ECW 2/26/2008, Cena on The Rock, Vince No-shows Congress & much more

Yesterday, I was bed-ridden with the flu, so much of what I'm about to rant about is old news, but oh well. I'm still sick, but at least today I'm a bit more ambulatory (walking the dog sure seems like manual labor when you have the flu). You may want to pull up a chair and sit down. There's a lot to write about and this is a long entry.

Here we go...

ECW 2/26/2008
I've never really mentioned this before, and I'm not sure why this is, but I think that ECW by far has the best intro of the three WWE shows. Ever since Smackdown! lost the rights to Marilyn Manson's 'Beautiful People', and Raw stopped using 'Across the Nation' (Move to the music... Play that f*cking music... move to the music, yeah...) I've felt ECW's intro was the best, so maybe it's the music. I think the ECW graphics and pyro are better too, though. Anyway...

ECW opened with the match I'd been dreading since it was mentioned on Raw. Kelly Kelly & Kofi Kington vs. Layla & Santino Marella in a mixed tag match. First off, who cares. Secondly, this wasn't supposed to be a tornado tag match, but that's basically what it was. For the most part, there was no tagging in or out. Not a lot to say here, at least, I don't feel like putting much thought into this match, so here are the high and low points (You can decide which are which):

Santino attempting to enter the ring like Layla. I guess the guy needs to do more stretches.

Tazz singing the J. Geils Band's 'Centerfold' (it made me gag)

A nice double drop kick by Kelly & Kofi

The return of Kofi Kingston's 'turnbuckle teabag' (I'm sorry, but this move is way more disgusting than Rikishi's Stinkface)

Kelly Kelly's sloppy, uncoordinated and oversold arsenal. At least she's making Mickie James' skills look good in my eyes. (Vince, if they can't wrestle, don't put them in the ring, dammit! )

Kelly Kelly's lame 'fameasser'

Tazz's comment of Kelly Kelly's 'tremendous athleticism'. She only did a cross body off of the turnbuckle, buddy... and a bad one at that.

Tazz singing 'Peter Cottontail'. Dude, stop singing.

Now that I look at it, with the exception of the drop kick, it's all bad. At least there wasn't the god-awful screeching and screaming that usually happens in Diva-related matches.

Next up, Stevie Richards vs. Mike Knox. If you didn't see it, you really didn't miss anything. Mike Knox worked Stevie Richard's neck the majority of the match (hotshot, knee drop, second rope choking, etc). Mike Knox threw an ugly clothesline, which landed across Richards' face. Knox handed Richards his ass to him the whole match, but then Richards won after only two stinger splashes and a Stevie-T. Kinda lame. Oh, and Stevie, your surgery was on the right side of your throat. You'd think that you'd know that. Next time, you may was to hold that side of your neck while you grimace in pain.

The following match was Tommy Dreamer & Colin Delaney (this week WWE finally signed the little guy) vs. Mike Miz and John Morrison. The star of this match was Tommy Dreamer. I'm glad they are finally giving him a push (thanks once again, internet voters). We got to see Colin Delaney wrestle a bit, but for the most part he still played the part of 'human crash test dummy'. Miz & Morrison pulled off an amazing tag-in double team move on Delaney. I'd try to put it into words, but I couldn't do it justice. Dreamer got the win after a Dreamer DDT, which appears to have set up a re-match next week with the titles on the line.

The main event was CM Punk vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Elijah Burke in a #1 Contenders match, with Chavo Guerrero as a guest commentator (who was horrible on the mic, as usual). I was actually looking forward to this match. The match started with an impressive roundhouse head kick by Shelton Benjamin, knocking Elijah Burke out of the ring. I was glad to see this right out of the gate, as I was expecting them to team up on CM Punk for the first half of the match. Elijah returned the favor by giving Shelton a low bridge when bouncing off of the rope. The show stealing move of the night: Punk and Burke when having a suplex battle across the top rope. Shelton Benjamin run in, jumping over the two and sunset flip-powerbombs CM Punk onto the floor (see video below, 2:19 in).

We knew that Shelton wouldn't win this match, as he qualified for the ladder match at WrestleMania on Friday's Smackdown, but he really should have. A very impressive performance.

Final ECW thoughts: Tazz, what the hell are you wearing? Even Jerry Lawler wouldn't wear a shirt that fugly.


John Cena's interview in The Sun
On Tuesday, the UK Tabloid The Sun posted and article with excepts from an interview they did with John Cena. In the printed article, it seems like The Sun has taken a few liberties with creative quoting that paints John Cena as bashing The Rock for 'turning his back on the business'. The article quotes John Cena as saying:

'What I kind of get peeved about — and this is my Achilles heel — is that I've wanted to do this my whole life.'

'At one point Rock loved wrestling and wanted to do this all his life.'

'So explain to me why he can't come back. Simply put it's because he wants to be an actor and there's nothing wrong with that.'

'He's very good and very successful. Associating with sports entertainment doesn't do much for his acting career — I get it.'

'Just don't f*ck me around and tell me that you love this. That's the only thing that gets me really p*ssed off.'

'Our fan base have so much admiration for him, he's got to respect that. He doesn't give anything back.'

I listened to the interview, and like the CNN steroid interview, what he said was taken out of context and a little bit different without the editing. What was left out of the article on the website was:

'This is my take on The Rock. He’s genuinely a nice guy. I’ve met him. He's a fantastic human being.'

'Like I said, he is a great guy. But I think we all know now that he wants to be an actor. And there’s nothing wrong with that, because he’s truly found another passion. He’s good at acting. His films make money.'

In regard to the Rock coming back, what he really said was:

'Explain to me why he can’t come back for our 15th anniversary show or why he can’t make an appearance at WrestleMania. Simply put, it's because he wants to be an actor. There's nothing wrong with that. He's a very good actor. He's very successful. He's done very well for himself and associating with sports entertainment doesn't do much for his acting career, it only helps out the sports entertainment audience. So I get why he doesn't come back. Just don't f*ck me around and tell me that you love this, when you're just doing this to do something else. That's the only thing that gets me really p*ssed off.'

'He has so much admiration from our audience... to have that much admiration still when he hasn't been around or hasn't been on TV, you've got to respect that from our fan base. He doesn't give anything back... I wish he’d just show up, say hi and leave... Do the eyebrow once and get out of town'

The funny thing is, I more agree with the John Cena misquotes. The Rock was 'The Great One'. He has turned his back on us. His movies aren't that spectacular, and was far more entertaining in the ring. Yes, I know Rock... movies pay more. What can I say? I'm selfish.

Listening to the interview, I have to say that I was peeved at his laughing about what Simon Rothstein and Joel Ross defined what 'proper' wrestling fans were. Not cool John, but I'll get over it. He also spoke about his injury, fans that say he can't wrestle, his time in OVW, Santino Marella, Chris Benoit and more. Given that this is the second misquoted interview with John Cena from a major media source, I can't see that WWE will let him do many more interviews.

If you want to read the article on the Sun: Cena: The Rock P***es Me Off
Whether you are a John Cena fan, or hater, I more recommend listening to the actual interview. I for one, have a bit more respect for John Cena after listening to a non-kayfabe interview. It will open up in iTunes: John Cena's Interview


Floyd Mayweather, Jr vs. Big Show: Floyd's Payday
During the WrestleMania press conference, Floyd Mayweather mentioned that he was getting $20 million dollars for his WrestleMania involvement. Shane McMahon later confirmed this figure. Jim Ross also confirmed the figure in his blog. I for one, find this figure hard to believe. Whether it's $20 million, or $10 thousand, WWE is throwing money away in my opinion. As I've said again and again, we wrestling fans are not going to get behind the guy as a face after he threw legit punches and broke Big Show's nose the night of his big return. That was supposed to be Big Show's moment, and you ruined it, Floyd.



Ohio Valley Wrestling
Last night was the final taping of 'WWE OVW'. Any titles that were held by WWE developmental talents were dropped. In an article posted on the Courier Journal (Louisville, KY) website, OVW says that they will continue the televised promotion, as well as their wrestling school. The Courier Journal quotes OVW office manager as saying:

'The only thing that's changing are the faces. We're still going to go strong.'

For the full article: Ohio Valley Wrestling knocked down, not out


Return of the 'Monday Night War'?
There's been a rumor floating around the internet that TNA, with Jeff Jarrett being the most vocal, wants to move TNA iMPACT to Monday nights to go head to head against WWE Monday Night Raw. While I think WWE definately needs competition to bring the quality way up, I don't see TNA offering competition in any way whatsoever. TNA 's writing team, as well as production values would both need a major tune-up before they take on the Monday night juggernaut. If they are silly enough to make the schedule move before this happens, I predict the death of TNA. The two products aren't even comparable.


Vince McMahon No-showed at Congress Hearing
On Wednesday, Vince McMahon was a no-show at Congress' steroid hearing. Vince cited his attorney's involvement in a lengthy criminal trial in Pittsburgh as the reason. Newsday.com quotes subcommittee chairman Bobby Rush as saying the following in resonse to Vince's abscence:

'Steroid abuse in pro wrestling is probably worse than in any professional sport or amateur sport. And while I recognize that professional wrestling is not actually a sport, it certainly requires a great deal of athletic talent, I want to insure Mr. McMahon that this subcommittee fully intends to deal with the illegal steroid abuse in professional wrestling'

For Pete's sake. This is our tax dollars at work. Don't you politicians have more pressing matters to nitpick? How about Iraq, global warming, unemployment and the price of oil, just to name a few. Sometimes I just don't get our government.

Full article: WWE's McMahon blasted by Congress

and speaking of politcians... (yeah, I know... weird segue)


Lance Storm's Knee Surgery
Lance Storm had knee surgery this week. His latest blog entry really makes me wonder about socialized medicine and universal health care. More importantly, here's to a speedy recovery, Lance. I wish you the best.

For Lance Storm's commentary about his surgery: Knee Surgery


Well, that's all for today, folks. If you made all the way through to the end, congratulations. Come back tomorrow for my ramblings on TNA iMPACT

Weekend Wrap Up: Smackdown 2/22/2008, Oscars & More

So... I haven't posted an Entry in a couple days. Honestly, I just haven't felt like it. That's alright, I'll kill three birds with one stone.

WWE Friday Night Smackdown! 2/22/2008
I didn't write my normal commentary on Smackdown, because, well... I thought it sucked. The only entertaining portion was the Money in the Bank qualifying match between Shelton Benjamin and Jimmy Wang Yang. This match, is exactly what I was talking about in my 'WWE Monday Night Raw, 2/18/2008' entry. As much as I would like to see Jimmy Wang Yang in a ladder match, I knew that Shelton Benjamin would get the win (who has been awesome in past ladder matches, by the way). My whole point here, is they put Shelton in the match with an opponent that made it competitive. It was a fantastic, high flying match. These two guys are great talents.

The only other redeeming quality about Friday's airing was the epiphany I had. If they ever decide to do a re-make of Mel Brook's Young Frankenstein, Festus would be the perfect guy to play Peter Boyle's monster. I also think that it's too bad that Festus isn't hairier. He be the perfect son of George 'The Animal' Steele.

80th Annual Academy Awards. 'The Oscars'
I trudged through this crap last night, basically because there wasn't much else on. I was surprised to see Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson as a presenter. I gotta tell you Rock, I know you're living out your whole movie star fantasy, but please come back. Your movies are okay, but they aren't terribly spectacular. You were much more entertaining in the ring. Plus, I gotta say, seeing you in a tuxedo is just plain wrong (yes, more wrong than a T-shirt and stretchy man-panties.

WWE WrestleMania 24 Press Conference
While yes, I live here in Los Angeles, and could easily have gone to the Staples Center to see this live, I chose to sit here and watch the video stream on the internet. Fighting LA traffic all the way into downtown is not my idea of fun. Anyway, here's the recap:

Jonathan Coachman opens the press the press conference to introduce Vince McMahon. Thankfully, Vince walks out normally and doesn't so that awful 'powerwalk'. I guess he reserves that for the entrance ramp. Vince went on to define 'WWE', as if the world doesn't get it. World: Vince calls the WWE the world's greatest export. Wrestling: Here he talks abit about wrestling, but goes on to call WWE 'the only variety show left on television'. Entertainment: Vince claims to 'entertain our audience better than anyone else in the world'. Vince McMahon talks a bit about the first WrestleMania, and references the Hulk Hogan & Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorf, and then elaborates on celebrity involvement. He made it a point to note that for only the second time WrestleMania 24 will be held in an outdoor venue, and that it will 'allow us to do things that we can't do indoors'. Hopefully, he means something besides just more pyro (Rumor has it that this year's WrestleMania will have 10 times more pyro than any prior events). That's cool and all, but I don't buy pay per views to watch fireworks on TV.

Coach then introduces John Cena, who gets a mixed reaction from the crowd, but there certainly seemed to be more 'boos'. Many of the crowd begin to chant 'you suck'. Cena praises and thanks Vince McMahon. He goes on to say that he, 'won't predict a win or loss, but guarantees history will be made'.

Coach then brings out Randy Orton. Randy Orton had a bad wardrobe day. He was wearing jeans with what looked like a tuxedo jacket. Typical Orton dialogue. John Cena giggles like a school girl when the crowd start chanting 'Cena'. Disgusting. Randy Orton wraps things up by saying, 'March 30th, I will not only walk out WWE champion, but no longer will I be known as the Legend Killer. March 30th I will be known as a Legend'

Next out is Triple H. Again, like Orton, typical Triple H ramblings. Hunter seemed to lose his train of thought and called the crowd 'crazy', followed with 'I forgot we were in LA'.
Triple H vows that at WrestleMania the 'King of Kings goes back on his throne'.

Coach re-takes the podium and starts talking about the Diva search. My stomach drops, because I know they are about to announce something stupid for WrestleMania. Candice Michelle and Maria come out to announce the 'first ever Playboy Bunny Mania match'. Whatever the hell that is, you can bet your ass it's gonna suck. Candice announces that it's Maria's birthday, which results in the crowd giving the worst rendition of 'Happy Birthday' that I've ever heard in my life.

The divas are followed by Edge, who basically said the same things he said on Friday Night Smackdown. 'I'm undefeated at WrestleMania too...' Blah, blah, blah...

Coach announces Rey Mysterio. Rey was wearing a god-awful black velvet mask with purple trim. It didn't go particularly well with a pinstripe suit. When Rey took the podium the mics were tall than he and began standing on his tip toes before lower the mic. He talked a bit about his injury and speaks to the crowd in a mix of English and Spanish. This would have been fine, but he never repeated in English what he said in Spanish like Ediie Guerrero used to do. Rey announced that his bicep surgery will be on Wednesday, but that it 'won't effect him helping his boy, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Every time Rey would mention Floyd Mayweather's name, the crowd erupted in boos. Vince, I hope you took note. We, the audience, do not like Floyd Mayweather.

The next bit confused me a little. I'm not sure whey it took a progression of three guys, to announce one guy.

For some reason, Coach brings out Mike Adamle. Mike rattles on about smalls guys being victorious over big guys. When Mike Adamle mentions Floyd Mayweather, the crowd boos. Mike Adamle introduces Shane McMahon.

Shane McMahon takes the podium and talks about WWE and Floyd Mayweather 'joining forces; The crowd boos. He mentions how the world is watching, and third parties such as HBO, Direct TV and Dish Network are nervous about the outcome. Personally, I don't care. After how unprofessional Mayweather was the night of Big Show's return, I hope he gets injured. That's right, I'm wishing ill on another human being. Sue me. For no apparent reason, the crowd starts a 'Cena' chant, followed by a 'Triple H' chant for no apparent reason in the middle of Shane McMahon's speech.

Shane introduces Floyd Mayweather. The fans are not happy to see him and he draw immediate heat from the crowd. The crowd stars chanting 'Yankees Suck' in response to Floyd's outfit. He stood there dumbfounded, saying nothing for roughly 5 minutes. For some reason he pulls a bundle of $100 bills out of his jacket and shows the crowd. He finally speaks... well kinda... he kept repeating 'I got all day'. The guy definitely looked rattled. The fans begin chanting 'you suck', which was followed by a 'de la Hoya' chant, which was followed by a 'Big Show' chant. Flord Mayweather then took Big Show's name placard off the table and ripped it up. For a guy that is supposedly so 'good on the mic' according to some sports writers, Floyd Mayweather is out of his element. He still is standing speechless, removed the bundle of cash and acts as if he is going to throw it into the crowd. He's that desperate, drowning that badly, that he is going to attempt to pay off the crowd. He stands on the table, flashing his money, inciting the crowd. He then jumps down and starts 'listening to the crowd' like Hulk Hogan would do. He ends up tossing money into the non-media section of the audience. After picking up the money, they continue to boo him. Floyd returns to the mic, apparently now ready to speak. He says that he is going to change the name of the WWE to the MME, Money Mayweather Entertainment. He also claims that he 'owns this city now', that he 'runs LA' and also 'runs WWE'. The crowd responds by chanting 'you suck big time'. The brags about his 'lifestyle', his 'money', and 'how good I look'. Boy, you sure do know how to win friends and influence people, Floyd. He says that he'll give people money if they tell him that he's the champ. Paying off the crowd? C'mon. Keep in mind, that this moron is saying all of these things with Shane McMahon directly to his left, champions Orton and Edge behind him, and Vince McMahon just behind the curtain. Finally, (Fi-nal-ly! ) he sits down. This was a fiasco and I want that half hour of my life back. Heh.

Mike Adamle returns to the podium to announce the Big Show. Apparently, Big Show is too big for the internet, because as his music started playing and came through the curtain my video stream disconnected. I wasn't able to rejoin the web feed. Too bad too, I would have liked to have heard the crowd chant Big Show's name and embarrass the little bastard.

I hope Vince took notes. We, the viewing audience, decide who's a heel, and who's a face. You can't force-feed us Floyd Mayweather as a face. We don't care if Rey Mysterio is supposedly his friend, and supposedly training him or not. This storyline needed a change of direction last week. I'd recommend changing it tonight on Raw. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

In Defense of Kurt Angle

So last night I was reading the Camel Clutch blog. Normally, I'm a fan, and agree with what Eric Gargiulo writes.

Last night was different. Eric's article yesterday was a 'Let's bash Kurt Angle' article, or as he put it, "the newest edition of 'Kurt Angle... idiot'". Now I don't have any issues with Eric or Camel Clutch specifically... and I am by no means 'calling him out'... and I'm not intending to pick a fight,

but...

Eric's article is the straw that broke Shawn Michael's back. There seems to be a growing trend with wrestling blogs, news and gossip sites, and frankly, I have had enough. It seems like many have turned their back on Kurt Angle, and unjustly so.

So where do I begin?

I suppose we'll start with Eric Gargiulo's rant. The focus of Eric's bashing was in response to Kurt Angle's appearance on The Scott Ferrel Show on Sirius satellite radio. I didn't listen to the show, so I'm trusting that what Eric is writing about is accurate. In the interview, Kurt Angle apparently voiced interest in fighting Randy Couture. Well, first of all, let's address what Eric said:

"Couture just signed a deal with HD Net, Mark Cuban’s MMA promotion. Cuban has the resources to make this fight happen, but so does UFC."

Well, the possibilities of this happening, at least before October, are no, Randy's not with the UFC anymore. Randy retired with UFC due to their inability to sign Fedor Emelianenko... and no, due to the non-compete clause, Randy Couture can't work with any rival companies until at least October. (Zuffa LLC Files Injunction Against Hall of Famer)

As for Kurt Angle's 'excuse after excuse' about why he won't take fights, and Dana White 'calling bullsh*t'. It's well known that Dana wouldn't allow Kurt Angle to continue to wrestle if he signed a deal with UFC. Kurt is loyal to TNA for obvious reasons (we'll talk more about that later).

I wonder what examples you are thinking of, exactly, Eric. Do you mean the challenge from Ken Shamrock? Who would be willing to face Ken Shamrock with only 2.5 months of training allowed before the fight? Are you talking about Daniel Puder? I don't think anyone in pro wrestling would give Puder the respect of facing him after he took the easy way into the business and then bailed on his Tough Enough contract. As for Randy Couture, who knows if Kurt Angle would stand a chance... but if you think Angle wouldn't be successful in MMA, you're a fool. Regardless of prior injuries, the guy is built like, and moves like, a jungle cat. Anyway, I'm sorry that this entry so far seems to be directed at you, Eric, it wasn't meant to be.

Moving on. I'm sick of hearing that Kurt Angle is 'delusional', or 'in denial', or 'insane'. So cut it out, bucko.

First let's address the new TNA iMPACT! video game being done by Midway. Kurt Angle drew a lot of heat for remarks he made about the game. Read on:

"Midway made us all care about [the game], because it made us all realize how important the video game industry is for our sport,"

"WWE don't care. They just want to put something together, hurry it up and get it out there just to make money. We spent a lot of money to make this the most authentic wrestling game ever, and we did it."

"This thing is going to be the biggest hit of any video game ever, especially in the wrestling industry, is the most authentic wrestling game ever made. The game is so realistic, it looks like our television show.

"Within two or three years, TNA is going to be the biggest company in the wrestling world, and this game is going to be our kick-off,"

Okay. Well, WWE doesn't care about video games. This is evidenced by the latest WWE game, Smackdown vs. Raw 2008. If you haven't played it, read my review here on Wrestling Rant. Pong! was a better wrestling game than SvR 2008. It's obvious from looking at the screenshots that TNA's game is a far cry from any other wrestling titles. I don't know that TNA's new game would overtake Halo 3, but it's going to sell well in the sports and action titles. As for the last statement... while it's a little ambitious, I don't necessarily know that it's delusional. A lot can happen in three years... and no one but TNA knows what their business plan is. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I am the furthest thing from a fan of the TNA product, but I honestly hope they do get their act together and succeed.

Now let's talk about Kurt's statements about TNA itself. Sure, Kurt Angle might be a bit liberal or broad when talking about the margin between WWE and TNA ratings... but you know what? That's marketing. Do you expect him to say, 'Oh yeah Vince is kicking our ass in the ratings this week'. Of course not. He believes in the product, and he's going to do whatever he can to help the company along. Kurt Angle is standing behind the company that stood behind him in the aftermath of Kurt Angle's WWE release.

Does no one remember the whole (I'm paraphrasing) "Olympic Gold Medals and 50 cents will get you a cup of coffee." comment made by Vince McMahon?

I mean geezus... I wouldn't go so far as to say Kurt Angle carried WWE, but ever since Kurt Angle blew his nose in Tiger Ali Singh's flag in March of '99, he was the staple of the company through 2006. When Triple H was injured... when Shawn Michaels was injured... when Undertaker was on hiatus... when the The Rock left... when Brock Lesnar left... when 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin left... when Mick Foley left... (etc. etc. etc.) Kurt Angle was there. Hell, even when he re-injured his neck after Wrestlemania 20 he stayed on board in the god-awful GM-in-a-wheelchair storyline on Smackdown. Most guys would have taken off. With all the things he did for WWE, Vince had the nerve to make the 'cup of coffee' comment because Kurt was asking for a lighter schedule? To make matters worse, Vince McMahon insinuates the Kurt Angle was being released because had a drug problem? Ridiculous.

The guy put his ass on the line for us for years. He busted his ass for us for years. Did I forget to mention that he won an Olympic gold medal with a 'broken freakin' neck'? Give Kurt Angle the respect he deserves, and stop nitpicking. Whether you like it or not, Kurt Angle is one of the all-time greats. Oh it's true, it's damn true.



Find Eric Gargiulo Camel Clutch article here: Guess who Kurt wants to Fight Now?
I also highly recommend Professor Netwon Gimmick's article and timeline on TNA News: The Professor's Position on Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle Website: Kurt Angle

Hulk Hogan Challenges Ric Flair to a Match at Wrestlemania: Revisited

You know, I was just thinking...

Thinking about the whole Hulk Hogan video on MTV.com yesterday.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's my entry from yesterday: Hulk Hogan Challenges Ric Flair to a Match at Wrestlemania

Anyway... this isn't going to be one of my long winded diatribes. My thought was since Hulk Hogan seems to have such loose lips... (see my thoughts on this here: Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff vs. Vince McMahon) ...what if this deal is already done?

I'll be curious to see if this pops up on one of the WWE shows, and if Hogan opened his mouth early, like he seemingly has done in the past. Yeah, it's good to build buzz, but if, if, IF this is a done deal, I'm pretty sure Vince wanted it kept quiet until WWE releases it.

Disclaimer: This is all speculation. I'm not one to perpetuate rumors.

Hulk Hogan Challenges Ric Flair to a Match at Wrestlemania 24

You read that headline correctly.

In a video interview posted on MTV.com this morning, that's what Hulk Hogan is saying.

In the video, Hogan says, 'They need a main event real bad. When I think about Ric Flair stylin' and profilin', when I think about Hulk Hogan going head on head with Ric Flair in my backyard... They got a lot of tickets, brother, that need to be sold. The power of the 'mania, brother? Could be strong, brother.'

When asked if he was going to put Ric Flair out for good, Hogan replied, 'Either he'll put me out for good, or I'll put him out for good. One or the other. That would be the match of the new millennium. Hogan vs. Flair. Maybe get Vince McMahon as a special guest referee. Game on.'

Oh brother.

While this would sell a ton of pay per views, I can't see that Vince would ever do it. I mean, how could he? If Hogan wins, yes, Flair retires, but then Hogan gets a huge push right before he (supposedly) launches his new, rival wrestling promotion with Eric Bischoff. If Hogan loses, Flair has to stick around, and they have to figure out how to get rid of him again.

Smart move, Hulk. Even someone such as myself, who hates to watch the old-timers do the same moves they've done for decades, would be eager to watch. I don't think Vince is greedy enough to go for it. It wouldn't be a good business decision, if your new promotion is legit.


To read the article and watch the video: Celebrity Faves (about halfway down the page)

WWE Monday Night Raw, 2/18/2008

I was highly disappointed in Monday Night Raw last night. It kind of felt like watching TNA. It's been a rough week... maybe I'm just burnt out. To be honest, I don't feel like putting much effort into writing this... but I will.

We opened with the promo with Triple H, then Randy Orton and John Cena. We see that Kevin Eck (RIng Posts) was right, and it's a triple threat at Wrestlemania. Lame. You know, I realize that it's just the way it is', and it's the way it's been done for years, but I'm sick of it. I am sick of buying pay per views, that are supposed to determine the direction of things to come, only to have it changed the following night on the televised shows.

What am I talking about?

Triple H vs. Randy Orton vs. John Cena: Well... let's see... the Royal Rumble is supposed to determine the challenger in the Main Event at Wrestlemania... but no... the storyline has John Cena give up his Wrestlemania 24 spot to challenge at No Way Out instead. In my mind, that's his one shot. Randy screws Cena out of the belt at No Way Out. Triple H wins the Raw Elimination Chamber. So it's now Randy Orton vs. Triple H... but no... now John Cena is back in the Main Event. Ultimately, we got what 'should' have happened as a result of the Royal Rumble, plus Triple H. I feel like, at least in this storyline, Raw wasted a month of my time, and money spent at two pay per views. Why are we supposed to buy pay per views, when you just change the result on Monday night? I'm sorry, but the constant switcheroo is extremely frustrating to me. Please make up your mind.

Jeff Hardy vs. Gene Snitsky: Did anyone honestly believe Snitsky being in a ladder match at Wrestlemania when his opponent is Jeff Hardy? I didn't. I wish they would have used an opponent more suited for a ladder match. Again, Kevin Eck was right (Kevin, do you have backstage source? I think so). Jeff Hardy qualifies for the Money in the Bank ladder match.
Side note: Jeff Hardy's new entrance music is awful

Shawn Michaels Hall of Fame Promo: Last night, with a tear in his eye, we saw Shawn Michaels announce Ric Flair as the 2008 first inductee for the Hall of Fame. I'm not gonna beat a dead horse about the apparent Flair/HBK match at Wrestlemania. At least we (hopefully) will see HBK turn heel again. My thoughts on the matter are here in the Kennedy vs. Flair section: WWE No Way Out 2008

Paul Burchill vs. Super Crazy: Not a whole lot to say here, but thank god it looks like the subliminal incestuous releationship angle is gone. I wouldn't be too sure about that 'bright future' in the WWE, King. This guy isn't getting over. Other than the few, pathetic 'Su-per Cra-zay' chants, you could have heard a pin drop in the arena. Poor Super Crazy. Relegated to jobber. You didn't have to call him old, JR. I wouldn't call him old... or fat. Oops.

Big Show with Floyd Mayweather Promo: "Anaheim! What's up?!" (Can you hear the crickets chirping?) I am still pissed about what happened at No Way Out. I know Wrestlemania traditionally has celebrity interaction in one form or another, and over the years there has been a fair share of boxers. You never saw Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, Butterbean or Mike Tyson break anyone's nose. What an ass. Oh, by the way, Floyd, you suck on the mic.

Ken Kennedy vs. Val Venis: See my comments above. No one believed that Val was going to get the win and be in a ladder match at Wrestlemania.
Side note: Kennedy's new theme music wasn't much better than Jeff's, and the 'Ken-Na-Dy's were out of sync.

Vince McMahon vs. Hornswoggle: I haven't been into where this storyline is going. I definately was not okay with what happened last night. Seriously, I know this is all kayfabe but it was disturbing. You're right, Finlay, 'This IS wrong". In my opinion, the crowd is on board with me. I think those boos were boos of 'this is not okay', rather than just a reaction to what was happening in the storyline. I don't know if Jericho was injured in the chamber, but there really should have been a run-in by him to stop this. My guess is JBL & Vince vs. Finlay & Y2J at Wrestlemania 24. Finlay put on a great performance. I believed his distraught yelling and pain... I'd give him an Oscar. You went too far with this one, Vince. This was disgusting and we do not approve.

Maria with Santino Marella vs. Beth Phoenix: Who cares... and what a cheap way to get the win.

Randy Orton vs. John Cena with Triple H as Referee: Since John Cena returned I am not really getting why Randy Orton is now being written as a cowardly champion. The only thing that I have considered is that he's being punished for backstage politics. It's been rumored that there is a new clique backstage (Orton, Carlito, Umaga, Mysterio and MVP), and Randy is the ringmaster (New Clique in WWE). I read elsewhere (sorry, I don't remember the source) that Randy Orton says things just within earshot of others walking by, while Randy is having a conversation with friends. The target of the comment is unable to tell if the comment is actually directed at them or not. (The example given was Shawn Michaels) Of course, there's no really way to know if this is true or not, and it's probably just a rumor.

I'm rambling again...

Anyway, as expected we wound up with a triple threat at Wrestlemania, with Triple H closing the show by giving a Pedigree to Orton and Cena after the match.

Bah.

Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff vs. Vince McMahon?

Holy crap.

I just stumbled onto an interesting bit of news... and I can't believe that I haven't heard this yet.

I was just on The Sun, and there lies before me a headline that reads: Hulk Hogan to Start WWE Rival.

According to the article, Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff (former head of WCW, if you don't know), are in discussions to take on WWE with their own wrestling promotion.

Hulk Hogan is quoted as saying the following:

"Last night me and Eric were getting ready to sign a deal with one of the TV networks here in America.

We had a little bit of a problem with the licensing and merchandising, which has delayed it.

But I totally expect we’re going to sign the TV portion of this very soon, because there’s no point in starting any sort of wrestling organisation without the TV locked in place."

Hulk added:

'The basic idea will be the same as WWE, but I pray to god it’s nothing like what’s on TV now.

I’m a fan, but it is pretty boring programming. It’s watered down and unexciting, and the viewer doesn’t have any option except to have it shoved down his throat.

We’re going to have a lot of back story for viewers to understand why these people are doing what they're doing.

It won’t be family members in the back writing storylines on things they know nothing about.'

(Ouch. pretty sure that's a dig at you, Steph)

Well well well. It seems like Hulk has loose lips. Now he's talking about this new 'potential' wrestling promotion before it's a done deal, last month he told TMZ about NBC ordering 12 more episodes (maybe it was 16, I don't remember) of American Gladiators before that deal was announced, as well as his daughter Brooke being on Dancing with the Stars. The 'HBF' (Hogan/Bischoff Federation... that's what I'm calling it) must be what Hulk was going on about on his 'The View' appearance. See that blog entry for the video (click here), but it was something along the lines of:

'wrestling used to be about the wrestling, the art...it seems like now there are lots of people talking about what they are going to do.'

Not an exact quote, but it's late and I don't feel like watching that video again.

When he was asked what Vince McMahon thought about all this, Hogan replied:

'I have no idea what Vince thinks or knows about all of this, I don’t speak to him.'

Now there's good and bad about this whole situation. The good is, WWE needs competition. Things have gone stale. I think the WWE was at it's height during the Monday Night War. The bad is, TNA will most likely get squashed before it can get it's act together.

I have a theory... maybe not a good theory... and the last thing that I want to do is start a rumor, but... wouldn't it be interesting if the reason The CW willingly gave up it's highest-rated show, Friday Night Smackdown, was to sign a deal with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. I doubt this is the case, but it makes sense to me. Why else would they give up their ratings... and why would Hogan/Bischoff want to put their fledgling promotion up against the juggernaut that is Monday Night Raw?

For the full interview on The Sun: Hulk Hogan to Start WWE Rival

Too tired to write more... maybe in the morning.

Dana Takes a Page from Vince's Playbook

I just read an article by Jack Encarnacao (The Fight Network), on Fox Sports on MSN.

I must say, I'm a little shocked.

The headline reads, 'Zuffa LLC files injunction against Hall-of-Famer'. Before I started reading, I knew exactly what this meant. If you don't follow MMA, let me translate:

'UFC files injunction against Randy Couture'. This is WWE vs. Brock Lesnar all over again.

Now I don't follow MMA like I do professional wrestling, so I don't know every dirty little detail, but I do pay attention. Basically the gist of things here is that due to what Randy was getting paid as compared to other fighters, and the UFC deal with Fedor Emelianenko not happening, he wanted to quit UFC. Randy Couture wanted to fight the best guy in the world, and it fell through. When it was announced that Fedor Emelianenko signed with M-1, Randy Couture resigned from UFC the next day.

Randy has since started working with the International Fight League (You may have seen IFL on TV... MMA fighters are organized into teams). Randy Couture was going to corner a team of fighters from his camp, Team Quest.

...but not so fast. According to the non-compete clause in his UFC 'employment agreement', Randy Couture cannot associate himself with, or work with a promoter of any non-UFC event. So what does this mean for Randy Couture? According to Jack Encarnacao's article, 'The injunction could prevent Couture from appearing at the Feb. 29 event or on any other non-UFC MMA card until October. It may also thwart the IFL's plans to use Couture's gym, Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts, as a promotional tool since it bears his name.'

Ouch.

See, I told you, WWE vs. Brock Lesnar all over again. Will this mean if Randy wants to fight, he's going to have to join Pride FC or K-1 and (like Brock) move to Japan? It does if he wants to fight before October.

Now I don't know Dana White or Randy Couture, and I realize that all I really know about them and their relationship is what the editting room of The Ultimate Fighter showed me... but it seemed pretty obvious to me that Dana White and Randy Couture were good friends and had a lot of mutual respect for each other. I guess that's why this all surprised me so much. It's a shame that this has to happen to a guy that seems like a class act.

If you'd like to read the article, here you go: Zuffa LLC files injunction against Hall-of-Famer

Hmm... WWE is based in Connecticut and Vince McMahon has a home there... Dana White was born in Connecticut. Maybe it's something in the water...

WWE Monday Night Raw 2/11/2008

Monday Night Raw opened with the Hornswoggle vs. Mr. McMahon match. You know, almost every time that Vince walks the ramp (especially so if he is in wrestling gear), I have to chuckle. See, I can't help but remember the Vince McMahon of my childhood, the 1980's, skinny announcer, pre-powerwalking Vince. It's really quite remarkable how big he is now, when compared to the younger Vince McMahon.

Anyhow, enough reminiscing... Hornswoggle vs. Vince:

I can't say that I was looking forward to this match since they announced it last week. To be honest, I don't really like where the whole story line has gone, and is going (Seriously, a steel cage match next week? C'mon). Regardless, there were some things to talk about:
* An Elbow & Collar tie-up between a 6'2" man and a 'little person'. Um, what's the point?
* Speaking of points, Vince McMahon's incredibly pointy elbows. I'd swear he had 'pointy elbow implants', if there were such a thing
* A 'Test of Strength' between a 6'2" man and a 'little person'. Again, what's the point? Heh.
* Finlay clubbing Vince McMahon with a shillelagh. My gut reaction was, 'Holy s***! He really hit him!'. We would see later in a promo with William Regal that Vince, indeed, was clubbed. He had a huge golf ball-sized bump on the back of his head. It looked like the lump that appears when an anvil is dropped on Wile E. Coyote. Ouch.

Y2J vs. JBL. A fairly good-paced match. I was surprised to see Chris Jericho using some dirty tactics (forehead biting, face raking, etc), but I suppose this is a part of the 'new Jericho'. Jericho also did a nice step-up enzuigiri, reminiscent of a shining wizard. The match ended with Jericho's new finisher, the codebreaker, and Y2J getting the pin. I was actually fairly bummed that this is his new finisher, an obvious rip off of Carlito's backstabber. Umaga ran in after the match and gave samoan spikes to both Y2J and JBL. I can't say that this surprised me... I've never seen the Umaga character as having loyalty to anyone. he's a stand-alone character.

Tonight, we also saw an anti-steriod WWE PSA featuring John Cena. Viewing Audience, we've been put on notice... In addition to the locker room, the entire viewing audience is now governed by WWE's Wellness Program. So don't use drugs, use steroids or growth hormones... and watch what allergy medications you take or we'll all be suspended. There are no shortcuts to your goals.

Next up, the re-introduction of Paul Burchill (& his 'sister'), vs. Brian Kendrick. It irritated me that JR acted as if we'd never seen Paul Burchill before. ('...very talented, or so we have been told'). It's hard to forget the pirate gimmick, JR. No, he wasn't on Raw before, but still.
...oh by the way, the WKC Dog Show is now being shown on CNBC. Dogs Rule! (if you watched Raw, you know what I am talking about)... now back to the rant...
Paul Burchill does have a pretty cool finisher... it's his old finisher from OVW, the Curb Stomp (deathlock surfboard followed by a head stomp into the canvas). He followed this with a rolling cutter.
A couple of side notes:
* Stop the subliminal incestuous chemistry gimmick between the Burchills now. It's freakin' creepy.
* It's really a shame that Kendrick is being wasted as a jobber. The guy has a lot of talent. Seriously, he's becoming the Raw version of ECW's Colin Delaney.

We saw Cena vs. Mark Henry with RKO at the announce table last night. Not much to note except it was a relatively short match. I'm sure 'the message' was supposed to be, 'Cena can beat Henry in about three minutes', but the message I received (and I'm sure many other marks received) was, 'we're continuing to rest Cena'.
Side note:
* None of us believe that the Randy Orton character is afraid of Cena to the point that he won't make eye contact or stand up. Ridiculous.

Kennedy & Ric Flair in-ring promo. Great promo. Awesome promo. These two characters were made to rant at each other. I have to say, I'm pretty damn excited about the possibilities here. Not that I am necessarily excited about the match itself, but the possibilities afterward (Sorry, I'm not a Ric Flair fan. I haven't been in many years. Frankly, he's boring). Regardless of who wins, picture Flair taking Kennedy under his wing and mentoring him. I agreed with what HBK said at the Royal Rumble about the similarities between the two characters (loud mouth with platinum blond hair with catch phrase, that gimmick will never work), but agree even more so after last night's promo. Honestly, I am hoping that what HBK said was foreshadowing. I wouldn't consider it a predictions, but I would like to see Kennedy retire Flair, they shake hands, Flair retires from wrestling and becomes Kennedy's valet.
Side note:
* Kennedy's Flair strut is hilarious

There was Divas match between Maria & Melina last night. It wasn't as bad as usual Diva matches we've been seeing. Not much overselling or missed spots. Melina has certainly improved and executed a pretty cool octopus stretch that I'd not seen her use before. The screeching and squealing still irritates the Hell out of me, and there was more than usual last night. Whoever in creative told the Divas, 'okay, I'd like you to give us more squealing' is a moron.
Side note:
* We still don't care about Divas being in Playboy.
* Someone please teach Maria how to throw a clothesline (Bradshaw, I'm looking at you)

The Main Event was Shawn Michaels vs. Jeff Hardy. As one would expect, a match with good pace and good action. For once I didn't get irritated with HBK's tired signature moves (nip-up, elbow drop, inverted atomic drop, etc. Sweet Chin Music always irritates me. Whenever he throws SCM I want someone to capture suplex him), they actually fit into this match quite well. HBK busted Jeff Hardy open after a very hard clothesline (HBK, maybe you should be the one to teach Maria). Soon after Jeff was seen bleeding from the nose and lip piercing. We also saw HBK put various submissions on Jeff, who would then escape. The match ended with a Swanton (of course), giving Jeff Hardy the win. I hope they let Jeff main event Wrestlemania, instead of building him up like they did before the loss at Royal Rumble. It's time for a different kind of champion.

Final side note:
Week #2 with no sign of Triple H. Well, at least they didn't replace him with the fugliest of fuglies, Gene Snitsky, like they did last week.

DSW Closure Follow-up: Launching New MMA Promotion

In a follow-up to my previous entry, 'DSW Closes Shop', Kevin Brennan, former promoter of IWA Deep South in Alabama, announced on Tuesday that he is launching a MMA organization called "Southeastern Fighting Championship". If you recall, the reasons cited for the closure of DSW were 'Satan's son' Vince McMahon (his words, not mine) and the rising popularity of MMA.

When I know more, you'll know more!

The Heyman Hustle

If you were wondering what happened to Paul Heyman after he left WWE (I know I did), we now have the answer.


It looks like Paul Heyman has set up shop in England. Heyman popped up today in an interview with The Sun (UK Tabloid). The interview gives an insider's view on dealing with Vince & Stephanie McMahon, Heyman & McMahon's creative ECW differences, and even the idea of Paul Heyman getting involved in the MMA business.

In addition to the interview, there is an intriguing video ad for 'Heyman Hustle'. Looks like ol' Paul E is doing a show with the Sun. According to Wikipedia, it will be a 'mobile experienced show'. The Sun reports that 'Heyman Hustle' will debut on the Sun's website Monday, February 18th.

To read the interview, please click here: Paul Heyman: Why I left WWE
To read about Heyman Hustle and watch the commercial, please click here: Heyman Hustle - The First Advert