews, botched moves, etc.

Basically, the whole thing is made to have the message
that Warrior was intense and powerful, but also a bit
of an idiot. He is painted in the same light as Doink,
Repo Man and Duke Droese, rather than as a legend next
to Randy Savage, Bret Hart and André. Sad - because
the majority of people who would buy this would be UW
fans from the 80s...and once they know that this is a
giant farce, they will boycott it and the DVD will
fail to sell.

Good business sense Mr McMahon!! It looks like another
desperate attempt to bury UW."

Tellingly, and as is typical, this is a combination of small truths and fat lies. Specific advertising promotions were not discussed, money was not discussed at all -- let alone a proposed smaller fee causing disgruntlement, shareholders wouldn’t like advertising with a former talent? -- ple-e-ase, WWE is practically a f’ing nursing home for former talent, and advertising and bilking it for all its worth all the time; negotiations didn’t end on the phone -- I have more than a handful of voicemails from Kevin Dunn, and other communication, to prove it.

I do believe this was spawned in-house over at WWE, and that the writer was instructed to speciously concoct it and get it out, beginning with placing it at Warrior Central.

I did speak to Vince - one time only, not several times. He did call me at my house and left a message and I called him back. His call to me was prompted by a series of previous phone calls others had. Beginning with some phone calls Andrew Wright, a young man pursuing a film documentary on my life, made on his own to the WWE seeking 1) film footage of UW and 2) WWE personnel participation in the documentary (Vince or Linda preferably), possibly in exchange for my participation in their DVD project. Frankly, I wasn’t high on this last idea. For obvious reasons, all of them vehemently expressed over the years, I would have potentially more to lose than gain even if there was transparent, straightforward, and effective reciprocation of some promotional sort.

Yet, Andrew is free, as the producer of the documentary, to make all the phone calls and have all the conversations he wants, so I told him he to go ahead and explore any possibility, but I would ultimately have final say so. I would make no promises. My initial thoughts, knowing I would have to contemplate the idea much more seriously, were simply that my well-known beefs with WWE diminishes none of the reverence and appreciation I have for the specialness of the Ultimate Warrior persona and unique quality of my career creating and performing him while I was there. The fans of the character who’ve followed my other pursuits over the years see it the same way, and they are able to differentiate between the respect and interest they find in my views today, including my anti-WWE views, and the wonderful, exciting time while I performed Ultimate Warrior in the WWF. I was told that the DVD projects were ostensibly reminiscences of the persona’s career and I thought that if there was a way to positively participate in that, for the sake of Ultimate Warrior fans as well as achieve other business goals, then I would, at the very least, be open to exploring it.

Somewhere in the middle of Andrew’s own going back and forth with underlings at WWE, WWE’s Kevin Dunn called and left me a message informing me of the DVD project and that they were interested in having me participate in it with commentary. I called him back, thinking his call was directly prompted by discussions Andrew had instigated at WWE. Kevin denied this and said he had no idea of the documentary project, which wasn’t true of course, but I went ahead to fill him in, telling him, again without any promises, that there might be a simple, conditional way to collaborate this one time here and “bury one hatchet,” all the while realizing I had still had some very serious thinking to do before reaching a final decision.

Vince and I spoke about a week later -- for that one time only. The phone call lasted about 15 minutes. It was cordial and I got right into the reason for our talking to one another. All the details aren’t necessary and I will save telling any of them to wait and see if any more little white lies are attempted on WWE’s part. He did tell me that there would be others on the DVD who had criticisms. I didn’t have a problem with that. In fact, my idea for my own documentary was to do a controversial point/counterpoint with either him or Linda. But he said absolutely nothing about how vengeful the criticism was or anything about the ridiculing spoofs, nor did he reveal any such title for the project as has been recently made public. We simply concluded the conversation agreeing that he would instruct Kevin Dunn to follow up with me to do all they could on their end to make my involvement happen.

Four or five days later Kevin called. He began the conversation pitching a whole “Legends” thing WWE was now doing. I told him that Vince mentioned it, but not in any great detail for me to entertain it intelligibly, and I urged him to stay focused on the DVD project alone.

He told me he would fax me the basic, to-start agreement, and I placed specific, conditional inquires I would need satisfactory answers to, particularly 1) I would get to see what had been done thus far, because I was not interested in watching it and responding in commentary extemporaneously, 2) the meat of my commentary would be left unedited, 3) WWE would provide royalties on all the copyright film ventures they intended to do throughout the future, not just this DVD project, 4) I could use all my own commentary in my own documentary project.

He spoke confidently that he foresaw no difficulty in fulfilling these requests, but that he would have to check to be sure and would get back with me with concrete answers asap. In the meantime, he would go ahead and fax over the basic agreement for my immediate review.

Two or three more days passed and no fax had yet arrived of the basic agreement that I needed to review. At about that same two or three day mark Kevin called, leaving me a message saying, oddly, he could fax me the agreement if I was interested in doing the commentary on the project, acting as if he never told me he would send it right over when we first spoke. He also stressed concern that they were now working against the clock; and he left no answers to the inquires I had made. I attempted to call him at the two numbers I had. He has no office voicemail and his cell phone voicemail was always full. I reached his assistant at the office on one work day only, she attempted to call his cell and reached the same dead end, but told me that he would be in later that day. He called again, not that day, but two days later. Still no fax, still no answers -- but with a hyper warning that time was running out. I tried to call him back, with no result. A couple days later he called and said time had run out and he needed to know my decision by day’s end. All these years building a big corporate identity, and here it was all over again, typical, old-school WWF headgames. I called Beth Zazza, Vince’s secretary, and got her email address and sent this correspondence over within 24 hours:

“I am just writing to update Vince on follow up with Kevin Dunn on DVD issues. Please forward this to him. Thank you.

Vince, I spoke with Kevin 4-5 days after we talked. The conversation digressed somewhat into a whole "Legends" program type of thing, which I told him you did not bring up in any real detail and I would have to know much, much more about before I could address it intelligently as a businessman.

Getting back on track, I made a couple of specific inquires about the DVD project to help me decide whether or not I would participate in this project alone and also gave him my fax number to immediately forward potential agreement info for my review. He said he'd fax it over (last week), and get answers to my inquires. I've received neither the fax or the answers. He's called about every third day since then, but left no other message than to call him back. When I do, he has no office voicemail and his cell phone voicemail box is always full. Time concerns have been stressed, but neither of us can to do this if there isn't an agreement in place. That's not being difficult, it's being prudent and practical. I'm just writing to let you know that my own schedule, now, will make me unavailable for the next few weeks, and that, since you and I spoke, I've done all I can on my end to explore the possibility of involvement. At the end of the day, I may have ultimately decided not to be involved. I'm not sure, but I never got the info or answers I needed. Therefore, I must pass.

It's funny, I remember when you told me a long time ago that "Ultimate Warrior is a legend only in your mind, no one else's." Back then, you were probably more right than you were wrong. Today, though, all these years later, the negative, whiny criticism of others, like those to be on this DVD, only expands the legendary status of the Ultimate Warrior in millions of other minds. The proof of this is abundant everywhere. Similar enduring interest is not sustained about any other character. I'm confident, Vince, that even when all the others on the DVD talk, the viewer will still be impacted most by the guy who was Ultimate Warrior. After all, the Ultimate Warrior set his own standard, one others are still trying to shoot for whether they would admit it or not, and the persona doesn't really need anybody to say anything more for him than he says very intensely all by himself. He was definitely a classic, and will always be a legend -- in a class all his own.

Warrior”

Beth responded only to tell me she forwarded my email to Vince. My email was sent July 15th.

Now, about this anonymous post and other info coming out, I’m a little skeptical about the information regarding the extreme negative content of the DVD. First, if it is accurate, then I guess it is the content I would have seen if I had gotten involved -- and, what, WWE expected me to just take it all in with a grain of salt and a Grand Canyon size dose of humor when I viewed it myself to respond with my own commentary? I mean, I realize there are many who don’t want to ‘get it’ about who I really am outside the distinct impression Ultimate Warrior left, and can’t seem to grasp what I have bluntly said for many years, but did they really expect I would just forget who I am, what I’ve said, how aggressively and capably I am unafraid to say it -- that I would just leave all of the REAL ME at home when I showed up to speak for myself? No, of course not, I never expected the absence of any criticism. I knew there would be some. Please. But this recent info about the extreme negative content seems dramatically overdone.

Second, like I told a trusted acquaintance, I can’t imagine WWE would do this, I mean, the damn reality doesn't square with the radical fantasy they’d be putting forth that my personal life is in shambles, I am genuinely a kook and Ultimate Warrior's WWF career was illegitimate and worthless. In addition to that, whenever you spend that kind of time, effort and money to disparage and ridicule someone or something, you, by default, only reveal how great you truly believe it is. I mean, attempting to paint the Ultimate Warrior persona in the same light as a Doink or Repo Man or one of these meaningless characters is a desperate stretch even for a company run by liars depending on the “work.” My friend’s response, though, was spot on: “I am very very surprised, on one hand, that Vince and his company have (if is true) taken the UW DVD project and turned it into a complete farce. And on the other hand, I'm not. Vince, to me, seems like a man who doesn't always put good business sense over his own ego and stupid ideas. He is like a child who throws his toys when he doesn't get his own way, and is very malicious and vindictive. I mean, why would you throw away money you could earn from the millions of Warrior fans by turning the DVD into a joke? It seems Vince is going to make this DVD laughable so he can say ‘See, UW doesn't draw, he doesn't sell!”

About the end goal my friend believes WWE possibly intends to achieve, I’m not so sure I agree. But about Vince’s approach to things, I had to admit, he was right. Hell, I should be the first not to forget that. When you view it that way -- that it is so unimaginable -- it becomes exactly why, in Vince’s World, it is imaginable. Vince a has long standing reputation dealing with consequences after the fact, instead of thinking them through beforehand. The whole crew up there, taking their lead from Vince, moves on shitty ideas even before seeing if they stick even slightly to the wall.

Still, I don’t know. My gut tells me this. Vince got my rejection, picked up the phone and screamed an order to release this info to see how I would react, see if I would reveal any emotional concern or bother that the project was going to be a hit piece, as the info relays, and conceivably drive me to reach back out pressing hard to involve myself, thereby getting in exchange WWE’s assurance that they would produce a more positive piece. As far as I know, and would not find hard to believe, they have two versions in the can -- one negative, one positive. And they have simply waited to get one or the other promotional word out until they found out whether I would be involved or not. Now on notice that I have passed, they release this press telling that the project will be negative figuring it might cause me to crawl on my knees and agree to involvement on their lopsided terms, to prevent the dark portrayal they are threatening without my involvement.

Ah, the headgames, Vince, you can’t go without playing. It seems that you are maybe sitting on the fence. ‘If Warrior agrees to be involved, we will do this -- if not, we will do that.’ You know, whenever I sit on the fence my balls hurt. You, Vince, used to brag, back in your more independent and more creative days, that you were a guy with three balls. After all these years, though, it’s really disappointing to see that you’ve only become more juvenile and childlike. It’s quite obvious, shrivel by shrivel, you’ve lost your balls altogether. So I know you can’t be in any pain straddling that fence. But maybe you do have some anxiety about what to do here. Let me make your decision easier for you.

I think you should, Vince, how do you say it, bring it on. Frankly, for all the “push” Ultimate Warrior got in sports entertainment, the constant negative criticism and ridicule, by you and the parasites in the industry who only survive by sucking your blood, has been an even bigger “push” for everything I’ve gone on to do outside the ring. It’s promotion I could never afford -- and for it, I thank you. Eventually people find their way to the truth. It’s sorta how life, for it to be effective, really works -- find the truth and follow it. I don’t know why you and your sidekicks, Vince, continue to perpetuate the falsehoods about me and my life -- it hasn’t worked and it won’t. Maybe, it's just because you are always doing a "work" and can no longer separate reality from fantasy. Of course, you benefit from the fact that we are living in times where truth and reality don’t matter much. But eventually everyone is subject to reality checks, and once they have the truth here, the lies you spread about me say more about the malicious and vindictive kook you are than they do about any personal flaws I may have. For those who fall for the bullshit, there are just as many who don’t. You, your sycophants and the audience you cater to right now, Vince, maybe don’t want to get it about me and who I am today -- but plenty of others do. And I’ve been proving this for quite some time. Whoever is doing your investigative work is doing a very sloppy job. You believe the fantasies you want, Vince, but it’s been a really long time since I subsidized my living using any of the dimes I earned working for you. I’m certainly an advocate of having a strong ego, but this idea of yours that I am somehow indebted to you or need you to ‘do my life’ is way over the top.

You, Vince, are the one living in a bubble and I simply don’t have one you can pop. There are almost 300 million people just in United States, hundreds of millions more in the world. Every week your TV draws in, what, 5-6 million viewers? Just how many millions, scratch that, thousands, hundreds, do you think I need to get it about who I am and what I am about today outside the ring for me to provide a substantive and prosperous life for myself, be productive and happy in what I do? Your game, Vince, even for me who succeeded wildly at it, isn’t the only game in town. What is so difficult to understand about my getting on doing other things happily and successfully? You think a negative, destructive portrayal will sever my lifeline, or that I will be traumatized by it in a way that I won’t be able to go on and have to come crawling back to you to rescue me, like everyone else has done? You are wrong, Vince. Your head is really up your ass. Mine has long been on my shoulders.

You want to title the Ultimate Warrior DVD “The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior”? Great idea. Whoever came up with it deserves a promotion. The way I see it, a way that your sycophants obviously do not, if thinking for yourself, being independent and self-sufficient, discovering celebrity and materiality, just for their own sake, are success defined in the shallowest, most indecent and self-loathing terms; standing up for yourself, refusing to tolerate unethical, unprofessional treatment by the ones you work with; fighting to right wrongs done to you; having the confidence, courage, discipline and self-respect to move on and evolve into something more mature and greater at each successive stage of your life; being unashamed to be proud of new accomplishments beyond even what you’ve previously done that were great and successful -- if all these actions are self destructive in your book, then, I think, being labeled self-destructive by you is is a badge of honor and I wear it with pride. Frankly, the world would be a much safer, saner place if more people were brave enough to pursue like-destructive courses.

The greater distance I can create between myself and those other Legend talent you evidently consider having lead constructive courses is exactly what I am looking for. I guess I’m just not cut out to be constructive in the way you define it. Whore out yourself and your family for an unimportant, superficial cheap-ass celebrity long after you’ve had enough; blame drugs, other abuses and addictions and just simple life responsibilities for failing at life time and time again; bring kids into the world and then desert them entirely or raise them to be ‘useful idiots’; frequent rehab visits or OD in a budget hotel room over a vile, sorry-ass bag of dirty street drugs; be an unequivocal hypocrite, be on the record saying one thing but always rationalize doing another; let your body, mind and spirit go to hell; become a born again Christian, hock it until no one buys the con anymore, and then crawl back to you and hypocritically participate in WWE’s debauched, carnal storylines; talk tough but never take a stand and back it up; despise McMahon when you don’t have a contract, lick his ass when you do; know no principles and have no integrity; refuse to behave grown up even when you are; be afraid to challenge yourself to do other things than what you’ve already succeeded at; accept that you are only a pro-wrestler and it’s all you'll ever be able to do, and any success in the business you have is never because of anything you contribute and earn, but only something that McMahon has the power to grant; and finally, most of all, crawl back to you, King McMahon, for a final bout of self-degradation. Hell, Vince, that’s a lot of feebleminded, lazy work to be constructive. I’d just rather do the harder thing. I think the reward is greater. Call me a kook. That’s right, I guess you intend to. Vince, your adulterated brand of approval and respect I cannot find the self-disgust to lower myself to. I make no apologies.

A few years ago you publicly boasted about how you loved confrontation and competition. You do -- but only with those who are intimidated by you to begin with or you already know you can beat. The facade of the company you’ve built says success, but reality is that, today, it’s like all other big, stuffy, overcrowded corporate warehouses -- sluggish, boring and complacent. You piggybacked on the degenerative cultural turn, you didn’t create it. And you rode that jackass hard, but like all that comes and goes in cycles, the provocative and risqué you so depended on has reached its spent end. Literally, there are no more tiny, little adolescent boners to exploit. All the loads have been blown. Enough "soap opera" and "porn" and "gangsta hip-hop and rap" everyone says -- people just want to take a bath, feel decent and have their wrestling be fun again. Yes, cutting edge -- but fun. High spirited and positive. Why does every single storyline in entertainment today have to be about what is the worst in people, like you're taking a 3 am walk in the foulest, most criminal alley on this planet while the sewer system is backed up flooding the streets and human-size rats are pissing and spitting upon you from both sides? You once told great stories, Vince. What happened to you? WWE's creative direction today simply tells people that it is a company filled with perverts and exhibitionists who are derangingly starved for genuine human interaction. Social misfits stimulated and inspired only by ideas they can see through peepholes. The only thing really left to do to push your overmasturbated, seedy creative envelope more open, since you obviously intend to keep beating limp meat, would be for you to actually televise the fucking you’ve been doing to so many over just as many years. Just as you worked so hard to do, you are now surrounded by ass-licking sycophants and mostly slavish, non-thinking, sunken chest talent, but the consequence is that you are burnt out, slow and stuck, have no new ideas and would have a heart attack if true passion, real manliness and legitimate challenge walked into one of the pyrogenic-laden arenas you use to entertain your equally passionless, mindless and sycophantic audiences.

Whether or not you put out a negative portrayal, Vince, the evidence is in -- you failed. I beat you. I broke the silence you’ve been harboring all these years. I drove your insecurities to break out in a rage and reveal to the world your greatest regret and failure.

Your greatest regret, Vince, is that you weren’t secure enough with yourself and your own accomplishments to handle both the Ultimate Warrior, as a gimmick, and Warrior, as the person. It could have been the biggest thing you ever achieved. You knew it years ago and you know it now and it eats away at you day after day. Linda knew it, too, but she couldn’t keep you from screwing it up. Even your son Shane knew it. The best nut you ever got, Vince, was from the Ultimate Warrior character. I know it. You know it. Linda knew that, too -- she wrote notes about it on notes to me all the time in 1996.

Ever since the Ultimate Warrior, every talent there has ever been has tried to replicate the one trait that made the Ultimate Warrior the Ultimate Warrior, makes the Ultimate Warrior standout from all other personas even today. A hint? It’s not the wrestling technique and technical ring work, stupid. It’s the real intensity, the obvious inner energy and passion I held personally. Making people feel alive and that giving it your all is worth doing. Even your own son-in-law tried his best to create his own intense image using Ultimate Warrior as a model. Batista doesn't wildly, physically explode and shake the ropes because it is something Batista would do-- he does it because IT IS WHAT ULTIMATE WARRIOR DOES. None of them though, Vince, have captured the professional enduring appeal like The Ultimate Warrior persona or the personal staying power like the person, Warrior. They don’t because their intensity is part-time, only half-ass and skin deep. Whereas mine runs all the way through, right down to the bone -- it never goes off or away. Out of the ring, no gear, no facepaint, entirely out of the business -- it remains the same in everything I do. Even now as I write this -- that intensity, MY INTENSITY, is coming right through the computer screen and the reader feels it.

Ultimate Warrior was simply a gimmick that made me realize Warrior, as a person, wasn't one. The Warrior intensity-for-life element of Ultimate Warrior was real. You got that and it inspired you, it really jacked you up -- until I became more than the young, initially naive kid who first came to work for you. Until my mind started becoming as powerful as my physical presence. Then, both Warriors together became a potential success too intimidating for you to handle. Always on the hunt for challenge, it was the inevitable next level for me. But you, Vince, didn’t have the guts to go there. As big as a man and success you were in some ways, in others that counted so importantly, you simply wanted to stay safe remaining the scared little kid who could throw his toys.

You and your wife Linda have been telling everyone for years that you only give your fans what they want. Why didn’t you then? Tell the fans who pop bigger for Ultimate Warrior than anybody else when he appears on that big monster screen at the arenas, Vince, why you didn’t then? You didn’t because you didn’t have the courage to rise up to the complete Warrior challenge.

The failure that eats away at you the most, Vince? Sadly, it’s not the missed opportunity as it should be. No, it is that you don’t OWN me like you do all the others. That you never emasculated me, turned my balls into squirrel nuts like you’ve done to all the others.

And, Vince -- you never will. This Warrior won’t crawl.

Look, Vince, let me end by telling you that I forgive you. I’m serious. I know you’ll read this and I just want you to know. I am not bitter about how things ended up. My life has moved on, and ultimately it is better and more challenging. What we were as people back then, you and I -- hey, it’s what made it work. So, I would advise you to give your own regret a rest. A lot of time has passed, for one of us a lot of growing has been done. One can’t be gotten back and the other can’t be changed.

I will always appreciate the opportunity WWF provided. I will never forget the experiences I had while I was there (or all the work, sacrifices and effort made). Thank you for those. I mean it.

All of us are bits and pieces of all things good, bad and ugly. Big as both of our egos are, you and I aren’t immune to being a mixture of all three either. Forgetting this makes it really difficult for strong personalities in disagreement to give credit where credit is due. When it comes to our opinions of one another, we both judge harshly. Maybe we should take a moment though to recognize what we forget. I don’t think you can find an instance of me on the record dismissing your company’s contribution. If I have, or if you believe I have, let me be clear right now -- Ultimate Warrior never would have had the incredible existence that he did if it wasn’t that you had your own dream to build the company that you did. But neither, Vince, would HE if there had not been ME.

You and I, Vince, once had too many explosive personality traits in common. It was inevitable that the intensity of those would cause us to one day clash, just like we did. In fact, it is the intensity of the clash that causes both us to likely not hear the unspoken respect for the good things we did together, but only the bad and ugly. We should both be proud of The Ultimate Warrior persona. I am. You should step back and be proud, too.

In this DVD you should just let Ultimate Warrior be what he, in truth, was. Incredibly positive and one of a kind. He captured something unique in people and the bond that was built is unbreakable. Pursuing the negative will never, ever change that. Of course, if this wisdom doesn’t work for you, Vince, we can just stick with you making an ass of yourself, and kissing mine. While you are down there notice, again, the real balls.

Good Bye, Vince

Warrior

Tags: Ultimate Warrior, WWE, Wrestling, Ultimate Warrior DVD.

WrestleReunion2: The Dudleys Boys face Matt Hardy & Rhyno in a show where “10 matches could make history”

2005-07-31T06:34:00.000-07:00

Wrestlemag.com @ 6:07 pm
Thanks to the guys promoting WrestleReunion 2 for sending in the following:

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA, July 30 2005 - A spectacular 10-match wrestling card, featuring many of the most famous and inspirational athletes in the world of professional wrestling, will shake the foundations of the Valley Forge Convention Center, 1160 First Ave., King of Prussia, PA., at 8 p.m. on Saturday Aug 27. The card is the showcase event of WrestleReunion 2, the world’s biggest and best pro-wrestling fan convention, at the convention center from Friday Aug. 26 through Sunday Aug. 28.

Two main events will satisfy the appetites of all wrestling fans. The first, which could bring closure to a historic grudge match between the legendary Bruno Sammartino and Larry Zbyszko, features former AWA Heavyweight Champion Zbyszko against former three-time WCW Champion Diamond Dallas Page. If Zbyszko defeats Page, he will get five minutes in the ring with Sammartino alone.

The other main event, a Six-Man Tag Team Match, will feature the return to the ring of “The Hardcore Legend” Mick Foley and the two Funk Brothers (Terry and Dory, Jr.), with Bobby “The Brain” Hennan in their corner, vs. Jim Cornette and The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey) and “Sweet” Stan Lane.

In a Tag Team Match between current superstars, Matt Hardy and Rhino will face the Dudleys, Bubba Ray and D-Von. In a Mixed Tag Team Match, former WWF Lady’s Champion Wendi Richter, George South, Jr. and The Patriot will challenge Amy Love, D.C. Drake and “Gorgeous” Gary Royal. An Eight-Man Elimination Tag Team Match will feature team captain “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, Missing Link, D-Lo Brown, Dr. Tom Prichard vs. team captain “The King of Old School” Steve Corino, Andrew Martin (formerly known as Test), The Original Evil Clown and The Masked Superstar.

In a Father and Son Tag Team Match, Don and Joe Muraco vs. Bob and Brad Armstrong.; IWA Heavyweight Champion Greg “The Hammer” Valentine will defend his title against the very popular Tito Santana; in a Special Legends Match/Russian Chain Match, former WWF Heavyweight Champion Ivan Koloff, accompanied by Nikolai Volkoff, goes head-to-head with Domenic DiNucci.

In a Four Corners Tag Team Match, the Samoan Island Tribe (Samu and Alofa) with Sika, the Wild Samoan, vs. the Fantastics vs. the Backseat Boyz vs. the Thunderfoots. Returning to the ring for the first time after a bout with cancer, “Dr. Death” Steve Williams goes against King Kaluha. Nick Bockwinkel, former AWA World Champion, will serve as acting commissioner. Bret “The Hitman” Hart will be in a special in-ring interview segment with Jimmy Hart and Bill Apter. The referees are Dick Whoerle ,Tiger Hattori, Billy Caputo and John Finegan.

Tickets are $75 and can be purchased now at www.wrestlereunion.com or at the box office on the night of the event. Weekend VIP tickets are $149 for all autograph sessions, all Q&A sessions and the 10-match card. Single day passes are $75 per day and include all autograph and Q&A sessions on the day of purchase. Information: 941-358-6825.

Tags: Rhyno, Matt Hardy, Wrestling, the Samoan Island Tribe.

Telling It Likt It Is....By John-Michael Newton

2005-07-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

Telling It Like It Is....By John-Michael Newton.

This Week: The ABORTION that is WWE.

I am not going to go in-depth in this column. That is because I watched RAW for only 4 minutes. FOUR FREAKING MINUTES!!!! Why you ask? Because The show was pure unadulterated crap!!! Starting off the show, we have the bona-fide retard Eugene winning the gold medal from Kurt Angle. Then the stupid tag match with two gay guys and one gay midget against Viscera and Cholaris....which I think means "I am part of a stupid storyline". I did not even waste my time watching the Cena-Jericho concert.

The bottom line is that WWE has reached the bottom of the barrel. I thought last week was the new low when Chavo Guerrero comes out as a racist character named Kieran White. Nice job Vince. Nice to stir a little racism into your shows.....You pig!! WWE cannot pull a good SEGMENT out of their asses anymore.

You know what? I take back every bad thing I ever said about Jeff Jarrett. Forget what I said about him being a horrible champ. Forget anything I said about him being lame. Forget whatever I said about TNA needing to forget it is 1996. At LEAST Jarrett would never stoop to having his company put out drivel like this. I would rather go through 5 hours of Trinity's screaming and Jarrett's promos than have to watch crap like the WWE put on this past week. Vince, we get your freaking point. You are the only major company now, and have been for 4 years. We have gotten it through our collective thick skulls. Now can you stop putting crap like this week's show on? I am shuddering to think how bad Crapdown will be. I will not be surprised if I hear Eddie's secret was "Miller Lite DOES have Less carbs then Bud Light"

WWE should be absolutely ashamed of the horrible shows they have been putting out as of late. That is all I have to say. I am sure a lot of you agree. Take Care and Be Well

JMN

Tags: WWE, Chris Jericho, Wrestling, Chavo Guerrero.

WWE'S Battle of the Band

2005-07-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought that the sports entertainment company WWE couldn’t get any gayer with it’s lame story lines they have to do Battle of the Bands!! Chris Jericho and his band Fozzy will face off against John Cena and crew!

What the hell is wrong with their writers!! First off Fozzy is a rock band and John Cena is a rapper! Like there isn’t enough animosity between rockers and rappers lets have a competition on national TV. I mean the whole idea is ridiculous!

Do they just sit around and go hey I have an idea lets see if we can really get the fans fighting with one another by segregating them! There is no way for anyone to decide who is the better musician.

You either like rock or you don’t. So if you don’t like rock your not going to vote for Fozzy no matter what Jericho does up on that stage! He can have the best stage show or get up there in the nude and perform! If you don’t like that genera your not going to care. The same goes for John.

One would have to wonder if WWE spent more time focusing their time and energy on what is going on inside the ring instead of all the stupid story lines if maybe they might have a small piece of respect they had in their glory days!

If they did they might not be losing money hand over fist because they are losing it in a mediocre product that people just don’t want to waste their time or intelligence on!

I am debating wether or not I’m going to flip back and forth between Raw tonight and something else! Just so I can watch Fozzy’s performance! They are a great band but of course I could careless about John Cena’s performance! If I wanted to watch crap I would tune in to MTV!

Tags: Chris Jericho, Fozzy, Wrestling, John Cena.

JOEY STYLES STARTS HIS OWN PRO WRESTLING COMPANY

2005-07-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

By: Press Release
7/25/2005 9:10:01 AM

For Immediate Release
Contact: Cirillo World, John Cirillo, 212-972-5337, johnnycigarpr@aol.com

THIS AIN’T SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT!
JOEY STYLES’ EXTREMELY HARDCORE PREMIERES ON FRIDAY SEPT. 9, AT 11:30 PM/ET/8:30 PM/PT ON EVENTS IN DEMAND PAY-PER-VIEW

New York, July 25—Professional Wrestling’s Most Energetic and Electric Play-by-Play Man, Joey Styles, returns to the wrestling airwaves with Joey Styles’ Extremely Hardcore debuting on Friday, September 9, at 11:30 PM/ET/8:30 PM/PT on Events In Demand Pay-Per-View. The program is priced is $9.95.

“All of the matches on JOEY STYLES’ EXTREMELY HARDCORE will give extreme wrestling fans the chance to experience the unique and over the top environment that was the signature of this genre when it was invented in the early nineties,” says Styles. “The talent that participates will both demonstrate the wrestling skills and the violence of extreme wrestling, and those wrestlers (NOT SPORTS ENTERTAINERS) will be announced shortly.”

The first live taping of Joey Styles’ Extremely Hardcore will be on Saturday Night, August 20. Bell time 8 pm at Earthlink Live, formerly known as Center Stage in Atlanta, GA. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, www.ticketmaster.com.

No longer content to be solely an announcer, Joey Styles now steps out from behind the announcer's table to produce his own vision of anti-sports entertainment pro wrestling that can only be described as EXTREMELY HARDCORE!

Joey Styles was the only play-by-play announcer for the now defunct, ECW (EXTREME CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING) for its entire revolutionary existence from 1993 through 2001 on syndicated television, TNN (now Spike TV) and pay-per-view television. The name Joey Styles is synonymous with and as recognizable and marketable as ECW itself!

Styles made pay-per-view television history and professional wrestling history in 1997 when he became the only play-by-play announcer ever to host a live wrestling, boxing or mixed martial arts pay-per-view event alone, with no color commentator. He went on to host live pay-per-view events solo for many years.

Unlike all other ECW talents, Joey Styles chose to retire from the national professional wrestling scene when ECW filed for bankruptcy in 2001.

Last month, Joey Styles returned to live pay-per-view television to host ECW ONE NIGHT STAND for WWE which now owns the ECW trademarks and video library.

Click here for showtimes

Tags: Joey Styles, ECW, Wrestling, Hardcore.

Alexis Interview

2005-07-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

Credit: wrestlemag.com

With the Diva Search competition out of the way, you're now promoting 'National Lampoon Strip Poker'. For our readers who are unaware, tell us what National Lampoon's is all about?

-Well, I was so excited to be working with them – National Lampoon is an international comedy institution – and to think that I’m the next chapter in a book that includes classic films like Animal House, the Vacation movies, and Van Wilder is so incredibly humbling! How wild is that? Plus, when I found out that the filming for National Lampoon’s Strip Poker was taking place at the infamous Hedonism II nudist resort in Jamaica… well, a girl with a wild streak as big as mine isn’t going to turn down THAT opportunity! I also had my birthday in Jamaica during the filming, and getting to celebrate my birthday in tropical paradise was an incredible treat!

The filming was actually hard work; my time at Hedonism II was much more than having cold drinks on the beach, partying naked, and getting rowdy (although I did all those things!). Because of the intense Jamaican heat, we had to begin filming at the crack of dawn, and then take multiple breaks to mop-up our sweat, reapply makeup, and get out of the sun. Still, it was an amazing experience, and I couldn’t be prouder of how it turned out. If any of your readers would like to check out my trailer, please visit http://www.nationallampoon.com/strip_poker/. Warning: My trailer does show naked shots of me, so be advised – it’s not work-safe! I don’t want any of you guys to get fired from your jobs because of me!

How did you get involved with the website?

After my WWE experience, National Lampoon approached me about writing a tell-all story about my recent adventure in sports entertainment. And you know, for a girl from Canada – who lived in the Philippines until age five, no less – to have an opportunity to represent prestigious entertainment icons like the WWE and National Lampoon is simply mind-boggling! It really shows that anything can happen… with lots of hard work, a little bit of luck, and the right attitude!

Really, I can’t reiterate how pleased I am to tell people that I had the privilege and honor of representing both the WWE and National Lampoon. Both companies treated me with class, warmth, and kindness – and for that I am so grateful!

Turning our attention to wrestling, what led to you applying to be part of the Diva Search competition?

A friend of mine forwarded me information about the 2005 Diva Search competition, knowing what a huge, hardcore wrestling fan I am. And when I think of a WWE diva, I imagine a strong, sexy, self-reliant woman who is respected for her hard work without acting all “high maintenance” or like a prima donna – and that’s me!

Plus, I’m a Canadian citizen, and so many of my fellow Canadians have done great things in the wrestling business. Trish Stratus in particular is someone I greatly admire, because not only is she from my adopted hometown of Toronto, but she also got her start as a fitness model – as did I. And it’s funny; I’ve never actually met Trish, but we appeared together in the same fitness calendar several years back called BABES.

We've heard of women who are involved in the wrestling business being overlooked during the final castings for the likes of yourself. Why do you think WWE are overlooking girls who can already wrestle in favour of individuals who are totally new to the business?

Actually, I had already taken pro wrestling classes back in Canada; the person who trained Trish also trained me. Pro wrestling was something I’ve loved for such a long time; it’s not a case of me learning about an opportunity with the WWE, and then trying to pretend that I’m a fan.

My childhood was pretty tough. I left the Philippines as a very young girl and moved to Canada, where I faced a culture clash and a language barrier. My mother died and my father never got along well with me… but among my best, most cherished childhood memories was watching the stars of pro wrestling with my family. That’s why it always pissed me off when elitist snobs condemn wrestling – and thus the fans of wrestling. What the WWE offers is a unique brand of sports entertainment featuring world class athletes, compelling storylines, riveting drama, and passionate crowd interaction. What’s not to like?! And if wrestling has given people like me so much pleasure over the years… why berate it, just because it doesn’t feature the kind of understated dialogue you might find in a Woody Allen movie?

One thing I never liked was when these quasi-celebrities or air-headed models – who you know didn’t care about wrestling whatsoever – would do a brief partnership with the WWE or WCW, solely to use it as a stepping stone. The wrestlers who bust their ass entertaining the audience deserve far better than that.

And by the way, you should know that some of the other Diva Search contestants feel the same way I do. Ashley had just started taking wrestling classes during the auditions, and Elisabeth is a very athletic girl who always wanted to wrestle. Wouldn’t it be great if the three of us met in the ring down the road? That would be like a dream come true!

OK, so you've made it to RAW for the first time. How did the day go prior to the show going live on TV?

The day I went “live” in Anaheim, I was so nervous! I was backstage, pacing back and forth, listening to my iPod (I had it programmed with kick ass music – the kind of stuff that would inspire a girl who’s mere hours away from stepping into a WWE ring!). And you know, right until the Diva Search segment aired, I wasn’t sure if I should answer Jonathon Coachman’s questions like a Miss America contestant – all bubbly and sweet – or if I should be myself, which is assertive and forthcoming. The trouble is, an assertive girl can often come across like a bitch… which wouldn’t be too helpful when soliciting support for online voting! I called up a close friend of mine to hear her thoughts… and she reminded me that I beat out 8,000 other Diva Search contestants by being myself. So I tried to be authentic in front of the cameras. What you saw is who I am.

By the way, the very first wrestler I ran into when I entered the arena was the greatest of all time – the Nature Boy Ric Flair! Here is a legend with uncanny inner strength and an amazing ability to turn boos into cheers (plus, I’ve always loved his outfits!).

You made reference via the National Lampoon website to a poem you wrote, referring to the terrible Katie Vick storyline. How about a world exclusive on that poem?

I’d love to! My plan was to be all cutthroat with my competition – but to do so in a funny, comedic way (not taking myself too seriously). We all had to exhibit a talent, and mine was going to be erotic poetry! I wanted to look all sexy & purr into the microphone: “I’m the most orally gifted of all the divas – and to prove it, here’s a poem I wrote just for you!” And here it is:

I’m sexy Alexis on this wrestling card,
And Jersey boys make my headlights so hard!

I’ll make your body contort and quiver,
I have Trish’s breasts – and Stone Cold’s liver!

I’m here to excite you – to titillate and tease,
But those other girls are swimming in disease!

Those wannabe divas act so cute and cuddly,
But without their implants, they look like Spike Dudley!

Inflated with saline, yet lifeless and sick,
They’re deader in the sack than the corpse of Katie Vick.

I’ll strip my opponents ‘til they’re naked and bare,
They’re fading faster than Shawn Michaels’ hair.

They’ll be cut from Raw because they’re third tier,
Cut short like Brock Lesnar’s football career.

So think of Alexis, so seductive and spread,
Flair’s the dirtiest player in the game – and I’m the dirtiest in the bed! WOOOO!

I thought the poem would play well with the audience, and was very disappointed that I didn’t have an opportunity to give it a shot. Maybe next time!

You (along with tons of wrestling fans) were somewhat critical of the writing team on RAW. Based on what you know of the product, what are your thoughts on the show and it's storylines?

Yeah, that small part of my article seems to have really gained traction among the “smart” wrestling fans out there. I guess lots of armchair wrestling GMs feel that they could do a better job, if they were given a chance. But really, the writers have an awfully tough task, when you stop and think about it. You consider about all the moving parts to writing a show: Live TV, no off-season, no retakes, continuous tapings, superstar egos, network regulations, sponsor demands, last minute vetoes, no reruns, managerial oversight & decrees, injuries and real-life disputes altering story angles, etc. Like lots of guys, I used to watch wrestling on TV and think to myself, “Hey, I can do that better than they can!” The truth, though, is that it’s a much more daunting task than you might think. The closer you are to the process, the more challenging it becomes.

And yes, the writers we worked with were all new – and I probably knew more about certain components of past WWE storyline than they did. That surprised me. But you should not interpret this as me being an egotistical bitch who didn’t appreciate all their hard work. They really are bright, capable writers who are trying to use their non-wrestling experience to give the WWE the feel of an exciting, anything-goes entertainment vehicle. And just because their life-long ambition wasn’t to be a pro wrestling writer, it does not mean that they aren’t talented, professional people who are an asset to the WWE and truly love being there.

Let me give an example: Trish was in medical school at York University before she joined the WWE. At that stage of her life, I’m sure she cared more about passing her finals than knowing the WWE story arc of several years ago – but with dedication and a vastly underrated athleticism, she was eventually able to perform her craft at an unbelievably high level. I think it’s fair to say that she’s the greatest female wrestling performer in the history of the industry. If Trish could eventually do it, why not these writers?

"Ribbing" is pretty common within wrestling. Were you or any of the Divas subject to a practical joke while you were there?

They are a professional company and they treated us with a lot of respect. No socializing with the WWE superstars was allowed (although backstage interactions are impossible to stop), and the WWE really went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable. No one was allowed to belittle each other – on or off the squared circle – and there was a dress code in effect. I know it conflicts with his in-ring persona, but I truly felt that Vince has a lot of respect for his female talent. Yes, like many of you I’ve heard the horror stories from past divas like Sable… but what she claimed in that abandoned lawsuit just didn’t correlate whatsoever with my experiences with the company. Everyone was great to me, and I can’t say that enough.

Was there any negativity or words said with regards to the TV time you were taking away from any of the wrestlers?

-Honestly, the only real negative things I heard was from the hardcore Internet wrestling fans, which is certainly understandable; those guys (and among those “guys” are a surprisingly large number of women) love watching a match with an ultra-high work-rate, a clean finish, and young talent developing into main event threats. If that’s why you watch pro wrestling, I just can’t give you what you’re looking for during the Diva Search, no matter how hard I try – and I know that. But even though the hardcore Internet wrestling fans – which I consider myself one of, incidentally – has certain likes & dislikes, not all fans of WWE programming feel the same way. On the Monday Night Raw just prior to the Bikini Boot Camp edition, the Diva Search segment tied the in-ring return of Hulk Hogan for top overall ratings.

Here’s how I looked at it: Vince McMahon knows far more about pro wrestling than I ever will, and he values the contributions that female performers can provide to his overall product. And historically, certain female performers – such as Miss Elizabeth with the Mega Powers, Precious with the Garvins and Ric Flair, Stephanie and HHH, Lita and Edge/ Hardy/ Kane, and just about anything with Trish – only increases our enjoyment of the action by furthering the storyline. So I just wanted to do my best and fit in.

A little word association, if you'd like to answer and give your thoughts on:

Vince McMahon?

He is the MAC daddy the P.I.M.P. – and I mean that in a good, legal way! He's like the Hefner of wrestling! This guy is a genius to have transformed this industry and turned the WWE into such a huge corporation. He’s the big guy – the big boss.

John Cena?

Smooth and suave, John Cena is a natural born ladies man. He really is a Gentleman. And whoever said that the Diva Search contestants and WWE superstars shouldn’t socialize obviously never told John!

Triple H?

Very professional; Hunter is the strong, silent type. He really knows a lot about this business, and helped out the other WWE talent backstage.

Ric Flair?

He’s larger than life, a role model, a personal hero – and the greatest ICON in the history of wrestling. I’m a huge fan of his.

Stephanie McMahon?

If Ric Flair the MAN, then Stephanie is the WOMAN. She’s very entrepreneurial-minded and BUSINESS savvy. Her talent and leadership separates her from the rest of the pack.

Eric Bischoff?

Eric is a “go get ‘em tiger!” kind of guy who is constantly encouraging us all backstage. He’s dashing, stylish, and very aristocrat. He reminds me of fine wine – he gets better with age!

Your fellow Diva contestants?

Elizabeth is sporty chic. Kristal is a loveable goofball! Cameron is a girly-girl – very Heidi Klum-ish. Ashley is a tomboy. Leyla is a sex kitten. Simona is sort of like Ivana Trump. Summer is a Barbie doll.

Finally, do you see a future at all for yourself in wrestling, ir or out of WWE?

If they'll have me, I’d love to return! It's all up to the big guy (and I don’t mean the Big Show, but a certain flamboyant billionaire named Vince!). The WWE isn’t sharing any of its future plans or long-term storylines with me, so I really don’t know if I’m coming back or not. Hey, I’d like nothing more than to rain on the winning diva’s parade and clothesline her out of the ring! (laughs). Maybe Trish Stratus and I could create a little havoc and hell together, since we are both Canadian. Maybe a storyline between me and the Heart Throbs – where I break them apart! Nobody believes me, but Romeo is so hot when you see him in person!. And in my ultimate dream, I could always be Hulk Hogan's manager – or even better, a part of Ric Flair's entourage! WOOO!

Vince always says that anything can happen in the WWE! Let’s find out!

Tags: WWE, Diva, Wrestling, Alexis.

TNA iMPACT! TO TELECAST ON SPIKE TV!

2005-07-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

Credit: TNAwrestling.com

New York, NY (July 21, 2005) – 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.

“We are thrilled to be coming to Spike TV,” said Dixie Carter, President, TNA Entertainment, LLC. “We look forward to bringing our exciting style of Total Non-stop Action and entertainment to their male viewers.”

The new wrestling alternative, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling’s iMPACT! delivers a distinct brand of high-risk, live-action athletic entertainment. TNA’s roster includes some of the most exciting and recognizable stars in wrestling today such as, Jeff Jarrett, Raven, Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, Abyss, Sean Waltman, Christopher Daniels, Monty Brown and others. TNA features the high-flying “X Division,” the “Six-Sided Ring,” and concept matches such as “Ultimate X,” “King of the Mountain,” and “Six Sides of Steel.”

TNA Entertainment, LLC is a privately held company headquartered in Nashville, TN. TNA programming is currently available in 118 countries. TNA is also available on monthly pay-per-view on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, Dish Network and TVN as well as Viewer’s Choice, Bell ExpressVu and Shaw PPV in Canada. The names of all Total Nonstop Action Wrestling televised programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans and all TNA Wrestling logos and trademarks are exclusive property of TNA Entertainment, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information, visit www.tnawrestling.com.
Spike TV, the first network for men, is available in 88 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

Contact:
Robert Pini Spike TV 212/846-8074 robert.pini@spiketv.com
Debra Fazio Spike TV 212/846-6240 debra.fazio@spiketv.com

Tags: TNA, Spike TV, Wrestling, Impact.

Telling It Likt It Is....By John-Michael Newton

2005-07-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

This Week: Thoughts on the PPV, and Where does TNA and WWE go from here??

Hello again. Hope everyone had fun at the PPV on Sunday. Gotta admit, it impressed the hell out of me. I am not going to go match by match, because Heather has done it in her last column, so doing it myself would be redundant, but there are some importand snippets to break down.

First, the PPV. Overall, stellar effort again. If only TNA could get a solid TV deal in place, they would be in business. AMW-Shane/Shelley was a great opener. Sonjay Dutt is just SICK!!! Look for him to get a push being he is 100% again. Styles-Waltman was kind of sluggish, until Jerry Lynn made it interesting by kicking Waltman's hands off of the ropes. Great to see Lynn back. Hopefully he will regain his old form. But the one thing that impressed me is that Jarrett actually had an entertaining segment. Shades of his old form showed when he did a shoot on the WWE's "Black Wednesday". Then pulled a trick with Rhino at the end of the dog collar match, which was awesome. Rhino looks GREAT!!!!! He looks like he can finally become the main eventer he should have been in WWE. Overall, EXCELLENT PPV.

Next, dealing with Black Wednesday....and other firings. If I am Jeff Jarrett, I am breaking off a call to Jim Cornette. If you cannot get Heyman, at least get a proven booker in Cornette. He is a guy who can make Jarrett matter again, as he did in the USWA and WWE heydays. That is a windfall waiting to happen.

TNA should also be looking at beinging Jackie Gayda and Dawn Marie in. I am sorry, but Scary Sherri...ERRRR Traci Brooks does not do anything for me. She is too stale.

Finally on the TNA side of the house. You guys have a golden opportunity again. The Dudleys, including Spike, are free. So is Matt Morgan. I have seen this guy, and given the RIGHT gimmmick, not the stupid stuttering one WWE gave him, He can be a huge star. WWE has left a huge array of talent go, and maybe more. Take advantage, TNA. And do not blow any more TV deals.

Moving on to WWE. What the hell is the deal with Matt Hardy? I have heard hew has a deal with WWE, then I hear not. Where is he going? Last night's run-in from Matt and Edge and Lita's subsequent taunting made for surreality. For the first time in a long time, the line between reality and play was suspended. Cena has benefitted from the change of scenery, as he is looking more over as Champ. And of course, Summerslam is now the PPV of the year, with Hogan and HBK. Vince finally took a cue from his disasterous 3rd Quarter showing, and locked up Hogan. Vince has 4 of the biggest draws in history under contract. Talent like that will be tough to beat.

That is all for now, Take care and be well.

Mike

No Surrender Review

2005-07-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

As many of you may have noticed yesterday they redesigned the arena to add more seating for the fans! The arena now accommodates 2,000 screaming fans. I know I say every month that the PPV’S get better every month and they do but last nights PPV was by far one of TNA’S best PPV’S.

The pre show really got the night started when Jeff Jarrett came out and started to attack Don West and scream at Mike Tenay about how insulted he was that he would get arrested and taken away like a common criminal at last months PPV. Mike told Jeff to take it in the ring once in the ring Jeff started in on his TNA conspiracy theory rant!

The long and the short of the rant was that WWE experienced “Black Wednesday” and it wasn't going to be long before TNA felt the same thing because TNA would be pick up those wrestlers since they are the only other wrestling alternative out there but in order for TNA to pick up WWE’S released wrestlers TNA would have to release some!

Which Jeff said that he would be on the top of the list of wrestlers to get release and he said that that would be unfair because he had been there from the beginning helping to build TNA with his blood, sweat, and tears. He was yelling at Mike because Rhyno was in the back and he was demanding to know what was going on.

This set the pace for Jeff showing up all over the place to whisper to wrestlers messages full of doom and gloom the rest of the night! But before Jeff went into the back Don did tell Jeff to just go away because everyone was sick of listening to him.

Sadly the pre show match had nothing on the excitement before the match. The Match featured Orlando’s own Jerrelle Clark VS. Shocker. As always Jerrelle was on top of his game but Shocker tends to leave me feeling more bored than anything. Jerrelle won the match.

At some point during the pre show Cassidy Riley showed up in the audience behind Don and Jeremy in a black shirt and cut off shorts. It seems he hasn't been the same since Raven broke his fingers. I think he maybe channeling his inner Billy Kidman and full of hope that Raven will start a new Flock! I'm sure Raven will have some goodies instore for us.

The first match of the PPV was Michael Shane and Alex Shelley with Traci VS. AMW. Now I must say I was very impressed with this match. This was by far the best I have seen AMW in for a long time. Now I’m not saying yet that they have become more than a mediocre tag team what I’m saying is this was so much better than their normal match.

The match was very back and forth but for the most part it was an all out brawl. Traci of course could not stay out of the match so she went after Chris Harris to her dismay he grabbed her by her hair and handcuffed her to a ring post. Needless to say this did not sit well with Traci. With Traci out of the picture with the exception of her banshee like whaling, AMW was able to move in for the kill and winning the match.

The second match of the evening was a X-Division Cup qualifying match. This match had some of the top wrestlers in the X-Division. The wrestlers in this match were Sharkboy VS. Mikey Batts VS. “Primetime” Elix Skipper VS. Sonjay Dutt. This match had great action.

One thing I do have to mention now please keep in mind I am a girl so of course along with the action I notice what the wrestlers are wearing! What the hell was Batts wearing?? That vinyl ensemble was defiantly not the best look he could have went for. Even though I really think he is trying to work the heel angle he should go with something else.

But other than that this was an outstanding match with a lot of highflying action. I did think at one point that Elix really hurt himself when he stepped wrong when he was walking the top rope! The winner of this match was Sonjay Dutt. He now gets to move forward to the X-Division Cup Match.

Match three of the night was David Young and Simon Diamond VS. Sonny Siaki and Apolo. This match was a descent match considering the wrestlers involved. But I think there are other wrestlers in TNA that would have had a better match!

Match four of the night was Samoa Joe VS. Chris Sabin. This match was a real endurance challenge for Sabin. He came so close to winning the match on several occasions. Sabin also managed to break several of Joe’s amazing submission holds to bad Sabin couldn’t fight his way out of the one that caused him to lose the match.

Match five was Team Canada’s Eric Young, Bobby Roode, and A1 (aka Alistar) VS. The Naturals and Lance Hoyt with Jimmy Hart. This match was a hard match for Team Canada since they didn’t have Scott D’Amore because he was resting up and recovering from when Hoyt put him in the hospital. It was really great to see Jimmy coming out as a manager again and to see that he hasn’t lost his touch!

You know Jimmy and Jim Cornet always had a feud when they were in the same federation. With Cornet being released from WWE I wonder if TNA will pick him up. They are starting to use managers a lot more and I just love that. The managers always add a bit of flare to the matches.

Anyway back to the match it wasn’t long before Team Canada decided to try to use their hockey stick when it got taken away from them but when the referee Andrew Thomas turned around he saw the hockey stick in Jimmy’s hand and ejected him from the match. But without the help of Scott D’Amore Team Canada was no match for the team of the Naturals and Hoyt!

Match six of the night was Outlaw and "The Alpha Male" Monty Brown VS. Konnan and "The Truth" Ron Killings of 3LK. This match exploded with the hate these 4 men have for each other! It got bloody really quick. Not 3 minutes into this violent match Outlaw was busted open.

The Outlaw beat up Andrew Thomas so he was out of the match but Senior Referee Rudy Charles came out to ref the match. Outlaw and Monty won the match with the bodies of Konnan and Killings laying dead inside and outside of the ring everyone noticed BG right outside the entrance tunnel.

Outlaw announced that he was going to say two words he hadn't said in a long time. He looked at BG and said "My Brother" BG came to the ring and was really struggling with who to side with Outlaw even gave him a chair to hit Killings with but he threw down the chair and left the ring. But the crowd was encouraging him to side with Outlaw.

Match seven of the night was Sean Waltman VS. AJ Styles with special guest referee Jerry Lynn. Before I start talking about this match I want to send a huge Welcome Back to Jerry.

He is an incredible athlete and I can't wait for him to get back into action. This match got bloody too both wrestlers were bleeding. Sean from the mouth and AJ from the nose and mouth.

They were just beating the hell out of each other until AJ was down and Sean got a chair and slid it on his knee. Jerry told him not to do that and take it off but Sean wouldn't so Jerry did.

AJ tried to pull Sean over to pin him but Sean grabbed the ropes until Jerry kicked his hands away causing AJ to get the pin fall. I'm sure there is going to be one hell of a feud between Jerry and Sean now.

The eight match of the night was X-Division champion "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels VS. Team Canada's Petey Williams for the title. This match was a very equally matched match with several very close calls.

But in the end Daniels was able to retain his title. Samoa Joe came out to watch this match I think he has visions of titles in his future.

Match nine of the night was the main event that had everyone on the edge of their seats all night. Heavy weight Champion Raven VS. Abyss with James Mitchell in a dog collar match.

This match was by far the most brutal match of the night. It was right after the match started that Abyss was bleeding heavily out of his forehead. The two of these monsters just beat the hell out of each other. At one point Raven pulled out a $10 bill and stapled it to Abyss's forehead.

Both of these wrestlers are very lucky they were able to walk away from this match. Abyss brought out the thumb tacks and spread them out and went after a down Raven in the corner of the ring when Cassidy came out to help Raven but Abyss threw him over the top rope on to a table where he stayed the rest of the night!

But that gave Raven enough time to collect himself and send Abyss into the tacks. In the end of this match Raven retained his title but not after they both ended up in the tacks.

As Abyss took off with Mitchell and Raven was trying to get the tacks out of his ass. Jeff Jarrett came out and told Raven he wasn't there to talk about "Black Wednesday" but to give him a bit of advice turn around.

When Raven turned around Rhyno was there and spiked him into the mat and left with Rhyno. As always Jeff was playing mind games with everyone!

After a PPV like this one I can't wait to see what is instore for TNA fans next month!

Tags: TNA, Jerry Lynn, Wrestling, Raven.

Q&A, Part II: One second from WWE super-stardom

2005-07-17T05:48:00.000-07:00

Credit: WWE.com

E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. — On July 11, Matt Striker, a New York City schoolteacher forced to resign from the classroom, came just one second away from outlasting former WWE Champion Kurt Angle.

It was the culmination of a wild series of events that received national media attention — and it was a chance for Striker to move one step closer to his dream of becoming a WWE Superstar.

In Part II of this two-part series, Striker explains what it was like to momentarily be a star in front of thousands of fans at Continental Airlines Arena:

WWE.com: Looking at the Kurt Angle Invitational this past Monday, what was going through your head when you were caught in the armbar early on?

Matt Striker: Going in, I said to myself, “Just use whatever wrestling knowledge I have.” But it’s such a naïve thought because for a split second you forget that Kurt Angle is the greatest mat wrestler in the entire world. And you can kid yourself into believing that you can do something. But once he had that armbar on … I knew going in that Angle was as tough as they come, but I think I was caught off guard by the amount of pain that armbar delivered. I used my other hand to try to alleviate some of the pressure. But I mean, I was very close to giving up right there, to be honest.

WWE.com: With 40-seconds left, you actually had Angle out of the ring. At that point, fans everywhere started to believe you could actually outlast Angle. Walk us through that moment.

Matt Striker: That had come right after he had just thrown me over his head, so for a split-second, I blacked out. The next thing I know, I realized that someone is grabbing my ankle and I cannot be in this position, so out of desperation, I just kicked with my foot and I didn’t see but I heard a crash outside. And that’s when I looked up and I realized that Angle was outside the ring.
I thought to myself, “My God, this is great!” And then the fans start cheering for me. It was better than any dream I have ever had. That’s when I tried to keep the dream alive by going to the opposite end of the ring and praying that the referee counted a little faster than he normally would. But Kurt got back in right underneath the wire and something took over and I just went crazy just to try to keep him down.

WWE.com: With 10-seconds left, you managed a low-blow.

Matt Striker: (Sigh) It’s not something I’m proud of, but desperate people do desperate things.

WWE.com: How does it feel to review the tape and see just how close you came to victory?

Matt Striker: So many people said to me afterward, “One more second! You couldn’t hold on for one more second?” I don’t think they understand what it feels like to feel that your ankle is going to pop. The minute he turns that ankle, it feels like it’s going to pop out of the joint. You think, “My God, I want to keep my limbs intact!” You have no choice. You just want to make him stop and all I could think was, “Please stop! Please stop!”

WWE.com: What do you think you would have done with Kurt’s Olympic gold medal?

Matt Striker: My first thought was, “I wonder how much I can get for it.” My second thought was how cool it’s going to look to run around my house wearing Kurt Angle’s medal. Then, the next thing I knew, I thought my ankle was going to be broken.

WWE.com: Did you learn from your first Kurt Angle Invitational attempt back in February (posing as a Philadelphia local)?

Matt Striker: I certainly called upon my experiences with Kurt. I watched the tape over and over again. I do think that the experience of being in there with him one other time certainly lent itself to me being a little more aware and not as intimidated. And you can say all that, but you forget everything the minute he’s eye-to-eye with you, telling you, “I know you, you’re a liar!” You just stare into his eyes. Game plans are great on paper, but the minute you get into the ring with him, it’s a totally different world.

WWE.com: When you were in the ring opposite Kurt Angle and he was making fun of your situation and calling you a liar in front of thousands of people, did you doubt yourself at all?

Matt Striker: To hear it from him in front of all those people on national television … you saw my face, I mean, I realize that what I did was wrong. But then right away, I realize that my passion and commitment to professional wrestling says so much for all of the people who have come before me who have paid the dues in blood and sweat. I mean, Barry Horowitz paid his dues and his blood and his sweat for years so that I could be in that ring, and just because he’s not a worldwide-known name, that doesn’t mean that I can’t realize that I made sacrifices for my passion the same way people like him did.

So, when Kurt was saying those things to me and making it a reality and addressing the things that I had done, I realized that (my actions) were wrong, and I realized that I have offered to repent. But I also realized that I would sacrifice anything to follow my dream and become a WWE Superstar.

Tags: WWE, Matt Striker, Wrestling, Kurt Angle.

MIGUEL PEREZ SR. DEAD

2005-07-17T05:44:00.000-07:00

By: Bill Apter
7/16/2005 4:08:27 PM

My correspondent in Puerto Rico, Manuel Gonzalez, sent word that Puerto Rico's very own legendary star Miguel Perez Sr. has died at the age of 68 from a heart attack. Perez' greatest fame and fortune came in the 50's and 60's as the tag team partner of Antonino Rocca.

I recall seeing Rocca and Perez like it was just yesterday. They had totally different styles that really complimented each other. The Argentinian born Rocca was an innovative high-flyer, the man credited with the invention of the flying dropkick. Perez was more of a hold-for-hold type. Their feuds with The Graham Brothers, The Fabulous Kangaroos and others rocketed them to fame with many of their glory years being spent wrestling at the top of the bill in the old Madison Square Garden.

Not many people know this, but after Perez had become an established star, he opened a wrestling school in the Bronx, New York and trained aspiring wrestlers.

The wrestling business has lost another peice of it's rich history with the death of Miguel Perez Sr.

Tags: MIGUEL PEREZ SR, Antonino Rocca, Wrestling, The Graham Brothers.

No Surrender Tonight

2005-07-17T05:38:00.000-07:00

Credit: Tnawrestling.com

TNA Wrestling Presents:
NO SURRENDER
Live On Pay-Per-View
Sunday July 17th 2005 At 8pm ET / 5pm PT

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

KEEP CHECKING BACK FOR NEW MATCHES!

This Week On iMPACT!
Simon Diamond and Trytan vs. Sonny Siaki and Apollo
Petey Williams and Eric Young vs. Samoa Joe and Fallen Angel, Shocker vs. Sonjay Dutt, A.J. Styles and Sean Waltman vs. A1 and Bobby Roode.
Also – more matches will be announced for July 17’s “No Surrender” PPV!

Tags: TNA, The Naturals, Wrestling, No Surrender.

Rhino To Attend Tonight's "No Surrender" Pay-Per-View

2005-07-17T05:36:00.000-07:00

Credit: TNAwrestling.com

July 17th, 2005 03:33
TNAwrestling.com has confirmed that Rhino will be in attendance at tonight's TNA "No Surrender" Pay-Per-View to finalize contract negotiations.

Rhino revealed in a recent interview that he was one of the new talent in talks to enter TNA and that he would be at the Pay-Per-View to meet with TNA officials. TNAwrestling.com has also confirmed the star is already in Orlando.

Further information on Rhino will be provided during the "No Surrender" Pay-Per-View.

Tags: TNA, Rhino, Wrestling, No Surrender.

Two New Matches Added To Sunday's No Surrender

2005-07-16T03:45:00.000-07:00

Credit:Tnawrestling.com

July 15th, 2005 11:05
KONNAN & THE TRUTH VS. THE OUTLAW & ALPHA MALE

Nashville, TN (July 16, 2005) – The Outlaw has been acting more like an in-law, causing estrangement and turmoil in the “marriage” of 3Live Kru.

Since this “home wrecker” arrived in TNA, the members of 3Live Kru have been dealing with issues of trust and infidelity. Like any dysfunctional relationship, they have reached the point of reconciliation or dissolution.

Two months ago, The Outlaw gave Konnan a wicked chair shot that sent him back to the ‘hood for several weeks. When Ron “The Truth” Killings beat The Outlaw at “Slammiversary,” B.G. James had the opportunity to exact some revenge for Konnan but couldn’t or wouldn’t pull the trigger.

This Sunday at “No Surrender,” Konnan and Ron “The Truth” Killings try to save their tag team partnership with B.G. James as they take on The Outlaw and his partner from Planet Jarrett, The Alpha Male, in a no DQ Street Fight.

WILL CANADA BE STRUCK BY A NATURAL DISASTER?

Nashville, TN (July 15, 2005) – Team Canada has been the most dominant tag team force in TNA for the past year under the tutelage of Coach Scott D’Amore. The meddlesome manager has snatched victory from the jaws of defeat time and time again with his hockey stick.

After the Naturals teamed up with the late Chris Candido as their manager, they have evolved into a potent force, and are current champions of the tag team division. At “Slammiversary,” Chase Stevens was decimated by Team Canada until new “spiritual advisor” Jimmy Hart made the save with his ever-present megaphone.
Also at “Slammiversary,” Lance Hoyt was defeated by Bobby Roode but exacted revenge on D’Amore for an earlier beat down – sending him out of the ring on a stretcher.

Weeks ago on iMPACT!, Team Canada got some revenge in a four-against-one ambush on Hoyt until The Naturals stepped in to his rescue.

At “No Surrender” this Sunday, the unlikely pairing of Hoyt and The Naturals will team up to settle their individual and collective difference against Team Canada -- who will be without the services of D’Amore -- who has been convalescing at his home in Windsor, Ontario since “Slammiversary.”

How much does a coach mean to his team and can Team Canada overcome the loss of D’Amore? Will Jimmy Hart be able to continue the progress and maturation of The Naturals?

Tags: TNA, 3LK, Wrestling, Outlaw.

Brutal Battle 05

2005-07-16T03:42:00.000-07:00

Credit: SCW Newsletter

~This Saturday Night~
BRUTAL BATTLE '05
Eastmonte Civic Center
830 Magnolia Drive
Altamonte Springs, FL 32701
Bell Time: 7:30pm Doors Open: 6:30pm

SOUTHERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

"The Shooter" Vordell Walker (c)
vs.
Scott Davis w/Gorgeous Gary Garvin

Words From The Champ.....
"We are only days away from Brutal Battle 05. It seems just like yesterday that I pinned Steve Corino's shoulders to the mat. After that victory, my stock went up real fast. I went on to become a major player on the Florida scene and got the shot of a life time that next year with wrestling for Ring of Honor. Gorgeous Gary Garvin seems to think that all of the traveling I've been doing over the past few months has taken a toll on me. Hell yeah it's taken a toll on me!!! However, that won't stop me from putting everything I have into the match this Saturday with you, Davis. You got a small taste of what I can do last time we meet in an SCW ring. However, this time there is a belt up for grabs and that belt belongs to me. I respect what you can do in the ring and I don't take you lightly at all one bit. This Saturday I will chop you down and paste your shoulders to the mat when the time is right."

BRUTAL BATTLE MATCH
**WINNER BECOMES NUMBER 1 CONTENDER
TO SOUTHERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP***

Dagon Briggs w/Seven
vs.
Jason Hexx
The Brutal Battle match rules are simple. There is No Time Limit and No Disqualification.
There must be a winner and he who survives earns the opportunity to become the Southern Heavyweight Champion.

Jerrelle Clark
vs.
Aaron Epic
It was Jerrelle Clark that pinned Aaron Epic last month but the new Aaron Epic has requested another shot to prove his superiority. Altamonte Springs is the playground for these two competitors to display their in-ring prowess once and for all.

Other Matches
Sequel vs. Rip Malibu
Vito Denucci vs. Eddie Torres
Josh Rich vs. Kevin Kantrell
"The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko, The Heartbreak XPress AND MORE!

(card subject to change)

Q&A With....

FRANCINE
The Queen of Extreme speaks exclusively to the E-Zone
regarding her appearance at Brutal Battle....or does she?

Q: Why have you chosen to appear at SCW's Brutal Battle?

A: Wouldn't you like to know...

Q: Can you give us a hint?

A: I'm gonna take care of some business.

Q: What can SCW fans expect to see from you this Saturday night?

Q: Maybe I'll satisfy their thirst for T&A, maybe I'll scout some talent and maybe I'll slap them in the face if they mess with me. I ain't the Queen of Extreme for nothing, just remember that.

For more on Francine...
http://www.foreverfrancine.com
http://www.missyhyattandfrancinetv.com

Tags: SCW, Larry Zbyszko, Wrestling, Francine.

SCW Show

2005-07-15T04:57:00.000-07:00

Saturday July 16 at 7:30pm join SWC for Brutal Battle 05!! With special guests "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko and ECW's Francine! Vito Denucci will be making his SCW return! For more information go to scwflorida.com or call 407-474-4453.

Tags: SCW, Larry Zbyszko, Wrestling, Francine.

Matt Striker talks to WWE.com

2005-07-15T04:46:00.000-07:00

Credit: WWE.COM

Q&A, Part I: Sudden spotlight for schoolteacher-turned-wrestler
July 13, 2005

E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. — On July 11, Matt Striker, a New York City schoolteacher forced to resign from the classroom, came just one second away from outlasting former WWE Champion Kurt Angle.

It was the culmination of a wild series of events that received national media attention — and it was a chance for Striker to move one step closer to his dream of becoming a WWE Superstar.

WWE.com gets Striker’s side of the “sick-days scandal” in Part I of this two-part series:

WWE.com: How do you explain this teaching controversy and your subsequent resignation?

Matt Striker: I was a New York City schoolteacher for this past year. I taught high school social studies. I was also pursuing my dream in sports-entertainment. An opportunity came up right before the holidays to go to Japan, which outside of working for WWE, is probably the greatest achievement you can have in wrestling. So, I took that opportunity, and I needed to take four days off right before the holiday break and I did that. What happened was, some of my students saw me appear on SmackDown! in my first Kurt Angle Invitational (back in February). So, they found out that I was, in fact, a professional wrestler. They found out that I had a Web site. So, they went to the Web site. And I guess as you scroll through the Web site you can look at past dates and appearances. And someone was able to match the dates that I had been in Japan to the dates that I had missed school. From there it became — in my opinion — a witch hunt to try to get rid of me at that school.

Things progressed. Things came across the assistant principal’s desk. She took it to the principal. He took it to the City and it just moved up the chain of command until finally they had an investigation and the teacher’s union appointed me a lawyer. That lawyer said that my best bet would be to resign so that I could maintain my teaching license in the City. So, that’s what I had done.

I had offered to pay back the money that I received for the four days that I had been “sick,” back to the City. I understood what I did was wrong because I took them as sick days when I could have taken them as personal days and I did not know that there was a difference in that. It had been my first year teaching in the City. So all of this, to my knowledge, had gone away until a couple of weeks ago — ironically enough a few days after school had ended — the Special Commissioner’s office puts out a report outlining my situation. It’s funny, though, that they put it out when they couldn’t reach any students, any parents, anyone who would speak in my favor. It’s also interesting that over this summer coming up, New York City and the New York City teacher’s union are going to go into contract negotiations because the teacher’s union does not have a contract for September. So, I’m assuming — that’s all I can really do — that anything the City could do to gain leverage in the negotiations they would.

But ultimately, I realized that it was the wrong course of action — that there was a different avenue that I could have explored to go to Japan. The offer’s still there to make things right by returning the four-day’s worth of pay to New York City. I’m apologetic and remorseful that it had to go down this way. I love teaching and I love kids almost as much as I love being a professional wrestler, and it’s just an unfortunate situation. But it has garnered me worldwide attention and ultimately it landed me in a WWE ring, so things work in mysterious ways, I suppose.

WWE.com: Do you think teaching is still in your future?

Matt Striker: I think my future is to be a WWE Superstar.

WWE.com: Will the fans see you in the ring again soon?

Matt Striker: I certainly hope so. I would want nothing more.

WWE.com: You came to the ring with an apple on your tights. Was that poking fun at your teaching situation?

Matt Striker: Actually, I just had those made that morning. (The apple) was a “hello” to all my students because they always watch WWE television. And it was also a way for me to remind myself of the path in my life that had led me to that moment. I always like to remember where I come from because it makes where I’m going that much more important. So, I just thought it was pertinent and it was a glimpse into the way I am.

WWE.com: Have you gotten support from your former students?

Matt Striker: Absolutely. There has been such an outpouring of support from my students, from my fellow teachers. The story has become international news, and fellow teachers and friends and family and students and people I’ve never met have come out to tell me that they support what’s gone on, and they don’t understand why (my situation) has been pursued so diligently. Like I said, it was really touching that so many people would come out and support me.

WWE.com: Are there any parallels between your passion for teaching and your passion for sports-entertainment?

Matt Striker: The parallel is reaching people — of course in different ways. There’s a performance aspect to both. As a teacher, you’re in front of a classroom for six or seven hours in a row and you always have to be “on,” and you’re reaching people and you’re making a difference.

It’s the same thing with being a professional wrestler. The reason why people respond to Ric Flair and Triple H — the reason why these kids coming up are going crazy about John Cena — is because these men have impacted the fans’ lives in some way. I know that Rowdy Roddy Piper and Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka were responsible for developing my personality as a child because they impacted me so much — their performance, their passion, the attention that I paid to them day-in and day-out — the same way that Ms. Brewster, my fifth-grade teacher, impacted my life and my personality because of the attention that I paid to her day-in and day-out.

WWE.com: What’s your next goal in the world of sports-entertainment?

Matt Striker: I want to be a WWE Superstar.

Don’t miss Part II available Friday on WWE.com. Striker explains what it was like to momentarily be a star in front of thousands of fans at Continental Airlines Arena — nearly managing to outlast the man he calls “the greatest mat wrestler in the entire world.”

Tags: WWE, Matt Striker, Wrestling, Teacher.

Raven Makes First PPV Title Defense This Sunday vs. Abyss

2005-07-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

Credit: tnawrestling.com
July 13th, 2005 10:57
RAVEN MAKES FIRST PPV TITLE DEFENSE THIS SUNDAY

Nashville, TN (July 13 , 2005) – Is Abyss finally getting the legitimate title shot that he has been twice promised, or is he a pawn in a scheme by James Mitchell to destroy Raven?

There is no doubt that James Mitchell has delivered on his promise to get “The Monster” Abyss his long, overdue shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at “No Surrender” this Sunday. But Mitchell and Raven have a history in TNA. In one of the bloodiest, goriest moments in TNA History, Vampiro beat Raven in a “hair match” and Vampiro’s then manager, Mitchell used an electric razor to cut Ravens locks in what amounted to a bloody scalping.

Months later, Raven got his revenge in a beat-down on Mitchell that was so severe that he was hospitalized for massive blood loss.

Two weeks ago on iMPACT!, the stakes were raised when Raven stipulated that his first title defense would be a “Dog Collar No Surrender Match,” where he and Abyss would be tethered by a steel chain and victory will come by pin-fall only.

After a lengthy hiatus from TNA, why has James Mitchell returned? Is it to really help “The Monster” Abyss win the NWA Heavyweight Championship or is it a plan, hatched out by months of deliberation, to settle an old score with Raven?

Tags: Raven, Abyss, Wrestling, James Mitchell.

AJ Styles vs. Sean Waltman - This Sunday On PPV!

2005-07-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

Credit:tnawrestling.com
July 12th, 2005 10:45
STYLES VS. WALTMAN THIS SUNDAY ON PPV – SPECIAL REF JERRY LYNN

Nashville, TN (July 12, 2005) – At the end of “Slammiversary,” a beaten and broken AJ Styles was heard yelling, “Waltman!, Waltman!”

Why was “The Phenomenal One” invoking the name of the man who once paid him a compliment by saying, “You remind me of myself 10 years ago?”

To understand this match, you have to understand the history of professional wrestling for the past 10 years. Before TNA, and before the X Division, Sean Waltman was one of the most innovative wrestlers of his time. In a sense, Waltman was the X Division before there was an X Division.

At “Slammiversary” during the “King of the Mountain Match,” Styles apparently thought that he had a bond with Waltman. When Styles dropped the belt, Waltman picked it up. But instead of handing it back to Styles so he could successfully hang it and defend his title, Waltman gave Styles the “X Factor” essentially eliminating Styles from the match and leading to Raven’s eventual win.

This Sunday at “No Surrender,” Styles gets a chance at payback to the man who cost him the NWA Heavyweight Championship. Jerry Lynn has been added as a special referee, or as some suggest, Lynn will be in the role of peacemaker, trying to mend the feud between two men he respects.

Lynn knows both competitor’s well – a pioneer of the X Division - Lynn broke in to the profession with Waltman and has battled both he and AJ over his distinguished career.

Since “Slammiversary” Waltman has not apologized for his alleged betrayal against Styles. For Waltman, it is everyman for himself. The cagey veteran still thinks he has enough to defeat “The Phenomenal One.” According to Waltman, he has forgotten more about high-flying, high-risk wrestling, than Styles has ever known.

Tags: AJ Styles, Sean Waltman, Wrestling, Jerry Lynn.

MATT HARDY COUNTS DOWN HIS WWE NO COMPETE...SAYS EDGE WILL BE MARRIED ELEVEN TIMES BEFORE HE IS FORTY YEARS OLD

2005-07-11T05:28:00.000-07:00

You know this was just a great rant! I had to post it for everyone to read! Oh Yeah if Matt ever reads this we do LOVE you in Orlando!

By: TheMattHardy.com
7/10/2005 6:14:22 PM

Three days left...

I'm gonna walk you guys through, day to day. I'm unbelievably excited about my future, I hope you guys are as well. I wanted to respond to some of the feedback that I received (from angelicdiablo@earthlink.net) from my post yesterday. I am at point in my life where I've decided I'm not going to bow down for anyone anymore. Why? Because I don't have to. Fortunately, and I do thank Vince McMahon for this--I've been able to make a good and stable life for myself. I don't have to put up with the headaches anymore if I don't want to. I know after the last three months I will be just fine working for various wrestling promotions across the world. And as most of you know, it may not be too long before there's another wrestling promotion with some major TV time, The Nice Alternative to the WWE. The main thing I want in my life now is freedom--freedom to say what I want, freedom to think like I want, freedom to dress like I want, and freedom of creative control. Another big factor for Matt Hardy is THE MATT HARDY SHOW--I've already invested so much time into this project, and I'm not willing to give it up. It shouldn't take an ACE to figure that out. By the way, THEMATTHARDYSHOW.COM should be up and running next week--it's going to be tremendously fun and entertaining. I also refuse to give up my website--my direct line of communication between myself and the wrestling fans. Besides, you guys know how much of a mark I am for posting cryptic messages that make people think. Anyway, my point is that I'm not going to make any rash, spur of the moment decisions about my future. I'm in no hurry to make a long term commitment unless I know it is the absolute right thing for me. I'm gonna ruffle some feathers and make some waves before I reenter the system. Like I've said before--sometimes you have to fight the power to become the power. Damnit guys, I need a VACATION!

To the people who either loved or hated the fact I called Amy a whore--here's the deal. I had attempted to be social with her, but it seems that our private conversations were spread to a certain person that I absolutely hate. His name starts with an F, ends with an S, and has a ECE in the middle. I found this out by speaking with the wife of this person I hate. So since Amy wanted to stooge off our private conversations with the enemy, I thought I'd one-up her--I'll share the info with the world. Besides, that's kinda my gimmick now--my life is an open book, and I'm not afraid to call people out on the sh*t publicly. For almost six years, I was incredibly good to Amy, helped her immensely in her career, and wanted to have a family with her. Everyone knows how much she appreciated my devotion as evident by her lack of honesty and loyalty. So, if you were in my shoes, and the love of your life had an affair that personally and professionally screwed you over--wouldn't you think only calling her a whore is being pretty generous? Anyway, the moral of the story is don't screw over anyone who is being good to you. If anything, be a man (or woman) and do the right thing, be truthful and honest about whatever your situation is and you'll be much better off in the long run.

The Matt and Jeff Hardy Ultimate Insiders DVD is going to be available in the next week or so from what I understand. I viewed the commercial for the DVD last night for the first time, and it's definitely got me pumped to see the finished product. THE MATT HARDY SHOW is also scheduled to start next week, and I guarantee if you're a Matt Hardy fan you will love it. The show will be available via streaming video at THEMATTHARDYSHOW.COM. It is possibly the most exciting time ever in my life right now, and it all starts to unfold in three days.

Two days left...

I hope everyone has had a very productive and enjoyable Saturday, I certainly have. It's definitely a change of pace from my WWE days now that I have to stay on top of so many things. As you all know, I have bookings across the world over the course of the next six months. It's a job in itself to deal with promoters on terms and schedules, while trying to map your long-term calendar out. It seems like I spend 75% of my day returning business phone calls and e-mails. Today I actually had all my calls and e-mails caught up by 1 p.m., allowing me a little free time to have sushi with some of my boys. I also made a stop by PetSmart and bought a ton of treats for my son Lucas. I had an intense training session this evening, including a hard hour of cardio (while watching some of the ROH product). I took the time this evening to personally respond to over 600 e-mails at my fan address, angelicdiablo@earthlink.net. You won't find alot of professional wrestlers that are willing to go to that length for their fans, but Matt Hardy is all about the MFers. I then proceeded to fulfill my obligation of counting everyone down to July 11th, THE MATT HARDY INDEPENDENCE DAY--I personally can't wait for the fireworks! I can say and do what I like, with no repercussions, no losing out on money, and with no chance of being in contractual breach. I got my last WWE paycheck today, so I don't have anything to lose. As much as I enjoyed my WWE tenure, and appreciated the company providing me with a nice living, I was so utterly disappointed with the WWE's handling of my "situation". I wish the WWE the best of luck in their future endeavors (that's the standard company line on WWE.com when they release someone--sorry, my sarcasm is at an all-time high these days). The business just hasn't been the same since the WWE bought WCW and absorbed ECW, and it's a crying shame. The business, and especially the wrestlers, need competition--so there are more places to work and more security for the boys.

Question of the day--How many times do you think my FCF, Feces, will be married before he is forty? My guess is 11. At the pace he's going, he's right on track. Be careful if you run into him with your girl present, because he falls in the most incredible love of all time every 10 minutes or so. And then he falls out of the most incredible love of all time every two to three months. Don't believe me me--just ask one of his former ex-wives or my FGF. You would think that with all the money he's made, that he could afford to get some psychological help with his constant falling in love problem. Oh wait, he doesn't have any money because he's had to fork it over to all his ex-wives, I forgot. Be very wary of what that liar "claims", whether it's he's sorry or that he speaks to me--because he has no remorse for what he's done to me. Actions speak louder than words, and that says it all. I remember calling him every week when he was out with his broken neck, asking him if there was ANYTHING I could do for him. I remember going to the North Pole and meeting Santa with him and sharing an incredible experience. I remember drinking my first beer with him, Jeff, and Jay. I remember taking him out in South Africa to cheer him up because he was so depressed that he had to have major neck surgery. I remember Amy and I celebrating his 30th birthday with him and his first wife at Busch Gardens in Tampa. I remember Amy and I attending his second marriage with Lisa. But more than anything else, I remember that he is scum and destroyed my relationship with Amy and cost me the job I'd worked my entire life for. What goes around comes around, I truly believe that with all my heart. And if the WWE talent relations department has a problem with me slandering one of their "top" stars, I guess you can just fire me or stop paying me or tell me that creative doesn't have anything for me. Oh yeah, you already did--oh well, they love me in Orlando.

Some people seem to think I've lost my mind. Well, for the record, I haven't. I have actually found my mind and have taken all limitations and boundaries off of it. Freedom of speech and thought is legal, you know. They can't control me in Stamford any longer. I won't let anyone control me in Orlando either. And somebody had better e-mail Gabe, and tell him I'll also be in control when I walk into ROH Saturday in Woodbridge. The only people that can control me are my friends and fans that have been there through the thick and thin--I believe in them because I know they believe in me. Everyone have a nice Saturday evening, I'm on my way out to eat and drink with Aaron D. And I'm very thirsty tonight...you feel me? Until tomorrow...

Matt Hardy
The Angelic Diablo

Tags: Matt Hardy, Edge, Wrestling, Matt and Jeff Hardy.

PAUL HEYMAN REPLACES JIM CORNETTE

2005-07-11T05:18:00.000-07:00

I can’t say I’m at all surprised by this move by Vince since Paul is his “Yes Boy”! Paul always did seem to get preferential treatment but since Vince announced what a big scam ECW was it’s even more obvious. I’m not going to go on a big tirade about it this time I’m going to let you read what was posted on www.1wrestling.com and decide for yourself!

By: Joey Styles
7/11/2005 7:02:31 AM

Paul Heyman will be writing the OVW TV show this week, replacing his long time nemesis, Jim Cornette who was released last week for slapping a student several times.

During Jim Cornette's recent WWE forced 5-week vacation, Paul Heyman's protege', Tommy Dreamer wrote OVW TV.

Tags: Paul Heyman, Jim Cornette, Wrestling, OVW.

SHINYA HASHIMOTO PASSES AWAY AT AGE 40

2005-07-11T05:15:00.000-07:00

I want to send out my sincerest condolences to the friends and family of the late and great Shinya Hashimoto.

By: Joey Styles
7/11/2005 7:10:27 AM

Shinya Hashimoto passed away this morning at 9:30am at the age of 40. No cause of death has been determined yet. Hashimoto has inactive for months after finally having shoulder surgery that he kept delaying in order for Zero-One to survive.

Hashimoto debuted for New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1984 and won three IWGP Heavyweight Titles during his six year tenure.

Hashimoto left New Japan in November of 2000 and formed Zero-One. In 2003, Hashimoto was told he needed shoulder surgery. Hashimoto kept putting of the surgery because he was the top draw for his company and eventually had the surgery in 2004.

The entire staff of 1wrestling.com offers our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Shinya Hashimoto.

Tags: Shinya Hashimoto, New Japan Pro Wrestling, Wrestling, Zero-One.

WWE headed back to PS2 this fall

2005-07-10T05:33:00.000-07:00

By JON WALDMAN -- SLAM! Wrestling

Sony Playstation 2 gamers will be headed back to stores this fall, as Smackdown vs. Raw 2006 has been announced.

The latest World Wrestling Entertainment video game for the popular console looks to continue in the footsteps of the popular Smackdown brand of video games. Last year's incarnation, the first Smackdown vs. Raw title, had over a million sales.

Smackdown vs. Raw 2006 will once again be developed by Jakks Pacific, Inc. and THQ Inc. THQ has been developing WWE games since the late 1990s, after having a successful run of World Championship Wrestling video games. Alog with PS2, THQ developes WWE titles for X-Box and Nintendo Gamecube.

New features for Smackdown vs. Raw 2006 will include Momentum and Stamina systems to further enhance the game's realism. There will also be additional online features, which were first introduced tot he Smackdown game line last year.

"WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2006 showcases all of the excitement and energy of the WWE," said Peter Dille, senior vice president of worldwide marketing for THQ in a release. "The WWE is one of the premier franchises in the industry and this title is primed to deliver the most intense wrestling gameplay along with true-to-life graphics, resulting in the deepest and most realistic wrestling experience ever."

Tags: Smackdown, PS2, Wrestling, WWE.

More on WWE's Roster Release

2005-07-10T05:24:00.000-07:00

Credit: By TJ MADIGAN - Calgary Sun

Two weeks ago, Vince McMahon announced the WWE would be making roster cuts.

He neglected to mention it would be the largest mass firing in company history.

At press time, 18 wrestlers had been released from their contracts, with several more cuts expected over the next few days, if not by the time you read this.

The biggest surprise was the decision to drop the Dudley Boys, arguably the most popular tag team of the past decade. Bubba Ray and D-Von have been virtually non-existent on WWE TV for almost a year now, after a short vacation last summer turned into a long-term hiatus when Stephanie McMahon's creative team ran out of ideas for the duo. Their contracts won't be renewed when they expire later this year and the pair is expected to take its act to TNA and Japan.

But the Dudleys weren't the only surprise on the cut list.

Mark Jindrak may have been horrible in the ring but he had the size, chiseled body and marketable good looks Vince McMahon seems to lean towards over any hint of athletic ability.

Spike Dudley was Jindrak's polar opposite -- he was small and skinny but a solid worker and a big-time team player. Due to his loyalty and work ethic, many saw him as a WWE lifer but he was added to the cut list Tuesday. Dudley responded by slamming the company in a statement on his website, describing WWE as "a sinking ship."

Maven certainly wasn't in line to be released either, considering he was a home-grown WWE product who climbed up the ranks after winning the first Tough Enough competition on MTV.

Billy Kidman's release was less of a shock as he has been suffering from a string of injuries, most recently problems with his shoulder and quad.

Joy Giovanni, one of last year's Diva Search top 10, was also dropped. The company was high on her initially -- booking her as The Big Show's on-screen valet -- before seemingly losing interest and phasing her out of storylines.

Another unexpected name to be deleted from the payroll was Marty Jannetty, who recently signed on for a Rockers reunion tour with his '80s tag partner, Shawn Michaels.

Also given their marching orders were real-life newlyweds Jackie Gayda and Charlie Haas, along with a pregnant Dawn Marie. Shannon Moore, Akio, Matt Morgan, Kenzo Suzuki, Hiroko, David "Gangrel" Heath and Kevin (Mordecai) Fertig rounded out the list of cuts.

Some insiders claim the releases were in response to poor financial results for WWE's last quarter or a pre-emptive move prior to the ad revenue losses which will occur when WWE moves its flagship show to USA Network in September.

Others say WWE has earmarked the contract cash for Brock Lesnar, who met with Vince McMahon Thursday and is believed to have agreed to a return to the ring.

After a failed attempt at an NFL career and a failed lawsuit to get out of his 10-year non-compete clause with WWE, Lesnar returned with his tail between his legs. He is slated to assume a main-event role on Smackdown.

As Lesnar arrives, several more grapplers are expected to be cut but WWE may delay the firings to avoid further bad press after an angle on this week's episode of Smackdown sparked a backlash. WWE took heat for airing the storyline -- depicting a violent attack on The Undertaker by an Arab character and five men dressed as terrorists -- on the same day as the terrorist bomb massacre in the U.K.

Tags: Vince McMahon, Dawn Marie, Wrestling, WWE.

RHINO SAYS HE WILL BE WRESTLING AT TNA NO SURRENDER PAY-PER-VIEW NEXT SUNDAY

2005-07-10T05:19:00.000-07:00

By: inyourheadonline.com
7/9/2005 8:56:09 PM

Recap of the latest edition of Get In The Ring, which is now playing in Real Audio only on AudioWrestling.com! p> Former ECW and WWE superstar Rhyno was a guest on the latest edition of Get In The Ring on www.AudioWrestling.com. You can hear the new show for free every week in streaming audio on that site! Also visit www.getinthering.tv for more information on The Phantom, Sir Adam and their upcoming Mysteries of Wrestling Solved book out now.

Big news was Rhyno announcing he will be working for TNA starting on the PPV on the 17th! Here is a recap of the entire interview.

Rhyno joins the show while on a date with his girlfriend. The host joke about feeling like 3rd wheels. Very funny, as Rhyno brings his girlfriend on air and she calls him the man beast. They talk to Rhyno about his divorce. And now he's in a speedboat with his new girlfriend.

Sunday July 10th Blood Sweat and Ears Wrestling and Rock Music show in Ontario, Canada will be his first Indy booking.

The hosts ask him about the ECW PPV. And that he showed the old fire he never showed in WWE. Rhyno said the last few years in WWE he felt like he was just spinning his wheels in the mud. And now he found his passion for wrestling again. Some people said it seemed he was trying to get re signed by WWE, but he just wanted to find his love for wrestling again. He announced he will be working for TNA soon.

The hosts told Rhyno he looked better than ever. Rhyno said hes been working hard to get in good shape.

Adam asked him how it felt being at the ECW PPV. Rhyno said it was fun, just being around the old guys like Balls, Axl, Sandman and Dreamer. Picking up where they left off, and reliving memories.

Phantom asks Rhyno about the WWE cuts. Specifically the Dudleys, and if it was an anti-ECW thing. Rhyno says Vince always liked the Dudleys and wasn't sure the reasoning.

They ask about some of the hirings not being as good as the firings.

The hosts ask him about the rumors of why he was fired, and if it was true about the fight with his now ex-wife. Rhyno says it was true. He says she was a great girl, but not for him. Wrestlers are on the road a lot and it's a lonely life for the wrestling wives. They were going through a divorce for 6 months, and he says it was his fault for bringing her to WrestleMania. They ask him if that was the incident that got him fired. Rhyno says if it wasn't for that he thinks he'd still be there.

Rhyno says he will be on the TNA NO SURRENDER PPV on the 17th. Rhyno says he's excited about working there. He worked with Jeff Jarrett in Puerto Rico, and got along with them. He hopes TV is in the works for them.

Rhyno says he can't say anything bad about WWE. They always paid him. But the 4 yeas he was there he always felt like he was about to get released. It was hell to go through his injury and thinking about needing another neck surgery. Rhyno says he's in good spirits and hopes the worst is behind him.

Before they let him go, they ask Rhyno about Edge/Hardy/Lita situation. Rhyno says after going through what he's gone through, if you can find love there's nothing greater in life. If Edge and Lita are really in love then he's happy for them and he's sorry if Matt Hardy got hurt.

Tags: Rhyno, TNA, Wrestling, WWE.

HOGAN KNOWS BEST DEBUTS TONIGHT ON VH1

2005-07-10T05:16:00.000-07:00

By: Associated Press
7/10/2005 7:51:02 AM

Hulk Hogan, Family United in Dysfunction Sunday, July 10, 2005

NEW YORK — The similarities between Ozzy Osbourne's family and Terry "Hulk" Hogan's (search) bleached-blond brood are as striking as the wrestling legend's famous leg drop finishing move.

Hogan, 51, is the only seasoned celebrity among his family of four, just like Ozzy. Daughter Brooke, 16, is an aspiring music star, just like Kelly. Son Nick, 14, is rebellious and slightly apathetic, just like Jack. And wife Linda seems to be the true ringleader of the household, just like — you guessed it — Sharon.

Of course, the tanned and rowdy Hogan family, stars of the upcoming VH1 reality show "Hogan Knows Best," (search), which premieres Sunday at 10 p.m. EDT, would like to think otherwise.

"Our intensity isn't madness," insists Hogan, clad in his trademark do-rag while sitting with his family in a conference room high above Times Square. "We are a united front here."

The Hogans — who've ditched their real name Bollea in favor of dad's stage name — are certainly united in the acceptance of their dysfunction and drive to become superstars. They often spat, but the feuds never reach the expletive-filled bluntness of the Osbournes.

"We're the clean version of 'The Osbournes (search),'" says Nick.

As the "Real American Hero," Hogan dominated the wrestling world in the 1980s, way before anybody ever smelled what The Rock was cookin'. Known for addressing everyone as "brother" and tearing his yellow Hulkamania shirt with his bare hands, Hogan usually was an absentee daddy because of his demanding traveling schedule.

"We went out of our way to be regular," says Linda. "He would change his schedule around to try to be the soccer dad. Little by little, he started spending more time at home. He didn't like being on the road as much anymore."

Before fatherhood, Hogan often advised little Hulkamaniacs to say their prayers and take their vitamins. With his own kids, curfews are enforced, drugs are a no-no and dating is off-limits — although he did let a 22-year-old friend of the family take Brooke out on her first date after grilling the guy on his sexual history. The experience, which Brooke calls "totally embarrassing," is captured in the first episode.

Linda says when Brooke and Nick would act up as youngsters, it wasn't the Hulkster who'd lay the smackdown.

"Our house is full of antiques," she explains. "I have this one section in the living room that looks like an English riding setup so I've got the old English leather boots and the caps and the switch that I used to smack their fannies with. It's got this little leather loop on the end of it."

Now that they're teenagers, dad says Nick is the naughtier kid; mom says Brooke.

"Mom?" Brooke whines in reply. "Why me? I'm a virgin. I don't do drugs. I'm perfect. I'm nice to people. I always did my homework."

Despite the strictness, Linda and Hulk are supportive of Nick and Brooke's extracurricular activities. Nick's into cars. Brooke's into being a star. She wants to ride her dad's do-rag tails to Britneydom. After going through what Hogan calls a "boot camp" with boy-band impresario Lou Pearlman, Brooke ditched the producer and is recording a debut album on her own.

"They were exposed to behind-the-scenes from early on," says Linda. "They grew up thinking that's the norm, that you're backstage, not in the audience."

"I can't imagine just doing a normal job," says Brooke.

Using his fame, Hulk is giving Brooke a big push. The pair popped up at this year's Grammys and starred in the VH1 special "Hulk Hogan, Stage Dad (search)," the precursor to "Hogan Knows Best." Hulk is afraid of Brooke receiving the Lindsay Lohan (search) tabloid treatment, but it's all part of the job.

"I know I can handle it," says the bubbly Brooke.

Although Hulk is the star of "Hogan Knows Best," boosting Brooke's pop career was the main motivation for allowing producers and camera crews to invade their 18,000-square-foot home in Belleair, Fla.

"We want to be on an even playing field," says Hogan, citing the surge Ashlee Simpson's reality show gave her debut album.

"Terry and I knew about the reality side of having a reality TV show," says Linda. "It's in your face. It's four months of having no privacy."

"You just can't stay on guard for 24 hours a day," says Hulk. "There was an effort for a couple of days for me to keep the rag on my head. Screw it. Who cares if the bald head is hanging out?"

Tags: Hulk Hogan, VH1, Wrestling, Brooke Hogan.

List of WWE Latest Releases

2005-07-08T05:07:00.000-07:00

The list of talent that WWE have released over the past week now stands at eighteen, with The Dudley Boys surprisingly heading that list. The list, which was announced via WWE.com, looks like this:

- Joy Giovanni
- Kenzo Suzuki
- Hiroko
- Matt Morgan
- Charlie Haas
- Jackie Gayda
- Marty Jannetty
- Dawn Marie
- Mark Jindrak
- Maven
- Shannon Moore
- James Yun (Akio)
- David Heath (Gangrel)
- Billy Kidman
- Spike Dudley
- Kevin Fertig
- The Dudley Boys (with WWE.com stating they “decided not to proceed with any renegotiations” with them)

It is really starting to look like WWE has more talent than they can use! I'm glad they are starting to let them go, other wise they are on contract and not being used! I wonder if TNA or ROH are going to try to pick up any of these wrestlers.

Tags: Billy Kidman, The Dudley Boys, Wrestling, David Heath (Gangrel).

iMPACT! STREAMING WIDELY VIEWED

2005-07-08T05:02:00.000-07:00

Credit: Tnawrestling.com

Nashville, TN (July 7, 2005) TNA Wrestling streamed its first episode of iMPACT! on Real Broadcast Network last week and reported over 100,000 downloads in the first 48 hours.

New episodes are available every Friday on TNAWrestling.com and previous shows are archived on the site.

TNA’s office has been flooded with phone calls from fans wanting to keep up with iMPACT! since TNA left its timeslot on FSN at the end of May.

The streaming of iMPACT! was initially tested a week earlier, but due to heavy download volume, the show had to be re-launched the following week on Real Broadcast Network using larger servers that could handle the intense traffic.

TNA programming is seen in 118 countries worldwide and fans are gearing up for the next pay-per-view, “NO SURRENDER,” that will air live on July 17, 2005.

Tags: TNA, NO SURRENDER, Wrestling, Impact.

JIMMY HART SELLING THE "LOST" EPISODES OF THE XWF STARRING CURRENT WWE SUPERSTAR, HULK HOGAN

2005-07-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Credit: By: xwfdvd.com
7/7/2005 9:08:51 PM

“LOST” XWF SHOWS FINALLY AVAILABLE ON DVD

One year ago, after nearly three years in limbo, Jimmy Hart acquired the rights and chattels to the XWF for $100,000. In addition to the ten one hour episodes that were filmed at Universal Studios in 2001, he obtained the ring, the belts and a mountain of behind the scenes footage and interviews. He was determined that although the XWF wasn’t ever given the chance it deserved, he would persevere and make sure that somehow the fans would finally get a chance to see what so many worked so long and hard to produce. Now that time is here.

On Sunday night, July 10, during “Hogan Knows Best” on VH-1 (check listings for times), fans will get their first opportunity to order the first 3 DVD set in the series along with details on how to win a day with Hulk Hogan.

A special website www.xwfdvd.com and order hotline 1-800-882-9927 are now live and standing by to take your orders.

This is your chance to see the company that first had the vision to mix the legends of the past with the stars of today and tomorrow and provide an all-action mix of hard-hitting heavyweight and high-flying cruiserweight action in a fun, family-friendly environment. You will be reminded why you first became a wrestling fan.

Written by Colin Bowman and produced by Jimmy Hart, Brian Knobs and Greg Valentine, these DVDs feature some of the best known names in professional wrestling: Hulk Hogan; Curt Hennig; The Road Warriors. Hall of Famers: Rowdy Roddy Piper; Bobby “The Brain” Heenan; “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka; along with Christopher Daniels, AJ Styles, Rena Mero, Johnny B. Badd, Buff Bagwell, Mean Gene Okerlund and many more.

The DVDs are being released through The Durand Group, which provides integrated services including design, media replication, product assembly, inventory management, distribution, fulfillment and customer service for such clients as Tae BO, Jeff Gordon, Citibank, MTV, Outdoor Channel, Saturn, GMC Trucks, MorningStar Entertainment, Smith-Barney and Home Depot with direct retail ties to WalMart and QVC.. They can be contacted at 1-800-759-1841.

For any further information or media requests please contact info@xwfwrestling.tv.

Tags: Jimmy Hart, XWF, Wrestling, Hulk Hogan.

JIM CORNETTE IN HOT WATER AGAIN WITH WWE; REPORTEDLY SLAPS STUDENT

2005-07-08T04:57:00.000-07:00

Credit: By: Bob Ryder
7/7/2005 10:00:45 PM

Jim Cornette is in hot water again with WWE after another outburst at last night's OVW tv tapings.

Cornette reportedly flew into a rage at an OVW student and slapped him multiple times backstage. The student, described as a beginner, had been sitting in the crowd and Cornette was angered that he hadn't been selling the show enough and didn't react to a heel who was making his way back to the dressing room.

The student is not part of the WWE developmental program.

Cornette recently returned to OVW after serving a suspension for a previous outburst.

Tags: WWE, Jim Cornette, Wrestling, OVW.

Update on NY teacher skips school for wrestling career

2005-07-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

Credit: Yahoo NewsBy Carole Vaporean
Fri Jul 1, 2:07 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York City school teacher apologized and resigned on Friday after admitting he pursued a career as a professional wrestler when he had told his boss he was on leave to care for a sick relative.

Matthew Kaye, a social studies teacher at Benjamin Cardozo High School in Queens, had his mother call in sick for him last Dec. 16, according to a report issued this week by the New York City School District's Commissioner of Investigation.

When he returned to school after winter break, the report said, he informed the assistant principal that he had gone to California to care for his sick sister.

But the teacher's Web site revealed he had another life as a wrestler named Matt Striker.

"I recently realized that dream on Dec. 16 when I touched down in Tokyo to start my inaugural tour for the Zero One Company. I cannot express in words what this tour has meant to me as a person and as a professional wrestler," the Web site said.

Again in February, Kaye used a doctor's note as an excuse for a no-show at school, but his Web site entries for those dates showed photos of his appearance at a Pro Wrestling World Smackdown in Philadelphia.

On Friday, Kaye apologized on his Matt Striker Web site. He said he had resigned as a teacher and offered to pay for the days he was in Japan.

He insisted his students had received excellent instruction.

"Look at the facts, God gave me gifts and I choose to use them to touch peoples lives. I choose to make the world better by entertainment and education," he said.

Kaye did not return telephone calls for comment.

The School District's report recommended banning Kaye from future employment in New York City public schools.

Tags: Matthew Kaye, WWE, Wrestling, Matt Striker.

Teacher Asked To Repay City For Wrestling During Sick Time

2005-07-01T05:50:00.000-07:00

Credit: WFTV.com

POSTED: 6:59 am EDT July 1, 2005
UPDATED: 7:34 am EDT July 1, 2005

NEW YORK -- Moonlighting as a professional wrestler could cost a former New York high school teacher some money.

School officials have asked Matthew Kaye to reimburse the city for taking sick time to go on a wrestling tour for World Wrestling Entertainment.

Kaye allegedly told school officials he needed to take sick leave to take care of an ill sister, and even provided doctors' notes. Investigators later discovered his wrestling Web site, with tour dates listed for the 11 days he called out sick in December and February.

Kaye resigned in April from his job at Benjamin Cardozo High School in Queens. A special investigator has also recommended that Kaye not be hired for any future teaching positions.

Tags: Matthew Kaye, WWE, Wrestling, Benjamin Cardozo High School.

Allison Danger Interview

2005-06-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

People tend to start interviews with wrestlers asking how you broke into the industry, what made you want to be a wrestler and so on. My first question to you is this: When you "retire" or choose to end your wrestling career, what will you have achieved?

I hope to have ended my time in wrestling on a positive note, with several more trips to Japan and hopefully some time working in Europe plus having expanded across the States more. I hope any humble contribution I may have made to women's wrestling was a positive one not just for myself but for fans of women's wrestling and future females in wrestling.

Over the past few years you've developed quite a following through your work in ROH, Chikara and elsewhere. Which of your matches to date stand out for you?

In ROH I have really enjoyed being a part of the three women's Four Corner Survival matches. Chikara has been wonderful too, working with Daizee Haze there and joining up with Knight Eye for the Pirate Guy. I am very proud of a lot of the stuff with Daizee, including our IWA Mid South matches.

You had the opportunity to be on TNA Xplosion a few months back. How was the setup down there, and has the possibility of returning been discussed at all?

I enjoyed the three times I was down in Nashville and given the opportunity to do Xplosion. The last time I went I was with Becky Bayless and we had a blast. Everyone there was very cool and made me feel welcome and it was an absolute pleasure to be there. To this point, no discussion has been made to me going back down but doors open and close everyday so you never know what may happen down the line.

ROH announced last week that you've parted company with them, saying it was simply a case of your run being over. Is the door open for you to return in the future to pick up from where you left off, perhaps to kick-start the whole Prophecy angle?

At this point, the run is over and no talk of me coming back or a restart of the Prophecy has been proposed. We had our time in the spotlight with the Prophecy and it saddens me to see it go as I adored the time I had there and was so lucky to work with the talented guys that I did. But the time has come to put it to bed.

Can you see ROH ever expanding to the same level as say TNA, and trying to land a TV deal?

Quite possibly. The sky is the limit for ROH. And with the talented men and women on their roster I have no doubt huge things could be in store.

Apart from your brother (Steve Corino), who has been a positive influence on you and your career?

Wow, a lot of people. I will keep it short for if I name too many and miss others I will feel awful. So many awesome people have crossed my path and I have been made better for the experience. Francine, Sandman, Mike Kehner, Rapid Fire Maldonado, Skayde, the gang at the Chikara Wrestle factory, Claudio Castagnoli, Christopher Daniels and Chris Hero.

Have you learnt anything about yourself from your experiences in the ring?

That I underestimate myself too much for fear of failing. But to not try at all is failing too.

Here in the UK, I don't believe we've had the pleasure to see you live, other than minimal coverage via The Wrestling Channel. Is the UK somewhere that you'd like to work? Do you follow the UK scene at all?

My knowledge of the UK scene unfortunately is very limited. I know of promotions and workers there from stories of friends who have had the honor of working in the UK. I would lbe priveleged to work there and see everything the UK has to offer.

So where can we see you in action over the next few months?

You will be seeing plenty of me in Chikara and various other independent promotions.

Tags: TNA, Allison Danger, Wrestling, Steve Corino.

Harley Race Interview

2005-06-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

Credit: wrestlingmag.com

The first question to ask is how did you become involved in the wrestling industry?

I saw it for the first time on KQ2 television in St. Joe, MO and said to myself, "That's what I'm going to do!!"

Your wrestling career spanned close to four decades. During that time you won an amazing eight NWA World Championships, the first of those being back in 1973 when you defeated Dory Funk Jnr in a match you consider to be your best. Looking back, what memories do you still have of that match?

The disbelief on the faces of the people. Even on my son's face!. The roar from the fans when I went over as well.

As well as your feud with the Funks, you had great rivalries and battles with names such as Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Bruiser Brody and more. Did you find that all the great names were as easy to work with as each other?

Pretty much. I have had great matches with them all.

The NWA torch was passed from yourself to Flair after your historic battle at the first ever Starrcade event. What are your memories of the build-up to that event?

Coming to the end of your career isn't fun, but I think of all the fun that Ric and I had over the years. I had a great life!

Did you feel the timing was right to let Flair take over?

Yes.

A couple of years after that, you signed with Vince McMahon and joined the then WWF. How easy did you find it at first to settle into the WWF?

The only real difference was that I didn't have to go on for an hour every night! It was fun.

You were aligned with long time friend Bobby Heenan. Although you and Heenan got along, did you feel that you could have got over with the crowd without a manager?

I had been over with the fans for more than thirty years, but to be with Heenan again was fun. We'd been together back in the 1960's as well.

Given your huge success prior to signing with WWF, were you disappointed with the way you were booked?

No, not at all. I went to the WWF to get young guys over, and in hopes to teach there as well.

Was there ever talk of a program up against Hulk Hogan?

I had a short run with Hogan while was there, but in general Hogan wanted to stay away from me.

Injuries hampered your WWF run and you left the company, only to return to TV a few years later with WCW, this time as a manager. You were in the corner of both Lex Luger and Vader as they went on to hold titles. At that time, did you see any notable differences between the way WCW and the WWF conducted their business, or were you just happy to be involved again?

In the WWF, the business was ran by somebody who knew the wrestling business. WCW wasn't.

Injuries once again forced you to leave a company, and after a few more years you set up World League Wrestling. What spurred you to setting up your own promotion?

The wrestling world needed some new talent, and I needed something new to do!

How has WLW progressed since you set it up back in 1999?

I think we have come a long way in the five years we've been in business.

WWE are putting their trust in Batista, John Cena and Randy Orton to take the company forward. Given that the company has suffered at it's inability to create a mainstream star to follow the likes of The Rock and Steve Austin, do you feel these individuals can create the same buzz that they did in the late 1990's?

The WWE will do great if they move back to wrestling...and that is spelled with a capital 'W'!

How did it feel to be involved with WWE again when you were asked to play a part in putting Orton over as the "Legend Killer"?

It was good. In my career I've wrestled Randy's Grandfather and Randy's Father. The whole Orton family is great.

Are there any stand out talents who you work with at WLW who you feel can go on to WWE success?

Yes, definately. One of my guys, Trevor (Rhodes), has just signed a three year deal with WWE.

Finally, what are the future plans, both short-term and long-term for yourself and WLW?

Just keep on keeping on!

Tags: TNA, Harley Race, Wrestling, Ric Flair.

FINALLY! TNA SIGNS RETAIL DISTRIBUTION DEAL FOR DVDS

2005-06-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

By: TNA Press Release
6/30/2005 3:24:29 PM

TNA WRESTLING & NAVARRE TEAM UP TO DISTRIBUTE HOME VIDEOS

Nashville, TN (June 30, 2005) – TNA Entertainment, LLC announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Navarre Corporation to distribute Total Nonstop Action Wrestling’s entire catalog of home videos in the United States and Canada.

“We are very excited about the potential of this partnership with Navarre,” said Dixie Carter, President TNA Entertainment. “Their ability to showcase our product to major retailers around North America will bolster the growth of TNA Wrestling and expose our brand of professional wrestling to a wider audience.”

Navarre Corporation distributes a broad range of PC software, video games and accessories, DVD Video and music. Navarre’s Entertainment Media group exclusively distributes independent music covering all musical genres.

Bob Freese, VP/GM Navarre Entertainment Media stated, “We are looking forward to working with TNA Entertainment to bring their great line-up of titles to our customers. The product offers us a variety of promotional opportunities with our chain, independent and e-tail accounts.”

Among the titles that will be distributed by Navarre are the popular line of TNA Wrestling pay-per-view events such as “Victory Road”, “Turning Point” & “Lockdown.” Also available will be TNA superstar videos, including soon to be released titles such as “Enigma: The Best of Jeff Hardy” and “The Best of AJ Styles Volume 2.”

TNA Wrestling is the new wrestling alternative, focusing on delivering quality, high-flying, athletic-based professional wrestling. TNA utilizes the ground breaking Six Sided Ring and has been critically acclaimed for its innovative wrestling creations such as the X-Division, Ultimate X match, Six Sides of Steel and King of the Mountain match, among others. TNA Wrestling programs are seen in over 118 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.tnawrestling.com

Navarre Corporation (NASDAQ: NAVR) is a leading publisher and distributor of home entertainment PC software, video games and accessories, DVD Video and music. The company's customers include a wide spectrum of national and regional retailers. The customer base includes mass merchants, specialty stores, wholesales, e-tailers, national and regional one-stops. The company operates a business-to-business website, www.navarre.com, which provides product fulfillment to both traditional and e-commerce retailers.

Tags: TNA, NAVARRE, Wrestling, Dixie Carter.

TNA Reaches Deal With Real Broadcast Network To Stream "iMPACT!" News

2005-06-30T03:40:00.000-07:00

Credit: TNAWRESTLING.COM

iMPACT! TO STREAM ONLINE STARTING THIS FRIDAY - iMPACT! ALSO TO BE AVAILABLE IN SELECT MARKETS

(Nashville, TN) June 29, 2005 - TNA Entertainment, LLC announced today a deal with Real Broadcast Network to stream “iMPACT!” online. The first broadcast will debut this Friday, July 1, 2005 at 4pm ET.

The online broadcasts will be available free to TNA Wrestling fans in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

On Friday afternoon beginning at 4pm ET, fans who visit the TNAwrestling.com website will be provided a link to click on to watch “iMPACT!” in streaming format, much like watching it on television. The “RealPlayer” will be required to view “iMPACT!”. All online broadcasts will be archived for fans to watch at their convenience.

TNA also announced that “iMPACT!” would be available in the following markets:

Sun Sports in Florida: Friday at Midnight

Time Warner Cable of New York City: Tuesday 8PM on channel 94

Augusta, GA: WBEK Saturday 8PM and Tuesday 9PM

Cedar Rapids, IA: KWWF Friday 8PM and Sunday 7PM

Urban America TV: Tuesday 10PM and Saturday 1AM

The complete lineup for this week's “iMPACT!” is as follows:

Sean Waltman vs. Sonjay Dutt, Lance Hoyt vs. Team Canada's Eric Young, Abyss vs. Sonny Siaki, America's Most Wanted vs. Simon Diamond and Trytan, The Phenomenal AJ Styles vs. Alex Shelley, plus, NWA World Heavyweight Champion Raven and TNA X Division Champion The Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels. More matches for “No Surrender” on pay-per-view will also be announced!

RealNetworks, Inc. is the leading creator of digital media services and software including Rhapsody®, RealPlayer 10, and casual PC-based and mobile games.

traci's problem, my clothing by Trinity

2005-06-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

The following post was taken from two posts made by Trinity onwww.voiceofwrestling.com in responce to a comment Traci Brooks had made about the outfit that Trinity was wearing at Slammiversery! I personally think if you have the body to wear an outfit like that more power to you! Maybe Traci is just jealous because she doesn't have the body to wear it!

Well I just want to apologize for the outfit I wore for Slammiversary, traci has said that I drew too much attention to myself instead of what was going on in the ring and that I think about myself too much. Wow, I didn't think she felt that way because of the way she sticks out her chest in every one of her outfits for everyone to stare at or the way she flirts with everyone as to draw attention to herself always or other things....

Well again, I'm flattered that she is saying I was standing out so much as to take attention away from the ring, I still think people were watching the wrestling. Oh I thought that's why she , I wore that outfit before no big deal, and hey she's got the boobs and certainly flaunts them, I got a body, don't be a hater Traci. Oh and she said I think about myself too much, again that's her being such a kiss ass.

I don't want to be like her so I'm me, but talk about thinking about yourself so much, listen people talk about all the things she does thinking about herself and her career. I try to work hard and do my best always and as a female that is looking good as well.

That shouldn't have even been mentioned by her, hello traci, this is the wrestling business, just because she doesn't have an extensive wardrobe, she shouldn't be talking about how I look, act and dress, cause there is far more to talk about when it comes to her in those categories.

You know it's always been that way with her, she is always so concerned on what I do say and where at that company, I could give a shit about what she does, she needs to stop worrying about others and worry about herself, she ain't all that.

oh and one more thing, If TNA had nothing to say about my outfit and didn't tell me to change, who is she to suggest anything about my outfit. This is just so funny because what job does she work in and what business is she in, because again, this is wrestling, the woman are supposed to be sexy, maybe she can learn a thing or two lol

Tags: TNA, Trinity, Wrestling, Traci Brooks.

Andrew "Test" Martin

2005-06-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

Credit: wrestlemag.com

As you're taking bookings again, obviously you're back to full fitness. Are you just as strong and "ready to go" as you were before the injury?

I have completed my rehab and I'm in the best shape of my life! I'm stronger and more “ready to go” than ever before.

The topic of 'WWE releasing injured wrestlers' has come up again recently with the high profile firing of Matt Hardy. What happened in the run up to your release from WWE?

I had no idea what was coming. I had literally broken my neck for the company and was going through major surgery, and then extensive rehab when all of a sudden I received notice of my release.

Was there any signs prior to you getting the call that Vince was looking to offload you, especially since you were on the injured list?

No. None at all.

Prior to being off the road with injuries, you worked a lot with Scott Steiner. How did you find working with Scott?

Working with Scott was great. Anytime you get a chance to work with somebody of his stature in the business, you can only learn and get better from those experiences.

Given his well documented intensity out of the ring as well as in, did the two of you get along on a personal level as well as in the ring?

I have a great deal of respect for Scott. We got along very well both in and out of the ring. I just think he was misused by the WWE.

Your first real angle in the WWE (then the WWF) was the wedding angle with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. At the time, that made for great television. What was the locker room like when you first entered the WWF, and how much fun was that angle?

The WWE is a very political company. I tried to stay out of the politics as much as I could, but there was always some petty jealousy because I was chosen for that angle. It was exciting at first but then it became quite a hassle over time. I was glad when it was over to be honest.

Going back to 1999 and the Summerslam PPV. Your match with Shane McMahon was over huge with the fans, and it really looked like you could have made a push for a main event spot. Was that ever on the horizon at all?

Shane and I were and still are very good friends. I never tried to use our friendship in any way to gain an advantage. I have no idea why things did not progress beyond that match and I never asked Shane why.

Were their any issues with management or other wrestlers that prevented you from moving to the next level do you think?

None that I am aware of.

After Vince bought WCW, you became involved with the Alliance. Every wrestling fan in the world would have loved the opportunity to have booked the whole 'Invasion'. Personally, I think it was handled badly. How did you feel about it?

I agree. I thought it had a lot of potential that went unfulfilled.

During your time working for Vince, Randy Orton, John Cena and Batista have all come through the ranks. Do you see these guys as the people who can bring WWE and wrestling as a whole back to the levels experienced during the whole 'Attitude' era?

It’s the fans who will decide that through their support at the Arena's and the Pay-Per-Views. Based on the attendances, ratings and buy rates I am seeing now, I do not feel that the fans feel they are messiah's to bring things back to the way they were in the heyday of the company.

If you were booking for WWE, which guys would you be pushing who you feel have been overlooked?

No comment!

What memories (good or bad) did you leave WWE with? Which guys do you still keep in contact with?

I consider myself very fortunate to have had a great seven year run with the WWE. I am grateful that they gave me my start, and grateful for all the friends and experience I got while I was there. I still stay in touch with A-Train, Matt Hardy and Billy Gunn most.

Away from WWE, let's look at the present and the future. You're ring ready and fighting fit. What are the goals and aims for Andrew Martin in 2005?

My goals are to see the world, meet my wonderful fans and enjoy life to the max.

Is it safe to say the 'Testicles' catchphrase is now dead and buried?

Absolutely!!

It seems every time a wrestler leaves WWE, we get asked this question a million times, but have TNA expressed an interest in bringing you in?

Yes they have. There have been some discussions. But nothing firm has happened yet.

Finally, where can we see you in action in the near future?

My agent, Rob Russen, has booked dates both domestically and internationally for me. I began my comeback in Italy recently and have several future tours already scheduled there. I have many appearances scheduled in the U.S. including the huge WrestleReunion 2 show on August 27 in Valley Forge, PA, and I have a tour to Australia scheduled for October as well!

Tags: WWE, Test, Wrestling, WCW.

Cassidy Riley Interview

2005-06-26T03:44:00.000-07:00

Credit: Wrestlemag.com

Slammiversary' is in the books, and we turn our attention to TNA's next PPV - 'No Surrender'. Despite the problems with TNA's TV situation right now, morale appears to be good down at Universal Studios. How are you enjoying your time with TNA right now?

I am loving it. I am so greatful to be part of a company that is about to revolutionize the wrestling business. Slammiversary was great. Three years down and we are just getting started!

The WGN TV deal recently fell through, and there's plenty of talk about an imminent deal being inked with Spike TV. Do you feel a deal with WGN would have been a bad move for TNA to take?

In my opinion - which doesn't really matter - I would say it would have been ok, but maybe not the best. From what I have heard we would have been pre-empted by all the Cubs and Bulls games that fell in our time slot. When you are competing in such a valuable time slot, that could hurt you business wise.

Going back to how you broke into the business. As a kid, were you a Hulkamaniac who always wanted to be a wrestler?

I don't know about a hulkamaniac, but I loved wrestling. I grew up watching Bill Watts' promotion (Mid-South Wrestling), then it became UWF before being sold to the Crocketts.

What are your memories of training, and working your first match?

The first time I was ever in the ring was with Terry Taylor and Tommy Rogers. They were two guys that I grew up and idolised, so that was great. One of my memories of training? we were holding a try out and after we had already done 500 squats, 250 push ups and 250 sit ups, they had us hit the ropes. I have to admit I threw up and it was not pretty. As soon as I did, I was right back in the ring doing drills. It was hard. Today so many places make it easy to train and are easy on the guys. I can't stand that. If you can't hack it, you don't need to be in the ring.
My first match was against a guy named Cedric Crain. We had trained together so we knew each other well. It was in Brighton, TN. and it was pretty good I thought. I was nervous as hell, I do remember that.

You've worked for numerous independent promotions as well as TNA, but you also worked a few WWE shows. Was there ever any talk of a development deal with WWE?

No not really. When I was there they still had so many guys from WCW that they were trying to find a spot for and I think the timing was just not right.

What led to you being offered a deal with TNA?

I have worked on and off with TNA since the conception. Chase Stevens and I use to tag as 'The Hotshots' in the early days. They had been on me to make the move to Nashville for some time, and so I finally did. When I moved to Nashville they moved to Orlando. I would fly myself down to the tapings and I think that they saw that I really wanted to be part of the team. I had a meeting with Dusty Rhodes and he liked what I had to say, and started using me on a regular basis.

You've worked a lot with Dustin Rhodes during your spell in TNA. Personally speaking I've always thought that TNA should have pushed him as a serious contender for the NWA Championship. Do you feel that certain people in TNA are being overlooked?

Well not only in TNA I think that it happens anywhere you work. There are people who have certain ties to people in charge and that may help them out. There is a lot of politics in wrestling, as well as anything else.

How long are you under contract with TNA?

I am not under contact actually. I have been told that when the new TV deal is inked that they will be offering me a contract then.

Has there been any interest from other parties (ie WWE), and if so, would you consider a jump?

If there is any interest, I have not been made aware of it. I would consider anything. There is one thing I have learned in this business: "never say never".

Finally, what does the future hold for Cassidy Riley?

Great things I believe. I am confident that I will leave a big mark on this business for many years to came, God willing!

Cassidy is available for Independent bookings and may be contacted through his official website at www.cassidyriley.com

Tags: TNA, Cassidy Riley, Wrestling, Chase Stevens.

Impact Review

2005-06-25T07:45:00.000-07:00

I arrived at Universal Studio 21 to find a very excited crowd of TNA fans! There was so much for them to talk about with the every impressive PPV Slammiversary on Sunday and all the TNA rumors in general that are flying around the Internet at great speed.

There was so much for the fans to talk about that the wait didn’t seem so bad. I think it is a very exciting time for TNA with them redoing the bleachers in Studio 21 to their TV negotiations! Plus there was talk about Raven the new NWA Heavyweight Champion going to the hospital after Slammiversary for stitches in his forehead on Sunday.

The first match of the night was Michael Shane with Traci VS. one half of AMW Cowboy James Storm with his tag team partner Wildcat Chris Harris. Of course as soon as the match started Traci had to get involved. I guess this is because TNA is seriously lacking a woman’s division! But I have to agree with what Jerry Jarrett said about the matter back in November there just isn’t the female talent out there to justify a woman’s division.

But with Traci’s involvement is gave Chris his chance to interfere as well. Senior Referee Rudy Charles finally decided that he should eject both Traci and Chris. But since Shane isn’t HBK by any stretch of the imagination no matter what he wants you to think he was unable to win the match on his own. So Traci brought Alex Shelley out on the ramp to beg him to intervene in the match. Shelley did a lot of “well I don’t know” but Shelley finally decided to run in at the last moment to help Shane win the match. Harris did run out to the ringside but it was to late to help his partner!

Something I forgot to mention for the next couple of Impact tapings they didn’t show us any vinveys! Which I was very happy about because I am totally bored with them and you can’t always hear them.

Match two of the night was David Young VS. Sharkboy. This match was so so because of Young I am really not impressed with his “skills.” I think there are a lot more indy wrestlers that could wrestle circles around him that are more deserving of a chance to prove themselves. But again on the bright side of the match it’s always great to see Sharkboy in action! I’m glad to see him back in TNA’s six-sided ring. Sharkboy won the match, which was no real surprise.

Match three of the night was Samoa Joe VS. Delirious. Sunday was the first time I had the pleasure of seeing Samoa Joe in action and I have to say it was quite impressive, not that I am surprised considering the great wrestling family he comes from. Delirious on the other hand is a weird little freak that the second he comes out you want to see him get squashed like a bug! Which is exactly what Samoa Joe was doing until he got Delirious in a submission move that ended the match.

Match four of the night was “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels VS. “Primetime” Elix Skipper. The match started right away when Elix came out he ran up the other ramp and waited off to the side for Daniels and attacked Daniels as soon as he came out. This match was much better than the last time these two fine athletes met in the ring. I still don’t think the match gave us all they could but it was a very good match. Daniels did win the match but I don’t know how much longer he will get to keep his title with the other top x-division stars hot after his title!

Raven came out to the ring to talk about how glad he was that he got to fulfill his destiny by winning the title on Sunday. Of course being a huge Raven fan I hate to say this but I think he used this speech before after he won another title. Of course while Raven was patting himself on the back about his accomplishments when the most unlikely person came out!

James Mitchell came out to tell Raven not to get to comfortable with his title because his wrestler is going to take it from him! Mitchell’s wrestler turned out to be the monster Abyss. Which Raven said that he hopes that Abyss is smart enough not to get involved with someone like Mitchell. But I guess Abyss isn’t since he came out and attacked Raven from behind giving him a black hole slam. Then leaving with a very happy James Mitchell. Well, as happy as someone like James Mitchell can get. I can’t wait to see what will be happening with the renewal of this feud in the future.

Tags: TNA, Raven, Wrestling, James Mitchell.

Joe’s Journal part 2

2005-06-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

Well I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated about my accomplishments
and failures. Okay to start out I’ve come a long way since day one. Last night
I had my first match in the training arena. It was 4 teams. Everyone men on the
teams were against everyone. Altogether I was in the match for 30 mins. After that I took a breather.

Then I was in the ring and training with a guy named Ricky who has been to the big times. He taped some matches with Velocity. He taught me a little bit more about physiology. After that he and I trained up a little more. I would give him a few things and he switch it up tell me the few ways of getting in something or getting out of something.

After that I was in the ring with a guy named Erin and he was able to show me a few things. We learned a feeding drill with the guys. He and I added some stuff into it. We would start by locking up and I would give him a boot. I would shoot him into the ropes and give him a shoulder block.

He would then feed up to me and I would shoot him into the ropes again. I would clothesline him and he would feed up and I would body slam him. He would get up and I would give him a boot and then DDT. I would cover him and he kicked out, after that he did the same thing but in the end he would give me a hellacious clothesline.

He would pin me and we would be done, after that I went home and I was sore but feeling good. Now this will be my last installment until after next week. Cause I’ll be working Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday. But I will try to get in. Until next time, stay safe.

Booker T to play two more years New school, new wife current focus of Smackdown! star

2005-06-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

By JASON CLEVETT -- SLAM! Wrestling

From the archives: Harlem Heat, Stevie Ray & Booker T
Life is great when you're Booker T. The Smackdown! superstar recently married long-time girlfriend Sharmell Sullivan (who was Paisley in WCW), opened a wrestling school in Houston, Texas with brother Stevie Ray, and is looking forward to the final two years of his in-ring career.

"I recently renewed my contract," Booker told the popular show Wrestletalk Radio recently. "I tried to sign for just one more year but the company believed in me enough to ask me to sign for two, so I will definitely be on your TV for two more years."

It has been an interesting -- and at times controversial -- ride for Booker, who came to WWE after WCW folded. He still remembers the final Nitro in Panama City, Florida.

"The atmosphere was somber and a lot of guys were sad that it was all coming to an end. It was the end of an era. It was something special for myself because I got to fulfill my dreams in another way, I always wondered how I would do in WWE and I knew that my chance had come. I was happy and sad at the same time. I was the United States champion going in and won the World Title from Scott Steiner that night so it was a great night for me in that aspect. To work with Scott to end it was cool, we had a lot of history together, Harlem Heat had a lot of matches with The Steiner Brothers so to do it with Scott meant a lot."

While he misses WCW, his run with WWE has been enjoyable, with the highlight being his three appearances at Wrestlemania against Edge, Triple H and a four corners tag title defence with Rob Van Dam.

"Being part of Wrestlemania is something every wrestler wants to do regardless of where you are. Working in WCW when 'Mania came around you wished you were there. I really enjoyed watching the promos and the big build ups and wondered what it would be like, I wished for one of them for myself. When I did the feud with Triple H it was unbelievable to go out (at Wrestlemania XIX) and wrestle for the title and take the people on a rollercoaster ride. It didn't go that way my night and was something I wouldn't trade for the world."

Booker has settled down however and is focusing on interests outside of the ring in addition to his career. Marrying Sharmell was one of the best days of his life.

"We were together for five years, lived together and then got married. It wasn't one of those Cinderella stories, we fell in love right away but we didn't fall into a relationship and get married, we wanted to make sure it was right before we got married. In the business it can be lonely, especially at the top. The night I won the WCW title I was so beat up and tired I was in my hotel room, I had the belt with me and no one to celebrate with. People imagine everything is great and lovely, but at the time I was the WCW champion it was a lonely time, my relationship was in chaos. To have my wife with me to share it now is pretty cool."

Booker and Sharmell were recently in a high profile feud with Kurt Angle prior to the former Olympian being drafted to Raw, which raised some eyebrows due to its sexual nature.

"I am definitely comfortable with it. It's TV, no different then anything else you can watch. If you take it too seriously you would get caught up on. Everything we have done has been good quality and good taste and I wouldn't let it be any other way. I don't have any say in writing the storyline but I have a say in what my wife and I are willing to do. We are all human beings, we have to leave that arena and come home so there has to be a certain level of respect."

The other big news is the opening of the Booker T and Stevie Ray Wrestling Academy in Houston, Texas.

"It is something I have always wanted to do and we finally got it kicked off. We have been getting a lot of good feedback, working with guys like Dean Malenko and Steve Keirn who are great trainers has put me on the right track. The training business is something new for me so having guys like that tutor me is great. I will be doing most of the training. Classes are going to be two or three days a week. If it takes me four months to train them, we will take it, five months, sure. It will be an individual basis. After the training is up, we aren't just taking kids' money and telling them to go, they can still be part of what we do, our shows and fundraisers and give guys experience. There will be dues every month just to continue to be part of the Academy. I make it clear that they won't make a million dollars, to get into the business is an adventure in itself and say 'I have been on a hell of a ride' regardless of where you go with it."

It's becoming a trend that established wrestlers are starting to get into the training game.

"Here in Houston there have been guys pretending to be trainers for a long time, taking guys' money and having no direction for kids to go. I am close to the end of my career, I have a lot left in me to do but I want to go out the right way. I will train students the way I was taught, to create things the way I used to watch it. When I was a kid everyone had their own unique style and you knew why you liked them or hated them. The way people are trained today the kids don't get that. I feel like I have an obligation to give back in that aspect and train kids and get them on the right track. Hopefully a few of them can go around the world and do their thing."

Booker is willing to put his name on the line for those who have the same passion for the business that took him to five WCW titles and ten WCW tag team championships.

"You need to be trained by someone reputable and your word is everything in this business. If you go to a promoter they will ask who trained you. If it's Joe Blow they will probably send you out, but if Booker T or Stevie Ray trained you it will get a lot more respect and they will look at you differently. I've been in this business for fifteen years and my respect is my word for what I have given to other people and what I expect to get back."

Before he steps out of the spotlight to focus on his students, Booker has a few more plans inside the squared circle including gunning for a final run at World Champion, and re-igniting his most famous feud.

"We just had a big addition to Smackdown! with Chris Benoit coming over. Everyone knows our history and wants to see a best of seven series one more time. I came out on top the first time, but years later it would be interesting to see how it goes now," he concluded.

Tags: Booker T, Stevie Ray, Wrestling, Harlem Heat.

Kid Kash has a lot to say Hot indy hand spouts off on TNA, America's Most Wanted, ECW and more

2005-06-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

Credit:By STEVE RENNIE - SLAM! Wrestling

Kid Kash caused quite a stir earlier this year when he openly criticized TNA and demanded his release. Never one to mince words, Kash had some choice words for his former employer when contacted by SLAM! Wrestling.

"I'd been there for three years and not one single iota of a pay raise or anything. I asked many times for one, but it never seemed to be in the budget. Every time I turned around, somebody else was being hired. You can almost figure that they were making more than what I was making," said Kash. "It's a little slap in the face. I wasn't asking for hardly anything, really. I guess they appreciated me going out, putting guys over and making them look good, but they didn't appreciate me enough to make my effort worthwhile."

Kash's release was just one fork in a long road for the former welder. After being discovered at a Tennessee gym in 1990, Kash trained with Tim Horner and Ricky Morton, one half of the legendary Rock & Roll Express. Morton is quick to praise his former pupil as one of the most devoted and hard working young grapplers he's ever met.

"I've wrestled every independent show there is in the world. I have a thousand people that might ask me to train them, but maybe I only train two out of the thousand," said Morton. "He wanted to be in the business. He had the potential and he was a natural. He had the attitude. That's what attracted me to him. He was great. He asked a lot of questions. He picked my brain all the time."

David Cash, aka Kid Kash, spent his early years honing his craft on independent shows across the southern United States, wrestling Morton, Wahoo McDaniel and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. He made a brief foray into ECW in 1996 and returned to the promotion in late 1998. Kash paid his dues by putting over many of ECW's top stars. Despite a less than stellar win-loss record, the 5-foot-9, 200-pound Kash relished every moment of his time in ECW.

"Every night in ECW was like wrestling at WrestleMania," he said. "Whether it was a crowd of 15,000 at the bingo hall or an arena somewhere in front of 5,000 or 10,000, we put on the best show that we possibly could. Everybody was proud to be there."

Kash's crowning achievement came on August 26, 2000 when he defeated Rhyno to capture the ECW Television Championship. To Kash, the win was the culmination of more than a year of proving himself to ECW brass.

"Every time I was handed the ball in ECW, they advanced me. I walked in the door a nobody, and when I walked out the door, they'd made me somebody," said Kash. "They gave me the opportunity. They made me work for it, they really did. The first year that I was there, I wrestled everybody and put everybody over. I didn't mind. I loved it, because I was learning as I went. The office saw how hard I was working and putting out the effort, so every time I did something good, they would give me another step up on the ladder."

It was a stark contrast to his tenure in TNA. Kash signed with the upstart promotion in mid-2002 and spent his first few months putting over other stars. His work impressed the higher-ups at WWE, who invited Kash for a tryout match on December 9, 2002. Although he didn't receive a coveted WWE contract, he impressed everyone backstage during his match.

"After the match, everybody seemed very happy with it. Any time I've ever wrestled there, I've never gotten a bad reaction afterwards," Kash said. "Usually, whenever I go, they always put me with great workers and usually we have good matches."

Trinity and Kid Kash in TNA.
Upon returning to TNA, Kash took on Trinity as a valet and went after X Division champ Sonny Siaki. The two wrestled each other for months before Kash finally toppled Siaki on February 12, 2003 to win the title. Kash explains that the decision to put the title around his waist was politically motivated.

"I was given [the belt] to get me to sign, because I hadn't signed at that point. I was pretty happy doing what I was doing, but then they threw the belt on me and wanted me to sign," Kash said. "At that point, I just figured it was a place to be on TV and it was a place to work, so I'll give it a shot and see what happens."

Kash successfully defended the title against all comers, but his relationship with Trinity began to deteriorate. They parted ways that spring and Kash spent the summer toppling legends like Larry Zbyszko, Bobby Eaton and his trainer, Ricky Morton. Kash was then paired up with Abyss for a short time before aligning himself with Jeff Jarrett. TNA paired Kash up with newcomer Lance Hoyt (then known as Dallas) and the two defeated Low Ki and Chris Daniels on April 7, 2004 to win the NWA World Tag Team Championships. Hoyt has nothing but kind words for his former partner.

"I learned a lot about the business. Kash, from his time in the business and his ability to incite the crowd into a complete frenzy, was someone I definitely learned from. It was a great experience. He was always quick to help me out and to work with me and give me ideas and pointers and help me along in my development at TNA," said Hoyt. "He is who he is and he's done what he's done, and there's no doubting his ability both in the ring and charismatically how he incites the crowd into a frenzy. Nothing but a good situation for me to be tagging with him."

Hoyt and Kash feuded with America's Most Wanted throughout 2004. In an April 2005 interview on the Wrestling News Live Sunday Night radio show, Kash was very critical of America's Most Wanted. Although he respects Chris Harris and James Storm as people, Kash doesn't feel they deserve their position on the card in TNA, adding that stars like B.G. James, Ron Killings, Konnan, Hoyt and Elix Skipper are more deserving of the spotlight.

"They're no better than anybody else in that dressing room. They've been shoved down the people's throats for three years. They constantly have to work with people who can keep them over. They're wrestling well-known guys that actually know the business and know how to work and know how to sell and know how to make them look good," said Kash. "Not to say that they can't make themselves look good, but at the level that they're at, they should know a little more that what they do right now. I'll bet they're going to learn; they haven't been in the business that long. It takes time, and this is their first big break. It's the respect of the boys that they don't have. Not to say everybody, but there's a lot of people who feel the same way I do."

During the same interview, Kash had some strong words for TNA, even stating that he wanted out of his contract. Not surprisingly, the interview landed him in hot water with management, and he was released from his contract on April 19. "Some call it a bad move, some call it a good move. They already had their set guys and knew who was going to be in the front. There was no question about that. I just wasn't happy there, so I had to do what I had to do," Kash said.

Morton agrees that his former student made the right move by leaving the promotion, pointing out that TNA is currently without a television deal and reportedly in debt.

"I think it was one of the best decisions he made. When you come from a situation [like that], you're fighting a losing cause," Morton said. "It was a great decision for him to leave there. You can get caught up in that rat race; it's like scrambled eggs, dude. It was the best decision that I thought he made, especially if he's going to advance himself maybe to WWE. He's got a lot of potential. He's one of the best."

Hoyt wishes his former partner luck and hopes Kash is happy with whatever decision he makes. "That's something that he had to do for himself. He seems to be happy for the way things are going for him. Whatever he thinks is best for him, if he's happy with it, I'm happy with it," said Hoyt.

Kid Kash as ECW TV champ.
Since leaving TNA, Kash has performed on independent shows across the country. He recently took part in the ECW One Night Stand PPV, interfering in the main event. One day earlier, Kash wrestled 2 Cold Scorpio on Shane Douglas' Hardcore Homecoming show, wowing the crowd with a spectacular somersault flip dive from the stage to the floor of the arena. The weekend brought back many fond memories of his tenure in ECW.

"The ECW we all worked for, I think the fans appreciated the pure wrestling that we put on. It wasn't about the glitz and the glamour; it was about the hardcore product as a whole, really," Kash said. "We were talented enough to do the hardcore just right. Nobody's ever been able to accomplish that since."

Next up for Kash is the Pro Wrestling LIVE! show, which takes place on Sunday, June 26 at the Oshawa (Ontario) Civic Centre. The event, which is being presented by Warrior 1 Wrestling, will feature a thrilling bout between Kash and American Dragon. Although the two men have yet to square off between the ropes, Kash has high hopes for the match.

"I'm looking forward to having a good time and a good match. It'll be interesting; two totally different styles," said Kash, who is almost 36 years old. "He's a great technical wrestler and a sound shooter. I'm a shooter myself and at technical, I'm pretty good, but I'm also kind of a high flyer, so it could go either way. It sounds like it'll be a good one. I can't wait to get there."

If all goes well, fans could see Kash in a WWE ring by the end of the year. He's traveled to Ohio Valley Wrestling and even competed in a few dark matches recently. Kash hopes his work impressed WWE brass enough to sign him up. "You never know what the company is looking for. I might not be what they're looking for. I can only hope. I definitely would like to wrestle in one WrestleMania," he said.

Tags: TNA, WWE, Wrestling, Kid Kash.

TRINITY MAKES FIRST PUBLIC STATEMENT SINCE REQUESTING HER TNA RELEASE

2005-06-24T05:24:00.000-07:00

By: Voice of Wrestling
6/23/2005 2:48:01 PM

Trinity said the following on VoiceofWrestling.com's message board yesterday:

"Whoooaa, a lot going on while I've been gone. Well let me just squash the bullsh!t first. I did not miss Tuesday's (TNA) taping due to hangin' out. First off, I would never blow off work for any reason, so that was not true. After the PPV, I was no longer needed, and yes, I'm sure that had to do with me asking for my release. Unfortunately, I'm going to hold off talking about anything else pertaining to this issue right now, due to, the way things get way out of hand on the internet and message boards. I am still doing business for myself right now so there is nothing to be said right now to what's going on.

It is very interesting to hear all your comments on what you think of both companies and where you see women and myself going and doing. I do want to thank everyone for their support through everything.

Thanks
Much love and appreciation

Trinity

To Visit the Message Boards: Click Here!

Tags: TNA, Trinity, Wrestling, Stuntman.

TNA'S New Look

2005-06-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

Next TNA taping is going to have a whole new look after Tuesdays taping TNA's ring crew staff ripped out all the seating that is now in the area. They are adding in all new seating so they can seat more people at their shows as well as at the PPV's. Hopefully with all the new seating they will turn away less fans!

I think this is a great idea for them. It really shows that TNA is just expanding more and more all the time. I can't wait until their new TV deal goes through so that their devoted and new fans can continue to watch their shows that just get better all the time!

Slammiversery Review

2005-06-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

Last night was TNA third anniversary show and PPV Slammiversary! For those of you that missed the show you missed out on one hell of a show. The pre show started the night off with such a fast pace that just gained momentum the rest of the night until its triumphant finish!

The arena was standing room only by the start of the pre show. So many TNA fans wanted to be there for what would indeed become a very historic night for TNA. Not just because last night was their third anniversary but because of the shocking turn of events that would take place through out the night!

The pre show started with a very smartly dressed Larry Z coming down to the ring to make an announcement about some huge changes in TNA. The first and in my opinion the biggest one Larry made was that DOA Dusty Rhoades has resigned from TNA! Of course as Larry put it people always resign when they are getting fired!

It seems to me that Larry is stepping up to the plate to take over Dusty’s position as DOA. I personally think that Larry is more business minded in general and the change would defiantly be for the better!

While Larry was talking about the new direction TNA will be taking Jeff Jarrett came down to the ring stating that Larry was nothing but a liar and that everyone knows that Jeff was the one that ran Dusty off. Jeff also stated that he was going to take back his title tonight and show everyone that he was the true King of the Mountain.

At this point Raven came out to ring side through the crowd in his old style wrestling gear! Next thing you know about 20 security guards came running out to ring side to restrain Raven. I'm sure that one of the security guards was ex Roller Jam skater turned indy wrestler Tim Washington, another one of the security guards may have been another ex Roller Jam skater but I can't remember his name. Anyway back to the action.

Raven started to accuse Larry of being on Jeff’s side and yelling about “What about Raven” because he felt he should have been the wild card in the King of the Mountain match. Raven went after Jeff. They started to beat the hell out of each other in the ring before security was able to break up the fight. That was when it really started to get good because Jeff just went crazy and started to beat the hell out of a Hardy Party fan!

I couldn’t believe his blatant disregard for the law. Now where I was sitting I couldn’t see if the fan hit Jeff or was just screaming at him that sent him over the edge! Security broke it up and carried the fan into the back.

Now keep in mind folks this all happened before the first match of the night! The first match of the night was Apolo and Sonny Siaki VS. a returning Simon Diamond and Trytan. Now I found this match very boring for several reasons. The first one being I can’t stand Apolo or Sonny. I think they are both mediocre wrestlers at best with out any mic skills.

Which in wrestling that is a bad combination. I also think they are getting more of a push than they deserve and I hope with Larry as DOA that they will go back to being low mid card wrestlers. Then there was Trytan what more is there to say about him, other than I hope he finds a working gimmick some day. Trytan and Simon won the match. I was surprised because Trytan doesn’t really win his matches.

Next there was a vinyet of Jeff Jarrett getting arrested for assaulting a fan. I can’t say that I was shocked that he was getting arrested for it. I do hope that everything gets cleared up so he can be back for Tuesday nights Impact taping. I’m sure he is going to be very heated when he gets back.

Of course at this point everyone is thinking we now what for the King of the Mountain match. Luckily they didn’t make us wait to see what would happen. Larry made the announcement that Raven would replace Jeff. Of course I was hopping that Raven would finally fulfill his destiny by becoming heavy weight champion.

Now on to the PPV, this match was a 6 way all face match. I do have to do an apology/correction because the one legged wrestler is actually Zack Gowan not Zack Owen. It is a little hard to here at the events when they are live. The 6 sensational X-Division wrestlers in this match were Zack Gowan VS. Deliourous VS. Jerelle Clark VS. the return of Amazing Red Vs. “Primetime” Elix Skipper VS. Sharkboy. This match had so much action packed excitement it was very hard to keep track of what was going on. But the winner of the match was Sharkboy.

Next came a vinyet of Abyss grunting at the camera. Than another vinyet of Shocker going on about how great he is when Alex Shelley comes out to challenge him to a match.

The second match of the PPV was Shocker VS. Alex Shelley. Now Shocker looks more ghetto every time he comes out with his gay looking tights. Shelly of course made a big entrance, with an attitude that Shocker is surely lacking! I was very disappointed in the fact that Shocker won again. I don’t think it was because of his awesome talent but because of shear luck.

Next was another vinyet with Konnan and Truth Ron Killings asking BG where his loyalties lie! BG told him that they were cool and family. But of course to follow that vinyet they had to have one that made BG look like a total turncoat. But than again I am sure it is only a matter of time before he turns.

Match three of the night was Outlaw VS. Truth Ron Killings. this match was all out war. The hate between these two men was obvious. Killings was dominating the match until Outlaw got the better of him winning the match by pin fall.

After the match Outlaw was going to hit Killings in the head with a chair but BG came running out and took the chair from him. Before BG had a chance to show where his loyalties really lie, Konnan came running out and took the chair. Of course Outlaw got out of the ring before anyone hit him with a chair.

Next was yup that's right another vinyl! This one was Team Canada talking about how cool they are and how they are better than everyone else because they are Canadian.

Match four started with an air of mystery and excitement because it was announced that The Naturals had new mentor. So there was many thoughts of who this mystery mentor was ringing through out the arena. I have to say I was totally shocked by who it was even though I shouldn't have been.

This match featured Team Canada's Petey Williams and Eric Young with Scott D'Amore and Alistar Vs. tag team champions The Naturals who came to the ring alone! Where was their mystery mentor was what Scott D'Amore kept asking and speculating that their mentor was scared of Team Canada.

This match was the best match of the night so far. Petey Williams did get a bloody nose but it was clear even though it was 4 against 2 that The Naturals still dominated the match. It was obvious that their new mentor was doing a great job with them. The Naturals won the match keeping their titles! Then out of the tunnel their new mentor "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart!

The crowd went wild! As we all know Jimmy has guided many of the greatest wrestlers of our time towards championship and how to keep them! I think with his guidance, as well as the guidance The Naturals received from the late Chris Candido they will quickly become a real tag team force to be contended with. Scott D'Amore had a huge hissy fit over Jimmy becoming involved in the managing aspect of wrestling again.

Next was a vinyet with Sean Waltman.

Match five was another really good match. It was Sonjay Dutt VS. Samoa Joe making his TNA debut! This match was an amazing match with a mix of x-division highflying and strong brute force! I was really impressed with the impact Joe made on the match. Samoa Joe won the match by making Sonjay tap out!

Next was a vinyet with Raven. Talking about being in the King of the Mountain match.

Match six of was hilarious! This match was Bobby Roode with Scott D'Amore VS. Lance Hoyt! Now Hoyt has his own cheering section in the pit they were all wearing Hoytville shirts! Bobby won this match do to interference by Scott. after the match Scott took off his shirt and climbed up on the top rope to use Hoyt's finisher on him but Hoyt rolled out of the way right on time.

At this point Hoyt took out Bobby and went after Scott. Hoyt grabbed Scott by the pants and pulled them down. While Scott was trying to get him pants up Hoyt finished him. Medics and security came out to carry Scott out on a back board one would wonder where the rest of Team Canada was when this was going on!

Next was an AJ vinyet which I don't know why they bother to have him talk because he has no mic skills.

Match seven was AMW VS. 3LK. YAWN! I didn't really watch this match because I just didn't care. AMW won the match and Outlaw came down to ringside.

Next was another vinyet filling you in on the feud between Michael Shane and Chris Sabin incase you didn't know what was going on.

Match eight of the night was a three way match for the X-Division title. Michael Shane with Traci VS. Chris Sabin with Trinity VS. Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels. Now before I really go in to this I need to say something about Trinity's outfit. It was killer. It was vinyl and string but she looked fabulous.

Traci's dress wasn't as flattering. This match was full of great action but of course Traci and Trinity couldn't stay out of it and got in to a cat fight in the middle of the ring. Shane being the lesser talent in the match got eliminated when Sabin hit him with his finisher.

To bad for Trinity Daniels got to her and finished her. A hurt Trinity got helped from the ring. Even though Sabin put his all in to it Daniels was still able to beat him and retain his title.

The ninth and final match of the night was the main event the King of the Mountain match. Larry and Jeremy Borash went in to the ring to explain the rules of the match. The rules are falls count anywhere, if you get pinned you have to spend 2 minutes in the pentaty box, and once you pinned someone you earned the right to hang the belt. The participants in this match were AJ Styles, Abyss, The Alpha Male Monty Brown, Sean Waltman, and Raven.

The match started out as a brutal battle and that battle would just get tuffer as the match continued. Raven was the first to go in the penalty box which didn't look good for him winning the match and fulfilling his destiny! Abyss was next in the box. Waltman was the third to see the box, then AJ joined him in the box I was disappointed that they didn't break in to a fight in there.

Last to spend time in the box was Monty. At this point any one of the five could hang the belt and win the match. AJ and Waltman were both on the ladder. AJ had the belt and it looked like Waltman was going to help him but Waltman attacked him to get the belt. Abyss hit the ladder and knocked them both out of the ring.

The next to try to hang the belt was Abyss I think it was him that Monty pounced from the top rope knocking him thru a table. Soon there was bodies lying everwhere except Raven he had the ladder and was going to hang the belt! Half way up the ladder Waltman came after Raven but he knocked him off the ladder with ease and hung the belt. Winning the match becoming the new heavy weight champion and King of the Mountain!!

I thought it was awesome to see Raven fulfill his destiny. There wasn't a wrestler in that match I would have rather seen win! He sends such an energy through the crowd!

A huge congratulation to Raven as well as The Naturals and Christopher Daniels! TNA PPV's seem get better and better all the time I can't wait to see what is in the future for this great company. I'm sure we will be impressed with it's new leadership and direction.

Tags: Slammiversery, Jimmy Hart, Wrestling, Raven.

Slammiversery Tonight

2005-06-19T05:25:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to watch TNA's 3 year anniversery PPV Slammiversery! It is going to be a huge action packed event! That I wouldn't miss! Plus you don't want to miss debut of Samoa Joe and the return of Amazing Red and Alex Shelley.

TNA Wrestling Presents:
Slammiversary
Three Year Anniversary Spectacular
Sunday, June 19th At 8pm ET / 5pm PT
KING OF THE MOUNTAIN MATCH FOR THE NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
The Phenomenal AJ Styles vs. Jeff Jarrett vs. The Alpha Male Monty Brown vs. Abyss vs. Sean Waltman

X DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
The Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels vs. Michael Shane w/ Traci vs. Chris Sabin w/ Trinity

NWA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The Naturals vs. Team Canada (Young/Williams)
America's Most Wanted vs. BG James and Konnan (3LK)
Ron "The Truth" Killings (3LK) vs. The Outlaw
Lance Hoyt vs. Team Canada's Bobby Roode
The TNA debut of Samoa Joe vs. Sonjay Dutt
Shocker vs. Alex Shelley
6-Way X Match: Primetime vs. The Amazing Red vs. Shark Boy vs. Delirious vs. Zach Gowan vs. Jerrelle Clark

Tags: Slammiversery, Delirious, Wrestling, Samoa Joe.

Customer Compensation

2005-06-17T16:13:00.000-07:00

What to do when something goes wrong at your event is something you should always plan for. The reason you should plan is because you need to have some idea of what you want to do to compensate your fans if something goes wrong.

Of course you always hope that you never have to put your plan into action, but it’s always good to have a back up plan for when things go wrong. You never know when a major problem could happen it could be anything from a ring breaking at a wrestling event to an unskilled skater getting injured on a roller derby track with out back up to a power outage!

These are the major things that you really need to have a plan ready to put into action! It depends on what and when the problem occurs during your event. If it were at the very beginning the right thing to do would be to offer them free admissions to the next show with their ticket stub. But if the problem occurs half way through the show well than offer the customer half price on their next admission.

This way the customer really feels like you care that they really did have their evening ruined! It may sound like your taking another loss but in the long run you will gain. Because they will want to continue to come back to see your event and they will tell their friends how great you handled the situation.

But if it was something such as the customers shirt got ripped on a chair of course you are going to give them a t-shirt from your event. Not only with this make the customer happy but also they will continue to wear the shirt after the event and provide you with free advertisement.

There are a number of small things that can happen that you can compensate in several different ways such as something free out of the concessions stands providing you hold the concessions, you can give them a coupon for a discount on admission or for discounts on merchandise.

These are just a few of the things that you can do to show the costumer that you do care and have sympathy for their problem. This is very important because you do not want a lot of bad word of mouth on something you could have prevented.

Granted I know that there are some people out there that are just looking for something free. You can normally tell the difference between these people though. Once you have decided they are just trying to scam you than you can decide what you want to do if anything.

These are just a few ideas for you and I am sure that you can develop a plan of action that is right for you and your event.

Tags: Customer Compensation, Marketing, Wrestling, Roller Derby.

TNA PPV Update

2005-06-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

Credit:TNAwrestling.com
TNA FANS: Tune in a half hour prior to Slammiversary this Sunday for the FREE TNA Countdown Show, with last minute news, matches and interviews with the TNA superstars

WALTMAN ANNOUNCED AS THE WILDCARD – STATEMENT CONCERNING DUSTY RHODES

Two major news items of note for this Sunday’s Slammiversary

A MUST-SEE PRESHOW COUNTDOWN BEFORE THE PAY-PER-VIEW…
TNAwrestling.com has learned that this Sunday on the live Countdown Preshow a half hour prior to the Slammiversary Pay-Per-View, there will be a major announcement by Championship Committee Member Larry Zbyszko regarding a developing situation involving The American Dream Dusty Rhodes and his role as Director of Authority in TNA Wrestling. Thus far, the only thing we know is that Zbyszko will have a prepared statement concerning Rhodes and TNA.

In addition, there will be an exclusive preshow match, along with news and live interviews with the TNA stars before the big three-hour epic event live and exclusively on Pay-Per-View

WALTMAN NAMED WILDCARD PARTICIPANT
TNAwrestling.com has also learned that TNA management has announced that Sean Waltman will be the Wildcard Participant for this Sunday’s “King of the Mountain Match”. Waltman will be the fifth and final competitor in the bout for the NWA World Heavyweight Title. With Waltman now announced as the Wildcard, the bout will feature NWA World Heavyweight Champion The Phenomenal AJ Styles vs. Jeff Jarrett vs. The Alpha Male Monty Brown vs. Abyss vs. Sean Waltman

TNA Pay-Per-Views are available monthly on iNDEMAND, Dish Network, DirecTV and other providers! Call your local cable operator for details!

On Sunday, June 19, TNA Wrestling presents the three hour Pay-Per-View spectacular - Slammiversary! 30 minutes prior to the start of the live broadcast, tune into your Pay-Per-View channel to see our FREE live preshow! You'll get updates live from backstage, match previews and analysis, exclusive interviews and so much more! TNA Countdown will be available on many cable systems, and will be featured on the same Pay-Per-View channel that TNA events regularly air on. It will be an action-packed program intended to show you what you can expect on that evening's Pay-Per-View event. TNA Countdown will air FREE in participating markets on Sundays from 7:30-8pm ET and 4:30-5pm PT.

Cable systems that will be showing the Pre-Show for free are:

DirecTV
DISH Network
Time Warner - New York, NY
Comcast - Philadelphia, PA
Comcast - Los Angeles, CA
Comcast - Atlanta, GA
Cox - San Diego, CA
Cox - Rhode Island
Time Warner - Charlotte, NC
Time Warner - Columbus, OH
Time Warner - Rochester, NY

If TNA Countdown is not shown for free on your cable system, call them to request it!

Tags: Larry Zbyszko, Sean Waltman, Wrestling, Abyss, King of the Mountain Match.

Joe's First Day

2005-06-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

This is the first installment of a new column that I am going to have. It's about 16 year old future wrestlers Joe. Joe has just started his training with the hopes of following in his Idol Jeff Hardy's footsteps! He is going to write about his failures and accomplishments of his training. With the hopes that others looking to go into wrestling with understand all the hard work that goes in to training. But there is also a huge sense of pride that goes with accomplishing your goal that you have worked so hard for! Good Luck Joe!

June 14, 2005 Day 1

Well, I started my training today at the FXE place and man it wasn't what I expected at all.
I thought it was gonna be much easier but the guy that is running the place, AJ said that
I'm a natural at falling/bumps. Which I'm real glad about. I started out by getting in the ring
and the first thing he taught me was how to fall. He called it a back bump. I would slightly
bend my knees and cross my arms across my chest. I would kinda jump into the air and
land on my back with my arms out on the mat and my feet flat on the ground.

I had to do like 20 of them. The next thing was the handstands. He said that I was thinking in my head, handstands are easy. But its not the handstands that you think. You do a hand standthen flip out of it and land on your back. So you do a handstand and then into a backbump.

Those were easy. Then I was to do a flip bump. I would walk out flip and do a back bump.
Those were kinda easy. I didn't know that I had to land a certain way. That was easy though.
Then came the hard part. Running the ropes. I had to run into the ropes a certain way
take 3 steps and turn around hit the ropes take three steps turn around hit the ropes (you
get it.) Those were killing me.

The way I was hitting the ropes it would go underneath my
shoulder blade and ah man that hurts a lot. My body is sore from that as we speak. I took
a break from that and did some more bumping until I felt sick. I got out of the ring to the bath room and puked out nothing. I jut dry heaved. I put some cold water on the back of my neck and went back.

After that I took a few more bumps and my day was over. It might not sound to bad but the next morning
is killing me. My neck is sore and stiff and where the rope was hitting hurts too. But I'm determined
to do this. This is what I'm gonna work so hard for. Hopefully this is worth it. Is it worth it though?
All this pain and fatigue? We'll find out in the end. . . . Until next time my friends. Be safe.

Tags: Training, FXE, Wrestling, Joe, Jeff Hardy.

ECW

2005-06-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

The following is a great blog a friend of mine Collin Bowman wrote on the ECW PPV. I think it is a great think piece you all will enjoy reading. For those of you that don't know who Collin has been involved in sports entertainment for a long time he owned WCW Magazine and also owned Roller Jam Magazine. He also worked in story development for WCW. He currently owns Notables and Notorious an awesome memorabilia store.

Monday, June 13, 2005

ECW
Current mood: Sad that WCW is Dead

I went round a friend's house last night to watch ECW One Night Stand. Enjoyed it very much, mainly I think because it was so different from what has been presented as Sports Entertainment over the past few years. That isn't a knock at any wrestling company, I understand the limitations of being on mainstream television. If ECW was ever to re-emerge again, I personally think it wouldn't succeed, because as great as last night was, you couldn't do any of that stuff and have a decent TV deal.

Bradshaw was out of order ... but then again what can be expected when the WWE talent was there probably against their will and was abused all night by the guys inside and outside the ring. You should be able to remain professional, and so there is no excuse other than they are human beings and adrenaline does take over. The full responsibility lies with whoever sent the WWE guys to the event in the first place ... they added nothing.

And that brings me to Eric Bischoff. It is no secret that Eric Bischoff hated me during my entire tenure at WCW. It is also no secret that as much as I admired a lot of what he achieved, I hated with a passion the way he treated people. Last night I actually felt sorry for him.

WCW was a phenomena that reached levels that have yet to equaled. (I am biased) ECW was a cult happening, but it wasn't mainstream, it couldn't reach the mainstream with the content and without Vince's money would've been gone a lot sooner than it was. It was great at finding talent or disguising the weaknesses a lot of the talent possessed and that is probably the most important job of any wrestling organization, and quite frankly a lost art. The WWE got it's butt kicked by WCW for an eternity, until they could no longert rest on their laurels and continue to produce the garbage they were forcing on the wrestling public. Then the bottom of the WCW glass boat shattered and I blame Eric as much as anyone, especially for all the money I personally lost. I believe that last night was Vince's ultimate payback to Eric. Reviving ECW ... giving them a PPV ... forcing Eric to be there and then be humiliated in the ring at the end. This was Vince saying WCW almost killed me, but I prevailed, I won, it will never exist again, see what I am doing to it's leader. It was similar to Ancient Rome, where it wasn't enough to beat your opponent, you had to humiliate them publicly before you kill them off.

I don't know if ECW will be back again, I do know that we won't EVER see WCW One Night Only. Not that any of the shining stars that made WCW would be able to perform at anything like the level of those guys last night and certainly not with that passion.

KUDOS to all involved.

On an unrelated matter ... how cool was The Devil's Rejects trailer?

Tags: WCW, ECW, Wrestling, Eric Bischoff, Notables and Notorious.

TNA WEEKEND NEWS REPORT

2005-06-13T15:15:00.000-07:00

06.12.05 | TNA WEEKEND NEWS

Credit: tnawrestling.com

TNA WEEKEND NEWS REPORT

- Fans in Florida: TNA will be holding a special television taping on Tuesday, June 21, at the Impact Zone in Orlando just two days after Slammiversary! Check back to TNAwrestling.com in the upcoming days for more news on this special taping.

- Expect The Amazing Red and Alex Shelley to return to TNA, perhaps as soon as this Sunday to compete in a yet-to-be announced match on the Pay-Per-View

- TNA will also announce a bout for Slammiversary featuring Mexican superstar Shocker. Check back for more match announcements!

- TNA superstar Shark Boy made news this week, as he is involved in litigation with Disney over the use of his name in an upcoming film. MTV even covered the news last week. TNAwrestling.com hopes to get a comment from Shark Boy on the situation, who will also be appearing at the Slammiversary Pay-Per-View.

- Despite his suspension, rumors have it that Raven still plans on attending Slammiversary on Sunday. TNAwrestling.com has learned that added security will be on hand at the arena in case Raven attempts to get in.

- Fans watching Slammiversary on Pay-Per-View: Tune in a half hour before Slammiversary for the free Countdown Preshow with “The Franchise” Shane Douglas and Jeremy Borash. Two matches will take place on the Countdown Preshow, with the participants announced this week on the website!

Tags: Slammiversary, TNA, Wrestling, Alex Shelley, Amazing Red.

Slammiversary

2005-06-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

Credit: TNAwrestling.com06.13.05 | SLAMMIVERSARY WEEKEND

SLAMMIVERSARY FAN ACTIVITIES & SPECIAL TELEVISON
TAPING ON JUNE 21ST

Nashville, TN (June 13, 2005) – This Sunday, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling will celebrate its third anniversary with “Slammiversary,” the company’s biggest pay-per-view event ever. A part of the “Slammiversary” celebration, TNA fans will get a chance to interact with their favorite TNA Superstars.

On the day of “Slammiversary” TNA Wrestlers will be signing autographs and taking pictures at Universal Studios, the home of TNA Wrestling television broadcasts. Exact times and locations will be available on tnawrestling.com later in the week. The TNA Superstars will also be made available after the pay-per-view event for more one-on-one time with wrestling’s most passionate fans.

For those fans who come to Universal Studios this Sunday and cannot get a seat inside Soundstage 21, TNA will be showing the event on screens just outside the Soundstage, and seating will be provided as available.

TNA Wrestling also announced that it will be holding a special television taping on Tuesday, June 21st at Universal Studios. The taping will also provide TNA Wrestling fans a chance to meet Stars and win prizes from TNA Wrestling.

Tags: Slammiversary, TNA, Wrestling, Wrestlers, Universal Studios.

Hardcore Homecoming worries Funk

2005-06-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

Credit: GREG OLIVER - Producer, SLAM! Wrestling

The three-way dance between Terry Funk, Sabu and Shane Douglas at ECW Hardcore Heaven 1997 where Douglas walked away with his third ECW World title is still talked about today as a key point in ECW's history. Friday night, the three go at it again. But Funk is worried about expectations.

"It scares me. I know that we're all going to raise the bar for that match," Funk told SLAM! Wrestling. "The thing that scares me is, 'Are we capable of raising that bar at this time without physically endangering ourselves?' Why do I say that? I'm 60 years old. Why do I say that about Sabu? There's a guy that's suffered a lot of injuries. Why do I say that about Shane? There's another guy that has something to prove."

The rematch of the August 17, 1997 three-way dance takes place at the highly-anticipated Hardcore Homecoming show in Philadelphia at Viking Hall, aka the world's most famous bingo hall, and home to many, many ECW memories. Fans who don't have tickets to the sold-out show will be able to see the match down the road on a DVD.

"We must make it a good match or else it'll be a night to forget for the rest of my life, and I will never be able to do that," Funk said. "I think they feel the same way about that. They don't want it to be a night to forget, they want it to be a night to remember. I think all three of us are that way. Entering that ring, with that attitude, it's going to be tremendously difficult to duplicate what we did the last time. There were so many innovated moves, and it was such an innovative match and everything that none of that had ever been seen before, a match like that. A lot of things were done in that match, all three of us were on that night. Plus, the fans have had 10 years to build it up in their minds even more than it was."

Funk said that the same thing happened in Japan with fans' memories of his early bouts with Abdullah the Butcher. The two couldn't live up to expectations all those years later. "It's a kid, when he was young, his bedroom was very big; he grows up to be a man, and goes into his bedroom and it's really small. It's not quite what he remembered it to be. Hopefully that doesn't happen in this match."

With a second ECW-inspired event on Sunday -- WWE's One Night Stand pay-per-view -- airing live from New York City, Funk had to decide which of the two shows to do. At 60 years old, he knew he wouldn't be able to wrestle two high-impact bouts in a weekend.

"I thought about it a great deal because the monetary end of things was about three times greater with WWE than it is for the organization that I'm going for," said Funk. "I chose the one because I figured that, I certainly don't blame the guys for going and wrestling for WWE, picking up a good night. It's just that I can't accept that organization myself because they put out the DVD, Rise and Fall of ECW, and here's a man [Vince McMahon] that created the fall of ECW. He's profiting by it because his organization wasn't doing the numbers that he wanted to. So what does he do? He puts out something that he destroyed, or helped to, not necessarily destroyed, but certainly helped to destroy ECW. Now he's going to go ahead and profit from it again because the product that they put out was something that was special; copied the product to get himself out of a jam ... I'm sorry, but I can't do that. "

It's certainly a case where the victor gets to write the history book, he said. "Victors, they do write the history books, and they do write it. I'd like to edit their writings a few times for them!"

The ECW fans and Viking Hall do mean something to the second-generation, 30-plus-year veteran of pro wrestling. "It's close to my heart, and that's why I'm going there, and the only reason I'm going there," he said. "I can't speak for the fans, but I can speak for myself. And the reason I picked that is that place is close to my heart. Truly, money is not everything to me."

The workers that made up ECW are equally important to him. "It's very special to me because it's a group of guys, ECW was a group of guys that got together. They banded together. They were oddballs, crazies, absurb misfits, whatever they were. But one thing that they did have in common was that they loved the world of professional wrestling and they wanted to perform, and they needed a stage to perform. By golly, some of them turned into the greatest performers in the world that we have today."

Indeed, many of the game's top names - Benoit, Jericho, Austin, Raven, Van Dam, Dudleys - came out of ECW's ranks. "I'm tired of hearing people say that Paul E. [ECW boss Paul Heyman] was ECW. I'm tired of hearing that anybody was ECW. Terry Funk wasn't ECW. It was a combination of all the guys that made it work. Let me tell you something, you can take a name, and you can take that name, but you cannot become that. Vince McMahon cannot become ECW. He is Vince McMahon pretending to be ECW as long as he owns it."

The current state of pro wrestling depresses the former NWA and ECW World champion. "The business is very unfresh, and why? Why? That's the question they have to go back and dig up ECW? That's how unfresh they are. Doesn't he realize that, how unfresh the business is when they pull out stuff from 1994 and put it on a DVD and it outsells anything that he's putting out, any product that he has right now? That's rather amazing to me."

But he doesn't think WWE is ripe to fall. "I don't think that Vince is going to disappear at all," Funk said. "He has a tremendous need to be successful. Success becomes more important, a way to measure your success, that's just money. His need is to be successful in the sport of wrestling. I can live without it. I don't think he can."

Tags: Terry Funk, ECW, Wrestling, WWE, SABU, Shane Douglas

AGAINST ALL ODDS ON DVD THIS FRIDAY

2005-06-08T11:17:00.000-07:00

Credit:TNAWRESTLING.Com

AGAINST ALL ODDS ON DVD THIS FRIDAY

Nashville, TN (June 7, 2005) – TNA Wrestling’s epic three hour pay-per-view event “Against All Odds” will become available on DVD through Shoptna.com starting this Friday, June 10th for $24.95.

The event which took place on February 13, 2005 features some of the most talked about matches in TNA Wrestling history. The two-disc DVD has all the matches from the pay-per-view event plus bonus matches from the Countdown Preshow.

Some of the highlighted matches that wrestling fans around the world raved about are included, such as The Ironman match for the X-Division title between “Phenomenal” AJ Styles and “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels, Full Metal Mayhem with Abyss taking on Jeff Hardy, and The battle for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship between Kevin Nash and Jeff Jarrett.

The match line-up on the DVD:

NWA World Heavyweight Title Match: Jeff Jarrett vs. Kevin Nash featuring The Outlaw & Sean Waltman

Ironman X-Division Title Match: “Phenomenal” AJ Styles vs. “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels

NWA World Tag Team Title Match: America’s Most Wanted vs. Kid Kash & Lance Hoyt

Full Metal Mayhem: “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy vs. Abyss

“The Alpha Male” Monty Brown & Diamond Dallas Page vs. Team Canada

Dustin Rhodes vs. Raven

“Primetime” Elix Skipper vs. Petey Williams

BG James and NASCAR’s Jeff Hammond vs. Michael Shane & Kazarian

Plus much more….

Tags: Against All Odds, TNA, Wrestling, NASCAR, Kazarian, Petey Williams

Results From June 5,2005 SCW Show

2005-06-05T13:35:00.000-07:00

RESULTS FROM RYZE vs. WALKER
June 5, 2005

1. Chasyn Rance & Mister Saint Laurent beat Scott Commodity & Scott Davis (9:54) when Rance used the Sensational Spike on Commodity.

2. Krazy K beat Josh Rich (9:51) with the Overdose.

3. Sean Davis beat Ken Banks (4:11) with a Michinoku Driver.

4. Erick Stevens beat Sedrick Strong (10:07) with a Power Bomb.

5. Jerrelle Clark beat Aaron Epic (14:26) with the Jerrelle Driver.

6. Dagon Briggs & Sequel beat Jason Hexx & Phil Davis (14:02) when Briggs used a Pancake Slam on Hexx.

7. SCW Southern Heavyweight Title: Vordell Walker beat Ryze (9:37) with a Rear Naked Choke to become the Southern Heavyweight Champion.

Tags: SCW, Chasyn Rance, Wrestling, Vordell Walker, Ryze.

Upcoming SCW Show

2005-06-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

This Saturday SCW is going to have a show that promises to be an outstanding show. Here is the list of matches for the show;

For the SCW Heavyweight Championship!
(Champion) "Korean Monster" Ryze versus "Shooter" Vordell Walker

In Tag Team Action!
Sequel and Dagon Briggs versus Jason Hexx and Phil Davis

Jerrelle Clark versus Aaron Epic

More Tag Team Action!
Mister Saint Laurent and "Independent Sensation" Chasyn Rance
versus Scott Davis and Scott Commodity

Erick Stevens versus Sederick Strong

David Mercury versus Josh Rich

Legion Freakin Cage versus Sean Davis

For more information, please visit www.scwflorida.com

Upcoming NNW Shows for June

2005-06-01T13:55:00.000-07:00

No Name wrestling has two back to back shows coming up in the month of June. The following information was taken from nonamewrestling.com for more information on their league or events click here!

JUNE 24th
SANFORD SALVATION ARMY
702 24th st
SANFORD, 32772

MAIN EVENT
NNW OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Sedrick Strong vs Tito Cartel, #12, and Rip Malibu

Semi Main Event
Tag Team Championship
Punks R US vs The Natural Blondes

Snow vs Mace

WiKiD vs "The Italian Stalion" BadboY

Dagon Briggs w/Se7en vs Deathrow Jethrow

OPENING MATCH
LOSER WEARS A DRESS MATCH
Legion "Freakin" Cage vs BoneZ the Cutthroat

Also Appearing: Mark Zout,
AND A SPECIAL APPEARANCE FROM WCW SUPERSTAR GLACIER

JUNE 25th
WILD SUMMER NIGHT 2
ORLANDO SALVATION ARMY
416 West Colonial
Orlando, 32804

All Matches to be determined on the 24th......

But expect to see NNW Wrestlers such as:

NNW CHAMP Sedrick Strong, Tag Champ's Punks R Us, Dagon Briggs, Se7en, Mark Zout, Legion Freakin Cage, SNOW, WiKiD, BadBoy, Mace, Deathrow Jethrow, Rip Malibu and many others.

INCLUDING
WCW SUPERSTAR

GLACIER

Terry Taylor Interview

2005-05-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

I think this is a great interview. The credit for this interview goes to wrestlemag.com

Hard Justice is in the record books, and TNA are now looking forward to their 3rd anniversary show - Slammiversary. How are you enjoying your time with TNA?

At this stage of my life and career, I am having a blast at TNA! We have so many young hungry athletes that are in it for the love of the game – instead of for the money. I believe that makes a difference across the board. We also have some guys with seasoning that are excited to be here. Our management team is being assembled, as is our creative – so we’re all encouraged. It’s a great time to be at TNA.

There's a lot of talk regarding a television deal, and the general concensus is that TV followed by house shows are what the company need. Can you see TNA being able to compete with WWE in terms of roster and reach, if not financially?

Honestly, I don’t believe anyone can compete with WWE in reach and size. With that being said, I believe TNA can compete with WWE for the wrestling audience. So many people want an alternative to what WWE is offering right now. For whatever reason, there seems to be a movement from the fans demanding something other than WWE. WWE sees this and is sponsoring the ECW PPV 6/12/05. Shane Douglas is running an ECW inspired show two days before WWE’s show. Why shouldn’t TNA try and give the audience a choice? Ultimately, the fan chooses.

Going back to when you broke into the business. You broke in at a time when territories were strong, and plied your trade in Florida and the Mid South. What are your memories of the early days in your career?

Wow, it was so much different in 1980. Wrestling had 28 territories in the US alone and it was such a protected close knit fraternity. One couldn’t just pay $2,000.00 to get trained and then call himself a wrestler. A talent wasn’t offered any guarantees – period. He had to learn his craft, be patient, and then when opportunity presented itself, they had to make the most of it.

I think a lot of knowledge was passed down from the veterans to rookies in the car making the trips. That no longer happens. Wrestlers fly from where ever they live to a few shows a week and then fly home. We wrestled nine times per week and drove 2,500 to 3,000 miles per week. What wrestling/sports entertainment was, is gone. The wrestling of today is completely different. I’m grateful to have broken in when I did, I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Much has been made about your WWF debut, and that Vince McMahon originally had the 'Mr Perfect' gimmick lined up for yourself rather than the late Curt Hennig. What led to Hennig getting it over you?

There may a misconception in this question. A few years back when asked about what I thought the Rooster character did to my career. I asked the interviewer if he knew that Mr. Perfect debuted the same day as I did as the Rooster. I then asked, “What would have happened to Curt’s career and my career if the gimmicks had been switched?” It was a rhetorical question because no one could have been Mr. Perfect except Curt Hennig.

The Red Rooster: Although you did a great job trying to get the gimmick over, just how much did you dislike the gimmick?

I didn’t hate it...I didn’t get it! You have to understand I had been a serious wrestler for nine years. When Vince McMahon was explaining what he wanted the Rooster to be, I didn’t understand. My pride got in the way. Vince was my employer and so he should have gotten from me what he wanted. If I didn’t want to do it, I had a choice: quit. I needed to be humbled because I was very prideful. I thought Terry Taylor was enough. How arrogant is that?

After a while, I started to enjoy the Rooster character. The interviews were easy (if not cheesy; "egg-cited" etc.) and people actually got with it. Here’s a way to illustrate that: I was the Rooster for 14 months – 16 YEARS AGO - and more people know me as the Rooster than knew for the other 15 years I wrestled as Terry Taylor.

Was Vince McMahon wrong, after all?

After any kind of push you had came to an end in WWF around late 89/early 90, you were basically used to put guys over before returning to NWA.

Was there any ill feeling at the time on your part or on Vince McMahon's part that you knew of?

I was a little upset that I wasn’t featured more in WWF and because of that, I quit. That was my immaturity and selfishness. Why should they have used me any better when I was only thinking of myself? I wasn’t a team player. I wanted the WWF to use me because I felt I had talent, but in a huge company that is the best at what they do - that isn’t always enough.

How many times have we seen a talented player in any sport that never reached his full potential? The athlete has to have a team mentality no matter what the sport. I didn’t have that and I don’t believe I mattered enough to Vince for there to be any ill will from him. That is not a knock on Vince; he just had a lot more important things to worry about other than a selfish jerk.

Back over in NWA, what were your memories of the early 90's? You'd been repackaged as The Taylor Made Man (early '92?) and had a run with Greg Valentine as WCW US Tag Champs. Were you happy at the time?

I believe a level of frustration was starting to develop in me. My big break in the WWF - the one I’d wanted my whole life - was a bust. At the time, I couldn’t see that it was my fault. I was the reason I failed in the WWF, and that feeling continued in the NWA. I channelled a lot of my anger and frustration into my wrestling as a heel. It was easy for me to conjure up rage and deliver it as part of my heel persona. I had a wonderful opportunity to re-establish my value as a wrestler and I‘m not sure I did that.

After another short spell in WWF, and then with WCW before returning to WCW again in 1996 as a writer for Monday Nitro. Prior to the nWo angle, did you have any idea of how hot the Monday Night Wars were to get?

Did anyone? I don’t think anyone could have predicted what a wild ride the wrestling business and wrestling fans would take on the Monday night wars. The other side of that is that we were so busy with so much work that we didn’t have time to realize the enormity of what was going on.

Eric Bischoff kept a lot of secrets from the creative department and there times when I found out things at the same time the audience did. Eric knew there were leaks in the office and that the internet was so prevalent, that sometimes the only way for something to not get out was to not tell anyone. I have had the privilege to be a part of some pretty important eras in wrestling history from the UWF to the now. Only now does it sink in as to how big things really were.

It was reported that backstage politics were partly to blame, but what were the full circumstances that led to your jump back to WWF in 1999?

The stress working in WCW was intense. When a group of people work in that pressure cooker for extended periods of time – emotions can take over. Also, personality conflicts can happen. Without casting blame on anyone – Eric and I had a relationship that wasn’t good for either of us. He had his reasons and I have mine, but on 1/8/99 I’d had enough. I quit without even calling the WWF to see if they would take me. I was just so frustrated I had to go. I didn’t know I could call Human Resources and file a complaint, that Turner Broadcasting was a huge conglomerate, and they handle employee/employer disputes.

After I quit, I called Vince McMahon and he hired me on the spot.

He's had his critics, and his fans. Personally speaking I felt he added a great deal to the product and is given a rough ride at times by some people. In your opinion, what was Vince Russo like to work with?

The first time I met Russo was the day after I had quit WCW. Vince McMahon, Russo, and Ed Ferrara met at Vince McMahon’s home every other Tuesday to talk about what they wanted to do on next week’s Monday Night Raw. Remember, at this time there was no Smackdown!.

Russo walked in and when he saw me, the look of betrayal, anger, and hostility were mind numbing - VKM hadn’t told anyone he had hired me! This was at the height of the Monday night wars. It was total all out warfare, and I was the enemy. As is Russo’s nature, once we talked, he was great. We remain best friends.

Why were so many in WWF against you bringing in Public Enemy?

This is a multifaceted question. As is so often the case, there was so much more going on than was visible on the surface. All I knew was that The Public Enemy were one of the hottest acts in ECW, then WCW, and there was no reason to think it would be any different in the WWF. Or so I thought.

How was anyone to know the heat they had from a decision they made 10 years before? At that time, WWF had offered them a standard WWF contract that guaranteed $150.00 per match with ten matches per year. So, this meant if Public Enemy had signed that contract, all the WWF had to give them is ten matches at $150.00 for the entire year! At the same time, WCW offered them $85,000 a year for three years. Public Enemy chose the WCW contract. What would we have done in the same situation?

When I offered them a contract in the WWF in 1999, I didn’t know any of this. McMahon wasn’t upset that they had made the best business decision they could at the time (taking the previous WCW contract). VKM understands business. But not everyone that works for him has that same understanding, though. Some kept a grudge and used the illusion of a WWF push to set Public Enemy up to fail.

The Acolytes took liberties with them on a televised match and beat them up without Public Enemy fighting back thinking this was an initiation. It ended up being their first and last match in the WWF. So much for the WWF slogan, “We don’t offer guarantees to anyone, but we offer opportunity to EVERYONE!”!

At the height of the 'Attitude' era in WWF, how bad were politics?

Politics will always be a part of any work environment. Was it worse during the “Attitude” era? I don’t think so. Politics have always existed and it stems from certain people trying to advance their own agenda or career. These individuals don’t do what’s best for business; they selfishly seek power and money. Hopefully, some day their inability to do the job will be exposed and someone who can do the job will be hired.

You jumped back to WCW the following year and were involved in the writing team with Russo, Ed Ferrera and others. Did you get the impression WCW was a sinking ship when you returned?

There were a lot of rumors that WCW was in bad shape, but so many of us wanted and believed we could turn it around. Most of us thought we could rally WCW and still give fans a choice, but it wasn’t meant to be. Sometimes when we want something so much, we don’t see it for what it really is. WCW was a sick patient and no matter what doctors were brought in, it was too late. WCW – RIP.

When WCW was bought by Vince McMahon, was there any discussion about you returning to WWE?

In a word, no.

After a spell as a road agent with WWE in 2002-2003, you started work with TNA. When you first started with the company, did you feel they'd still be in business today?

Yes, I never thought TNA wouldn't be in business. I may be naïve, but I stopped worrying about stuff like that a long time ago. I used to read the “insider sheets”, read the internet, and watch everything related to wrestling. Not any more. So much energy is wasted on ‘what if’ and that could be better used improving the wrestling business.

TNA has certainly experienced some growing pains, but these have served to make TNA stronger and we may be on the brink of something that will make wrestling history. By the time this interview is published, TNA may have a good television clearance and may be giving wrestling fans an alternative to WWE.

What makes TNA a good alternative to WWE?

The talent makes TNA a great alternative. We have some of the best young talent in the world. They can deliver in the ring and it’s up to the promotion to market, promote, and advertise these fine athletes to the world. Some of these wrestlers are the best kept secrets except to the hardcore and most devoted fans. The wrestling business will always have it’s core audience. When the casual fan perceives wrestling to be ‘cool’ like with the nWo, Austin vs Mr. McMahon, and the Monday Night Wars – then the business grows exponentially.

Another aspect that will make TNA a viable alternative is that only the most hungry, driven, and passionate people will work there. When a company has a bare bones budget and people who want it to succeed, ‘politicians’ will be weeded out and only employees who produce will remain.

The final thing that will make TNA an alternative is the ownership. The Carter's are wonderful human beings. I have just gotten to know them in the recent months and am impressed with their compassion and integrity. The Jarrett's have run successful promotions and have a personal stake in TNA’s well being. There are no guarantees in life, but all these factors contribute to the possibility of TNA’s success.

Are there any guys that WWE have released over the past year that you feel TNA would benefit from bringing in?

Yes, I’m sure there are a lot of former WWE wrestlers out there that TNA is interested in hiring. There are good reasons for that. One of the main things wrestlers learn in WWE is how to do wrestling television. That sounds simple, but there is so much more to it than people realize. One has to work to the camera instead of what they’ve been taught their whole lives, which is to work to the crowd. Also, a talent cannot be weak in any aspect of the business from in-ring work, to interview skills, to personal appearance.

Additionally, there is an ‘it’ factor which is hard to clarify. It’s a star quality that means something different for each talent, but is still necessary to become a star in this business. WWE is the biggest wrestling company in the world and there is competition for roster spots. This competition dictates competence for advancement. On a different note, I don’t believe it would be fair to name anyone in particular because it may alter the negotiations between the talent and TNA. When a comment could impact a wrestler’s life or career – it's better left unsaid.

You're still active on the Indy circuit. Where can we see you in the near future?

The best way to see where I’ll be is to visit my website www.terrytaylor.info!

Finally, what does the future hold for TNA and Terry Taylor?

I am very excited about the future of TNA. Over the past year I have watched TNA grow and really want to be a part of TNA’s future success. That’s not for my own betterment, but for the betterment of TNA, its wrestlers, its owners, and its fans. This is a very exciting time in our business. If a competitive situation develops – it’ll be fun for the audience.

Maybe we can relive the Monday Night Wars. This time in the new millennium!

Lipstick & Dynamite turns spotlight on the first ladies of wrestling

2005-05-29T08:24:00.000-07:00

I really thing that this article is very informative! I also think that it is a real inspiration for any lady looking to go into wrestling!

Credit: C.G. WALLACE - Associated Press

ATLANTA - In an age of Marilyn Monroe and circle skirts, a group of women in industrial-strength bathing suits grappled, bodyslammed and tough-talked their way into the wrestling world.

With names such as The Fabulous Moolah, The Great Mae Young, Ella Waldek and Gladys "Killem" Gillem, these were the real first ladies of wrestling, who toiled in the 1940s and '50s, plowing the way for the high-paid female stars of today.

Those early years, when women were relegated to a novelty act beside midget wrestlers, are recounted in the documentary Lipstick & Dynamite, which Atlanta filmmaker Ruth Leitman sees as a story of women's empowerment.

"This is a film that every 14- or 15-year-old girl should see," Leitman said. "I'm really interested in bringing this film to an audience that didn't really know this existed." Leitman said she asked one of the wrestlers if she was a feminist, and the answer summed up the practical outlook shared by her subjects. "I wasn't out there burning my bra," the woman replied, "I needed it to hold me up."'

For Waldek, wrestling was way for her to get off her family's Washington farm and see the world. She began wrestling in 1949 and retired in 1979, in between logging thousands of miles between dusty gyms, small-town arenas and armories. "As far as people accepting us, we always were ladies first. Outside the ring we were dressed to the nines," said the 75-year-old Waldek, who now lives in Pinellas Park, Fla.. "We knew we were first, but the idea of being pioneers never crossed our mind."

These women, still very much the entertainers they were in their youth, would like another day in the spotlight and hope the film brings them some recognition.

As for Waldek's review of the movie? "I like it a lot. It could have gone without some of the bad words at the beginning of the show."

The director then jumped into the conversation. "It's very hard to cut in and out of dialogue of women who curse like sailors," Leitman said, adding at least one of the women expanded her 7-year-old daughter's vocabulary. One of the challenges of the film was finding the footage of the matches. There was little interest in documenting the fights.

David Meltzer, a San Jose, Calif.-based wrestling expert who publishes the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, said he would have like to seen more of that footage in the film, but conceded that it probably doesn't exist. "I don't think modern wresting fans have an interest in wrestling history. Even for the older fans it wasn't that big of a deal," Meltzer said. As for luring the sport's fans to the see the film, he said "I don't see them being interested in the movie."

Leitman acknowledges it may be a challenge to get wrestling fans into the art-house theaters to buy tickets to a wrestling movie.

The film, which premiered at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival, opened theatrically in New York and Los Angeles in April, and in Atlanta, Nashville and San Francisco this month. It opens in Chicago on June 3, and then rolls out to theaters across the country after that.

Penny Banner, who was a nanny in St. Louis when she was recruited to wrestle in 1954, bristles when asked about how their careers are remembered today. She said many people downplay their accomplishments and added the main difference between the male and female wrestlers was the paycheck. Banner retired in 1977. She's now 70 and lives in Charlotte, N.C., where she trains for the senior Olympics in swimming. For her, the movie is a welcome nod to the ladies' place in history.

"I just wished it was longer. We all have many more stories to tell. I just wish there were more time," Banner said. "We are the lost and forgotten ones."

"Everything we did, we did from the heart. We're still the same ladies we were then."

Tags: The Fabulous Moolah, Ella Waldek, Wrestling, Female Wrestling, Gladys "Killem" Gillem, Penny Banner

Lee "The Commish" Douglas

2005-05-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

Lee Douglas the host of the popular internet radio show Wrestling Wrap has unveiled his two new websites. The first is the radio show Wrestling Wrap. The other is his own personal site Lee Douglas The Commish with all the info on where Lee will be appearing next. Be sure to check them out.

Tags: Lee Douglas, NRW, Wrestling, CWA, SGWA, Wrestling Wrap

TNA's TV Status Update

2005-05-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

Credit: Betweentheropes.com

Sources have confirmed to Between The Ropes the following details on TNA
Wrestling's television future.

This Tuesday's TNA Impact tapings on May 31 at Universal Orlando are
cancelled. With the Fox Sports Net deal expiring this weekend, television
will go dark temporarily.

As we've speculated all week, TNA will begin on Monday nights in prime time
on WGN from 8:00pm - 10:00pm ET. The start date on WGN will be the day
after Slammiversary - Monday, June 20.

The WGN show will air live every other week on Monday's from Universal
Orlando. Shows will be taped on Tuesday's to then air the following week.
The first live show will be Monday, June 20 with a taping on June 21 to air
on Monday, June 27 on WGN.

TNA should make an official announcement imminently.

Tags: TNA, WGN, Wrestling, Impact

Impact Review For May 27,2005

2005-05-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

As you all know from either checking your TV guides or from just reading on the net today’s Impact will be the last one on Fox Sports Network. According to the TNA message board Impact tapings are canceled until Slammiversary on June 19, 2005. Now with rumors running rampant on the net you don’t know what is true and what is not unless it comes from an official site, but it seems that Impact is going to go on to WGN. The official announcement should be made any day as soon as the deal is official. Now on to my Impact review.

The first match of Impact started off with a bang! The match was 3LK BG James and “The Truth” Ron Killings VS. AMW. The match it’s self wasn’t the most exciting part it was what happened after the match. The winner of the match was 3LK. AMW started fighting after the match again. So again are they breaking up or are they turning heel like everyone is speculating.

I personally don’t think that AMW has the edge or the attitude to be a heel. The only thing they can work is a face they aren’t XXX. Turning “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels heel was one of the best choices TNA has made.

Next thing you know The Outlaw is running into the ring to attack Killings but BG got in the way. Then Konnan came out. Konnan and Killings attacked The Outlaw. Konnan and Killings left BG in the ring with The Outlaw on the outside. BG told The Outlaw to suck it and left.

Next Terry Taylor interviewed AMW asking them about their fighting. They basically said well teams fight. AMW will also be facing 3LK at Slammiversary.

The second match of the evening was Romeo VS. Zack Owen. Now anyone that watched the last PPV Hard Justice saw Zack in action during the 20-man gauntlet. He was the one legged wrestler. I have to give him a lot of credit for getting out there and wrestling with his disability.

There was some people making fun of him but I figure they were just too ignorant to see what an achievement he was able to make just to be able to overcome his disability enough to do something he wanted to do. I think the real highlight of this match was when Zack did a flip off the top rope. Zack did win the match by pin fall.

Next Terry Taylor was interviewing Chris Sabin about his 3-way match at Slammiversary. When Trinity came out to tell Sabin they should team up after what Traci and Michael Shane did to them. They decided to team up just to go after them.

Team Canada’s Scott D’Amore joined the announcer’s booth for the next match.

Match three was Phi Delta Slams Bruno Sassi with Big Tilley Vs. Lance Hoyt. This was a hard match for me because I like both of the participants. But in the end Bruno screwed up and lost the match. At this point Scott came down to the ring to tell Lance he was no match for his guys. Scott then told him he was going to go in the ring and kick his ass when Bobby Roode attacked Hoyt from behind.

Terry Taylor did an interview with The Naturals.

Match four of the night was Buck Quartermain and Lexx Lovvett VS. The Naturals. This match was not the best but it wasn’t bad. The Naturals won the match they are defiantly on a winning streak. Team Canada ran in and attacked The Naturals at the end of the match.

Terry Taylor interviewed Jeff Jarrett and “The Alpha Male” Monty Brown about the king of the mountain match.

The next match was the main event of the evening featuring “The Alpha Male” Monty Brown and Jeff Jarrett Vs. Sean Waltman (X-Pac) and AJ Styles. This was I think the best match of the night and not because it was the main event because we all know from experience the main events aren’t always as good as they should be. Abyss did come out to watch the match. Jarrett made a big mistake when he hit Monty with his guitar. AJ hit that new move he has been using (SFX’S finisher cutting room floor) causing the team of AJ Styles and Sean Waltman to win the match.

Tags: TNA, Jeff Jarrett, Wrestling, AJ Styles, Sean Waltman.

UPDATE ON JERRY LAWLER'S SON WHO WAS ARRESTED ON BURGLARY CHARGES

2005-05-27T04:59:00.000-07:00

Credit: WREG.com

Memphis, TN -- Jerry "The King" Lawler's son Kevin has been arrested. Police busted him for burglary at a Raleigh apartment complex Monday night. A woman says she caught him in her house with his pants down. She says he was asleep on her pillow, wearing nothing but a red t-shirt.

"She approached her bedroom, and she saw an individual lying on the floor of her bedroom, partially clothed, and asleep with a pillow," says Memphis Police Sgt. Vince Higgins.

The victim tells NewsChannel 3 she ran to a neighbor's house because she was scared. She called police, and officers eventually caught Lawler near her home. She tells us she had never met Lawler before, and was very alarmed when she found him in her bedroom.

May 25, 2005 -- Update

Memphis, TN -- Kevin Lawler made his first court appearance on aggravated burglary charges Wednesday morning. He tells NewsChannel 3 this is a case of mistaken identity. He says he was working at the time of the burglary Monday night.

"I wouldn't rush to any judgements in this case because I feel quite certain you'll see some alibi witnesses when this case comes to a preliminary hearing," says Kevin Lawler's attorney Mark Mesler.

Lawler says he was on the job at 9:00 PM when the woman says she found him in her home. He says when he arrived home at 3:00 AM, three men approached him them chased him down. He was arrested a short time later, and the victim identified him as the burglar.

Tags: Jerry "The King" Lawler, WWE, Wrestling, Kevin Lawler, Memphis Police.

My Thoughts

2005-05-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

You know I must confess that I really don't watch a lot of WWE any more but my long time readers know this because I have stated this before due to the vulgar nature of WWE and not appropriate for children . When I do watch WWE it's normally Smackdown. But I do read on the net as well as what the other writers on my blog write.

I have to say I wasn't surprised when I read Mike's Raw review yesterday! The following is what really caught my attention about Mike's Review:

Next the crowd was awoken by one of the best shoot promos in recent memory.
Bischoff gloating about he killed ECW. Then Vince comes out. He reveals
that he DID financially support ECW. and the great stars that came from ECW
to the WWE. ECW music hits and Vince introduces my main man PAUL HEYMAN!!!!
Heyman goes on about the legacy of ECW!!! Whole crowd chants the ECW
thing. Vince then turns to Bischoff and says, "I killed WCW".

Now I'm sure I whole wrestling world gasped in shock and dismay! I mean really that was the perfect scam after all. I mean it is really a rich gets richer move and total brilliance on Vince's part not on Heyman's part. Heyman was nothing but Vince's puppet! Now I have to state for the record I don't like Vince. I really think he is heartless, cruel, and a dirty scoundrel. But he is the truest definition of shrewd business man. He will do what ever it takes for what is most important to him the all mighty dollar.

Now I am starting to feel like I am beating a dead horse on this subject after the column I wrote on March 19, 2005 after sitting watching "The Rise And Fall Of ECW". If you have not read that column or would like to reread it Click Here.

Now to my udder shock and dismay Mike felt the need to attack my post in his next column on April 1,2005. The following is the highlight of that column;

I was online the other day, and I saw an article about Paul Heyman. Now I know how some people I know feel about him, but I am going to put it all on the line. Paul Heyman is a dunce in Business Finance, but he is without a doubt, one of the best wrestling minds in recent history. For the rest of the column Click Here.

I knew when I wrote the column I was going to receive a lot of flack about it but I was prepared for this. I knew by far it would be the most controversial column I had written to date. I did have a comment posted by a reader saying to believe what I had written would be the death to everything he loved about ECW.

I understand how he felt because I to used to watch ECW, but at the same time I felt it was the right thing for me to do by witting a column about my suspicions. I take my writing seriously. I felt that was something that needed to be out in the open for the pubic to think about so when the time came that what I suspected turned out to be true it would help to soften the blow.

Tags: ECW, WWE, Wrestling, Raw, Smackdown.

Telling It LIke It Is, By John Michael Newton

2005-05-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

This week: Breaking down Raw, and other thoughts.

Last night I sat down in my friends' house in Staten Island to watch RAW
with a couple of my buddies. And some interesting things happened. So let
break it down:

Starting the show off is a vignette by Edge and Lita. Suddenly my mind
kicks in gear and I try to visualize being Matt Hardy. I figure if I am
Matt Hardy, I am in the process of throwing my 3rd or 4th brick through the
TV Screen. Boys and Girls, there is a lesson to be learned. If you work
for WWE, do NOT make a stink if your girlfriend sleeps with co-workers. And
NEVER let your brother and/or tag team partner go to a rival promotion like
TNA. If you do, you will be fired and blamed for everything. Moving on.

Next match is Hassan/Davari vs. Shelton Benjamin. No promos cut as the
match starts. Pretty good action, Hassan wins with the Flatliner ERRR some
unnamed finishing move. Come to think of it, Hassan kinda DOES look like
Kanyon with a turban. Jericho of course comes into the building and
apologizes for missing his tag match but he had a hairdreser's appointment
for him and his Fozzy bandmates.

Another backstage Batista-Flair vignette, and a meaningless Bischoof
vignette, commercial break.

Jericho had a match with someone, I didn't pay attention because my Mom was
on the phone and Ronni was yelling at me for something, I can't remember
what.

Next up, Chris the Master Piece of Crap comes out. So-called revenge match
with Dancing Stevie Richards, whose nose was broken by Masters 3 months ago.
Match lasts 4 minutes, Masters puts on the Master Lock and puts Richards
to Sleep. Unfortuneately, Master Crap has put the crowd to sleep with his
boring lame gimmick!!! During the break, crowd is given smelling salts to
wake them up.

Next the crowd was awoken by one of the best shoot promos in recent memory.
Bischoff gloating about he killed ECW. THen Vince comes out. He reveals
that he DID financially support ECW. and the great stars that came from ECW
to the WWE. ECW music hits and Vince introduces my main man PAUL HEYMAN!!!!
Heyman goes on about the legacy of ECW!!! WHole crowd chants the ECW
thing. Vince then turns to Bischoff and says, "I killed WCW". Which is not
exactly true, because WCW is now TNA, or so we think.

Leading to our next match. Benoit vs. Tajiri. Match was dissappointing, as
Benoit puts Tajiri in the Crossface using the kendo stick, kind of
innovative though.

Next up, we have Chef Viscera trying to hit on Lillian. Two things wrong
with this gimmick. Viscera can't sing, and I forgot the other thing wrong.
I will find out later. This is kinda funny and stupid at the same time.
Ends with Vis putting the lip lock on Lillian. break.

Some lame interview guy then goes to interview Kane and he cuts a promo
about pain. He basically went on to say how his career has been in pain
ever since that lame Katie Vick gimmick concoted by Cripple H killed his
career. Kane then walks out or something.

Time for the main event. Batista vs. Edge. Lots of action. Christian and
Tomko an dLita are at ringside. Towards the end, Tomko and Chtristian come
out and pummel Batista. Flair comes and helps Batista. Batista hits the
bomb for the win despite LIta's best efforts to interfere. we think it is
the end as flair and Batista embrace. Then my worst fears come true,
Cripple H's music hits. I immediately went to use the bathroom. I came out
and he was still on. Something about Flair hitting a low blow and turning
on Batista. So I went to get a snack. Cripple H said something about Hell
In A Cell, and it went off. Heck this made me think of a new recipe. To
turn a good show into an absolutely crappy show, just add Cripple H. Your
show will lose half its ratings in only 90 seconds. Compare with Jeff
Jarrett, which takes about 3 minutes to produce the same results.

Bottom line is this. WWE still can't put together a show like they used to.
In the past they could hold you in the palm of their hand for 2 hours
onstop, now I get to the point where I am falling asleep and using the can
during the show. Come on WWE, let's get it in gear!!!

In other news, Stone Cold Steve Austin said in an interview he wanted to
wrestle Hulk Hogan. Heck Hogan didn't want to work with Austin in WCW, what
makes us think he is going to do it now? We can only wait and see. Take
care and be well!!

JMN

Review of NRW May 20th Show

2005-05-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

By the time I made it the VFW 2093 about 5 minutes before doors open, there was already a decent crowd or eager fans lined up, ready to cheer on their favorites. The show started about 5 minutes late.

Scott Hall was introduced and said a few kind words before the show started.

The first match of the night was Stormy VS. Barney Rumble with Rico Moon. This match was a bit back and forth but Stormy had the upper hand for most of the match. Until Barney attacked referee Bad Boy. So that Rico could get in there and help Barney out. Causing the match to be a draw.

Rico threw a huge temper tantrum in the ring about how he was cheated again by "crooked commissioner" Lee Douglas. He also went as far as to state that Lee and Rico Casanova were to scared to come out and face him! Unfortunately for Moon they did come out to face him and Scott Hall came with them. Hall removed all the trash from the ring. Lee gave Stormy the win.

Match two was Mister Saint Laurent VS. Josh Rich. This match proved to be a good match even though MSL had the weight advantage. It was a great struggle for the win. Josh had a couple close calls but MSL proved to be to much of a challenge for him.

Match three was one of the more important matches of the night! The winner of this match gets to face the winner of The Dudes VS. Team No Respect for the tag team titles. This match was a three way tag team match. The participants for this match were SFX and Legion Cage VS. Big Daddy of Death Valley Crew and Destroyer VS. Rico Moon and Manson.

This match started out with two wrestlers in the ring but Lee came out and stated that one wrestler from each team must be in the ring at all time. This really got this match moving. I have to say I get more and more impressed with SFX'S ability every time I see him in the ring. He has some very impressive moves. SFX did get a pin fall over Destroyer causing Destroyers team to get disqualified. But Moon and Manson were able to get the upper hand in the match. Moon and Manson won the match getting a shot at the tag team titles.

Match four of the night was Bonez the Cutthroat VS. Frankie Capone. This match was typical of these two wrestlers. Insulting each other and not really doing anything overly impressive. Frankie was the winner of the match. By the end of this match though it did look like the ring was sagging slightly in the middle on the one side. I of course thought it was just me.

Rico Moon came out again to inform everyone that he has added a new member to his team. I think their Loonie Moonies or something. His new addition was Badd Boy.

Match five of the night was one I was really looking forward to The Dudes (Rouge and Dusty Michaels) Vs. Team No Respect (Tommy Marr and Blade Walker). After the way the Rouge and Marr match ended last month of course Rouge is going to be after Marr for taking his title. This match was a great match.

There was action going on inside and outside of the ring. Rouge was mainly feuding with Marr out side of the ring. But inside the ring Walker slammed Dusty on to the ring with such force you could see that the ring was breaking in the middle! While they continued to battle in the ring with the ring breaking more and more with every slam.

Marr and Rouge continued to beat the hell out of each other inside the ring. You really didn't know what action you wanted to watch more. But kept getting drawn to the action inside the ring waiting to see what would happen. Would it break with the force that the two wrestlers inside the ring were using or would it stay together.

Walker did end up pinning Dusty and chock slamming him with such force that the ring finally broke. Giving his team the chance to face Rico and Manson for the tag team belt that were forfeited by Axis and Python due to an injury. This match did not end a minute to soon, when the ring crew came out to look at it the one side of the ring collapsed.

At this point they had some wrestlers come back out to do more autographs and pictures like they had done during intermission. Scott Hall had been walking around and taking the time to talk to each and every one of the fans as well as the wrestlers.

Scott took this time to give one of the fans that is in a wheelchair a NWO action figure set featuring him and Kevin Nash that was autographed by both of them because he felt she had made an impact on his life. I don't care what anyone says about him I think he is a really great guy and a real asset to the wrestling community.

He isn't one that wants to keep his experience a secret he wants to share it with other wrestlers and help them become better wrestlers.

After about ten minutes Lee announced that while they were still trying to fix the ring there was going to be a falls count anywhere match with Kahagas Vs. Brian Gamble. Now let me just say I have seen Kahagas many many times and he is an awesome wrestler. Gamble on the other hand is an ex gladiator and ex roller jam skater that really hasn't found his groove in wrestling. I really don't think he will either! This match was very violent, but any match with Kahagas in it tends to be. This match was all over the VFW hall. To my disappointment Gamble got lucky and won the match.

After the match Lee got up and informed the crowd that the VFW was throwing us all out because we were too rowdy. Lee was very gracious and apologetic. Rico Casanova who is part owner of NRW never at any point got up and said anything or offered any type of compensation. I do feel that the VFW should have never booked a wrestling show if they were in fact looking for a night of bingo or a tea party!

I also feel that it was a great show even with the technical difficulties with the ring and getting thrown out but again I still feel that Rico C. should have offered some sort of compensation even if it was just a couple of dollars off at the next show with your ticket stub.

Just to show the fans hey you know what you got screwed just as much as we did but we appreciate you coming. Not well I have your money now so piss on you. Which I feel if Lee had the authority he would have because Lee is a great stand up guy!

Tags: NRW, The Dudes, Wrestling, Team No Respect, Rico Moon.

Impact Review for May 20,2005

2005-05-21T06:37:00.000-07:00

First I want to start out by saying there was a dark match before the start of the taping. The wrestlers in this match were Scott Howard VS. The Wonderer. What a joke! If you would have seen these people you would have laughed they were bald and out of shape. The match sucked. The winner was Scott Howard. Now granted there are a lot of wrestlers that are local indy guys that do matches for TNA and you may not know who they are but I do because I go to the local indy shows. These guys were just old nobodies because no one knew them.

The first match on Impact was Sonny Siaki VS. “The Alpha Male” Monty Brown. Of course I don’t really care about either one but I was cheering for Monty because I like him more than Sonny. I swear Sonny is the only Samoan with no ring skills or personality. This match lasted about a minute before Monty creamed Sonny into Samoan hash. Monty won the match by pinfall.

Next they showed Terry Taylor interviewing Michael Shane and Traci. On a side note Shane Douglas has a bad case of the flu so he was not at the tapings or the PPV. I wish Shane a speedy recovery. Back to the interview, it was a typical Shane and Traci interview we are so great everyone else just sucks. Traci did tell Shane that he was the sexiest when he had the gold around his waist so he will be going for it.

There was another interview after that one with Mike Tenay and AJ Styles. AJ was just going on and on. He has no mic skills and they were just letting him talk about how great he was. Well if Tito wouldn’t have interfered he probably wouldn’t be wearing the gold now! Which Jeff Jarrett came out to point that out to everyone. Jeff also pointed out that he had a rematch clause in his contract so he wants to face AJ at Slamaversery. Monty came out and attacked AJ. Jeff came down to help when Abyss came out to help. X-pac and AMW came out to help AJ. The match at Slamaversery will be a King of the Mountain match with AJ, Jeff, Monty, Abyss, and a wild card.

Ok we still don’t have a match yet because Larry Z. came out to join the announcer’s table when Raven came out and hit the announcer’s table with a chair demanding that Larry make him the wild card. When Larry said he couldn’t do that Raven attacked him. Larry was holding his own but that didn’t last with Ravens rage. Dusty came out and started yelling at Raven about attacking Larry. So Dusty suspended Raven so in the rage Raven was in he told Dusty he quit!

Next came a vinyet. Yes still not another match. It was BG talking to “The Truth” Ron Killings about his “transportation” problems on Sunday. Killings was still pissed that he didn’t call him.

Finally match two of the night was Cassidy Riley VS. “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels. This match was good but of course Traci and Michael Shane felt the need to interfere because they want the X-Division Title. Chris Sabin came out to assist Daniels because he is still sore because of what happened on Sunday. Security had come out to break it up and I could swear that the one security guards was ex Roller Jam skater Tim "Big Nasty" Washington! Daniels did end up winning the match.

Next was not another match but you guessed it another vinyet. This one was AJ whining at Dusty about the King of the Mountain match. I mean come on he is always crying and whining about something. Dusty told AJ they had them where they wanted them. Yeah ok. I’m thinking the wild card person will be Tito.

Match three of the night was Team Canada’s Petey Williams and Eric Young with Scott D’Amore and Alistar VS. AMW. Team Canada won the match with a bit of interference. But AMW had a fight at the end of the match it makes you wonder are they heading for a break up which maybe a great idea. It may help them grow as wrestlers.

Jeff Jarrett and Monty Brown came out to join the announcer’s table for the main event.

The main event of the evening was Abyss VS. Chris Sabin. I thought for sure this was going to be a squash match but I was really not giving Sabin the credit he disserved. I should have realized that Sabin has the skills to take on anything TNA throws at him! Abyss won the match but that was because Michael Shane and Traci came out to interfere other wise I really think Sabin would have taken the match. Jeff and Monty went out to congratulate Abyss when he turned on them and blackhole slammed Jeff.

After this Impact you can really see that things are really heating up for TNA’S 3-year anniversary show Slamaversery PPV. I know I can’t wait to see it and I hope to see you all there.

Tags: TNA, Impact, Wrestling, Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles.

James Storm

2005-05-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

I wanted to let you all know that James Storm of AMW new website is up. It’s a great looking site you should all check it out. The site is www.thecowboyjamesstorm.com.

Tags: TNA, AMW, Wrestling, James Storm.

NRW Tonight

2005-05-20T05:09:00.000-07:00

I wanted to remind everyone in the Orlando,Fl area that NRW is having a show tonight at the VFW Post 2093 at 4444 Edgewater Dr. The show that is scheduled is going to be a great show. They have some of the most dedicated indy wrestlers in the area on the card for tonight.

There is going to be two title matches for the NRW Championship Title and for the NRW Cruiserweight Title plus they are going to have two main events! Which is almost unheard of. I do hope that senior referee Chris Carson's eyes are better for this show!

Some of the wrestlers that will be there are Chainsaw Kreuger, Apolo, The Dudes, Axis, Team SFX, Chasyn Rance, Barney Rumble, Josh Rich, And MSL. There is many more wrestlers and surprises on the card for tonight.

They are also having special guest NWO Outsideder Scott Hall on hand for photos and autographs!

Doors open at 7:15am I hope to see you all there! For more information Click Here.

Tags: NRW, Barney Rumble, Wrestling, Scott Hall.

Telling It Like It Is...by John Michael Newton

2005-05-20T05:04:00.000-07:00

This Time Around: Thoughts on Matt Hardy

"Very few of us can be totally ruthless. It isn't easy. It takes
more
strength than you can
believe"

-Excerpt from "Enter The
Dragon"
(1973)

How many times have we seen this before? Vince McMahon loves twisting
the
knife and proving a point. I can shake a stick and go on forever at
how
many times he has done this, but I am going to stay on the latest
tangent;
Matt Hardy.

About 2 months ago, Matt Hardy was let go from the WWE for undisclosed
reasons. Then an ugly story leaked out. Matt Hardy's real life
significant
other, Amy Dumas (Yep, Lita) was having an affair with Adam Copeland,
better
known as Edge, who is married. Understandably, Matt was livid and made
his
feelings known. Yet he was the only one punished by Vince, in the form
of
his release from WWE. Fast forward to this past Monday. Lita turns on
Kane
and is now Edge's girlfriend. Such a mirror of reality.

Many wrestling fans were sickened by this, and rightfully so. But we
should
have seen this coming from a mile off. Vince and his band of writers
concocted this storyline for one reason only, to twist the knife in
Matt
Hardy's back a little more. But you know what? sadly it will work for
Vince McMahon. Why? This tactic has worked before: Destroy a
wrestler's
name before he goes to a rival promotion. This way, he can be no real
asset
or draw. It was pretty much the worst kept secret that Matt had
feelers
from TNA, most notably his brother Jeff. So Vince Killed Matt's push
first,
then made him the only scapegoat in Litagate, in which Edge and LIta
are now
the benefactors in the gift of a MAJOR push. Now he twists the knife
in
order to stain Matt's reputation.

The bottom line is this. Vince McMahon is a cold, ruthless,
calculating
individual. He is not above destroying a man's career to stay on top.
If
you do not believe me, ask Bret Hart. No one is going knock Vince off
the
top unless he is more ruthless and more calculating. Eric Bishoff came
close, but he made the mistake of being uncalculating (along with
pissing
too many people off). It is simply a sad truth to the business. Once
a
person comes along that can beat Mr. McMahon at his own game, then he
will
be on top. We may not like it, but it is a simple fact of life. You
play
by Vince's rules or you get destroyed. Can you blame Chris Daniels and
AJ
Styles for turning down contracts by Vince. They see what happened to
Tazz
and do not want that to happen to them.

That is all for now. Feedback is welcome, especially on this issue, as
the
whole story has struck a nerve with a lot of fans. Take to all and be
Well!!

JMN

Tags: Matt Hardy, WWE, Wrestling, Lita.

Fan Appreciation

2005-05-19T14:57:00.000-07:00

Fan appreciation is important, and often overlooked.

There are several things you could do to show your fans that you appreciate them. This can be just a little thing that shows your fans that they are important to you, or it can be something that is on a much larger scale.

One of my favorite things is when sports organizations do fan appreciation nights. These are always great, for not only showing your already loyal fans that you appreciate their continuing support, but a way to drawn in new fans as well.

On fan appreciation nights there are several different things that can be used as give aways. It could be anything from a free piece of promotional merchandise (such as a key chain or a hand towel), to a free item from the concessions stand. Keep in mind if you don’t have the concessions because it is run by someone else, a free item from the concessions stand might not work.

If you have season ticket holders, they should get treated a little differently from you regular run of the mill fans. Of course, when they buy their season tickets there is normally a free gift that goes with them, such as a tee shirt or a prize pack.

They are some of your most loyal fans, so you should always do something special just for them, such as have a party with the athletes. That way, they have chance to meet their favorite athletes, and have photo opportunities.

Another thing you can do for season tickets holders if you don’t want to do the parties. or even in addition to them, you can let them either enter the venue earlier; or stay late for meet and greet opportunities.

Remember, all of your fans love to be in contact with the athletes. It makes them feel like they are more a part of what is going on with your organization; plus they get to brag to all there friends. In return you will get some good word of mouth promotions and viral marketing. Your fans will do some powerful marketing for you.

Newsletters are also something that you should have for your fans, to help keep them in the know. You can run contests that they can only be entered by joining your newsletter. Once you have them signed up for you newsletter, not only can you send them specials in the newsletter, but also if you have their home address with their sign up information you can send them Seasons Greetings cards.

If they include a birthday as well you can send them birthday cards with or with out a promotional photo or a coupon for something the next time they attend your event. The coupon could be the better of the two ,because if they haven’t been back in a while, it will entice them into coming back. No one likes to let a coupon for something free go to waste, even if they have to spend money to get it.

I hope that you find that some of these are new ideas for you to help build your business.

Tags: Fan appreciation, promotions, newsletters, marketing.

TNA News

2005-05-19T05:22:00.000-07:00

Tna on May 17,2005 signed AJ Styles and “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels to a long-term contract. For the details go to tnawrestling.com. I think in light of resent events this was a great decision for TNA to make.

Now anyone that has read my column for any length of time know what my opinion of AJ is but for anyone that hasn’t read my column before let me tell you. I don’t think that AJ is as incredible as everyone makes him out to be. He has ring skills but I don’t think he is good as lets say a Chris Sabin or a “PrimeTime” Elix Skipper. I also don’t think he has any personality, charisma, or pizzazz! There for he doesn’t need to ever talk on the mic. The less he talks the better for him. I personally don’t think he would be as far in the company if he weren’t Dusty’s boy!

Now “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels on the other hand is a great athlete with good mic skills. He has the whole package, even more so now that he has turned heel. That was the best move TNA could have done with him. I think we will continue to see great matches in the future from Fallen Angel. I would love to see him in a match again Sabin.

Tags: Jericho, TNA, Wrestling, Christopher Daniels.

Hawks Nest

2005-05-19T05:02:00.000-07:00

Greetings citizens! Glad to see the Hurricane and Rosie are still tag champs. There was something else I was happy about....what was it???? Oh yeah that idiot HHH is off the show for a while, now if they could just stop talking about him. Looks like the draft is gonna be a little different this year, taking an entire month. Should be interesting.

Maybe during that time they can kill 2 particularly disgusting angles. 1. This Viscera sex machine deal. My wife and I were watching this week and we had to change channels and our kids were not even watching. It was just that gross. 2. Kurt Angle and Nitro Girl Paisley/Mrs. Booker T. My my Kurt how in the world did you get pulled into this crap angle? Get out because it is stupid!

Next order of business, the CD is out, the publicity push is slowing down, now do the right thing and give the belt back to JBL. Say what you will JBL was a believable champ. Cena is this decades version of the Ultimate Warrior.

Everybody loves him, is a great intercontinental / US champ, but he just isn't World title material. Sorry I am just not buying it and I don't think the fans are either. Batista is struggling but I think he will make it as long as HHH stays away. He needs a strong enemy (not Edge) like Jericho, Beniot, Booker T or Angle.
Well that's what I think how about you?

Till then fly straight
Hawk

Tags: Jericho, WWE, Wrestling, Hurricane.

Telling It LIke It Is.....by John Michael Newton

2005-05-19T04:59:00.000-07:00

This Week: TNA FINALLY gets it right, and other things.

I never thought I would say it, but TNA FINALLY got its main event troubles straightened out. AJ Styles is the new World Heavyweight Champion. Now it is time to get some new blood running, and this is a real positive step. Another positive step is getting Abyss as the #1 Contender, and I think judging from their last match, a Styles-Abyss feud will tear the house down. Nice touch with the 10-bell Salute to Candido, and the undercard was once again stellar, ESPECIALLY the Raven-Waltman House Of Fun match, and the AMW-Naturals match. Bottom line is that TNA finally got the missing piece of the puzzle and realized that some new blood could work at the top, not old, out of shape, past-their-prime castaways. Just keep Jarrett in the midcard where he belongs. Overall, SUPERB Effort.

WWE Judgement day is this week. Big question is, will they put the belt back on JBL or will they keep it on Cena? My guess is JBL will get it back, as Cena is going to focus on his rap career. I was kind of dissappointed in Cena's title run, as he just didn't provide that spark that I thought he would. It is too bad that Guerrero could not have another title run, but I expect pigs to fly beforethat happens. And beware the Cripple H reign of Terror coming to Smackdown....I hope not.

Raw on the other hand, has experienced a resurgernce. Batista has really surprised me. I thank the LORD above that they are trying to get new names into the main event mix, although I am sick of seeing Michaels in the picture, as he is a Cripple H crony. As for Edge, toss him out entirely. He has no business being in a main-eventer.

Well that is all for now, take care and be well

Tags: TNA, WWE, Wrestling, Chris Candido.

Hard Justice Review

2005-05-16T16:17:00.000-07:00

When I arrived yesterday there wasn't a lot of people in line and I was concerned that the turn out was going to be poor but the crowd was amazing. They were a good rowdy crowd to not one of those dead crowds that bring the whole place down.

Right before the start of the pre show The Naturals came down to rings side to thank all the fans for there support and kind words they have reserved since the loss of Chris Candido. They also said some very moving words about Chris.

The pre show started with a vinyet of Tito Ortiz talking about how cool he is. Then there was a vinyet for Shocker who is a wrestler I could do with out there are so many other talented Latino wrestlers that have more appeal.

Now on to the one match of the pre show they had a lot of vinyets in this pre show. The match was David Young VS. Sharkboy. Which to my surprise Young did have several near falls but in the end Sharkboys ring skills won out! Which Sharkboy gets to advance to the 20 man gauntlet in the PPV.

The pre show went on to show 3 more vinyets one was an interview with AJ Styles and Jeff Jarrett then one on how great the world should think AJ is, the last one was Terry Taylor interviewing Jeff Jarrett.

The first match of the PPV was Team Canada's Petey Williams and Eric Young with Scott D'Amore VS. Apolo and Sonny Siaki. This match was boring. I don't think Sonny or Apolo are such wonderful wrestlers. Sonny isn't the best his family has turned out that is for sure. But before we got a chance to die of boredom Alistar came out to our rescue and help score one for the team.

Next they showed Tito , AJ, and Jeff Jarrett arriving.

The second match of the night was the mixed tag team match with Michael Shane and Trinity VS. Chris Sabin and Traci. Now before I start to go in to the match I have to comment on Traci's boots they looked like she had dead black poodles tied to her feet! Now I was suspicious of this pairing from the start but I thought maybe Traci really did change her ways. But that was not the case. After the match took a turn in Sabin and Traci's favor Traci hit Sabin with a low blow then Shane kicked Trinity in the face. Shane won the match by pin fall. Traci jumped in to Shane's arms to start celebrating.

Next were a few more vinyets while they set up the ring for the House of Fun match. There were a lot of vinyets last night.

This match was hands down the best match of the night. There were a lot of disappointed fans last night because this match was supposed to be Raven VS. Jeff Hardy but Hardy wasn't there so Sean Waltman stepped up to the plate. This match was going about 30 seconds when Raven got busted open with a trash can. It wasn't long after that when Waltman was bleeding as well. This match was very violent. To the point that some of the regular members of the TNA Pit got splashed with blood. Raven walked a way the victor after just killing Waltman. But this was to be expected with Ravens experience with ECW.

I'm sure that was just a taste of what fans will have to look forward to in the future.

Next there was a interview with Terry Taylor and DDP. Where DDP stated that he had a text message from BG James telling him he was having transportation problems and couldn't make the match. "The Truth" Ron Killings came out and told him at least he got a message he would wrestle in his place.

The fourth match of the night was "The Alpha Male" Monty Brown and The Outlaw VS. DDP and "The Truth" Ron Killings. Now I can't really go into to much on this match because I lost interest early on and was not really watching it but Phi Delta Slam ran in to interfere in the match causing Monty and Outlaw to win the match.

Next was an interview with Mike Tenay and The Naturals. Again what they had to had to say was very sad but very touching listening to them talk about how much of an impact Chris Candido had on their lives and career.

The fifth match of the evening was the tag team title match with AMW Vs. The Naturals. Andy came to the ring with a yellow hand towel and draped it over a folding chair at ringside in honor of Chris then Chase started a Chris Candido chant going. You could really feel the crowd was heavy with emotion. This was a very impressive match it really showed what an incredible tag team The Naturals are. They truly deserve the titles. I think the highlight of the match was when James Storms tights got pulled down and showed off his butt and what may have been a bluish gray thong. The Naturals won the match.

Next there was yet another vinyet.

Match six of the night was Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels VS. Shocker. This match was lame I really felt like Daniels was holding back. I hope they bring in so better Latino wrestlers! Daniels won the match and retained his title.

Match seven of the night was the 20 man gauntlet. I think almost everyone in TNA was in this match except Zack Owen. He is a one legged wrestler and was really holding his own. I was shocked that he removed his prosthetic leg to wrestle. I thought it was very impressive that he could still wrestle with skill even with his disadvantage. The rest of the wrestlers in this match were Bobby Roode, Eric Young, Cassidy Riley, PrimeTime, Sharkboy, Alistar, Chris Sabin, Petey Williams, Sonny Siaki, Lance Hoyt, Michael Shane, Jerrelle Clark, Mikey Batts, The Outlaw, Trytan, Ron Killings, Apolo, BG James (I guess his transportation problems got sorted out), and Abyss. The last two wrestlers in the ring was Ron Killings and Abyss. The rest of the match went fairly quick Abyss won the match by pin fall and advances to the number one contender spot.

Match eight the main event of the night was Jeff Jarrett VS. AJ Styles with Tito Ortiz as the special guest referee. Now let me just say I think there was favoritism at play in this match causing Jeff to lose the title. Now don't get me wrong I think it was time for him to drop the belt but I think he could have dropped it to a better wrestler than AJ. Who in my opinion has no mic skills or personality.

Say what you want Jeff is a wrestler that makes the fans either love him or love to hate him which is part of the reason he is such a great wrestler. Now everyone one was so impressed with AJ's new finisher I was not because indy wrestler SFX has been using that finisher for a while he calls it "The Cutting Room Floor". I would have been impressed if I hadn't seen him nail it not only from off the top rope but from standing in the middle of the ring as well!

As I keep saying TNA's PPV'S get better and better all the time! I think if your not in the Orlando,FL area to see them live you should spend the money to order it! You wont be disappointed in the show you get.

Tags: TNA, The Naturals, Wrestling, Chris Candido.

In My Oppinion

2005-05-13T06:45:00.000-07:00

In light of recent events in the wrestling world I feel that I need to say my piece about it. As we all know Chris Candido past way. It is a very sad for wrestling fans around the world. Many of us have had the opportunity to meet him and/or see him live at a wrestling event.

But as much as we are saddened by his untimely demise his family and close friends are hurting so much more than we are! We all need to keep that in mind.

I find it disgusting that we need to speculate, spread rumors, and attack people that are trying to recover from their loss in order to heal enough to be able to move on.

First there was this big talk of some conspiracy that all the details of his death weren’t released. That maybe his death, was caused by something else. Well, I say even if there was more to his death it isn’t any of our business or they would have told us.

But from what the reports state whether it was a blood clot or a staph infection it was one of those things that happen sometimes. Which is what makes it even sadder that there wasn’t anything that could be done about it.

But the thing that I find most disturbing is that people need to attack Chris’s long time girlfriend Tammy Lynn Sytch!

She is going through a lot right now and all people can do is attack her. She was hospitalized over it. The official statement is that Tammy had a slight nervous break down but of course everyone is speculating that she was hospitalized due to drug use.

Well, you know what people!? Either way it is really none of our business if it was they would tell us! But we all need to step back and think about things before we start speculating on what is going on in some one else’s life. You know the old saying you don’t know what it’s like until you walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, well that is true.

Think about how you would feel if you lost your boyfriend/girlfriend the way she did. How would you feel? I know if I lost the man I loved it would tear me up inside! So if I were hospitalized because of it I know I wouldn’t want people speculating about me.

SO next time before you start to come to your own conclusions about something think about how you would feel if you were in their place!

I’m going to stop lecturing now and step off my soapbox for the time being but we really need to take a look at how we treat other people. It may just improve the way you feel about yourself and life in general.

Tags: TNA, Tammy Lynn Sytch, Wrestling, Chris Candido.

Tammy Lynn Sytch

2005-05-13T05:20:00.000-07:00

The Following was posted on the UXW messageboard is responce to rummors of the reason Tammy Lynn Sytch was Hospitalized!

UXW Owner, Frank Goodman posted this on his message board:

"I am relaying a message from Tammy Lynn Sytch to all the fans of Chris and Tammy. Tammy would like to thank everyone out there for their support and Tammy DID NOT overdose on pills or anytype of drugs whatsoever! Tammy had a minor nervous breakdown and was admitted to the hospital this weekend but she is now home and feeling better and wants to thank all the wrestling fans who have sent her cards and donated money and will answer all the cards personally."

Tags: UXW, Tammy Lynn Sytch, Wrestling, Chris Candido.

CCW Show

2005-05-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

Attention all wrestling fans in the Miami, Florida area! CCW is going to have a huge show tomorrow night May 13! That’s right CCW is brave enough to have a show on Friday the 13th.

This is going to be an event worth going to see!

The wrestlers that are going to be at this event are some of the top Indy Wrestlers in Florida! Plus if that isn’t enough to make you want to go D-Lo Brown will also be wrestling.

Some of the great matches will be Scott Comodity VS. Antonio Banks, D-Lo Brown VS. “Cash Money Alex G.”, Murphy and Machete VS. Dok Rivers and Shane Mclane, and the main event for the CCW title Blackheart VS. Norman Smiley!

Also in action will be Bruno Sassi, Sean Allen, Great Kazushi, and many more!

Again I am very disappointed that I’m not in Miami area so I can go but I do hope to make one of their shows later in the year!

For ticket information check out CCW’S official website!

Tags: CCW, D-Lo Brown, Wrestling, Bruno Sassi.

ROH News

2005-05-12T05:40:00.000-07:00

Credit:ROHwrestling.com

May 8th: A Tag Team Title match has been signed for this Friday's event in Dayton, OH at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds Coliseum. Champions BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs will face the challenge of The Second City Saints of CM Punk & Ace Steel. Whitmer requested a title defense against Punk & Steel so he can "exorcise the demons of that street fight" (Death Before Dishonor II: Part 2). That match saw Punk & Steel win the feud against Whitmer & Dan Maff when Steel pinned Whitmer. It is perhaps the greatest hardcore style match in ROH history. Dayton will see Whitmer have a chance to even the score. We will have more matches for both Dayton and Saturday's event in Chicago tomorrow or the next day in the ROHwrestling.com Newswire.

May 8th: Austin Aries has challenged Low Ki to a one-on-one match on June 12th when ROH returns to Manhattan with an afternoon event at The Super Club. Ki has accepted although ROH officials have yet to sanction this match. ROH officials refuse to grant Ki a title match. Aries has stated that he wants to defend the title in this match. Aries vs. Ki will happen on June 12th, but as of now it is a non-title match. This event will also feature the return of Six Man Mayhem and Jack Evans is the first man signed to this action packed contest. This all star show will be over in plenty of time to be able to enjoy dinner and catch the ECW PPV down the street. We will have a talent list tomorrow right here in the ROHwrestling.com Newswire.

May 8th: Don't forget the 3/12/05 "Back To Basics" DVD is now in stock and available for immediate delivery at ROHwrestling.com. This event featured Samoa Joe & Jay Lethal vs. CM Punk & Spanky, James Gibson vs. Rocky Romero, Jack Evans vs. Spanky, Izzy & Deranged vs. Dixie & Azrieal with the winners getting the Special K, Homicide vs. Roderick Strong and much, much more!!! You can now get this on ROH's free shipping weekend. Check the main page of ROHwrestling.com for details.

May 8th: Matt Hardy will have his first wrestling match anywhere since leaving WWE on the July 16th Woodbridge, CT event. Tickets on sale now at ROHwrestling.com and Ticketmaster outlets. ROH officials have yet to begin to put together this card, but Hardy will be against a main event caliber opponent on this show.

May 8th: Jay Lethal suffered a severely injured neck at the Cop Killa/Double Stomp combo by Low Ki and Homicide at the end of last night's event. It is expected that Lethal will miss some time in ROH due to the injury. The way the move works is Ki actually double stomps Homicide's shoulders driving more force into the Cop Killa. ROH officials have already discussed banning the move since it is far too dangerous and guarantees injury. ROH officials have never banned a move in ROH history. We'll have more on this in the upcoming days.

May 8th: Jimmy Rave tried to destroy Punk with several vicious chair shots to the head at the end of last night's Dog Collar match. CM Punk cannot remember the end of the match. Punk instinctively cut a promo in the locker room right after the match and can't remember it either. Punk also suffered significant blood loss.

May 8th: Rap star Redman was in attendance at last night's show.

May 9th: ROH will keep the momentum going this weekend when it returns to two of its best crowds on Friday in Dayton and Saturday in Chicago. Tickets are available now at ROHwrestling.com, by calling 215-781-2500 or at Ticketmaster outlets. The Steel Cage is coming to the Midwest for the first time ever and only time this year as each night is headlined by a huge Steel Cage grudge match. We'll have more on both main events later this week.

May 9th: ROH World Champion Austin Aries has become obsessed with having the toughest schedule of any ROH World Champion. Aries insists that he will go down in the record book as the best ROH World Champion ever. Aries better be careful because his title reign could easily come to an end this weekend. He will be faced with James Gibson on Friday in Dayton and either Homicide or Bryan Danielson on Saturday in Chicago if he gets past Gibson. It is tough enough to have one title defense against top opposition like that in a weekend, nevermind two. Aries is coming off a very punishing and tough title defense last weekend against Alex Shelley. It seems it is a matter of when, not if, this schedule wears down Aries.

May 9th: A New York City Street Fight has been signed for ROH's 6/12 afternoon event in Manhattan at The Super Club. It will be Dunn & Marcos going for revenge against Loc & Devito. This one is sure to make ECW fans happy. Loc & Devito brutally attacked Dunn & Marcos on 5/7 with hubcaps and a piledriver through a table.

May 9th: A talent list has been released for June 12th in Manhattan before the PPV down the street that night. Already signed: ROH Pure Champion Samoa Joe; The Rottweilers of Homicide & Julius Smokes; James Gibson; Colt Cabana & CM Punk of The Second City Saints; Roderick Strong & Jack Evans of Generation Next; Lacey's Angels of Deranged & Izzy; Dixie; Azrieal and The Embassy featuring Jimmy Rave. The main event has already been signed and it will be Austin Aries vs. Low Ki. Tickets on sale now at ROHwrestling.com or by calling 215-781-2500.

May 9th: The 4/16/05 "Stalemate" VHS is now in stock and ready for immediate delivery at ROHwrestling.com. Many fans called this the best ROH event ever in the Boston area. You'll see the complete card including: Homicide vs. Bryan Danielson in a No DQ Lumberjack match; Austin Aries vs. James Gibson for the World Title; Samoa Joe vs. Nigel McGuinness vs. Alex Shelley vs. Colt Cabana in Double Stakes Four Corner Survival; CM Punk vs. The Embassy; Jay Lethal vs. Spanky for the Pure Title; Lacey's Angels vs. Dixie & Azrieal; Roderick Strong vs. El Generico; Kevin Steen vs. Vordell Walker plus backstage promos and more!!!

May 9th: Could Matt Hardy be the next ROH World Champion? Check out the Hardy article on the main page of ROHwrestling.com for more info.

May 10th: In case you missed it one of the biggest matches in ROH history has just been signed for 7/16 in Woodbridge, CT as Matt Hardy will take on Christopher Daniels!!! This will be Hardy's ROH debut and Daniels' return to ROH. Finally, "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels will return to ROH on July 16th in a dream match vs. Matt Hardy. Tickets on sale now at ROHwrestling.com, by calling 215-781-2500 or at Ticketmaster outlets. We will have much more on why this match is taking place in the upcoming weeks.

May 10th: New ROH Pure Champion Samoa Joe has stated that he is going to do the same thing for the Pure Title that he did for the ROH Title. Joe is the one that made the ROH Title into a World Title and he greatly raised the prestige of the belt. Now he will attempt to do the same for the Pure Title.

May 10th: Joe is off to a fast start in signing Pure Title defenses. He will put the belt on the line on 6/4 in ROH's Buffalo area debut against James Gibson!!! This first time ever match has all the makings of a classic. Can Gibson finally get a ROH title?

May 10th: ROHwrestling.com now has new shirts for AJ Styles and Raven.

May 10th: Right now all attention is turning to the Midwest as ROH hits Dayton, OH this Friday and Chicago Ridge, IL on Saturday. There will be matches added to the show each night. Right now there is one more match officially signed for 5/14 in Chicago. It will see James Gibson takes on ROH Tag Team Champion BJ Whitmer!!! This is an important match for Gibson, who is yearning to get a ROH title belt around his waist.

May 10th: The tension has raised even higher between Colt Cabana and Nigel McGuinness. Last Saturday saw Nigel defeat Cabana after rolling him up after an accidental low blow. Cabana thinks that McGuinness might have done the low blow on purpose. Cabana went on to make fun of Nigel more in backstage segments, which raised the ire of McGuinness. Cabana picked his dream partner of Doug Williams to go up against McGuinness and his dream partner of Chad Collyer on Friday in Dayton. Saturday in Chicago will see perhaps the last singles match between the two. Who will get the best of this rivalry? To increase the stakes the winner of the Chicago match will get a Pure Title shot on 6/12 in Manhattan.

May 10th: Former Pure Champion Doug Williams sent word that he is very excited about his ROH return this weekend. He is really looking forward to wrestling both McGuinness and Collyer on Friday in Dayton as they all have similar styles. Williams said he has been studying recent tapes and is looking forward to getting back in the ring with Bryan Danielson or facing Homicide for the first time on Saturday in Chicago. Either way the fans will see a main event caliber match in Chicago.

May 10th: The sleeper match of the weekend could be the grudge bout pitting The Embassy's Jimmy Rave vs. Matt Sydal on 5/13 in Dayton. Sydal is definitely coming with something to prove. The athletic competitor was attacked by The Embassy last time in Dayton. Rave then made an example of Sydal by hitting him with the Rave clash. Now we'll see if Sydal can break out and even the score to get the biggest victory of his ROH and possibly entire wrestling career.

May 10th: What is ROH filming next with Jim Cornette and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan? Stay tuned!!! This will be a very unique concept that has never been done before. ROHwrestling.com currently has two editions of Straight Shootin' With Cornette & Heenan for sale and ready for immediate delivery. This is a wrestling education as both volumes see these legends exchange stories about their careers with lots of behind the scenes stories from every era. You can also see Heenan and Cornette oppose each other for the first time ever in a must for old school fans on ROH's "All Star Extravaganza II" double DVD set, which also includes the final Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk World Title match.

May 11th: "The Notorious 187" Homicide has stated that this is the biggest weekend of his life. The Rottweiler leader has the opportunity to win the possible feud of the year vs. Bryan Danielson in Dayton on Friday and then become World Champion in Chicago on Saturday. Homicide is on a roll of momentum after The Rottweilers dominated last week in Manhattan. Homicide will have to do it alone this weekend though, as all Rottweiler members have been banned from the shows so that we can get a decisive winner in the Homicide vs. Danielson Best Of Five series.

May 11th: ROH World Champion Austin Aries is scheduled to go to Tulancingo, Mexico for the X-Law promotion to wrestle Super Crazy this Sunday. This will be a ROH World Title match and the first time the ROH World Title will be defended in Mexico. However, Aries first must get past James Gibson on Friday in Dayton and either Bryan Danielson or Homicide on Saturday in Chicago. ROH officials are actually concerned that Aries might be taking on too ambitious of a schedule. Aries has been going nonstop since winning the belt at the beginning of the year. He has defended the belt in Florida for FIP, Iowa, Canada, Switzerland, Austria as well as other United States independents. Aries has truly brought back the days of the old school World Champion that would go to different territories to defend the title. Aries has also taken on the best in ROH and has beaten Colt Cabana in a Steel Cage, Samoa Joe in a rematch plus Homicide, Alex Shelley and a draw against James Gibson. The question is not if, but when will this schedule wear down Aries?

May 11th: James Gibson believes that Aries' title reign will come to an end on Friday in Dayton. Gibson fought Aries to a double pin on 4/16 at "Stalemate" in a bout that saw them unleash their entire arsenals on each other. Gibson even did a moonsault and springboard plancha, both of which moves he hadn't executed in about five years. These two will definitely be pulling out all the stops in Dayton. Gibson would make a very proud ROH World Champion. If Gibson wins the World Title on Friday, his Pure Title match on 6/4 in Buffalo against Samoa Joe will be changed. Gibson sent word that he is very happy he is getting a World Title match in Dayton. After the emotional response he received on 2/25, he considers Dayton a second home and he wants to give the crowd a memory they'll never forget.

May 11th: Make sure to check out the article on the main page of ROHwrestling.com detailing the history of the CM Punk vs. Embassy feud including why the blood will flow this Saturday in Chicago. The Best Of CM Punk Vol. 2 "Straightedge" has been released on DVD and is ready for immediate delivery from ROHwrestling.com. You will see Punk in his famous feuds against Raven and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat plus Punk's best matches vs. Steve Corino, AJ Styles, Raven, Doug Williams, Bryan Danielson, Jay Lethal, Austin Aries and tag action with Colt Cabana as his partner.

May 11th: Tickets are off to a record start for both the 6/12 afternoon and 7/9 Manhattan events. Order now at ROHwrestling.com or by calling 215-781-2500 for the best possible seats.

May 11th: Prince Nana has stated that AJ Styles must sign an open contract to wrestle anyone Nana wants on 6/18 in Morristown, NJ. Nana says this is the only way AJ might be able to get his hands on Jimmy Rave. We'll have AJ's response to this tomorrow right here in the ROHwrestling.com Newswire.

May 11th: ROH officials attempted to add Jay Lethal to this weekend's double shot, but Lethal's neck is injured from the Double Stomp/Cop Killa combination delivered by Low Ki and Homicide at last Saturday's Manhattan event. Lethal says he probably won't be able to make 6/4 and is questionable for both 6/12 and 6/18 at this point.

Tags: WWE, Smackdown, Wrestling, Luther.

WWE releases Luther Reigns

2005-05-12T05:35:00.000-07:00

Credit: By JON WALDMAN -- SLAM! Wrestling

World Wrestling Entertainment announced today that it has released Smackdown! superstar Luther Reigns.

Reigns, who has been with the Stamford, CT.-based organization for the last couple years, was last seen on WWE TV in a feud with The Big Show that culminated shortly after WrestleMania XXI.

"Luther Reigns has been released from World Wrestling Entertainment. WWE wishes him the best in his future endeavors," WWE stated on its website.

Reigns first became a familiar face in wrestling circles in World Championship Wrestling, working under the name Horshu. Though primarily wrestling on the company's weekend show "WCW Saturday Night", Reigns occasionally showed up on Nitro and Thunder.

Prior to coming into WWE as Kurt Angle's bodyguard, Reigns worked in WWE's developemental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling. While he would start his WWE TV career as an enforcer for Angle while he was Smackdown!'s general manager, he would eventually make his way into the ring. Much of his work was teaming with Mark Jindrak as part of Angle's revamped Team Angle.

Reigns is one of several on-air talents that have left WWE in the last few weeks, including Matt Hardy and Molly Holly.

Tags: WWE, Smackdown, Wrestling, Luther.

I'm back

2005-05-12T05:26:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank all my readers for their understanding while I was moving and unable to post any articles. I will have a couple more posts later today such as one about the upcoming CCW show!
Hugs,
Heather

Telling It Like It Is.....by Arguably the most stressed out man in the world right now...LOL

2005-05-12T05:21:00.000-07:00

This Week, I am not going to do a Best Champs ever, mainly because with a very nerve racking move to a new apartment, I have not had time to research my picks. So I am going to shoot on a few things this week.

First: I may have ben a little second guessing when I spoke of the Hassan-Davari angle. The real mistake has been to end it prematurely, which it looks like they are doing. I was never a fan of the angle, as I believe in these politically sensitive and dangerous times, storylines like that have no place. Maybe in 1986, but not now. But Hassan and Davari have shown they are excellent wrestlers for one main reason. They took a storyline that was not good on paper and made it work. Sometimes we do not like the gimmicks we are handed, or we look at them, and say "You want me to do THAT??!!?, but you make it work the best you can. I knew they had talent. Heck they were one of the top tag teams in the Indies for the last year, so you know they have potential. A variety of storylines can come from the possible breakup, so we will have to wait and see.

After a three year reign of Terror at RAW, it looks like The CANCER Cripple H may FINALLY be willing to accept a reduced role in the company. Rumor has it he may be going to Smackdown soon. With a loaded talent roster, Smackdown will be a change. Thankfully, this will allowRaw to develop more talent and push new stars, something Triple H hated doing.

Furthermore on Raw, I swear, this Chris Masters gimmick had better be going somewhere. It has remained stagnant for a while, and it is getting boring. Batista looks like he is feeling more comfortable with his role as Champion. Some guys just take time. But if Triple H leaves Raw and goes to Smackdown, hipefully it will help both promotions.

Sorry Hawk, but I cannot rejoice for ECW, the WWE version of the story, coming back for one night. As far as I am concerned, it is a farce. Unless I see Taz and Sabu going at it, along with Guerrero and Malenko, as well as some other great feuds, I am not interested. Well that is all for this week, take care and be well

Tags: WWE, Smackdown, Wrestling, Raw.

Please Be Patient

2005-05-09T05:08:00.000-07:00

Hello All,
Please be patient with me this week. I am moving into a new home and will be back to posting soon.
Hugs
Heather

Jarrett: TNA strives to innovate

2005-05-06T06:20:00.000-07:00

Credit:
NWA champion talks business with SLAM! Wrestling
By COREY DAVID LACROIX - SLAM! Wrestling

(sorry No Photo)
Jeff Jarrett makes no apologies about his efforts to innovate
professional wrestling. Photo courtesy of tnawrestling.com
ORLANDO -- It's Tuesday afternoon, just two days after the Lockdown
pay per view (PPV) and Jeff Jarrett is as busy as ever.

He is an active professional wrestler, current holder of the
National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) world heavyweight title. He is a
member of the higher echelon of the Total Nonstop Action (TNA)
promotion, crusading to secure a sound financial future for his
upstart company. He's a family man, trying to maintain some
semblance of a personal life in the maelstrom world of professional
wrestling.

At soundstage 21 at Universal Studios Florida, Jarrett sets aside a
few precious minutes to talk to SLAM! Wrestling. When asked about
his life and the multitude of distractions that consume him on a
daily basis, he gives an all too commonly heard answer for what
keeps him going.

"This is what I love," said Jarrett. "I grew up in this business,
it's my passion. You have to live it, eat it, sleep it, think it and
that's what I do. It certainly hasn't been easy."

Nowhere more in his career is wrestling testing his commitment than
in the last few years with TNA. From the date of its inception in
2002, the company was staring at certain oblivion when their
financial backers pulled out after only a few months. Saved by Panda
Energy, now the majority shareholders, TNA had to then convince
wrestling fans to shell out money on a weekly basis via their
initial weekly PPV format.

Along with the various personalities that have come and gone from
the promotion and the struggle to create superstars who draw a
paying audience, to say that the lifespan of TNA has been tumultuous
would be an understatement.

But despite the hurdles, they're still here, proving the skeptics
wrong and establishing themselves as the wrestling company that just
won't die. "June will be our third year anniversary. Nobody thought
that would happen and I'm excited," Jarrett said. "In the next three
to six months, TNA is going to take it to another level."

But that's par for the course.

As Jarrett explained, paramount to TNA prospering is creating a
unique identity. Nowhere have they achieved that with glowing
results than in the X Division, where the roster was given a
platform to innovate and produced a clear majority of the
promotion's most outstanding, high impact contests to date.

"The X Division truly sets us a part from any other wrestling
company in the world," said Jarrett. "TNA is truly cutting edge. We
have to be -- we can't rest on yesterday's laurels of the business.
We got to bring new things to the table and we continue to strive to
do that."

From there, the evolution of the Ultimate X matches, where
competitors would dangle above the ring from wires. The concept
delivered something new to fans while traditionalists bemoaned
another entrenched gimmick.

"It is the most important factor that we have to set ourselves
apart, not just from our competition of today, but the entire
industry. In any kind of entertainment or sporting business, you
have to have that fan base. If the fans aren't excited, if their
creative juices aren't flowing, it makes for a stale product," said
Jarrett.

"In TNA, we attempted the six-sided ring. A lot of people said it's
so non-traditional. Now, when I look at a four-sided ring, I feel
that's almost old school," he continued. "In this business, it can't
grow unless you take risks and chances. We try things here at TNA to
try and take the business to the next level."

Their most recent initiative, April's all steel cage Lockdown PPV,
was decried by some as watering down the aura of the steel cage.

"It was going to be critically acclaimed, either positively or
negatively," admitted Jarrett. "It was a gamble and we knew that --
eight cage matches with different stipulations. In my opinion, if
you're a wrestling fan, you got your money's worth."

Flawless it was not, but neither was it lackluster, with the TNA
roster tasked with the mission of making Lockdown worthy of
attention and in doing so, silence the naysayers.

No other match achieved than the main event where A.J. Styles took
on Abyss. It was a contest that clearly established Styles as the go
to performer who can deliver when it's needed the most.

Other standout matches included Christopher Daniels successfully
defending his X-Division title against Elix Skipper, the four-man
elimination bout featuring Sonjay Dutt, Chris Sabin, Shocker and
Michael Shane and America's Most Wanted retaining the tag team
championship title against Team Canada.

As always, it was the roster that took ball given to them and ran
with it, with a raucous Orlando crowd cheering them on all the way.

"From top to bottom, the effort from everyone who stepped in the
ring was unbelievable," reflected Jarrett.

The effort to establish TNA as the new alternative is not only being
marketed to the disenfranchised, but corporate America. While the
promotion has acquired television clearance on Fox Sports Net
channel, they are still in the chase to secure a lucrative weeknight
time slot that will put the promotion back into the collective
consciousness of casual wrestling fans.

"It's a lot easier from the inside looking out than opposed to being
on the outside looking in," said Jarrett, explaining that their
focus on innovation is crucial to garnering interest from the power
brokers of the entertainment world who can grant TNA the exposure
they need. "I understand that some people are scratching their heads
on certain issues. There are certain issues that we have to
distinguish ourselves when we are facing corporate America."

TNA's next PPV, entitled Hard Justice, will take place May 15th.
Visit TNA online for more details.

Tags: TNA, Jeff Jarrett, Wrestling, Hard Justice.

A Statement from Terri Runnels

2005-05-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

The following post was posted on Terri Runnels official website in regards to an event that took place on April 25,2005 between her ex husband Dustin and his current girlfriend!

"As all of
you know by now...in the wee hours of the morning on April 25th Dustin made
a very bad choice and assaulted his girlfriend at the HardRock Hotel. While
that is a horrible act alone...it was made reprehensible due to the fact
that (her daughter) Dakota was witness to it in both visual and audible
ways. She ended up going to the hospital with Dustin's girlfriend and
called me collect from the ER. I cannot tell you how helpless I felt as a
mother to be 2 hours away from her at that moment!

I have not ever made a public statement about Dustin that was negative in
any way and have always spoken positively to Dakota about her
father...however he has set a new precedent because of what he has exposed
her to therefore I will no longer cover for him. I never wanted Dakota to
see this part of her father for fear that as she got older she would see
such behavior as acceptable. It is not now and will never be acceptable!
While I am a private person and do not like my personal life exposed I
realize that I must now speak about this travesty. Years of lies and abuse
have been swept under the rug and would have stayed there had this and
other things not occurred in public. Dustin should not blame any of this on
anyone else as he has done in years past. He has to stand up and be
accountable for his actions or be completely disrespected by his child and
others around him. I do not wish anything bad for Dustin...just the
opposite. I have been supportive of him even when he was terrible to me.

I hope that he gets help and changes his life for Dakota's sake. This
doesn't have to be a horrible ending, I hope it will be a wonderful
beginning of truth, hard work and showing love not just saying it! Thanks
to all who have sent good wishes and prayers for Dakota. She is a tough
cookie and hopefully will be stronger as a result of the trials she has
been put through. Her innocence has been taken away far too early due to
the person who should have lived his life to protect her! I hope she never
has to experience anything like this ever again. Once again, thank you to
all of you who have shared love and support! Onward and upward!"

Tags: TNA, WWE, Wrestling, Terri Runnels.