In the interview, Smith, who was suspended 30-days for his first violation of the company's Wellness Policy a little over a year ago, stated the following, "Well, this may sound kind of brash, but I think that I'm better than all of them. Joe Hennig is good. Ted DiBiase Jr. has certainly worked hard enough to get to his position, but they aren't from the dungeon...It's only going to be a matter of time before I go up to Smackdown and then, I'm going to show the wrestling world exactly why I am the past, present and future."
Smackdown lead-announcer Jim Ross touched on this subject on his official blog by stating, "Bold statement in a recent newspaper interview by D.H. Smith that he is the best second generation wrestler in WWE today. I like the young man's confidence and after seeing him this week, he looks physically ready to go...I suspect that Smith will debut on Smackdown in the next few weeks but that is speculation only."
I usually don't like people who talk before showing it but in this case, I agree with Smith. This man has been wrestling professional for six-to-seven years and it hasn't been in the independents. Rather, Smith, who is a graduate of the legendary "Hart Family Dungeon," has honed his craft and skills by wrestling all over the world in Japan, Europe, Mexico and anywhere else there is wrestling, something William Regal was very impressed with.
How can anyone argue against what Smith said especially when one watches his matches from Japan and researches the fact that WWE wanted to sign him back in 2002 when he was 15 or 16-years old, an offer Smith politely refused, stating he wanted to gain more experience before coming aboard, something WWE was very impressed with.
I just hope these comments don't upset the higher ups in WWE and ruin what could be a new generation Hart Foundation as just this past week at the Smackdown tapings, Smith and TJ Wilson, known as "The Canadian Bulldogs," wrestled a dark match against the WWE Tag Team Champions, Carlito and Primo Colon, and had Smackdown Diva Natalya as their manager.
It's like Kid Rock says in his song "Cocky,"........"They say I'm cocky and I say what? It ain't bragging if you do it and back it up!"
This past Tuesday night, the FX channel aired the series finale of "The Shield," which was an American-police drama series known for its controversial portrayal of corrupt police officers and was originally advertised as "Rampart," which was a reference to the true life Rampart Division police scandal, which the shows Strike Team was loosely based upon.
Anyway, during the finale, there was a scene that struck a cord with professional wrestling fans and that was because the scene was based on the real-life murder/suicide case of Chris Benoit and his family.
In the scene that aired, one of the main characters, Shane Vendrell, killed himself and his family in to order to prevent any of them from suffering because of the hole Vendrell dug himself into throughout the series.
Ultimately, Vendrell overdoses his pregnant wife and son with painkillers that were placed in their drinks and places them on a bed with flowers and toys in their hands. The bodies lay peacefully on the bed with their hands on their chest, which is eerily reminiscent of the real life Benoit murder-suicide incident and then, Vendrell kills himself with a gun.
The creator of the show, Shawn Ryan, said the original script called for Vendrell to get caught by police but told the writers to make the scene similar to what Benoit did last summer.
I'm sorry but I think Ryan should have just stuck with the original script mainly because a lot of viewers were waiting for the corrupt officers to get what was coming to them. I know television shows do something like this all the time where the creator gets inspiration from real-life events but this one was in bad taste, mainly because two innocent people lost their lives for no reason.
I am surprised no one has stepped up and mentioned anything about this, considering how every major news outlet had their teeth sunk into the case last summer when it was revealed Benoit killed his family and then himself.
I know Ryan is going to claim creative license and all that stuff but he should have exercised better judgment. But, what can anyone do who has a complaint? The show is over and not coming back so I guess Ryan was smart and saved a controversial topic for the end.
Now that the holiday season is officially here, its time for last minute Christmas shopping, tons of food and both business and family gatherings. This weeks recipe is a perfect way to entertain guests at any gathering and is sure to get people in the Christmas Spirit and if you really want to make it a night they won't forget, record their actions after they drink this remedy and post it on YouTube.
RATED-R HOLIDAY EGG NOG
Ingredients: *6 eggs *1/2 cup rum *2 cups heavy cream *1/2 cup brandy *1 cup milk *1/2 cup whiskey *1 cup sugar *1 tbsp nutmeg
Directions: 1) Whip eggs. 2) Mix cream, milk, sugar. 3) Add rum, brandy, whiskey. 4) Top with Nutmeg and serve warm.
*Before I begin, I would like to wish all those who read this daily blog a Happy Thanksgiving and if your going shopping tomorrow on Black Friday.....Good luck!"
To show he wasn't bluffing, McMahon has pulled Jimmy Hart, who serves as one of the judges on Hogan's show, from the "Road to Wrestlemania" promotional events and are claiming they will never use him again, which came as a shock to Hart, who received permission from WWE after asking them if he could participate in the show before it began taping its episodes.
In addition, it was also reported that other people in WWE are not too happy with Hogan's show as they feel it exposes the business in a way it shouldn't and McMahon's feathers have been so ruffled by Hogan's show that he doesn't want anyone who works with CCW to come to WWE events or talk with their talents.
All I can say is McMahon needs to get over himself and his freaking ego. How exactly is Hogan's show exposing the business in a way it shouldn't? Unless one has been living under a rock the last two-decades or longer, everyone knows that professional wrestling is scripted and the matches are choreographed after going through extensive training to perform said moves.
How exactly is Hogan's show, which has Hogan's friends Ed "Brutus Beefcake" Leslie and Brian Knobs as coaches training celebrities to do mini matches in front of a live audience, different from McMahon's reality show, "Tough Enough," that aired for three seasons on MTV from 2001-2003 and showed the contestants being trained to wrestle by WWE wrestlers in the hopes of winning a WWE contract?
There isn't other than the fact that Hogan's show is not associated with WWE and is one of the highest rated shows on the Country Music Televsion [CMT] channel, which has apparently bruised McMahon's ego.
I'm sorry but I have no sympathy for McMahon in this case as he is the one that opened this can of worms of exposing the business by publicly admitting in 1989 that his company's wrestling bouts were indeed scripted and McMahon did this to avoid having his company labeled as a sporting event and having to pay a sporting event tax.
As far as not wanting to work with anyone who appears on Hogan's show, I hope McMahon is not serious and realizes how childish he sounds. Guys like Knobs and Leslie have to find a way to make a living as their bodies have paid the price for being a professional wrestler and what exactly would McMahon like for any of his former wrestlers to do after their wrestling careers are over?
Also, how exactly is McMahon going to monitor who his employees are talking to when they are traveling and at home? Is he going to pull a "Homeland Security" and invoke his own "Patriot Act" that would allow him to tap all their phones and personal computers? Am I the only one detecting a hint of paranoia on McMahon's part?
McMahon must honestly believe that Hogan's little reality show federation is competition and a legitimate threat to his WWE empire to allow his ego to be ruffled worse than it was during "The Monday Night Wars" against Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling [WCW].
Why can't McMahon just sit back like all of the viewers and enjoy Hogan's show for what its...a simple, good entertainment show that passes an hour quickly?
According to the report, McCool had an altercation backstage with fellow diva Maryse, which Jim Ross alluded to in his blog that it was over being in the make-up chair, and as a result of the altercation, Maryse hasn't been featured on Smackdown and made only her second appearance on television at this past weekends Survivor Series, with her only other appearance being the 800th Raw Celebration episode on Nov. 3.
In addition, when the company went on their European tour a couple of weeks back, Maryse was completely left off of the double Smackdown taping in England [but did participate in non-televised events] and Maria was given her spot of being the number one contender to McCool's title on television.
Maryse is now the second diva McCool has rubbed the wrong way, with the first being an incident with Natalya over the summer when McCool told the eight-year wrestling veteran the "proper" way to wrestle a match.
Honestly, who the heck does McCool think she is? Just because she is dating and banging the Undertaker in real life doesn't mean she is Gods gift to the WWE or the Divas division. In fact, McCool isn't just awful in the ring, McCool is the worst diva in the entire company and does not deserve the spot or push she has received.
Who the heck is McCool to be giving advice to someone like Natalya, who graduated from "The Dungeon" and is the daughter of Jim Neidhart? Honestly, McCool starts dating Undertaker and overnight, understands the whole industry and how to put on a good match? What-freaking-ever!
As for Maryse, I am really disappointed the company has taken this out on her because she has vastly improved her skills over the last few months and has become a joy to watch in the ring. She is the most over diva on Smackdown heel wise and her heel smile is reminiscent of a heel Trish Stratus.
I hope McCool is put in her place soon as getting the diva treatment from riding Undertaker is going to her head and if Undertaker was any kind of true locker-room leader, he would have a word with her, telling her she needs to change her attitude.
Just this past week, the official DVD cover art for "Starrcade...The Essential Collection" was released and has been met with mixed reviews. Some wrestling fans love the cover, saying it is one of World Wrestling Entertainment's [WWE] best over the last year and is tight.
On the other hand, others have bashed the cover, citing Sting being front-and-center on the cover rather than Ric Flair or Dusty Rhodes, who those fans say were a bigger part of Jim Crockett Promotions [JCP] than Sting and that this has to be a marketing decision and not a wrestling decision.
I think that the fans criticizing this cover need to stop being so judgmental. What is not to like about this cover? The color scheme is eye catching, the logo is hard to miss and three legendary figures who made their names outside of WWE, one of which NEVER worked for WWE but is front-and-center, are on the cover.
Personally, when I think of WCW, the first name that comes to my mind is Sting because he was the reason I started watching WCW in the first place and not Rhodes or Flair, as I affiliate them more with the JCP/NWA era than the WCW era.
I think WWE was in a catch-22 situation on this cover. They put Sting front-and-center and some people are complaining that its not Flair or Rhodes. I personally feel that if Flair or Rhodes had been put front-and-center on the cover and Sting was in the background, fans would be screaming at the top of their lungs that Vince McMahon was trying to bury Sting, who most would agree was and is WCW, because he never worked for Vince's company.
I guess Sting's catchphrase would be appropriate here....The only thing for sure about professional wrestling fans is that nothings for sure.
On Feb. 1, 2000, Page Joseph Falkinburg, better known to professional wrestling fans as "Diamond Dallas Page," released his self-autobiography titled, "Positively Page...The Diamond Dallas Page Journey." Since that release date, I have tried my darnedest to track down a copy of this book, especially after one reviewer stated, "If DDP never makes it to Wrestlemania, it would be the equivalent of Charles Barkley never winning an National Basketball Assocation [NBA] championship."
However, I was only a sophomore in high school at the time and was too busy with honor prep courses and basketball to devote enough outside time to reading the lengthy 443-pages. There were several times in 2000 that I would walk into a bookstore and see the book sitting on the shelf and would read a few pages but wouldn't pluck down the $27-$35 the bookstore was seeking for the hardcover edition, which was the only edition available.
The year went by and a year later in March 2001, World Wrestling Entertainment [WWE] bought World Championship Wrestling [WCW] and the book became scarce. The last time I remember seeing the book at a place like Borders or Waldenbooks was maybe Dec. 2001 while Christmas shopping and again, I left the book there.
Nearly nine-years later since its release and seven years since I saw it in a bookstore, I finally have this gem in my wrestling book collection and paid a grand total of. . . .$9.48. That's right, $9.48, shipping included, for the book in brand new condition from a seller on amazon.com. Don't believe me, check out the pictures and enjoy:
I would like to continue typing but I got to get started on my reading.
In the cease-and-desist letter sent to Leslie, WWE claims they own the trademark to the Beefcake name and that Leslie stopped using the Beefcake name when he went to work for World Championship Wrestling [WCW] in 1995. Leslie stated in the article that the cease-and-desist letter is rubbish and has been using the Beefcake name since 2000 and hasn't heard a word or peep from WWE until now.
I can see why Leslie is upset with the letter sent by WWE and a lot of people will jump on WWE and make them out to be the bad guy because its cool and "in thing" now-a-days to hate on whatever is successful but I honestly don't have a problem with WWE doing this because they are simply protecting their intellectual property that they own and are the only ones who should be legally making money off of the Beefcake name.
Leslie does not own the Beefcake name and it is highly unlikely he was going to send WWE any percentage of the paychecks he gets from working on the reality show. As a result, WWE is well within their legal rights to disallow the use of the Beefcake name on Hogan's reality show as its their decision on how, when and where the name is used.
When Leslie had to change his name when he went to WCW, he should have realized then that WWE owned the Beefcake name and shouldn't be surprised nearly a decade-and-a-half later this is coming up.
Of course, some people won't see it this way and will continue to say that WWE is only doing this because Leslie is using the name on Hogan's show, which isn't affiliated with WWE, and that WWE is mad they aren't getting any plugs on the show by Hogan, Leslie, Jimmy Hart, Brian Knobs and Eric Bischoff.
To those people, I would like them to think about and answer this question....If you had your own company and owned certain trademarks, would you want someone using your trademarks elsewhere to make a profit without you getting anything in return? I thought not.
In this photo provided by wwe.com from the inside of the DVD case that features a collage of past Intercontinental Championship holders, there is one individual who did not belong on this collage due to him never being an Intercontinental champion.
The answer is simple and lies in the fact that the person who made the collage didn't do his or her homework. Whoever put the collage together thought that the photo of Roberts was a photo of the first IC Champion Pat Patterson, which one can understand when comparing the photo of Roberts used to the photo of Patterson used in the updated/correct collage second-wave releases for the dvd set [pictured below and provided by wwe.com].
Second-wave corrected collage
To read more about this story, click HERE to read the article up at wwe.com
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I figured it would only be appropiate that today's entry would feature a possible desert to serve along side pumpkin pie, stuffing and turkey on turkey/football day. In an issue of WWE Magazine earlier this year, then-World Wrestling Entertainment [WWE] Diva Kara "Cherry" Drew [pictured above] offered up her recipe for a Cherry Pie that she claims is a "crowd-pleaser everytime she makes it for a special occasion."
SLICE OF HEAVEN CHERRY PIE
INGREDIENTS: *1 pre-made pie shell *1 egg *1 cup of water *3 cups fresh pitted cherries *3 tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca *1 cup sugar *2 tbsp. butter
DIRECTIONS: 1) Combine cherries, tapioca, butter and sugar in large bowl. 2) Place mixture into bottom half of pie shell. 3) Roll out the top crust until its about an eighth of an inch thick and cover pie filling with it. 4) Mix your egg with one cup of water and coat outside section of the top crust. 5) Bake at 450-degrees for 25-35 minutes.
Yesterday, I read several posts on a wrestling message board that were grumbling about the new John Cena shirt [pictured above] due to what they called "lack of creativity" on the graphic design team at World Wrestling Entertainment [WWE].
Basically, Cena haters were upset that his newest shirt design is based on the old-school American Wrestling Association [AWA] logo and given an updated look to represent Cena and his catchphrases, which naturally to them, makes the shirt "lame" and "uncool" because it involves Cena.
These people need to grow up and get a life away from the keyboard. I personally love these type of shirts that take an old-school design or concept and give it an updated, new-school look, especially when its treated with RESPECT as in this case.
If anything, this shirt gives the AWA a nationwide shout-out in the year 2008 and pays homage to old-school wrestling, which may get younger fans to ask questions about the AWA as one knows an old school fan will point out the logo to them, which makes it the best of both worlds.
Hopefully, this shirt is a sign that WWE will start making more AWA related merchandise as it appears the dispute with Vern Gagne is apparently settled and while I would love to purchase this shirt, it still doesn't top Cena's "NES Pro Wrestling" shirt that featured him as an 8-bit character from the game. That is one shirt I will own one day when it goes on sale, as I will with this shirt.
Earlier this morning, someone told me that today, Nov. 19, marks the 18-year anniversary of the Undertaker [pictured above] in World Wrestling Entertainment [WWE]. However, I thought the person didn't know what they were talking about since Undertaker didn't debut on WWE programming until the 1990 Survivor Series, which was Nov. 22, 1990, making this person's claim three days too soon.
Immediately, I got online and began doing research on the subject, which meant viewing the "History of the WWE" website, and was shocked as to what I learned in that on this day 18-years ago, the Undertaker first wrestled in a WWE ring at the then "WWF Superstars" taping in Rochester, New York, working under the name "Cain the Undertaker."
Undertaker would win a squash match over Mario Mancini but the match didn't air on television until mid-Dec., which was nearly a full month after his appearance at the Survivor Series, which most fans believe to be his WWE debut match. I guess it's true what they say. . . . .you learn something new everyday.
As a bonus, here is the match in question against Mancini courtesy of YouTube user "Dotheoz1."
Honestly, I am sorta shocked that Estrada was released but it shouldn't have been that big of a surprise, especially when one considers that the WWE creative team had more for him to do when he was the mouthpiece manager for Umaga and once replaced as the General Manager of ECW, had very little to do, other than jobbing to Colin Delaney and Braden Walker.
I personally feel that if the company had kept him as a manager instead of an in-ring performer [let's be honest, he was ripped but very limited in his wrestling skills], this wouldn't have happened. I feel that what doomed Estrada was the fact that when Umaga and him first debuted on Raw, Estrada got himself "over" with the crowd, something Vince McMahon and the creative team didn't think too fond of.
Basically, the crowd began chanting in stereo along with Estrada everytime he introduced himself by saying, "My name is ARMANDO....ALEJANDRO....ESSSSTTTTRRRRAADDDAA," which Vince frowned on because Estrada was suppose to be a "heel" and not have the crowd like him, hence putting an end to Estrada's in-ring introduction, which in turn, took away from Estrada's personality and the crowd stopped caring about him.
Had McMahon and the creative people put Estrada with someone else after his time with Umaga ran its course, Estrada could have easily done the same for someone who had limited microphone skills. Also, one cannot help but think how much more "over" Estrada would have been hand McMahon not put an end to his in-ring introduction.
Sadly, and this has been expected for several years now, this release confirms the fact that the role of a traditional manager in WWE, and pro wrestling in general, is dead. I cannot think of the last time when either WWE or Total Nonstop Action [TNA] had a wrestler with a real manager, meaning they had someone who themselves wasn't a wrestler on the side.
I would have to go all the way back to Paul Bearer to think of the last traditional manager and no disrespect to Bearer, that just shows how endangered a species the traditional manager was in professional wrestling.
With one of the traditional World Wrestling Entertainment [WWE] pay-per-views coming up this Sunday in Survivor Series, I thought I would share with you my favorite Survivor Series intro of all-time via YouTube.
The clip below is from the 1989 Survivor Series event, at which time I was five-years old and remember watching the event with all my relatives at my uncle's house. This was the time when wrestling was excellent and still believable as one did not know everything the wrestlers did to create their magic.
What I love about this clip is that the introduction itself gets any fan pumped up for the event, even though the event happened nearly two decades ago! As for the event itself, I still say this is the best Survivor Series event, top-to-bottom, in the history of Survivor Series, with the original event from 1987 coming in a close second.
Over at the World Wrestling Entertainment [WWE] website, there is an ongoing poll for fans to vote on the new Chris Jericho t-shirt. Below are the options one can choose from by clicking here:
Option #1 [All photos courtesy of wwe.com]
Option #2
Option #3
Personally, I am not voting in this poll because I do not like any of these shirts as they remind me of the shirts one can get a Wal-Mart for under $10. That is not a knock on Wal-Mart but rather, a knock on WWE for being lazy not producing a top of the line shirt they are perfectly capable of for Jericho, who is the current World Heavyweight Champion on Raw.
I think that for future polls on clothing items, WWE should add a "none of the above" option and if that vote gets the majority, its back to the drawing board for the people in the graphic department, which should have happened here.
Truthfully, I've seen bootlegged shirts at Flea Markets that look a lot better than these.
Ever since the internet became a popular source for news gossip about professional wrestling, fans who think they know everything, "smart marks," have berated and bad-mouthed World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Triple H [pictured above] mainly because of his position in the company and marriage to WWE owner Vince McMahon's daughter Stephanie, to which all I have to say to those people is "get over it!"
This afternoon, I read an interesting letter sent in to the Wrestling Observer newsletter from a from in London, England, who wanted to let readers of the Observer know about what Triple H did during the company's tour of London last week.
"Hi Guys, I took my family to see WWE Smackdown at the O2 house show in London on Monday and felt compelled to write about Triple H. I have never been a great fan of his and I know many people have questioned the reasons behind his position within the company. However he gained great respect for me on Monday night after his disqualification win over Vladamir Kozlov. After the match he played with the crowd etc.... On his way back though, he stopped, climbed up a wall and over a barrier to shake hands and high five the disabled people in the disabled section. This for me speaks volume about Triple H the man, which does not get reported often enough. I would appreciate it if this was published. Many thanks. Kind Regards, Chris Sousa-Phipps"
This is just further proof that the men and women of the WWE are the greatest and most humble athletes on the planet, going to great lengths to please the live-crowds every night and to send them home happy. Sadly, no major news or sports media outlet will report on this because of their extreme disgust and bias towards professional wrestling because its not a "real" sport but ask yourself this.....When was the last time "real" sports icons such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Bret Favre, Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter did something like that?
If you have to pause and think, you have your answer [and its less than one].....Never!
Even though he fell well short of breaking the Honky Tonk Man's record setting 64 week Intercontinental Championship title reign, Raw Superstar Santino Marella can still be proud of his recipe for "Goomba Gourmet" that appeared in an issue of WWE Magazine earlier this year. This meal, which can be made in a pinch, features a homemade sauce that Mr. Marella claims is "the best one will ever have."
DIRECTIONS: 1) Season pork with oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. 2) Lightly coat the bottom of a frying pan in olive oil and warm over medium heat. 3) Add your pork chops and cook each side until brown. 4) Serve alongside quick sauce and pasta.
[Quick Sauce] INGREDIENTS: *5 home grown or organic tomatoes, diced. *1 large white onion, diced. *Extra Virgin Olive Oil *2 pieces of garlic, minced *Ground pepper *Sea salt *Shredded Asiago *Parmesan Cheese
DIRECTIONS: 1) Coat bottom of frying pan with olive oil and warm over medium heat. 2) Add minced garlic and diced onion, saute until golden brown. 3) Add tomatoes and cook on low heat for 20 minutes with dashes of sea salt and ground pepper to taste. 4) Serve over linguine or whole wheat pasta and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Sunday, November 13, 2005 is a day that I will never forget. My twenty-first birthday had been four days earlier and I had just returned to the CSU Monterey Bay campus the day before from a basketball road trip at UCLA, where we had been crushed 101-40.
On the morning in question, I slept in until about 10 or 11 a.m. and put the television on NFL football as I always do during NFL season. I proceeded to turn my computer on and once loaded, made my usual rounds on the internet, checking my email and stuff like that.
While surfing the net, I saw a thread on a message board that said “Eddie Guerrero dead at the age of 38.” Naturally, I didn’t even open the thread as I thought it was some prankster or noob playing a cruel joke and just looking for attention. After shaking my head in disgust, I went over to wwe.com and nothing could have prepared me for what I saw on their front page.
In big, bold white letters next a picture of him, was the headline “Eddie Guerrero Found Dead This Morning.” I felt my heart sink. I just couldn’t believe it. I still didn’t believe it until I went to Yahoo.com and on their front page, under headlines, it said “Pro Wrestler Guerrero Found Dead,” and the reality hit. . . Eddie Guerrero was gone.
I screamed out “NO” and began crying uncontrollably for at least twenty minutes, if not more. I was thinking to myself, “With all the stuff he’s been through and how hard he fought to get his life back, how can he be dead?” I hadn’t cried this hard in a long time and what was strange was that I had never met the man but here I was, weeping over his passing. I think that speaks volumes of how many people Guerrero touched during his wrestling career.
About an hour later, WWE.com posted a video of a press conference of WWE owner Vince McMahon and Eddie’s nephew, Chavo Guerrero (who wrestled for WWE as well) saying that Eddie had been found dead on the floor in a Minneapolis hotel room that morning. Chavo said that he had talked to Eddie the night before and everything was great as Eddie had just celebrated his fourth year of being clean and sober.
Chavo went on to say that when Eddie didn’t answer his wake-up call or come down for breakfast, he knew something was wrong. He tried calling Eddie on his cell but there was no answer and none of the other wrestlers had seen Eddie either. Finally, Chavo got a maid to open Eddie’s room door and there was Eddie, on the floor with his toothbrush in his mouth. He had dropped dead while brushing his teeth.
McMahon went on to announce that he was changing the format of the Raw and Smackdown shows that were to be taped that night into Tribute Shows for Eddie and anyone who wanted to wrestle tribute matches for him could do so.
The next night on Raw, there was not a dry eye inside the TargetCenter. The audience was in tears, the wrestlers and divas were in tears and I too was in tears for I cried the whole two hours as the wrestlers and divas gave farewell speeches to Eddie, recalled fond memories of him and aired several music video tributes (which you can view below) and career highlights.
"Here Without You" by 3 Doors Down
"Hurt" by Johnny Cash
An autopsy would reveal that Eddie had died as the result of acute heart failure, caused by an undiagnosed arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease and enlargement of the heart as a result of prior anabolic steroid abuse. In addition, Eddie’s blood vessels had shriveled up to the point of being extremely thing and Eddie simply dropped into a deep sleep.
For those of you wondering who Eddie Guerrero was, allow me to give you a quick education. Eddie Guerrero was born into the wrestling industry as he was the son of legendary Mexican wrestler Gory Guerrero. Eddie’s in-ring character was that of a crafty, resourceful wrestler who would do anything to win his match and lived by the motto “I Lie, I Cheat, I Steal.” Even though he was a heel for a majority of his career, the crowd could not help but love Guerrero and made him one of the most popular wrestlers in professional wrestling history.
Throughout his decorated career that included wrestling in Japan, Mexico, Europe and the United States for ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling), WCW (World Championship Wrestling) and WWE, Eddie’s personal demons were too powerful to overcome and he encountered various substance abuse problems, including addictions to alcohol and pain killers, which he started turning to in order to fill a void inside of him as he felt he had accomplished everything in his wrestling career he could.
In his autobiography, Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story, Eddie recalled a time where he almost killed himself in a car crash on New Years Eve 1998 when he took five capfuls of Renutrient, a legal form of GHB that promotes fat reduction and muscle building by stimulating growth hormone release, and was thrown a hundred feet from his car after falling asleep at the wheel and taking a curve at 130 miles-per-hour. After that near-death experience, Eddie would overdose twice more in a one month span on various drugs and didn’t think anything was wrong.
After leaving WCW for WWE in January 2000, Eddie would hit rock-bottom in November 2001 when he was released from WWE following an arrest for a DUI, which caused his wife, Vickie, to file for divorce. At the time, the head of WWE’s Talent Roster, Jim Ross, told Eddie to his face, “Can you blame her? You’re a Goddamn Drug Addict!”
The losing of his family and his job finally opened Eddie’s eyes and as a result, began picking the pieces of his life up one day at a time. Eddie entered rehab and after proving himself to management, was rehired by the WWE in April 2002. Upon his return, Eddie began having five-star matches every night, stealing the show in most cases, and it was clear that this was a different Eddie Guerrero. This was the Eddie Guerrero who made a name for himself in Japan, Mexico, ECW and WCW. This was the Eddie Guerrero the fans knew about and for that, they welcomed him back with open arms.
On February 15, 2004, Eddie reached the top of the WWE when he became the second Mexican born wrestler to become WWE Champion (the first being Pedro Morales) as he defeated the 6’4”, 290-pound Brock Lesnar at the No Way Out pay-per-view at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Eddie, who stood 5’11” and weighed 225 pounds, was the lightest WWE Champion in history and the celebration and ovation he received that night brought tears to everyone’s eyes and not a person was sitting down.
I just wanted to give everyone a heads up on the two BONUS DISCS that are attached with the new "Viva La Raza: The Legacy of Eddie Guerrero" dvd, which eerily has been released two days before the three-year anniversary of Guerrero's untimely passing.
A few weeks ago, I posted the match listings for the dvd along with the news that folks in the United Kingdom would receive a fourth bonus disc with both the Raw and Smackdown tribute shows while folks in Canada would have to go to two separate stores and purchase the set twice due to the shows being on two discs but exclusive to one of the stores.
At the time of the news, there was no mention of a Bonus disc for the folks in the United States and everyone just assumed that we would get the standard three-disc set. Just like the War in Iraq, we were wrong.
Yesterday, wrestling fans flocked to their local "Best Buy" and "F.Y.E." stores to snag up the Guerrero dvd due to the Best Buy being the retailer in the U.S. that has the bonus disc of the Raw Tribute show, while F.Y.E. is the U.S. retailer that has the bonus disc of the Smackdown Tribute show.
However, one needs to be aware of the following in regards to the bonus disc and packaging. If you are looking for the four-disc set at either store, make sure that the front of the dvd has a sticker that reads "4 DISC" and has the name of the respective tribute show. Also, if your looking for the Smackdown disc, make sure the disc is onpack and visible at the back of the dvd.
Now, please be aware that there are several differences between the original airings of these tribute shows from 2005 and these official releases. First and foremost, Chris Benoit has been completely edited out of both shows. His Smackdown match with Triple H is non-existent and anytime Benoit was highly visible on the opening of the Raw show, the WWE home video department edited in crowd or unused shots of the other wrestlers on stage.
In addition, several things have been moved around and edited in on the Raw show. Some unused footage, such as Ric Flair's post match celebration and a moment of time from the announcers) have been added in, while others (such as Benoit, Stephanie McMahon and oddly, Rey Mysterio's remembering segments) have been taken out.
On the Smackdown show, a six-minute long "remembering" segments from both William Regal and Dean Malenko have been added in and the show has been reorganized so that Chavo Guerrero vs. JBL is the main event, instead of Benoit vs. Triple H. Lastly, any mainstream music used on both shows from artist such as Johnny Cash, 3 Doors Down and a few entrance themes have been dubbed over due to copyrights.
The matches selected by the fans in the voting began airing this month on "WWE Classics on Demand" as a part of the "Essential Starrcade" countdown to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the event. The matches are airing in groups of five, beginning with #25 and going down from there.
Just last night, the good people over at highspots.com released the official match listing for the 3-disc Starrcade dvd set WWE is scheduled to release in Jan. 2009. However, one should be aware that these matches are the exact same matches currently airing on "Classics on Demand" and if one doesn't want to be spoiled as to the rest of the line-up, do not scroll down or look at this until three-weeks from now. Onto the listing:
Starrcade November 26, 1987 - NWA World Tag Team Championship Road Warriors vs. Arn Anderson / Tully Blanchard Alternate Commentary: Todd Grisham / Road Warrior Animal
Starrcade December 13, 1989 - Iron Man Singles Tournament Sting vs. Ric Flair
Starrcade November 24, 1983 - Dog Collar Match Greg Valentine vs. Roddy Piper
Starrcade November 27, 1986 - Scaffold Match Road Warriors vs. The Midnight Express Alternate Commentary: Todd Grisham / Road Warrior Animal
Starrcade December 28, 1997 - WCW World Heavyweight Championship Sting vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan
Starrcade November 24, 1983 - Steel Cage Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship Ric Flair vs. Harley Race
Starrcade November 28, 1985 - Steel Cage "I Quit Match" for the NWA United States Championship Magnum T.A. vs. Tully Blanchard
Starrcade December 27, 1993 - WCW World Heavyweight Championship - Ric Flair's Career Is On the Line Ric Flair vs. Vader
I personally feel this is a solid line-up and worth adding to any wrestling collector's library. Old school fans will moan and complain that most of these matches are available on other various videos and dvd's and that they already own them but to fans that are 25-years old and younger, this is an excellent complication of matches to celebrate the event that was the precursor to Wrestlemania.
However, I do have one complaint about the match listing and that is the Starrcade 1998 triple threat Cruiserweight title match between Mysterio, Billy Kidman and Juventud Guerrera was left off. It baffles me beyond belief that the last great wrestling match of the Starrcade event was not voted on by the fans and failed to the make the cut but Guerrero vs. Ohtani did.
While the first two weren't a total surprise to me as Yada was just there for eye-candy and Dykstra reportedly had a bad attitude and was an immature 22-year old, I was blown away by the fact that Burke, who I personally feel is a future main-eventer [and TNA would be wise to snatch him up], was released because the wonderful geniuses on the WWE Creative Team couldn't think of anything for him and told him to stay home the last few months.
It baffles me beyond belief that a natural talent like Burke, who has ability, charisma and was hand chosen by Vince McMahon to be the face of the new "ECW" in early 2007, can be let go but guys like Snitsky, Ryan Braddock, Val Venis, who have no purpose in the company, are still employed. I like Venis as a wrestler but let's be honest, he hasn't been relevant since his Intercontinental Championship run in the summer of 2000 with Trish Stratus as his manager and hasn't done anything in almost a decade, yet is still employed.
On the bright side, Burke is still young at age 30 and will most likely be brought back once WWE finishes their annual winter cleaning and adds more to his repertoire. In addition, Burke seems upbeat about his release as he stated the following in his recent blog:
"My time is at hand. Do not weep, nor mourn, for I am gone but 4(up) a while. Hold on to that which I gave you, share it in laughter with those around you. For I have landed but for a brief refueling, for the course YOUR Pope takes is far far away. Your Pope smiles as he writes this knowing that peace is filled within, to all within the Congregation, NOW the true test begin! And remember, MY COMEBACK SHALL BE GREATER THAN MY SETBACK!~ The Pope Has Spoken!"
As a tribute to Mr. Burke, here is a custom titantron created by YouTube user "JBZA2003." Enjoy:
Earlier today, I logged into my YouTube account to see if member "KaceCC" had uploaded the newest Florida Championship Wrestling [FCW] videos to his page and was shocked to see that not only were there no videos, the YouTube Nazi's got to him as his account is now suspended, meaning no more Florida Championship Wrestling here on Sunday's.
I will never understand why YouTube or World Wrestling Entertainment [WWE] feel the need to remove videos such as these when they air on public television. I understand the FCW shows are a part of the WWE banner but having the videos on YouTube give those fans who don't live the Florida area a chance to see the shows and some great up-and-coming talents before they appear on one of the main rosters. Why ruin that for your fans?
November 15, 1988 may not mean much significance to the majority of the people in the world, but to me, this day forever holds a special place in my heart for the fact that six days after my fourth birthday, my grandfather, who unfortunately passed away in April 2007 after a seven-year battle with Alzheimer's, got me tickets to see my first live professional wrestling event, which was a World Wrestling Federation show at the legendary Cow Palace in San Francisco, Calif.
Only a few years ago did I found out that I was lucky enough to have sat through several television tapings and close to five hours of then non-stop WWF action.
Being only four-years old at the time of the event, I only remember a few things from that night. I remember wearing a a blue shirt that said "Hulk Jr" in sparkling gold letters, which I wore under my yellow "Hulk Rules" tanktop my dad bought me at the event that night.
The other thing I remember, other than the event ending really late, was waiting all night just to see Hulk Hogan wrestle, as he was my childhood hero. When Hogan finally came out for his main-event match against the Big Boss Man, I felt like I was the only person in the arena. It was something words cannot describe and if they could, wouldn't do it justice. Luckily for me being a young Hulk-a-maniac, Hogan won his match against the Boss Man via count-out after handcuffing the Boss Man to the top rope.
Below are some photos, and the event sheet, from the event my parents took that have luckily survived the last 20-years thanks to my mom putting them in a special photo album
Enjoy some one-of-a-kind photos........
The event card
My ticket for the event
Ring shot before the event started
Brutus the Barber Beefcake giving a post match haircut
Honkytonk Man & Greg Valentine
The Hart Foundation in tag-team action
Ravishing Rick Rude w/Bobby Hennan
Koko B. Ware & The Blue Blazer entering the ring
Jake "The Snake" Roberts after his match
Ken Patera vs. Ron Bass
Ted DiBiase vs. Tito Santana
The Ultimate Warrior making his entrance
Sam Houston & Jim Powers vs. The Bolshvics
Hulk Hogan vs. The Big Bossman
Hulk Hogan post-match posing
Me as a happy four-year old with my dad
As a special bonus, here is the entire card from that night, courtesy of the history of WWE website:
WWF @ San Francisco, CA - Cow Palace - November 15, 1988 (14,600; 12,200 paid; sell out) WWF Superstars taping: Jim Duggan pinned Darryl Peterson
Mr. Perfect pinned Lee Hansen
King Haku pinned Eric Simms
WWF IC Champion the Ultimate Warrior pinned Randy Tyler
Brutus Beefcake pinned Ron Bass
Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition via count-out
Jake Roberts (w/ Cheryl Roberts) pinned Rick Rude with the DDT; pre-match stipulations stated that the wrestlers could only attempt a pin after hitting their respective finisher; after the bout, Cheryl slapped Rude several times before Roberts wrapped Damien around his opponent
Hulk Hogan defeated the Big Bossman (w/ Slick) via count-out after handcuffing Bossman to the top rope and clotheslining him over the top to the outside after Bossman attempted to use the cuffs on Hogan Prime Time Wrestling - 11/22/88: Ted Dibiase (w/ Virgil) defeated Tito Santana via disqualification at 11:59 when Hercules interfered; after the bout, Hercules and Santana cleared Dibiase and Virgil from the ring Prime Time Wrestling - 12/5/88: Ron Bass pinned Ken Patera at 7:24 with an elbow drop after a running kneelift to the back Prime Time Wrestling - 12/5/88: The Blue Blazer & Koko B. Ware defeated the Conquistadors at 8:57 when Koko scored the pin with a missile dropkick Prime Time Wrestling - 11/29/88: Akeem, Nikolai Volkoff, & Boris Zhukov (w/ Slick) defeated Sam Houston, Paul Roma, & Jim Powers when Akeem pinned Houston with a splash at 8:49 12/3/88 - included WWF World Champion Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth as guests of the Brother Love Show:
Brutus Beefcake defeated Chuck Campbell via submission with the sleeper at 2:08
Dino Bravo (w/ Frenchy Martin) pinned Ricki Ataki at 1:34 with the airplane spin and side slam
Harley Race pinned Jim Gorman at 1:46 with a fisherman suplex; prior to the bout, Race did an untelevised promo saying he wanted to regain his throne from King Haku and that Bobby Heenan never visited him or contacted him while he was injured
Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart defeated Barry Horowitz & Iron Mike Sharpe at 2:16 when Bret pinned Horowitz following the Hart Attack
Akeem (w/ Slick) pinned Louie Spicolli with a splash at 1:22
Rick Rude (w/ Bobby Heenan) pinned Nito Gomez at 1:25 with the Rude Awakening 12/10/88 - included footage of Hulk Hogan and Slick on the Brother Love show from SNME:
Jim Duggan pinned Darryl Peterson at 1:53 with the running clothesline
Jake Roberts pinned the Black Knight at 2:37 with the DDT
Bad News Brown pinned Frankie Valdez at 1:58 with the Ghetto Blaster
The Red Rooster (w/ Bobby Heenan) defeated Scott Casey via submission with the Scorpion Death Lock at 2:33
Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty fought Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard (w/ Bobby Heenan) to a no contest when all four men began brawling on the floor prior to the match beginning; eventually, both teams battled their way backstage with numerous referees and officials trying to seperate them
Ted Dibiase (w/ Virgil) defeated Lanny Poffo via submission with the Million $ Dream at 1:50
Jacques & Raymond Rougeau (w/ Jimmy Hart) Sam Houston & Stefan Diablo at 3:37 when Raymond pinned Diablo after a double team move off the top 12/17/88 - included Andre the Giant & Bobby Heenan as guests of the Brother Love Show:
WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition defeated Nick Ferrari & Art Penna at 2:45 when Ax pinned Penna with the Decapitation; prior to the bout, an untelevised Brother Love Show segment took place with Demolition as guests; during the segment, Brother Love said they couldn't win a match without the help of Mr. Fuji; to prove him wrong, Mr. Fuji went to the back and Demolition wrestled the match without him; this was done to explain his absence at ringside since the bout would air after the Survivor Series where Fuji and Demolition split up
Hercules defeated Steve Lombardi via submission with the backbreaker at 1:27
Mr. Perfect pinned Nito Gomez with the Perfect Plex at 2:05
King Haku (w/ Bobby Heenan) pinned Frankie Valdez with a side kick at 1:42
The Big Bossman (w/ Slick) pinned Pete Kitchum at 1:36 with the sidewalk slam; after the bout, Bossman handcuffed his opponent to the middle rope and beat him with the nightstick
WWF IC Champion the Ultimate Warrior pinned Conquistador #1 with the gorilla press slam / splash combo at 1:32
Greg Valentine & the Honkytonk Man (w/ Jimmy Hart) defeated Paul Brown & Rex Farmer at 4:10 when Brown submitted to Valentine's figure-4, applied while wearing the Heartbreaker shin guard
In tribute of London's tenure in WWE, I figured it would be appropriate to post his recipe for "Tribal Gumbo" that was featured in the December 2006 issue of WWE Magazine.
DIRECTIONS 1) Heat oil in large saucepan and saute onions. 2) Add sweet potato and garlic. Cook for five minutes. 3) Add chicken broth, rice, thyme, cumin and stir. 4) Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is tender [18-20 minutes] 5) Add salsa, garbanzos, and zucchini. 6) Cook until zucchini is tender [10 minutes]. 7) Add creamy peanut butter and stir. 8) Heat throughly and serve immediately.
Earlier today, I read an article on the Lords of Pain website that reported former World Wrestling Entertainment [WWE] announcer and Raw general manager Mike Adamle [pictured above] is done for now as an on-air personality and the company could be done with him for good soon as both sides appear to be in agreement NOW that Adamle just isn't cut out for this job.
I would like to know what the heck took Vince McMahon and WWE so long to realize that Adamle, who has three-decades worth of play-by-play experience and was the voice of the original "American Gladiators" television show in the late 1980's and early 1990's, had no business in the wrestling industry, which most fans knew as soon as Adamle uttered "Jest Harvey" instead of "Jeff Hardy" at the 2008 Royal Rumble, which was edited out of the dvd-release of the event.
Why it took McMahon and company this long to realize this is baffling to me. I can understand McMahon wanting to give a job to a friend and trying to find a spot for him [ringside reporter, ECW on SciFi announcer and Raw General Manager] but Adamle's constant blundering made all that impossible and sometimes one just has to cut a man loose.
I still don't know which was worst though.....Adamle's constant blundering on live television or the fact he was making as much as Jim Ross with a salary of $300,000. Am I the only one seeing something wrong that?
During an episode of ECW on SciFi this past summer, new and old World Wrestling Entertainment [WWE] fans were a bit perplexed after seeing several appearances throughout the show by WWE Hall of Famer Tony Atlas [pictured above on right side] and even more perplexed after he aligned himself with then ECW Champion Mark Henry [pictured above on left side], becoming Henry's manager.
Several months later, some light has finally been shed as to why Atlas was brought in to WWE. According to a report on rajah.com, the main reason WWE brought Atlas in was not so much to mentor Henry but rather, to be a good influence on him on the road.
Henry has often traveled alone and has never been a healthy eater during his 12-year tenure with WWE, who were concerned about Henry's weight as a result of him becoming immobile when becoming too heavy. Atlas, who is in his early 50's, is in fantastic shape due to his strict training schedule and eating habits, which prompted WWE to make Atlas Henry's traveling partner with the feeling Atlas will keep Henry's weight, eating habits and conditioning under control.
Kudos to WWE for recognizing a problem with one of their talents and for having the brains to pair that talent with a positive influence. Yes, Atlas has had his battle with steroid and drug use in the past, but the man has paid for those mistakes and has been clean for close to two decades.
In addition, because of Atlas' strict training regimen, Atlas is actually in better shape than most the guys on the WWE roster today and is not afraid to show it as evident by his preference to wear a cut-off dress shirt with a tie that shows of his muscles, something Vince McMahon frowns upon because he doesn't want the audience to think Atlas is coming back as a wrestler.
I will say that the move appears to be a stroke of genius on WWE's part as Henry has not only be injury free since his move over to the ECW roster but is also having the best run of his career. While he may not be as thin as his days in the "Nation of Domination," Henry has definitely been looking leaner [less side rolls] and more muscular, especially in the arms and legs of late.
In addition to being in shape for his size and looking a lot healthier, Henry has also stepped up his in-ring work, improving his craft and having very solid matches against the likes of Undertaker and Matt Hardy, which are probably the best in-ring matches Henry has had during his entire WWE tenure.
If anyone needs any further proof, just watch the Hardy vs. Henry match from No Mercy 2008 and most will agree it is the best match Henry has ever been in because of the psychology involved, something Henry never had a grasp on before.
For the sake of both men, I hope this pairing is for the long-haul because both can benefit from each other with Atlas being the breath of fresh air for Henry to turn his lifestyle around and Henry having somebody he can not only train with but also, confide in while on the road, a rarity in professional wrestling.
Earlier today, Dave Metzler of Yahoo! Sports reported in an article that Ultimate Fighting Championship [UFC] light-heavyweight fighter Chris Leben [pictured above] has officially been suspended by the UFC for nine months and fined one-third of his fight purse as a result of a positive drug test for the steroid Stanazolol at a post-fight drug testing session at UFC 89 in England this past Oct.
Leben, who lost to fellow light-heavyweight Michael Bisping at the UFC 89 event, becomes the first high-profile fighter suspended by the UFC for failing a drug test and joins fellow UFC fighters Tim Sylvia, Sean Sherk and Josh Barnett, all of whom were not only suspended after positive drug tests but also had to relinquish their championship belts.
UFC president Dana White stated that Leben [18-5] admitted to him that he used the drug, which is also known as Winstrol V, shortly after his win over Alessio Sakara in March and had believed enough time had passed for the drug to clear his system.
I am honestly at a loss for words over this situation. How big of a bonehead does one have to be to not only take something that is illegal in the first place but to also take it knowing that your going to be tested for it at your next fight and every fight in the contract? What is the logic that goes on in one's head when answering that question?
I had hoped Leben got a reality check after being arrested for a prior DUI case in Oregon this past April and having to spend 35-days in jail due to the arrest and violating probation but obviously, we the fans were all fooled by having the wool pulled over our eyes by Leben and his publicists.
Leben apparently hasn't matured from his time spent on the inaugural season of "The Ultimate Fighter" and believes like every other young person out there with no good sense in them, that they are indestructible and nothing bad is going to happen to them. Professional boxer Diego Corrales thought the same thing and look what happened to him almost a year-and-a-half ago.
Hopefully, this suspension will be the wake-up call Leben needs to get his life and priorities in order and when his suspension is up, he comes back a better and mature fighter that is more appreciative of the opportunity he has been given by White and the UFC and doesn't take it for granted anymore.
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