Dean Simon's Thoughts On Backlash 2006

Backlash? Not a bad pay-per-view, if I do say so myself. Here's the breakdown.

Chris Masters vs Carlito: What do you do when you have two adequate tag teams in a match at Wrestlemania? You break them both up and have them feud at the following ppv. Not a bad opener with Carlito working the crowd playing the face that cheats to win that Eddie was great at and what John Cena should be doing. I still think a face turn is too soon for him but as long as he doesn't do anything different with his character, I'm cool with it. Haha, that was a pun. If you couldn't tell from this match, Chris Masters is mid-card at best with not kicking out of a 3 count and missing Carlito's moonsault. He's not horrible but the thing which got him the job, his amazing physique, has loss mass since the wellness program went into effect. Coincidence? Put him on Heat until he learns the ropes and bring him back.

Umaga vs Ric Flair: I blinked and miss this match. Haha, I'm so witty. Seriously though, Flair should retire before his name doesn't mean anything anymore (see Mick Foley). I give props to WWE for managing to stereotype to races at once with Umaga and Estrada. But I can't help but wonder if this was the gimmick Samoa Joe would have been saddled with if he signed with the company. Umaga has a nice standing headbutt but other than that, he's weak, and was better off being Jamal. Estrada is nice, though.

Shelton Benjamin vs Rob Van Dam: The match I paid money to see. Sure, it was a title vs world title shot match but it didn't need any stipulations to make me happy. This is the match I've been waiting to see since they ruined Benjamin vs Angle by giving it away for free. And I wasn't disappointed. Obviously the best match of the night and helped to make RVD look stronger for his title shot while not completely burying Benjamin. Put Shelton in a feud with Michaels after this to make up for him losing the title. Speaking of which, what does RVD need with the Intercontinental Championship? They should hold a tournament. I love tournaments. Also, if RVD faces JBL at ECW as it is rumored, this means the Intercontinental Champion will be facing the US Champion for the World Heavyweight Championship. Is a title unification on the horizon? The answer is no.

Mickie James vs Trish Stratus: The rematch from Wrestlemania that I was looking forward to. They stole the show and put on the best womens match I've ever seen in my life (and this includes joshi puroresu). Unfortunately, it sounds like Trish suffered a legit injury during the match which had to be ended short with Mickie saving the ending by disqualifying herself. Her save made up for the botched finish of their last match. Too bad there's no other women in the division and it has nowhere to go.

Speaking of women, Maria did a fair share of backstage segments tonight and I don't care if she messed up a bunch of times. She's hot as hell and I don't care if she knows nothing about wrestling. And Shane and Vince and God angles are comedy gold, apparently.

Big Show vs Kane: The thing about two big guys facing each other is their entire moveset is composed of power moves. When a big guy does a power move to another big guy, it's not impressive. Instead, it looks sloppy and weak. This match had everyone in the theater booing which I expected.

Vince and Shane McMahon vs Shawn Michaels and God: Besides the pyrotechnics from the ringposts, this feud hasn't been disappointing. Vince comes off as a mega heel using the mocking of Shawn's religion to get to it. You can call it blasphemous but the majority of fans call it humorous and the use of the spotlight during God's entrance was perfect. Anybody who wanted someone to show up as "God" (Mick Foley, JBL, Mordecai, etc.) or wanted a special effect at the end of the match is and idiot. It was a simple handicap match that played on Shawn's emotions to make it more dramatic and entertaining and should have happened before Wrestlemania. A good match with a nice spot of Shawn jumping off a huge ladder onto the Spirit Squad. Great camera work.

This is where the show can come to a halt to have Matt Striker come out and talk about being a teacher and how everyone is stupid, the same thing he's been doing for months now, and call out Eugene to pick his nose and put it in Striker's mouth. Not a horrible segment but it ran long and could have easily been on Raw. Actually, it should have been on Raw. In fact, why the hell was this on Backlash?

Triple H vs Edge vs John Cena: Give Smackdown two months to plan a triple threat main event title match at Wrestlemania and they fall on their face. Give Raw three weeks and they pull it off. Except for Styles being surprised that Edge beat Triple H on Raw (which made Edge look like an underdog instead of a viable threat), the build up worked and had people excited and guessing who was going to win. All three men had a shot and all three men pulled off a great match that included several nice spots (though I would have liked the see the double FU). HHH bled like a motherfucker and got pinned by Cena. Good match by all three wrestlers and I'm not so disappointed with the outcome as no one tapped out to an STFU.

More News Updates

BATISTA TO MAKE A RARE INDY APPEARANCE

Smackdown superstar Batista is to make a very rare indy appearance. He is set to appear on the May 17th Xtreme Measures card for Maryland Championship Wrestling. Batista also announced recently that he is almost ready to make his WWE comeback very soon. Other wrestles appearing on the card at Xtreme Measures are Spike Dudley, Diamond Dallas Page, Chris "Who Better Than" Kanyon and Chris Sabin.

ANGLE HURT, NEWS OF REY MYSTERIO AND JBL

Smackdown Superstar Kurt Angle is taking some time off to heal a broken rib, as well as some other nagging injuries to include his surgically repaired neck. Angle was bravely soldiering on during the recent European Tour, but just can't do it anymore. Angle will not be wrestling in the next King Of The Ring Tournament match, Booker T, Angles opponent, will receive a bye and advance to the finals.

Either World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio or JBL are also in need of some time off, and plan on taking a bit of time away from wrestling after the two wrestle at next months PPV for the title. I won't tell you which one, but expect a major shakeup concerning one of those two men.

MORE NEWS ABOUT BOB HOLLY FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE

WWE.com caught up with Bob Holly at his home in Mobile, Alabama recently and conducted an interview. If you would like to read it for yourself, it can be found here: www.com/bobholly/fightingforhislife/

MATT CAPPOTELLI UPDATE

WWE Tough Enough III winner, and OVW superstar Matt Cappotelli was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor that prematurely grounded his very promising wrestling career. However, Matt just recently got married! We here at the "Making Of A Wrestling GOD" wish Matt and his new bride a very long and happy life together.

News Courtesy of Patty Therre and www.wrestlingonthefringe.com

Wrestling News

BOB HOLLY BATTLING SERIOUS INFECTION

WWE Superstar Bob Holly, Bob Howard in real life, is battling a life threatening infection known as MRSA. He had surgery to remove some bone chips in his elbow a while back, and got a very common staph infection. They treated it with antibiotics, and it appeared to go away, but it came back as the before mentioned MRSA, a highly resistant to medicine version of staph. Bob is on around the clock IV antibiotic treatment, but it doesn't seem to be responding to the medicine. There is a chance Bob could lose his arm in the end, if not his life. WWE knew of the staph infection and kept him wrestling instead of taking care of it before this new strain set in, but Bob doesn't blame WWE at all, he even had praise for Vince MacMahon for taking care of him monetarily wise while he is going through this. All of us here at "The Making Of A Wrestling GOD" wish Bob a full and speedy recovery.

CHRISTY HEMME, OTHERS DEBUT FOR TNA

Former WWE Diva, Christy Hemme made her TNA debut at TNA's Lockdown, and at this past weeks tv taping. She still looks absolutely amazing, and I am glad she is back in the wrestling world. Also, TNA is starting to look like a WCW reunion show because not only has Sting, Jeff Jarrett and Scott Steiner been active on the programming, but this past week Buff Bagwell and Lex Luger made their TNA debut. Bagwell looked to still be in amazing shape, Lex on the other hand looked really thin, a shadow of his former self. Next week Scott Steiners brother Rick "The Dog Faced Gremlin" Steiner is set to make his TNA debut. Like I said earlier, it is beginning to look like a WCW reunion show, I just hope they let the younger guy's shine as they are the true future of the company. TNA has no business re-living the past, especially since WCW wasn't their past to begin with. But that's just my not so humble opinion.



CHARGES DROPPED IN MCMAHON GROPING CASE

Many of you may recall that Vince MacMahon was accused of sexually groping a tanning salon attendant and showing her naked pictures of himself while pressuring her for sexual favors. Authorities have dropped the charges due to lack of evidence. A paper also "broke" a story that Vince had filed for divorce against his wife, Linda, but that was just a rumor, there is nothing to substantiate those claims. In fact, all looks fine in MacMahonville.

BROCK LESNAR AND WWE SETTLE LAWSUIT

Brock Lesnar and WWE settled their long running court battle recently. Brock decided to leave wrestling to pursue a football career with the Minnesota Vikings, and he signed a contract securing his release from WWE, but he agreed not to pursue wrestling or shoot fighting anywhere in the world for ten years. However, Brock was cut from the Vikings and he claimed he didn't read the fine print in the no complete clause he signed. Exact details are sketchy, but Brock is free to wrestle now. Brock says he has no plans on returning to WWE at this time, but look for him to come back to WWE programming sooner or later.

MICHAEL COLE GETS A NEW JOB

Michael Cole has been named the new "Managing Editor" of the official WWE website. This position is not to effect his on air announcing.
KANE, CENA MOVIE NEWS

The release date for Kanes new movie "See No Evil" is set for May 19th. In the movie Kane plays some kind of crazy guy who likes to yank out peoples eyeballs. John Cenas movie, "The Marine", release date has been pushed back to at least September. It is thought that WWE is concerned about the lack of fan support Cena has been getting lately, and they will try to get more fans behind him before it is released to give the movie every opportunity to be successful.



I will be back later after I finish researching more details on the big news of ECW returning this September to a full time show.

News and layout courtesy of Bella Online

PERSONAL NEWS

I have been thinking about getting Lasik Eye Surgery for a long time now, yesterday I decided to bite the bullet and have it done!

First of all, I would like to personally thank Dr. Cornell and his fine staff at the Lasik Vision Center in Tigard, OR for taking extra good care of me. They answered all of my questions and really put me at ease with the procedure. You only have one set of eyes, so it is a little bit intimidating to let someone go lasering away on your eyeballs!

I had the PRK Lasik procedure because I had thinner then normal corneas. In the regular Lasik the Dr creates a very thin flap of your cornea and flips it up. With me though I didn't have enough cornea thickness to do it, so they used a different type of laser that goes through the cornea. It only took maybe five minutes per eye, most of which is spent getting the eyeball ready for the procedure, literally seconds of actual lasering. The worst part was the smell of singed hair, which is in all actuality the eye tissue being vaporised to reshape the surface of the eye. There was absolutely no pain what so ever. After the numbing drops wore off I did feel mild to moderate irritation, a slight stinging, but that was it. It was over all a piece of cake.

I have to wear sunglasses inside as well as outside for the next couple of days, but my eyes are doing great! I was born with a severe astigmatism, my vision was worse then 20/400, but I went in this morning for my follow up appointment and I have 20/20 in one eye, 20/15 in the other! I would not hesitate to recommend this procedure to anybody. If you are considering getting this done, give the folks at Lasik Plus a call. They offer financing, so cost shouldn't be a problem. Interest free for 18 months, that makes it affordable for almost everyone!

The Story, Part 3

"...Boy, QUIZ IS MAD! QUIZ IS INCENSED! How dare these people do this to him! He gave these people everything he had, he did everything he could possibly do to win a pop worthy of the leading babyface! Suddenly it hits him! He will climb to the rafters! That's right, Quiz will climb to the rafters and...DO THE JIMMY SNUKA! So Quiz climbs out of the ring and heads toward the crowd. He will go through the crowd, bringing himself into contact with the fans and try to turn some of them his way with personal contact, another time honored tradition in Babyface 101! So Quiz reaches the crowd, and he climbs over the security rail and....get's mugged. His hair get's pulled. He is kicked. He is slapped. AND SUM A MA B*T**! SOMEONE LET THAT CRAZY LITTLE GIRL BACK IN! Quiz brings his hands and arms to his face because the little girl is clinging to his head, trying her best to bite his nose clean off! Finally the security guards fight there way through the crowd and wrench the little girl off of Quizes face, they pry open her mouth and hand Quiz the tip of his nose back. Some more security comes and finishes escorting Quiz to the sidewall where an access ladder is so he can climb to the rafters and "Superfly" TGO. UP quiz goes, rung by rung, step by step. Blood spattering the ground in big, crimson circles. Surely the crowd will get behind Quiz, after seeing him go through absolute HELL to entertain them. Then he is there! Perched 40, maybe 50 feet above the ring, directly over TGO! Here is the moment of truth! Flashing classic Snuka "I love you" sign with his hands, Quiz closes his eyes, says a silent prayer then takes flight! Quiz plummets to the mat like a stone and hits TGO square in the chest! They both disappear in a gigantic hole in the ring! The referee looks down with a wide eyed look of amazement, then jumps into the hole and the crowd is chanting "HOLY S**T! HOLY S**T!" The crowd hears a muffled, somewhat echoey 1-2-3! HE DID IT! Quiz pinned TGO! The ref climbs out of the hole, dragging the almost lifeless body of Quiz with him, and attempts to raise his hand. Quiz is almost lost to unconsciousness, but he fights to hear the adoring crowd cheer him for the first time ever in that arena. But he can't keep his eyes open! Slowly they close, and Quiz succumbs to the darkness, the last thing he hears before he is to awaken 25 day's later out of a coma is a slow, mumbling but unmistakable...mixture of heckling from the crowd. A full 88 and one half minutes later, and 85 minutes after the show officially ended the crowd, to a person, is still in their seats. All of a sudden, what's this! A Hand! OUT OF THE HOLE RISES WHAT APPEARS TO BE TGO'S BENT, TWISTED, ANGUISHED HAND! TGO pulls himself out of the hole and rolls his broken, beat body to the outside of the ring. The crowd is silent, but all of a sudden ERUPTS in cheers! They give TGO a standing ovation! Hell, even the psycho little girl is standing on a chair twirling a towel over her head! The masses rush to the side of the ring and pick up TGO! TGO is people surfing all over the whole arena! Then, to the song of "For he's a jolly good fellow" TGO is returned to the ring where he grabs a microphone to address the crowd. "First of all" TGO begins, genuinely moved by the turn of events, "I want to say to all the fat, ugly, out of shape pieces of trailer park trash here in attendance, I have never had a better time with a bunch of idiots then I have here today!" The lights fade, and TGO moves onto the next town, ready to do it all over again."

THE END

XXXXX, (No need to use anyones name here)

Wow, that was fun! Hey, you know I love ya, and I wasn't trying to condescend you, I was giving an example of the scene of wrestling as it can be found today. Also, I hope you got a sense of TGO's MASTERY of the principals of face/heel 101. I understand the premise, but you can't honestly tell me that if you was to take the above, messed up story and insert your favorite 50's 60's or 70's heel, and same for face, that it would work. It can't! Do you know what I mean? LOL, if not, then I GIVE UP!

~Chris

--------------------
"I have seen the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness!"

http//:bodyslammed.blogspot.com
Follow along as I slam my way to the top of the wrestling world!

The Story, Part 2

"...Ok! Showtime, here comes Quiz! Certainly now the fans will HAVE to cheer him because, well, he is the better alternative! Quizes music hits ( I don't know, let's steal Hulk Hogans Music for this one) Quiz hears a pop! A big one! THE CROWD IS ACTUALLY CHEERING LOUDER THEN QUIZ EVER HEARD, EVEN BACK AT HIS OLD TERRITORY! The pop was Road Warrior~ish in it's intensity! Quizzes spirits soar, he puff's up his chest, and Quiz walks through the curtain! But, when Quiz does his chest deflates. His spirits crash. The crowd is totally into cheering all right, but because the little girl who spit on TGO was now in the ring, wrapped around his leg and biting him on the ankle. TGO is hopping around, squealing like a girl and the crowd is totally cheering her on.

Fast forward to the middle of the match. Quiz is going over, but he is fighting from behind and really getting manhandled by TGO. However, somewhere after security hauled off the rabid little girl, and the EMT'S arrival to put a bandaid on TGO's ankle and the opening bell, a phenomanan of epic proportions begin to take shape. The fans...start slowely, but pop a cheer whenever TGO executes a move on Quiz. TGO see's this as a slap in his face. TGO must not be doing his job as a heel because he is getting...gulp, cheered. So TGO pulls out every trick he know's. TGO punches with a closed fist. TGO pokes and rakes the eyeball. TGO doesn't break clean on a ropebreak. TGO even begins to berate the referee for a "slow Count" everytime TGO goes for a pin. But, here comes Quiz! TGO has Quiz in a key lock! Quizes foot begins to bounce. Then his body begins to shake. Quiz raises one arm with a clenched fist and pumps the air, shaking uncontrollably with adrenalin! Quiz starts to raise himself up and pulls TGO over with an arm drag! AND THE CROWD IS STRANGELY...NOT INTO IT. Oh, how TGO sells it! That arm drag was the most devestating arm drag ever done in the entire world, and it has TGO reeling! What's this? TGO is employing the time honored tradition of any heel worth his salt, he is...begging off! Oh no! The sign the tide is changing! Quiz shoots TGO into the ropes and then executes a devestating dropkick! What's this? The fans boo! Ok, Quiz can change that. Quiz bodyslams TGO then ascends to the top rope to attempt his signature, never before seen, and never to be duplicated SIDEWAYS REVERSED 450 SPLASH X'S 2! (Use your imagination) OK! THAT HAD TO DO IT! Surely the fans can appreciate Quizes athletic ability, that move is simply AWSOME! What? What's this? Can Quiz believe his ears? "Quiz S u Ck s! Quiz S u Ck s!" The chant is deafaning! Quiz can't believe it! TGO can't believe his ears either, but he can't do anything about it because he is SUCH A GOOD WRESTLER WITH A SUPERIOR UNDERSTANDING OF WRESTLING PRINCIPALS that TGO knows he has to sell the Sideways Reversed 450 Splash X's 2, like he is dead, or the move with lose all credibility and mean next to nothing when it is used in the future. (Right, XXXXX? Name intentionally changed.)..."

To Be Cont.

THE STORY, PART 1

xxxx, (Name intentionally changed)

I do not disagree with you about the principal of face/heel 101.

Here is what I mean, using me as an example.


The Story

I am wrestling tonight. My opponent is Quiz. Quiz is fairly new to the promotion, he has only been here for a couple of months, but when he left his old promotion he was one of the most popular faces they had. He came into our promotion with high expectations, and since he was so over in his last job, he received a huge push from his new employer. I mean H U G E. They had such big plans for him, Quiz was seen as the future of this company. However something funny started to happen almost immediately. Quiz began to notice that his entrance pop was getting less and less. All the cheers he was accustomed to hearing slowly started changing to boos. How could this be? He is busting his arse, coming up with very interesting, fantastic spots never before seen. HE KNOWS BACK AT HIS OLD PROMOTION THE PEOPLE WOULD BE GOING ABSOLUTELY BANANAS! The promoter notices this too, so he began to try and figure out an angle that would get him back over and bring the fans to their senses. Well, the promoter comes up with this brilliant scheme: Feed Quiz a bunch of heel opponents in rapid succession, and then set up a HUGE FEUD with TGO, the number one heel ever to work in (Place your favorite promotion here). That brings us to tonight's match with TGO and Quiz. Oh, how the people love to hate TGO! When he is in the ring he grates on the fans nerves! He calls the fans idiots! He calls the fans fat! (For some reason people just HATE that, THANKS RICK RUDE!) He insults the woman, he makes bad jokes about their hometown. And he is Booed, and he is hissed! And the fans, like I said, LOVE TO HATE TGO. TGO comes out first to a very bad funeral dirge for entrance music. The fans immediately start booing. Cups fly through the air, heck, a little girl even spits on TGO. But, that's ok, to me (TGO, was sounding way to much like the Rock, I just stole the name, not the third person referencing, but I am to far into this to change now). TGO gets into the ring and starts to flip off the fans! TGO throws the cups back at the fans, and even growls at the ring announcer!"...

End Of Part One

Something interesting I thought I would share

I have been spending a lot of time at the BellaOnline wrestling message boards lately, and I thought I would let you all in on a story I wrote to illustrate a point I was trying to make.

First, it is a rather long story, so I think I will post it in sections over three day's. (One post per day.) Here is a little background to let you know what prompted it.

There was a thread that was discussing the disparity over what heels and faces are, and how they have changed over the years. I have this theory that in today's wrestling world there are no true heels or faces anymore, but rather shades of grays and "tweeners" that can go either way on any given night. For instance, John Cena is technically a face, he employs face attributes like he doesn't take cheap shots, he doesn't insult the fans, he doesn't "beg off" and things of that nature. However he is getting booed at every arena he goes to. The boos are "X-Pac boos", that is he is getting booed because it's the popular thing to do, and that is not a face reaction. Another example is Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin broke the rules, flipped the bird, took cheap shots, and was, arguably, the biggest face of all time. That was not enough to convince someone of what I meant.

Someone wrote an answer to my theory, and it came across, totally unintentionally, that I didn't know the basics of heel/face 101. Now, if this person is reading this blog entry, I now know it wasn't intended, and there are no hard feelings. But this is a good story, I had fun writing it, and I think it shows my MASTERY of heel/face 101.

In the story TGO is me, and that is short for The Great One. I used Quiz as my opponent (Quiz is actually a fellow wrestler I wrestle with at wrestling school, I picked him because it was fun visualizing him in the different scenarios I was writing about, and because Quiz is a cool name.) So, Quiz, don't be mad because I am making you a STAR!

The story will start in the next post within a few minutes as I write this.

BIG WWE/ECW NEWS

Patty Therre announced on BellaOnline that WWE is going to bring back ECW full time this fall. That is, it will work autonomously from WWE as it's own entity, even though it is still owned by WWE. Patty confirmed that ECW will take over the whole OVW developmental territory, however it is unclear if ECW will absorb OVW, or if OVW will go defunct. She also confirmed that WWE has offered contracts to several former ECW wrestlers to include Sandman, Francine and Balls Mahoney. WWE is offering three year deals, one year at a time with roll over clauses. I will update you all with news as more ECW wrestlers come on board.

Courtesy of Patty Therre and BellaOnline

NEWS UPDATES

PPV SELLOUT

ECW's "One Night Stand" PPV at the Hammerstein Ballroom sold out in under two hours, according to Ticketmaster. The price range was $50 to $250, a big drop off from last years inflated prices, which undoubtedly contributed to the rapid sellout.

NEW WWE PROSPECT TO DEBUT IN EARLY JUNE

Harry Smith, the grandson of Stu Hart, the nephew of WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart and the son of the late Davey Boy Smith is to debut on WWE programming in early June after he completes the last of his independent bookings. He is going to appear directly on WWE, circumventing the developmental territory of OVW that most new talents have to go to. Harry has been wrestling since his early teens.

ANOTHER INSTALLMENT OF THE WWE DIVA SEARCH

This year WWE is going to run WWE Diva Search on both the Raw and Smackdown! brands. In years past the Diva Search was exclusive to Raw, but WWE hopes to help Smackdowns slumping ratings with having the contestants appear on both shows.

TRIPLE H TO STAR IN BEER COMMERCIAL

Raw superstar Triple H is going to star in a beer commercial for Miller Lite. He is going to kick off the new ad campaign by being the first of many celebrities in a long line of commercials. Others include Burt Reynolds, Eddie Griffin, Jerome Bettis, rodeo star Ty Murray and Aaron Ralston. (Famous for hacking off his own arm in a desperate act of self preservation during a tragic mountain climbing accident.)

CHRIS JERICHO ANNOUNCES A BOOK DEAL

Former professional wrestler Chris Jericho announced that he will be writing a book, to be titled "A Lions Tale". His book is to chronicle his early wrestling career from 1990 to 1996. From his training in Western Canada, to performing in Mexico, Japan, Germany and southern USA. He has already began writing notes, with the deadline for the finished manuscript is October/November.

STACEY KEIBLER TO LEAVE WRESTLING

WWE Diva, and Americas sweetheart, Stacey Keibler is leaving wrestling to concentrate on other endeavors. She is talking to ABC and NBC Executives about a future feature role, and she has been reading scripts left and right. After her book signing in the UK that she has to do, she will no longer be making appearances for WWE. All of us here at The Making of A Wrestling GOD are sorry to see her go, and we wish her the very best in all her future success. To read an interview she gave with Vegas Magazine where she explains her future, please click HERE

GREGORY HELMS SUFFERS SETBACK

WWE Cruiser weight Champion Gregory Helms suffered a setback recently with his surgically repaired shattered nose when it would not stop bleeding. After some six hours, and as he was being prepped for surgery to fix the bleed, it suddenly stopped on it's own. Helms suffered this injury when he was wrestling in Australia and Paul London botched a leg drop, hitting and shattering his nose. So far there is no concrete word as to when he will return to active competition, as it is obviously up in the air.

TNA TO DEBUT IN OLD ECW ARENA

TNA is venturing into the east coast market for the first time in the nearly four year history of the company. On June 9th UWF promoter Hermie Sadler will present "Hardcore War" from the old ECW arena in Philadelphia. Major names from the TNA roster are booked to attend, as will the distinctive six-sided ring that TNA employs. Sadler is hoping that fans on the way to New York City for a wrestling show will patronize his event.

NEWS COURTESY OF PATTY THERRE AND "WRESTLING ON THE FRINGE"
wrestlingonthefringe.com

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Hello All!

I just wanted to say Happy Easter to all my faithfuls, and for those of you on the bubble of becoming Great One fans! I am off to celebrate the holiday with the girlyfriend and the kids so I won't be back til Monday. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, and when I get back I should have more news to report on the exciting world of professional wrestling. Also, a week from the Sunday...I make my return to the ring as I will once more make the trip to Portland for another exciting weekend of wrestling instruction!

Have a GREAT weekend!

~Chris

My Review of 4/13 TNA From Bella Online

Ok, I was asked to watch TNA with my undivided attention and report back. Here is me findings.

I would first like to state I missed the start of the opening match on account of I forgot Spike TV is three hours behind the Pacific Time Zone because I have a satellite. SO I MISSED THE NEXT ULTIMATE FIGHTER, AND I AM...OH I'M MAD!

I tuned into Samoa Joe kicking the living daylights out of Christopher Danials. I am a big Danials fan (well, I just started following him lately, so I don't have longevity yet), and it was disheartening to see Samoa Joe running roughshod over him. I would call it a squash match except that Danials did get in a little offense, and the match was longer then the typical 2 minutes that squashees usually last. Samoa Joe ended the match with some funky move from the top rope, driving Danials into the mat on his upper shoulder-mid back region, very impressive. Oh, Samoa Joe won the X-Division title.

Next Americas Most Wanted faced off against Team Three D in a street fight that hardly left the ring. But it was a fairly good match with action going back and forth, it ended when Spyke Dudley staged a run in and interfered on 3-D's behalf. I thought street fights were no DQ?

Then I saw Sting call out Jeff Jarrett, which Double JJ accepted, but by sending some young chap by the name of "Showtime" Eric Young to wrestle in his place. I didn't think TNA would waste a Sting/Jarrett match on national TV, but it was the first time Sting wrestled a televised, none PPV match in 5 years, according to the announcers. This match saw a ton of interference by team Canada, and Sting won it with the Scorpian Death Drop, in inverted DDT. After the match Jarretts team jumped Sting in the Ring, which resulted in Rhino, The Phenomenal AJ Styles and who used to be K-Quick in WWE (I forget what they called him)coming to Stings aid. Sting then get's on the house mic and calls Jarretts team kiddies and that he, and his new team (Rhino, Styles and K-whoever the heck he is)will see them in the cage at lockdown.

I still don't like the ring. I saw a couple of times where wrestlers had to adjust themselves in midstride in order to hit the turnbuckles, which made the throw look totally implausible. As far as the action goes, it was great, except there was only three matches. Sting looked a bit rusty, but he is not used to wrestling day in and day out, so he undoubtedly has a ton of ring rust. I love the young guys, the future of wrestling looks bright. I don't know about Samoa Joe though, I understand a lot of people like him, but I just can't buy him as some super strong freak like they seem to be pushing him. He looks to be better suited for a hot dog eating contest, and I know that's not politically correct to say, but that's how I would describe him.

Overall I enjoyed the show. They need to expand the show by another hour, do a little less talking and get in an extra match or two.

**** out of ***** stars.

And that, as they say, is that from the Great One

~Chris

News, News, News

Randy Orton To Nurse A Broken Ankle

It is strongly rumored that Randy Orton will begin his 60 day suspension after he wrestles Kurt Angle in the King Of The Ring Tournamet. The storyline will be Randy is nursing a broken ankle. In actuality he is serving his suspension from being naughty. More on this a little further down this entry in the King Of The Ring Brackets.

WWE Signs First Ever Third Generation Hart Family Wrestler

WWE recently signed the son of the late Davey Boy Smith and the nephew of Bret Hart. Harry Smith is billed at 6' 5" and 220 lbs. He has wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling, the now defunct Major League Wrestling and various indie promotions. Look for him to make his WWE debut sometime in May after he finishes his Japan and Indie obligations.

King Of The Ring Tournament Brackets

First Round:
Kurt Angle vs Randy Orton
Matt Hardy vs Booker T
Chris Benoit vs Finlay
Lashley vs Mark Henry
Semifinal Round:
Angle/Orton winner vs Hardy/Booker T winner
Benoit/Finlay winner vs Lashley/Henry winner
Finals:
Angle/Orton/Hardy/Booker T winner vs Benoit/Finlay/Lashley/Henry winner.

As reported above, Randy Orton is due to begin his 60 day suspension following his match with Kurt Angle. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Angle is going to make Randy tap out to the Angle ankle lock, where it will be purported that Kurt broke Randy's ankle. So, while he is laid up nursing his boo boo, he will, in actuality, be serving his suspension, probably WITH pay. I am making the prediction right here, right now for one match in the KOTR Tournament: Angle will advance to the semis. Write that one down.

ECW One Night Stand

ECW "One Night Stand" is scheduled to kick off on June 11, 2006, and the tickets go on sale this Saturday. Prices are $250, $100 for the cheap seats. So far the show is set to highlight Rob Van Dam and Terry Funk. The word is that RVD will use his Money In The Bank guarantee to wrestle for the Heavyweight Title, although against just who remains somewhat up in the air. Triple H was originally scheduled to win the title at Wrestlemania, but Cena was picked to retain at the last second. Cena is scheduled to turn full fledged heel (news in itself) and it is being speculated that, at Backlash, Triple H will beat Cena for the title, there by bringing Trips into One Night Stand as the champion, where RVD will challenge for the title. Where WWE goes from there, I have not a clue, but I will inform you all when I find out.

Former WCW/WWE Star Has Major Surgery

Brian Heffron AKA The Blue Meanie, had surgery recently where doctors removed half of his left lung due to a medical problem called Empyema. He is home recuperating now, and is doing a lot better, according to him. For those of you who have been reading this blog, you are familiar with the bouts I am having with my lungs (stupid pneumonia and pulmonary embolisms!), I am doing MUCH MUCH better, and I truly hope the same for Blue. For those of you who want to drop Blue a email and wish him a healthy recovery, visit his page at www.myspace.com/thebluemeanie. You can subscribe to his blog there as well, he updates it very frequently.

World Wrestling Legends PPV
The very first ever in the history of professional wrestling, "6: 05 Reunion" ppv is scheduled to air on Saturday, April 29th at 6 pm EST on IN Demand PPV. The show was taped in Orlando, FL sometime last month and featured the following matches:

*Rick Steiner vs Virgil
*Disco Inferno vs Koko B. Ware
*Greg "The Hammer" Valentine w/Jimmy Hart vs "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka
*Eddie Colon w/ Carlos Colon vs Vampiro
*Kamala the Ugandan Giant vs Jake "The Snake" Roberts
*Tully Blanchard and David Flair w/ JJ F'n Dillon vs Dory Funk Jr and Mike Graham W/ Brunno Sammartino
*Diamond Dallas Page vs Chris "Who Better Then" Kanyon
*Midnight Express w/ Jimmy Cornette vs Brad, Scott and Bob Armstrong w/ Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
*Scott Steiner vs Buff Bagwell

For those of you who may want more information on World Wrestling Legends, you can check them out HERE.

News Courtesy of Patty Therre and "Wrestling On The Fringe"
www.Wrestlingonthefringe.com

Dean Simon's Thoughts On Judgment Day 2004

I've been in a quasi-retro mood lately so I took it upon myself to rent Judgment Day of 2004. What a crappy card, huh? It's no surprise Mordecai was fired.

The show begins with the short-lived tag team of Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam vs the Dudley Boys. Not a bad opener that made me actually miss the Rey of old. Now anybody who knows me knows that I hate Rey Mysterio but that isn't the case. He's not bad and is great at getting new people into wrestling. I know of at least four people (including myself) who got into it with Rey being our favorite wrestler. After five matches, however, you notice you're seeing the same match over and over again. Rey is at his best playing the underdog in a tag match, playing Ricky Morton, and pulling off some high flying moves when available. Rey and RVD win to bury the Dudleys even more. Why not make it a buried alive match?

Next, Kurt Angle comes out in a wheelchair on a platform with the help of Luthor "Give me some peas!" Reigns. This led into a Torrie Wilson/Dawn Marie match that nobody cares about.

As if the show couldn't come to more of a halt, out comes Scotty 2 Hotty and Mordecai to make me wish I was watching the womens match again. If you want a big, demonic guy to look serious, you don't have him squash a guy that does the worm on a pay-per-view. I could do that.

Next up is Rico and Charlie Haas vs Hardcore Holly and Billy Gunn. I miss Charlie Haas. A nice, well-rounded wrestler with a great finisher that should have been pushed as much as Shelton Benjamin is now. Well, I guess he was pushed as much as that. A nice match that probably gave reason to the later tag team of Haas and Holly which were really underrated. What really irritated me during the match was Tazz and Cole not mentioning Rico being Billy Gunn's old manager back in his Billy and Chuck days. Rico and Haas win to retain the titles.

After that, Chavo Guerrero came out with Chavo Classic (a great name) to defeat Jacqueline for the cruiserweight title. A man vs women match with a stipulation (Chavo had a hand tied behind his back). You knew this wasn't going to be very good. The only thing that saved it was Chavo's cheating ways. He is a great heel.

At this time, John Cena was still the United States champion (sans the spinner), still coming out as the doctor of thugonomics and still kicking ass. It's matches like these that remind me of what once was. Now I don't think Rene Dupree is a bad wrestler. Aside from the stupid gimmick, he was a solid wrestler that now has a great beard and should be pushed when he's back from his injury. A good match for the new US champion. Now I love Cena as a heel but even as a face, he was good when doing raps and putting on good matches.

Next up is Booker T vs the Undertaker. When Booker came to Smackdown, he was labeled a heel because he still considered himself a Raw guy and shouldn't be on the B show. Now I'm usually against smackdown vs raw angles but this one was pretty good. It made sense for Booker to be upset about being on the B show and everyone to hate him for being better than the rest. And to have him beat up two injured workers in a handicap match to prove he can do just like the dead man was pretty funny, along with him going to a psychic and getting dirt from a grave to protect himself. The match wasn't bad either though I wish Undertaker would have at least sold the dirt in his eyes. Taker wins because Taker always wins but Booker deserves respect for the good match.

It was then that I realized why I rented this PPV in the first place. The JBL vs Eddie Guerrero match. Now at the time, I hated JBL. His ring skills were bad and he wasn't much of a mid-card guy much less a main eventer. So it's a surprise to see him and Eddie have a really good match in which Eddie does a really nasty bladejob. At the time, he was said to have been under pressure for having to carry the show on his shoulders when it's obvious it wasn't his fault (look at the rest of the card). I guess his bladejob proved to them he needed a break.

I could go on and on here about how good of a worker Eddie was and how entertaining his matches are and how much he is missed but I think at this point, you all know. At the end of the match, when you see his frog splash on the blood covered ring, you know how much he put into it.

Extras on the DVD include Eddie's mother having a heart attack at a house show, a Mordecai vignette, JBL hunting aliens, Booker T with a psychic, and Booker T at a graveyard. Man, can he be funny sometimes. Also, it includes some promos, backstage segments from Heat, a match between Funaki and Mark Jindrak, and clips of JBL and Eddie in the back after the match. Two very good extras after a match like theirs.

LATEST BREAKING NEWS

Latest Word On Randy Ortons Suspension.

By now you all know of Randy Ortons impending suspension is due to begin on April 12th. He will be on tonight's Smackdown!, and again next week, but rumor is he might be on one more additional week before he begins his 60 day suspension. The buzz going around the inside circles as to why he was suspended was for "unprofessional conduct", as announced by WWE. A lot of people are saying that he is being suspended because he might have failed the recent drug test WWE had done before a recent Raw taping, which IS NOT TRUE! That test was done as a baseline with no repercussions due any of the wrestlers, no matter how much drugs might have been in their system. I don't know if Randy tested positive or not, frankly I don't care, but if he did, that was not the reason. The word is his conduct, as of late, has been unprofessional. He wasn't happy not winning the World Title before Wrestlemania, it went to Angle instead, and he was further incensed that he didn't win it at Wrestlemania, and even got pinned in the three way between Angle, Mysterio and himself. So Randy has been a huge pain in the butt to the WWE front office, and this suspension is hoped to readjust his attitude.

ANOTHER WWE WRESTLER HAS SURGERY

Val Venis was hurt on the March 27th addition of Raw in a match with the Spirit Squad, and he had surgery to repair his elbow on April 6th. He is expected to be out 8 to 10 weeks. You may read an interview Val gave to WWE prior to his surgery at WWE.com.

ROB VAN DAM SAYS WHEN HE WILL CASH HIS MONEY IN THE BANK TITLE CONTRACT

This past Raw Rob Van Dam alluded to cashing in his money in the bank title shot at this years "One night Stand" in a hardcore match. If the champion at the time was not an ECW alumnus, it will be interesting to see how the WWE incorporates the champ into the match, as only ECW workers are to take part in the promotion.

BACKLASH MAIN EVENT ANNOUNCED

WWE announced a triple threat match between Cena, Edge and Triple H for the Heavyweight title at this years Backlash PPV to be held on April 30th. Huge Surprise there.

TNA IMPACT REMINDER

Remember that TNA Impact moves to it's new night, Thursdays at 11, immediately following the Next Ultimate Fighter, Season Three.

IWA PUERTO RICO OWNER FOUND DEAD

Victor Quinones, the owner of the wrestling promotion in Puerto Rico IWA, was found dead at his home on the morning of April 2. The night before he was at a wrestling show, and by all accounts, seemed fine. Police on scene said that it appears he died in his sleep. Victor was 46.

THE ABOVE NEWS, AND LAYOUT IS COURTESY OF PATTY THERRE AND THE WRESTLING NEWSLETTER BELLAONLINE.COM

Dean Simon's Thoughts On No Way Out 2006

When I was first asked to actually contribute to the site, I agreed to do a couple based on what I've been watching lately. I wanted to see a newer pay-per-view since I don't watch them too often (If I want to see a match, I download it. I'm not going to pay $40 for a mediocre card.) so I wound up renting No Way Out of 2006. Here's my review.

The first match on the card is a cruiserweight tornado match for the title, a rematch from the Royal Rumble. Now I'd rather see a one-on-one match but these showcases are nice every now and then. However, this is just a repeat of what was a pretty good spotfest at RR. Helms, who I'm loving as a heel and the champ, is going in as champion this time around and he leaves, as well. Not a bad match but pretty bland. And no Jamie Noble. I suppose not even former Ring of Honor champions can get a break in the company. Unless you have Cancer. Then they don't fire you no matter how much you suck.

Next up is JBL vs Lashley with Fit Finlay coming out in the beginning with some girl to show that he's a heel. I suppose having the words, "I love to fight" at the beginning of your entrance doesn't cut it. Might I add that I'm loving this feud between Lashley and Finlay? The two are both decent brawlers and are putting on a nice, vicious ring veteran vs blue chipper storyline. But as JBL came in, Finlay ducked out and the real match started. Another decent match for the beginning of the show. JBL, though still lacking much talent, has enough charisma to stand on. Lashley, however, needs to show off his wrestling skills instead of power moves. Come on buddy, I know you have it in you. JBL wins. And rightfully so.

After a promo for Wrestlemania, Batista comes out in a suit and glasses to comment on the main event and talk about how he's feeling better and ready to return to the ring. Nice to see his mic skills haven't gone down since he's been out and I have to admit, I'm missing the guy. I don't want him as champion but I wouldn't mind seeing Batista vs Angle or Batista vs Orton. Not at all.

For the next match, Matt Hardy comes out with surprise partner TATANKA to take on MNM. Oh man, did you guys miss Tatanka too? Me neither. I didn't mark out when he was in the Royal Rumble and I didn't when he showed up on Raw a few months back. He's looking better than he did then but who cares? Just put him in a stable with Animal and Goldust and get it over with. Hardy and Tatanka won but it doesn't matter since the titles weren't on the line.

Next up, Chris Benoit took on Booker T in a nice match for the United States Championship. This match is really underrated and could have been the best, if not for the main event. It's a shame Booker got injured and the best of 5 series went off course to include Randy Orton for god knows what reason. Maybe I'm the only one but I find Sharmell really annoying and it only hinders how I feel about Booker. He has the talent to be in the main event. He's a good heel and funny enough to be a face but when Sharmell around, they're nothing but annoying. Yeah yeah, "Please tell me he didn't just say that." That's about as funny as Gene Snitsky's "It wasn't my fault" and Batista's, "Are you talking to me?"

Overall, it was a nice match with Booker T almost pulling off the Houston Hangover. Man, I love that move, I wish he would use it as a finisher during PPV matches. Also, Chris Benoit should stop using vertical suplexes ala Eddie Guerrero. I don't care if he's doing it as a tribute. I don't care that he did them before Eddie. He's not good at it. Stick with the triple Germans. Or learn how to do vertical suplexes the way Shane Douglas did with the roll through. Now those were awesome. Anyway, Chris Benoit won and becomes the new US champion. He may be adding prestige to the title but it's about time he drops it to someone else and becomes world champion again. Wait, he already did that first part. The next step is yours, Benoit.

Next up is Randy Orton vs Rey Mysterio for the title shot at Wrestlemania. Now this match might have meant something at the time but by now, we know both these guys were in the match at WM. So what was the point of it? The match was pretty slow and boring with surprisingly no heat for either of them but a nice finish with Randy going for an RKO only to get a dropkick and Randy ducking the 619 to give Rey a schoolboy. There you go. Orton won. Rey doesn't deserve a title shot. That's the way it should have went.

You guys notice how the audience was dead when Rey won at Wrestlemania? Me too.

And finally, it's the main event between the champion Kurt Angle and the Undertaker. Now unless you're as a dumb as a rock, you can pretty much figure out who will win this match. But even though it was obvious, it didn't make it any less exciting. Rather than the power and dominating style Taker usually sticks with, he went with a ground wrestling style against Kurt, who can obviously hold his own. A really great match between the two with Taker using key locks, guillotine chokes, triangle chokes, and dragon sleepers to wear him down. Normally, a spot like an Angle Slam through a table is the high point of a match but not in something like this. A reason I like ROH so much is you won't hear a pop for many submission moves in the WWE but by the end of the match, the crowd was into it, marking out for Angle reversing a choke slam into a victory roll and ankle lock only to have Taker reverse it into a triangle choke. The match ended with Angle rolling over while in a third triangle choke to pin Taker's shoulders to the mat. A nice finish to a great match that let both guys look strong in the end.

Overall, a good pay-per-view with two great matches and no filler. Extras include three backstage segments setting up Booker T/Boogeyman and Mark Henry/Batista (let's hope that doesn't happen) and an interview with Angle. Nothing to write home about.

Randy Orton Suspension

According to Patty Therre and Bella Online, Randy Orton is due to begin his suspension on April 12th, and it will run for 60 day's. This put's him out of the running for any tournaments and possible World Title wins.

News courtesy of Patty Therre and Bella Online
http://www.bellaonline.com/site/wrestling

Update on the Randy Orton Situation

Randy Orton was at the Smackdown! Tapings last night, and he did wrestle Rey, and he is still on the schedule for next week where it is highly suspected that he will job to Rey once more. After that it is speculated that Randy will either "quit" or get an injury, thus going off all WWE programming and start his 60 day suspension. The WWE has announced that he is being suspended for "unprofessional conduct", but it is highly unlikely that it is due to the fact the WWE had it's recent drug test as per the new drug policy. All wrestlers were tested just before a recent RAW taping, but this one had no repercussions as it was done as a baseline If in future test the amount of any drugs or steroids doesn't go down in a wrestlers system at the next test, they would then be subject to action. And it is very important to note that I am not saying Randy has any drugs in his system at all, or that the testing even had anything to do with his recent "unprofessional conduct", I am just saying there is no news, and it does no good speculating at this point.

News courtesy of Patty Therre and Bella online
http://www.bellaonline.com/site/wrestling

WWE News, Orton Suspended

There are three news worthy articles to report today concerning WWE. First WWE announced they suspended Randy Orton for 60 day's. No news yet for what. He was supposed to wrestle Rey Mysterio tonight for Fridays Smackdown! taping, so it will be interesting to see how they fix this one. Also, Tyson Tomko quit WWE today. According to Patty Therre and Bella Online, Tomko was promised a push after Wrestlemania, he was to team with Snitsky, but Gold Dust was paired with Snitsky instead. Patty say's that he is heading for Japan. WWE also announced the venue for Wrestlemania 23 will be Ford Field in Detroit. Being from Michigan myself, albeit originally and not now, I am glad to see the Supershow come to my old stomping grounds. And it will be highly interesting to see if they can duplicate the spectacle of Wrestlemania 3 from the Pontiac Silverdome, where they set a worldwide indoor attendance record. Who knows, maybe I'll be in the audience for this one!

News courtesy of Patty Therre and the Wrestling Newsletter
http://www.wrestlingonthefringe.com

Dean Simon's Thoughts On Wrestlemania 22

Apparently, I'm supposed to be contributing to this here blog. I didn't know that. So I was asked to do some reviews of No Way Out and the Ring of Honor show I saw this past weekend. While I will get around to that eventually, the biggest event in wrestling happened last night and I'm sure you would all rather read that. So here goes.

I'm still not sure why I saw Wrestlemania last night. Everything leading up to it didn't feel like it was Wrestlemania. It felt more like a Summerslam. Nothing on the card had a big event feel to it. Mick Foley had a hardcore match with Edge. Big surprise there. Foley is a legend, sure, but he's also a big sellout willing to shill out to the public to promote his newest book. This isn't the first time we've seen Foley come back and it won't be the last. Vince McMahon is having another hardcore match with Shawn Michaels as well. They can call it a dream match all they want but it's not. A dream match is something a lot of people have wanted to see for years. The Rock vs Sting is a dream match. Steve Austin vs Goldberg is a dream match. When Michaels was on top nobody wanted to see him have a match with Vince. The closest thing to it was the main event of HHH vs John Cena and that's only because so many good wrestlers have jobbed to Cena in the past months that HHH is the only one left to beat him. So the card didn't look back, just boring. Middle of the road. Something to rent someday.

But because it's Wrestlemania, I saw it anyways. And it was exactly as I expected. Here's my review.

The show opened with the Big Show and Kane vs Chris Masters and Carlito. It was a good opener and a good match with four guys that make consummate tag teams. I could buy either of them as tag champions. Unfortunately, these four guys make up the entire tag division on Raw and if Masters and Carlito won the belts, we might have seen a title defense. Instead, Kane and Show went over in favor of setting up a Masters/Carlito feud. Many expected Carlito to turn face months ago and I'm glad he didn't as he plays a good heel but even I'm wondering what he can do as a crowd pleaser.

Next up was the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. This was the match I was looking forward to the most. Everyone in it, with the exception of Lashley, are good wrestlers and my prediction of Lashley, Finlay and Flair only being in it to ground them and keep it from being a spotfest was correct. I only wish the three Smackdown guys chosen were ones that had a chance at winning. The match had a lot of nice spots with Shelton running up a ladder and diving to the outside, Shelton jumping off the ropes and onto the ladder to pound RVD, and everything else Shelton did. Rob Van Dam won as he should have and maybe, just maybe, he will become world champion in the near future. Anyway, not the best match of the night but definitely not the worst.

After that, JBL faced Chris Benoit for the US title. The match was slow paced and not really boring but nothing to write home about. I would expect something like this on an episode of Smackdown, much less the biggest event of the year. JBL won by cheating so I'm not exactly upset that Benoit lost. Benoit deserves better anyway. And JBL is a mid-card heel and the US title is right for him. Second to worse match of the night.

I'm not sure if this happened later in the night but Booker T and Sharmell had a nice run-in with the "freaks" of wrestling backstage. Maybe it's just me but Booker T and Sharmell have been nothing but annoying lately doing the whole scared of the Boogeyman bit. How many times has Booker T won the world title? And now he has to pretend to be scared of worms? The match was nothing but a squash with no finisher and the only thing that saved it was Goldust's speech before the match. Booker T and Goldust need to re-unite.

Despite apparently not getting in shape at all for his match, Foley put on a nice display with Edge. The only thing I disliked was his mandible claw to Lita which seems so out of character for Foley. I can picture dropping an elbow off the empire state building to get a crowd reaction but attacking a woman? It seemed so wrong. The end of the match, however, was right with Edge spearing Foley through a fiery table. The last shot of Edge walking to the back, quivering, with blood in his eye was the cherry on top. What sucks about Foley losing is when did he last win a match? Carlito? That doesn't count. He's Carlito. Foley's name isn't going to mean anymore if he jobs to everyone. If Edge lost this match, he still would have walked away looking hardcore and having earned the respect of a lot of fans. Foley deserved the win more than he did.

Next up was the women's match and the best match of the night. Yeah. I can't believe I'm saying it either. Trish Stratus was the women's division for a while, even holding the title while out with an injury for months. How long is her title reign? 5 years? Mickie James is her only competition and the lead up to this match was brilliant aside from all the lesbianism. James plays the psycho diva perfectly, even better than Victoria did, and she has skills to back it up. She was very stiff with Trish at the beginning with led Trish to be stiff back. And let's not get to the wrestling. By god, the wrestling. This match put everything else to shame. It's a pity it ended with a botched Stratusfaction. If it went on for another two minutes after that, it all would have been saved but instead, we saw Mickie James use a very sloppy chick kick to the head to pin for the win. I'm looking forward to the rematch.

The Undertaker took on Mark Henry in what was expected to be the bathroom break of the night. Instead, the two guys put on a decent match with each other. The two have similar styles and it was better than Henry/Angle from the Royal Rumble. At one point, my friend turned to me and joked about Taker doing his plancha to the outside and over the casket. Not even three seconds after he said it, the Undertaker did just that. After coming off two great matches with Angle and carrying Mark Henry through an alright match, Taker deserves some props.

The next match was Shawn Michaels vs Vince McMahon. What was missing was an enforcer here. Someone to have Michaels' to keep others from interfering. Instead, six people ran in and Shawn fought them all. Not a bad match but nothing but a glorified squash. After seeing Vince one-up Shawn week after week after week after week, we all knew Shawn would win in the end but it just wasn't believable. Why didn't he do this weeks ago? It all ended with a big spot of Shawn dropping an elbow off a very high ladder onto Vince through a table. The problem was the drop didn't look that high and he missed the trash can so the impact wasn't that spectacular. Still, more gutsy than most guys his age.

The World Heavyweight Title match came up next and it was pretty good but too short. How many finishers were done and in how little time? The Booker T and lingerie matches should have been cut to allow this and the main event more time. Instead, it was short and sweet with Rey winning in the end.

Can I say how frustrated this finish made me? It's not so much Rey winning as it is how it all went down. Last week on Smackdown, we saw Angle make Rey tap out. Then Randy Orton ran in and Angle made him tap out. Angle beat Rey and made Orton tap when Orton wasn't even in the match. Neither of these guys deserved a title shot after that. Then during the match, we saw Angle make both Rey AND Orton tap while the ref's back was turned. If none of that happened, I would have bought Rey or Orton as championship material but not now. Rey lost his title shot at No Way Out. Rey tapped out to the champion last week. Rey tapped out during the match. And we're supposed to believe him as champion?

I don't review lingerie matches.

The main event saw Triple H take on WWE champion John Cena. I'll say this about Cena, I'm not a fan and I am not alone. I marked out for him back in the day, I admit. When he started the whole rapper gimmick, it was funny and him using whatever it took to win the match gave him street cred. He was a tweener. Still acting like a heel but getting the face reaction. Kurt Angle on a smaller scale without the talent. When he won the US title, he turned face and wasn't as edgy as he used to be. I still liked him. I liked his business with the Big Show and I liked his business with Carlito and Booker and JBL. His skills, however, were going downhill. He used less and less of his moveset and started doing the same six moves to win the match. Shoulder thrust. Shoulder thrust. Shoulder thrust. Blue Thunder Bomb. Five Knuckle Shuffle. F-U. It was boring. I bought him beating JBL for the title because, at the time, JBL was crap and Cena was better. I bought him being the champion on Smackdown because the talent pool was nothing and he was the big finish. What I didn't buy was clean wins over Edge, Chris Jericho, several times over Kurt Angle, and Triple H. He made Triple H tap out.

Chris Benoit made Triple H tap out. I'm not about to compare the two.

Except for the finish and whatever the hell the entrances were, the match wasn't bad. And the crowd hated Cena. For every fan he had, there were ten guys that hated him and weren't afraid to express their anger. It was fun to see a legend like Triple H get cheers and someone like Cena so many boos.

Looking back, however, the ending might have made sense. Whatever disgust fans had with Cena is not seething hatred for making Triple H tap out.

Raw is on tonight. Live from Chicago. The same crowd as last night. The same fans. If they were smart, they would turn Cena heel tonight and he will be the hottest heel in the company, everyone already hates him.

Oh yeah, Rey and Orton have a title match this week on Smackdown. Why Orton gets a shot and not Angle I don't know but the paper champion that is Mysterio should cherish his time on top now.

Wrestlemania 22 results

Here are the results of WrestleMania 22.

First of all the show opened up with all the HOF inductees being brought onstage, including Vickie Guerrero. Well, I should say almost everyone as Bret Hart wasn't there as I have been reporting forever that he would not.

Also, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler called the action, while Joey Styles called the Hardcore match between Mick Foley and Edge. Look for Joey to announce next years Wrestlemania after he brings his announcing abilities up to par for WWE standards.

BIG SHOW & KANE vs. CARLITO & MASTERS (Tag Title Match)

The opening match was ok, nothing to write home about. Big Show and Kane retained the titles after Kane Chokeslammed Carlito and covered him for the pin to retain the tag titles. Afterwards, in the back, Carlito and Masters kind of bickered a bit, setting up a possible program between the two, stay tuned.



MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH - Lashley, Hardy, RVD, Finlay, Flair, & Shelton Benjamin)

This was arguably the best match of the night. And that's saying something as there were a lot of great matches. Ric Flair hurt his knee and was helped into the back, only to return later and continue the match, Shelton Benjamin was all over the place doing his trademark athletic moves, Lashley was, well, Lashley, enough said on that. Matt Hardy was his typical high flying self. At one point Rob Van Dam did his frog splash from the top of the ladder, and he ended up winning the MITB match. So now he has a guaranteed world title shot anytime up til Wrestlemania 23. This should be rather interesting, and make for a great dynamic for this year. Since he won, look for one hell of a push for Rob, something that was a bone of contention between the office and him for a long time.



JBL w/ Jillian vs. CHRIS BENOIT (US Title Championship Match)

This was a good match, but I have seen both JBL and Benoit wrestle better. The match ended when JBL reversed the crippler crossface into a pinning predicament, then held onto the ropes for the win. With that JBL is the new US heavyweight Champion.


EDGE vs. MICK FOLEY (Hardcore Match)

This match proved two things, that Edge can wrestle in any type of match, and Mick Foley can still get the job done! There was barbed wire, there was interference (from Lita) there was thumbtacks (Edge impressed me by taking a hell of a bump into them, his back looked like a peg board). The match ended when Edge speared Mick through the ropes onto a burning table. It was put out of course, and Edge draped a heavily abused arm over Foley for the pin. Mick was cheered by the fans in appreciation for one heck of an entertaining match.

BOOGEYMAN vs. BOOKER T & SHARMELL

Booker started out by immediately tagging in Sharmell, an act that may signify a possible heel turn by one or the other at a future date. The best part of the match was when Boogeyman put a handful of worms in his mouth and kissed Sharmell full on the mouth, resulting in her running to the back in disgust. As far as pure wrestling goes, the Boogeyman is not the best at his trade yet, so the action was mediocre at best. Oh yeah, Boogeyman won.

MICKIE JAMES vs. TRISH STRATUS (Women's Championship Match)

This was actually a very good match. The crowd was into everything Mickie did, except for the end of the match when she screwed up the Stratusfaction. So, after one hell of a Mick Kick, Mickie James pinned Trish and is the new woman's champion.

UNDERTAKER vs. MARK HENRY (Casket Match)

This match totally sucked and not because of the Undertaker either. Mark Henry is clearly out of his league starring in this high an impact of an angle. The match ended when 'Taker tombstoned Henry (no easy feat there) and rolled him into the casket for the win, keeping the Undertakers undefeated streak at Wrestlemania alive.

Shawn Michaels Vs The Boss Vince McMahon

In a match that had interference by the Spirit Squad and Shane McMahon, Shawn Michaels was his usual stellar self. At one point Shawn dumped a trashcan over Vinces head, kept it on there, laid him out on a table and climbed a ladder to deliver his patented elbow. I should mention that the ladder Shawn dropped his elbow from was a second choice, as he pushed aside a somewhat smaller one for the highlight of the night. Shawn won the match after Sweet Chin Music, and Vince was taken away on a stretcher as he was, oddly enough, flipping the bird.


SMACKDOWN MAIN EVENT: REY MYSTERIO vs. RANDY ORTON vs. KURT ANGLE (World Heavyweight Championship Match)

This was the surprise of the night. Rey Mysterio is the New World Heavyweight Champion! All three of the wrestlers turned in excellent performances as Angle was VERY good, and Randy more then held his own. Rey was up for the biggest match of his career, and I haven't seen him look this good in a long, long time. On one hand I would hate to think that the only reason Rey won the title was because of somewhat a tribute to Eddie Guerrero, but on the other I also feel it was very poetic. I feel Rey deserves to be recognized for his career achievements, and they need to stand alone from Eddie, but at the same time I think Rey is both honored and proud to be associated with Eddie in any way. After the match a very emotional moment was to be had when both Chavo and Vickie Guerrero congratulated Rey on the ramp. Then the camera zoomed in on a photo of Eddie, it was a surreal moment.

CANDICE MICHELLE vs. TORRIE WILSON (Playboy Pillow Fight)

Torrie pinned Candice after they were both in their bra and panties. The best part of the match was, well, they did try very hard.



JOHN CENA vs. TRIPLE H (WWE Championship Title Match)

This match was very intense from the beginning, and at times it looked more like a brawl then a wrestling match. This match had it all, sledgehammers, knocked out referee and plenty of action all over the ring and outside of it. The match ended, after several very exciting false finishes, when John Cena was able to lock on the STFU, making Trips do the unthinkable and tap out! The crowd was into booing John Cena an exhorbinent amount, and I don't understand why WWE doesn't turn him heel, that's where the fans want to put him. At any rate, Cena retains the World Title.

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HOF is History

This years HOF is now in the books, and I do have to say it was very touching. I am always a sucker for these types of things, it always tickles me to death when very deserving people get their due, but this years HOF was special for me because of the induction of Eddie Guerrero. Those of you who have read this blog from the beginning know that Eddie Guerrero is the reason for this blog and my wrestling training. But I will get to him in a minute.

I probably should go the gamut and tell you about Tony Atlas, Sensational Sherry, The Fridge, Verne Gagne, The Blackjacks and Mean Gene Okerlund, but I think that will make the post way to long to read. So I will limit myself to Bret Hart and Eddie Guerrero. Bret went on last, and I was very glad to see him back on WWE programming. He made a reference or two to the infamous Montreal screw job incident at the 1997 Survivor Series, but he went on to thank Vince McMahon for "giving me the canvas for which ply my trade". He looked pretty good, but if you watched closely you could definitely see the signs of the stroke he suffered a couple of years ago. He told a hilarious story about his brother Owen, how he would always play pranks like the time he called Bret in his hotel room, pretending to be a local pizza parlor and that someone was sending him a free pizza. So Bret was telling him what he wanted on the pizza, and Owen was adding toppings, much to Brets schegrin. Then he said Owen told him he was going to charge him for the extra toppings, it was too funny. One of the last things Bret did was say that back in 1997, when the WWE screwed him over, he made himself a promise that if he was ever to be inducted into the Hall Of Fame, that he would be there. I definitely got the impression that the sad chapter between WWE and Bret was finally closed. Bret was due to fly out of Chicago right after the HOF ceremony, and as far as I know he got on the plane to go home to Italy where he lives with his wife, putting to rest the hope of the fans who wanted to see him appear at Wrestlemania. Bret said he would accept the induction to the HOF, but under no circumstances would he allow himself to be involved with WWE in any creative capacity, and Bret is a very honorable person who I don't see going back on his word. As much as I would love to see him be involved. So, if he is to be involved, it is a very well kept secret, and we will just have to wait to see.

Eddie Guerrero. Eddies family was there, his mother, brothers Mando, Hector and Chavo Classic, and Eddies wife and two of his daughters Shaul and Sherylin accepted on Eddies behalf. All three wrestlers who inducted him, Chavo, Chris Benoit and Rey Mysterio, kept their comments short, but they were touching nonetheless. Chavo opened it up by stating that Eddie taught him most about the wrestling business, and he shared a story about being backstage at a wrestling show bothered about something or other, and ashamed that he was crying. He said that Eddie came to him, asked what was wrong, and not only said it would be ok, but that it was alright for a man to cry. He also shared that at last years HOF he was there in the audience with Eddie, and that Eddie was laughing and smiling and that he got so much joy out of just being around Eddies infectious smile and laughter. He said that if anyone told him that one short year later he would be up on that stage posthumously inducting him, that he would never have believed him, and that goes without saying. Chavo kept it together pretty well, but almost lost it when he closed with the above mentioned story about Eddie letting him know it was ok to cry. He also made the very true statement that Eddie will forever live here on earth in the hearts of all those who loved him. Chris Benoit was up next, and in lieu of being teary eyed, he put forth a a series of anecdotes about Eddie in a tough demeanor that was easily seen through as someone just about to lose it. He told a story about how him, Eddie and Dean Melenko were traveling buddies on the road, and they referred to themselves as each others wives because they "traveled together, tried to make sure each one was comfortable, bitched to each other and spent each others money." He wrapped up his statement by saying that every time Eddie stepped through the ropes that he was the general, the motor, the machine and the man, and that every time he personally wrestled Eddie, that Eddie proved it to him each and every time. Rey wrapped it up before introducing Eddies wife and daughters, but he said that Eddie was a great mentor to him, and that he taught him so much. Vickie was short in her acceptance speech, and I sense she wanted to say more but was having a hard time keeping it together. She started out by thanking Jesus Christ, and then she thanked the fans and said that no matter where Eddie was, back stage, in front of a crowd or out in public away from wrestling he wanted to always say thank you to his fans, because they meant so much to him. She thanked the fans from the bottom of her heart for being so supportive of her during her most tragic of times. And she said this through a cracking voice and eyesful of tears. I was touched!

VIVA LA RAZA! Eddie, you are where you belong, both in the HOF, and up in the greatest wrestling promotion of them all in the sky.

Just A Thought On Anonymous Comments

Wow, late last night I have received a couple anonymous comments that were less then, oh shall we say, appropriate? First of all, I have no problem with lively debate, and you all know I thrive on your feedback, if you think my blog sucks, your are more then welcome to leave your opinion. In fact, there are a couple comments that I left on where people said my blog is over rated and one said it outright sucks. I even have a poll where you could vote on those very principles. That's fine, and those comments will stay. However, I will not tolerate name calling or other bombastic comments meant to make me, my contributors or anyone else featured in the blog to be your personal whipping post because you chose to suck on paint chips as a kid. And if you choose to leave such comments, have enough nerve not to do so anonymously, have a backbone! When you do these things and hit anonymous, all that tells me is that you are indeed ashamed of yourself, and you don't think enough of yourself to stand by what you write.