WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony Tonight

The WWE HOF won't air until Monday night, but if you follow the stars of the WWE on Twitter you will get a bit of a preview.

I am an absolute sucker for the event. I think it is a really cool way to pay tribute to the stars and legends of the business. It looks like a great experience for the fans and it is neat seeing everyone in their formal gear for the occasion.

Here are some examples:

@CMPunk

WWE Champion CM Punk and Kofi Kingston

@thebellatwins

Nikki and Brie, The Bella Twins

@RealJackSwagger

Jack Swagger and his wife Catalina

I kind of regret not trying to go the show last year in ATL. I would love to hear from some of you how the experience was if you have ever been.

Here's another one from Jack Swagger.

"WWEHOF #4horsemen so cool"--Jack Swagger

Two possible WWE returns?

There are rumors swirling about former WWE Superstars returning at or near WrestleMania.

I do not want to spoil anything here, but I look after the jump if you want to know who everyone is talking about.

WWE Tag Team Triple Threat Title Match

WWE.com: WWE Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Match

More web exclusive content coming Sunday before WrestleMania:

The WWE Tag Team Titles will be up for grabs when champions Primo & Epico defend against both The Usos and the new tandem of Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd in a WWE Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Match, which will stream live on WWE.com and YouTube this Sunday at 6:30 ET/3:30 PT.

While it's a shame they don't care enough about their tag titles to get them on the PPV itself, this is another excellent use of their site and YouTube channel.

Exclusive WrestleMania Videos

WWE's new YouTube channel has some quality stuff.  Right now, one of the better deals on there is their Exclusive WrestleMania Videos. These are all slickly produced and nice ways to stoke the fans' fire for WrestleMania XXVIII this Sunday. Here are three of the four they currently have posted featuring The Rock, CM Punk and less importantly John Cena.

There's a WrestleMania pre-show that will be available as well.  WWE is certainly using YouTube to its fullest potential.  I'd say that's a good thing for us wrestling fans.

Enjoy!







Also, there's something about Triple H up there, but I couldn't bother to watch that one.

Upload Credit: WWE

FFA: The Avengers (2012)

As most of you probably are, I am absolutely stoked about "The Avengers" movie coming this year.  A1's SCB shared this one in A1's Avengers (2012) thread and it looks phenomenal.



Not surprisingly, Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark is the star of the trailer. I fully expect Tony/Iron Man to be the star of The Avengers show in general.

May is going to be an exciting month with "The Avengers," Bryant's birthday and my birthday. What more could you ask for out of a month? Nothing.

Upload Credit: DarthRong

It's Friday!

It's the Friday before one of the biggest Sundays of the year, WrestleMania!  I have a week off and I'm going to start it right by purchasing WrestleMania XXVIII: Cena/Rock.  Punk/Jericho is the other match I really want to see.

Anyhow, here's one of the official songs of this year's WrestleMania.  It's "Wild Ones" by Flo Rida.  I still prefer last year's song, "Written in the Stars" but I enjoyed hearing this one at RAW.



Upload Credit: jeffowen27

Another amputation for Kamala?

Hopefully, something else can be done, but it sounds like "The Ugandan Giant" Kamala may have to have another amputation due to complications from diabetes.

DOT NET posted this from Kamala's son:

The son of WWE legend Kamala went on "The Roman Show" today and told the hosts his father may lose his other foot due to complications from diabetes. Kamala Jr. said, "[My father] is having complications with his other foot now ... Friday we’ll know if they have to take his other foot off."

They cite the TMZ article below.

TMZ: WWE Legend Kamala Docs May Amputate OTHER Foot, Too

Just like last time, thoughts and prayers are with Kamala. He was never around as much as I would have liked, but that was a great, unique and colorful gimmick.

FFA: Abandoned Stadiums

There are some really great pictures of the inside of the Houston Astrodome in this Swamplot entry.  I full intend to do a full post about abandoned retail sites such as Union Station Mall in Union City, GA.  As well as sites devoted to retail's past and present like Sky City: Southern Retail Then and Now.

This Swamplot one was too cool to pass up today though.  I also need to find one of the old ice hockey arena in Buffalo, NY.  Someone got in there and got some great pictures as well.

I used to root for the Houston Oilers as well as my home team, Atlanta Falcons so I really enjoyed this particular picture from Swamplot.

Just found the Buffalo arena that I mentioned earlier.

Photo Credit: Swamplot

We made TV!

In the video below, we give you all sorts of excitement:

• At 32 seconds, I adjust my hat
• At 3:45 or so, I do the, "Let's wave my arms so I can see I'm on TV."
• As RAW goes off the air my sister begins waving her arms about for no particular reason

Upload Credit: WWE

WWE confirms "Nature Boy" Ric Flair for HOF ceremony

Thanks to A1 poster, Niall, for sharing this.

WWE.com: Ric Flair to appear at WWE Hall of Fame ceremony

This is obviously great news especially for South Atlanta Wrestling, but it was hardly unexpected.  It is nice to have confirmation that The Man will be onstage with the rest of the Horsemen on their big night.

I have said it before and will say it again, the Hall of Fame ceremony is something that WWE has gotten 100% right.  It's a great way to pay tribute to the stars of the past.  The current roster seems to enjoy the show.  The fans do as well.

All-in-all, it is a fun event and I cannot wait to see the show.  This is double true now that we know "Slick Ric" will be there. 

Wooooooooooo!

Marine: Homefront starring Randy Orton

Per DOT NET Randy Orton has been cast as the lead in the third Marine film, "Marine: Homefront."

This is a bit awkward as DOT NET noted due to the fact that Randy Orton was actually dishonorably discharged from the USMC. This is certainly not a secret, but it seems kind of odd to draw that kind of attention to this fact. To Orton's credit, he has been very open about that chapter in his life as it was covered in his recent DVD set even.

Orton looks the part for this role so this could be good, I suppose. The real question here is, "Will he have to go to the papers?" Only time will tell.

South Atlanta Wrestling goes to Monday Night RAW

Yep, me and my sister will be going to RAW in ATL tomorrow night.

Of course I will wear this bad boy.

With it being the last RAW before Mania, I'm confident that it will be an excellent show.

FFA: It's Friday

In honor of Larry "Chipper" Jones announcing his retirement at the end of the 2012 baseball season our "It's Friday!" song is Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train."



If I am not mistaken, Chipper has also used Trick Daddy's "Let's Go" as his music. Of course it samples "Crazy Train" and contains a lot of NSFW language.



Upload Credit: mikehockey72; classichiphopvideos

Larry Zbyszko's son to debut soon

LoP noted that Tim Zbyszko, the son of "Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko, will make his debut as a pro-wrestler on April 7th in Orlando, FL.

Not surprisingly, he has been training with Cody Hall, Scott's son.

I only hope that Tim can cut an amusing promo and stall like his father.

CM Punk at the Blackhawks game

I always like seeing wrestlers get some mainstream pub. Punk always handles himself well and comes off well.



Upload Credit: NHL.com

The first ever SAW t-shirt

Made this for RAW on Monday night.  Went with iron-on letters for the 70s/80s/Ole Anderson t-shirt look.

Edge talks about retirement and his HOF induction

Extreme Pro Wrestling Radio from KFAN.com recently interviewed 2012 WWE HOF inductee, Edge. A recap can be found on DOT NET as well.

It turns out that Edge was only looking to be a WWE Superstar for another year.

"I was going to get through WrestleMania 27 and then wrestle through the year and call it quits after WrestleMania 28. So I was planning on sticking around for another year."

As for who will induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame? It is exactly who we expected it would be, Christian.

As sad as it was to see Edge retire so unexpectedly after last year's Mania, I am glad they monitored his health so closely and he was able to get out with suffering long term damage.

RAW Review 3-19-2012

I have not done a proper "RAW Review" since June of last year, but last night's show deserved one.

First off, Norko and I will be attending next Monday's RAW from Philip's Arena in ATL. It should be a great show with it being the last one before WrestleMania. The Rock being in the building never hurts either.

As for last night's show:

• Punk/Jericho:  Brilliant delivery from both guys.  Jericho was very believable in his apology.  Punk anger before and after Jericho's comments seemed legitimate.  I think that bleeping the language when Punk reacted to Jericho actually enhanced the angle.  In some ways I am actually more excited about this "Best in the World" feud than I am Cena/Rock.
• Cena/Rock:  The Rock delivered a solid promo that was entertaining and underscored why beating Cena meant something to him.  Cena had a heck of a showing with the impressive looking AA on Mark Henry.  Henry himself looked good in defeat.  The Rock coming down to deliver the Rock Bottom on a recovering Mark Henry to send a message?  I liked it.  Good night for this angle after some clunkers on the Road to WrestleMania.
• Rhodes/Big Show:  Nice clips of the Big Show's previous WrestleMania efforts.  Cody getting the best of Show was a nice visual.  I feared they'd have Show break the cuffs and chase down Cody.  When Show had trouble getting up I was impressed they let Cody get the best of him like that.  I thought that was really nicely booked.
• Santino/Otunga:  The posedown was fun.  Having a champion lose cleanly after suffering an injury in a posedown is a microcosm of what is wrong with WWE booking as it relates to champions.  It's also why I favor keeping belts out of the hands of comedy acts no matter how over they are. 
• Bryan/Ryder:  Nice convincing win for the champion over a guy that WWE fans like for whatever reason.
• Ziggler & Swagger/R-Truth & Kofi:  I like the idea of Swagger and Ziggler joining Team Johnny as it makes perfect sense.  I would rather see these teams squaring off for the Tag Titles however especially had they been given some convincing wins to this point.
• Miz/Sheamus:  Sensible way to keep Sheamus looking strong while continuing to sell the Miz and his reversal of fortunes since last WrestleMania. 

I did not mention the main event interview segment as I have not seen it all the way through.  What I saw of RAW though made for an excellent show.  There wasn't anything Earth-shattering, but it was all logical, made sense and delivered solid action.

That's all I really want out of a wrestling program.

UFC Undisputed 3

Picked up UFC Undisputed 3 for the PS3 yesterday.  So far, I really enjoy it.  There are a couple of reasons that stand out for me so far.

• Striking feels more solid like the first one.  I passed on the second iteration of the game due to lackluster striking
• Mortal Kombat style tower mode that lets you try to fight up to the belt from 15 or so.  If you lose three fights, you're done
• Pride mode is excellent.  It allows you to play the game in a Pride ring with Pride rules.  
• The submission system is more intuitive.  The mini-game for locking in and/or fighting submissions is nice.

So far so good. If you like MMA or MMA games at least, I would definitely give this a look.

A1 Cup 2012

Zandrax has kicked off the 2012 A1 Cup.  If you do not recall, last year's champion was Harley Race.  If you are not already registered, get over to A1-Wrestling.com, register and start voting.  This tournament always generates a lot of discussion and most of it is actually good.

I think I am "all-in" on Stan "The Lariat" Hansen.

"The Bad Man from Borger, TX"

Photo Credit: Zandrax

Sting Tombstones Scott Steiner

Plus you get Dusty Rhodes doing what Dusty does to the English language.  This is a fairly impressive move by the Stinger if you ask me.



Upload Credit: Richmarkhill78

FFA: It's Friday!

I needed a good bit of positive energy this morning so I listened to Third Day's album "Move" on the way in to work.  I've said it before, but it's a great Christian Rock album.  What I like about this band is they don't make that "wimpy" sounding Christian music that you so often hear.

Anyhow, if you need some positivity today, listen to "Don't Give Up Hope" as it's a great energetic song.

Also, if you any interest in Christian Rock, you need this CD. It is 100% quality from beginning to end. I promise you that.



Upload Credit: MrJayDuke

Paul Orndorff is cancer-free!

"Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff is currently cancer-free according to the man himself. He sounds different due to the cancer and treatment, but is apparently in good health now.

Based on the way he discusses this it would appear that the IWC rumblings about him being cancer-free in August 2011 were premature. I first heard of the cancer diagnosis in April 2011 for what it is worth.

Anyway, it is great to know that he has apparently beaten that terrible disease. Listen to the clip below to hear Paul talk about his cancer battle, his current health and even this thoughts on his own mortality.



Upload Credit: TheScoreTV

Buff Bagwell breaking his neck

This is really painful to watch.  The move that injured Bagwell did not look that bad.  What is uncomfortable though is seeing Buff being manhandled after the injury.



Upload Credit: nWoNitro

Presented without comment

Upload Credit: ChannelExtreme

Punk and Jericho on RAW

Jericho's surprise announcement about CM Punk was certainly a bit uncomfortable. I completely understand why some may take issue with Jericho's actions. He not only talked about Punk being straight edge due to his father's drinking, but also said he would turn Punk into an alcoholic as well.

That being said, I thought it was excellent heel work. Punk's response on Twitter is evidence of this.

What worked for me is that they were able to come up with a topic that was "serious" enough to cut the Punk character to his very core. Punk is funny, cool, sarcastic and cynical, but to get more heat on this feud you really needed him to be a bit more vulnerable. Jericho's promo tonight accomplished that.

BSW: New Releases 3-12-2012

Here's the best of the latest batch of Barber Shop Window (BSW) t-shirts. "Chicks and America" and "Developmental Talent" are OK, but "PERFECTION" is, well, perfect. 

If you don't trust me, then listen to this guy.

Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan has become one of WWE's most entertaining characters.  I say that as a guy who saw maybe one Bryan Danielson match before he joined WWE.

I will admit that I was disappointed when we didn't get our Rocky story where straight-laced, pure babyface Daniel Bryan took on unstoppable monster, Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 28.  What we are getting is just as good though.  Weaselly, conniving heel Daniel Bryan let's nothing come between him and holding on to Big Gold.

What really takes this all over the top though is his celebration of countout and DQ victories.  The guys at BarberShopWindow.com have perfectly captured this with their latest shirt.

The Ring of Honor fans at the 10th Anniversary show also paid tribute to one of their heroes. Check it out after the jump.

It's Friday!

Have a TRIUMPHANT, VICTORIOUS Friday just like the World Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Bryan.  I'm about wore out but will be spending some kid-free time with the wife tonight and tomorrow thanks to my in-laws so life is good. "YES! YES! YES!"




Upload Credit: uNLeaSHeDMoNZTeRR

Impact Thursday

Today is Thursday and it's the day Impact comes on for us audiences here in the States.  For many years Impact hasn't been the best of shows; in fact, it had many wondering how it has stayed in business for so long.  Recently though, with changes in the booking team, the shows have been much more acclaimed with booking that actually makes sense, nothing over-the-top and great characters.

One of those characters has been Bully Ray.  He's been tried as a singles guy before in the WWE but it never panned out.  But since turning and becoming Bully, he's been one of the constant bright spots in Impact.  He's even up there with Scott Steiner with cutting great promos.  Here's one of them, enjoy!

The Rock's History Lesson #1

The first of The Rock's History Lessons on RAW last night had me absolutely rolling. Him laughing at the clock cracked me up.



Upload Credit: WWE's official YouTube channel

Norko's first entry on the new A1 Blog

Norko filed his first blog post for the brand new A1 Blog on A1-Wrestling.com.  It is titled "Old School Promotion Meet New School Talent" and touches on something I really enjoyed back in the 80s.

When you hear a lot of old-school wrestling fans talk about the good ole days, when men were men and it wasn’t “sports-entertainment” you don’t think of promos for upcoming shows, but in all honesty it is one of the great things about the old days, especially for fans of the Jim Crockett NWA.

The city specific promos were always great. If you check out YouTube you will find a bunch from Jim Crockett Promotions. They are worth a look and listen for sure.  Give the rest of Norko's post a look especially if you are a fan of the Briscoe Brothers.

Booking SAW Part 3

Here is the latest edition of Booking SAW.  As always recommendations for topics are welcome. 

• Commentators--PBP guy is straight-laced like Solie or Lance Russell.  Color commentator can obviously be a heel, but they need to somehow justify their motives.  Mick Foley mentions this mentality and attributes it to Michael PS Hayes in "Foley is Good." Sportales.com summarizes Hayes' opinion like this.

Hayes also introduced one of the most fundamental concepts of being a heel, as per Mick Foley in his 2001 autobiography, Foley is Good. That being, a heel doesn’t have to be right, a heel just has to feel that he’s completely justified in his actions, no matter how twisted his reasoning is. This is good advice for any aspiring heels in wrestling.

That is 100% accurate in my estimation.
• Ring announcers--Big matches and the major title matches should use the entrance style where both mean enter (champion last of course) and then both get an in-ring introduction where the title can be displayed.
• Celebrity involvement--few and far between, rarely if ever, made to look better than the talent.  I would really like to avoid it altogether, but if you can capture a Bam Bam Bigelow/Lawrence Taylor moment then I have no issue with it.  Also if you can have a celebrity involved without them actually getting in the ring that is even better.
• Thrown-together tag teams--still enter together to one song or the other or maybe both songs play for a bit. For example I don't like separate entrances for Cena and Orton if they team.  Even if you're a team for a night only, I think you should consolidate entrances and look like a team.
• Comedy acts--Used sparingly, rarely serious threats for a title.

That's it for Part 3 of Booking SAW.  If you have suggestions for future editions, let me have them at FreebirdSTF@hotmail.com or via the comment section on this post.

Kevin Nash going gray again

Nash Tweeted the following:

For all the grief Nash got about his bad dye jobs in the past I had always heard that he preferred to let his hair go natural. The problem was that in order to get movie roles or appear on WWE TV he was told to dye it darker. Here's a full-size shot of his Twitter avatar.

I think it's a good look personally. I'm a big fan of people graying gracefully.  He didn't specifically mention it, but it appears he's got a "clipper cut" and has gotten rid of the long hair too.  I can personally attest to what a pain having long hair is so I cannot blame him at all for that either.

Also of note, he told a fan that "Scott is doing well" in response to a question about Scott Hall's well-being.

Photo Credit: @RealKevinNash

It's Friday!

A decent week this week.  Have a great weekend.  I know I should hold off on this one until closer to WrestleMania 28, but let's put #BOOTSTOASSES this Friday with none other than the captain of Team Bring It, The Rock.



Upload Credit: WWE's Official YouTube Channel

Sinister Minister is not on Twitter

Jim "Sinister Minister" Mitchell does not have a Twitter account.  The @sinminister one on Twitter is fake.  This is according to DOT NET who claims that Mitchell contacted them about the bogus account.

I do not have a Twitter account and I have no desire to ever have one.

Now I know that most people do not find this newsworthy. I would not disagree to be honest, but it caught my eye because Mitchell would be an entertaining guy to follow on there. I have heard some Sinister Minister stories in a friend of a friend manner and he certainly sounds like a character. Beyond that, I really enjoyed his managerial work. That was even the case when he was involved in that awful "Blood Runs Cold" angle back in WCW.