Kimbo Slice to fight in the UFC?

Photo courtesy of worldofcombat.net

While waiting for trick-o-treaters this evening, I read an interesting article on Yahoo! Sports' MMA section that had the headline "UFC offers 'Kimbo Slice' spot on 'The Ultimate Fighter.' " Curiously, I clicked on the link and nearly fell out of my chair at what I proceeded to read.

According to an MMAjunkie.com staffer who reported the story on MMAjunkie.com, Ultimate Fighting Championship [UFC] President Dana White, who has publicly voiced his displeasure over how Slice was hyped by EliteXC as an Mixed Martial Arts commodity, recently offered Slice [pictured above] an opportunity to join the UFC at the post-UFC 90 press conference by saying Slice can be on "The Ultimate Fighter" should it feature a heavyweight edition.

Don't think though that White's position on Slice's lack of skills has changed as White went on to say that he doesn't consider Slice a real athlete, he has done nothing to deserve being in the UFC, he wouldn't win "The Ultimate Fighter" and has done nothing except get 10 million hits on YouTube for his backyard fights.

One has to keep in mind though that even if the White has a heavyweight edition of "The Ultimate Fighter" and Slice takes him up on the offer, which he most likely won't since he got exposed by Seth Petruzelli, little is known about the current status of EliteXC fighter contracts for the defunct organization and Slice, along with other fighters, could be tied up in court battles for a long time.

Also, don't hold your breath about White having the UFC match Slice's $500,000 salary for his fight against Petruzelli as there's a better chance of hell freezing over and the Devil giving free sleigh rides before White shells out that much money for Slice.

I personally feel torn on the issue. On the one hand, I am sick of Slice and him being presented as an MMA fighter when he's nothing more than an over-rated, no talent bum who has a glass jaw. On the other hand, I would love to see him in the UFC and get destroyed worse than what Petruzelli did to him, that way the selected few who are still crying that Slice took a dive against Petruzelli will see first hand that Slice has no business in the octagon and should just fade into obscurity since his 15 minutes of fame expired.

Wrestling Recipes Week 9 - Devilish Cupcakes

Photo courtesy of WWE Magazine


On this Halloween Eve night, I figured it was only appropriate that I post my weekly recipe a day earlier so people can have a chance to make this devilish treat for their Halloween parties tomorrow night or for their Halloween weekend.

This recipe, which was featured in the July 2007 issue of WWE Magazine, was for Shelly "Ariel" Martinez's "Devilish cupcakes which Martinez said "are to die for" once one sinks their "fangs" into them.


DEVILISH CUPCAKES


INGREDIENTS:
*2.5 cups all purpose flour
*1.5 cups sugar
*2/3 cup baking cocoa
*1/2 tsp. baking soda
*1/4 tsp. baking powder
*3/4 cup shortening
*2 eggs
*1 tsp. vanilla
*1.5 cups water
*1 container chocolate frosting


DIRECTIONS:
1) Heat oven to 350-degrees.
2) Line cupcake pan with cupcake wrappers.
3) Combine all ingredients into a bowl.
4) Using a mixer, mix ingredients for three minutes.
5) Add batter into cupcake wrappers.
6) Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes.
7) Top with chocolate frosting.

Bar incident involving Booker T & Boogeyman

Photo courtesy of tnawrestling.com

This evening, I came across a post on a message board that stated Booker T. Huffman [pictured above] and Marty "Boogeyman" Wright [pictured below] had been in a bar altercation. Curiously, I clicked the article title and was amazed to find out that Mr. Huffman is planning to picket a sports bar in Houston, Texas [Mr. Huffman's hometown] called Vito's Deck House because of what he believes was discrimination against the Christian Faith.


Photo courtesy of gerweck.net

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Booker and Wright went to the sports bar this past Sunday afternoon to watch an NFL game and were approached by a bartender who told the gentlemen that Wright, who was wearing a cross, had to remove his cross or leave due to the cross being in violation of the bar's dress code.

Upon hearing this news, Booker got upset and asked to speak to the manager, who explained that Wright's cross violated the dress code. Booker then asked where the dress code was posted at and amazingly, the dress code wasn't posted anywhere inside the sports bar, at which point Booker refused to leave and told Wright not to leave as well.

As expected, the police were called and after arriving, told Booker and Wright to leave the premises. Booker attempted to inform the police and manager that he saw two other patrons at the bar wearing crosses and they were not approached by management and told to leave [It should be noted that the two patrons in question left the sports bar when they saw Booker and Wright being kicked-out over Wright wearing his cross].

As a result of this incident, Booker has scheduled a protest and hopes to get as much publicity as possible to inform people about the sports bar suppressing people's freedom to express their belief in God.

All I have to say is this makes me respect Mr. Huffman even more. I admire the fact that he stood up for what he believed in and didn't back down, even when the police came and told him to leave, and for also standing up for a friend in Mr. Wright.

Why should Mr. Wright have to remove his cross when that's what he believes in? Also, I have never heard of a bar having a dress code. I mean, I've heard of clubs having and enforcing dress codes but a bar?

It would be interesting to know the race of the two patrons Mr. Huffman mentioned to the police
because this story sounds borderline race-related with religion being used as a shield to hide the true motive of the bartender.

It is a sad reality that here in 2008, we could be on the verge of having the first Black president in the history of the United States and we still have incidents like this happening. It's story's like this that make me wonder if we are truly in 2008 and have made as much progress as people continuously preach or if we are still stuck in 1958 with just higher prices and different clothes.

I hope Mr. Huffman's protest is a successful one that not only gets the word out but causes such an outcry that the bartender and manager of the sports bar are held accountable for their actions.

Update on M.O.P. lawsuit against John Cena & WWE

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Earlier today, TMZ.com post an article that updated the current lawsuit brought against both World Wrestling Entertainment [WWE] and John Cena [pictured above] by the Royalty Network Inc, more specifically, Jamal Grinnage and Eric Murray, better known as Lil' Fame and Billy Danze of M.O.P. [Mash Out Posse].

According to the report, both Mr. Grinnage and Murray want Cena and WWE to cease and desist in their use of Cena's theme song, "My Time is Now" [which you can sample below] due to their claim the song heavily borrows material from their hit "Ante Up" [which you can sample below] and that WWE's lawyers found some person to sign off on the license who was only a receptionist and didn't have the authority to do so.

The focal point of musical contention is one non-English line, "BRRR Abado," that appears in the original song once and in Cena's song three times. The suit asks for the destruction of Cena's theme song, all DVD's with the song pulled off shelves and $150,000 fro the defendants. Cena and WWE have yet to comment.

After reading this article, I decided to go to youtube and see what exactly Mr. Grinnage and Murray are upset about and after discovering the lyric in question, I nearly fell out of my chair because other than that line, THE SONGS SOUND NOTHING ALIKE! Don't believe me, listen for yourself:

"Ante Up" by M.O.P.


"My Time is Now" by John Cena


Right there is the proof. Even if you don't like Cena, you have to admit that the two songs, with the exception of the beginning lyric, sound NOTHING ALIKE, especially when you consider Cena wrote his song by himself!

Personally, I feel this is just another case of some lackluster, never-will-be-anything stars trying to get some free money and press at the expense of others. It's a sad reality but that's how the world works today....washed up people suing for whatever they think will get them money. Either get some real talent or do us all a favor and fade into obscurity.

I said this in my last blog about this subject and I'll say it again....these gentlemen [and I use that term loosely] were so upset with the secretary signing off on the permission to use the lyric and with Cena and WWE for using it in their song that they waited a whole THREE-AND-A-HALF YEARS to file suit and are only asking for $150,000? Hogwash.

Lastly, I am surprised no one has pointed out this interesting tidbit...for those who own the WWE CD "Raw Greatest Hits: 15th Anniverary Edition" that came out in Dec. 2007, if you look inside the CD booklet, WWE actually "credited" M.O.P.'s song "Ante Up" and thanked them for the use of it.

So please explain this to me like I'm a five-year old when considering the last fact.......Why exactly are M.O.P. suing them again?

Wrestling legend S.D. Jones passes away at age 63

Photos courtesy of wwe.com

Before I begin, I want to give my condolences to Mr. Efriam's widow Kay, his son, two daughters [Donna and Abigail], his four grandchildren and his brother.

Earlier today, I read an article on Slam! Sports that broke the news wrestling legend Conrad Efriam, better known as S.D. "Speical Delivery" Jones [pictured above], passed away on Sunday at the age of 63 in Antigua due to complications following a stroke he had on Wednesday.

His widow, Kay, told Slam! Sports that he had been in fine health and on Wednesday, had been laughing, singing and had just fed the dogs, when he suddenly called her name, showed his fingers and his body went limp. At the doctors office, Kay found out that three-quarters of his brain was bleeding and covered in blood.

Even though he could not speak in the hospital, he could write and according to Kay, wrote 'I want to go straight to New York." Kay went on to say that he recognized her and then squeezed her hand.

Efriam was last seen on a national broadcast at the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony the night before Wrestlemania 22 in April 2006, where he inducted "Mr. U.S.A. Tony Atlas," his former traveling and tag-team partner in the WWE.

Long-time wrestling fans will remember Efriam as a solid competitor who despite his "jobber" status, could believably get in the ring with the biggest names of the 1980's, such as Randy Savage, Don Muraco and Paul Orndorff to name a few, and come close to pulling off a victory on any given night.

Of course, Efriam's biggest accolade came at the inaugural Wrestlemania event in 1985, where he was defeated in the second match of the night by King Kong Bundy in a record time of "9 seconds," which was the announced time even though the actual time was "24-seconds" from bell-to-bell.

Interestingly, Efriam told Slam! Sports in 2004 that he was concerned that such a beating in front of a national audience would damage his career but Vince McMahon persuaded him that a humiliating loss to Bundy would achieve the company's goal of developing a monstrous rival to the likes of Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant and for his effort, received a very nice payday.

After a 22-year career in the ring, Efriam retired from the industry in 1991, lost a tremendous amount of weight and began working for the New York Daily News, driving newspapers. In Nov. 2007, Efriam retired from the newspaper industry and moved back to his native Antigua.

Being born in 1984, I didn't get to see that much of Efriam in the ring but the things I do remember are his two LJN action figures, one of which featured a red shirt and the other, a tropical shirt [both of which I owned]; his lost to Bundy at Wrestlemania; his cameo in the "Land of a 1000 Dances" music video and being featured as a bonus match from the 1986 WWE Australia tour in the extras section of the WWE Global Warning Tour DVD released in 2002.

Even though I didn't get to see much of him, everything I have read about Efriam has stated that he was one of the classiest, if not the classiest, individuals one would ever meet in their lifetime and was a joy to be around. I have never read one negative thing about Efriam, other than his professional wins and loss record, and will remember him as someone who always put on a great show.

It just sucks that another wrestler I grew up watching, who was a good man and relatively young, has now passed away. The only thing that makes me feel a bit better is knowing God must be a huge wrestling fan to be able to deal with all their egos up there.

If anyone would like to send any emails of memories of Mr. Efriam or notes of condolences, the editor of Slam! Sports will forward them to Kay if you send them to the following address: goliver@canoemail.com

God Bless and may you Rest in Peace Mr. Efriam. You were a good man who touched a lot of lives and will make Heaven a much a better place with just your presence.

Florida Championship Wrestling Episode #3

Photo courtesy of fcwwrestling.com

Since it is Sunday, that means its time for the next episode of Florida Championship Wrestling. However, if you watched last week's episode, you know that Eddie "Primo" Colon and Eric Perez won the tag-titles in the Main Event. This week, the team of Joe Hennig and Heath Miller are tag-champions [with no mention of Colon & Perez losing the titles] and "Natural" Nick Nemeth is going by his RAW name, "Dolph Ziggler" and Josh Matthews, not Todd Grisham, is calling the action with Dusty Rhodes.

The reason for these sudden changes is because World Wrestling Entertainment [WWE} started taping FCW shows over the summer and apparently, have decided to skip a plethora of episodes in an attempt to catch-up and reflect the current status of its main roster.


FCW Opening Intro



Dolph Ziggler vs. TJ Wilson



Drew McIntyre vs. Gabe Tuft



Sinn "Kizarny" Bowdie vs. Scotty Goldman



Joe Hennig/Heath Miller vs. Jake Gabriel/Mike Kruel



Sheamus O'Shaunessy calls out Batista



Eric Escobar vs. Johnny Curtis [Part 1]



Escobar vs. Curts [Part 2]

John Cena & WWE sued over Cena's theme song

Photo courtesy of ign.com


Shortly before his WWE Championship title match against John Bradshaw Layfield at Wrestlemania 21 in 2005, John Cena [pictured above] changed his entrance song from "Word Life" to "My Time is Now," a track which was featured on his debut album, "You Can't See Me."

Three-and-a-half years later, Cena, along with World Wrestling Entertainment [WWE] and Sony BMG Music, are finding themselves locked-up in a lawsuit with "The Royalty Network Inc" due to the intellectual property of Cena's entrance song.

RNI is claiming that WWE and Cena have been using the music under false pretenses due to the copyright being signed over to them by somebody who didn't have the power to do so and are requesting that all properties containing the music, such as videogames, DVD's and CD's, be destroyed and that WWE pay them damages of $150,000.00 and the cost of court fees.

Cena is listed in the lawsuit because he added lyrics to the music and according to RNI, is trying to pass it off as his own, which they claim the music never legally belonged to hi or the WWE.

Should RNI be successful in this lawsuit, Cena would obviously have to give up his entrance music and WWE would find themselves in familiar territory of having to literally edit out every piece of merchandise on retail that has Cena's entrance song, which is basically every released dvd since Wrestlemania 21, and re-release it with new music.

All I have to say about this is.......Give me a freaking break! People are in such a hurry nowadays to sue any and everyone for the dumbest little things in an attempt to get rich quick and this particular lawsuit is beyond ridiculous as Cena and WWE are basically being sued for something musicians do all the time with music.

If RNI was so upset about this, why did it take them three-and-a-half years to file this lawsuit and why are they only asking for $150,000? That amount is chump change to Vince McMahon who just gave away close to five-million dollars of his own money this past summer in his "McMahon Million Dollar Mania Sweepstakes."

The only good thing about this news is that when Cena returns in a few weeks, this may urge McMahon and WWE to change Cena's entrance song, which I admit has run its course, and give Cena a fresh start with a new tune. That or McMahon may just write RNI a nice fee to forget about all this, which is probably what they want.

If you would like to read more about this, you can access the full case files for $.08 per page on the New York Southern Distric Court's Electronic Court Filings [ECF] System by clicking the following link: https://ecf.nysd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/iqquerymenu.pl?333752

Wrestling Recipes Week 8 - Priceless Chicken Fingers

Photo courtesy of WWE Magazine

One of my all-time favorite snacks has been chicken fingers a.k.a. chicken strips since I can remember. You can imagine how thrilled I was when in the April 2008 issue of WWE Magazine, there was a recipe that took chicken fingers to another level. Thanks to the self-appointed "Prince of Professional Wrestling" Cody Rhodes, this tasty snack combines two childhood favorites...chicken strips and Cap'n Crunch cereal. Enjoy.


PRICELESS CAP'N CRUNCH CHICKEN FINGERS

INGREDIENTS:
*2 Pounds of chicken tenders
*4 cups of Cap'n Crunch cereal
*1 egg
*1 cup milk
*1 cup flour
*2 tsp. black pepper
*2 tsp. garlic powder
*Vegetable Oil

DIRECTIONS:
1) Crush Cap'n Crunch cereal in a bowl and set aside.
2) In another bowl, beat eggs into milk.
3) In third bowl, combine flour, garlic powder and black pepper.
4) Cover chicken in flour mixture and dip into eggs and coat with Cap'n Crunch crumbs.
5) Coat frying pan with vegetable oil and place over medium flame.
6) Cook coated tenders in oil until golden brown on each side [Best served with honey mustard].

Vince wants wrestlers called "entertainers?"

Photo courtesy of Myspace.com


Late last night, I read a report on PWInsider.com that stated World Wrestling Entertainment [WWE] has told all of their on-air announcers to start referring to the wrestlers as "entertainers" and to avoid calling them wrestlers, or even superstars, on all future broadcasts.

The reason for this sudden and unusual request is because WWE wants to begin classifying themselves as an entertainment touring company rather than a legitimate sporting event in an attempt to avoid falling under the jurisdiction of many state Athletic Commissions and getting out having to pay taxes for their touring events.

This just further proves that Vince McMahon needs to hand the company over to either Stephanie or Shane, who would be my personal preference. It appears the older Vince gets, the more he comes up with outlandish and ridiculous ideas and schemes. Do I have to mention his wonderful ideas of "Katie Vick," "Father vs. Daughter I Quit Match," and the rejected incest storyline of him wanting to be the father of Stephanie's un-born child? The man is clearly Looney-Tunes!

How long does Vince actually think this will last? I mean, professional wrestling has been around forever and saying John Cena, for example, had a life-long dream to become a professional "entertainer" doesn't have the same punch to it as saying he had a life-long dream to become a professional "wrestler."

Also, anyone who thinks professional wrestling it is a legitimate sporting event rather than an exhibition needs to slapped upside the head, especially since way back in 1989, McMahon publicly admitted his company was "sports-entertainment" in order to get around the regulation of the State Athletic Commission in New Jersey, where "Summerslam 89" was held. I guess Vince has now figured a way out to take care of the other 49-states.

This leads me to believe one of two things...either Vince is hard-up for money, which I doubt since he gave away five-times as much money as he spends on taxes, or, he is finally making good on what he promised to do back in 1999 when he told Reuters-Business Recorder that WWE is a variety show as opposed to wrestling. "This is not two guys in their underwear in the ring. We're going way beyond that," said McMahon. "One day we will figure out how to take the word 'wrestling' out of World Wrestling Entertainment. I like to think we are in the mainstream public entertainment business."

Having just finished watching this week's ECW on Sci-Fi episode on wwe.com, it appears this is being enforced as color-commentator Matt Striker referred to Finlay, Evan Bourne and Mark Henry as "entertainers" and not "superstars" during the main-event.

Somewhere right now, mens such as Lou Thez, Buddy Rodgers, Stu Hart, Owen Hart, Brian Pillman, Wahoo McDaniel and all the other deceased professional wrestlers are rolling-around in their graves as a result of this news.

TNA Knockout Traci Brooks suffered from Erb's Palsy

Photo courtesy of tnawrestling.com

Earlier today, I read an interesting interview [which can be read here] current TNA Knockout Traci Brooks [pictured above] did with the Chicago Sun-Times. In the interview, Ms. Brooks revealed for the first time that she suffered from Erb's Palsy as an infant and was able to overcome it as a result of her mother's persistence, dedication and the fact that her mother made her exercise her arm every day until she was two years old.

Ms. Brooks went on to say that she was in a sling that was attached over her heady in her buggy, was one-out-of-six kids with the condition at the time and the only one to benefit in a positive manner as a result of her mother's exercise regimen.

For those who are not familiar with Erb's Palsy [pictured below], it is paralysis of the arm caused by injury to the upper group of the arm's main nerves, specifically the spinal roots C5-C7, and almost always occurs during birth.



Photo courtesy of wikipedia.com


The most common cause of Erb's Palsy is "dystocia," an abnormal or difficult childbirth, such as the infant's head and neck being pulled towards the side at the same time as the shoulders are passing through the birth canal.

The condition can also be caused by excessive pulling on the baby's shoulders during a "vertex delivery," which is a head first delivery, and can also present itself to adults following a traumatic fall on the side of the neck. Depending on the nature of the damage, the paralysis can either resolve on its own over a period of months, through physical therapy or require surgery.

I honestly had never heard of this condition until I read Ms. Brooks' interview. I also never noticed that she has a lack of muscle definition on her right side (maybe that's because I'm never looking are her muscles but rather, her other talents) or that the condition actually affects her in the ring, both physically and mentally as she doesn't view herself as a Superstar, but rather as a girl with a disability and not perfect like she and other Knockouts are perceived.

After reading this article, I have even more respect for Ms. Brooks and hope she is able to get the word out about this condition that I don't think many people know about or even knows exist. It's weird and scary to think that as soon as your born, you could already be suffering from something.

If TNA wrestling was smart, they would use this to their advantage and have Ms. Brooks become a spokeswoman for organizations, such as EPG, that work in correlation with this condition that can affect just about anyone.

This should also serve as a reminder to anyone but specifically young women, that one can do and overcome anything life throws at them as long as they set their mind to it, are willing to work hard and never giving up.

What went wrong for EliteXC and where do its fighters go?

Photo courtesy of EliteXC.com

Late last night, it was reported by Sherdog.com that EliteXC, the second-biggest Mixed Martial Arts [MMA] promotion in the United States, had begun filing the paperwork for bankruptcy and will officially close its doors this week, ceasing operations after two years of existence, joining the International Fight League [IFL] as the second MMA promotion in three months to shut-down.

The "Night of Champions" event scheduled for Nov. 8 on Showtime, which was the be headlined by Joey Villasenor vs. Robbie Lawler and Nick Diaz vs. Eddie Alvarez, has already be canceled and all EliteXC fighters and training camps have been notified of the company's sudden closure, leaving a lot of questions left to be answered and fighters, such as Gina Carano, wondering what will happen to their careers.

One of the main reasons for the sudden closure was EliteXC's mis-manage of money that should have been spent on developing and adding depth to the roster by acquiring a significant number of quality fighters whose contracts had expired, which would have been the best way to compete with the Ultimate Fighting Championship [UFC] for supremacy.

Instead, Pro Elite, EliteXC's parent company, purchased other promotional companies such as ICON, Rumble on the Rock, King of the Cage, Spirit MC and Cage Rage, all of which collectively, cost tens of millions of dollars and delivered nothing except a huge hole in EliteXC's wallet that put them $55 million in debt (Dave Meltzer of Yahoo! sports reported that Cage Rage cost an estimated $18 million alone).

As a result of this mis-manage, EliteXC got no fighters of interest, a fight library that wasn't worth a-tenth of what it cost and was forced to have the same fighters constantly fight, such as Diaz, who appeared on nearly every EliteXC card, due to a lack of depth on the roster.

In addition, the recent Kimbo Slice/Seth Petruzelli fight didn't help EliteXC as not only was Slice, who EliteXC made their top star, knocked out by an unknown light-heavyweight in 14 seconds on National Television, exposing him as the fraud he was, but the company is being investigated by the Florida State Athletic Commission due to Petruzelli's post fight comments that EliteXC officials would give him a bonus if he kept the fight with Slice standing and didn't take him down.

Showtime, which aired all but three EliteXC events and owned 20-percent stake in Pro Elite, appeared to be the company's' saving grace when they filed a public notice with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Sept. 17 to enter preliminary negotiations for the purchase of EliteXC. Unfortunately for EliteXC, Showtime pulled out due to failing negotiations and the controversy surrounding the Slice/Petruzelli fight.

Now that the company is no more, the question now is what happens to fighters such as Slice, Carano, Lawler, Jake Shields and others? Slice will NOT be signed to the UFC, let's get that cleared right now. He is a gimmick with no fighting skills and will most likely head to Japan, where the larger-than-life gimmick is successful. Just look at Bob Sapp.

Lawler and Diaz have already had a cup-of-coffee with the UFC and I don't see UFC President Dana White jumping at the chance to sign them. Alvarez will have several offers, most notably Japan's DREAM organization and perhaps, Donald Trump's Affliction promotion. Shields may be signed to the UFC so he can have a title match against Georges St. Pierre and Villasenor may get another crack at the UFC.

Unfortunately, the one going to be left out in the cold is Carano, who despite her popularity and being a superb fighter, is not a favorite of White's, who has gone on record with his disdain for women's mixed martial arts.

The one thing that may help Carano is that White cannot ignore her popularity as she has become as popular [and more so in my opinion] as any UFC fighter and is no gimmick. White should do the right thing and sign Carano to a UFC contract because even though he may not like women's fighting, he does like great fights and Carano, who is a wonderful ambassador for the sport, delivers everytime.

White needs to put his ego aside and sign Carano, as well as the rest of EliteXC's women's division to UFC contracts as not only is it the strongest women's division in all of MMA, but their fights are guaranteed to be fight of the night on any card at any venue. If White cannot put his ego aside for great business, I'm sure Affliction wouldn't mind snatching them up or CBS, who is rumored to develop an all female fighting organization with said women.

Thoughts on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling

Photo courtesy of CMT.com

For the last several weeks, Country Music Television (CMT) has been heavily advertising the premiere episode of Hulk Hogan's "Celebrity Championship Wrestling," which premiered this past Saturday night. Now, I hadn't planned to watch it because the show didn't seem that appealing and didn't seem to be that entertaining.

However, I got a call from my parents Sunday morning, who said I had to check out the show because, as my mom said, I would be surprised with the show and who was impressive. My mom was right on both accounts and I found myself enjoying the show and was greatly impressed with Trishelle Cannatella, who showed great ring presence and potential in her match and Danny Bodaduce, who I think missed his calling as a professional wrestler.

For those who didn't see the show, allow me to give you a quick synopsis...there are 10 celebrities on the show [Dennis Rodman, Bodaduce, Butterbean, Cannatella, Dustin Diamond, Erin Murphy, Frank Stallone, Tiffany, Nikki Ziering, Todd Bridges] who are split into two teams. One team is coached by Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake and the other is coached by Brian Knobbs.

The way the show works is that the celebrities are shown several wrestling holds and moves in training and have several hours to not only learn the moves and holds, but to also incorporate those moves into a match they will put on in front of a live crowd. However, the matches are not Team Beefcake vs. Team Knobbs. Rather, the matches are inter-squad and the coaches decide who will be the faces (good guys), heels (bad guys) and managers.

At the end of the two matches, both of which are judged by Hogan, Jimmy Hart and Eric Bischoff, one team is selected as the winner and for the losing team, one celebrity will be sent home based on the judges decision. The last celebrity left standing will win the "Celebrity Championship Wrestling" title belt.

I didn't think I would say this but I am a fan of the show and can't wait to see next week's episode, as long as I remember that its on, which shouldn't be too hard since its the only show CMT is advertising right now.

My only gripe is that Rodman is on the show and while Rodman was my favorite NBA player, I don't think its fair he's on the show since he's had prior ring experience by wrestling for WCW in the late 1990's and a few independent shows.

Other than that, I like the approach the show has taken, having the celebrities put on mini matches after training rather than attempting to make the show a legitimate wrestling promotion with the celebrities, and hope that ratings are strong enough for a second season.

Florida Championship Wrestling Episode #2

Photo courtesy of fcwwrestling.com


Last week, I posted the inaugural episode of Florida Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment's official developmental territory, and have decided that since the new episodes air every Sunday evening at six o'clock on the Brighthouse Sports Network, I will be showing the previous week's episode right here on Sunday's for your viewing pleasure. All videos are courtesy of youtube user "KaceCC" and remember, these episodes were taped this past summer.


FCW Intro



Sheamus O'Shaunessy vs. Ricky Ortiz



Chris Jericho speaks to the fans



Evan Bourne vs. Aja Jr.



6-Man Tag Match



Diva Twist off hosted by Kelly Kelly



The Empire vs. Eric Perez & Eddie Colon [FCW Tag Titles]

Who is this "Kizarny" coming to Smackdown?

Photo courtesy of gerweck.net

For the last couple of weeks on Smackdown, creepy vignettes (one of which you can view the end of this entry) have aired during the broadcast that show various shots of people at carnivals as carnival music plays in the background and then, a deranged man with blonde hair (who appears as a cross between Chris Jericho and Johnny Devine with Captain Jack Sparrow facial hair) appears and says his name is "Kizarny" and begins speaking in Carny tongue.

These vignettes, which most fans have said are both creepy and interesting, have led to people wanting to know more about this "Kizarny" individual. His real name is Nick Cvjetkovich (pictured above) but is better known as "The Carnival Freak" Sinn Bowdee from Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) official developmental territory.

In addition, Cvjetkovich, who has been under WWE development since July 2007 after spending nine-years on the independent scene, was featured in the Nov. 2008 issue of WWE Magazine, along with several other FCW prospects, and it was stated that Cvjetkovich is a self-described anarchist hippie who once slept in his car when it was 20-degrees below zero en route from Nova Scotia to Tijuana for a match. Cvjetkovich is also an avid artist, designing every tattoo on his body.

For fun, Cvjetkovich had this to say to WWE Magazine, "For stuff and giggles, I'll walk into a Waffle House wearing a pink bunny t-shirt and eyeliner just to see what happens. I'm a really peaceful, playful guy, but if people make eye contact, they shrink in their seats. If I can scare people doing that, then I'm bringing something to the table."

Wrestling Recipe's Week 7 -Stratusfying Banoffee Pie

Photo courtesy of WWE Magazine

If your like most people in the world, chances are you love dessert and let's be honest, who doesn't. In the Oct. 2006 issue of WWE Magazine, seven-time WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus was gracious enough to share with the readers a recipe for "Banoffee Pie" that she requested from the head chef of a catering company in the United Kingdom when WWE went on tour in 2006.

According to Stratus, the chef said, "If I tell you, I'll have to kill you," to which Stratus replied, "Buddy, I"m a six-time WWE Women's champion. If you don't give it to me, I'll crush you." After some arm wringing and giving the chef an autographed photo of herself, Stratus was able to score the recipe and share a little piece of the UK with her fans.


STRATUSFYING BANOFFEE PIE


INGREDIENTS:
*1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
*20 plain crushed digestive biscuits (will make 1 1/2 cups crumbs)
*5 tbsp. unsalted butter
*2 bananas
*1 pint heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:
1) On the stovetop, pour sweetened condensed milk into top of double boiler.
2) Place over boiling water.
3) Simmer over low heat for 1-to-1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally until thick & caramel colored.
4) Beat until smooth.
5) Check water in bottom of double boiler to ensure pan is not dry.
6) In bowl, combine biscuit crumbs and melted butter.
7) Use spoon to blend well.
8) Press mixture into pie pan, refrigerate until ready to use.
9) Pour caramelized sweetened condensed milk into chilled crust.
10) Slice bananas and arrange atop caramel layer.
11) Top pie with whipped cream.

Bobby Lashley set to make MMA debut

Photo courtesy of wwe.com

Yesterday, it was confirmed by LordsofPain.net that former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Superstar and ECW Champion, Bobby Lashley (pictured above), will be making his Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) debut on Dec. 13 against an unknown opponent. The fight is scheduled to take place in Miami at the American Airlines Arena but it is unknown if it will be for the American Fight League (AFL), the promotion Lashley signed with and is in financial turmoil, or one of the bigger MMA promotions.

Lashley, who reluctantly walked away from a six-figure contract with WWE shortly before his return from injury in Jan. 2008 due to what Lashley claimed as circumstances beyond his control, has been training in MMA for the last year with America Top Team (ATT) in Flor. and has been praised by everyone at ATT for his tremendous work ethic and being a student of MMA.

Of course, there have been critics that have been bad-mouthing Lashley, saying he's going to get destroyed in his first fight and that he's only doing this because Brock Lesnar did it and he's trying to replicate Lesnar like he did in WWE.

First off, those critics need to STFU immediately about the comparisons between Lashley and Lesnar. WWE never attempted to make Lashley a newer version of Lesnar. That came from internet message boards where people were comparing Lashley and Lesnar due to them both wearing black attire and Lashley jumping on the apron like Lesnar did during his time in WWE. In fact, if you watch their WWE matches, they wrestled two different styles as Lesnar was more technical and power whereas Lashley was a pure power wrestler.

As far as MMA comparisons, I personally believe Lashley has more credible fighting skills than Lesnar because in addition to being an amateur wrestling champion, Lashley trains heavy in boxing, kick-boxing and is Army trained in hand-to-hand combat. Lashley is as strong and quick as Lesnar but also comes with a more varied style than Lesnar, who prefers ground-and-pound.

I honestly cannot wait to see how Lashley performs in MMA. I honestly think he could make it big in MMA with his tremendous work ethic and will surprise a lot of people who are already trying to write him off as another Kimbo Slice.

Lastly, I would like to share with you a youtube video of an interview Lashley gave to MMArated.com earlier this month about his transition into MMA. In this interview, Lashley comes off as an extremely humble and down-to-earth person that one wishes nothing but the best for him in his new occupation.

EliteXC lowballing female fighter Gina Carano

Photo courtesy of proelite.com

Earlier today, I was reading the MMA Section on Yahoo! Sports and came across an article about Gina Carano (pictured above), who is not only the hottest woman on the planet but also the top female star of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

In the article, Yahoo! Sports Kevin Iole was responding to a fan-letter that was upset with his singling-out of Carano for having trouble making an un-reachable weight of 140-pounds for her most recent bout on "EliteXC Heat," which is hard for Carano due to her having to film NBC's American Gladiators as "Crush" and NBC wanting her to be near 160-pounds for the tapings.

Of course the simple solution would be for EliteXC to make the women's division 145-pounds instead of 140 since "Cyborg" Santos, who will be Carano's next opponent, fought at 148-pounds on the same show in an undercard bout, but that's another story for another time.

Anyway, in Iole's response, he mentioned that Carano, who is the company's top-draw now that Kimbo Slice was exposed for the fraud he truly is by Seth Petruzelli at "Heat," only made $25,000 for her fight against Kelly Kobold, which ratings show was the most-watched fight of the night.

Even more eye-opening is the fact that Carano made less than Slice ($500,000), Andrei Arlovski ($500,000), Roy Nelson ($80,000), Petruzelli ($50,000), Jake Shields ($50,000), Murilo Rua ($35,000) and Benji Radach ($30,000). In addition, there are unconfirmed reports that Arlovski received a $1 million bonus that raised his overall pay to $1.5 million.

How can anyone in that company justify paying Slice 20-times more than Carano when Carano not only won, but was the reason people tuned in to see the event in the first place? The ratings showed an increase in viewership for her fight and a huge decline when the fight was over. Also, Carano dominated her fight and won by unamous decesion, unlike Slice who not only lost in 14-seconds but lost to a LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT whom he had a 30-pound weight advantage.

This is a total lack of respect shown by EliteXC to Carano, who has done more for the company than Slice and is a prime example, along with the controversy that EliteXC officials told Petruzelli to keep the fight with Slice standing, of why the company is $60 million in the hole and may lose its contract with CBS.

Lastly, should EliteXC survive long enough for the fans to get Cyborg vs. Carano, I agree with Iole that no matter what is left on Carano's contract, EliteXC should rip it up and give her a new one that pays her what she's worth. If not, I'm sure Dana White and the UFC would love to start a women's division and have Carano as the star since that is where the "Big Boys" fight and soon, could be where the "Big Girls" fight.

WWE surprisingly releases Lance Cade

Photo courtesy of wwe.com

A little while ago, it was posted on wwe.com that Lance Cade was released from the company after being on the main roster for a little over four-years.

The move was shocking to say the least and has left people scratching their heads as it appeared Cade was being groomed for big things in the company and was in the midst of his biggest singles push of his career, feuding with Shawn Michaels, the main who trained him, and being Chris Jericho's sidekick.

Honestly, while the release came out of left field, it shouldn't be that surprising when one considers how much time and effort WWE has spent trying to get Cade over with the crowd. When he first debuted in the fall/winter of 2003, he was paired with Mark Jindrak and the two made for a decent, young tag-team.

After the WWE 2004 draft, Jindrak was drafted to Smackdown and Cade was paired with Jonathan Coachman, who served as Cade's mouthpiece. After it was apparent the pair wasn't working out, Cade went to the developmental area for a while before coming back in Fall 2005, teaming with Trevor Murdoch in a "Western Cowboy Redneck" tag-team that lasted until a few months ago and the duo had several tag-team title reigns.

It could just be a case of WWE cutting their losses as pairing Cade with Jericho could have been a last resort effort and they must have felt it wasn't working out. That or Cade did something or got caught with something we don't know about because I thought he would have a job for life since he was trained by Michaels.

I think what hinder and hurt Cade's career was he couldn't connect with the fans as he is plain as vanilla ice-cream. There is nothing about him that oozes charisma, unlike another Michaels trained student, Brian Kendrick, who despite his small statute is close to becoming the top-heel on Smackdown behind Vladimir Kozlov.

I'm reminded of a Raw event I attended in San Jose in May 2004 and during one of the matches that was taped for the international version of "Sunday Night Heat," Cade was having a match against Val Venis and the annoying gentlemen behind me, who thought they knew everything, said the following when one asked if he brought his camera, "Yeah I brought it but I'm not gonna waste film on Lance Cade." That about sums up Cade's career in WWE.

However, like others who are released, he may be back one-day. For the WWE to give him a seal of approval by keeping him employed for so long and giving him all these chances, I don't see them just releasing him outright in what was their biggest try to get him over.

Lastly, does anyone else find it ironic that Cryme Tyme was brought back to the company earlier this year and now, Cade and Murdoch are now both gone from WWE and this time last year, Cryme Tyme was released after an incident at a house show involving them and Cade and Murdoch? That type of irony writes itself.

Chris Masters shoots on Ultimate Warrior

Photo courtesy of wwe.com

Earlier today, I read a very interesting article on Slam! Sports that featured an interview with former WWE Superstar Chris Mordetzky (pictured above), better known as "The Masterpiece" Chris Masters. In this interview, Masters had some very choice words for The Ultimate Warrior with regards to appearing on the same wrestling show as him in Barcelona Spain last June that featured the Warrior's comeback match against former WWE Superstar Orlando Jordan.

In the article, which can be read by clicking here, Mordetzky refers to Warrior as the "Ultimate A-hole" and stated the following...."The guy is 50 years old and he expected the red carpet rolled out for him in NWE....We were doing a three-week tour of Spain and they brought him in to create a buzz for the product. He had one match to do with Orlando Jordan for our big show in Barcelona.....They rented him a house and flew out his wife and daughters and all I was hearing about from the guys higher up was his moaning and saying, 'I am the Ultimate Warrior, you should be promoting this more,' and doing everything he possibly could to make it hard for those of us who were working every day busting our rears."

Mordetzky was not done there as the then took aim at Warrior's match, pretty much calling it horrible. "The guy trained for this match like it was a bodybuilding show. He hadn't wrestled legitimately in about 15 years, because let's be honest, that WCW run doesn't even count. He gave Orlando a hiptoss and a backdrop and then blew up in two minutes; there was nothing that Orlando could do. He stunk the whole joint out. We were backstage and it was unlike any atmosphere I have ever felt. We asked Juventud Guerrera what they were chanting in Spanish and it was things like boring and BS. Whatever he thinks his value is, he is completely delusional. It is safe to say the Ultimate Warrior is an a-hole, the best way to describe him is ugh."

Wow! Tell us how you really feel about Warrior Mr. Mordetzky. I think its safe to say that this story is a prime example of why no professional wrestling company in the States has wanted Warrior to work for their organization since he left WCW in 1998 after Hulk Hogan avenged his Wrestlemania VI loss to Warrior. What else do you expect from a gentleman that legally changed his name to "Warrior" and speaks in a form of tongue that no one, not even his most devout fans, can understand.

Warrior really has a high opinion of himself and appears to be living off of past glory. I cannot believe that a small time independent wrestling organization actually accommodated Warriors requests and demands when any other promoter would have told Warrior to get lost.

However, I don't know why it came as a surprise to Mordetzky or any of the other wrestlers that Warrior was blown up in the ring after doing several moves. Shoot, at the height and prime of his career, Warrior blew himself up before the matches even started by sprinting to the ring, which was the most exciting part of his entrance once his trademark music hit. Once the bell rang and the match started, it was all downhill from there.

I wonder how long it will take Warrior to post a rebuttal commentary to Mordetzky's comments. But what would be the point? No logical person would be able to understand or translate what he would be saying.

"I'm Dolph Ziggler and I've been suspended"

Photo courtesy of wwe.com


For the last several weeks, a strange blonde individual has been appearing in backstage segments of Monday Night Raw and introducing himself to various people. With the appearance of a porn-star, this person introduces himself as follows, "Hi, I'm Dolph Ziggler" and proceeds to shake hands and casually walks away as the person he introduced himself to has a befuddled look on his face that reads, "Who the hell was that?"

For those who don't recognize the name or the person, it is none other than Nick Nemeth, better known as "Nicky" from the annoying Spirit Squad group and the most recent WWE Superstar to be suspended for 30-days for violating the WWE Wellness Policy.

Nemeth, who was called back up to the Raw roster on Sept. 15 and appeared in his first backstage segment that same night, joins the list with the likes of William Regal, D.H. Smith, Jeff Hardy, Chavo Guerrero, Randy Orton, John Morrison, Jimmy Wang Yang and countless others who have been suspended for violating the Policy since its inception in Feb. 2006 (for a complete list of who has violated the Wellness Policy and been suspended or fired, click here).

Nemeth is only suspended 30-days due to this being his first strike but if he gets strike two, he will be suspended 60-days, just like Guerrero, Hardy and Regal, and his third strike will result in his termination from the company.

It just baffles and amazes me that these guys continue to try to get around the Wellness Policy, thinking they won't get caught it will be the other people who get busted. I have to give WWE credit as they have been enforcing the Wellness Policy ever since the Chris Benoit Murder/Suicide case in the summer of 2007 and if you don't believe me, just ask Hardy, who was suspended for Wrestlemania 24, and Regal, who was in line for a WWE Championship feud against Triple H.

At least Nemeth didn't cheat like Afa Jr., better known as Manu, attempted to do earlier this year when he used a prosthetic penis to pass his test, which forced WWE to change the testing procedure by making it mandatory the wrestlers drop their pants below the knees in front of a doctor for all future drug tests.

Scott Hall involved in incident at roasting event

Photo courtesy of obsessedwithwrestling.com


Late last night, it was reported by Wrestling Observer and Mixed Martial Arts contributer to Yahoo Sports, Dave Metzler, that last night's "Legends of the Ring VII" event, which was attended by the likes of Ric Flair, Raven, Nikolai Volkoff, The Iron Sheik, and others, ended in controversy after an incident involving Scott Hall (pictured above) and comedian Jimmy Graham.

According to the report, Hall, who had been heavily drinking, lost control when Graham, who once was a wrestler, made the following tasteless comment to Bill Apter while roasting the Iron Sheik..."Bill Apter, you look deader than Owen Hart."

Immediately after the comment was made, Hall charged the banquet table and started throwing punches at Graham. Hall then grabbed the microphone from Graham and began yelling about how Graham was disrespecting Owen Hart.

Security, police and former wrestler Jim Powers had to restrain Hall and take him out of the building. Hall was eventually escorted to his room but not before going on a cursing tirade that included him giving the DX Crotch Chop to King Kong Bundy after Bundy told him to let it go.

While I don't condone how Hall behaved or his drinking for that matter since he just got out of rehab on Vince McMahon and the WWE's bill, Graham is just as much at fault as Hall for making that tasteless remark.

Also, do not attempt to defend Graham by using "it was a roast" as an excuse because by doing so, one is condoning the use of anything, including racial slurs, in the name of good humor. That is illogical and totally dis-respectful on the part of the roaster, who in this situation, failed to use professional courtesy and decorum.

In addition, I am surprised that in a room full of wrestling legends, Hall was the only one who had a set to stand up and say something about the lack of respect Graham was exuding. Nothing can justify anyone using Hart's name in that matter and what point exactly was Graham trying to make by using Hart's name? It was un-creative and wouldn't have been funny using anyone's name.

Did Hall go overboard in his standing-up for Hart's good name? Yes, but one needs to take into account that Hall actually knew Hart both professionally and personally and anyone one of us would have become defensive and acted in a similar matter had someone made a tasteless joke at the expense of a lost loved one who was killed in a tragic matter.

UPDATE: Graham claims in his newest blog that the remark he made was as follows, "After Sheik and Hacksaw Jim Duggan were caught sniffing coke in the parking lot, his {Sheik} career fell faster than Owen Hart."

That remark is more offensive than the initial reported remark, showing this guy Graham is a first class jerk and is lucky Hall was the only person with a set to stand-up for Owen. As for the rest of the wrestlers in that room who remained silent when that joke was told, I've lost a lot of respect for them.

Wrestling Recipes Week 6 - Xtreme Butternut Bonanza

Photo courtesy of WWE Magazine


Finding quick and healthy meals can be troublesome for a lot of people as there is simply not enough time in the day for most folks after a long day of work. That was until the "Charismatic Enigma" Jeff Hardy submitted his tasty and healthy dish to WWE Magazine for the March 2007 issue. In addition to being tasty and healthy, this dish takes less than 15 minutes to prepare and all one needs is three simple ingredients.

SOUTHERN FRIED SQUASH

INGREDIENTS:
*2 large butternut or yellow squash
*1/2 cup of cornmeal
*Cooking oil

DIRECTIONS:
1) Heat cooking oil in large skillet.
2) Slice squash into several pieces and place in a bowl with cornmeal.
3) Cover bowl and shake until squash is fully coated with cornmeal.
4) Carefully place slices of squash into skillet.
5) Cook for 10 minutes or until browned.
6) Stir occasionally.
7) Add salt and pepper to taste.

Victoria close to hanging up her wrestling boots?

Photo courtesy of wwe.com

Earlier today, I discovered some heart-breaking news in that second all-time favorite WWE Diva is close to retiring and that Diva in question happens to Victoria, who amazingly is 37-years old and has been on the main roster for six-years.

In her recent MySpace blog, Victoria said the following, "I have been doing my best to lay the Smackdown every Friday night. I hope everyone followed us to MyNetwork. Again, I am very thankful to have had a long and successful WWE career. Although between you and me, I think I have one more championship run left before I hang up the wrestling boots. What do you think?"

Yes, its going to suck when Victoria does decide to hang up her wrestling boots but she has left quite an impression and legacy amongst her fans. I vividly remember following her career when she was starting out in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), the WWE developmental territory at the time, under the name "Queen Victoria" and a member of "Revolution."

When she debuted in WWE as the "psycho-stalker" of Trish Stratus, who is my favorite Diva of all-time, I honestly thought the girl was crazy which meant she was either really good at portraying that character or she really was crazy. In this case, the less known, the better.

Even though Victoria was suppose to be the heel (bad girl) in the feud with Trish, I couldn't help but notice Victoria was quite attractive and had a killer body even though she was a bit crazy. In addition, her matches with Trish, such as the Survivor Series 2002 "Hardcore Match" where she won the WWE Women's Championship and the Chicago Street Fight against Trish on Raw, were two of the best matches in the history of WWE, male or female.

As a result of her crazy persona, the fans actually turned Victoria face by cheering for her and when Trish turned heel at Wrestlemania XX, Victoria found herself as the top-female face in the company. Oddly though, the thing that made Victoria popular in the first place was the first thing the creative geniuses scrapped from her character when she became a fan favorite.

Instead of crazy Victoria, fans were treated to a Victoria that smiled, kissed young boys in the audience on her way to the ring and danced upon coming out to her entrance music. It's no wonder why that version of Victoria fell-flat with fans (but not before shaving Molly Holly bald).

There was a small glimmer of hope when Victoria turned on Christy Hemme during a 2005 Raw event after losing a bikini contest and from her promo that night, it appeared the crazy Victoria was back. Unfortunately, it only lasted that night as after their match at Vengeance 2005, Victoria soon found herself as a sidekick to Torrie Wilson and Candice Michelle and hasn't had any main storylines since then. Rather, just a bunch of random, filler matches.

Despite the lack of storylines, Victoria has handled everything like a true professional, remaining in tip-top shape, never complaining about her lack of airtime, giving it her all in all her matches and recently opened "Black Widow Customs" car shop that has already done cars for two current WWE Superstars.

To conclude this entry, I would like to share with you a video that Victoria put on her official MySpace page and was created by youtube user "Stratusfaction911." The song is "This is My Now" by Jordin Sparks. Enjoy.

Florida Championship Wrestling Episode #1

Photo courtesy of Florida Championship Wrestling


Last month, I posted a blog that discussed "The Wrestler's Creed" of Florida Championship Wrestling, the official developmental territory of World Wrestling Entertainment. At the time of that post, FCW had yet to air on national television but had started taping shows to air on television in July of this year. That was until last week.

On Oct 2, it was reported by Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com that FCW would debut Oct. 5 on the Brighthouse Sports Network at 6 p.m. The channel is available to those who are Brighthouse Cable subscribers in the regional area but not to those who are satellite customers.

Since I live in Calif., I had no way of seeing this premiere nor did I even know it was airing until the other day when a youtube user posted several segments of the show, including the first match between Shawn Spears and T.J. Wilson.

After watching that match and the cool intro video, both of which you can see at the conclusion of this entry, I was left wanting more and asking myself why the heck isn't Wilson on the main WWE roster?

Another aspect of the show I like is that while it is showcasing future hopefuls of wrestling in today's era, the show has that old-school vibe to it with the sound stage that is reminiscent of the old World Championship Wrestling studio that had the various country flags around the ring and even better is having Dusty Rhodes on commentary.

Think about it....Sunday night wrestling at 6 p.m. with Dusty Rhodes on commentary. I feel like a four-year old fan again and that's a good thing.

As promised and as a special bonus, here is the ENTIRE first episode of FCW in chronological order, courtesy of youtube user "KaceCC." Enjoy!


FCW Video Intro



Card Rundown



Ric Flair Speech



Shawn Spears vs. T.J. Wilson



6-Person Tag-Match



Nic Nemeth vs. Greg Jackson



John Cena addresses the crowd



FCW Championship - Jake Hager vs. Heath Miller

Thoughts on the Raven/Kanyon/Sanders lawsuit against WWE

Earlier today, I read an article on the Connecticut Employment Law Blog that detailed the ongoing lawsuit against World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) filed by wrestlers Scott "Raven" Levy, Chris "Kanyon" Klucsartits and Mike Sanders.

Basically, these three men, all former employees of WWE and WCW, are claiming that they were improperly classified as "independent contractors" and not employees. The basis of WWE's counter argument is that pro wrestlers don't have a legal claim and even if they did, those claims are barred by statute of limitations.

I'm sorry but this lawsuit reeks of "bitter ex-employee syndrome." Maybe its just me but let's consider whose bringing this lawsuit. It has been well documented that Mr. Levy (pictured below) had a near two decade drug addiction, taking up to as many as 200 pills A DAY and was released the first time by WWE in the mid 1990's as a result of his drug addiction. As a result of this reckless habit, Mr. Levy began suffering from a serious thyroid condition in 2005 that resulted in a massive weight gain and most likely has no money as a result of his drug spending habit and medical bills.


All photos courtesy of obsessedwithwrestling.com

Mr. Klucsartits (pictured below) claimed that WWE released him from his contract as a result of him being gay but he didn't come out of the closet until months after his WWE release in 2003, the same year Mr. Levy was released a second time from the company, and I don't think he has done anything since, other than hyping and making the big announcement about his sexual preference.



Mr. Sanders (pictured below) didn't even make it to the main roster in WWE during his time in the company as he was a part of a group of WCW wrestlers that included Evan Karagias, Elix Skipper, Jimmy Yang, Kaz Hayashi, Reno and Kwee Wee that were released in December 2001 without appearing on WWE television after WWE bought WCW (trainers Brian Adams and Haku were also released).



Mr. Sanders and the group of wrestlers he was released with spent their entire duration in the company in Heartland Wrestling Assocation (HWA) which was one of two developmental territories for the WWE at the time, the other of which was Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW).

The last anyone heard of Mr. Sanders in professional wrestling was when he was a part of Vince Russo's Sports Entertainment Extreme (S.E.X.) stable in Total Nonstop Action (TNA) wrestling from late 2002-03 and is now a stand-up comedian.

I just find it odd that these three men were so upset and distraught with their releases some five-seven years ago that they are just now bringing this lawsuit to light, especially since Mr. Levy wrestled in TNA from 2003-2006 and was the heavyweight champion at one point.

One would think that if this lawsuit had any merit or if what they claim was that big of a problem for all wrestlers, there would be more names lined-up to do something about it besides these ex-mid carders and curtain jerker.

I honestly don't see these gentlemen being successful with this lawsuit, especially given Mr. Levy's drug history and just seems like a desperate ploy by three men who have no money.

Another thing to consider is that should these men be successful with this lawsuit, this could set a precedent and slippery slope that any former wrestler who wasted their money on drugs, sex and alcohol could now ask for compensation for wasting their money on frivolous things.

I'm surprised these gentlemen haven't tabbed Charles "Konnan" Ashenoff to be a co-plaintiff in this lawsuit since he likes suing anyone who doesn't agree with him and his views.