Lawsuit Shows Konnan is Wrestling’s Jesse Jackson

Photo courtesy of obsessedwithwrestling.com

On Aug. 27, 2008, it was reported by PWInsider.com that a lawsuit filed by Charles Ashenoff (pictured above), better known to professional wrestling fans as “Konnan” in March 2008 against his former employer, Total Nonstop Action (TNA) wrestling, will begin its trial on Oct. 26, 2009, according to a report jointly filed with the United States District Court in Texas.

In the lawsuit, Ashenoff is blaming TNA for bad mental health, harassment, his kidney failure, makes claims TNA are racist due to their mainly White workforce, TNA owes him money, the Latin American Xchange (LAX) name and likeness and that TNA stole ideas/gimmicks from him that TNA has since made profits from and character defamation while he was employed there.

Ashenoff is also alleging that while TNA said they would help pay for his hip-replacement surgery, they did not and to add leverage to the suit, Ashenoff claims TNA helped pay for Scott Steiner’s recent surgery but did not help pay for his or Ron Killing’s surgery, who now works for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as “R-Truth.”

Since coming to the United States in 1992 to work for WWE, Ashenoff has been a bust, never being able to replicate the success he enjoyed in Mexico, and then pulls the race card when things aren’t up to his liking.

It is simply amazing that every wrestling company Ashenoff has worked for in the United States, he has always placed the race card and screamed “Racism” when things didn’t go his way and honestly, I am sick and tired of it.

For those who don’t know, when Ashenoff was employed by WWE in 1992, he portrayed a character by the name “Max Moon” and when he was released for showing up boss Vince McMahon backstage in front of a highly respected Japanese wrestling promoter, Ashenoff claimed he was released as a result of discrimination and the changing of his character’s name as to why he didn’t receive a push and threatened to file a lawsuit against WWE, which was never filed.

It couldn’t have been the fact that Ashenoff, whose success in Mexico seemed to inflate his ego bigger than his head, resented McMahon for not giving him a guaranteed contract, something McMahon has never done for any of his wrestlers, but would be a common practice World Championship Wrestling (WCW) would adopt several years later.

Ashenoff would then use the race card again, this time in WCW in 1999, when his No Limit Soldiers storyline with Master P flopped and the West Texas Rednecks, a country group let by Curt Hennig, were getting more cheers when they were suppose to be the heels (bad guys). Ashenoff got up on his soap box and said that the people in charge of WCW didn’t understand Hip-Hop or how to market it and that’s why Master P didn’t get over with the WCW crowds.

It couldn't have been the fact that hardly anyone liked Master P, as he was booed his first night in the company at a live show, and was an over-rated rapper or that WCW was located in the South region, where Country Music is big or that Hennig and company were a damn entertaining group that could carry a nice tune? No, it just has to be racism.

As for his racism claim against TNA, how exactly is a company racist when a Black man, Killings, was their heavyweight champion two times; Ashenoff was a tag-champion several times; Hernandez and Homicide (LAX) held the tag-titles for a long-time; the formert X-Division champion, Jay Lethal, is Black and the current heavyweight champion, Samoa Joe, is Samoan? If that’s not equal opportunity, I don’t know what is.

Also, can someone please explain to me how TNA can be held for character defamation when Ashenoff was a heel (bad guy) in the company when LAX first started? Or did Ashenoff think that he wasn't a traditional heel, but rather, a cool heel like how most the New World Order (NWO) acted like in WCW?

In addition, I find it ridiculous that Ashenoff would hold TNA responsible for his hip injury when you consider the fact that when he first signed with TNA in 2002, he already had his hip problem, which was caused by not only wrestling professionally for 15-years at the time but also, his heavy drug and steroid use that gave him blasted physique, a rarity among Mexican wrestlers, that made him the Hulk Hogan of Mexico and popular enough to land acting roles on a Spanish soap opera.

As for the surgery incident, what is known is that TNA did indeed give Ashenoff the money to undergo the hip-operation, which later led to Ashenoff finding out he needed kidney replacement surgery and would later undergo the procedure after a fan donated his kidney. However, Ashenoff’s claim is that while TNA did give him the money for the hip-operation, they told him he would have to pay it back in full and that since it was a pre-conditioning problem, he was on his own.

Let’s clear a few things up. As already stated, Ashenoff’s ailing hip was a direct result of his heavy drug use and not his “extensive ring-work” in TNA which consisted of Ashenoff hitting someone with a “loaded” sock and throwing a shoe at them.

As a result, TNA is actually able to ignore worker’s compensation laws, especially when you consider that Scott Steiner got hurt while working on an international tour for TNA, TNA was legally required to pay for his surgery under worker’s compensation as the only exceptions to worker’s compensation are alcohol and drugs.

Quite frankly, Ashenoff has been nothing more than dead weight to the wrestling scene in the United States and has been barking up the racism tree for years now, using his race as a scapegoat and has not gotten very far with it. He had nothing on WWE, nothing on WCW, has nothing on TNA and will NEVER have anything on any wrestling company, EVER!

Simply put, Ashenoff is the Jesse Jackson of professional wrestling.

TNA Low Blows Top Female Star

Photo courtesy of tnawrestling.com


Aug. 21, 2008 was a bad day for Total Nonstop Action (TNA) wrestling fans. On that morning, one of the company’s top stars, Gail Kim (pictured above), had her profile and photos quietly removed from the company website, leaving many wrestling fans wondering if the website was just updating her page or if she was actually GONE from the company.

A short while later that evening, it was reported by PWInsider.com that Kim, who was the star of the women’s “Knockout Division” and was the first Knockout Champion, was indeed done with TNA, whom she had been with since 2005, and had agreed to a new contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), whom she was employed with from summer 2003-fall 2004, and would be a prominent feature in the company’s “Diva’s Division” on either Raw or Smackdown.

It was later reported by PWInsider.com that Kim’s decision to leave TNA for WWE was strictly financial, having nothing to do with her being unhappy over how she was presented or booked and that she left the company on good terms and that the door would be open for her if she wanted to return later down the road.

On Aug. 28, 2008, more details emerged about this sudden incident. Reportedly, WWE offered Kim an insane amount of money, a six-figure downside guaranteed contract for three years with the possibility to earn more from appearing on pay-per-views, house shows and merchandise sales.

In contrast, TNA simply saw the top babyface in the “Knockout Division,” a division that has CONSISTENTLY been a ratings draw for the last six-months, as a LOW-BUDGET expenditure and offered her less than $100,000 per-year, a figure that could only be met if she appeared on a certain amount of shows and if she got hurt, she would receive nothing.

The message sent by TNA was pretty clear…..No matter how successful the female wrestlers are for TNA, they are not going to make as much money as the men. In addition, TNA’s lukewarm offer to Kim doesn’t bode well for the other women in the company when their respective contracts come up since the top star of the division couldn’t even get a six-figure offer.

This has led many to scratch their heads as to why TNA pays their female wrestlers way less than the men, considering that the Knockouts get better ratings, meaning TNA stays alive, and the TNA President, Dixie Carter, is a also a woman and one would think would sympathize with the Knockouts over equal pay.

I honestly cannot blame Kim for leaving TNA for WWE’s financial security, especially when you consider this fact….TNA low-balled Kim with an offer of less than $100,000 a year but yet, threw $500,000 at freaking Adam “Pacman” Jones for his handful appearances he made in fall 2007, while he was suspended from the NFL and not once did he wrestle for them but was still made one-half of the tag-team champions with Ron “The Truth” Killings.

In addition, TNA is about to throw SEVEN-FIGURES at Steve “Sting” Borden for a one-year contract! A contract that Borden gets to decide how many dates he appears for the company and how many matches he wrestles despite the fact he has been with the company since 2005 and has done NOTHING to increase ratings or buy-rates. Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this picture?

It is a slap in the face to Kim and the other female wrestlers of TNA, all-of-whom have busted their rears just as much, and in most cases, more than the men and the ratings have reflected that effort for the last six-seven months as the Knockout segments on TNA Impact each week are the highest rated segments of the show, that the company does not view or pay them on the same pedestal as they do the men.

It bewilders me that TNA continuously bills itself as the future of professional wrestling but yet will not step up to the plate and take care of their top-stars. Money talks and TNA should not count on their mentality that “Our women’s division is better” as the incentive for the women to stay when their contracts are up.

It is clear as crystal that one of the things that needs to be tweaked in TNA, besides the writing and booking teams, is the pay-scale, especially when you consider this little fact that will cause TNA fans to take pitchforks to Carter’s home and TNA headquarters.

Kim’s final night in TNA saw her go out with a bang as her “Street Fight” with fellow TNA women’s wrestler Awesome Kong on the Aug 22. episode of Impact scored a 1.20 quarter-hour rating, the HIGHEST MARK OF THE SHOW. The rating then dropped by half-a-point for the main event that featured Kurt Angle against AJ Styles in a ladder match, which scored a 1.15 rating.

UFC & TNA Wrestling Battle Over "War Machine" Name

Three-and-a-half years ago on April 3, 2005, Terri Gerin, better known to professional wrestling fans as "Rhino," was released from World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) after engaging in public argument with his wife at the hotel the company was staying at in Hollywood, Calif. for Wrestlemania 21, the company's biggest show of the year.

There was a report that stated Gerin (pictured below) smashed a flower pot in the hotel lobby and when other wrestlers attempted to restrain him, Gerin stated that he didn't care anymore and the WWE could get rid of him.

They did and after temporally going back to WWE for the original One Night Stand pay-per-view, Gerin headed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and was quickly billed as "The War Machine" as WWE had trademarked his other nickname, "The Man beast" and won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at the Bound for Glory 2005 pay-per-view.



Photo courtesy of obsessedwithwrestling.com


Fast forward to Sept 19, 2007, which was the night the UFC premired the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter, titled, "Team Hughes vs. Team Serra." On that season, there was a fighter named John Koppenhaver, who fought on Team Serra and had replaced Roman Mitichyan after Mitichyan broke his elbow during evaluations and was sent home, and just happen to go by the nickname "The War Machine."

Koppenhaver lost his only fight on Ultimate Fighter in controversial fashion to Tommy Speer via judges decision. The controversy lied in the fact that during the fight, Koppenhaver had Speer in a Rear Naked Choke and it appeared that Speer had tapped out but the referee in charge of the bout did not stop the fight.

Koppenhaver (pictured below) would rebound though as he was victorious in his official UFC debut by defeating Jared Rollins in The Ultimate Fighter Finale Show via Technical Knockout (TKO) at 2:01 of the third round. Unfortunately for Koppenhaver, his momentum did not carry over to his last fight against Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC 84, which he lost via submission in the first round but that wouldn't be the only thing Koppenhaver would lose.



Photo courtesy of UFC.com


During the fighter introductions, Koppenhaver was not referred to as "War Machine" by UFC Announcer Bruce Buffer as TNA had threatened legal action before the event and would sue if Koppenhaver was introduced as "War Machine" because TNA had trademarked the name for Gerin's use of the "Rhino" character.

In July 2008, Koppenhaver, following in the footsteps of professional wrestler Jim Hellwig, who wrestled as "The Ultimate Warrior" and legally changed his name to "Warrior," filed a change of name request and on Aug 28, 2008, had his day in court where he LEGALLY changed his name to War Machine.

That's right, John Koppenhaver is now legally known as War Machine and what's better is his reasoning for it. In his latest myspace blog, which was made available on mma-live.com, Koppenhaver stated that he has been called "War Machine" for six-years, has it tattooed on his body and that his fans chant "War Machine" during his fights, which is a total of SEVEN FIGHTS in a FOUR-YEAR PERIOD.

But he was not done there. No, the former Koppenhaver took it one step further by stating and I quote, "If you know my personality, then you know damn well I am not gonna let some F****t a**, FAKE wrestler steal my name."

I'm sure UFC President Dana White really appreciated these ignorant comments flying out of the former Koppenhaver's mouth, especially since he is one of White's contracted fighters and this comes on the heels of the Quinton "Rampage" Jackson fiasco that saw Jackson commit hit-and-run not once, but twice, before finally being detained by authorities.

Koppenhaver or War Machine, comes off sounding like the typical, angry Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, a stereotype White has tried to change over the last several years, with this childish rant that sounds like a teenager playing a video game on Xbox live and getting beat soundly.

Since when did tattooing something on your chest all of a sudden qualify as a legal trademark? If Koppenhaver was so adamant about being referred to as "War Machine," why didn't he file the proper paper-work with the trademark agencies when he had his first fight in February 2004, a full year-and-a-half before Gerin showed up in TNA?

If Koppenhaver wants to get technical, the legendary music group KISS released "War Machine" on their Creatures of the Night album (pictured below) in 1982. Is Koppenhaver going to cry about it in the private confessional room of the house like most of the contestants on the Ultimate Fighter show do about every little thing?



Photo courtesy of amazon.com


Also, I find it amusing as both a wrestling fan and MMA fan that Koppenhaver had the audacity to call Gerin a F*****t A** FAKE wrestler when some people, including the former senior Vice President of the International Fight League (IFL), Joe Favorito, have said that MMA looks like gay porn with two men trading positions on top and bottom.

Also, Gerin is married and Gene Simmons, the lead singer for KISS, has the reputation of sleeping with hundreds of thousands of women and Koppenhaver, who shares a house and hot-tub with 15 other men while on the Ultimate Fighter, wants us to believe Gerin is the F*****t?

Keep telling yourself that Koppenhaver and while your at it, you better hope that Marvel Comics doesn't come knocking on your door with a lawsuit as "War Machine" is a fictional character (pictured below) created by Marvel Comics Universe that first appeared in Iron Man #118 in January 1979, a full TWO-years before you even existed!


Photo courtesy of wikipedia.com

Terry Funk.....True Icon of Professional Wrestling

Courtesy of www.obsessedwithwrestling.com

"In my mind, no one man is bigger than this sport. But if there is an icon, it would be a man who has great ability in the ring and professionalism and maturity outside of it. Let's leave all the petty, backstabbing, I make more than you b.s. and concentrate on talent and attitude..."

The above quote was taken from a 1997 shoot promo on WWE Monday Night Raw by Jim Cornette, who at the time, let his feelings be known to the wrestling fans about wrestlers who were claiming that they were the "Icon of Wrestling," which included Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Randy Savage, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels.

After ripping into each of the above mentioned names, Cornette gave his opinion on who should be considered the Icon of Wrestling, which included Ric Flair, Steve Austin and The Undertaker, all of which you can view in the embedded video below, courtesy of youtube.



Now that almost 11-years have passed since this promo aired, I have to respectfully disagree with Mr. Cornette about his choice candidates, except the Undertaker, if we are using the criteria he laid-out that appears in the opening quote.

Ric Flair had great ability inside the ring but outside the ring, lived life like a college frat-boy, lived a luxurious life-style he couldn't afford and exposed himself countless times on airplanes to flight attendants. How is that being mature or conducting one-self as a professional?

Steve Austin was the WWE's top draw for nearly three-years, from 1998-2001, but his unprofessional act of walking out-of-the-company before a June 2002 Raw Event, where he was scheduled to lose to Brock Lesnar, and the domestic battery charge filed by his ex-wife Debra McMichael shortly thereafter doesn't help his cause.

I would love to give the nod to Undertaker as Professional Wrestling's True Icon but for me, Undertaker comes in at a close second by the slimmest of margin to someone else that I feel exemplifies what being the True Icon of Wrestling is all about and that man is "The Hardcore Icon" Terry Funk!

Even though the man is middle-aged and crazy at age 64 and spilled more blood than a blood bank, Funk has been involved in pro wrestling longer than most of us have been alive and in all his time in wrestling, I have never read or heard one bad thing about him. He has never left a company high-and-dry, has never exposed himself to flight attendants or made personal attacks on other wrestlers. He has gone about doing what he loves to do in a professional manner that more wrestlers and athletes in general should adopt.

Funk started his career in 1965 in Armarillo, TX, wrestling for his dad's promotion and in 1975, Funk defeated WWE Hall of Famer Jack Brisco for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, which was the most important wrestling championship at the time, and would hold on to that title for 14 months.

In addition, along with his brother, Dory Funk Jr., the two of them made a name for themselves in Japan, mainly because of thier over-the-top mannerisms and brawling abilities. As a result, the two not only became one of the top drawing foreign acts in the history of Japan but were also the first gaijins (foreigners) to be considered faces (good-guys) in Japan.

Funk was also a pioneer in what is now called "Hardcore Wrestling" before the words "hardcore" and "extreme" were associated with wrestling. In the late 1970's Funk was involved in the earliest barbed-wire match ever recorded as he took on WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes in a grisly match that appeared as the cover story of Pro Wrestling Illustrated with the tag line, "The Horrifying Barbed-Wire Fence Match."

In 1989, after a short-stint in WWE, then the World Wrestling Federation, and being semi-retired, Funk came out of retirement at age 45 and engaged in a classic rivalry with Flair for the NWA Heavyweight Championship that culminated with their classic 27-minute "I Quit" match at Clash of the Champions IX on Nov. 15, 1989.

However, it was what Funk did during his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1994-1998 made me give him the nod as the True Icon of Professional Wrestling. The following is what former ECW owner Paul Heyman had to say about Funk on the Rise and Fall of ECW dvd released by WWE in 2004:

"There would not have been an ECW without Terry Funk. He was the only veteran from that era who had the reputation of being legitimately tough but also had the business sense to realize that he had to get the next generation ready for their to be a business and an industry to leave behind. Terry had that mindset because a lot of veterans back then were unwilling to get the young guys ready and were still clinging and clutching to their spot, to their reputation of being THE GUY...THE CHAMPION and Terry Funk just said, 'Oh I Can make him....Oh I can make him too...Oh let me make him, I'll do something special with him' and did with everybody he worked with."

To reward Funk for what he had done to help elevate ECW, Heyman had Funk defeat then ECW Champion Raven in the main-event of the company's first pay-per-view, Barely Legal, on April 13, 1997 to become ECW Champion and symbolize the company's moniker that the impossible dream can happen.

Funk would eventually drop the title to Sabu in their much talked-about and truly violent Barbed Wire match, the one where Sabu's bicep was ripped open by the barbed-wire and closed the wound shut by taping over it with athletic tape, at ECW Born to Be Wired on Aug. 9, 1997.

In Sept. of that same year, before a match with then WWE Champion Bret Hart at a special event titled, "Wrestlefest - 50 Years of Funk," that celebrated the careers of Terry, his brother and father, Heyman presented Funk with a championship belt that was paid through a collection taken up by wrestlers on the ECW roster at the time and the belt declared Funk the Lifetime ECW World Heavyweight Champion.

I think that right there not only speaks volumes about how helpful and inspirational Funk was to ECW but also why he gets my vote as the True Icon of Professional Wrestling.