Some thoughts on last night’s TNA Impact:

Robert Roode and Booker T. had a good verbal confrontation in the opening segment, during which Roode complained about “has-beens” such as Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Booker coming to TNA (Roode was two-thirds correct).

That got me thinking about which gray-haired, big-name wrestler TNA should go after next. When “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal came out later in the show, it hit me like a flying elbow off the top rope – it’s got to be the original “Macho Man,” Randy Savage. He was a bigger star than Nash or Hall, and he’s still probably a better worker despite being 55. I know that Savage and TNA parted on bad terms a few years ago, but if Jim Cornette and Vince Russo can coexist, anything is possible. …

I could envision a heel tag team, perhaps Team 3-D or VKM, starting an angle with Lethal in which they ridicule his gimmick and constantly insult Savage. Eventually, when the team attacks Lethal, Savage shows up and makes the save. That sets up a pay-per-view match pitting the Macho Men against the heels. I’d pay money to see that one. OK, I wouldn’t really pay a cent, but I would watch it if it was on Spike. …

Not that I really cared to see Nash and Hall, but I did expect them to have more of a presence on the program since it was the go-home show before Sunday’s Turning Point pay-per-view. …

A.J. Styles is entertaining and he plays his character well, but it doesn’t make any sense that a former main-eventer would suddenly become such a groveling wimp. A guy with his phenomenal skills shouldn’t be portraying a buffoon who falls over the ropes into the ring. …

Speaking of buffoons, it seems odd for a mid-card comedy act like Eric Young to be doing angles in which he bleeds all over the place. …

After having a garbage can kicked into his face, Brother Devon was covered simultaneously by Lethal and Sonjay Dutt – and he still kicked out. Talk about making the X-Division guys look ridiculous. …

Not to nit-pick, but if Scott Steiner really didn’t like his partners – which is what he said in his pre-match promo – then why was he hugging all of them after they won?

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Before I get to my thoughts on color commentators, I wanted to thank everyone who posted a comment or sent me an e-mail on their favorite and least favorite wrestling announcers.

One announcer who was mentioned by several people as a favorite was the late Gorilla Monsoon. He’s an interesting case. A lot of people have fond memories of him from the 1980s boom period in WWE, especially his work with Bobby Heenan. The “smart” fans, however, always hated Monsoon as an announcer. He was voted Worst Television Announcer six times by the readers of The Wrestling Observer.

Personally, I liked Monsoon. Had I made a top five list of favorites, he certainly would have been on it. The things about him that irritated newsletter readers – making comments such as “The fans are literally hanging from the rafters,” and repeating clichés such as “He doesn’t know a wristlock from a wristwatch” and “A pat on the back is just 18 inches from a kick in the butt” – are what made him fun to listen to in my opinion. In addition to being entertaining, he sold the angles well and got the characters over. But I digress.

Here’s the list of my favorite and least favorite color commentators. As I said yesterday, this is not meant to be a definitive list, just my personal opinion:

BEST

1. Jesse Ventura: As a wrestler, Ventura’s gift of gab exceeded his skills in the ring, so it wasn’t surprising that “The Body” became such a fantastic commentator. With his deep, distinctive voice and boorish persona, Ventura set a new standard for heel announcers when he was in WWE. He worked well with Monsoon, but he was even more entertaining when playing the adversary of play-by-play man Vince McMahon.

2. Roddy Piper: The first heel commentator that I ever saw was Piper when he worked alongside Gordon Solie on Georgia Championship Wrestling on TBS in 1981. One of the most entertaining talkers of all time, he sometimes would be over-the-top in insulting the babyfaces, and at other times he would be subtler and actually make some keen observations. Even though Piper was a heel and Solie favored the babyfaces, the two were not adversarial and Piper treated Solie with respect. One of my favorite angles was when Magnificent Muraco attacked Solie, and Piper turned babyface and came to his rescue.

3. Bobby Heenan: His quick wit and weasel-like persona had fans hating him and laughing at the same time. “The Brain” had tremendous chemistry with Monsoon, and much of their hilarious banter was ad-libbed.

WORST

1. Steve McMichael: The former Chicago Bears star was supposed to be a babyface commentator on WCW Monday Nitro, but his obnoxious personality made him ill-suited for the role. Everything about him was annoying, even the Chihuahua named Pepe that he brought with him to the broadcasts. The only thing worse than McMichael the commentator was McMichael the wrestler.

2. Rob Bartlett: Several years before the failed Dennis Miller experiment on Monday Night Football, WWE brought in Bartlett, a comedian, to be part of the original broadcasting team on Monday Night Raw along with McMahon and Randy Savage. Like Miller, Bartlett wasn’t funny and he added nothing to the broadcast. He was dropped from the show after just two months.

3. Don West: His constant yelling on TNA broadcasts gets old quickly. He should stick to shilling baseball cards.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
        

My esteemed colleagues Ray Frager and Peter Schmuck are by no means pro wrestling fans, but they did indirectly give me the idea for this blog entry. In Frager’s sports media blog, Medium Well (I don’t get the title, either), he wrote yesterday about a poll in The Sports Business Journal on people’s favorite sportscasters. And last night on The Steve Davis Show on WBAL radio, Schmuck and Davis discussed sports.aol.com's Worst Sports Announcer tournament.

As usual, my mind never strays too far from the squared circle, so the best and worst sportscasters topic got me to thinking about the best and worst wrestling announcers. Dividing the field into two categories – play-by-play men and color commentators – I have selected my three favorite and three least-favorite announcers in each. This is not meant to be a definitive list of the best and worst of all-time, just my personal opinion. There are plenty of wrestling announcers that I haven’t heard enough of to consider for the list.

With that disclaimer out of the way, here’s the play-by-play announcers portion of the list. I’ll post the color commentators portion tomorrow. I look forward to your comments and your own best and worst lists:

BEST

1. Jim Ross: With a vast knowledge of wrestling history as well as a passion for the business that comes across in his performances, Ross has set the standard for wrestling announcers for more than 20 years, whether he was working for WWE, WCW or Mid-South. Ross will always be remembered for being the voice of WWE during the biggest boom period in the history of the industry (the late 1990s to the early part of this decade), as his calls of matches involving Steve Austin, The Rock, Mick Foley, Triple H and others are as legendary as the matches themselves. Good wrestling matches tell a story, and no announcer conveys that story to viewers better than Ross.

2. Gordon Solie: Known as “The Dean of Wrestling Announcers” and the “Walter Cronkite of Wrestling,” the late Solie added legitimacy to an often-farcical form of entertainment with his serious and intelligent style. Solie was as much a part of the glory days of Georgia and Florida wrestling in the 1970s and ’80s as Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Tommy Rich or any other wrestler.

3. Vince McMahon: I admit that this is a sentimental pick, as I grew up in the ’70s watching WWE (then known as WWWF and later WWF) on Saturday afternoons on ch. 45 with McMahon as the announcer. He didn’t always know the names of holds (“Oh, what a maneuver!”), but he brought an enthusiasm that added to the excitement of the matches. Every time a challenger got a near fall in a title match, McMahon would yell: “One, two, new champ … no, he didn’t get him!” Although McMahon will go down as one of the greatest heels of all time, he always favored the babyfaces as an announcer. The look of disgust on his face when interviewing a heel was priceless.

WORST

1. David Crockett: Because his family owned the promotion (Jim Crockett Promotions, which was later bought by Ted Turner and became WCW), Crockett got to play wrestling announcer. He was awful at it. Crockett didn’t have a great voice and he wasn’t smooth at all. Whenever something exciting happened in the ring, he would just start yelling, which was incredibly annoying. And while most wrestling play-by-play men favor the babyfaces, Crockett took it to another level. I remember one time when heel manager Jim Cornette was getting whipped with a belt, and Crockett, in his screechy voice, was yelling, “Whip him! Whip him like a dog!”

2. Jack Reynolds: He looked and sounded like a regional wrestling announcer from the early ’70s, which was fine when he was the voice of Cleveland wrestling. But Reynolds and his dull persona were woefully out of place when he joined WWE during the days of The Rock and Wrestling Connection. His color man in WWE was former wrestler Angelo Mosca, and they formed perhaps the worst announcing tandem in wrestling history.

3. Lee Marshall: Here’s my 1970s sitcom reference for the day: Marshall was the Ted Baxter of wrestling announcers. He had one of those deep “broadcaster voices,” but, unfortunately, his announcing was all style and no substance. His “Road Report” segments on WCW Monday Nitro were brutal.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (34)
        

Some thoughts on last night’s Raw:

WWE began what is likely Ric Flair’s last big angle when Vince McMahon announced that Flair will be forced to retire when he suffers his next loss. Presumably Flair will go on a winning streak that will culminate in a high-profile match – perhaps for the world title – at WrestleMania 24.

The Wrestling Observer reported a couple months ago that Steve Austin had pitched the idea of Flair having to win to keep his career going. Reportedly, McMahon gave the green light for the story line, but for some reason it never got going and Flair and WWE ended up on the outs for a few months.

I believed all along that Flair would eventually return for his well-deserved final run. While I’m not convinced fans really buy retirement angles anymore since they’ve been overdone and hardly anyone retires and stays retired, this is shaping up to be an intriguing story line. If anyone can make it work, it’s the “Nature Boy.”

I would love to see him wrestle Edge for the world title at WrestleMania 24, but there are rumblings that Edge will face The Undertaker at Mania. Even if it’s not Flair-Edge, it will be special to see Flair with a prominent role on the biggest show of the year. …

The first match in Flair’s win-or-go-home scenario, against WWE champion Randy Orton, was decent, but it was obvious that Chris Jericho’s interference was going to cost Orton the match. That’s OK, though, as sometimes the obvious finish is the right one. There was one anxious moment. After Orton hit the RKO and went for the cover, it appeared that Flair forgot to put his foot on the ropes to break up the pin. However, he did grab the rope at the last second. …

The only thing more entertaining than a Santino Marella segment is a Santino Marella segment with Jericho, as the two had a nice verbal battle. I still wish Marella wasn’t booked to be such a chump. Of course he should lose to Jericho, but did Marella need to get punked out after the match by Jerry Lawler – again? …

Triple H's heel turn appears to be imminent, although WWE is almost making it too obvious. As I’ve said before, I enjoy Triple H more as a babyface, but there’s no denying that WWE is thin on upper-tier heels at the moment. After Edge and Orton, there’s Mr. Kennedy, MVP and Umaga and not much else. If Triple H does turn on Jeff Hardy, hopefully Hardy will get a rub from working a program with “The Game” instead of getting buried as a result of it. …

The Hornswoggle-Carlito backstage vignette, in which Hornswoggle spray-painted a black hole on the wall and then supposedly ran through it, was the dumbest thing I have seen on a wrestling show in quite a while. And I watch TNA Impact every week, so that’s saying something. …

The biggest disappointment of the show was that Mickie James not did deliver The Long Kiss Goodnight to Melina. James and Melina reportedly don’t get along, so that might explain it.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

It’s been a rough few months for Hulk Hogan. In August, his 17-year-old son Nick was in a car crash that left his passenger seriously injured, leading to Nick being charged with reckless driving. Then the news broke last night that Hogan’s wife, Linda Bollea, filed for divorce after 23 years of marriage.

I haven’t written about Nick’s accident and legal problems because I really didn’t think it had anything to do with wrestling. My first reaction was to not write about last night’s news either, but Hogan is perhaps the most famous wrestler of all-time and his marital problems actually could impact the wrestling business.

Like his old rival Ric Flair, Hogan, 54, potentially could end up losing half his fortune in the divorce, which might lead him back to wrestling in search of another big payday. Hopefully he won’t lose the rights to his wrestling name in the divorce settlement like Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat did.

Reports that the Hogans were having marital problems have been in gossip columns and on celebrity Web sites for a while, and the possibility of a split was the focal point of the past season of Hogan Knows Best, the VH1 reality series.

Most wrestling observers believed the marital strife on the show was scripted, or to use wrestling vernacular, a “work,” but maybe it was real after all. Or, perhaps the Hogans have joined other married couples in the wrestling business who separated in real life after acting out scripted marital problems in a story line. That list includes Steve and Debra McMichael, Kevin and Nancy Sullivan, Marc and Rena “Sable” Mero and Diamond Dallas Page and Kimberly.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (28)
        

The comedy segments on TNA Impact usually produce more groans than grins, but I have to admit that last night’s Thanksgiving show was pretty funny.

The concept of the episode — having a bunch of wrestlers get together for a holiday feast — certainly wasn’t original, as WWE began doing these kinds of programs more than 20 years ago. And I’m sure some hardcore fans probably don’t appreciate the emphasis on the entertainment aspect of pro wrestling. Nevertheless, on a night when it’s likely that less people are watching, I thought it was a great idea to do a show like this rather than one that significantly advanced story lines.

Not all of the humor hit the mark and there were some continuity errors, but a few laugh-out-loud moments more than made up for it.

The show had two ongoing themes. At the Impact Zone, there was the TNA Turkey Bowl, which consisted of three triple-threat matches, with the winners advancing to a final in which the winner received $25,000 and the loser was forced to wear a turkey suit. Then, Kurt and Karen Angle, dressed as pilgrims, were hosting Thanksgiving dinner at what was supposedly their home — the Angles reside in Pittsburgh, which apparently is five minutes away from Orlando, Fla., since wrestlers were going back and forth from the Impact Zone to the Angles’ house during the show.

Here are some of the comedic highlights from the dinner segments:

*When Awesome Kong arrived, “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal said, “I didn’t know Kamala was coming.” A bug-eyed Kong then proceeded to eat plastic fruit and gnaw on huge turkey legs. During the inevitable food fight, Kong grabbed the pieces of food that flew at her and ate them.

*Black Reign let his pet rat crawl on the table and get into the food, prompting a horrified Jeremy Borash to jump up from his seat and stand on his chair. Eric Young, trying to get the rat to come to him, said, “Here, kitty kitty.” Later in the show, Black Reign had the rat sitting on his head, while an intoxicated and shirtless Young wore Black Reign’s wig.

*When Kurt Angle asked his guests to join hands for the saying of grace, Borash reached across the table to hold hands with Karen Angle rather than joining hands with A.J. Styles, who was seated next to him. Among the things that Kurt Angle said he was thankful for in the prayer was that Pacman Jones was no longer in TNA, to which everyone at the table said, “Amen!”

*Kurt Angle asked Borash, “Is that a turkey baster in your pants or are you just happy to see me?” Borash then pulled a turkey baster out of his pants.

*The funniest line of the night, however, went to the Angles’ daughter, Kyra, who turns 5 in a little over a week. When Team 3-D crashed the dinner party in the latter stages of the program, everyone — both faces and heels — decided to leave. The former Dudleys sat down at the small table Kyra was sitting at, and Brother Ray said, “How are you, little girl?” Kyra, who had not said a word all night, replied with perfect inflection and timing: “You guys suck!”

The only thing missing was the presence of Mr. Backlund. When someone asked for a wing, he could have jumped across the table and applied the cross-face chicken wing on them.

As far as the wrestling on the show, the Turkey Bowl matches were decent and the main event between Styles, Samoa Joe and Chris Sabin was really good, despite the fact that it was predictable that Joe would win and Styles would end up in the turkey suit.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 7:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Matt Hardy is expected to be out of action for eight to 10 weeks after undergoing an emergency appendectomy last night in Tampa, Fla., wwe.com reported.

There is no such thing as a good time for anything like this to happen, but in this instance, it actually fits into the story line. Hardy suffered a knee “injury” at the hands of MVP on Smackdown last week, which caused him to miss Sunday’s Survivor Series pay-per-view. Now his absence from television over the next two months or so can be attributed to the attack by MVP, which only adds more heat to their inevitable grudge match.

Still, it’s a tough break for Hardy, as his high-profile program with MVP for the U.S. title was just about to get underway. I wish him well in his recovery.

On another note, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. There was a time when Thanksgiving was a huge night for pro wrestling. The NWA’s Starrcade was held on Thanksgiving from 1983 to 1987, and Survivor Series also took place on turkey day from 1987 to 1990. Going back even further, Georgia Championship Wrestling used to hold a big tag-team tournament at the Omni in Atlanta on Thanksgiving.

A number of memorable moments in wrestling occurred at these events. Who could ever forget Ric Flair defeating Harley Race in a steel cage to win the NWA world title (for the second time) in 1983? Or the intense “I Quit” match between Magnum T.A. and Tully Blanchard in 1985? Or the impressive debut of The Undertaker in 1990?

Also memorable — for a different reason — was the debut in 1990 of The Gobbledygooker. If you don’t know about The Gobbledygooker, you have something else to be thankful for on Thanksgiving.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 7:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

After WWE teased and then failed to deliver Chris Jericho’s return on a couple occasions, his much-anticipated appearance on Raw last night almost was anti-climactic.

But even though we all knew it was coming and it had been drawn out perhaps a bit longer than it should have, the return of Jericho still came across as a special moment. Even my wife, who is not a wrestling fan, came into the room to watch.

Just as he did when he made his WWE debut in1999, Jericho dramatically interrupted a promo by one of WWE’s top stars. In ’99, it was The Rock, and last night it was WWE champion Randy Orton. This time, instead of a good back-and-forth verbal joust like Jericho had with The Rock, “Y2J” dominated the segment.

Judging by last night’s show, it looks as if Jericho will start right at the top by working a title program with Orton. I wonder if the injury to John Cena last month changed WWE’s plans for Jericho, since in the story line it was Cena who was responsible for Jericho having to leave WWE.

It’s a little surprising that the WWE landscape really hasn’t changed that much since Jericho left more than two years ago. When looking at the top stars on WWE’s roster, Mr. Kennedy is the only one that Jericho has never faced. While Jericho has returned as a babyface, I’m sure a heel turn will occur at some point, and it would be great to see him renew his rivalries with both Cena and Shawn Michaels.

Some other thoughts on last night’s show:

Jeff Hardy and Umaga had a pay-per-view quality match. It’s encouraging to see WWE listening to its fans in regard to Hardy. He may not ever be the world champion, but he definitely belongs in the mix. …

Every time I see Hardy in the ring with Triple H, I keep waiting for “The Game” to turn on him. It’s no secret that Triple H prefers working as a heel, and it has been reported in The Wrestling Observer that he will turn as soon as it makes sense story-line wise. Personally, I find Triple H much more entertaining as a babyface. …

Michaels and Kennedy started the show off on a high note with their impromptu brawl. Afterward, Kennedy cut an intense promo that was his best one yet. …

Perhaps I was wrong when I wrote yesterday that Finaly is better as a heel. While he’s not a full-fledged babyface yet, he showed more personality last night in his backstage vignette with Vince McMahon than he ever did as a bad guy. Maybe a Finaly/Hornswoggle babyface act could be entertaining after all. …

What in the world is the WWE creative team doing to my man Santino Marella? A second straight pinfall loss to the nearly 58-year-old Jerry Lawler? Mamma mia! Marella is clearly one of the most entertaining characters on the show, but fans will quickly lose interest if he is incompetent in the ring. It would be smarter to make him more of a threat, playing up the fact that he says and does humorous things, but in the ring he is dangerous. He would generate more heat that way, and fans might actually buy tickets to see him get his comeuppance. …

It looks like the reports of Carlito giving his notice and possibly heading to TNA might be true. Nothing says “this guy is leaving so let’s bury him on the way out” more than a loss to Hornswoggle. To make the humiliation complete, Hornswoggle took a bite of Carlito’s apple and spit it in his face. Hey, that’s not … ah, never mind.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

To steal a line from WWE Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross, business is about to pick up.

In what is shaping up to be an eventful nine days for WWE, Edge made a big impact in his return at the Survivor Series pay-per-view last night; Chris Jericho is expected to make his long-waited comeback on Raw tonight; and Ric Flair reportedly is going to be at Raw next Monday in Charlotte, N.C. That’s all good news for WWE, especially since its top star, John Cena, is expected to be sidelined with a torn pectoral muscle until the spring.

Last night, WWE delivered a solid pay-per-view that was highlighted by two exceptional world title matches.

Edge, who last July also suffered a torn pectoral muscle, interfered in the Hell in a Cell match between world heavyweight champion Batista and The Undertaker. The two big men were having a classic bloody brawl that went approximately 22 minutes. Just as it appeared that Undertaker would win the title, Edge, disguised as a cameraman, attacked “The Dead Man” and placed Batista’s limp body on him for the pin. Edge continued to attack The Undertaker with a chair after the match.

Some fans and critics will probably say that Edge’s interference and the lack of a clean finish hurt the match, but I don’t see it that way. The match lived up to the hype and it succeeded in making Edge’s return a big deal and creating an intriguing new story line. It will be interesting to hear why Edge chose to attack The Undertaker and not Batista. …

The WWE title match, in which Randy Orton retained his championship with a clean pin of Shawn Michaels, was an example of great storytelling. Unable to use the superkick due to the match stipulations, Michaels instead mat-wrestled Orton and went for submission moves. I fully believed all along that Orton would win the match, but when Michaels had him in an anklelock, I actually thought for a couple seconds that “The Heartbreak Kid” might pull it off.

The finish was perfectly booked, as Michaels started to use the superkick, hesitated, and then Orton caught him with the RKO for the pin at around the 18-minute mark. This match gave added credibility to Orton’s title reign, which is the smart thing to do as WWE builds him for a likely WrestleMania match with Triple H. …

The 10-man elimination match also was well-booked, although I was disappointed that Matt Hardy wasn’t there due to the knee “injury” he suffered at the hands of MVP on Smackdown. I had expected him to limp out there and try to wrestle, only to have MVP do further damage to the knee.

Having Triple H and Jeff Hardy beat the odds and emerge as the survivors made sense, and it’s encouraging to see WWE keeping Jeff strong. I think the company has finally realized that he is ready and able to take it to the next level, and I would love to see an Orton-Jeff Hardy title program.

The promo with Triple H’s team before the elimination match was pretty entertaining. Kane brought up the Katie Vick incident and Jeff Hardy mentioned that Triple H once put him in the hospital, to which Triple H responded, “My bad.” It does seem ridiculous that these guys would team together given their histories, but it would be even more ridiculous to not acknowledge their past. …

The triple-threat match in which ECW champion C.M. Punk retained the title against John Morrison and The Miz was decent, but Punk is in desperate need of some fresh challengers. …

I’m not sure what to make of the “match” between The Great Khali and Hornswoggle, which ended with Finlay saving his leprechaun friend and attacking Khali with the shillelagh. I’m not sure if this means that Finlay is doing a babyface turn, but I think he is better as a heel. I did get a kick out of Hornswoggle blowing the green mist into the eyes of Khali’s translator. It brought back memories of The Great Kabuki and Great Muta.

The funniest part of the Khali-Hornswoggle match wasn’t scripted. With Shaquille O’Neal sitting ringside, the crowd in Miami began chanting for him. It took away from the “action” in the ring, and at one point, O’Neal actually started to get out of his seat. Vince McMahon was either legitimately ticked off by the distraction or he was putting on a great act. …

The world tag-team title match, which saw champions Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch defeat Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly, was nothing special until the finish, when Murdoch hit his version of the Canadian Destroyer on Rhodes for the pin. The last time I saw Murdoch attempt that move he nearly killed Matt Hardy. …

I thought the divas 10-woman match was going to be elimination style, but it turned out to be a one-fall contest. That shows that either I wasn’t paying close enough attention or WWE never made it clear.

It was good to see Mickie James score the winning pin. Not only does the crowd react more to her than any of the other women, but I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing her new finisher, The Long Kiss Goodnight.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Predictions for tonight’s WWE pay-per-view:

World heavyweight champion Batista vs. The Undertaker (Hell in a Cell): These two have had a series of classic matches, and this has the potential to be the best of them all. I think The Undertaker regains the title, setting the stage for a feud with the returning Edge.

WWE champion Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels: Orton will lose the title if he gets disqualified, and Michaels will lose if he attempts to use Sweet Chin Music. Look for Orton to escape with his title.

Triple H, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio and Kane vs. Umaga, MVP, Mr. Kennedy, Finlay and Big Daddy V: For me, the most interesting element of this match is the Matt Hardy-MVP feud. Their entertaining odd couple tag team came to an end with a heated angle on Smackdown Friday in which MVP finally turned on Hardy. To build anticipation for their inevitable singles match, they probably won’t have a whole lot of contact tonight, however. I expect the babyfaces to prevail, and I could see Triple H, Jeff Hardy and possibly Mysterio as the survivors.

ECW champion C.M. Punk vs. The Miz vs. John Morrison: Newly crowned WWE tag team champions Miz and Morrison don’t get along, and that will be their downfall. Punk retains the title.

World tag team champions Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch vs. Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes: Since there has been a hint of dissension between Cade and Murdoch and WWE seems to have a preference for odd couple tag teams, I think Holly and Rhodes will win the titles.

Hornswoggle vs. The Great Khali: I’m hoping The Great Khali squashes Hornswoggle and the miniature McMahon is never heard from again. If that doesn’t happen, I could see Jonathan Coachman getting involved and Khali turning babyface, siding with Hornswoggle and attacking Coach. Khali and Hornswoggle, now that’s the ultimate odd couple.

Mickie James, Michelle McCool, Torrie Wilson, Maria and Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix, Victoria, Melina, Jillian Hall and Layla: James is the most over of any of the women, so I could see her being put in a four-on-one or three-on-one situation in which she rallies but comes up just short. Phoenix will be the last woman standing.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

In case anyone missed it, CNN sent a statement to WWE earlier this week that was anything but the apology the company and John Cena felt they deserved.

In regard to the editing of Cena’s response to the question of whether he ever took steroids on CNN’s Death Grip: Inside Pro Wrestling, CNN’s director of public relations Jennifer Dargan wrote: “CNN felt that Mr. Cena's statement in the interview: ‘My answer to that question “have you ever used steroids” is — the only thing I can say — I can't tell you that I haven't, but you'll never be able to prove that I have’ was a more expansive and complete answer — and that's why we used it in the first run of the program. And we stand by that decision.”

Of course, that statement raises an obvious question: If CNN is so confident that it did not misrepresent Cena’s answer, then why did it re-edit his response to include him saying, “Absolutely not” in a replay of the program after receiving complaints?

Dargan addressed that in the statement: “But, we added the other quote on the Sunday replay where Mr. Cena first denied using steroids. We did this because of his complaint and the attention it received so that viewers could see how he said it both times.”

With its condescending statement and stubborn stance, CNN lost whatever benefit of the doubt it might have had. The fact is that mistakes do get made in the print and electronic media, and most of the time they are unintentional. I don’t understand why CNN just can’t say that it made an error in judgment, it regrets the error and will take steps to insure that it doesn’t happen in the future.

To use a dated pop culture reference, CNN has become like The Fonz from Happy Days when it comes to admitting they were “wr-wr-wrong.” The network just can’t say the word, and it comes off looking just as silly as the stammering sitcom character.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 9:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Some thoughts on last night’s TNA Impact:

This was the best episode of the program since it expanded to two hours six weeks ago. Not having Kurt and Karen Angle in every other segment and the absence of a plethora of bad skits made all the difference. …

While I wasn’t in favor of giving a push to Scott Hall and Kevin Nash and I believe the novelty will wear off quickly, I do think TNA is booking them wisely at this point. My fear was that TNA was going to have Nash or Hall, at this advanced stage in their careers, challenging Kurt Angle in a singles match for the TNA world title, which would be a disaster. Using The Outsiders in a six-man tag-team match at the next pay-per-view, however, will help to conceal their physical limitations in the ring, as well as give a rub to guys such as Samoa Joe, A.J. Styles and Tomko. Now if Hall and Nash end up turning on Joe and we find out that they were working with Angle all along, I think my head will explode. …

The crowd at the Impact Zone in Orlando is becoming a parody of itself. It’s one thing to chant “You still got it” at Sting after he delivers a standout performance on a pay-per-view, but chanting it for Hall? For what, just saying, “Hey, yo?” Talk about lowering the bar. …

Booker T. and Sharmell’s debut on Impact was well done, with the “official” contract signing being interrupted by Christian Cage. I do have mixed feelings on Booker being in TNA, however. On one hand, it’s a no-brainer for TNA to bring in someone of Booker’s caliber when he became available. But, on the other hand, he only adds to the perception that TNA is the new WCW – and that’s not a compliment. It’s also kind of odd that hardcore TNA fans claim to dislike WWE, yet the crowd in Orlando marks out big when former WWE stars such as Booker, Angle and Christian make the jump. …

The title match between Angle and Kaz was decent, but not quite as good as I thought it would be. By the way, I find it interesting that fans on various Web sites have been critical of TNA’s decision to have Kaz defeat Christian at the Genesis pay-per-view last Sunday to earn the title shot. If Kaz had lost, I’m sure there would have been complaints that TNA has a glass ceiling and Kaz is being held back. I have been saying that Kaz has breakout potential, so I like the fact that he pulled the upset against Christian, especially because it wasn’t portrayed as a fluke. Sure, Kaz’s ascent could have been more gradual, but there’s nothing wrong with a little unpredictability as long as it makes sense. …

The feud between Team 3-D and the Motor City Machine Guns is succeeding in generating heel heat for the former and giving a rub to the latter. Brother Ray has tremendous natural heel charisma and he cuts great promos, although his backstage promo would have been better without the silly humor. It was obvious that Havok, who was being held hostage by Team 3-D, was going to end up being the X-Division traitor. Vince Russo’s swerves are beyond predictable by now. Also, I don’t see the logic in having three heels take out six babyfaces. …

I’m enjoying the angle with Robert Roode, Ms. Brooks and Roode’s female fan. I like the fact that Brooks attacked the fan rather than vice versa. We all know the fan was a plant, but I never liked angles where fans came out of the audience to attack wrestlers. …

TNA is doing a nice job in building interest for a match between Awesome Kong and Gail Kim. …

With “monsters” such as Abyss, Black Reign and the soon-to-be-returning Judas Mesias, does TNA really need another one in Rellik? Well, better to have Rellik on the roster than Johnny The Bull, I suppose. Mike Tenay and Don West pointed out that Rellik is killer spelled backward. All I can say is that name is diputs spelled backward. ...

Speaking of bad names, Lance Hoyt and Jimmy Rave are now known as the Rock and Rave Infection. This, no doubt, comes from the same mind that brought us "PerfectShawn" Stasiak, Sgt. A-Wall and Kwee-Wee.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

After spending more than four months at home recovering from knee surgery, Shawn Michaels stepped right back into the WWE title picture last month and filled the void left by John Cena, who had gone down with a torn pectoral muscle.

Michaels, 42, faces WWE champion Randy Orton this Sunday at the Survivor Series pay-per-view. A DVD on his career titled The Shawn Michaels Story will be released on Nov. 27.

I spoke with Michaels in a telephone interview yesterday.

Q: There were reports that you were considering not coming back to WWE on a fulltime basis while you were out. Is there any truth to that?

A: The fulltime stuff, yeah, that crosses my mind on a daily basis. I am guilty of fluctuating back and forth. When I’m home, especially, for that amount of time, I just don’t like leaving. I still enjoy the job. I just see me slowly doing it a heck of a lot less as I move into the future. That’s something that I’m certainly even trying to do at this point. I wouldn’t say that I’m back even fulltime now, nor do I plan to take on a fulltime schedule with my current return.

Q: You returned right after John Cena’s injury. Did you come back early, before you were 100 percent, because you felt the company needed you?

A: I did. My wife is the one that noticed [Cena’s injury]. She said, “It looks like his arm is hurt.” I got a text from John the next day saying that he had torn his pec. So I said to my wife, “I get the feeling we’re going to get a call here.” Sure enough, the next morning I got a call. They wanted to see how I felt, if I thought I could come back early, and I did. I feel OK. My knee had bothered me a couple times, but it does that. I don’t really see it as a problem. And therein lies the question of the fulltime schedule. I think a fulltime schedule would probably be too much on me physically, but at the same time, I’m certainly healthy enough to do what I’m doing. And, yeah, I knew as soon as John went down that the roster was getting a little thin and I fully expected the call. I’m still a soldier. I will always have that in me as far as the company. The business can be rough and people can say what they want to about it, but I have a sick sense of loyalty to the WWE and I’m going to have that until the day I die.

Q: When you see ex-wrestlers as they get older, a lot of times they are in rough shape physically. With all the injuries that you have suffered and the wear and tear from years in the ring, are you at a point where you start to think about quality of life from a physical standpoint?

A: I’ve thought about that before, but – maybe it’s faith – but I don’t think that’s going to happen to me. I take incredibly good care of myself now. I think for a guy that’s 42, I still heal and recover extremely quickly. I’m real aware of my limitations and I try not to push them. I’d like to think I’m a little wiser. Again, I think if I were foolish enough to try to take on the full schedule and wrestle 250 nights a year like I do at the pay-per-views like I did when I was 30, then, yeah, I think you’re probably correct in assuming that when I’m 60 or 70 I’m going to be barely able to move. I think I’m going to be just fine. I feel great.

Q: So, at this point in your career, do you have to balance working a smarter style with still being Shawn Michaels and wanting to steal the show?

A: I definitely try to do that. It’s a humbling process. There used to be a time when, if there was a doubt about whether I could do it, I just said, “Let’s go ahead and do it anyway.” That isn’t the case now. I’m strong enough now personally to say, “You know, I don’t think we need it. Let’s not take the risk and find other ways around it.” Also, I think the company is trying to get back to wrestling a little bit more, which, coincidentally, works out well for a guy who doesn’t want to be breaking himself apart each and every night.

Q: You’ve spoken in the past about being difficult to deal with when you were on top in the '90s and the fact that you caused Vince McMahon to have quite a few gray hairs. Do you feel like what you’ve done over the past five years has changed whatever negative perception there was of you, and is that something that’s important to you?

A: Sure, it’s important to me, but I’m also aware that there are some people that just won’t see that and won’t care about it. I’m aware that you just can’t change some people’s thoughts and opinions of you. For me, that is where my faith has really helped me wonderfully and steadfastly. I worry about the approval of one guy, and from there, it’s my wife and my children. Other than that, if the person that you see on a daily basis is not enough for you to respect me and know that there has been a change – I’m fully aware of the error of my ways and have admitted to it and apologized and confessed it and done everything I can, but if you still want to have resentment or anger or bitterness towards me, I’m cool with that, too. But that stuff usually punishes the person that has that emotion, not the guy you’re angry at.

Q: Randy Orton, your opponent on Sunday, is a young guy with a lot of talent and charisma, but there have been times outside the ring when he has shown his immaturity. Do you see any of yourself in him?

A: Yeah, and we’ve talked about that before. I’ve said to him, “You remind me of me.” And then all you can do is say, “Make no mistake about it, I was wrong. I was going in the wrong direction and doing the wrong thing.” I definitely think Randy has had a great turnaround in the last several months. Some things are only going to come with time. He’s still young, and it’s very tough sometimes for a young person to think real long-term. From my perspective, I just talk about a healthy lifestyle and a healthy professional life. But you’re only with them a few times a month, and some things are only going to happen with time and maturity.

Q: A lot of wrestlers have said that the best match of their career was with you. Do you have a favorite match or opponent?

A: I have a number of them. The previous statement, to me, is just the greatest compliment that I’ve ever had. That’s what I will hang my hat on when my career is over with, that so many guys said that. And that’s why it’s so hard for me to pick just one. The reason they are those guys’ favorites is because so many of them were my favorites. There’s my match with Mick [Foley] at Mind Games, my match with Undertaker, the ladder match, of course. I thoroughly enjoyed my hour match with John [Cena] and thought that was special. I had what I thought was a great match with [Chris] Benoit and [Chris] Jericho. There really is a big list for me. My favorite guys to work with would be all those same guys. The Undertaker is just such a pro and he’s so smooth and fluid for a big guy. And not because the matches are the best or everything goes well, but I so appreciate talent. The enjoyment for me is watching him as we’re out there. I love to see people that are gifted and can do things that I can’t do, and he does that. It’s the same reason I enjoy Tim Duncan, at 7-foot, the way he moves across the floor and can hit a bank shot from 20 feet out.

Q: You and Triple H got back together as DX for one night on Raw recently. The two of you obviously have great chemistry. Which do you enjoy more, teaming with him in DX or working with him as an opponent?

A: That’s tough. I enjoy the silly stuff, but we get to do that behind the scenes if we want, and I’m actually more comfortable doing it there. I guess I’d have to say in the ring, because he’s a guy like Undertaker that I can go in there with and it’s almost like taking a night off; I don’t have to think because I know he’ll do it all if I ask him to. At this point in my career, that’s enjoyable, the idea of going out there and saying, “I’m not going to do anything; I’m going to listen.” That’s fun because it’s just so rare.

Photos courtesy of WWE.com

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Q&As
        

It has been reported on various Web sites that CNN re-edited John Cena’s comments on Sunday’s replay of Death Grip: Inside Pro Wrestling in response to a flood of complaints. I didn’t see the re-edited program, but CNN reportedly added in Cena’s initial reply of “absolutely not” to his response to a reporter’s question of whether he had ever used steroids.

In the original program, CNN aired an ambiguous statement from Cena that was seemingly a veiled admission to having used steroids. When wwe.com subsequently posted Cena’s complete and unedited response to the question, it was obvious that Cena’s quote was taken out of context.

By re-editing Cena’s response in the replay to more accurately represent his point, CNN obviously feels it made a mistake the first time. That’s nice that they corrected it, but it’s not enough. They don’t just get a do-over. CNN needs to publicly acknowledge its error and apologize to Cena as well as the viewers.

The network doesn’t need to admit to having an agenda, because no one can say with absolute certainty whether the omission of a key part of Cena’s answer was intentional. CNN just needs to apologize for presenting Cena’s answer in a manner that was misleading and below the network’s standards of fair and objective reporting.

NOTE: I am scheduled to conduct a telephone interview with Shawn Michaels today, and I will post the Q&A with him tomorrow.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Some thoughts on last night’s Raw:

Playing Batista’s entrance music at the start of the show and having him come out to cut a promo was a great way to begin the program. And then having The Undertaker interrupt him, which led to an impromptu tag-team match between the two rivals against world tag-team champions Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch was even better. Having the two biggest stars from Smackdown unexpectedly appear on Raw brought back a sense of unpredictability to the show that has been mostly missing in the post-Monday Night War era.

It’s also a smart move by WWE to make full use of its roster in an effort to boost ratings and push Sunday’s Survivor Series pay-per-view. While it was predictable that the lumberjack main event between Triple H and Umaga was going to end up with everyone brawling in the ring as the show went off the air, it still was more interesting seeing wrestlers from all three brands involved. …

Batista admittedly isn’t a great talker, but his opening promo, while not spectacular by any means, was one of his more effective efforts. …

I’m sure some fans feel that the tag-team champs were buried, but I disagree. Batista and Undertaker should be able to beat Cade and Murdoch. …

Shawn Michaels and Randy Orton had a good face-to-face segment, mostly because of Michaels. It was effective in building up their title match at Survivor Series. When Michaels suggested that he could win the title with a submission hold since his super-kick is banned, I am glad that he didn’t bring up the fact that he defeated Bret Hart for the belt with the Sharpshooter at the 1997 Survivor Series. That would have turned the crowd against him. …

It looks like Chris Jericho's much-anticipated return will finally happen on next Monday's Raw. After a few teases, I think WWE is going to follow through this time. ...

I liked Santino Marella’s confrontation with Jerry Lawler, but I didn’t like Marella getting pinned by “The King,” who turns 58 later this month. I don’t know if this was a one-shot deal or the start of a program between the two, but I hope it ends with Marella getting the last laugh.

While Marella is mostly a comedy act and I don’t expect him to be headlining pay-per-views, I do think he has potential to move up the card. He could draw legitimate heel heat by developing a serious side to complement the humorous aspects of his character. The Honky Tonk Man comes to mind as an example of a comedy act who also could incite a crowd by doing despicable things – such as shoving Miss Elizabeth and hitting Randy Savage over the head with a guitar, back in the day when both of those acts were considered shocking. I think Marella could get over in the same manner, with Maria playing the role of Elizabeth. …

The Hornswoggle training session was about as bad a segment as you’ll ever see on Raw. I wonder if WWE made the decision to tape it before the show in an empty arena because it knew the fans would turn on it like they did the match between the Rosie O’Donnell and Donald Trump impersonators last spring. …

For those of you who don’t remember how uncool WWE was in 1994 before the “Attitude” era, the company reminded everyone by showing a clip of Lawler and his team of midgets, who were named Sleazy, Queasy and Cheesy, in a Survivor Series match against Doink The Clown and his band of little clowns, who were named Dink, Pink and Wink. …

I don’t know what Mickie James calls her new finisher, but I definitely hope she keeps using it.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

I finally watched Death Grip: Inside Pro Wrestling, a one-hour investigative report on CNN. Overall, I thought the piece was well done, and WWE chairman Vince McMahon, while seeming a little defensive, came across much better than he did in infamous past interviews with Armen Keteyian and Bob Costas. Perhaps the fact that his wife, Linda, was seated next to him helped McMahon keeps his emotions in check.

The big story as it relates to this show, however, has been the controversy regarding John Cena’s response to being asked if he ever took steroids and whether his quotes were taken out of context.

As a media member for over 20 years, I get tired of public figures saying something stupid or controversial and then blaming the “evil media” for being out to get them or taking their words out of context. In this instance, however, I absolutely think CNN is guilty of misrepresenting Cena’s answer.

For those who missed it, this is how Cena’s brief segment played out. There was a voiceover that said: “John Cena doesn’t like being asked if he has used steroids.” To me, that showed a bias right from the start.Then, a reporter asked the question, “Have you ever taken steroids?”

The following is what CNN aired as Cena’s response: “This is a crazy question and it’s something that’s tough to answer just because of the way society is now. The way people conceive things, because performance-enhancing drugs have got the spotlight and it’s a hot thing to talk about. I can’t tell you that I haven’t, but you’ll never be able to prove that I have.”

Sounds pretty bad, right? It reminded me of when I was editor of WCW Magazine and I asked a wrestler about steroid use. He said something along the lines of “All I’ll say is that I have never failed a drug test.”

When I heard Cena make what seemed like a not-so-veiled admission to using steroids, I couldn’t believe it. None of us really know for sure whether he has or hasn’t, but the one thing that was certain was that Cena always unequivocally denied ever using them.

In reaction to what it called biased reporting, WWE posted both the edited and unedited footage of Cena’s response on wwe.com. Seeing Cena’s answer in its entirety was quite revealing.

When asked if he ever took steroids, Cena’s immediate response was: “Absolutely not.” The reporter then interrupted him and said: “Even back in bodybuilding days? Football days?” That’s when Cena said, “This is a crazy question. …”

After he got to the “I can’t tell you that I haven’t” part, which I’m sure CNN saw as a smoking gun, Cena continued his thought: “Because each one of you out there has an opinion on how I carry myself, and I can take a million tests – I’ve been tested for drugs since I was 17 years old. I can take a million tests. I can pass every one of them. As soon as I pass it, there’s some guy on the other end going ‘Oh, there’s masking agents, there’s this, there’s that.’ I know the arguments because I’ve been in the situation. This is a subject that is very, very near and dear to me only because since I was a very small child I have worked my [butt] off to get to where I’m at, and it [stinks] to have to deal with people saying that I rely on a crutch. I take great pride in the fact that I have a God-given gift of above-average natural strength, and I show it off whenever I can, because to me that’s fun, that’s entertaining, it’s what I love to do.”

To me, it’s obvious that Cena was saying, “No matter what I say, you’ll have your own opinion.” That’s what Cena has said as far back as 2003, when he was asked about steroids in the book WWE Unscripted. This was his response then: “I never have tried steroids, but no matter how much I say that, nobody is gonna believe it, so I’ve given up. … People are going to have their opinions; I can’t change them.”

Being a writer and an editor, I understand that quotes often need to be condensed because people sometimes ramble and stray from the point when asked a question. As journalists, however, it is our responsibility to insure that the portion of the quote that we use accurately represents the point the subject was trying to convey.

Cena did leave himself open in the CNN segment by making one ambiguous statement, but I don’t see how a respected news organization such as CNN – or any responsible journalist, for that matter – could omit Cena’s initial response to the question, which was a clear and direct denial to having ever taken steroids.

I have always thought that Vince McMahon was overly paranoid about the media, but after a summer filled with sensationalistic reporting on the Chris Benoit story and now this, I’m starting to think he might be justified.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (35)
        

The ratings from this past week’s Raw and Impact proved once again that nostalgia acts do move ratings. The powers that be in WWE and TNA probably shouldn’t get too excited, however, because history says that nostalgia acts usually spike the ratings initially, but they also run out of steam pretty quickly if they are overexposed.

Raw, which was built around the DX reunion of Triple H and Shawn Michaels and the return to television of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, drew a 3.8 rating. The show’s ratings in October ranged from 2.8 to 3.5, according to pwtorch.com.

Impact, which featured the return of Scott Hall, drew a 1.1 rating. That's a slight increase from the previous week's 1.0, but it translated to 1.5 million viewers, the show’s largest audience to date, pwtorch.com reported.

Getting more eyeballs on the product is certainly never a bad thing. The key, though, is to not make a nostalgia act the focus week after week. WWE learned that back in 2002 with the return of Hulk Hogan. The company interpreted the huge reactions Hogan was getting at first to mean that the fans wanted him to be champion again, but WWE found out that wasn’t the case at all.

TNA apparently sees value in Hall beyond a one-week ratings increase, as the company reportedly is negotiating with him for more appearances. Based on Hall’s troubled past, however, relying on him for a major story line would be a huge risk. And, as history indicates, the initial curiosity about him probably won’t translate into long-term business anyway.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Some thoughts on last night’s TNA Impact:

Scott Hall’s return to television was predictably anticlimactic.

The former Razor Ramon, now a haggard, out-of-shape 49-year-old, showed up looking like anything but a star in his baggy jersey and jeans. The funniest part – or the saddest, depending on how you look at it – was that Kurt Angle and Kevin Nash were scripted to act as if Hall was someone to be feared, but he certainly didn’t come across as much of a threat.

At one point, Angle confronted Hall and tried to sucker-punch him, but Hall went all Daniel Puder on him and overpowered him. That’s right, the TNA world champion and former Olympic gold medalist was punked out by a guy who looked like Scott Hall’s father.

The show ended with Hall and former tag-team partner Nash face to face in the ring. They talked about how the Kliq still rules the wrestling world. Well, they did this week, as Raw was built around the DX reunion of Shawn Michaels and Triple H, and Impact was built around The Outsiders reunion of Hall and Nash. After teasing some tension, Hall said that he was not Sting’s mystery partner, and he and Nash embraced. …

As is the case every week, there was way too much of the Angles. Kurt and wife Karen were in about seven or eight segments. None of them were good, but they were better than last week’s unwatchable and seemingly endless interrogation scenes. …

At one point on Total Nonstop Angles, Karen walked into the men’s room. It was never explained why she went in there. Vince Russo always has been partial to bathroom humor. …

Jeremy Borash is becoming as overexposed as the Angles. I always thought his facial expressions and delivery added to the backstage segments, but he jumped the shark last week during the interrogations. He was better as the impartial announcer who goes along for the ride than he is as the Angles’ sophomoric sidekick. …

Christian Cage and Kaz had a good match to open the show. Kaz, who lost after interference by Tomko and A.J. Styles, is a talented worker and he has breakout potential, but right now there seems to be something missing. He definitely needs improvement on his promos, and his look is too cookie-cutter. …

Every time I watch Gail Kim wrestle, I can’t get over the fact that WWE let her go. It’s too bad TNA decided to debut so many women at once, because none of the newcomers stand out except for Awesome Kong. ODB’s look and character are different from the other women, but she hasn’t gotten a push. TNA should do vignettes on the women, especially ODB, to try to get them over. …

Eric Young is popular as a mid-card comedy act, but he looked out of place in the six-man tag main event that also involved Angle, Robert Roode, James Storm, Samoa Joe and Sting. It was good to see Roode and Storm in there with the big boys, though. I don’t think it will happen, but I would love for Roode get an upset win over Joe at the Genesis pay-per-view Sunday.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

A reader named Danny posted the following comment on Tuesday: “How does Scott Hall's possible return go under your radar? For my money, it’s bigger than Y2J coming to Raw.”

Let me address the second part first. With all due respect to Danny, while Hall resurfacing might be bigger to him, I think I’m pretty safe in saying that Chris Jericho’s impending return has sparked much more interest among wrestling fans.

As for Hall going under my radar, that isn’t the case. I watched TNA Impact last week when Hall’s name was teased as Sting’s mystery partner, and I’m well aware that Hall did indeed appear on the taped show that will air tonight. Honestly, I just didn’t think that Hall was worth commenting on.

For one thing, I believe Hall is only making a special appearance and not joining TNA on a full-time basis. I hope I’m not ruining this for anybody, but it is revealed on tonight’s show that Hall is not the mystery partner (that role is expected to go to Booker T.).

But even if Hall were sticking around in TNA, what impact would he have? The answer is next to nothing. Pushing broken-down, stale acts like Hall and Kevin Nash is not a recipe for success, and Hall’s presence only adds to the perception that TNA is a gathering place for former WCW stars past their primes.

Beyond that, with Hall’s well-publicized problems outside the ring, I would think that he would be the last person that any wrestling company would want on its roster given the current climate.

Speaking of which, I missed last night's CNN special titled Death Grip: Inside Pro Wrestling, but I will probably write about it after watching a replay this weekend.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Stacy Keibler told me that she is shooting an episode of the ABC drama October Road this week. The Rosedale native and former WWE diva said that she will have a recurring role on the series, which also features Keibler’s boyfriend, Geoff Stults.

The series premieres on Thanksgiving (Nov. 22) and then moves to its regularly scheduled spot on Monday nights. Keibler debuts in Episode 12, which won’t air until after the first of the year.

She played recurring characters last season on ABC’s What About Brian and George Lopez, but neither show was picked up this fall.

Keibler, by the way, was No. 1 on a list of all-time favorite women wrestlers on SI.com earlier this week. She was followed by Trish Stratus, Miss Elizabeth – who was not really a wrestler – Chyna and Wendi Richter. It’s nice to be No. 1, but Keibler probably would have been more flattered had they not misspelled her first name (they added an “e”) or referred to her WCW character as “Miss Handcock.” It was “Hancock.”

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

A stream-of-consciousness-look at last night’s Raw:

I’ve always been a big fan of DX, but I couldn’t figure out what the point was to the opening promo, which involved Hornswoggle, The Boogeyman and The Great Khali. Shawn Michaels wasn’t lying when he said it was the worst writing since the infamous Katie Vick segments. …

Three questions: Why did at Khali, who is a heel, want to join DX? How was it that Jonathan Coachman was able to get right up from Khali’s dreaded chop to the head when that same move has flattened main-event wrestlers? And why was the DX reunion for one night only? I know that’s what Vince McMahon said last week, but I thought DX were supposed to be rebels. …

Beth Phoenix, who made quick work of Kelly Kelly, is very good in her role as a monster heel. It’s too bad WWE doesn’t have a strong babyface woman to chase her for the title, although things could get interesting when Candice Michelle returns from her legit injury seeking story-line revenge. …

I like the idea of all three WWE shows using wrestlers from the other two brands. WWE has a very good roster as one entity, but the talent pool isn’t deep enough anymore to be divided three ways. …

The burial of Carlito continued, as he got punked out by Snitsky. That’s not cool. …

It was obvious after watching a great Jeff Hardy video that WWE has a ready-made main eventer – it just needs to pull the trigger. …

The match of the night was Hardy and Rey Mysterio’s win over Mr. Kennedy and Finlay. Not surprisingly, Hardy and Mysterio made a great team. …

Santino Marella proved once again that great comedy isn’t necessarily about cleverly written lines, it’s all about delivery and timing. Honestly, this guy should host Saturday Night Live. He was even funny when taking a stunner from “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The exaggerated way he hoisted himself in the air was reminiscent of how The Rock used to take the bump. …

If Austin is planning to stun everyone who panned The Condemned, then Marella was just the first in a long, long line of victims. …

The beer bath segment, with Austin spraying Marella and Maria with a hose, was entertaining, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. I sure wouldn’t have wanted to be in the front row during that segment. By the way, I love how Maria made sure to pull her hair back before Austin sprayed her. …

Khali will be wrestling Hornswoggle at Survivor Series. I’m actually excited about this one, only because I think it might mean the end of the Hornswoggle character. …

If I were granted one wish concerning Raw, it would be to never have to see the fat, oiled-up guy on the program ever again. It wasn’t funny the first time, and it hasn’t gotten any funnier. …

Jerry Lawler was all excited that Kendra and Bridget made an appearance. Can’t say I’m familiar with their work. Like Michaels, however, I am very familiar with Dora The Explorer. I’m guessing Kendra and Bridget are not on Nickelodeon. …

How did Lillian Garcia confuse Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch? Bring back Howard Finkel. …

WWE put together a very nice video tribute to the late Fabulous Moolah. Her longevity in an unforgiving and male-dominated business is truly remarkable. …

Super Crazy and Hacksaw Jim Duggan defeated The World’s Greatest Tag Team, which left me asking the following questions: Super Crazy is still in the company? Why was this match on Raw and not a house show in Des Moines, Iowa? Why is Duggan encouraging the crowd to chant “USA” when his partner is from Mexico and his opponents are Americans? Who did Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas anger on the WWE creative team? …

The show ended on a high note, with DX defeating Randy Orton and Umaga in a good main event. I’m looking forward to Orton-Michaels II at Survivor Series.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

The Fabulous Moolah didn’t just dominate women’s wrestling for parts of four decades, she was women’s wrestling. Moolah (Lillian Ellison), who died at 84 on Friday night, is unquestionably the most influential and famous female wrestler in history.

Younger fans may know her only as one-half of WWE’s spirited octogenarians, as she and Mae Young were used as comic relief on WWE programming over the past decade. For those who were around when “Hulkamania” was a new phenomenon in 1984, Moolah is remembered for taking part in WWE’s first big mainstream angle, as she wrestled Wendi Richter – managed by pop star Cyndi Lauper – on MTV.

I started following wrestling when I was in elementary school in the mid-1970s, and I have vivid memories of Moolah. In those days, there were monthly house shows at the Baltimore Civic Center, and women’s matches would be on the card a few times a year. In an era when women’s wrestling was not overrun with silicon-enhanced models, Moolah was a heat magnet and really knew how to rile up a crowd. Both men and women seemed to truly despise Moolah, as they shouted words at her that my young ears had no business hearing.

I was too young to know anything about the art of being a heel, but, looking back, I recognize just how talented Moolah was as a performer. Not only did she seem to be as tough as any man, but she had me believing that she probably was mean to small animals and children. That’s proof as to how good she was at playing her character, because to those who knew Lillian Ellison well, she couldn’t have been any sweeter or friendlier. She was known to always call people “Darlin’” in her Southern drawl.

Moolah first won the women’s title in 1956 at the Baltimore Coliseum, and she supposedly held it until dropping the belt to Richter in 1984. In reality, her 28-year title reign is one of wrestling’s urban legends – like Andre The Giant’s undefeated streak – as Moolah actually lost and regained the belt several times during that span.

Officially, Moolah regained the title on three occasions. The first time, in 1985, she wrestled under a mask as The Spider Lady and was a participant in a double-cross of Richter. WWE had been having problems with Richter and wanted the belt off her, so Moolah maneuvered her into a pinning position and got the three count, which was not the finish Richter had been expecting. Moolah’s final title reign lasted eight days in 1999 when she was 76.

In addition to her exploits as a wrestler, Moolah also had a major impact on women’s wrestling in other roles. She not only booked the women’s circuit, but she also trained numerous women for the ring, including Richter and the late Sherri Martel.

My condolences go out to Moolah’s friends and family.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)