Because That's How I Roll

Former TNA Heavyweight Champion Christian Cage has officially been written out of TNA storylines. Most believe Christian will leave the company for WWE once his current deal expires making it much easier to write him out now rather than him leaving while involved in any program.

WWE made a mistake letting Christian go just when his popularity was hitting an all time high. Fans were waiting for a feud with Cage and Cena and just when it was painfully obvious it was going to happen, Christian got drafted to the opposite brand. He felt shafted so he found his way to Total Nonstop Action.

Again, Christian's popularity and in ring ability reached an all time high only this time in TNA, and again he was misused. At first the company wanted to build around him but recently Cage has been relegated to an afterthought. Or what I like to call in TNA..."Rhino territory". Christian wasn't in a hot feud with A.J Styles, when it was painfully obvious he should have been after months of building. Just like Cena/Christian, not doing Cage and Styles properly was a big mistake.

But now it looks as if Christian is coming back to WWE, lord knows they could use his charisma to spice the product up. How I would book it?

With John Cena returning at Survivor Series I see a perfect target for a Christian. Back at ECW's One Night Stand where Rob Van Dam beat John Cena for the belt, Edge interfered in the match spearing Cena through a table wearing biker gear and a bikers helmet. I would have this recreated during some main event with everybody believing Edge (who is also due to come back) is coming to Raw to feud with Cena once again. Only this time when the biker takes off the helmet, It's Christian!

On Smackdown I guess Christian could be used as a fresh heel for Triple H but honestly, having him job to Hunter won't get him over. Although how about a returning Christian and Edge Vs. Triple H and Hardy/Undertaker? I'd watch it!

But my first choice, Cena Vs. Christian. They missed it the first time around. If he indeed does decide to come back to WWE...I hope they don't miss the boat again.

Feel The Pain!!!!!

Congratulations Brock Lesnar on conquering the world of Ultimate Fighting...thus proving once and for all that Wrestlers are way tougher than MMA fighters.

You can have your Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz.

We got Hulk Hogan baby.

Top 10 Wrestling Books

Ok let me rephrase the title just a bit. This latest column is the Top 10 wrestling books I have read. Believe it or not...I haven't read em all, YET! But here is a list of the books that I have and at the end I'll put them in order. 1-10.

Wrestling Books the Booking..GAWD has read

Mick Foley 1
The first ever wrestling book and by far the funniest. I consider this one to be 'The Godfather' of wrestling books. Without it, chances are WWE doesn't publish as many...or any at all. A little too much time is spent writing about growing up, but his sense of humor makes the read easy. It is a long read but don't worry...well worth it in the end.

Mick Foley 2
Foley was toward the end of his run with this book so it is filled with off topic rants. Still entertaining though especially the very beginning when he describes the aftermath of 'I Quit'.

Mick Foley 3
Foley's worst book by far. The concept is interesting with a day by day play by play of his dealings with WWE while teaming with Edge and feuding with Dreamer and Funk. But the book really shows Foley's ego and obsession with name dropping.

Edge
Worst wrestling book I have ever read. The book was published before the whole Matt Hardy/Lita love triangle even took place which just happened to launch his career into super stardom. He wrote it himself...which is painfully obvious. He is an interesting guy, but wrong time for a book. That slut Lita is really missed to spice things up.

Chris Jericho
Second funniest book behind Foley's first. He followed in Foley's footsteps in writing it himself and honestly he is a damn good writer. Great stories as well since he traveled all over the world before making it big and has performed in many different federations. Can't wait for his second book and he has Plenty left to write about.

Bret Hart
What a great book. Like Foley Bret spent a lot of time writing about his childhood with the only difference being Bret Hart's entire life was based around wrestling. So when Foley is talking about playing lacrosse as a teenager, Bret is talking about hearing screams from the dungeon. What I love most is WWE didn't have their hands on this book so Bret wasn't censored one bit.

Martha Hart (based on Owen Hart)
The book is good but only leads to some really sad moments. Like in Bret Hart's book, Martha goes into great detail about how awful the divide in the Hart Family always was...and how it intensified after Owen's death. A real fucked up family...but an enjoyable read.

Stone Cold Steve Austin
As a whole the book is good but short. You really want to get some insight on certain subjects but he seems to just breeze through most of it. Just not enough content to really justify the topic.

Terry Funk
The most interesting thing about this book is Terry Funk is such an iconic figure in wrestling...yet he has an intimate knowledge of the independents and wrestling in places an icon wouldn't be caught dead in. Another short book but definitely an interesting one. Also has some great stories on the road.

Dusty Rhodes
I can't tell you how disappointed I was in Dusty's book. The man is a legend and to be quite honest...the book sucks ass. There really isn't a timeline in the book, it is basically a bunch of stories just thrown together without being in chronological order. He'll go from talking about drinking beer with Murdoch in 71 to shootin squirrels with Funk in 83. Next chapter starts off in 68. Very hard to keep up with and for some reason Dusty feels the need to say Fuck in the oddest moments. Fuck.

Shawn Michaels
If you like controversy, this book is perfect for you. Michaels has a decent story to tell plus his description of how the Screwjob went down is worth the price alone. If you love Micheals, you'll love the book. If you hate him, you'll hate him...but still want to read the book.

Triple H
I was questioning on whether to include this one just because half is a story and half is for working out. My advice, read the story because it's good and skip the workout shit. Being fat rules. Just ask Dusty! Fuck!

Eric Bischoff
Boy does the title "Controversy Creates Cash" really not fit well with the pages inside. If you want to know how BIschoff turned WCW into a profitable company, read this book. If you want to know the ins and outs of how a federation is ran, read this book. If you want Controversy...read HBK's book. Again it is an interesting read, but don't let the title mislead you.

Death of WCW
If only you knew everything was true in this book it would be the greatest piece of literature since the bible (Oh no Sting is gonna come get me now). But everything is either second or third hand knowledge of how things went down and eventually went wrong. Still entertaining to think these things "could" of happened.

History of the NWA
Drink your red bull, put on a pot of coffee, and snort a line of crack....because you are going to need it for this one. If you are REALLY into the history of wrestling like I am, you can get through it and actually learn a lot in the process. If you don't care to know who Sam Muchnick is...go pick up a Batista book.

Ric Flair
The greatest thing about the Flair book, a lot like the Bret Hart book, is it covers so many decades of wrestling. Funk does as well...and Dusty should have if he was coherent, Fuck. But Flair gets into Race, Dusty, Magnum, Hart, Perfect, Bischoff, Austin, Foley, Hogan, Undertaker, Savage, anybody you can think of is mentioned in this piece of literature. Probably the best all around book with its combination of controversial shots and great stories.

Eddie Guerrero
You think the Owen Hart book is sad get a load of these pages. Like Y2j's book he's been all over the world and he's funny so it makes the read flow nicely. But just when you think he has his shit together, Eddie overdoses or crashes his car or in the end dies. Really makes you think if there is even a God out there (oh no HBK is gonna superkick me now). Seriously though, great read...just get ready to say to yourself "What the fuck Eddie? over and over"

Jerry Lawler
Bah, like Dusty the read could have been great. I just really think Lawler is overrated in the history of professional wrestling. He was at best a decent worker and at best a decent commentator. The book ends really bad with his divorce with The Kat and him sounding like a 17 year old boy trying to find a new girlfriend.

Hulk Hogan
Like the HBK book, lots of people love him, lots of people hate him. But you want to read this one. The book has great detail in the beginning but towards the end it seems like someone got lazy. I recommend it though for his thoughts during the genesis of the Hulkamania craze how just how insane his schedule was. You really gain some respect for the man after reading it. Sure you lose it as soon as 97 hits, but hey...at least you gained some.

Ted Dibiase
A nice read but nothing spectacular.

Ok now my personal top 10.

1. Mick Foley 1
2. Bret Hart
3. Chris Jericho
4. Ric Flair
5. Shawn Michaels
6. Eddie Guerrero
7. Death of WCW
8. Hulk Hogan
9. Owen Hart
10. Mick Foley 2

Lance Cade Released

From WWE.com:

World Wrestling Entertainment has come to terms on the release of Raw Superstar Lance Cade as of October 14, 2008. WWE wishes Lance the best in all future endeavors.

So let me get this straight. He is teaming with Trevor Murdoch with their only decent feud coming against the Hardy Boyz...he has a job. They break up the tag team making both members useless...he has a job. They reunite the tag team and do nothing with them...he has a job.

Now you break up the tag team again only to align him with the hottest wrestler in the company during arguably the best feud of the year...and he's gone?

Not sure if anymore details will be released but something tells me this is more than just a budget cut. Val Venis is still employed but Lance Cade just has to go? Why invest so much television time? Was that hardcore match on Raw against Michaels really the payoff for Cade's involvement in the storyline? I guess it has to be...because he is now out of a job.

I guess Jericho was right, the worst was yet to come.

TNA Bound for Glory 4 Predictions

TNA World Title Match:

Samoa Joe © vs. Sting

The last two three months have done wonders for Joe as a champion. Along with his Booker T feud, this storyline with Sting has really gotten him over as a top tier player. I especially like Joe the last few weeks since he didn't have Kevin Nash in his head treating him like a confused child. Samoa Joe is going to win this match without Kevin Nash and in my opinion set up a World Title match against Nash whenever Kevin finally admits he has signed a new contract!

As for Sting? I'm guessing he moves on to the JJ/Angle storyline in a tag team. Sting and Angle Vs. Foley and Jarrett.

Winner: Samoa Joe

TNA Knockouts Title Match:

Taylor Wilde © vs. Awesome Kong vs. Roxxi

I'm really not a big fan of any women's division since I don't believe it sells tickets or adds to ratings....BUT TNA does a solid job of getting over their talent...and their talent does put on decent matches. I'll have Awesome Kong get the belt back!

Winner: Awesome Kong

TNA World Tag Team

Title Monsters Ball Match:

Beer Money © vs. Team 3D vs. LAX vs. Matt Morgan and Abyss:

With Special Referee Steve "Mongo" McMichael

With three special guest referee/enforcers on this card...I find TNA simply retarded. Each one takes away from the importance of the other. And if they aren't that important in the first place...Don't put them on the card! As for the match itself it's going to be friggan insane. I'll take Beer Money to retain since they aren't stale yet like Dudleyz and LAX. Abyss and Morgan are just killing time until the eventual feud between the two.

Winner: Beer Money

TNA X-Division Title Match:

Sheik Abdul Bashir © vs. Consequences Creed

Surprise surprise TNA pushes a wrestler from WWE. That nitpicking aside they have booked Bashir better than WWE ever could have...so good for him. He's actually important and looks like a threat. The match should be fun but Bashir is going to hold on to the title for a while.

Winner: Sheik Abdul Bashir

Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Jarrett:

With Special Ringside Enforcer Mick Foley

My only hope is the match can actually live up to the promos leading up to it. The promos have been 'best of the year' quality but I doubt the match can do that. Angle can still go when his head isn't about to fall off so the real wild card is Jarrett. But it's the biggest PPV of the year and this is Jarrett's baby, I have a feeling he'll make it happen tonight.

I'm actually fearful of a Mick Foley heel turn since every WWE star debuts as a face and turns heel (Cage, Booker, Angle,etc). Angle needs to win in order for the feud to keep going if that's in the plans.

Winner: Kurt Angle

AJ Styles vs. Christian Cage vs. Booker T

I was hoping that the big heel turn by Cage would come at the expense of a Styles/Cage storyline alone, but I assume they need something for Booker T to do. At least Cage isn't a full blown heel yet so there is still time. If I was booking? This Cage/AJ styles storyline would be a top one in TNA while Booker T could continue his mini storyline with Jay Lethal. Believe me, Black Machismo could use Book's rub more than two former World Champions.

Styles should pin Cage setting up their proper one on one feud. Or better yet, Styles steals the pin from Cage's finishing move...that way Cage doesn't have to take the loss.

Winner: A.J Styles

OBD, Rhaka Khan and Rhino vs. Angelina Love, Velvet Sky and Cute Kip

With Special Referee Traci Brooks

Again TNA has done a nice job of booking the ladies and this time it actually helped get over Kip and Rhino who haven't been important in quite some time. The heels should win, but I'll take the faces to get the crowd in a good mood early.

Winner: OBD, Rhaka Khan, and Rhino

The Steel Asylum Match:

Likely Participants: Shark Boy, Super Eric, Curry Man, Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, Petey Williams, Johnny Devine, and Jimmy Rave

This will be a fantastic spot fest but the guy with most potential in the match is Jay Lethal. He should win it.

Winner: Black Machismo

This is actually a very well thought out PPV. I'm thinking Nash has been denying his signing with the company so his comeback tonight will be a surprise. Either way I don't get to say this that often...but TNA..job well done!

-Mike

Relegation of Rey Rey

Rey Mysterio is the greatest high flier in the history of professional wrestling. There I said it and I believe it. He may not be the best pure wrestler who could be considered a high flier and he may not perform the most spectacular moves ever seen. But for what he has accomplished in this business he has to be considered the greatest. In fact long before he even won the World Championship I could argue a case for his all time stature.

Rey is so great that he is really the only high flier I can think of who had longevity. Such amazing longevity that we actually get to see something we have never witnessed in American wrestling. The aging cruiserweight. Usually when a wrestler the size of Rey (or close to it) shows even the slightest sign of losing an edge on those corkscrew moonsaults in America…they are gone. But not Rey.

Rey Mysterio in 2008 is nowhere near the high flier he was even 3-4 years ago. His matches aren’t even comparable. And yet news is being reported that Rey is about to sign a contract extension with the company for another 3 to 5 years. The main reason? Rey Mysterio is a merchandise machine. Regardless of how much his move set regresses children love buying anything with his picture on it. As long as he keeps making WWE money, he’ll keep collecting a pay check.

Now you may ask why I am picking on Rey Mysterio. Of course wrestlers aren’t the same as they once were, it’s called getting old. Kurt Angle isn’t the wrestler he was in 2003 either. Realize the point I am trying to make about Rey is, right now, he is in uncharted territory. Like I said before, in Mexico I’m sure high fliers grow old and people accept their new limitations as well as in Japan. But when has this been done in America? Eddie Guerrero can be considered more than a cruiserweight along with Jericho and Chavo.

Rey can’t.

Again, Rey Mysterio is the greatest high flier of all time. How interesting is it to watch the greatest high flier of all time perform with only one wing.

In The News...

Sure he can be your world champion...just don't let him out of the ring!!


-Sabu is being advertised for a match against Steve Corino in Puerto Rico this weekend. It would be Sabu's first match in many months, as he had been on hiatus due to a variety of injuries to his back.



Amazingly enough, Sabu just keeps trucking along. He may blow more spots than ever with his age getting up there...but the guy obviously either needs the money or just loves working. More power to him either way. As for Corino, glad to see he's still active even though I wish he was in WWE. At the very least he could add to the ECW product. Actually about a year ago I heard Corino applied for WWE. Not as a wrestler but a booking/writers job. Guess he didn't get it!



- TMZ picked up the story today about Jeff Hardy not expected to have any sort of punishment from WWE for trying to board a flight while intoxicated.



Everytime you see Jeff Hardy on Television and listen to the crowd reaction I say to myself 'How can this guy not be World Champion?' Everytime I go on the internet and read shit about Jeff I say to myself 'How can this guy ever be World Champion?' Seriously, I think those very questions keep Vince McMahon up at night. In the ring, he can handle it. Outside of the ring? He ruins his case on a weekly basis.



-This week's edition of TNA Impact scored a 1.1 cable rating, the same as last week.



I sort of feel bad for TNA. They really can't use the ratings to gage how well or how bad their shows are doing. It's always around the same number regardless if Sting, Jeff Jarrett, and Kurt Angle have a top promo of 2008, or if...I now realize why TNA is so involved with the internet mostly being Youtube, it's the only real feedback they receive.



-With just weeks to go on his current deal, sources in TNA have confirmed that Kevin Nash has re-signed with the company. No details on the terms of the new deal at this time.



The only reason I can see this as being good news is they have invested a lot of time in the Joe/Nash relationship. If it doesn't have a pay off, it's been a waste of time for months. Other than that, Nash at this point is just nice to have around...but he really doesn't add that much unless he's on the stick.



- Kurt Angle has apparently filed for divorce from Karen. Bubba the Love Sponge reported this today, saying he heard it straight from Kurt, and Dave Meltzer has since confirmed it with people in TNA. Both Kurt and Karen are backstage in Orlando for the Impact taping though, and are getting along fine.



The Angle marriage has been rumored to be on the rocks since Kurt made it big in WWE. In fact I read that the only reason Karen was made an on air talent was so they could spend more time together...aka Karen could keep an eye on Kurt. Since they are both 'getting along fine' this shouldn't really even be wrestling news.



- Gail Kim still has not signed her contract with WWE, and even though the odds are small, there is a chance that she will return to TNA.



Gail Kim, when it comes to importance to a company, should stay with TNA. The womens division has been built around her there. When it comes to a pay check, sign with WWE. Just ask Chris Harris and Monty Brown. Borderline Main Eventers in TNA, WWE? You get the picture.



Raw's Main Event



I think it was necessary to put the World Title on Chris Jericho. It isn't a secret, the Y2J HBK storyline has been the most well thought out and well executed storyline in quite some time in WWE and all of wrestling. What this does is shit all over every other storyline going, including anything they could muster up for C.M Punk. So what do you do? You take that well executed and most well thought out storyline and you make THAT the focus of your show. The World Title is supposed to set the standard and the pace for everything else going on...and now it will. Plus I get to see a Shawn Michaels Chris Jericho ladder match out of it. I'll be marking out big time for that.



TNA's Main Event



Simply put the JJ/Sting/Angle promo was pure gold. The emotion involved was very real and the wrestlers involved had their A-games going. Probably the best promo ever cut by Jeff Jarrett, and this guy has been wrestling forever. The only thing I'm confused about is Mick Foley's involvement in the storyline.



At first I thought maybe Angle and Sting vs Foley and Jarrett, but that would be foolish. The whole point of the storyline is supposed to be the young guns getting handed the torch. And last time I checked, Mick Foley and Jarrett aren't young guns. True Foley and Jarrett are probably the only guys who can get Sting booed but the storyline is supposed to put over Joe and A.J. We'll see where they go with Foley but him and JJ becoming the focal point of the 'Respect' feud will just be hypocritical. You don't want to book against yourself here Russo!



Smackdown's Main Event



Smackdown has been doing a solid job of entering the rebuilding faze of the roster. With MVP, THEE Brian Kendrick, Shelton Benjamin, Jeff Hardy all being looked at as top players it really makes you wonder how deep Smackdown will be once Taker, Edge and Kennedy come back. Triple H still looks like he is leaps and bounds better than everybody else but at least they are trying to build for the future. My only quesiton is, who will Triple H be building a feud with towards The Rumble and ultimately WrestleMania. None of the guys I mentioned before will cut it unless Hardy is given another monster push to blow, so who? My guess is Edge but I'm hoping it's Undertaker. That would be insane.

Booking Ric Flair's arrival to TNA

Ok ok I admit I am getting a little ahead of myself. We all have heard that Ric Flair and WWE have mutually agreed to end their relationship thus allowing The Nature Boy to pursue outside interests. I originally took this as Flair making a shit load of money doing autograph signings, Independent appearances, public speaking etc...things he wouldn't be allowed to do while employed by Vinny Mac. From what I've read he has no interests in returning to the ring...

Ok now that we got that shit out of the way...it's fantasy booking time (which just happens to be the time that takes up most of my day). TNA has been known to dip into the bank account once in a while for a big name, and what bigger name is there than the 16 time World Heavyweight Champion. Woooooooooooooooooooo!

I've had an idea for a while that I always thought TNA should look into, and with Ric Flair being signed it could really thrust TNA into a new stratosphere of popularity...
if not at least it would entertain me.

TNA has always been known to sign wrestlers from outside the company and immediately push them to the main event scene. We got Angle, Booker T, Rhyno, Raven, Kevin Nash, Test, Scott Hall...you name a guy, TNA pushed them to the top right away.

But it's WHO TNA pushed those wrestlers passed...now that will be the foundation of my storyline.

Simply put it will be the TNA homegrown...VS. The Outsiders (couldn't think of better names for each group..but you get the picture). You take all the big names in TNA who made their fame from another company. Those will be your faces...because getting fans to boo Flair and Sting will create too many mix crowds. Then you take your core group of wrestlers who have been in TNA since it's inception or close to it, and you have them form an alliance to violently beat down all the wrestlers who have gotten in their way over the years. I figure the battle line could be drawn in the middle of these two factions....

Outsiders/Older Guys/Millionaires
Kurt Angle
Ric Flair
Sting
Kevin Nash
Booker T
Scott Steiner
Dudleys
Jeff Jarrett
Kip James/B.G James

TNA Homegrown
AJ Styles
Joe
Christian Cage
Abyss
Motor City Machine Guns
Black Machismo
Dutt
Storm/Roode
Daniels

What could also add to these factions is guys like Christian Cage and Jeff Jarret who could easily be on either side of the fence. They could be your tweeners in this storyline to add another dimension. The best part about this program is every single guy on the TNA homegrown side has been proven effective as heels with the exception of Black Machismo (maybe sign Macho Man Randy Savage to feud with him? hmmmmm). Also every 'Outsider' has been proven successful face, so the alignments of every guy in the storyline is more than doable.

The mix of single and tag feuds you could have with these factions would be unlimited.

Sure this idea if out there but hey, TNA has put a lot more money into a lot dumber storylines. Worst comes to worse, you use the old guys to finally do something TNA should have done years ago...get over their homegrown talent.

The Current Raw Product

Evil...pure evil

I just don't get it.

Rumor has it that Vince McMahon gave Mike Adamle a huge contract...and since it is obvious he is God awful as an announcer, I believe Vince is trying to milk as much out of the bastard to make his pay check worth it. Which is fine...but do we really need to push this on Mike so soon?

Think about it, last week he debuts by closing the show as a huge mystery announcement. This week he has the dutie of opening the show with a promo...something very few performers in the business can do without sounding boring or creepy in Adamle's case.

Why not start him off with a few backstage segments? See how his acting is. Why not make him General Manager of ECW first? See how he can handle a situation on a smaller scale.

No Vince throws him into the fire, hoping for the best.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a billion dollar corporation shouldn't just throw shit at the wall...and 'hope for the best'. It just comes down to a problem I have been noticing about Raw lately.

Lack of preparation.

Now if someone can honestly tell me a few months back that WWE wanted Mike Adamle to take over as General Manager of Monday Night Raw you should be locked in a room with Chris Benoit and a bible. The fact remains that they didn't prepare for anyone to take over for Vince once he got himself crippled. An idea popped into someones head...and Vince liked the controversy it would create; Regardless of the obvious growing pains he displays on camera in front of a national audience.

So at Summerslam it will be Batista Vs. John Cena, who now currently own the tag team championships. Let me explain to you why they are tag team champions. Because they put together a big money match...with a few weeks build. Now they will resort to tricks such as putting the tag gold on them to give their match a feel that would have been easily obtained with proper promotion. My opinion, they didn't plan on this match a month ago...and now they are rushing a feud. I still believe this match will NOT be a 1 on 1 contest...something will happen to change that, just a prediction.

Is it me, or has CM Punk looked less than impressive during his shocking cash in of his Money In The Bank. I think I know the problem, he has no opponents to fight against. Think about it, they put him in the ring with guys...who they are still trying to protect. A win over Kane? That would help Punk...but he barely did it. Why? Because they need Kane's current storyline to get over. (His old mask is in the bag by the way!) Punk barely beats Batista, why? Because they need Batista to stay strong. Sure he beat Snitsky...but honestly nobody has given a crap about Snitsky since he killed Lita's uterus.

They didn't prepare for any legit opponents for Punk to go over on. How did Cena become such a dominant Champion? Because he spent months beating guys like Edge, Umaga, HBK, Triple H...anybody on the roster. Punk is going over guys, while WWE is trying to get those same guys over. That can't happen, WWE needs to focus on the guy who *should* but the centerpoint of their broadcast. Get the Champion over...then worry about everybody else. That or get the belt off him.

Regardless of how Punk has been booked, he will be fighting JBL at Summerslam. Which leaves Jericho.................where? This guy is coming off probably the best feud WWE has had in recent memory and how do they capitalize on that momentum? Leaving him off the PPV? And what about his protege Lance Cade? Did they drop that already? HBK/Y2J was the highlight of Raw every week for months...it would be a shame for them to drop the ball now.

It just seems since they held the draft the booking team has had a hard time creatively putting together storylines that didn't involve Jericho or Michaels. JBL, Cena, Batista, Punk, Kane, Jericho...I couldn't tell you what they will be doing after Summerslam. I doubt the booking team could either!

If It Ain't Broken...

Rumor has it Vince McMahon and his booking staff are upset with the commentating team of Michael Cole and Jerry 'The King' Lawler.

Which makes me wonder, why do they even bother breaking up JR and The King?

Seriously, they didn't like Paul Heyman and JR together (which is because they spent more time arguing than actually putting over the talent in the ring). They didn't like Joey Styles and King together or even The Coach and King. Here is an idea, just keep the two guys you DO like together...together.

Just to step off the subject for a second, does anybody else believe King is an awful color commentator? He originally got over on his heel tactics in the Bobby Heenan mold which eventually got him over as a 'face' in the attitude PUPPIES era. But seriously, sometimes I question is actual knowledge on the current product...or even his knowledge on professional wrestling all together. In my opinion Tazz, JBL, and now Foley shit all over and in his king crown. I would even go as far to say Don West is better...but Jerry Lawler's empty arena match against The Funker in Memphis saves him of that awesome insult.

But back to the original rant...I have a theory. Vince, for some reason, just enjoys bothering Jim Ross. In fact...I think he LOVES it. From his numerous firings, poking fun of his colon cancer, to moving him to Smackdown without prior warning, there is just something that Vince McMahon loves about picking and prodding at Good O'l JR.

Regardless of the reasons it happens, or what the current opinion of the commentating tandem is...at the end of the day it usually ends up with the black cowboy hat and crown calling the matches on Monday Nights. Will it be different this time? We'll see....

-Mike

Joe Vs. Booker T

Credit WrestlingObserver.com

Samoa Joe vs. Booker T at the Hard Justice PPV on 8/10 will be a Weapons Match inside a Steel Cage.

Booker T Vs. Samoa Joe at the Victory Road PPV was a disaster. Not from a wrestling perspective, but storyline wise it was a mess. TNA knew Booker's hometown fans were going to cheer for him but instead of just dealing with it, they had their top face play heel on a pay per view. That would be the equivalent of John Cena actually playing it up as a heel during a match with Edge...because the fans booed him or The Rock going all out heel against Hogan at Wrestlemania. Guys have to stay in character.

So the PPV had Booker as a face and Joe as the heel. Complete opposite of how things were being built. Then Sting comes out as the tweener THEN Booker T does the heel move by leaving with Joe's World Title. Confused? Typical TNA booking.

But at Hard Justice things "should" be different. No home crowd is going to ruin the booking plans TNA should have stuck to at Victory Road. TNA has done a fabulous job of convincing us that Booker T is inside the head of Joe. Perfect example is this past week on Impact Joe was telling Kevin Nash he threw everything he had at Booker T...and yeah he may have won the 'fight', but he didn't win the match. This element of the storyline is crucial because without the mind games, Joe would murder Booker T.

The involvement of Sting really isn't needed but it does add a nice layer to the feud. Something we haven't seen in TNA (or...ever?) is Sting turning into a vicious heel. That potential character change hanging over this World Title match at Hard Justice gives things just a little more juice along with the involvement of Kevin Nash. Is Nash on Joe's side? Is Sting on Booker's side? Is everyone out for themselves? Can Joe actually pin Booker inside a steel cage?

The more questions asked, the more cash the consumer will put up to get them answered. It looks like TNA has a game plan, let's just hope they stick to it this time.

WWE Draft Results

Triple H is wondering the same thing I am...Smackdown is still on T.V?!

Well that was some draft huh? Forget about the mistakes they made, or even if it was a perfect shake up…the WWE draft definitely succeeded in one aspect…shock value. WWE’s last couple of drafts have basically been talent boosts for the company’s flagship show RAW.

Not this time around.

So let’s break it down Including WWE’s supplemental draft that was held Wednesday afternoon on WWE.com.

To Raw:

* Jamie Noble (from Smackdown) – I always wanted all the cruiserweights on one show so they could attempt (and fail as usual) to build a cruiserweight division. He’ll be lost on Raw guaranteed.

* Deuce (from Smackdown) – Guessing he’ll be repackaged with a different gimmick, or will just try to see if his current gimmick will get over with a different audience.

* Chuck Palumbo (from Smackdown) – I honestly haven’t seen Chuck Palumbo wrestle in years. Apparently he’s got some biker gimmick right now which is awesome…not really. Unless your Magnum T.A, Undertaker, or DOA…biker gimmicks are gay!

* Matt Striker (from ECW) - I like Matt Striker a lot. He isn’t anything special in the ring, but he has plenty of potential as a manager. My only concern is he may steal some steam from Santino with the cocky/funny/annoying gimmick. Well he can try and steal some steam but it won’t work. Santino 4 life…

* Layla (from ECW)- Bah…next.

* Kofi Kingston (from ECW)- This draft pick is interesting because if used correctly, Kofi can be a really nice addition to Raw’s I-C Division…if they even have one. He’s got talent, energetic in the ring, should mesh well with the live Raw atmosphere. I’m counting down the days till the first Cryme Time/Kofi backstage segment. Come on…you know Vince is all over it.

* Rey Mysterio (from Smackdown)- The first couple of picks of the draft were awesome because I predicted all of them! In my fantasy draft a few weeks ago I said Mysterio should go to Raw with C.M Punk, and Jeff Hardy should go to Smackdown. The Booking…GAWD still has it!As for Mysterio going to Raw, honestly it HAD to happen. He has fought everybody on Smackdown at every level whether it was mid card, upper mid card or main event. He needs new opponents and a change of scenery, Raw will provide him with both.

* CM Punk (from ECW)- I was amazed CM Punk didn’t go to Smackdown to feud with Edge. Everything seemed to be pointing in that direction. Edge was getting involved in his matches a month or so ago on ECW and Punk has Money in the Bank waiting to be cashed. But it wasn’t meant to be. I doubt WWE has any idea when he is going to cash in MITB; either way Punk should get over great on Raw. C.M Punk vs. HBK…me likey.

* Michael Cole (from Smackdown)- I’ll cover this little draft/trade with JR.

* Batista (from Smackdown)- Batista is sort of in the same bought as Rey Mysterio. He’s fought everybody…and he needs a change. My only concern is he’s already fought with HBK and Y2J. Who is left for him to fight? Cena? OOOOOO…maybe Orton? Interesting.

* Kane (from ECW)- I hate Kane. Ok I said it. I hate him. He has decent mic skills, but the man has had the same move set for 11 years. Would it kill him to sit down with the choke slam? How about a submission move?! Do something you big red gap toothed bastard. He’ll get boring on Raw once again and will find another brand to put on boring matches.

To Smackdown:

* Trevor Murdoch (from Raw)- No idea what they are doing with this guy…if anything. He’s not bad in the ring, but his gimmick is a dead end street.

* Big Daddy V (from ECW)- Big Breasts V seems like a nice fit on Smackdown until you remember they drafted Umaga. Two monsters heels…unless they tag, Big Daddy V is going to be screwed.

* DH Smith (from Raw)- Good idea, let him develop in a more controlled environment. Kid needs to turn heel though, not a chance in hell he gets over as a face.

* Brian Kendrick (from Raw)- So let me get this straight. WWE is breaking up Cane and Murdoch, London and Kendrick, and Deuce and Domino. What the fuck? Is there even a tag team division anymore on either show?

* Maria (from Raw)- Bah!

* Shelton Benjamin (from ECW)- Shelton Benjamin is going to be in the same friggan situation no matter where they put him UNLESS they get him a manager. He’s athletic, he can bump, but he can’t talk. You would think they would figure this out by now.

* Carlito (from Raw)- I guess Carlito finally got his wish…although he’ll probably be fired by this time next year. I can’t say I blame him…they have done nothing with him since he gave his two weeks notice a while back. Vince, if you don’t want him…get rid of him. I would be down for a Carlito/Triple H storyline though…especially after Carlito ripped Triple H in shoot interview a few weeks ago. On a side note…can you remember Carlito actually main evented a pay per view in an Elimination Chamber with Chris Masters? Talk about falling off the track.

* Jeff Hardy (from RAW)- I always thought Smackdown was the better situation for Hardy. Less pressured environment so hopefully he won’t get addicted to crack again. I am a bit confused though, Hardy is obviously on the verge of main eventing…so moving him to Smackdown where it’s WIDE open for a face is a great idea…UNTIL. Until you draft Mr. Kennedy and Triple H with him, now he is right back where he was on Raw, only minus an HBK but plus an Undertaker.

* Jim Ross (from RAW)- I really felt bad for JR. It was obvious they didn’t tell him shit before the show started and I wouldn’t have been surprised if he walked right off the show. One side of me feels awful, the other side says suck it up. You’re getting paid to do a job, do what your told bitch. JR and Foley should be good together though.

* Umaga (from RAW)- Umaga has wrestled/killed everybody on RAW, get him on Smackdown. Hopefully he stays far away from Hardy since they have wrestled 478 times. Good chemistry, but give it a rest for a while.

* Mr. Kennedy (from RAW)- I REALLY don’t understand drafting Kennedy/HHH/Hardy together. Only thing that will help things is if they turn Hardy heel…which I don’t think he has the mic skills to pull off. Not much to say other than he’ll be fighting with Hardy for Hunter’s scraps for a while.

* Triple H (from RAW)- Shocking? Hell yes. My guess would have been to draft John Cena instead of Triple H. Why? Well he gets booed on Raw for starters, and secondly his prime demographic is children. Kids watch Smackdown because of the time slot, why not put Cena on a show where he may actually get cheered and sell even more merchandise. I’m not saying Triple H going to Smackdown won’t work, just seems that Cena would fit in a whole lot more.

To ECW:

* Mark Henry (from Smackdown)

* Hornswoggle (from Smackdown)

* Super Crazy (from Raw)

* Finlay (from Smackdown)

* Matt Hardy (from Smackdown)

I actually predicted Finlay going to Smackdown but this won’t mean shit if Smackdown and ECW use each other’s talent so often. Good idea getting Super Crazy on ECW…although I bet the current ECW audience doesn’t even know he’s an ECW original.

Reading JR’s blog right after Raw basically explained to me why Smackdown got so much talent in the draft.

“It has been explained to me that the WWE's Smackdown tenure on My Network is a high priority within the corporation.”

That says it all folks. WWE is banking on Smackdown’s ratings to rise once again and what a better time to focus on that while Raw’s ratings have been sliding. Seriously Smackdown has been the minor leagues for years now while Raw got stacked with all the talent. Things look to be somewhat even now which will only help WWE and only screw me over since now I must watch Smackdown. SHIT!

-Mike

Review/TNA Impact

That's right Million Dollar giveaway!!! Step aside, The Booking...GAWD is actually going to review Impact. Now let me be honest...I haven't watched an entire episode of Impact in a rather long time. But for some reason last week I decided to check it out and I was honestly... pleasantly surprised.

Impact June 12th

TNA World Title Match

Samoa Joe Vs. Kaz

Kaz may have gotten in a little too much offense but I really dug this match. TNA needs to decide whether they are going to have Joe be the dominant wrestler he was when he first entered TNA and dominated the X-Division or if he will come across as he did tonight. Not overpowering or dominant...just a good wrestler who gets the wins. Kaz didn't look out of place either. Great opening match...could have used another 2-3 minutes, but I liked what I got.

After the match Booker T wastes no time in getting into the mind of Samoa Joe. I would have liked him to come out to some music instead of just walking out from the back like he just wondered onto the stage high. Booker T starting the mind games with Joe is a great idea. Obviously Booker T is way past his prime and Joe can obviously beat him physically...but mentally Joe is new to the World Title scene. Booker T can expose that with his experience and I hope they continue on that path. Strong promo work from Booker.

Backstage Kurt Angle cuts a kind of creepy promo explaining a bounty he has put on the head of his wife Karen Angle. On a side note, how skinny does Kurt Angle look? That can't be good. As for the promo itself, it was well executed even if the idea behind it is kind of corny. But they have to continue the storyline somehow, and this way isn't that bad.

The Motor City Machineguns Vs. Naruko Doi and Masato Yoshino

It may have been a spot fest, but this tag match was very entertaining. Reminds me of the old Rockers philosophy. They always said if there are 4 guys in the ring...there should be no reason for the action to stop or even slow down. This match was exactly that. The moves were innovative, hard hitting and fast. This is what TNA should be all about. Putting on matches that WWE either can't, or won't put on television.

I haven't been following the Nash and Joe storyline week to week, but whenever I do catch a promo they are well delivered. Say what you will about Big Kev's in ring work (or lack there of)...but on the microphone he is still one of the very best. Nash seems to rub off on Joe on the microphone which can only be good for TNA's hopes for their World Champ. Nash being involved with Joe is a nice extra layer to whatever World Title feud he happens to be in. Just another element to work off of.

One thing I am concerned with is Joe going against Kevin Nash and Booker T. Nash is a top face and always gets a pop...sometimes one that rivals Samoa Joe. And as for Booker T...he is a pure heel, BUT TNA's next ppv is in his home town. Does TNA really want their top face and World Champ to be booed? Do they care? We'll see what happens, but the cheers may be stacking up against him heading into the ppv.

Thank God. The AJ Styles backstage segment with Karen did something great... it really shows how he is done with the goofy side kick gimmick. AJ seems to serious once again which will only help him get back to main event status.

TNA World Tag Team Title Match

LAX Vs. Robert Roode and James Storm

I found the match rather sloppy with guys obviously waiting for previously planned spots to occur. Don't get me wrong, I think with proper time on a pay per view these guys can put on an above average match. But this match was trying to fit too many ideas into 5 minutes. The after match beatdown was effective, although TNA seems to have one of these every couple of weeks.

I'm a little confused with something. Wasn't the point of breaking up AMW and Team Canada to make Robert Roode and James Storm into singles stars? And didn't TNA successfully turn them both into solid upper midcard talents? Now they are in tag teams again? What's the point of that?

A womens match? Moving right along....

Backstage Storm and Roode brag about the beating they gave LAX and wonder if LAX can give them what they want...a FIGHT. The two may not have much in common gimmick wise, but they do have nice chemistry on the mic.

Curry Man Vs. Alex Kozlov

Poor Christopher Daniels. Nice to see TNA dedicating a good portion of their wrestling show to actual wrestling...but why not scrap this match and give Joe and Kaz an extra 2 minutes.

In the back Joe agrees to a title match at Victory Road face to face with Booker T. Nice little segment, the two guys don't hate each other yet...which is good. Let Booker T slowly get in Joe's head...then the segments can get more intense.

Sonjay Dutt vs Consequences Creed

I'm sorry, but the name Consequences Creed has 'Vince Russo' written all over it. As for the match, it was short and sweet and was only booked to get Jay Lethal involved. I really can't get into the Lethal/Dutt mega powers storyline since its basically TNA's biggest problem. They seem to enjoy trying to be like WWE...instead of developing their own product.

Lumberjack Match

Kurt Angle Vs. AJ Styles

Fun main event with Kurt Angle basically just going through the motions so he doesn't further damage his neck. Speaking of Kurt Angle's neck...is it really necessary to have this guy wrestle on Impact? His head is about to fall right off his shoulders...and they are wasting a money making AJ Vs. Kurt rematch on free t.v? TNA has to realize that Kurt Angle's wrestling career is on borrowed time and they have to pick his spots carefully. You can continue storylines without the guy wrestling...so save him for ppvs and match Impacts right before the ppv.

I really wish we could see a Kurt Vs. AJ match with Kurt at 100%...or even 80% but that day may never come. TNA has to protect Kurt Angle or else they are going to end his career...and lose one of their biggest name draws. And with Sting flirting with retirement they may not be able to afford that.

Overall I enjoyed this edition of Impact. They spared us the silly over comedic segments and stuck to solid storylines and even better....solid wrestling. As for the Kurt Angle/Kong ending...I don't know what to say about it. I guess it makes sense having Angle hire Kong to kill Karen but honestly...can anyone who is a fan of TNA or even someone on the booking committee truly tell me, that Awesome Kong has ppv buy rate written all over her. No, nobody watches TNA for Awesome Kong...so why bother to have her involved in a big storyline?

And what the hell happened to Christian Cage? I know he left WWE because of being underutilized...TNA may be following the same trend. But that's just me nit picking...and I really like Cage as a performer.

The show was solid though..and hopefully something the company can continue going into Victory Road.

Yeah...That Will Help TNA

Rumor has it that Total Nonstop Action is trying to bring in The Ultimate Warrior in hopes of reuniting The Blade Runners.

Who?

What?

Huh?

My point exactly.

TNA is hoping to reunite a tag team that honestly...nobody really even knew existed. Especially the casual fan who doesn't find anything before 1998 very interesting.

But Mr. Unmarked Wrestling blogger man, aren't the die hard smarks going to love this reunion?! Isn't this something that they have been waiting for...for years!!! No, not even close.

EVEN if this was going to attract some smarks to tune in Thursday nights... TNA doesn't need smarks. In fact most of the guys who are watching every Thursday night are smarks anyway, who watch TNA not because of their love of that product, but their hatred for what Vince puts out on a weekly basis.

Bringing in The Ultimate Warrior in order to give Sting his tag team partner from 1985 will not help anybody...except Warrior who can collect a paycheck...and Sting who is doing shit right now.

The Blade Runners weren't a big deal when Bill Watts decided to book them in The Mid South and they certainly wouldn't be a big deal now. Not for the smark fans, who are the only ones who know they ever existed in the first place, and not for the marks who would rather buy Cena and Rey Mysterio merchandise.

If you HAVE to bring Warrior for some God forsaken reason...bring his psychotic ass in to job for Samoa Joe or AJ Styles. THAT'S IT. Nobody wants to see Kevin Nash pin him. He comes in, cuts a promo that only blind def squirrels can understand, lays down for a wrestler who can contribute to the product for the next 10 years, collects his paycheck, and goes back home...I mean to PLACES UNKNOWN!!!

Besides...didn't WCW do this already? Nitro 1998? Hogan/Hart Vs. Sting/Warrior?

...Damn you TNA, damn you.

-Mike/Booking...GAWD

The New Blood

Sure he is pretty to watch fly over the top rope...but main eventer??

Think back to WCW in the year 2000. Don't think too hard or your nose will start to bleed. But just try to get a picture of what was going on with the company. In simple terms, things weren't going very well with WCW losing money and the talent losing moral. Kevin Sullivan was booking badly so managment decided to bring back Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo...the booking dream team... who were both sent home months earlier, in order to turn the ship around.

But Vince Russo did have a unique idea. Something that had never been done before in the history of the business. That idea was dividing the roster in half. Now that has been done plenty of times before, too often in fact , but never have the rosters been divided in such a way that Vince Russo dreampt up in 2000.

On one side, The New Blood. On the other The Millionaires Club. Take all the legit superstars on one side of the fence...and on the other you put all the hungry talent that has been held down by their superstardom aka egos.

I was going through my awesome wrestling dvd collection and ran across WCW Slamboree 2000. The opening segment had The Millionaires Club tour bus pull up to the arena. One by one the wrestlers came out... Ric Flair, Sting, DDP, Terry Funk, Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger, Kevin Nash, Curt Hennig, Randy Savage (what is that like 40 world title reigns combined??) All of these names, on the same page, teaming up for survival of their 'spots'. And I marked out like a little girl seeing John Cena perform the five knuckle shuffle.

The idea is simple, take all the greatest stars on your roster...have them form an alliance to fend off the talent that wants what they have had for years. Simple yet awesome.

So why didn't it work? The names I just laid out for you that were walking off that bus are some of the greatest names to ever lace up a pair of wrestling boots.

Flair, Sting, Hogan, Savage? IT HAD TO WORK!!!

..

..

...

But it didn't.

Business didn't turn around and moral didn't get any better. In fact WCW folded despite a creative idea that could have made them #1 once again. But it didn't...and here is why.

-The New Blood just didn't have enough legit stars. I mean when your pitting Billy Kidman against Hulk Hogan...there is something wrong. I like Kidman, he is a nice talent who can carry an average match with almost anybody. But Jesus Christ. I don't care how Hulk Hogan was portrayed at the time, he is the biggest name in the history of the sport. He has grossed more money than anybody who has ever stepped foot inside of any wrestling ring on any continent. It was obvious that Vince Russo didn't like the guy...fine. Billy Kidman does NOT belong in a feud with Hogan. Forget about Hogan being a legend, he is also a fairly large man. Hogan could use Kidman as a tooth pick. The whole storyline was doomed for failure from the start.

Sure The New Blood had Shane Douglas and Jeff Jarrett and Vampiro, guys who most wrestling fans would recognize. But the match ups just didn't...well match up. I could survive Sting vs. Vampiro because they actually put time into building up that feud. But look at the other feuds WCW was working on.

Curt Hennig vs Shawn Stasiak...what?

Chuck Palumbo vs Lex Luger...what?

Mike Awesome vs Kevin Nash...what?

Shane Douglas vs Ric Flair...what?

Hogan vs Billy Kidman..AWFUL

I know WCW was planning on building new talent which is a GREAT idea. Every wrestling promotion must build new talent in order to survive. But you can't build all the new talent at the same time. Mike Awesome, Chuck Palumbo, Shawn Stasiak were put in major storylines without ever developing on their own first.

-Not only did The New Blood not have legit members...but the so called legends in The Millionaires Club hadn't been booked like legends in years. Sting was delegated as a mid card wrestler, Vince Russo tried to kill any credibility Hogan had left, Flair jobbed to everybody and their mothers, Terry Funk was nothing more than a prop in hardcore matches and Randy Savage was barely on television anymore.

I realize the wrestlers were passed their prime, WAY passed their prime to be honest. But these were the guys WCW decided to build their company on...and they weren't booked as if they were the foundation of a federation. They basically only saw them as 'legends' when they needed to split the roster and get the new blood over. If they booked them as legends to begin with when Shane Douglas beats Ric Flair, or Shawn Stasiak beats Hennig...it would actually be a big deal.

So what do you have during 2000. You have a bunch of New Blood that nobody cares about due to the lack of character development, and you have a bunch of Legends who were booked like a bunch of old guys. The bare bones of The New Blood vs The Millionaires Club is genius. Like I said..It's simple, but it's awesome. But WCW didn't prepare for it proplery...and it showed during, and after it all fell apart.

Regal Suspended

Credit WWE.COM
STAMFORD, Conn., May 20, 2008 - In accordance with its Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy, WWE has suspended Darren Matthews (William Regal) for 60 days for his second violation of the company's policy.

Let me just say that I am and have been a huge fan of William Regal since his days in WCW. His unique in ring ability matched with his great charisma has been entertaining us for well over 10 years on a national level. I've often said Vince McMahon has the best facial expressions in the wrestling business...but William Regal isn't far behind. Cocky, comedic, serious he is one gifted performer.

Believe it or not I was actually happy when I heard William Regal got busted by WWE's wellness program. Because whether some wrestling fans know it or not, Regal has had many substance abuse related problems in the past. In fact his first stint in WWF ended in 1999 due to a drug problem. Nobody in WWE will comment on the substance Regal tested positive for.

As talented as Regal may be this is his second strike which led to the 60 day suspension. The next strike is a firing. It would be a shame for Regal to be fired from the greatest wrestling company in the world because he couldn't pass a drug test. In the midst of a very nice push and King of the Ring win...he needs to get his life in order so he can continue entertaining the fans and more importantly...make a living.

Venting On TNA

...What?

Of course, WWE is a much more famous company than TNA. People used to turn for WWE for the great booking, great storylines, entertainment, and of course the wrestling. And then when they just felt like watching amazing spots, bumps, and the always insane X Division, they turned to TNA.

Now? It’s a completely different story.

TNA has had many chances for huge face turns, and great matches and storylines, but the poor booking has just killed every single chance. Watching TNA is more like a chore now, plus, you have to sit through long promos by Jim Cornette *shudders*. They’ve also used their gimmick matches so much, it’s killing the excitement. When you heard about an Ultimate X match, you used to say “Holyshit that’s going to be sick.” Now? “Another one?”

Like I said, the poor booking is KILLING the company. They’re using the wrong people as heels, AJ Styles for example. He’s one of the most athletic and entertaining wrestler TNA has to offer. Seeing him in action was a very special treat. But now he’s in a tough spot. His gimmick outside of the ring is a fun babyface, inside the ring? He’s the perfect heel. He taunts every time he pulls off a dropkick, and what’s even worse is that he can’t use any of his incredible moves. They could’ve jumped at the chance of giving him a proper feud with Angle. They missed it. Then they had the chance with Tomko. They missed it, and they instead turned him into a full fledged heel.

Another problem is that they waste all their stars in Tag Team matches at the PPV. Instead of gunning for the title, the leaders run around frantically looking for tag partners. What would really help this company is maybe adding a Midcard Title, that gives the Eric Young’s of TNA something to do, while the Main Eventers like Christian Cage, Sting, Booker T, etc etc. are fighting in quality feuds. NOT fighting in Tag Team matches at PPV’s.

But now, TNA is wasting their top stars by placing them in the Deuces Wild tournament. It’s a tag team tournament, featuring basically everybody on the roster, excluding Angle, Big Poppa Pump, Petey Williams, some of the Knockout Division, and of course the Champ Samoa Joe. Yes I said SOME of the Knockouts. Awesome Kong is in it. This tournament ends at Sacrifice, with the winning team becoming the Tag champs.
Honestly, what I would’ve done is just had a tournament with actual Tag Teams. Motor City Machine Guns, Dudleyz, Reign & RelliK, AJ & Tomko, and whoever else is there. But instead, they include guys like Sting and Booker T, which in my opinion would’ve made for one HELL of a PPV match.

At Sacrifice so far only two matches have been made. The Main Event, being Kurt Angle & Scotty Boy taking on Joe for the World Heavyweight Title. Ok, fair enough, it makes sense. Big Poppa Pump is cashing in his…briefcase? Christ this seems awfully familiar, but I’ll get into that a little bit later. Next, there is the Women’s match. This match has to be the most retarded thing TNA has ever done. If there’s one thing TNA needs to do, its stop with the ridiculous gimmick matches that make no sense at all. I understand that they’re trying to be original, but all these gimmicks are just making them look silly and unprofessional.

Here’s how it goes, it starts out as a reverse Cage match. The Knockouts start on the outside of the ring, and the first to people to make it into the cage are the winners.

Then, a ladder comes into play. They have to climb up the ladder and get a contract that gives them a title shot against Awesome Kong. Ok, so the winner (probably Gail Kim) gets the contract, but it’s not over yet. The loser then gets her head shaved (possibly ODB). So all in all, this is a Reverse Cage Ladder Hair vs. Hair match. Wow.

To be honest, TNA is up shits creek without a paddle. But if there is one thing they’re good at…it’s ripping off WWE.

It all started with the Macho Man Randy Savage rip off, Jay Lethal. I was a little angry, but I thought oh well, as I read online (IGN.com) in a Jay Lethal interview that he actually spoke to the Macho Man himself, and talked about the gimmick. Macho Man didn’t mind, so it’s ok. Soon TNA started pushing the envelope…

For example there was the Shark Boy/Austin gimmick, a blatant rip off of one WWE’s most memorable stars Stone Cold Steve Austin, who I’d like to note actually MADE him into the star he is. Now I’m sure Shark Boy didn’t have a conversation with Stone Cold asking him if he could use his gimmick. I could just picture the conversation.

“Hey Steve, I was wondering if I could use your gimmick in TNA?”
“What?”
Click.

But it didn’t stop there, they started ripping off quotes. Kevin Nash quoting the Hulkster, the Dudleyz mentioning ECW and WWE in there promos. It just never ended. After some time it got increasingly annoying. During the WrestleMania weekend, TNA actually showed Rory (or Robbie) McAllister sitting in the audience of a TNA iMPACT event. They kept the camera on him for a good 5-6 seconds, they showed his name, and even put that he was a WWE superstar.

After a while of not watching TNA, because I simply couldn’t take it anymore, I turned it on yesterday night, for the iMPACT replay. And what I tuned into was LAX defeating Kaz and Eric Young in the Deuces Wild tournament. When LAX won, they called Hector Guerrero, the Spanish Commentator for TNA, who’s also the late Eddie Guerrero’s brother to the ring. Homicide went on this entire speech about how much he respected The Guerrero name, how much he respected Eddie, Chavo, and most of all Hector. Yeah, you respect a freakin commentator more than one of the greatest performers of All Time. Sure. Anyways, they said that they wanted Hector in their corner, so they could have the strength to win the belts.
TNA is frantically trying to get on the same level with WWE. They’re way of doing it? Ripping off WWE and bringing in “new” and “innovative” matches. My way of doing it? Better booking.

This is only the start, as I will be reviewing the weekly Battle for Power between TNA and WWE. Does this have the potential to blow up into a Wrestling War? Possibly. But the real question is…does TNA have the strength to do it?

-Spencer aka 'The Icon'

Catching Up..

MRRRRRRRRR....face?

Ok it’s been a while since my last Godly blog update and a lot has happened in WWE since then. Lets take a look!!

Triple H winning world title


I figured it was going to happen sooner rather than later. The only thing that confused me was...why save the world title change for Backlash? Wouldn't it make sense for Triple H to win his 12th World Title at WrestleMania? Really no problem with Hunter winning the World Title, he’s arguably the biggest face in the company right now.



Besides who else is left? Cena champ again? JBL? I would enjoy seeing HBK get a nice title reign though.


Randy Orton losing World Title
I figured it was going to happen sooner rather than later. Seriously, ever now and again Orton shows his true colors by doing something stupid and immature in his personal life. For those who missed it...


Randy Orton had another incident on the recent European tour. Orton was upset that the hotel staff woke him up earlier than he scheduled. Orton then put clothes on, took his food from room service, went down the hall and threw the food on the staff that woke him up. Orton reportedly laughed after the incident and went back to his room.

- Credit The Wrestling Observer Newsletter


Orton has to realize, especially when he is champion, he is representing not only a wrestling company...but a corporate business in WWE. He is literally the face of the company when holding the gold, he can’t live his gimmick. Until he realizes that, I don’t see WWE making him their champion for a while.


William Regal winning KOTR



It was a nice surprise but I’ll only agree with it if Regal becomes active in ring again…which it looks like they are heading towards. The heel GM role on Raw has become stale…but having the GM also actively compete is something fresh and could be interesting if booked properly.


Mr. Kennedy turning face?



It’s only natural for Kennedy to turn face. I found it rather odd instead of pulling the trigger in a big money making storyline…they seem to be testing the waters against Regal. I guess it makes sense to try it out before you put a lot of time and money into it…but I believe the fans have been dying to cheer Kennedy for quite some time and would have embraced him in a main event role as a good guy.


Honestly WWE should have made him a face as soon as he came to Raw. Do you remember the draft when they announced he was coming to Raw and he came out to a huge ovation? That was a great shot at getting him over as a face. Now? We’ll see what they have up their sleeves to make it work.


Jericho-HBK storyline



Just a side note. I’m not sure if this is a coincidence or WWE is doing it purposely…but HBK rarely wrestles on Raw anymore. Think about how matches he’s had since WrestleMania…not many. And I for one am happy they are cutting back his schedule to prolong his career. Besides his charisma alone is enough to carry storylines on Raw without wrestling. Speaking of carrying storylines…


So far so good with Jericho vs. HBK. Chris Jericho has ALWAYS been a better heel than face…and he may not be there yet but it’s getting close. I for one am very excited about this storyline since their Mania match from a few years ago is one of my all time favorites. HBK vs. Batista was good…this is going to be even better. Can’t wait.


Mick Foley becoming commentator of Smackdown



Well it’s about damn time they have found something for that fat ass to do. Seriously, the guy is collecting a weekly paycheck…probably a decent sized one, at least have him do something to earn it. And that’s not knocking Mick Foley…if WWE wanted to pay me big bucks just to sit at home and eat cheese doodles sign me up.


Foley is a very gifted performer but at this point in his career he’s best suited using his vocal abilities. Besides this leaves open one last feud for him to retire with….you know the wrestler picking on Michael Cole, Mick Foley stands up for him, magic happens.

Ric Flair...Not The Greatest?

Let me just state for the record that I believe Ric Flair is the greatest wrestler of all time. I also believe that Shawn Michaels is creeping his way up closer to 'Naitch', but that is for another blog at another time.

Within the business, wrestlers, promoters, announcers, almost the majority agree that Ric Flair is the clear cut #1. But to a lot of fans? He isn't even close. It used to bother me but...are they really to blame? In this blog entry I'm going to break down the reasons Why a fan would think Flair Isn't the greatest wrestler of all time. And their points are compelling to say the least.

Let’s think about the fans that got into wrestling around 1996-1998, the last boom period in the business. This is a perfect era being that time is responsible for many wrestling fans that are around today. Why wouldn't they believe Ric Flair is the greatest? Let’s see…

Past His Prime

In my opinion Ric Flair to this day can still perform on a high level...but his best days were way before 96-98. The Ric Flair, the doubters got to know, was a Ric Flair that wasn't close to the performer of the mid to late 80's. It's tough to judge a man's legacy just on the downfall of his career.

Matches Don't Age Well

Fans from the mid 90's up until today have seen almost everything. People crashing through tables, jumping off ladders, falling off Hell in a Cells, thrown off stages. Wrestling was taken to an entirely different and dangerous level during the Monday Night Wars, a pattern that continues today long after the Wars have been settled.

Simply put...the Flair classics don't hold up well to the casual fan. They are long technical marvels...but they are still long and technical. A Flair match in his heyday would easily last at least 45 minutes and more often than not they would do a Broadway (Broadway is a kayfabe term for one hour draw).

I personally love the matches and would take Flair vs. Sting, Steamboat, Funk, Luger, Ricky Morton, Dusty, for an hour over a lot of stuff we see today. With that being said...I haven't always been that way, so I can understand the fan not being able to appreciate or even enjoy any NWA matches from the 80's. Just think about it, the big payoff move during a Flair match would be a suplex or a hiptoss. Today it’s a Canadian Destroyer.

He's Old

Some fans have never seen a Ric Flair match where he wasn't in his mid 40's or older. To them he is just old. Just like the ‘past his prime’ point, fans can only judge a wrestler on what they have seen.

Awful Booking in WCW

Speaking of only seeing him from his mid 40's and older...the way he was booked in WCW from 1996 until its dying days was disgraceful. Honestly if a fan only saw Ric Flair during those 4-5 years...I don't blame them for not thinking he's the best.

It seemed WCW, mainly Bischoff, took pride in beating down Ric Flair without him ever getting his heat back. Countless PPVs and Nitro's ended with NWO killing the horsemen...and the next week nothing would come of it. Or how about Flair in the mental institution? How about Flair being buried in the desert for no reason? Or even better...tag teaming with his youngest son Reid before the kid was even in High School? Nice way to book a legend.

Out of Shape

Not a huge reason, but it was always easy to make fun of Flair because of his physical appearance towards the end of his career.


Didn't Wrestle Often On Free T.V

If you watch Nitro during its peak ratings period, Flair hardly ever wrestled. He was there for the great promo and official 9:45pm beat down at the hands of Hogan and his friends...but he didn't wrestle much on free TV. So if you didn't cough up the PPV cash, you didn't see Ric Flair wrestle. If you didn't see him wrestle at all its impossible to label him as the best.

But the biggest reason fans could possibly believe Ric Flair isn’t the very best?

During Flair’s glory years, WCW/NWA was never the clear #1. Ever since the origins of Hulkamania whether it was Ted Turner or Jim Crockett, they played second fiddle to the WWF while Flair was on top of his game. Even if you were a wrestling fan in the late 80’s chances are you tuned in to see what Vince McMahon was doing.

It boils down to this. If you were a fan of WCW/NWA while Flair was on top, you’ll think he was the greatest of all time. You would have lived through a career that developed in such a way that it revolutionized the business. Buddy Rogers can be credited for being the 1st heel, but Ric Flair popularized and perfected it.

But if you only watched Vince’s product and the only Nature Boy you know is from 1995 and on…I can’t blame you for thinking otherwise.

You Know You Watch Too Much Wrestling...

The top indicators that YOU watch too much wrestling. Not in any particular order…

1. You start dreaming about it.
*Seriously, I probably have a wrestling related dream once every two-three months. The last one I actually got ribbed my JBL in the dream. That fat bastard.

2. Empty box = Table.
*If anytime you see a large empty box, and you’re dying to drop an elbow through it…you watch a lot of wrestling.

3. You think about blading when shaving.
* Thinking about it is ok, if you actually did it…you need help. Unless you find Dusty Rhodes and Steve Corino’s foreheads attractive.

4. You see a black man with long dreads, you automatically think of Booker T.
* Unless you’re actually a black man yourself…then I couldn’t answer what you think of.

5. Your wrestling DVD collection doubles or even triples your movie DVD collection.

6. You perform wrestling moves on other people…even when you aren’t wrestling them.
* Applying Sharp Shooters on girlfriends? Check. Piledriving brothers through empty boxes? Check. Chopping your friends followed by a WOOOOOOOOO…check. I even got in some Bret Hart body shots.

7. When you notice Barbed Wire on a fence you wonder what time of night you could come back…just to steal it for a wrestling match.
*Unless you are like my friend Rollz…who steals first and asks questions later.

8. You cut promos on people when angry…or even to the mirror by yourself.

9. Spray paint = NWO

10. When you shop at the hardware store you think about wrestling.
*Ladder? Hardyz. Fencing? Hell in a Cell. Staple gun? New Jack. Light bulbs? XPW. Sledge Hammers? Triple H. It’s wrestling heaven at Lowes!!

11. You try to lock on a figure four…during a real fight.

12. Whenever you're at a funeral, and the procession starts, you get chills and start to look for fog creeping down the isle.

13. If you have seriously considered swantoning off your roof into a snow bank in February.
*Don’t try leaves…they don’t break your fall. Believe me.

14. You want to add spikes to your hockey or football shoulder pads.
*Whhhaaaatttt aaaaa RUUUUSH.

15. You have attempted to build a wrestling ring…and failed…numerous times.

16. You went to Disney World and refused to ride Space Mountain because it made you feel gay.

17. You write a wrestling blog.
*Fuck off.

18. The only books you’ve ever read page for page in your life…are wrestling books.
*On that note, pick up the Jericho and Bret Hart books…AWESOME.

19. Your girlfriend can name a good portion of WWE wrestlers.
*Now if she can name TNA guys as well…you watch wayyyy too much wrestling.

20. You wonder if you could take a bump on thumbtacks.

21. You are reading this list!!!

WWE Fantasy Draft

I find the most exciting time of the year in WWE for a fan and even some of the wrestlers is the draft (when they actually hold it). Here is my take on what WWE should do at this years draft if they indeed decide to have one.

*Please note that my goal in this draft is to even out the talent on Raw and Smackdown…which obviously hasn’t been the goal for WWE in quite some time. Here is my way to balance out the talent scale while creating some new and fresh storylines.

First up is the red headed step child of WWE…lets take a look at what I would do with ECW.

Biggest thing that jumps out to me is their lack of a big name. Kane was a big name but honestly he’s been lost in the WWE shuffle since he took off his mask and his psycho persona lost steam. They really never replaced the departure of Kurt Angle and Benoit from the brand.

My idea has been and still is to give Mick Foley his last run on ECW. He can be a heel or a face, the fans still respond, he can cut one hell of a promo, and I’m sure he can pull a couple of matches out of his ass for one last go around. He has the roots, he has the following, and he could be a great asset for the small ECW roster.

I would also give ECW two veterans, Finlay and Val Venis. Finlay can be a real advantage for ECW because like Foley he can play heel or face, and Finlay is one hell of a talent. If they want to put this Hornswoggle deal behind him, or just get Hornswoggle out of the spotlight…have them start fresh on ECW. As for Val Venis, I don’t know who he pissed off…but they have done nothing with the poor guy since he was Chief Morley during the Eric Bischoff regime. Repackage the poor bastard and have him compete on ECW.

So to ECW send over Mick Foley, Finlay and newly gimmicked Val Venis. If I could sign someone I would also resign The Sandman and put him on ECW. The crowd likes him and he is an ECW original. Let the man work!

Next on my draft sketch is strengthening Smackdown. It has basically become the minor leagues for Raw but I want to change that. They need A LOT of help and I do that by giving them… Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, The Big Show, Umaga and Jeff Hardy once he drops the crack pipe.

HBK has basically feuded with everybody there is to fight with on Raw. Put him on Smackdown, let him carry out this Batista deal…mix it up with MVP and Edge. Same with Chris Jericho who’s already wasting away on Raw in such short time. He’ll never be Triple H or John Cena, let him and HBK be the top faces on Smackdown.

As for Umaga and The Big Show they can help fill out the upper mid card. I know Vince would love to pair Umaga with The Great Khali to form an unstoppable tag team…and Big Show will do the same thing on either show. May as well give Smackdown some support. Besides with Umaga…hasn’t he been useless on Raw for a while now? I can only see so many squash matches that lead to nothing.

The only reason I put Jeff Hardy on Smackdown is so he can try to recapture what he had before the suspension in a less pressured environment. Smackdown is taped, the ratings are lower…let him get his feet wet before throwing him onto Raw once again.

Now that I have bolstered up the Smackdown Roster…who does Raw end up getting? First I want to replace Shawn Michaels with The Undertaker. Just like HBK, Taker has basically feuded with everybody on Smackdown…time for some fresh faces. Besides, The Undertaker is going to retire any year now…let him go out on the #1 show.

Since I depleted the Raw roster pretty bad I also want to boost them up with Rey Mysterio, C.M Punk, and Matt Hardy. Rey has never been on Raw, so it’s bound to create some new storylines. Matt Hardy could finally get a big push because for Matt it’s now or never when it comes to main eventing. Put him in a storyline with Kennedy and if that works well see what he can do against Orton. And if I had the checkbook out while signing Sandman, I would get RVD back and put him right back on Raw. You want to make the I-C title important again? You have Rey, C.M Punk, Kennedy, and Carlito/Santino compete over it.

So let’s review who is getting what.

ECW- Val Venis, Mick Foley, Finlay, and sign The Sandman
Smackdown- HBK, Y2J, The Big Show, Umaga, and Jeff Hardy (until healthy…enough)
Raw- The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, C.M Punk, Matt Hardy, and sign Rob Van Damn.

The Retro Reel

I have finally decided to make good use of my ever expanding Wrestling DVD Library and take a closer look at the matches some of us may have forgotten. In the Retro Reel, I will review matches that for some reason or another… we have decided not to keep in mind.

They wrestled for Eddie...

Monday Night Raw 11/14/05
Eddie Guererro Tribute Show
Shawn Michaels vs. Rey Mysterio

Back-story

After the passing of former World Champion Eddie Guerrero, WWE decided to dedicate an entire episode of Monday Night Raw to ‘Latino Heat’. The show didn’t showcase any storylines or on camera feuds which made this inter-brand ‘face’ vs. ‘face’ match possible.

Why it was forgotten?

Obviously the death of Eddie Guerrero overshadowed any contests the WWE wrestlers put on for the night. When it comes to the Eddie situation most wrestling fans think about where they were when they first heard the news, or the first person they called. Not Monday night.

Why it should be remembered?

This match holds a special spot in my memory because one of my dream matches that I thought WWE could still pull off was Shawn Michaels vs. Eddie Guerrero. Imagine that? Whenever I think of how awesome that program could have been, it naturally brings me back to this match.

For the contest itself, it was far from a technical classic. 10-11 minutes tops but it was the only time these two men ever competed one on one in the ring. Rey Mysterio vs. Shawn Michaels could be a money match on a pay per view, we got to see it for free in dedication to their fallen friend.

Although the match wasn’t a classic, it was an intriguing match up. It may be the only time in recent memory (or ever) where Shawn Michaels isn’t the smaller competitor, or the fastest in the match. You can actually notice Shawn trying to slow down the pace of the match in order to benefit himself…which is never the case. Good psychology.

It wasn’t the usual Rey spot fest match, and it wasn’t a usual Shawn Michaels match either. They met somewhere in the middle and had themselves a very nice bout. I would love to see them in a storyline somewhere down the road, in a pay per view payoff, with about 15-17 minutes to tear down the house. Hopefully this match not only served as a wonderful tribute to Eddie, but a hint of what could be done in the future.

Top 10 Greatest To NEVER Win World Gold

One of the top draws in the 80's, does Jake make the list?!

Since I am in the top 10 mood why not take a look at the top 10 Greatest Wrestlers to NEVER win a World Championship. Now I have cheated, because I am not including every World Title imaginable. On my list? Only the WWE/F, WCW/NWA championships count. I would count AWA and ECW but honestly, they can only be considered regional champions, not World.
Now to the list!!

#10
Raven
Anybody who read my blog on Raven’s retirement will understand the reasoning for putting him on this list. WCW never bothered to push him to anything above upper mid card status, and WWE totally missed the boat on the character. Could you imagine Raven kidnapping Stephanie McMahon while she was with Triple H in the WWE? Making Stephanie his flock princess? Raven without a doubt could have been a big time player on a national level…but it just never happened.

#9
The Dynamite Kid
Bret Hart calls Dynamite Kid the greatest wrestler he’s ever been in the ring with, and that is saying something. I guess you could include British Bulldog with Dynamite in this regard, but when it came down to raw ability…not many guys could have matched The Dynamite Kid. If you ever get your hands on some of his stuff in Stampede Wrestling before Vince bought everything up…you will be amazed at the stuff he was doing. Especially considering the time period he was doing it in.

#8
Owen Hart
Talking about raw talent and ability, Owen Hart could do anything in the ring. During his feud with his brother Bret, it wouldn’t have been crazy to actually think Owen could be WWF champion. Try and think of a bad Owen Hart match, and you’ll be thinking for a very long time. He could have a four star match with just about any wrestler.

#7
Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka
One of the top 5 draws of the 80’s, if Hulkamania never existed it’s obvious Jimmy Snuka would have been given a shot at holding the strap. He wasn’t the greatest in the ring and certainly not on the mic, but the guy made a lot of money for a very long time. Was more of an attraction than a technical wrestler, but he got the job done and people paid to see it.

#6
‘The Million Dollar Man’ Ted Dibiase
Technically Teddy was WWF Champion, but was ‘stripped’ of the championship since he obtained it in an unethical matter. A gimmick PERFECT for the main event, again he is another casualty to Hulkamania. If Hogan didn’t need to be built up as an unstoppable force (which he did need to be) no doubt Ted gets a nice little world title reign.

#5
Scott Hall
'The Bad Guy' Scott Hall is pretty special for the fact that he got over as the character Razor Ramon…who could have been a main eventer, and he got over in WCW under his own name. Put it this way, if Scott Hall stays in WWF during its ‘transition period’ (WCW buying all their talent) he would have became world champion. Also, if he wasn’t shitfaced drunk all the time…he would have most definitely became World Champ in WCW towards its dying days.

#4
Nick Bockwinkle
In my book he is one of the more underrated wrestlers in the history of the business. And this guy made a living by carrying the AWA World Heavyweight Championship. He was Flair-like in his in ring heel bumping, and his promos were very well thought out. He was extremely loyal to Verne Gagne, but chances are he would have become World Champ on a national level…especially in WCW.

#3
Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts
Without a doubt Jake Roberts is one of the top 10 promo men of all time, and had one of the top 5 gimmicks of all time. Another victim of Hogan’s popularity Jake never really had the chance to shine as a top guy in the WWF. Jake’s main job was to prepare the heels and put them over…essentially feeding them to Hogan. Interestingly enough, WWF ‘tried’ to feud Jake against Hogan but during one of their segments the fans actually started chanting ‘DDT, DDT, DDT’. Vince immediately pulled the plug. That’s how popular Jake was during his run. Amazing performer…had Psychology down to a science.

#2
Mr. Perfect
Heel? He could do it. Face? He could do it. Wrestle? Could do it very well. Curt Hennig is one of the top all around performers in the history of the business. Most fans don’t know this, but before Vince enticed ($$$) Curt into joining the WWF…he had a huge money making feud with Nick Bockwinkle in the AWA that saw him winning the World Title. He was a credible champion and that was before Vince put his personal marketing machine behind him.

#1
‘Hot Rod’ ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper
The man is an Icon. He was, and probably still is, a household name and he did it all without ever winning the World Title. I find that amazing. Anytime a wrestler can reach the level where Piper found himself for years without ever being the clear cut #1 in any company is remarkable. It just goes to show you the type of showman Hotrod really was. People didn’t buy tickets to watch Roddy Piper wrestle. They bought tickets and plenty of them, to watch Roddy Piper perform…to entertain. Hotrod was unique because he never won the World Title…one main reason was…he just didn’t need it. He talked his way to the top of an industry and had the in ring abilities to back it up.