Matt Hardy Update

I'm sure you have all heard by now, but our boy Matt Hardy has been busy in the last few days.  Not only has he been busy, he has kept local law enforcement on their toes as well.  The DWI arrest is old news of course.  What happened last night is really sad and inexplicable though.

Let's have Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net (DOT NET) fill you in on the happenings in North Carolina/OMEGA Land.

Matt Hardy says "goodbye world"

Former TNA wrestler Matt Hardy ran a new Youtube video tonight called "Goodbye." The video features the following words in graphic form:

"Goodbye, World... My time here is Almost complete... I only have a few hours & minutes... I loved you all... Regardless of how you felt about me... I'll miss you all... September 23, 1974 - August 31, 2011."

Sadly, I doubt any of us who read this story on DOT NET actually felt that Matt was a danger to himself. As self-destructive as the Hardys have become, I read that and immediately figured that this was just another internet, attention whoring tactic by Matt. Others, apparently not so cynical, felt that there may be some legitimacy to this video however.

The Spoiler and Dibiase plus the Roadies

I absolutely love the Ole-style "Face Arranging by Dibiase" shirt that Ted's wearing. You hear a little bit of the Million Dollar Man laugh in there too.  The Spoiler is a great that I'm not terribly familiar with at all.

The Road Warriors promo is a Road Warriors promo. It kind of irritates me that you cannot see Ellering's face a little better.

One thing that this clip is going to make me do is look up what the deal was with Ole Anderson returning to face...Arn Anderson?!


Upload Credit: TheMidnightEDxpress

"Cue that porno music"

That's right, one of my favorite wrestling themes ever was on RAW tonight.  Kevin Nash  made his way down to the ring.



Upload Credit: thegoldfighter

Nick Bockwinkel Awarded AWA Title

Dan Poutsma shared this video on Wrestling Classics and it is certainly interesting.  You had Verne Gagne defeat Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA Title and then retire shortly thereafter.  I'm not a big fan of champions retiring with an active belt anyway and it seems to me to be fairly uncommon, but that is what Gagne chose to do.  At that point the AWA threw fuel on the fire by choosing to simply hand the belt back to the former champion, Bockwinkel.  Why?  I have no idea why they chose to do it from a booking standpoint, but the storyline reason is...weak...to say the least.  As you see in the clip above AWA President Stanley Blackburn essentially says it would be too difficult to stage a tournament that would take almost a year to crown a champion.  WWE did one in two nights a couple of weeks ago and in one PPV at WrestleMania IV, but that was the best reason the AWA could come up with.  I think that's pathetic.

None of this should be seen as a reflection on Nick Bockwinkel, mind you.  I was not fortunate enough to see much of him growing up, but looking back I can see that Bock was a fantastic champion.  Beyond that I have heard nothing but great things about his professionalism as wrestler in general.  Bockwinkel was a fine choice as champion, but they needed to get that belt on him some other way. 

I highly recommend reading the YouTube: Nick Bockwinkel awarded the AWA title (1981) thread linked above from WCMB.  It really is interesting reading the discussion between these bright wrestling minds on this particular angle.

Upload Credit: DotDotkins

More on Goldberg's Return

TMZ has more information on Goldberg's aforementioned return to the wrestling ring.  He is in negotiations to wrestle in Africa for charity.  From the TMZ article:

Goldberg adds, "At this time, the only thing that would get me back in the ring is something that would positively impact those in need. If selling out another major event would allow me to bring a ship full of supplies to hand out to those in need, I'd say that would be very significant."

That's really cool. I certainly hope that this group accomplishes its goal of bringing in some supplies/money for those in need. Good for Goldberg to use his fame and skills in a positive way.

He seems like a legitimately decent guy from everything I have read/seen about hit. This is especially true since he has been out of the business.

WWE '12: The Undertaker

Nothing Earth-shattering here. The main reason to even look up this entrance was to see if they went with his traditional theme or some version of the Johnny Cash one. As you can see, they went the traditional route.

November 22nd cannot get here soon enough.

Upload Credit: WWEGames

NWA Wrestling Returns to WTBS (1984)

First thing that I like about this clip is actually unrelated to the wrestling. I really dig the TBS graphic and the coming up next clip. Notice how this was back when TBS started everything at a time that ended in five. My understanding is that Ted Turner chose to do that in order to hopefully stop people from flipping the channel by being out of sync with all the other stations.

As mentioned in the description of the video, this was the return of NWA wrestling to TBS after Black Saturday. The Georgia folks chose to just pick up where they left off and get straight into their wrestling again.

The funniest thing is watching Ole Anderson speak positively about people. It was kind of surreal.


Upload Credit: GloryDaysTV

Sin Cara Update

Last we heard from Sin Cara, things were going about as well as typical for him in the WWE. Apparently and allegedly, WWE has grown tired of it as he may have parted ways with the company per this LoP article:

Company sources say developmental talent Jorge Arias (a/k/a Hunico) will exclusively portray the Sin Cara character going forward. WWE wants to maintain the character since its been very popular among kids and in merchandise sales.

We all knew it was a bumpy ride for Sin Cara in WWE, but I never expected this. Well, at least not this quickly. Congratulations to Hunico for scoring a sweet role in the company. I hope he has better luck than the original.

Update:  Apparently it was Hunico under the Sin Cara mask when they had to reshoot the match at the Smackdown taping.  I did not realize this when I posted the aforementioned post earlier this week.  Again, from the LoP link above

WWE re-shot a match between Sin Cara and Heath Slater at Tuesday's taping since the initial bout featured numerous botched maneuvers. Aries portrayed Cara in both matches. Alvirde was dressed to compete, but management opted not to use him.

That makes the timing a little odd to me, but either way it had not been smooth sailing for Alvirde (the original).

It's Friday!

If I recall correctly, SAW contributor Norko was a big fan of this particular entrance theme. I am a huge Ron Simmons fan and I always liked this theme as well. So I hope you go out there and DOMINATE your Friday.

Upload Credit: hunterbrookes

Rick Rude vs....Lance Von Erich

To amp up the weirdness of this whole thing, that's Percy Pringle III managing Mr. Rude. You most likely know PP3 as Paul Bearer.  If you are reading SAW then you probably already know this, but Lance Von Erich wasn't actually a Von Erich.  Well technically the Von Erichs weren't Von Erichs either, but Lance was not a brother* to Kerry, Kevin, David etc.  He was brought in to help continue the Von Erich tradition.  That backfired in a huge way.

*Correction: Lance was not supposed to be a brother, but a cousin. He was supposedly Waldo's son.  Either way, he isn't related to any Von Erichs or Waldo.  I just discovered my mistake while reading about the Von Erichs.

Upload Credit: 1000holds

TNA Knockout Pay

According to this LoP article which credits an UK magazine called Power Slam, there are some surprising salaries being paid to a couple of TNA Knockouts:

The magazine states that Christy Hemme and Mickie James are the highest-paid female talent in the organization: each earn more than $100,000 per year.

Considering TNA's reputation as being cheap (that's being generous), this completely shocks me that any of the women are making that type of cash. It is, however, less surprising that the highest paid were high-profile ex-WWE workers. 

Kevin Nash Trolling CM Punk?

According to this LoP article, Kevin Nash has been talking trash about CM Punk as it relates to his size:

Nash was joking to his friends about CM Punk, making fun of how small he was when Nash picked him up for the powerbomb a few weeks back.

Honestly, despite his reputation, this kind of surprises me if true. Here you have a guy in Kevin Nash who is past his prime and getting this great opportunity to get in front of the "WWE Universe" again. He's basically rescued from purgatory TNA/Impact Wrestling and even gets to mix it up with one of the best acts in wrestling today. So what does he do with this opportunity? He treats CM Punk like another "vanilla midget."

All that being said, I don't even know if any of this is true. Furthermore, Big Kev could have certainly said things like this, but not meant them in the derogatory way they are being presented.

I really want to believe that Nash is smarter/more mature than this, but I just don't know.

Smackdown Match Reshot

*Spoiler-free, no result given*

DOT NET posted this note today from the Smackdown tapings:

A match between Sin Cara and Heath Slater at Tuesday's Smackdown taping was so poor that WWE opted to reshoot the match later in the night.

I know that has happened from time-to-time before, but that has got to be embarrassing.  It certainly cannot help Sin Cara's reputation as a "botcher."  I guess it may help him that he's in there with another guy who isn't known for great ring work so far as I know. 

Again, I just cannot imagine how a professional-wrestler must feel when they are told, "That sucked so bad we need to reshoot it." 

JBL on Vince Russo

DOT NET covered an interview where JBL states the obvious as it relates to TNA/Impact Wrestling and Vince Russo:

"I don't get why they keep Russo,"

To which the entire internet said, "Amen."  I will never understand why TNA chooses to keep that guy around.  That show is the biggest cluster I have ever witnessed.  Everyone involved in the creative process should get run.  I literally cannot force myself to watch that two hour program.  I would rather sit in front of my computer and watch random YouTube clips from the 80s. 

Another thing I picked up on in this story was that JBL does have a high opinion of Dutch Mantell as a booker. Now I know Dutch has a good rep in the business, but I do not recall business booming when he was with TNA either. Is it all Dutch's fault? Of course not, but it was still an interesting point.

RAW Ratings

Per this LoP article, RAW's rating this week dipped below 3.0.

It is the program's lowest mark since a 2.90 rating on July 11. Other than the Fourth of July episode, which drew a 2.4, it was the second-lowest rated episode since October 11, 2010.

Now I'm not one of those who harps on the ratings or anything, but this number surprised me. I am assuming that the return of Monday Night Football, even in preseason form, has not helped the ratings. It will be interesting to see if this is a fluke or not.

TNA Pays Jimmy Yang

From Yang's Twitter account:

Woo Woo Woo finally got paid i guess better late then never

Thanks to DOT NET for bringing this earth-shattering news to us. If you had not heard, Yang claimed he wasn't paid six weeks after his spot for TNA and that the check he was sent two weeks prior to that actually bounced.

Here's to TNA for taking care of Jimmy Yang.  Congrats to Jimmy on getting a check that is not made of rubber.

GCW: Jimmy Garvin saves Tommy Rich, Harley Race speaks

Tommy Rich catches a beatdown and Jimmy Garvin makes the save.  Man, Jimmy looks weird without the thick beard.  Also, I'm not so sure about him as a clean-cut babyface either.

Harley is both matter-of-fact and slightly annoyed.  Tommy is fired up as usual.

Nice cameo by Eddie Graham at the end there talking about the tag title tourney.

Upload Credit: dalegrow

Who's Next?!

According to this DOT NET story and Goldberg's official Twitter, one of the biggest phenoms in pro-wrestling history is coming back. 

By the way......... I'm back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who's next?  We don't know, but Goldberg wants you to think it's none other than Batista.

I have never been a huge Goldberg fan, but I am certainly intrigued to see how he looks upon his return and where the match is held.

Bullying Vickie Guerrero

If you have paid attention to WWE programming you will notice they have been part of the Be a STAR Alliance anti-bullying campaign.  Many members of the IWC including The Wrestling Blog's TH have pointed out how hypocritical that is.  Why is it hypocritical?  While taking part in an anti-bullying campaign, face color commentator Jerry "The King" Lawler has routinely made jokes about Vicki Guerrero's weight.  This is even more ridiculous in light of Vicki's weight loss.  Finally somebody a bit closer to the issue has raised the same objection as highlighted in the LoP story:

Lisa Wright, who is the program director of the national non-profit organization Council for Unity, wrote a letter to the Be A Star Alliance questioning their affiliation with WWE after receiving an e-mail concerning the "fat jokes" being directed towards performer Vickie Guerrero on television. She asks how the anti-bullying organization's partnership with WWE fits their mission to show tolerance and respect since professional wrestling consists of name calling and threats culminating in violence.

Her statement reads: "I recently received an e-mail regarding your alliance with the WWE. The e-mail pointed out the "fat jokes" about Vickie Guerrero. Wrestling as I perceive it consists of name calling and threats culminating in violence to settle conflicts. How does this fit with your mission to `Show Tolerance and Respect?' Are you saying this behavior is alright for entertainment value? As an employee of a member organization listed on your website, your questionable judgment reflects poorly, not only on you, but on all the organizations listed there.

I would hazard a guess that many of us were happy to see someone other than CM Punk and certain wrestling bloggers point out the hypocrisy of WWE's actions in light of this campaign.  Sadly, Ms. Wright has apparently been convinced that there is nothing wrong with this after all.  Again according to a LoP story:

Matt Hardy Released

Following his DWI arrest earlier today, TMZ reports that Matt Hardy has been released by TNA/Impact Wrestling.

I cannot blame the promotion for this at all.  As I said previously, I hope those boys get their lives together.

Matt Hardy: DWI

Matt Hardy is trending on Twitter right now and I wasn't sure why.  It's due to a DWI arrest in North Carolina per TMZ.

According to the Moore County Jail, Hardy was busted this afternoon by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and released around 7:00 PM ET.

The article goes on to say that he ran off the road and hit a tree.  The trooper on the scene saw signs of impairment and detained him.

It's always a shame when folks choose to drive under the influence.  It's also a shame that Matt and his brother Jeff have had such a difficult time of late.  Those guys were extremely talented and popular, but it's been a series of bad decisions and trouble with the law for a while now.

I hope they both get it turned around sooner rather than later.

FFA: Nike Pro Combat Unis, UGA edition

The Georgia Bulldogs' Nike Pro Combat Unis have finally been unveiled.

I have a feeling that I would feel much differently if I were a Dawgs fan, but I like these. It is easier to get behind something like this though when you have no emotional investment into the team or their tradition.

Alabama, surprisingly, got into the Nike Pro Combat craze last season. BAMA's were nowhere near the departure that UGA's turned out to be though.

Update: Saturday Down South has more, high-quality pictures.
Photo Credit: SB*NATION: Atlanta

A Look at R-Truth

Charlotte Magazine recently ran an interview with R-Truth. Truth is an interesting guy to me in that we know he has a rough past. 

As an aspiring young rapper, Killings thought he was destined for the entertainment industry, but he took a detour in his late teens and early twenties. “I thought I could make a living selling drugs,” he says. While incarcerated he was discovered by Jack Crockett, son of the late Jim Crockett, who brought wrestling to Charlotte in the 1940s. Jack Crockett offered to pay for his training. Each night after he wrestled, Killings would break down the rings. The next day, he would help put them back up. Killings, who had already been in and out of jail numerous times when he started working with Crockett, says his benefactor helped put him on a better path.

Also he was one of the most disliked WWE SuperStars by the IWC and has recently become some beloved by the IWC as evidenced by these quotes.

“He’s always been a solid wrestler,” says fan Daylon Brumfield, co-owner of Plaza Midwood’s Snug Harbor. “Since the heel turn I think he’s much more entertaining.” Echoes Adrian Rohr, another longtime wrestling fan: “I love, love, love the heel turn. It has breathed new life into his character. He is a true heel and he’s unique in wrestling, where everybody looks and talks the same.”

I never really found Truth as offensive as some did.  In fact, I thought it was kind of a fun crowd participation gimmick.  It is interesting to see so many people do a complete 180 on a worker that has been around so long. 

The article is a good read.  I highly recommend it.

FFA: It's Friday!

Going off-topic (FREE FOR ALL!) this week for our It's Friday! motivation.  Why a Katy Perry song?  Well, it's because I let my wife pick the music this week.

You know, after that WrestleMania 27 special on NBC the other day this video is actually on-topic.  They played this as they showed the Undertaker make his entrance against Triple H.  For that reason, I have to give her a ton of credit for this choice.

It's Friday! will return to it's rocking roots next week.





Speaking of that WrestleMania 27 special on NBC, did anyone notice they listed the date as April 1, 2011? The show as on April 3, 2011.

Upload Credit: KatyPerryVEVO

Rick Rude's Career Ender

I will echo what most say about this unfortunate incident, that setup around the ring was ill-conceived. What was even worse was performing that spot with that setup in place. I have zero idea why they went through with that. Rude was great in WWE, but I'm not sure that he wasn't better during his WCW/Dangerous Alliance run. He felt more important in WCW to me.

Upload Credit: fanWRESTLINGfan

Cena and Punk WWE Title Reigns

CM Punk and John Cena both walked into SummerSlam with a claim to the WWE Title. The winner of their match was to be crowned "the undisputed WWE champion." That brings up an interesting point that is currently being discussed on A1. How do you count CM Punk's WWE title reigns?

There are two schools of thought on this.

One side says that Punk rolled into SS as the WWE Champion and won the undisputed WWE title so he is now a two-time WWE champion.

The other says that Punk's reign began at Money in the Bank and his defeat of Cena simply clarified who the undisputed WWE champion was. In that scenario CM Punk has one reign as WWE champion.

My take? I am in the second camp. I think that both men came to SummerSlam with claims to the title. The winner of the match simply solidified his claim. They did not win another title or begin another title reign. It was simply an extension of the reign that started at Money in the Bank or on RAW.

I love discussions like this. If you're interested in hearing more about these two perspectives then go check out this thread on A1-Wrestling.com.

Photo Credit: Bleacher Report

Sin Cara in WWE '12

After looking at the Roster on THQ's WWE '12 site a couple of times, I noticed something really interesting.  We all know there are rumors flying about Sin Cara's future in WWE.  If you don't know, after the Wellness violation it was rumored he may not return.  They had another worker stand in for him on SmackDown last week.  There have even been rumors that they may be building towards a Sin Cara vs Sin Cara feud.

All that being said, what was interesting about his placement is that he's on the page down there next to Jerry "The King" Lawler where all the WWE Legends are listed.  Does that mean anything?  Not necessarily, but I thought it was kind of interesting considering there seems to be a pattern used to layout all the WWE SuperStars, Divas and Legends on that page.

Interesting WWE Trademarks

Judging by this LoP article, it looks like we might get some more "shooting" in WWE.

On August 10th, WWE filed to trademark the terms "Future Endeavored", "Future Endeavor" and "Mr. Future Endeavor."

It's interesting to note that Chris Masters showed up at SummerSlam Axxess and did some filming.  Of course CM Punk has mentioned Vladimir Kozlov and Harry Smith (DH Smith) on RAW as well. 

I'm not saying that any of these guys have anything to do with this trademark, but it is interesting speculation.  It's also possible that they are simply trademarking this and planning on using it to stop a former worker for using it.

I guess we'll see.

Killer Kowalski Estate Auction

There was an interesting note the other day that Triple H purchased items at the Killer Kowalski estate auction.  He won several items.  One of which was the most expensive:

Triple H purchased Kowalski's first-ever wrestling ring robe for $4,250, the biggest item in the auction. When the online bidder checked in, most figured it was Triple H. Said local wrestling personality Richard Byrne, "I’m pretty sure it’s Triple H. I called him and told him they were doing this. He didn’t know about it. So the [WWE] office called and they said wanted everything that’s wrestling [related].

That's a pretty freaking cool thing to own.  Double true when this is the man who trained you and helped make you a star in the industry.

Diesel Beats Bob Backlund for WWE Title

In honor of Big Kev's return to RAW this week, I give you his finest moment in WWE. No, it's not him walking across the ring to tear his quad. It's his annihilation of Bob Backlund for the title back in 1994.

All-in-all, I enjoyed Nash's involvement in the show more than some did last night.  Nothing really bothered me about his promo and I thought he held his own.  I'm not sure that we'll see Nash again.  I got a Mafia vibe from John Laurinaitis' invitation to speak somewhere more private.

Anyhow, it was nice seeing Kevin Nash last night.  I wouldn't mind him sticking around as a bodyguard or something.  I cannot say I need to see him wrestle at this point though.

Who Brought in Kevin Nash?

WWE.com is speculating about who exactly is responsible for Kevin Nash's appearance at SummerSlam last night. 

The last line teases that we may never get an answer to that question.

We may never have definitive answers to all of the questions surrounding Alberto Del Rio leaving SummerSlam as the Undisputed WWE Champion, yet one fact is indisputable: this was the most contentious SummerSlam in WWE history

I seriously doubt that is the case though.  If we don't know something more about Big Kev's involvement tonight on RAW I will be shocked.  I certainly don't expect all the answers tonight because I fear that this is all leading towards the big reveal of Triple H being behind the whole thing.

Dot Net mentioned that it was kind of surprising that Vince McMahon wasn't listed as a suspect and I agree with that.  I'm kind of inclined to believe that there's a chance that Vince was involved.

Either way, the end of the show last night sets up for some interesting questions to be asked and intriguing possibilities going forward. 

Hopefully WWE capitalizes on that. 

Photo Credit: WWE.com

WWE '12: Alberto Del Rio

In honor of his big win last night, let's check out Alberto Del Rio's entrance in WWE '12. 

They have it pull up on the stage because I assume they didn't want to have to animate it over there on the side where they never do entrances.  The only thing missing is ADR honking the horn.  I really hope they add that, but it's no showstopper.



You can check out more at the official WWE Games site.  They have the entire roster plus entrance moves and finisher videos for several superstars.

Upload Credit: WWEGames

Ultimate Warrior is Crazy and sort of Awesome

In a trainwreck sort of way of course.  Lords of Pain does a nice job of capturing his insanity.

Ultimate Warrior's Facebook rant in which he called Hulk Hogan a "Vagina Man" and blasted the wrestling legend's daughter Brooke for posing nude for PETA has been removed by the social media empire.

Vagina Man? Really? Really?!  Wait, there's more.

He also snidely responded to a user remarking that "at least Hogan is on TV."

"Yeah, killing the business and opportunities for young guys to have a shot at their OWN stardom," Warrior replied. "Super."

Hilarious retort out of Warrior.  He's nuts, but at least he's entertaining I suppose.  I dug the sarcastic dig at Hogan if nothing else.

Buddy Landel: Smooth Operator

Buddy Landel gets some R&R as he readies himself for his big match with "Nature Boy" Ric Flair. It always seemed odd to me how these guys crossed paths with the same exact gimmick. To me a Landel/Flair match looks like a battle of Undertakers at SummerSlam 94.

Also of note is future Horsemen manager JJ Dillon managing Buddy. Dillon is really underrated. He always cut solid, believable promos. I also like the analysis of his opponent. That's the kind of stuff missing these days.

Upload Credit: superLINUSxxx

WWE '12 Roster Reveal and News

As usual I'm extremely excited about this game. There seem to be a solid number of promised fixes.

Features:

• New Punk theme and video
• Breaking Point button mashing submission system
• Smooth, fluid graphics
• "Listened to the fans"
• Bigger belt
• Improved AI
• Predator Technology/PredatorTech system
• New momentum system
• Super Finishers/Ability to store finishers (again!)
• Comeback System
• It allows you to rally
• You can go from almost out of it to finisher
• Quicktime Event (QTE) based
• New website launches WWE.THQ.com

Here is the list of superstars in order of reveal:

1. John Cena
2. John Morrison
3. Ted Dibiase Jr.
4. Mark Henry
5. Kofi Kingston
6. William Regal
7. R-Truth
8. Husky Harris
9. Daniel Bryan
10. Tyson Kidd
11. Santino
12. David Otunga
13. Evan Bourne
14. Sheamus
15. Goldust
16. Cody Rhodes (w/ mask)
17. Zack Ryder
18. Mason Ryan
19. Triple H
20. The Miz
21. Stone Cold Steve Austin
22. Arn Anderson
23. Ricky Steamboat
24. Road Warrior Hawk
25. Road Warrior Animal
26. Vader
27. Kevin Nash
28. Booker T
29. Eddie Guerrero
30. Demolition Smash
31. Demolition Ax
32. Edge
33. Eve
34. Natalya
35. Maryse
36. Layla
37. Michelle McCool
38. Beth Phoenix
39. Kelly Kelly
40. Rock (current look)
41. Kane
42. Alex Riley
43. Alberto Del Rio
44. Rey Mysterio
45. Michael McGillicutty
46. Yoshi Tatsu
47. Jack Swagger
48. Big Show
49. Justin Gabriel
50. Heath Slater
51. Dolph Ziggler
52. Undertaker
53. Christian
54. Drew McIntyre
55. Sin Cara
56. Mr. McMahon
57. Ezekiel Jackson
58. CM Punk
59. Wade Barrett
60. Randy Orton
61. Jerry Lawler (DLC)
62. Chavo Guerrero (not announced at big reveal due to release)
63. Vladimir Kozlov (not announced at big reveal due to release)

FFA: #SECession

Dan Shanoff is a man with a plan.  That plan will destroy the NCAA.  How?  The Southeastern Conference secedes from the NCAA.  Here is the bullet points of his plan:

1. SEC expands from 12 to 16 teams.
2. SEC withdraws from the BCS cabal.
3. SEC sets up its own 8-team end-of-season conference playoff.
4. SEC sells the 7-game playoff package to a TV network.
5. SEC crowns its playoff champ.

So if you have Twitter, let's get #SECession trending ASAP.  This needs to happen folks.  I know it and you know it.  The SEC is going to take down the NCAA and it will be glorious.

Major props to TH of The Wrestling Blog for bringing this plan to my attention.  Follow him at @tholzerman on Twitter as well.

FFA: Senoia, Georgia

SAW is based in Senoia, GA.  The town that is billed as being "25 miles and 100 years away from Atlanta."

I have lived in Senoia since mid-late 2002.  Started looking for affordable houses and immediately fell in love with this place.  This house was one of the first ones I looked at and ended up coming back to it after a long search.  My house is not in Senoia proper, but it is just a couple of minutes away. 

Honestly, Senoia has lost a bit of its old school charm over the last nine years.  Hutchinson Hardware went out of business shortly after my arrival.  It was opened in 1928 I believe which is the same year the Atlanta landmark, The Varsity opened its doors.  Main street has gone through a bit of a renovation as well.  The thing is while the town has lost some of its legitimate old-school charm, it has maintained that small town vibe.  The renovations have maintained an old town feel.  That's part of the "25 miles and 100 years away..." initiative.

There is even a wrestling connection to this town.  No, there are no indy promotions running down here.  Now when I win the lottery of course you will see South Atlanta Wrestling run at least a few matches, but Joe Pedicino's radio station 92.5 the Bear broadcasts from a studio in the middle of Senoia.  Joe was the gentleman you may have seen running around the NWA Legends Fanfest wearing suspenders with his blond wife.  They were the hosts of Atlanta's first NWA Fanfest.  Joe was most well-known to me as the host of Superstars of Wrestling, a syndicated wrestling block on Saturday night.  He was also an owner of the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF) that aired on ESPN.

 If you are interested at all in this town, take a look at the links below.  We toured the Idea House and it was pretty cool I must say.

• Senoia's official site: "The perfect setting. For life."
• Inside Senoia's Idea House
• The Historic Senoia Project

If you ever find yourself down this way, I strongly suggest you cruise through Senoia and see the town itself.  I don't think you will be disappointed.

  

RIP Scott LeDoux

Scott LeDoux passed away after a long battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).  If his name doesn't sound familiar to you Mr. LeDoux was a boxer and worked with boxing commissions etc. in Minnesota. 
He was also a referee in the AWA and has made several appearances on the AWA on ESPN Classics episodes.  He even feuded with SAW favorite, Larry Zybszko for a period of time.

In memory of and with reverance for Scott LeDoux, I repost the WrestleRock Rumble.

RIP Scott LeDoux



Upload Credit: superLINUSxxx

Paul Orndorff Health Update

I saw "Mr. Wonderful" last weekend at the NWA Legends Fanfest and truth be told I thought he looked pretty good considering his health situation back in April.  It is being reported across the IWC that Paul is currently cancer free.  That is really exciting news.  I certainly hope he stays that way.

Anyhow, congratulations to Paul Orndorff and his family on this "wonderful" news.  South Atlanta Wrestling wishes him and his nothing but the best. 

It's Friday!

Hoping you have an AWESOME Friday and weekend for that matter.  Going on-topic with The Most Must-See WWE Champion's theme song.



Upload Credit: WWETitantrons2010HD

Heath Slater Accused of Choking Security Guard

According to the AJC, Heath Slater has a bit of a problem on his hands.

An Atlanta security guard claims a popular pro wrestler grabbed her by the neck and tried to force her to his hotel room during WrestleMania earlier this year.

I thought it interesting that this is just now making the news since this happened back at WrestleMania, but then I read this.

Oliver didn’t call 911, her attorney said, but instead immediately contacted her Allied Barton supervisor, who was on duty at the hotel at the time of the incident. But after months of inaction, the attorney said Oliver decided to file a police report on June 22, nearly three months after the incident.

“She was waiting on her supervisors to report it to the police and see what they were going to do, but they [supervisors] kept telling her, ‘We’re handling this and we’ll get it resolved,’ ” the attorney said. “When she never got it resolved that’s when she took it upon herself to go to the police.”

What allegedly happened is pretty disturbing.

 “She basically said he [Slater] approached her and asked her to go to his room,” Patterson said. “She said no. He started telling her she was pretty and those type things. The next thing you know she was in a chokehold, and he was dragging her and bending her backward, trying to get her on the elevator to his room. She violently had to struggle to get his arm from around her neck.”

Even if there's no truth to this, you have to wonder how much patience WWE will have with a guy like Slater.  He certainly fits the term "expendable" in my opinion.  I am curious as to how long WWE has known about this.  I would have thought that they might sweep him out the door on Black Friday to be honest.

Triple H Wants to Rebuild Tag Division

There is another change allegedly coming to WWE.  According to PWInsider via Wrestle Heat, Triple H wants to rebuild the tag division.

...he apparently wants to revive what many consider a lackluster tag team division. McMahon has been said to be down on the idea in the past, but will listen to almost anything his son-in-law suggests.

Triple H's ideas about doing vignettes and teasing new talent has been very successful. He does little for me as an on-screen character, but reviving the tag division would be another positive move for Triple H in this backstage role.

It amazes me that for all that WWE does right, they abandoned tag team wrestling. If I were booking a promotion I would have a strong tag division that had very little overlap with the singles division. In my world, a well-seasoned tag team would beat any "Mega Powers-esque" team because they know the ins and outs of tag team wrestling.

I hope this comes to fruition because it would add a welcome dimension to WWE programming.

Chris Masters Comments on David Otunga

As one of the recently released WWE SuperStars you would think that Chris Masters might have a lot to say.  You would be right.  One particular thing stood out to me in this Lords of Pain article.

Masters also feels a number of wrestlers don't belong in WWE, and specifically names David Otunga. "You think David Otunga's ready for TV?" he asks the hosts. When asked why the Raw Superstar should have been fired before him, Masters replies, "Well, he's got two left feet. C'mon, just watch him walk around the ring for five minutes."

Masters, however, then says in defense of Otunga that the Tag Team Champion is a product of WWE's system—wrestlers being called up to television prematurely.

I am not much of a workrate guy so I don't know if Otunga is a great, decent, passable or godawful worker, but I found Masters' comments to be very interesting. It has seemed throughout its history that the right look can certainly get you on TV more quickly no matter how you perform in the ring.

As an aside, I've always felt that WWE's approach to "depush" wrestlers who seemed to be getting over and then "repushing" them later to be perplexing. Once the heat is squashed, it's hard to get it back. Sometimes you have to let things happen more organically and I don't think WWE does that often enough.

Slow Motion Wrestling

I would love to hear some feedback on this. I'm not a huge fan of over-the-top comedy wrestling bits like this. It is simply not my cup of tea. I prefer more serious business, "hoss fights" as some might say.

I don't know. I have no issue with humorous promos or even a touch of humor in my wrestling product, but a slow motion match? Yeah, don't care for it.

All that being said, I thought some of you might appreciate it so there it is.

It's from Chikara King of Trios, Night 3 by the way. I wonder if TH was there? This is right up his alley.

Upload Credit: Nel1894

Van Hammer Joins Raven's Flock in WCW

I don't think this came off how they imagined. Van Hammer looks like a dope here. This does remind me how badass Saturn was in WCW though. Raven and Saturn together was a fun act in general during their WCW run.

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Potential Impact Wrestling Spoiler/Big Name Returns

Do not proceed if you do not want to be spoiled.

The Death of Bruiser Brody

If you're reading this there's a good chance that you already know quite a bit about this tragic and scandalous event in pro-wrestling history. Obviously, I'm not a reporter, but what I want to accomplish with this is share some of the links/multimedia I have seen over the years as it relates to Frank Goodish's untimely demise.

If you know anything about Brody's death then you're probably aware that Tony Atlas was there with him that night.  Below is his account of Brody's killing:



There are a couple of things that stood out about Tony's account to me:

1. The idea that Brody had no real friends
2. The whole deal with the picture of Brody's son
3. The allegation that someone forced the doctors to stop the procedure

Dutch Mantell shares his story over at Solie.org: Brody's Death: A Cover Up?

Dutch starts with a chilling fact about the trial:

It is already known that Jose Gonzalez was the man that stabbed and killed Bruiser Brody. He pleaded self defense, and partly due to a weak justice system in Puerto Rico, and partly due to the fact that nobody was at Gonzalez' trial on behalf of Brody, Gonzalez was acquitted. The controversy surrounds why the men that were subpoenaed never got to Puerto Rico to testify. Yes, it is true that certain wrestlers would not talk. But there were many who were very willing to talk. Unfortunately, they never got their chance.

The whole account is chilling to be honest. In some ways, the handling of the trial is more disturbing than the murder of the man himself.  I even recall PWI, The Wrestler or one of those magazines touching on this with a cover story about Tony Atlas' refusal to talk.

At this point, I should say that I've heard it both ways.  Some will tell you that the crooked Puerto Rican system did not allow the American wrestlers to give their testimony.  Others have said that Tony Atlas specifically refused to testify.  Typically, in the latter case they tie his unwillingness to testify to fear of Gonzalez' connections.  What's the truth? I have no idea, but keep it in mind when you read these accounts.

Jim Zordani, Moderator of the wrestlinglegends egroup touches on this over at 1wrestlinglegends.com:

Jose Gonzalez was charged with first degree murder and spent one night in jail.  Gonzalez was acquitted in a trial later that year.  The murder weapon mysteriously disappeared from the police department before the trial.  Not one of the American wrstlers who were in the locker room at the time of the stabbing testified at the trial.  One of the reasons given for the wrestlers not testifying was they had no idea when the trial date was.  Tony Atlas was said to be in fear his life would be taken if he testified.

The professional wrestling industry is certainly a twisted, often scandalous place.  With that in mind, what better way than to wrap this all up with a match between Brody and Invader I?




Upload Credit: vicvenom and t72fins

My Favorite Foley

No, it's not a new sitcom.  It is, however, something that crossed my mind earlier today.  Which version of Mick Foley was your favorite? 

I don't know if it is simply the fact that "the first face of Foley" I saw was Cactus Jack, but I still choose that one as my favorite.  The whole look just worked for me.  The violent madman who wanted to "drop an elbow on the world" was just perfect.

The Cactus Jack WWE theme was also the best theme for the Faces of Foley as well.



Upload Credit: noobert6

WrestleMania 28 Main Even in Jeopardy?

There was a rumor floated at some point last week that a "high ranking WWE official" was trying to convince Vince McMahon to cancel the Rock/Cena match at WrestleMania 28.  This was allegedly due to the fact that this mystery executive did not like the idea that Cena would be booed so heartily in the Rock's hometown.

John Cena chimed in on this via his Twitter feed when a fan point blank asked him whether the match was in jeopardy or not:

none at all. That match needs to happen. If they kick us out we will fight.in parking lot.

 If there was any truth to this, I would be really shocked if the campaigning just started as it has been blatantly obvious from the jump that Miami was going to be hostile to John Cena.  I can completely understand not wanting to have the biggest face in your company getting heeled at what could be one of the most hyped shows ever, but the fact is they will make huge money with this match.  After you promised it earlier this year I really think they have to deliver.

NWA Legends Fanfest Recap

SAW contributor, Norko and myself went to our first wrestling convention on Saturday.  It was NWA Legends Fanfest: The Last Battle of Atlanta at the Airport Marriott.

Since it was local South Atlanta Wrestling had to make an appearance.  Norko may have more to add, but I know that I enjoyed it.  Here are some highlights.

First off, it was cool just being surrounded by all the legends there.  There were also a couple of current stars in attendance.  As we walked away from the table where we purchased our tickets, we passed a merchandise table and former NWA Champion, Colt Cabana was sitting there.  We walked into the main room and immediately to our left was DDP, Diamond Dallas Page with Ole Anderson and Stan "The Lariat" Hansen directly in front of us.  As we circulated the room we quickly ran into Haku/Meng, Al Snow (bigger in person than you would think), Paul Bearer, Mr. Wrestling II, Virgil/Vincent (Mike Jones), "Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase, "That Sonofabitch" Tully Blanchard (as Dusty Rhodes might say), Tatanka and Raven.  There were more and I will post a comprehensive list, but those were the ones I kind of remember seeing on our first pass through the room.

The merchandise that was available was absolutely incredible.  Top Rope Belts had some of their work on display and to say they made some beautiful belts was an understatement.  The University of Florida Gators National Title belt was classic looking.  Speaking of classic, there was a ton of old wrestling magazines, posters, DVDs, books, figures, photos, etc. on display as well.  We met Scott Teal at his Crowbar Press booth.  Mr. Teal came across as a really great guy and he spoke to us a bit about some of the books he has written or co-written such as Ole Anderson's and one on Bruiser Brody.  Dave Millican Belts had some replicas and I assume some actual belts and they were also absolutely beautiful.

Here's the list of individuals from the industry that we saw at the Fanfest:

Goldberg vs the nWo's Vincent

There's a reason I pick this particular Goldberg match to feature here.  It has to do with the upcoming NWA Legends Fanfest recap coming up later today. 

Of course this ends exactly how you would expect.  Also stick around for Eddy G's plug for "Movies For Guys Who Like Movies" coming up next on TBS.



Upload Credit: BootsyBrootal

SAW Goes to the NWA Legends Fanfest

Don't really know what to expect, but South Atlanta Wrestling (FreebirdSTF and Norko) will be heading to the NWA Legends Fanfest in an hour or so.

The roster of legends who will be there over the four day period is pretty incredible.

It looks like it should be a lot of fun.  We will see.

To find out more, please visit NWALegends.com

WWE Releases

TH's The Wrestling Blog posted WWE Chopping Block Report, Part 1 today covering what is most likely the first round of widespread releases this year.

This isn't really news to any wrestling fans by this point in the day, but I did want to give a couple of thoughts about each of the releases announced today.

• Chris Masters--I figure this is the one that would bother the most people.  Masters has been somewhat of an IWC darling since he returned to WWE.  I thought the old MasterLock Challenge was lots of fun back in the day, but it never really seemed like he was going anywhere. 
• DH Smith--Had WWE wanted to get serious about a legitimate tag team division, I really thought he Hart Dynasty was the way to do it.  Of course WWE seems to hate tag team wrestling and the Harts got lost in the shuffle.  Last time I saw Smith was when he walked down as a lumberjack at WrestleMania 27 wearing a cowboy hat.  I wish they had gotten serious about a Hart Dynasty push, but by this point I can completely understand this.
• Vladimir Kozlov--He never did anything for me.  His unorthodox style was boring.  His comedy pairing with Santino was a piss break for me during RAW.  The fact that he held the tag gold with Santino is an absolute joke. 
• Melina--Her look goes completely against my "natural woman" bias.  Her face goes completely against my anti-beastiality bias.  I mean Sarah Jessica Parker thought she had a horse face, but her ring entrance was a thing of legend.  Perhaps if she hadn't, allegedly, been such a pain in the ass through her entire WWE stint she might be around.  I'm curious as to what this does with John Morrison's WWE stay too.
• Gail Kim--She quit.  She was pretty botchamatic during her return to the E from what I understand.

I'll be very interested in who is taken out in the next round.  I wish all these folks the best.

FFA: It's Friday!

It's Friday goes off-topic this week, sort of.  This week's It's Friday submission was inspired by Jim who also runs a wrestling blog, More Wrestling Than You Can Shake A Stick At.
He shared this with me on Facebook due to my love for Skynyrd and his love for the Briscoe Brothers.  As I wasn't terribly familiar with them I didn't realize they used this as a theme.  I did see them in NWA WildSide a few times and those guys can flat go in the ring though.

Anyhow, Gimme Back My Bullets by Lynyrd Skynyrd is this week's It's Friday! song.  Finish it strong folks.



Upload Credit:  EMOPaco77

NWA Legends Fanfest: Last Battle of Atlanta

I posted about this back in June, but the event started tonight.  I still plan on going Saturday with SAW contributor, Norko.

I'm curious to see how it goes. 

Visit the SAW post linked above or NWALegends.com for more information.

Brakus...Coming Soon...

You know, you would have thought he'd be here by now.  Remember this guy?



Don't feel bad if you don't.  He never actually showed up on WWE TV. His debut was hyped, but ultimately dropped altogether.

Upload Credit: DarklightFunaki

Michael Cole: Manager?

Michael Cole transitioning to manager?  That seemed to be the obvious direction of the endless Lawler/Cole program, but they never pulled the trigger.  When Good Ol' JR returned to the RAW booth you might think that would be another sign that Cole would become a manager.  Allegedly there is talk of it and I think that's great, but here's the problem as highlighted by this Lords of Pain article:

If Cole would begin to manage, he would likely stay on commentary as well.

Count me out.  Cole was fun at first, but as that Lawler angle dragged on I was ready for both Lawler and Cole to disappear forever.  I tried to stay positive because I figured maybe Jack Swagger would get a deserved push.  What's he up to now?  Yeah, not a lot. 

Ultimately, Michael Cole as a manager could work, but if they keep him in the booth I think we'll all get Cole overload.

Ric Flair and Ole Anderson Talk Black Scorpion

This is a fascinating look into the backstage nonsense in WCW. Ole is quite amusing in this clip. I love this quote from him right here.

I can't tell you exactly what I was thinking, but I know this, Dusty screwed everything up.

What's also interesting is how he remembers such detail on one hand, but on the other couldn't remember who the Black Scorpion was working with etc.

My favorite Flair part was when he did the Black Scorpion voice.

I fondly remember this angle. I stayed up and watched squiggly PPV to hear who the Black Scorpion was.
Upload Credit: 24wrestlingrocks

Scott Hall SELLS a Stone Cold Stunner

I saw this show on PPV, but have no recollection of Scott Hall selling this Stunner like a champ. He oversells it so much it would make the Rock blush. This might be the best thing nWo Scott Hall did in WWE to be honest. He got more air than Evan Bourne.

Upload Credit: MoeBeast89

Beth Phoenix Getting Spanked

Since Beth was clearly a Bad Girl last night on RAW, I present you this.  A very young Beth Phoenix back around 2000-2001 getting spanked by former indy darling Reckless Youth.

Upload Credit: TVTraX

Chris Jericho Comments on CM Punk

Chris Jericho had this to say on Twitter last night.

Everyone is so excited that @CMPunk mentioned me on Raw. Newsflash...I don't give a shit. Mind ur own business and stop rippin me off Punk.

I don't know what his angle for lack of better term is, but this struck me as odd.

This seems like as good a time as any to say, "I think Chris Jericho is really overrated."  Let me rephrase, "Chris Jericho is a guy that people really seem to like that doesn't do nearly as much for me."

Listen he's phenomenal as a serious suit-wearing heel, but his work as a face is not all that impressive to me.  His humor is too corny for my tastes.  Naming his 1,004 moves?  Awesome, but by and large he is an unfunny guy who thinks he is funny and it pains me.

Someone the other day defended putting Punk back on TV so soon because Jericho's big return was botched because they made the fans wait.  I saw it differently.  Corners of the IWC were really excited about Jericho's return, but most of the casuals just did not seem to care or at least cared a lot less.  I remember being underwhelmed by his face run and it wasn't until he turned serious heel that he really got over after the big return.
Sorry for the non sequitur, but it felt like a good time to say it.  In fairness to Jericho and so TH's head won't asplode I give you the epic Nitro moment of Chris listing his moves after the jump.

Quick RAW Thoughts (8-1-2011)

Honestly, I thought it was boring.  Punk was solid, but unspectacular.  Triple H, Cena and even John Laurinaitis played their parts well, but it was fairly paint by numbers. 

I really wanted to get back into the Punk angle, but I feared they killed it last week and this show gave me zero reason to believe it's going to be special going forward.

I really enjoyed Punk, Miz and Truth this week.  Evan Bourne selling the armbar like a madman was great.  ADR, as always, was a lot fun as was Kofi showing some fire.

If I gave grades for WWE TV, I'd probably give this a C.  It was fine, but nothing really stood out.  It was pretty much the definition of average.  In light of what the Punk storyline could have been, I really want to give it a lower grade, but I think a C is fair.

WCW Galoob Figure Commercials

FUN FACT: I spent $30 to get the Freebirds out of the second series that apparently saw a very limited release.  I liked these figs and have most of the first set, but had to eBay Luger as well to get all the ones I wanted.  The belts sucked on those things and didn't even look as nice as the ones in the commercial.  The first WCW figure I purchased was Sting at the Fayetteville KMart which is now a JCPenney.  I think out of the initial series the only ones I did not have were Pillman and Zenk. 

Nice looking figures.  The lack of articulation never really bothered me much.  I don't really remember these ads at all either so this was kind of cool to see.

Upload Credit: 24wrestlingrocks

JBL Destroys Billy Gunn with a Clothesline

Props to Billy for selling this like a champ. That Clothesline truly looked like it came From Hell. As much as I loved JBL's JR Ewing gimmick, this gets me all nostalgic for the APA. It didn't hurt that I'm a huge Ron Simmons mark (look for him in my upcoming Top 10 post even), but that whole barroom brawling gimmick was a heck of a lot of fun. I miss rough and tumble tag teams like that. I miss tag teams in general in this day and age, but that's probably a story for another post.

Upload Credit: RandyOrtonRK0