Birthday wishes to Candice Michelle

Photo courtesy of wwe.com


I would like to give a birthday shout-out to former WWE Women's Champion and current Go Daddy girl Candice Michelle, pictured above, who turned 30-years old today.

More amazing than the fact that Michelle is 30 is that she has been in the company for four-years and despite not making the final cut for the inaugural WWE Diva Search contest in 2004, which also included current WWE Diva's Maria and Michelle McCool, Michelle was hired and given the gimmick of a make-up artist.

Honestly, I did not see anything special in Michelle when she first started out. I thought she was just another bimbo trying to use the WWE and pro wrestling to elevate herself to something else. However, my opinion slightly changed when I saw her featured in her first Go Daddy Super Bowl commercial in 2005 but I still didn't think she belonged in the WWE.

However, Michelle would prove me wrong and much like Trish Stratus did, Michelle started focusing on being an active, full-time wrestling diva on the Raw roster and began honing her craft, which eventually led her to becoming the first WWE Diva Search contestant to become WWE Women's Champion.

Another thing I admire about Michelle is how she handled her recent collar-bone injury that some feared could have been career ending by being mentally tough when most would have cracked and given up.

Initially, her clavicle was cracked during an Oct. 22, 2007 match against Beth Phoenix on Raw in a two-out-of-three falls match for the Women's Championship and was out of action for 14 weeks.

Upon making her return in Feb. 2008, Michelle had her first in-ring match on March 17 and in that match, she injured her left shoulder by tearing the scar tissue over her previously broken left clavicle. Unlike the first injury, Michelle broke her clavicle in four separate places, shattering it and kept her out of action until Sept. 1, which is when she made her surprise return to Raw.

Before I conclude this entry, I would like to share with you my favorite Candice Michelle moment and no, its not one of her Super Bowl commercials. Rather, its a backstage segment between her, Matt and Jeff Hardy and Ron Simmons at the 2007 Great American Bash pay-per-view.

Educating kids on the old school of wrestling

As a life-long wrestling fan, I often cringe when I hear new or young fans say how awesome and great professional wrestling is today. While wrestling today does have its moments and can still put on amazing shows when a specific company chooses to do so, I personally feel that today's product, with the exception of a selected few individual talents, cannot hold a candle to the old-school style of wrestling I grew-up on and find myself feeling sorry for the newer generation of fans who either don't have the time or want to watch classic old-school footage.

However, a rarity occurred today when after school was over this afternoon and I had finished up my duty as a substitute teacher, I found myself engaged with one of the students, an eighth grader, about pro-wrestling as I was writing the classes regular teacher a note.

The student wants to be a pro-wrestler when he grows up and I told him that he would need a good character name as I went through and showed examples of certain wrestlers character name and birth name. The student then asked me what Sting's real name was, to which I replied, "Steve Borden."

The student then informed me that Sting was his favorite wrestler and I began reeling him in. Having just gone on a nostalgia WCW visit over the weekend on youtube where I watched countless classic WCW clips, I asked the student if he had access to a computer, which he said yes. I then asked if he would like to see some classic clips of Sting when he was younger so he could see how amazing he was in his prime.

The student's face lit-up like it was Christmas morning and I promptly wrote down several titles to type into youtube for search results. Now whether the student will actually look the clips up remains to be seen but this did make my day knowing I may have gotten a new generation fan to become an old-school fan if and after he sees those classic Sting clips.

Update on my MMA article

Yesterday morning, I sat down and re-constructed by MMA article that was denied publication by the opinion editor of the Monterey Herald. As he insisted, I re-constructed the article down to 200 words (more like 260) and took out the offensive word "ignorant." I promptly emailed this to him Saturday afternoon and even left him a voice mail to make sure he knew I sent it.

Here is the revised article, which I don't think he can find anything to be offended by this time:

"The Herald’s editorial “No Excuse for Cage Fighting” and the Halfpenny’s opinion pieces each had unsubstantiated statements about Mixed Martial Marts (MMA) or cage-fighting.

There has never been any connotation between MMA and gang violence and to even suggest or put the two in the same sentence is an oversight. Did the Halfpenny’s stop to think that people watch MMA because they enjoy it and not because they are used to gang violence?

As for the editorial piece, to say that the commission “pretends” to protect fighters is an error, especially when one does research and discovers fighters are given both pre-and-post fight drug tests and are medically suspended anywhere from 7-60 days, win or lose, after a fight, depending on the severity of their cuts or injuries.

In addition, fighters are subject to CT scans and neurological evaluations before being cleared to fight again. Maybe if boxing had these same regulations years ago, Muhammad Ali’s quality of life today would be better.

As for it being too violent, any sport has violence in it, including the more acceptable sports. In football, players launch themselves at full-speed to hit another player as hard as they can. It is perfectly acceptable in baseball for a pitcher to hit a batter with a 100 mile-per-hour fastball in the spirit of standing up for his teammate. Hockey has men chasing each other on skates with sticks in hand and fighting is seen as part of the game. Boxing features two individuals continuously punching each other in the head, trying to knock each other out.

Am I the only one noticing a recurring theme?"

Details on the new 3-disc Eddie Guerrero dvd set

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

On Nov. 11, WWE will be releasing a brand new, 3-disc dvd set of Eddie Guerrero titled, "Viva La Raza, The Legacy of Eddie Guerrero."

Silvervision.co.uk has released the match listing and extras for the new DVD set as well as details on the Bonus Disc that will ONLY be available in Canada and the UK.

Now please be aware that folks in the UK will receive the bonus disc that has BOTH the RAW & SMACKDOWN Tribute Shows of Guerrero while Canada folks will have to buy the set TWICE as the Raw disc is only available at Best Buy and the Smackdown Disc at Sunrise Records.

Also, there is two noticeable omissions from the Smackdown tribute show and that is the Chris Benoit vs. Triple H match and Benoit giving his thoughts on Guerrero. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why these two pieces were left out.

Here is the match listing details:

Disc 1

The Complete Package

Vickie Guerrero – Early Eddie

ECW World Television Championship Match
2 Cold Scorpio vs. Eddie Guerrero
Hardcore TV April 8, 1995

Dean Malenko – A New Style in ECW

ECW World Television Championship Match
Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko
Hostile City Showdown April 15, 1995

Jim Ross – Arrival in WCW

Eddie Guerrero vs. Shinjiro Otani
Starrcade December 27, 1995

Ric Flair – US Title

United States Heavyweight Championship Match
Ric Flair vs. Eddie Guerrero
Hog Wild August 10, 1996

Chris Jericho – Battling for Respect

United States Heavyweight Championship Match
Eddie Guerrero vs. Chris Jericho
SuperBrawl February 23, 1997

Rey Mysterio – Striving for Perfection

WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match
Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero
Nitro November 10, 1997

Dean Malenko – Rivalry Renewed

WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match
Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko
Starrcade December 28, 1997

Chavo Guerrero – Adapting Wrestling Styles

Eddie Guerrero vs. Ultimo Dragon
Slamboree May 17, 1998

Chavo Guerrero – Ring General

Juventud Guerrera vs. Eddie Guerrero
Nitro August 3, 1998

Vickie Guerrero – Car Accident

Psychosis vs. Eddie Guerrero
Thunder June 24, 1999

Disc 2

Chris Jericho – Latino Heat

European Championship Match
Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Guerrero
RAW April 3, 2000

Matt Hardy – Master of Psychology

King of the Ring Qualifying Match
Eddie Guerrero vs. Matt Hardy
SmackDown! June 8, 2000

Jerry “The King” Lawler – Frogsplash

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Rob Van Dam vs. Eddie Guerrero
Backlash April 21, 2002

Jeff Hardy – The Perfect Wrestler

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Eddie Guerrero vs. Jeff Hardy
RAW April 29, 2002

Edge – The Conclusion

No Disqualification Match
Edge vs. Eddie Guerrero
SmackDown! September 26, 2002

Chavo Guerrero – Los Guerreros

WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Team Angle vs. Los Guerreros
Backlash April 27, 2003

John Cena – Low Rider

Latino Heat Parking Lot Brawl
John Cena vs. Eddie Guerrero
SmackDown! September 11, 2003

Chavo Guerrero Sr. – Family Rivalry

Eddie Guerrero vs. Chavo Guerrero
Royal Rumble January 25, 2004

Vickie Guerrero – Champion

WWE Championship Match
Brock Lesnar vs. Eddie Guerrero
No Way Out February 15, 2004

Extras
Los Guerreros Vignettes
• Los Guerreros Vignette – Baby Carriage
• Los Guerreros Vignette – Pool
• Los Guerreros Vignette – Low Rider
• Los Guerreros Vignette – Golf
• Los Guerreros Vignette – Vale
• Los Guerreros Vignette – Outtakes

Disc 3

Rey Mysterio – True Champion

WWE Championship Match
Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio
SmackDown! March 18, 2004

JBL – Heated Rivalry

WWE Championship Match
Eddie Guerrero vs. John “Bradshaw” Layfield
Judgment Day – May 16, 2004

JBL – Wrestling a Live Wire

Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship
JBL vs. Eddie Guerrero
SmackDown! July 15, 2004

Michael Cole – Entertaining

WWE Championship Series
Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle
SmackDown! April 14, 2005

Rey Mysterio – Born with Charisma

Steel Cage Match
Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero
SmackDown! September 9, 2005

Batista – Losing a Friend

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Batista vs. Eddie Guerrero
No Mercy October 9, 2005

Remembering Eddie

Extras

Chris Jericho Meets Eddie for the First Time

Eddie’s Final Match
Eddie Guerrero vs. Mr. Kennedy
SmackDown! November 11, 2005

Disc 4

RAW # 651 – November 14, 2005

Vince McMahon Speaks About Eddie Guerrero

Eddie Guerrero Tribute Video

Remembering Eddie: John Cena

Eddie Moment: Eddie Sprays Big Show

Big Show & Kane vs. MNM

Remembering Eddie: Lilian Garcia

Eddie Moment: Angle Auction

Shelton Benjamin vs. Kurt Angle

Remembering Eddie: Shawn Michaels

Eddie Moment: Los Guerreros Vignettes

Remembering Eddie: Chavo Guerrero

Shawn Michaels vs. Rey Mysterio

Remembering Eddie: Batista

Divas Battle Royal, featuring: Ashley, Maria, Christy Hemme, Victoria, Melina, Jillian Hall, Mickie James, Candice Michelle & Trish Stratus

Eddie Moment: Eddie Wins the WWE Championship

Eugene vs. Simon Dean

Remembering Eddie: Triple H

Ric Flair vs. William Regal

Eddie Moment: Eddie Steals the Intercontinental Title

John Cena vs. Randy Orton

SmackDown! # 326 – November 18, 2005

Batista Speaks About Eddie Guerrero

Eddie Guerrero Tribute Video

Eddie Moment: Family

Matt Hardy vs. Carlito

Remembering Eddie: Vince McMahon

Eddie Moment: Eddie and Vickie Guerrero

Legion of Doom vs. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch

Remembering Eddie: Booker T & Sharmell

Eddie Moment: Lie, Cheat, Steal

Remembering Eddie: Big Show

Eddie Moment: Eddie Guerrero & Mother

Remembering Eddie: William Regal

Remembering Eddie: Michael Cole and Tazz

Eddie Moment: Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle From WrestleMania XX

Remembering Eddie: JBL

Eddie Moment: Eddie Guerrero Wins the WWE Championship

Cruiserweight Battle Royal, featuring: Kid Kash, Brian Kendrick, Scotty 2 Hotty, Nunzio, Funaki, Tajiri, Gregory Helms & Mexicools

Eddie Moment: Latino Heat

Remembering Eddie: Dean Malenko

Eddie Moment: Eddie Guerrero’s Last Match vs. Mr. Kennedy

Remembering Eddie: Shane McMahon

Eddie Moment: Growing Up

Chavo Guerrero vs. JBL

Wrestling Recipes Week 4 - Champion Pork Chops

Photo courtesy of WWE Magazine

In the April 2007 issue of WWE Magazine, WWE Hall of Famer Captain Lou Albano proudly shared his recipe for Pork Chops that have an extra kick. Albano told WWE Magazine that he makes this dish all the time and originally, the dish started out as plain old BBQ pork chops but needed an extra kick, so he started adding hot sauce, which gave him just what he needed.

INGREDIENTS:
*3 Beaten Eggs
*3 Cups Bredcrumbs
*4 thing, boneless pork chops
*2 Cups BBQ Sauce
*1 tsp hot Sauce

DIRECTIONS:
1) Combine BBQ Sauce and hot sauce in a bowl
2) Dip Pork chops in eggs then fully coat with breadcrumbs
3) In a pan, cook breaded pork chops in BBQ/hot sauce mixture over a low flame.
4) Cook for about 20 minutes depending on thickness of chops.

My rejected rebuttal opinion piece on MMA

A couple of weeks ago, the city of Salinas, Calif. held the first ever Mixed Martial Arts event in the town's history with an event titled, "Battle by the Sea, at the Salinas Sports Complex Arena. With 26 professional fighters and 13 matches taking place, the event drew between 7-8,000 MMA fans and was deemed successful by the fans, promoters and fighters.

However, not everyone was thrilled the sport of MMA coming to Salinas, as evident by the opinion pieces that appeared in the Monterey Herald newspaper several days after the event. One couple from Salinas wrote in that people of Salinas are accepting of the event because of all the gang violence and the opinon editor of the paper made some unjust statements in his piece, such as saying the commissions pretends to care about the fighters.

Furious with what I read, I submitted my own rebuttal piece to the paper and was called the next morning by the opinon editor who was IRATE that I had disagreed with something he wrote and said that in all his years, no one had disagreed with one of his pieces like I did.

After cutting me off several times, he told me to add more support to my piece and re-submit it. I promptly did and after re-submitting my piece, I was contacted by the paper for my occupation and connection to MMA. I told them that I was a part time sports writer for their paper and a substitute teacher and that I had several friends involved in MMA.

Thinking my piece was going to be published, I anxiously awaited the following day's paper and was bummed my piece wasn't included. After a week of not seeing my article, I called the same gentleman up and asked him what the status was of my piece.

He basically told me that he wasn't going to publish it because I had used the word ignorant and that he couldn't have someone who works for the paper calling someone else ignorant. He then went on to say that my piece was the most childish and amateurish piece he had ever read in all his years and that I didn't prove anything.

When he asked me what was ignorant about his piece, I pointed out to him his statement that the commissions pretend to care about the fighters, to which he replied "That's my opinion." I then told him that I showed evidence to the contrary with the medical suspensions of Chuck Liddell and Rick Franklin, to which he said was not relevant.

After getting really sharp and snappy with me, he told me I could send in a 200-word letter and then slammed the phone down. I thought about leaving the issue alone until I reflected on his words and realized I was in the right. I also felt better that my contacts in the sports department said the gentleman I had been speaking with was not the most popular guy in the office and that the entire sports department loved my article.

Right now, I would like to share with the piece that caused all this and believe me, I will think of something to re-submit for publication:

"The Herald’s View and the Halfpenny’s opinion pieces in Monday’s issue of the Herald about Cage Fighting, also known as Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), really struck a cord with me because of the uppity-attitude and utter ignorance shown by the authors in both pieces.

I understand MMA is not everyone’s cup of tea and that is fine. My problem is with people who get up on moral soapboxes and lash out against the sport when they don’t understand or follow the sport in the first place.

MMA is not going to lead to more gang-violence, despite what the Halfpenny’s would want you to believe. If anything, an MMA gym would help curve the problem by giving at-risk children an outlet and hopefully, get them off the streets, which aren’t exactly safe anymore

In addition, saying that the commission “pretends” to protect fighters is an error, especially when one does research and discovers that fighters are given both pre-and-post fight drug tests and are suspended anywhere from 7-60 days after a fight, depending on the severity of their cuts and injuries, before they can fight again.

As confirmed by Sports Illustrated’s website, Chuck Liddell, who is one of MMA’s biggest stars, recently received a 60-day medical suspension following his knockout loss to Rashad Evans earlier this month at the UFC 88 pay-per-view. Liddell will be required to undergo a CT scan and neurological evaluation before being cleared to fight again.

Another MMA fighter, Rich Franklin, who won his fight on the same card, was also suspended 60-days as a result of sustaining a deep cut over his right eye. This does not sound like the commission pretending to care about its fighters. Maybe if boxing had the same regulations years ago, Muhammad Ali’s quality of life today would be better.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, the world’s biggest MMA promotion, was once described by Senator John McCain as “human-cockfighting” because the fights were less sport than spectacle, promoted as “no holds barred fighting” with few, if any, rules.

I give McCain credit for helping the UFC become legitimized by implementing regulations such as rules, weight-classes, the drug tests and mandatory suspensions after each fight. By embracing these guidelines and dropping the “no holds barred” banner for the banner of MMA, which showcases a fighters kickboxing, wrestling, jiujitsu, boxing and judo skills, MMA took the UFC from political isolation to world known juggernaut.

As for children witnessing and participating in MAA, that falls on the parents shoulders, who are the ones introducing their children to the sport in the first place. If they want their child to view or participate in MMA, that is their right but as a parent or guardian, it is their responsibility to make sure their child is mature and responsible enough to handle a weapon as powerful as MMA as well as knowing that what they watch on television are trained professionals making a living.

ESPN “Outside the lines” had a fantastic piece last month about children as young as three-years old being enrolled in MMA schools and showed two separate MMA schools with two different trains of thoughts. The first school they featured was headed by an individual who pitted children in combat with each other the first day of class, which was appalling.

However, the second school featured was headed by a gentleman who does not allow his young students to physically touch each other until they have been enrolled in the class for 18 MONTHS! That’s right, a full year-and-a-half of drills that help develop the foundation and basics of proper MMA techniques before they are allowed to physically touch each other.

As for MMA being too violent and being on the same level as dog-fighting, I can understand where people are coming from but let’s look at some acceptable sports that could also be deemed violent.

In football, a player is trying to hit the ball-carrier or quarterback as hard as he can, sometimes launching himself at full speed, just to make a tackle. In baseball, it’s perfectly acceptable for a pitcher to hit an opposing batter with a 100 mile-per-hour baseball in the spirit of standing up for his teammate if he was hit first. In hockey, you have men chasing each other with weapons in hand and checking each other into the boards, causing fights to break out. Boxing features two men or women continuously punching each other in the head, trying to knock the other person out.

Am I the only one noticing a recurring theme?"

WWE Shopzone Halloween Pacakges

With Halloween a little over a month away, it is never too early for one to start looking for a Halloween costume, especially since the event falls on a Friday this year.

Luckily, the folks at WWE Shop have stepped up to the plate and have offered over a dozen Superstar costume packages, which you can view in the pictures below, provided by WWEShop.com

BATISTA COSTUME PACKAGE [$42.99]

Batista Unleashed Animal T-Shirt, Batista Elbow Pad Set, Batista 2006 Pendant, WWE World Championship Plastic Toy Belt


CM PUNK COSTUME PACKAGE [$42.99]

CM Punk Ribs T-Shirt, CM Punk Ribs Dog Tags, CM Punk Wrist Straps, CM Punk Clover Baseball Cap, WWE World Championship Plastic Toy Belt


DX COSTUME PACKAGE [$34.99]

D Generation X Anytime Anywhere T-Shirt, D Generation X Anytime Anywhere Baseball Cap, D Generation X Anytime Anywhere Wristbands, D Generation X Anytime Anywhere Pendant


HARDYS COSTUME PACKAGE [$45.99]

Hardys Mirror T-Shirt, Hardys Visor, Hardys Sweatband Set, WWE Plastic SmackDown Tag Team Champ Belt (Kids Version), Hardys Purple Logo Pendant


HBK COSTUME PACKAGE [$39.99]

Shawn Michaels Creation T-Shirt, Shawn Michaels Cross Pendant, Shawn Michaels Long Wristband Set, Shawn Michaels Cowboy Hat


HORNSWOGGLE COSTUME PACKAGE [$39.99]

Hornswoggle Shamrock T-Shirt, Hornswoggle Hat, Finlay Inflatable Shillelagh, WWE Plastic Cruiserweight Belt


JEFF HARDY COSTUME PACKAGE [$43.99]

Jeff Hardy Self Portrait T-Shirt, Hardys Baseball Cap, Jeff Hardy Armbands (white ones not included, sold separately), Jeff Hardy J Logo Pendant, WWE Plastic SmackDown Tag Team Champ Belt (Kids Version)


JOHN CENA COSTUME PACKAGE [$43.99]

John Cena 8-Bit T-Shirt, John Cena Cadet Camo Hat, John Cena Cenation Sweatband Set, John Cena 8-Bit Dog Tags, WWE Plastic Champ Spinner Belt (kids version)


MVP COSTUME PACKAGE [$29.50]

MVP Graffiti T-Shirt, MVP Pendant, MVP Sweatband


REY MYSTERIO COSTUME PACKAGE [$42.99]

Rey Mysterio Shield T-Shirt, Rey Mysterio West Coast Baseball Cap, Rey Mysterio Long Armbadns, Rey Mysterio Black/White/Blue Plastic Mask, WWE World Champ Plastic Toy Belt


THE ROCK COSTUME PACKAGE [$39.50]

Rock Blue Bull T-Shirt, Rock The People Elbow Pads (2), WWE Plastic Undisputed Championship Belt


TRIPLE H COSTUME PACKAGE [$44.99]

Triple H Hammer T-Shirt, Triple H Iron Cross Pendant, Triple H Bandanna Mask, Triple H Skull/Crown Baseball Cap, WWE Plastic Champ Spinner Belt (Kids version)


UNDERTAKER COSTUME PACKAGE [$44.99]

Undertaker Replica Hat, Undertaker TX Pendant, WWE World Champion Plastic Toy Belt, Undertaker Graveyard T-Shirt

Birthday wishes to Matt Hardy

Photo courtesy of ign.com

For those who are not aware, today happens to be current ECW champion Matt Hardy's 34th birthday and would like to give him a Happy Birthday shout-out.

It's hard to believe that Hardy is already 34 years old and that I have been watching him in the WWE for, technically, almost 15 years but 10 years as a main-attraction. I am just happy that the company is finally putting Matt in a position where he can not only succeed but could also carry the ball if given the chance.

I have said it before and I will say it again.....the one last TRUE emotional and touching moment left in wrestling today would be for both Matt and Jeff Hardy to win the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships at Wrestlemania. That would be the icing on the cake to a remarkable journey that would make for one heck of a Hollywood script.

TNA could be losing more of their knockouts

On the heels of losing both Gail Kim and Shelly "Salinas" Martinez within a span of several weeks, Total Nonstop Action (TNA) wrestling could be in danger of losing MORE of their Knockouts as several of their contracts are set to expire in Oct. and TNA has yet to offer any of them a new contract, despite the fact that the Knockouts have had the highest rated segments of TNA Impact for the last six-to-eight months.

The Knockouts in question, Awesome Kong, ODB, Velvet Sky and Angelina Love, were signed to TNA contracts last Oct. following their respective tryouts in the Knockout Battle Royal at the Bound For Glory pay-per-view and have been integral parts of the Knockout Division ever since.

With the exception of Kong (pictured below), who was brought to TNA from Japan as a result of Samoa Joe and a few others putting in a good word for her, the other three have been on the WWE's radar before but for one reason or another, things did not work out the first time around.


Photo courtesy of Jill McKee

Love (pictured below) was previously under a WWE developmental contract for a couple of years and was suppose to be the manager of John Bradshaw Layfield but tore her ACL in Jan. 2006 and the spot was given to Jillian Hall. Despite being close several times to be calling up to the main roster, Love couldn't catch a break and was released in May 2007.


Photo courtesy of tnawrestling.com

Sky (pictured below) has worked for WWE several times in the past, most notably a match against Victoria for Heat in July 2005 when she was an unknown and did guest spots during a Layfield championship celebration in Feb. 2005 and an episode of Heat in Jan. 2006 with the Heart Throbs. Sky also auditioned for the Diva Search contest in 2007 but was unable to make the final cut and should be noted that her current boyfriend is WWE Superstar Gregory "Hurricane" Helms.


Photo courtesy of tnawrestling.com

As for ODB (pictured below), WWE had her under their nose in their previous developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) from 2006-07 and despite being the most popular female in the territory, WWE was never interested din signing her to a developmental contract. She also tried out for the inaugural season of Tough Enough in 2001 and made the top 25 but missed the final cut for the show.


Photo courtesy of Jill McKee

With three of these ladies having previous ties to WWE, one would think TNA would step-up to the plate and offer these ladies more money as they have proven to be a huge success and ratings grabber for the company. Also, TNA needs to be aware that WWE has the money to swoop all of them up in one snatch should TNA drop the ball with them and given TNA's track history when dealing with expiring contracts, its a safe bet one of these ladies could be joining Kim in the WWE.

If TNA wants to be seen as a legitimate company that cares and rewards its wrestlers, now would be a good time to prove that sentiment and they can do so by giving not only these ladies but the other ladies, such as Roxxi and Taylor Wilde, a well-deserved and well-earned pay-raise when their contracts expire.

Of course, that probably would have been more realistic several weeks ago before the company gave into Sting's demands and gave him and six-seven figure contract for a limited number of dates.

Maybe its just me but I think the ones who have proven to draw ratings and interest for nearly a year should be reward with a big contract and not someone who has been in-and-out of the company for three-years and has done nothing to boost ratings or interest in the company during his time.

Kurt Angle compares wrestling and mma

Photo courtesy of tnawrestling.com

Ever since Kurt Angle (pictured above) joined Total Nonstop Action (TNA) wrestling, he has done interview after interview that makes him sound like he is either a few French-fries short of a happy meal or needs to be institutionalized.

However, Angle's most recent interview where he compared the difference between pro-wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts actually made sense. I don't know if Angle took a nap before the interview or what but this is the second interview in a row where Angle has not sounded like someone who needed to be institutionalized for his own well-being.

In his interview with "Slam Wrestling," Angle had the following to say:

"In wrestling, there’s a story in every match. In MMA, you cannot tell that story. ..There is not story in a 'shoot' fight -- you either get knocked out, choked out, tapped out, or you make it and the referee decides who wins by decision. It becomes very difficult to tell a story in a worked shoot...I believe pro wrestling will always be around....People like to lose that touch of reality for a couple of hours and watch the show and have fun. Going out there, and cutting a promo, or heeling in a match and the crowd are booing you, and they’re becoming emotionally involved -- that's what makes it fun. Wrestling's a beautiful art. I’m a big MMA fan, and I think wrestling's way better."

I know most MMA fans will disagree with what Angle said and say that MMA is better because its real but, what Angle said made a lot of sense and was a perfect description of the difference. I am a fan of both pro wrestling and MMA and find a lot of MMA matches boring. I am sick and tired of seeing fights, such as the recent Clay Guida fight, where the two fighters just roll around on top of each other for 10 minutes doing nothing!

I have watched plenty of MMA events the last couple years, including several pay-per-views and I have felt ripped-off with the pay-per-views because the main-fights didn't even last two-minutes.

Let's say I order an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) PPV for about $25-$30 and every fight on the card ends quickly. I am suppose to be happy that I spent my money on six-seven fights that lasted a total of five minutes, if that? Heck no! I just wasted my cash and would have rather just watched the event on youtube before the Zuffa Nazi's had the event taken down.

In contrast, the fans in wrestling can dictate how good the match is because its worked and designed to have the fans become emotionally involved. Also, the fans know they won't be ripped off as one match at a wrestling event will last longer than an entire card of MMA fights put together.

Sonny Siaki sacrifices career for his brother's life

Photo courtesy of gerweck.net

The other day, I saw a report on PWInsider.com that had the headline "Sonny Siaki announces retirement." I thought it was odd that Siaki, who is only 34-years old, was retiring from professional wrestling at a young age. However, nothing could have prepared me for what I proceeded to read and here are the exact words of Mr. Siaki from his myspace page:

"The last ten years, I've seen, heard, watched, and learned a lot about myself and the wrestling business. Being a professional wrestler has been one of my dreams since I was a kid. I've had some of the worse and the absolute best times of my life in wrestling. Being in the wrestling business is the hardest job in the world. You have to be mentally, emotionally, and physically strong to be accepted into it. The creative team and agents in WWE and TNA have been in the business for years, and they've seen it all. Opportunities are not given - you got to take what they give you and find a way to turn it into money.

The question you have to ask yourself is: How can I make Vince money?, or How can I make Jeff money? For me; Did I ever make it in pro wrestling? My opinion: No... Was it my fault? Yes, because the first seven years of my career, I didn't get it. I wanted to do what was best for me, not for the match. In the locker room, I was known for being arrogant, cocky, conceited, etc. I took advantage of being called a pro wrestler. I was VERY selfish... These last three years, the wrestling business became a learning experience.

Well unfortunately, two years ago while still with WWE, I received some bad news from home. My brother Bernard who's only 35 yrs old, was diagnosed with Renal Kidney Failure. The functioning capability of his one kidney has decreased from 35% to 10%. Bernard seeks dialysis three days a week for 15 hours and lives on a strict diet. Everyday he perseveres with pain, discomfort and more fatigue than one person can usually endure. Bernard works full time just trying to pay his medical bills and on-going medications. We are in the process of providing a kidney transplant at a very high cost for BERNARD SIAKI by raising awareness, fundraisers, and getting people like you involved. A tender-hearted man, a gregarious friend, a beloved man. He's the type of person who cares more about other people then himself.

I've decided to be the Kidney Donor for my brother which means that the doctor says I can no longer wrestle. From 1998 to 2008, I was under contract with WCW, TNA, and WWE, and want to thank each organizations for giving me the opportunity to live one my dreams. It was a privilege and an honor to work with some of the best talents in the world. To all the boys with WWE, TNA, ROH , the talent in developmental, all Indy workers, and the divas - I know what you put your bodies through, and from the bottom of my heart, I wish you the best. If you believe in faith, please pray for me and Bernard as we get our surgeries that will potentially save my brother's life. To all wrestling fans, thank you for your support of pro wrestling. PLEASE HELP US SAVE MY BROTHER'S LIFE at www.savebernardsiaki.org. "

After reading that entry, I have nothing but loads of respect for Mr. Siaki to make a decision like that.

I would hope that most people in his situation would do the same thing, especially if it were a family member, such as what former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Carlos Rogers attempted to do for his sister, Rene, by offering to donate his kidney as she was diagnosed with kidney failure in 1988.

However, Rene declined the offer so Carlos could achieve his dream of playing in the NBA. As a result, Rene waited for another done and received a cadaver kidney, which failed and Rene passed away on Jan 24, 1997, three-years after Carlos had been drafted into the league.

I know a lot of fans (and even wrestlers such as Jerry Lynn, who said in an interview one time that TNA ruined the X-Division when they made Siaki the champion) weren't high on Siaki's in-ring work or ring-personality but it is bittersweet to hear Siaki is retiring after not hitting it big in TNA or making the WWE main-roster during his tenures in each company.

However, unlike most wrestlers who blame everyone they can think of when they don't achieve the success they think they should have, Siaki stood up like a MAN and said that his career short-comings were a direct result of HIMSELF and his attitude, not anything else.

That right there, in addition to his sacrifice, made me respect Siaki to the highest degree and view him as a great MAN. I wish Siaki the best and hope that his brother pulls through and is able to live a long and healthy life.

Wrestling Recipe's Week 3 - Royalty Turkey Bolognese

Photo courtesy of WWE Magazine


Eating delicious food while dieting and watching carb intake can be a hassle and nightmare. As a result of my dad's diabetes, I have learned from his nutritionist that one can eat all they want as long as they have a balance of protein and carbs as the proteins will break down the carbs. The results speak for themselves as my dad, who doesn't work out, has lost 15-pounds and several sizes around his waist as a result of having a balance of carbs and proteins with every meal.

In the Oct. 2007 issue of WWE Magazine, this recipe for Layla's Turkey Bolognese was featured and makes quite a dish as you get both your carbs and proteins in this simple meal that anyone can make.

INGREDIENTS:
*2 tsp. minced garlic
*2 tsp. olive oil
*2 tsp. chopped onion
*1 can chopped tomatoes
*1 package ground turkey (extra lean)
*1 cup marinara sauce
*1 pinch thyme
*1 pinch cumin
*1 pinch basil
*1 pinch paprika
*1 packet of Splenda
*Salt and pepper
*Whole wheat pasta

DIRECTIONS:
1) In a pan, heat oil.
2) Add one teaspoon garlic, onions, salt and pepper.
3) Add turkey, then season with paprika,c umin, thyme, basil, salt and pepper.
4) When meat is cooked, add chopped tomatoes, sauce and the second teaspoon of garlic, onions, salt and pepper.
5) Simmer until ready.
6) Place pot of water on high heat and add salt, pepper, oil and Splenda.
7) When water is boiling, add pasta.
8) Once pasta is tender, drain water and serve with sauce.

When will fans learn to get all the facts before condemning someone?

Photo courtesy of spots.webshots.com

Michael Jordan once said that you can't believe everything that you read in the papers. That lesson should be learned by professional wrestling as a selected proportion of fans believe every little news-tidbit they read on various wrestling news sites and jump to conclusions before having all the facts.

Such as was the case yesterday when fans read on 411wrestling.com that WWE Superstar Jeff Hardy had been removed from a flight via escort from police at the Nashville International Airport as a result of an unspecified issue while traveling to a live event with his brother Matt and friend Gregory Helms.

The UK Sun, a "reliable" tabloid, reported that a WWE spokesperson commented that the company had been informed of the alleged incident involving Jeff and were currently investigating the situation and would take appropriate action if needed, basically saying that it would be Jeff's third strike with the company, resulting in termination.

Of course, every freaking Jeff Hardy hater came out of the woods, celebrating as if they had won the World Series with the news that Jeff could be fired. These people are pathetic in my opinion as they find joy in someone losing their job. Yes, Jeff has made mistakes in his past but has admitted to them like a MAN, something these people obviously have no clue how to be, and knows he is on thin-ice with the company as it is since he lost his home and dog as a result of a tragic fire.

Also, did these people bother to stop and think that it didn't make much sense for Jeff to do something like this, especially when he was traveling with his brother, who is the father type of the two? Of course not! These idiots saw the headline that Jeff was in trouble again and that gave them a case of morning wood.

Of course, those same idiots suffered from a case of premature ejection as just today, The Tennessean reported that the reason Jeff was not granted access to his flight heading to North Carolina was because the Southwest employees stated he "appeared" to be intoxicated at the Airport's Southwest gate. Jeff was told that he couldn't board the flight, was NOT arrested and offered a later flight. Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz added that Jeff was very cooperative and there was no need for the police to come as there was no altercation.

You see? It was nothing! Jeff was most likely tired from the traveling and having just been at the Smackdown tapings the night before. If Jeff had been as intoxicated as the first report stated, which also said Jeff was on the flight and taken off, which was proven to be false, wouldn't Jeff had started ranting and raving like a lunatic as most drunks do? Instead, Southwest has said Jeff was cordial and polite. Does that sound like a raving drunk to you?

It sickens and saddens me that we have idiots who can't think for themselves to separate truth from fiction when reading headlines at these news-sites and that they also take joy in someone getting fired. I hope that when they get fired or mess-up at their job, someone is there to take glee in their misfortune as they do when it happens to others.

This day in wrestling history......

Photo courtesy of wikipedia.com

On this day eight-years ago, Booker T became a two-time WCW Heavyweight Champion as he defeated the very man who ended his first title reign, Kevin Nash, in a steel-cage match in the main-event of the WCW Fall Brawl pay-per-view. It would be the last Fall Brawl pay-per-view for WCW before WWE bought the company and Booker's reign would only last a couple weeks as he would lose the title to Vince Russo in a cage match on Monday Nitro after Goldberg inadvertently speared Russo through the cage before Booker walked out the cage door.

Other matches on the card featured:

*Elix Skipper defeating Kwee Wee to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Championship

*Misfits in Action defeated 3-Count

*The Harris Brothers defeated KroniK in a "First Blood Chain Match"

*Lance Storm defeated Hugh Morrus to retain the United States Championship

*The Filthy Animals,Vito and Paul Orndorf went to no contest against the Natural Born Thrillers when the match was stopped after Orndorf suffered a stinger

*Shane Douglas and Torrie Wilson defeated Kidman and Madusa in a scaffold match

*Sting defeated the Great Muta and Vampiro in a Triangle match

*Mike Awesome defeated Jeff Jarrett in a Bunkhouse Brawl

*Scott Steiner defeated Goldberg in a NO DQ match.

My gripe with ignorant wrestling fans

Photo courtesy of wwe.com


Ever since the WWE Draft this past June, it has been fact that Smackdown has been the best wrestling show of the three under the WWE name. However, you wouldn't know that if one decided to read the comments on various message boards with people saying that "Smackdown Sucks," "I don't watch Smackdown," "Smackdown is boring" and surprisingly, these comments are coming from people who HAVEN'T WATCHED THE F'N SHOW!

That's right. These ignorant fans, and there are plenty of them, simply read the skeleton version of the taping results on Tuesday night, thus basing their opinion on paper rather than action. Maybe these fans are on to something. Maybe not only for Smackdown but for all major and collegiate sports, we should simply play the games on paper since paper tells us everything we need to know. To quote Macaulay Culkin from "Home Alone," I don't think so!

National Football League (NFL) analysts says this all the time on game day, "On paper, it looks like a mismatch but that's why we DON'T PLAY GAMES ON PAPER! WE PLAY THE GAMES ON THE FIELD!"

The same should be said about Smackdown as it might look bad on paper when you read a skeleton version of the event but don't make a final judgment until you have actually watched the show.

Of course, the reality is that most of these ignorant fans couldn't do that because if they did and saw how good the show was, that means they were wrong and admitting that would be catastrophic to their internet message board ego and reputation.

As for me, I am done reading spoilers for Smackdown as I have enjoyed the last several weeks of Smackdown even more having not read the spoilers and now have something to look forward to every Friday night on youtube (provided the show isn't taken down before I get a chance to view it).

TNA loses another Knockout

Photo courtesy of obsessedwithwrestling.com

Shortly prior to last night's Total Nonstop Action (TNA) wrestling pay-per-view, "No Surrender," TNA Knockout Shelly Martinez (pictured above), better known as "Salinas" of the Latin American Xchange (LAX) and formerly "Ariel" in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), announced on her official website via a personal blog that she quit TNA as she was selected for a role in an Italian thriller movie and the movie schedule would have conflicted with her commitments to TNA.

Reportedly, Martinez, whose contract was due to expire next month, told TNA that she would give up the role in the film if TNA agreed to increase her pay, which they refused. As a result of the stalemate, Martinez handed her in her notice to the company and was written off of TNA programming by being attacked backstage by fellow Knockout Jacqueline Moore at "No Surrender."

It was also reported by PWInsider.com that TNA president Dixie Carter was said to be the most upset over this sudden development as she was a fan of Martinez and was the one who gave her the name "Salinas."

Personally, I don't view this as a big loss for the company, unlike them losing Gail Kim several weeks ago. Martinez wasn't technically a wrestler as she was more of a "valet" and wasn't the face of the "Knockout Division" as Kim was.

Also, TNA had to constantly work around her schedule as a lot of her adult shows got in the way of her TNA commitments. Just a while back, Martinez had to miss several TNA shows as a result of her opting to go to some promotional gigs to push her softcore dominatrix porn DVD with Jewel DeNyle, which was called, " The Notorious Jewel De'Nyle & Shelly Martinez."

Can you imagine how much the chips would have hit the fan backstage with all the other female wrestlers in TNA if TNA had given Martinez more money to stay but not Kim? I mean, Martinez is hot and sexy when she's not wearing 10-pounds of make-up but oh well. Martinez wasn't that vital to the company and seems more interested in her extracurricular activities.

Udpate on Konnan's lawsuit against TNA

In one of my earlier blogs on Aug. 31, I discussed how former Total Non-stop Action (TNA) wrestler Charles "Konnan" Ashenoff had filed a lawsuit against TNA wrestling. I also discussed my feelings about Ashenoff and the lawsuit itself, which I believe was and still is frivolous.

Apparently, I am not alone in my thinking as Ashenoff lost round-one of his lawsuit. Reported by PWInsider.com this weekend, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas threw-out Ashenoff's case of a trademark infringement claim on the Latin American Xchange (LAX) name, which Ashenoff claimed he came up with, as well as the LAX logo, hand-signs and worked with TNA theme music developer Dale Oliver on the LAX theme music.

I said it before and I'll continue saying it....Ashenoff is wrestling's version of Jesse Jackson, always crying and screaming "Racism" whenever things don't go his way or to his liking and I am honestly sick and tired of him.

It's not TNA's fault or anyone else's fault other than Ashenoff that his career in the United States has been a bust and that he never achieved the stardom in the States as he did in Mexico. If Ashenoff wants to blame someone for his bust of a career in the States, he needs to take a long look in the mirror and he will see who is to blame.

It takes more than wearing your pants half-way down your rear, throwing a shoe at someone, hitting someone with a "loaded" sock and mumbling a bunch of garbage no one understands in your promo to become a big-time player/star in the States.

Ashenoff needs to take a piece of advice from Randy Savage's hip-hop album and "Be A Man" instead of a little punk-ass b****!

The worst beatdown in pro wrestling history

16-years ago, I vividly remember watching World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), then World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Superstars one Saturday morning and little did I know I would witness one of the worst, if the not the worst, beatdown in professional wrestling history.

It was 1992 and the Big Bossman was one of the company's top faces (good guys). He had been doing the occasional match here and there but wasn't involved in a main-storyline. All that was about to change as for weeks and months, vignettes aired throughout WWE programming that were narrated by a voice-over and filmed inside a prison facility.

The voice-over would talk about how the Bossman and other correctional officers had beaten the inmates, dragged them down the halls so violently that the inmates fingernail marks were embedded in the wet cement floor and that he was innocent. However, we never saw anyone during this vignettes so no one knew who this person was.

Fast forward to the day in question and the Bossman had just successfully won his match against a jobber and was slapping some sense into his opponent when out from the audience emerged a hulking figure decked out in an orange jump-suit, carrying a night-stick.

This figure rolled into the ring and when the Bossman turned around, this ex-convict nailed the Bossman with the night-stick and then proceeded to lay-out one of the most violent and worst beatdowns in wrestling history.

I was almost eight-years old at the time and was scared at what I was seeing. Even though my parents had told me about how the wrestlers practiced their moves and were friends in real life, I still had that mentality that most of it was legit as shocking television wasn't as common as it is today.

I could not believe how bad the Bossman was getting beat up, especially the sickening crack-sound I heard when this hulking figure took the night-stick and smacked it across the Bossman's legs. I also remember the photos that were published in WWE Magazine shortly after this beatdown that showed a bloody and bruised Bossman.

The person's name in question was Nailz and his feud with the Bossman culminated at Survivor Series 1992 in a "night-stick on a pole match," where the Bossman extracted his revenge. That would also be the last time Nailz would have a match on WWE television as he was fired a month later in Dec. 1992 for reportedly attacking WWE owner Vince McMahon in his office.

Below is a video clip courtesy of youtube that will show the beatdown in question. 16-years later and I'm still in shock over how violent and legit the beatdown was. Just listen if you don't believe me.

Wrestling Recipes Week 2 - Thuggin' & Buggin' Mac & Cheese

Photo courtesy of WWE Magazine

For this installment of wrestling recipes, current ECW General Manager Theodore "Teddy" Long teamed up with WWE Magazine for the Nov. 2007 issue to offer his spin on an American classic dish, macaroni and cheese, by teaming two classic ingredients together to create a tasty dinner.

To make this tasty dish, you will need the following:

INGREDIENTS:
*Box of Elbow Pasta
*8 oz. container of Sour Cream
*1 stick of real butter
*1/2 Cup Shredded Colby Cheese
*1/2 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
*1/2 Can Evaporated milk
*4 eggs
*Salt and Pepper to taste
*4 pieces of cooked turkey bacon

DIRECTIONS
1) Boil Pasta
2) In bowl, mix eggs, sour cream, butter, cheese and milk.
3) After pasta is cooked, add mixture into a casserole dish.
4) Bake in casserole dish for about 30 minutes at 350-degrees
5) Top with turkey bacon

What is Vince McMahon's gripe with Randy Savage?

Photo courtesy of obsessedwithwrestling.com


Earlier today, I read a news article from PWInsider.com that stated "Macho Man" Randy Savage (pictured above), who wrestled in eight of the first 10 Wrestlemania's and won the WWE Championship at two separate Wrestlemania's, will NOT be a character available to play as in the upcoming "Legends of Wrestlemania" video game for PS3 and XBOX 360, which is scheduled for a release in March 2009.

The decision came from Vince McMahon himself, who reportedly excluded a few other big names from the game for one reason or another, with Savage and Mick Foley being the two most notable names so far.

It was also reported that THQ officials, who are developing the game and have developed all WWE video games since the original WWE Smackdown video game for PS1, were most unhappy about not being able to use either Savage or Foley in the game, especially since Foley was originally schedule to appear in the game but following his release and bolting to TNA a few weeks ago, McMahon decided to pull his character.

I honestly do not understand McMahon's gripe with Savage and the more I read about these types of incident of McMahon excluding Savage from video games or having an action figure made for the "Classic Superstars" line made by Jakks, the more I start to believe the wrestling urban-myth that Savage had sex with Stephanie McMahon when she was 14 and Vince found out after Savage had gone to WCW.

Either that or something else happened between the two of them that we the fans do not know about and has not been reported. If you think about it, isn't kind of odd that nearly everyone who left the WWE for WCW during the Monday Night Wars, such as Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Roddy Piper and more have been welcomed back to the WWE post-Monday Night Wars except for Savage?

Heck, Bret Hart was inducted into the WWE Hall-of-Fame in 2006 and all wrestling fans know the bad blood there was between Hart and Vince.

Honestly, how can someone who had three of the top Wrestlemania matches of all time (Wrestlemania III vs. Ricky Steamboat, Wrestlemania VII vs. Ultimate Warrior and Wrestlemania VIII vs. Ric Flair) not be included in a game titled "Legends of Wrestlemania?"

In addition, I find it baffling that Vince will not allow Savage to be in the video-game or have an action figure made but yet, continues to air all of Savage's matches on WWE 24/7, now called Classics on Demand, releases his matches on various dvd complications and anthology sets but axes him from future projects. To quote Gregory "Hurricane" Helms, "Wasupwitdat?"

To conclude this entry, I would like to show you the official game trailer for the video game in question via youtube and after viewing the trailer, you decide if Savage should be included in the game or not.

Revisitng the post 9-11 Smackdown

Photos courtesy of wwe.com


The evening was Sept. 13, 2001, two days after the horrific events of Sept. 11 where acts of terrorism claimed the lives of thousands of innocent men, women and children and laid waste to New York City's World Trade Center.

On this evening, WWE Smackdown was broadcasting live at the then "Compaq Center" in Houston, Texas as it had understandably been postponed from its original Tuesday night taping, which happened to be 9/11 that week.

This was the first major and televised event since the cowardly attacks and a sold-out arena of 20,000 fans were in attendance paying respect to all those who had tragically lost their lives on 9/11 as this was not a night intended to just entertain or further the "Alliance" storyline but rather, to help start the healing process.

The ring set-up had been altered as the usual blue ring ropes that had become Smackdown's trademark were replaced with the old school red, white and blue ropes and would stay that way for two weeks with an image of the American Flag being proudly displayed on the mini-trons on the Smackdown stage.

As Smackdown came on the air that Thursday night at 8 p.m. on the then UPN network, WWE Owner Vince McMahon stood in the middle of the ring and stated the following:

"Tonight, the spirit of America lives here in Houston Texas...Our nation's leaders have encouraged us to return to living our lives the we we normally do, to continue to live our lives the American way. They've encouraged us to practice and to exercise our Constitutional rights. And as such, tonight I believe is the first public assembly of its size since the tragedy of Tuesday. This public assembly is sending a message to terrorism, make no mistake. The message is that we will not live our lives in fear. The citizens of the United States are NOT afraid, for we are proud group of American's....The WWE wants to thank each and everyone in the Compaq Center, watching on television and thank you for the honor and privilege of performing before you tonight."

Shortly after that speech, every member of the WWE talent roster, officiating crew and backstage staff walked out onto the ramp way, most with mini-American Flags and filled the Smackdown stage (pictured below) as Lilian Garcia sang a beautiful rendition of the American National Anthem with incredible heartfelt emotion that sent chills down everyone's spine and gave them goosebumps.



Throughout the two-hour telecast, various WWE Superstars and employees gave their thoughts about the tragedy and passed on their condolences to those who had lost loved ones. Those who spoke included Edge, Ricky Santana, Terri Runnels, The Rock, Chris Jericho, Michael Hayes, Shawn Stasiak, Lita, Kanyon, Tazz, Torrie Wilson, The Hurricane, Bubba Ray Dudley, Debra, Hugh Morrus, Ivory, Bradshaw, Kurt Angle, Lance Storm, D'Von Dudley, Stacy Keibler, Booker T, Stephanie McMahon, Garcia, Faarooq, William Regal, Albert and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

As special as that night was, it didn't stop all the media outlets from bashing the company and McMahon for having the show, asking where their compassion and decency was and wanting to know if all Vince cared about was making money in the face of tragedy.

To those media outlets, the same ones who never report on or cover the WWE's annual show in Iraq for the soldiers, I say step-off and stop drinking the hate-orade. They were all mad because McMahon had the guts to be step up and have his company be the first form of entertainment to step up to the plate and help people heal by entertaining them the best they could for two hours before having to go back to the reality of the real world.

What was truly hippo-critical of the media was that if Major League Baseball or the National Football League had decided to have their games that weekend, rather than canceling them, they would have been praised by all the media for doing the right thing for Americans and would have had more butt-kissing than a cheap porno movie and they know its true.

I for one was glad that McMahon had the show as it was a special evening and for those two hours, I was able to put out of mind the horrific images of people plunging to their deaths, people crying in the streets and planes crashing into the Twin Towers I had seen over the last 48 hours and thanks to this show, myself, along with millions of other viewers, hopefully discovered a source of strength, support and hope.

Before I conclude this entry, I would like to share with you what several of the Superstars had to say that night:

"...I was actually contemplating whether or not doing this show was the right thing to do. But...our job is to bring smiles to the faces of all your families. And if we can do that, then we've done our jobs. This can't be forgotten. It shouldn't be forgotten. It never will be forgotten. But if we can do that, then this show was the right thing to do."
-EDGE-

"...If there's one thing that we've learned from this, it's that we never know what's going to happen tomorrow, in the next five minutes, in the next 10 minutes. And Maybe, above all else, maybe tonight hug your loved one a little bit harder, or give him or her an extra kiss. Be a little nicer to a stranger on the street...a little more gentile...Our fate and destiny lies in their hands now."
-CHRIS JERICHO-

"...We're running this show tonight because we're going to show you that you cannot break-you cannot even bend the fiber, the backbone of the United States of America...There are going to be some critics that wonder why we run this show. I want to make this perfectly clear: GO TO HELL. We're doing this show because we love America. This is all we have to give for you tonight, is this evening."
-JBL-

"I'd like to pay respects to all the firemen, and all those who went out of their way to help their fellow man-not just their fellow American, but their fellow human. Because the people that did this, in my opinion...they're less than human. And the people that help and try to fight against it, they prove to the world that we're more than than."
-GREGORY HELMS-

"...We have to mourn the losses of the people that we knew, but we have to get the gears rollin' again. That's what we're here to do tonight. What happened this past Tuesday was the worst thing I've ever seen in my life, and I hope that I never, ever see anything like this again-except to the people who did this...They deserve a payback, and they deserve exactly what they have coming."
-STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN-

WWE to have its own television channel?

In an interesting news tidbit reported by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is considering moving its 24/7 Video-on-Demand service from On-Demand subscription to its own television channel.

Currently, the higher-ups in WWE are conducting a marketing study to present evidence to the cable companies that people will switch from satellite or switch to satellite based on the ability to see the channel as a free service.

This idea has been an idea discussed by Vince McMahon for years and the key to the channel is getting national clearance for old programs. If successful, the WWE Channel would be a great back-up plan should USA Network decide it doesn't want wrestling anymore and if having Smackdown on MyNetwork doesn't turn out good.

I hope and pray that this idea becomes a reality because I don't have 24/7 nor do I like how it operates and I would finally have a channel on television that would always have something to watch. Most likely, I would never change from the channel, unless the Sharks or Cowboys are playing.

In case you don't know how the current 24/7 works, the programs are listed on a tv-guide listing type channel and you scroll through and pick what you want to watch. When your selection ends, you are taken back to the original menu that will have movie and tv previews in the upper right corner (I only learned of this after being over at a friends place who gets the service).

I say good riddance to that and bring on the channel, which will have endless possibilities. Imagine all their classic footage to go along with a replay of Raw, Smackdown and ECW since some don't have either USA, SciFi or MyNetworkTV. Plus, no commercials or annoying ads. Rather, they could plug dvd's, merchandise or upcoming shows in those slots.

Best of all, the current 24/7 programming doesn't have altered. Rather, it just has to be set to hours and minutes around the clock and given a two-three week block before an update in programming so people can have a chance to view all the material because a daily update would kill the channel as no one would be able to see everything unless that never slept, which Charles Barkley said is over-rated and that one can sleep all they want when their dead.

Florida Championship Wrestling's "Wrestler's Creed"

Photo courtesy of fcwwrestling.com

In the Oct. 2008 issue of WWE Magazine, there is an excellent article about the WWE's newest developmental territory "Florida Championship Wrestling." The article discusses a typical day the "Next Generation" wrestler's endure as well as the advice given on a daily basis by the training staff, which is headed by Steve Keirn and also includes Billy Kidman, Tom Prichard, Dusty Rhodes and newly signed trainer Norman Smiley (who is not included in the article as he just signed the other day with the company).

One thing that stood out to me was the FCW's "Wrestler's Creed," which hangs ringside so no one forgets it and would like to share it with you as they are words to live by and can make you a better person should you chose to listen to them, whether your a wrestler or not.

I AM A PRO WRESTLER

*I had a dream - I pursued my dream

*I am humble - But I am confident

*I am kind But this is not a weakness, its my strength

*I believe in myself

*I am "Great" or I don't belong here

*I will train hard, my skills will be tested But I won't give up

*I will help my peers with encouragement

*I will not criticize or discourage others

*I will always show respect to others who have paved the way

*I will always remember the #1 rule -
"Protect my opponent at all costs"

*I will remain open for suggestions at all times

*I want to learn

*I am smart and not a mark But I am not a "smart ass"

*I had a dream, the dream came true

Thank you God

"I Am Proud To Be A Pro Wrestler"

Unforgiven 2008 Wrap-Up

Well, after reading the results on-line and going through pictures on wwe.com, I didn't do too well with my picks, going an abysmal three-for-six, bombing out on the Championship Scramble matches. However, I chose to look at it this way.....if this were baseball, I would be batting .500, which would be Hall-of-Fame worthy.

As for the show, it sounds like another dvd purchase I will have to make once its released, especially for the championship matches. I am ecstatic that Matt Hardy won the ECW Championship, even though I thought Mark Henry would win and even though I picked Kendrick to win, I was hoping Jeff Hardy would win the WWE Championship so both he and Matt would be World Champions on the same night as eluded to by the WWE staff on the "Twist of Fate" dvd released this year.

I do like how WWE took the title off of CM Punk without him actually losing it by having Randy Orton's associates of Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase and the debuting Manu (Afa Jr, son of Wild Samoan Afa) jumped Punk from behind in the back, which allowed Orton to kick Punk in the head, knocking him out of the World Heavyweight Championship match. The same kick that knocked Rob Van Dam out of WWE and put Shawn Michaels on the shelf for a few months.

By doing this, WWE has planted the seeds for a long-term feud with Punk and Orton once Orton returns from his injury. Lastly, I know a lot of the "smarks" are upset they got fooled again and didn't see it coming but having Chris Jericho win the World Heavyweight Championship was a brilliant move, especially since he wasn't originally in the match and was only in the ring for a total of FOUR SECONDS!

With the way Jericho carried his feud with Michaels and transforming his character into a serious persona with those awesome promos, he deserves this run with the title that will hopefully wash-out of people's minds his awful first title run that made him look like Stephanie McMahon's bitch.

It will be interesting to see where WWE goes from here with Jericho as champion and Orton's new stable of multi-generation Superstars.

WWE UNFORGIVEN 2008 PICKS

Photos courtesy of wikipeida.com and wwe.com

Since the WWE Unforgiven pay-per-view is tomorrow night, I figured I would get a ahead start and give my picks for the event. Onto the picks:

WWE Tag Team Championship Match

This feud has been built nicely over the last few weeks with Cryme Tyme (Shad & JTG) stealing the tag-titles from Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, only to have Rhodes and DiBiase steal them back this past Monday night on Raw. While I'm happy that Cryme Tyme is FINALLY getting a tag-title shot, as they have technically been number one contenders since winning the tag-team gauntlet match at Cyber Sunday 2006, I don't see them winning the titles for two reasons. One, Rhodes and DiBiase just won the belts back from John Cena & Batista a week before Summerslam and two, Cryme Tyme is in a position like Sting was in WCW in that they are so over with the crowd, they don't need the titles to become any more popular or more of a favorite.
Pick - Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase Retain

WWE Divas Championship Match

I will admit that when Maryse first started wrestling, I wasn't impressed with her but over the last few weeks, Maryse has vastly improved in the ring, showing she is a natural heel (bad girl). Also, I see traces of Trish Stratus' heel persona in Maryse and feel she will be one of, if not the top female heel if she continues to improve. That being said, I don't see Maryse winning for the fact that Michelle McCool is defending the Divas title for the first time since winning the title at the Great American Bash. That and being the Undertaker's real life girlfriend help's a little bit with backstage decesions.
Pick - Michelle McCool Retains

ECW Championship Scramble Match

I honestly thought Matt Hardy was going to win the ECW Championship at Summerslam, especially since he had dropped the US Title to Shelton Benjamin at the Great American Bash. However, I have been impressed with Mark Henry's run as ECW and feel that he is having one of, if not the best run of his decade long career in WWE and don't see him losing the title any time soon.
Pick - Mark Henry Retains

World Heavyweight Championship Match

This is the one where I feel we are going to have a new star made in CM Punk. Currently, I see Punk in a position like Kurt Angle was heading into the 6 Man Elimination Chamber at Armageddon 2000 against The Rock, Triple H, Steve Austin, Undertaker and Rikishi. When Angle won that match, it certified him as a legitimate champion in the fans eyes. Having Punk win this match that has him up against four former WWE and World Champions would make him a legitimate champion and not some transitional or fluke champion in the fans eyes.
Winner - CM Punk retains

Unsanctioned Match

This will without-a-doubt be the match of the night and I am hoping they go at least a half-hour as this most likely is the blow-off match to a near six-month feud that has been outstanding. Shawn Michaels will deliver the goods, despite the slightly torn tricep, and will finally extract revenge on Chris Jericho for throwing him through the flat-screen television and decking his wife at Summerslam.
Pick - Shawn Michaels

WWE Championship Scramble Match

This is the match I am not sure about as I could see any one of the five leaving Unforgiven as the champion. I would love to see Jeff Hardy win but I would like to think that if WWE is going to put the biggest title on Hardy, they would do it at one of the company's bigger pay-per-view events.
I see this coming down to a free-for-all the last two minutes of the match with everyone hitting their finishers on each other and in the end, I am going to go out on a limb and say there will be a new WWE Champion at the end of the night and it will be.....
Pick - New WWE Champion The Brian Kendrick