After a very strong angle last week on Impact in which A.J. Styles was bloodied and beaten in a five-on-one attack, TNA could have done a better job advancing the story line on Thursday night’s episode.

During a long promo segment that opened the show and seemingly involved half the roster, A.J. Styles did a run-in seconds before an abrupt cutaway to a backstage segment. It was way too early in the show to see Styles after last week’s dramatic ending.

The teaser throughout the show was that Styles had something that he wanted to tell Karen Angle. Not surprisingly, he never got to tell her anything, as he was beaten down again by the band of heels, only this beat-down had much less impact.

Here’s what I think is a better scenario:

I would have kept Styles away from the Impact Zone altogether. In the opening segment, the announcers say that Styles is going to talk about what happened last week during a sit-down interview with Mike Tenay later in the show. During the interview, Styles cuts a serious, intense promo. Rather than just having the black eye that he was sporting in last night’s episode, he also has a bandage for the cuts on his head. When Tenay asks him about his relationship with Karen, Styles says that he wants to speak to her directly — which he will do next week on Impact.

Then, what occurred Thursday night — Styles not getting to talk to Karen and suffering another attack — would happen on the next episode, which is the go-home show for the Slammiversary pay-per-view. That way, they get another week out of the story line, and the impact from the original angle resonates longer.

It’s really just basic booking. Two angles from the early ‘80s immediately come to mind as textbook examples of this type of angle. When Jimmy Snuka and Bruno Sammartino suffered brutal beat-downs from Magnificent Muraco and Larry Zbyszko, respectively, the babyfaces didn’t do a run-in in the first segment of the very next show. Instead, they did emotional, intense sit-down interviews in an empty arena.

It’s just a shame, because it seems like TNA missed an opportunity to really have people dying to see Styles versus Kurt Angle at Slammiversary.

Other thoughts from Thursday night’s show:

Both King of the Mountain qualifying matches were good. Christian Cage beating Tomko was the right call, but I would have had James Storm beat Rhino. …

Speaking of Tomko, he seemed like a sure breakout star when he was the strong, silent guy who rolled his eyes during Cage’s promos. Now he comes across as just a cookie-cutter heel who yells during his promos. …

Booker T. is doing as much of his King Booker schtick as possible without getting a cease and desist letter from WWE legal. I laughed out loud when he burst into Jim Cornette’s office and talked about having a locker that smelled like rat urine. Perhaps Black Reign/Goldust, Booker’s former tag-team partner, was playing a rib by having his pet rat, Misty, soil the locker. …

Awesome Kong’s Awesome Bombs are looking more dangerous every week. …

When Kevin Nash came into Cornette’s office with a baseball bat, Brother Devon asked if he thought he was Billy Jack. I’m not sure if he was referencing the wrestler from 20 years ago or the movie from almost 40 years ago. Either way, I bet most viewers under 30 had no idea what he was talking about. …

Angelina Love and Velvet Sky continue to be impressive — the brown-bag treatment is a nice touch — but Love’s altering of Booker T.’s old catch phrase didn’t make any sense. She said, “Don’t hate our beautiful looks, hate the game.” …

TNA was begging me to turn the channel when they had The Rock and Rave Infection in the ring, some American Idol reject named Ace Young outside the ring and Hermie Sadler on commentary. I don’t know what’s worse — Ace Young on Impact or Cousin Sal on Raw. Probably, Cousin Sal. At least American Idol is the most popular show on TV, but I still would have much rather seen Ace Frehley than Ace Young. Heck, I would have rather seen “Ace” Orton, Johnny Ace, Ace Darling or Ace Steel over Ace Young.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 12:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

I’ve been interviewing pro wrestlers for well over a decade, and almost every one has been a “shoot.” Yesterday, however, I conducted a phone interview with Santino Marella, and it was one of the rare occasions when the subject did the entire interview in character. From the moment he greeted me in his exaggerated Italian accent, I knew I was in store for a fun conversation. Just keep in mind as you’re reading his responses that he is saying it in his “Santino Marella voice.”

I’m a big fan of Santino’s Casa on wwe.com. Do you pick the topics for the segment? And do you write the material or do you collaborate with writers?

I don’t pick the topics. I work with some writers, but we work together and they give me some freedom.

Has there been any talk of you bringing Santino’s Casa to TV as a regular segment?

There are some – what do you call it? – preliminary talks, but I guess they they want to see how the Casa develops and evolves, and maybe one day you’re going to see Santino’s Pit or something.

Speaking of Santino’s Pit, what it’s been like working with Roddy Piper, and what’s going to happen with this Cousin Sal?

You see, I was a Hulkamaniac growing up, so I know what Rodney the Piper is capable of, OK? And I was also a fan of Mr. T. So, although I respect Roddy Piper for his legendary accomplishments, he’s always been on the other side of the court, so to speak. Now, this Cousin Loser Sal – is this a joke for me? I’m a world class athlete. I beat Umaga in the past. This guy is like swatting a mosquito. But I’m not going to knock him off quickly or make him submit quickly. This is absolutely a lesson. I’m sending a lesson to Hollywood: You stay there, and we are going stay here and come there! Basically, this is going to be legal torture. He’s going to have to change his panties when I’m finished.

You obviously have great comedic timing. Do you have any background in comedy or are you just naturally funny?

People always told me when I was growing up that, “You are so funny person; you should be in movies and comedy and all this.” When the teacher in class tells you to stop being a class clown, there’s no job for this – ha, I guess there is.

I know that you have an MMA background and that you did a shootfighter gimmick when you were in developmental. Was it hard to make the transition from that type of character to a comedic character?

Not really, because there is a dichotomy within Santino Marella. Santino Marella can pretty much destroy anyone he meets. But there’s also that comedy component. So, at this particular time, I’m doing this component. Hopefully, one day the two can become one, and then I’ll be more dangerous. I’ll still be entertaining and pretty much be the best thing ever next to sliced bread – and I don’t mean Brian Kendrick’s finishing move. Because that’s called Sliced Bread – did you know that?

Sliced Bread No. 2, right?

Oh, it’s No. 2? Maybe you know more than me (laughs).

You mentioned your character becoming more dangerous. Do you really see that happening? Because I think the character would be more over if the character was more of a threat in the ring.

I think that’s just a natural evolution, because the more popular a character becomes, people want to see him competing for something worth competing for. In order to do that, they must allow my real ability to choke people, armlock people, leglock people and smash people on their heads. It must – this is a good word – permeate through the character. You like that word – permeate?

Yes, that’s a good word. Luckily, I have my dictionary here. Looking back at your WWE debut, it seemed like the idea was to create an instant babyface star with your win over Umaga. Why do you think that didn’t really get over?

Let me put it to you this way, Kevin. People like chocolate bars, right? What’s your favorite chocolate bar?

Uh, I guess I’m partial to Snickers.

OK, so I say to you, “Kevin, wake up, time to eat a Snickers. Oh, you like it? Have another Snickers, Kevin. Hey, don’t slow down with those Snickers – have three more.” Kevin, how long is it going to take before you don’t like Snickers?

I guess I’d get sick of them pretty quickly.

There you go. You can’t force-feed somebody. They must desire Snickers. Currently, you like Snickers because it’s your choice to go eat one. So now that Santino Marella is people’s choice to go indulge in him, it’s more popular.

I think you had the best gimmick in the company – being paired up with Maria. What was it like working with her?

Maria was a very nice chapter. We appreciate the opportunity to be together; we had lots of fun. She has very soft skin and smells nice. But, at the end of the day, Maria is just a chick. You know, I love Maria, but for people like me – I’m not sure about you, Kevin – they come and go like nothing. I am the true meaning of international playboy.

Can you talk about the infamous incident in which Jim Cornette slapped you because he thought you were laughing at an inappropriate time when you were in OVW?

Jim Cornette is a loser. Jim Cornette is an insecure person. And controversy creates cash, so maybe one day, Jim Cornette, I’m going to wrap that cheap tennis racquet around you neck. I’d like to have a cage match with Jim Cornette. I’ll put that out on the Worldwide Web right now. Jim Cornette is a misunderstanding person. Look, I’m watching wrestling in the audience – make it very clear – just in the audience. My daughter is sitting in front of me. Boogeyman turns to us, [and] I think, “OK, he’s going to do me a favor because maybe he knows I’m a student in this OVW school, so he’s going to scare my daughter for me, and treat my daughter to an experience.” So I’m happy. If your daughter is going to get an experience like this, you’re going to be happy as a father, right?

Sure, I would be.

Of course, there you go. So you are just as guilty as me then, Kevin, so Jim Cornette would have slapped you, too. Do you deserve it? No, because you are a good person. So anyway, this loser took advantage of a situation because he knew I would not hit him back because I was a student. He freaked out and he slapped me several times. I did nothing because I think to myself: “I am not American citizen. I don’t have green card. If I punch this guy, shatter his face the way my punches can actually do, then I’m going to be kicked out of the country.” You can’t just show up somewhere and start breaking skulls, Kevin. It doesn’t work like that. But now that I’m in a position to challenge him to a cage match, I make an official challenge to Jim Cornette for the first time, right now, right here.

OK, we’ll see if he answers.

Of course not. He’s a coward, Kevin.

You have a pretty interesting story as to how you got into pro wrestling. Can you talk about that?

I was under the understanding that you go to Japan, and you do good and then people notice you and bring you to America. So I went there with my vast judo background and my fighting ability. I have to really stress that I am a very, very serious fighter – it’s not comedy. So, I go there and I beat up lots of people, things are going great. I’m doing MMA and working for a good company called Battlearts. I don’t realize that you have to leave the country every 90 days. So, I made one mistake. I don’t leave the country for 94 days, and they say, “I’m sorry. You can’t come back.” At first it was for five years, but the law changed and it was for one year. So, here you are a young man, all the talent in the galaxy, trying to make it in this business and all of a sudden your plans just do a 180-degree turn. So, I have to reformulate my game plan, and we went to United States for school and it worked out pretty good.

There is more of an MMA influence in pro wrestling these days. Do you see the business continuing to move in that direction?

As a business, no. Some of the in-ring techniques? Probably. I saw one match where CM Punk was fighting like from the guard. It’s happening. The more it does, the better for me, because that’s where I come from.

The One Night Stand pay-per-view show is coming up Sunday. You aren’t on that show, correct?

Currently, I am actually not booked for that show. But I will be watching that show very carefully because there are some matches that are of particular interest to me, namely Randy Orton and Triple H. It’s no mistake that Randy Orton is my friend. So the more power he has, the better for Santino Marella. There’s just going to be some good fights. I want to see the girls. That’s going to be a good one, too.

Santino, I can honestly say this is one of the most entertaining interviews I’ve ever done.

Thank you, Kevin. It was a real pleasure for you to talk to me.

Photo courtesy of WWE

Posted by Kevin Eck at 6:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Q&As
        

My interview with Scott Steiner a few weeks ago elicited more response than any of the Q&A's I’ve posted since starting the blog a little more than a year ago. In particular, Steiner’s unflattering comments about Ric Flair, Triple H and Shawn Michaels touched a nerve with readers. Some applauded the controversial Steiner for speaking his mind, while others accused him of being bitter and jealous.

In this follow-up interview, Steiner clarifies some of his statements and responds to his critics.

A number of people who saw your comments about Ric Flair, Triple H and Shawn Michaels said that you were bitter and jealous of their careers. What is your response?

I have nothing to be bitter about. I’ve made a lot of money, and more importantly, I’ve saved a lot of money. I’m not bitter. I love this business and that’s why I’m still in it. I’m just telling you the way it is, man. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

There’s no way I’m jealous, because there’s no way I would want their careers. For one thing, I couldn’t be Triple H because there’s no way I could [have sex] with Chyna. And he was doing that before she even got face reconstruction. There has only been two people in the history of the Howard Stern Show where they had them go to the bathroom to make sure [they were women] – Chyna and Nicole Bass. And she was on the show after the face reconstruction.

Look at Triple H’s career before he started (having sex with) the boss’ daughter: He lost to Ultimate Warrior in 30 seconds; he was losing to guys like Alex Wright in WCW; he lost to one of the Godwins in a pig slop match. And then all of a sudden he’s [having sex with] the boss’ daughter and he’s the toughest guy in the world. I’m not the only guy who thinks that. It’s no secret what Kurt Angle thought of Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Here’s one story I got from Kurt: Triple H was trying to block Kurt Angle from winning the [WWE] world title. He said in a meeting, “I think Kurt Angle’s too small.” And Jerry Brisco stood up and said, “Well, what do you think would happen if you guys fought for real?” And he sat down, shut his mouth and they ran with it.

Shawn Michaels is one of those wise-cracking guys who would say a smart comment to you, but then if you face him, he would run and cry somewhere. That’s exactly what happened one time when he was cutting down the Harris Brothers – I think it was Don Harris. Finally, he had enough. He waited until Shawn Michaels got in the room, kicked everybody out of the room, shut the door, grabbed him by the neck and was going to pound the [heck] out of him. A tear came down his eye. He turned around, started laughing and walked out. That is Shawn Michaels in a nutshell.

As for Ric Flair, I could go on and on. I was there one time when we were doing TV tapings at Center Stage [in Atlanta], and Rick Rude followed Flair around for about an hour and just totally blistered him. He told him he looked like hell and he was friends with the booker, totally blistering him. Finally, Flair had enough, left and did not come back to Center Stage until after the TV taping started. People think I’m making this stuff up.

Wahoo McDaniel could not stand him. He told me one time Blackjack Mulligan knocked Flair out with one punch. Jim Crockett at one time owned the NWA. I always liked David and Jackie Crockett, but I only met Jim Crockett once or twice, and everyone thought he was a [jerk]. But Flair had him as the best man in his wedding. Who has the promoter as his best man? Wahoo said back in the day when there were territories all around the country, one of the ways the boys made sure they wouldn’t get fired and wouldn’t have to worry about a job from week to week, is they would borrow money from the promoter. That way the promoter couldn’t fire them because he wanted to get his money out of them. Wahoo said that Flair had tax problems and Jim Crockett bailed him out, so there’s no way he was going to get rid of Ric Flair. Wahoo did not like him, did not like his wife – he called her the rat from Raleigh. The stories he would tell me – he just blistered him. And Flair had no idea.

When I was in WWE, it was right after Andre The Giant had died. We were doing a Raw in New Jersey. I was talking to Rene Goulet, who was an agent then. Everybody was pretty bummed out because everybody loved Andre – I only met him once, so I didn’t know him that well. Flair came by and did his usual, “Wooo!” I swear to God, Rene was so [angry], he wanted to punch him out. He said Flair lived like two hours from where Andre was buried in North Carolina. He said, “That piece of garbage. He wouldn’t drive two hours to pay his respects to Andre.” He wanted to kill him. I could go on and on.

I remember a world title match back in 1991 between you and Flair at a Clash of the Champions. What was it like working a match with him? Did you have a different opinion of him back then?

No. I always knew he was a piece of garbage. Flair never drew when I was in the NWA and WCW. Flair had all of his friends booking him on top and we were not drawing. People can say what they want, but I was there and we did not draw nothing. They may have papered the crowd to make it look good for a Clash or a pay-per-view, but we did not draw. I can say for a fact that Flair at that time did not draw a dime. And they say he was the greatest? If you want an honest opinion, you ask somebody who they would rather be on the card with – Hulk Hogan or Ric Flair. If they don’t say Hulk Hogan, they’re out of their minds. At least you knew when you were on a Hulk Hogan card you were going to get paid. Thank God in WCW we had guaranteed contracts. If we had been paid by the houses that we were drawing, we would have starved.

Here’s the deal with that Clash of the Champions. Things had gotten so bad, and they wanted to put the belt on somebody else. They actually wanted to make me the world champion. I had just beaten Ric Flair in a gauntlet match to set up for the Clash of the Champions. So we’re going over the match backstage, and he was like, “Yeah, I got this, I got that,” and then he went out there and sandbagged. It was one of the worst matches I ever had. And I was wondering, “What was that?” The match I had with him in the gauntlet was 10 times better. So I went in the back and I was disappointed. Then I heard a couple weeks later, he was telling people in the office that I got tired, I wasn’t ready for the spot. And to tell you the truth, I really didn’t want to be the world champion. At the time, I still wanted to team with my brother. About a month later, I was wrestling him in Philadelphia, and I gave him nothing. He tried to hit me with a chair, and I grabbed the chair and hit him with it. I just beat the crap out of him. I came back after our match and waited for him right at the door, waiting for him to say something. If he would have said something I would have clocked him one, but he didn’t say nothing. He put his head down and walked back to his dressing room. He’s a punk, man.

Flair was messed up on so many different levels. One time in Baltimore, Sting was going to beat Flair for the belt. So Flair pulled Sting aside, and Sting thinks he’s going to tell him something about the match or give him some big knowledge, and this is what he said to him, and Sting could not believe it. Flair said, “When you get married, it’s a big deal. When you have kids, it’s a big deal. But there’s nothing like winning the world title.” Sting came back and grabbed my brother and I and Lex [Luger], and said, “You’re not going to believe what Flair just told me.” That’s how messed up he was.

Here’s a story that Gary Hart told me. He was managing Muta at the time, and they were going to go in a different direction with Muta. Basically, they were thinking about getting rid of Gary Hart, and he was hurt by it. Back in the day, if you were NWA champion, different territories had to give you their vote to keep you as champion. Gary at one point was in Texas. So Flair at that time came by, whined and dined him and kissed his [butt]. So, later when they were thinking about firing Gary, he said to me, “I went up to him now to see if he could help me out, and that piece of [garbage] said he couldn’t do nothing for me.” Two or three weeks later, he was fired. That’s the way Flair was. He used you, and then he cut your throat.

Another thing that people took issue with was when you said that Triple H and Shawn Michaels were the only guys in WWE who respected Flair. What about guys like Batista, Chris Jericho and Big Show – who was crying during Flair’s Hall of Fame speech and during his farewell on Raw – and others?

Trust me, if it was a different time, Flair would cut their throats in a second, but he’s not in that position anymore. When Flair was in Evolution, he knew he needed those guys to keep his spot, so he helped them out. So I believe Batista has respect for him, because he helped him out. As far as Big Show, I think he’s a crier. He cried when Hulk Hogan retired, too. Can’t take him to a sad movie, either (laughs).

I think some people believe that you don’t respect anybody. Are there any guys in the business that you do have respect for?

The main guy you have to have respect for is Hogan. Hogan was the man. I remember when I was [in WWE], Chief Jay Strongbow used to call him the golden goose. He always said he could lay a golden egg. That was the respect that Hogan had – because he drew. The greatest is the one who draws the money. Would you rather be a 16-time world champion like Flair or would you rather be like Bruno, who had a 10-year run like he had and always sold out Madison Square Garden? That’s respect, man.

You have to respect the guys that have set attendance records and drew a lot of money – like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. And, of course, The Rock, not only for what he’s done in wrestling, but what he’s doing right now in the movies, which is unprecedented, where a wrestler has been so successful in Hollywood. One of the guys that I most respect is Kurt Angle. When he left WWE, I think a lot of people thought he was the best wrestler there. Not only that, but he was an Olympic champion. I think a lot of people don’t realize how hard it is to be an Olympic champion. Wrestlers in general I respect, because it’s a hard life.

One of your biggest gripes with Flair is that he was cutthroat in his backstage politics. A lot of people say that Hogan was far worse when it came to playing politics.

Oh, God. No. Flair was 10 times worse, and Hogan was a man about it. Hogan, if he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t [BS] you; he just wouldn’t talk to you. He wasn’t like these guys that come up to you and be all “ha-ha” and tell you you’re the greatest and then go behind closed doors and stab you in the back. Hogan had the best contract because he had creative control, and everybody knew that. But he had that respect man, and you got to give it to him. Hogan was the master. He went up there and actually convinced Vince, and he beat Triple H for the belt. I loved it. You know it had to [tick] off Triple H. And it was the worst match ever. It happened right after Hogan had that great match with The Rock at WrestleMania. And then Triple H wrestled him [a month] later and it was horrible. And they say Triple H is such a great worker. Yeah, right.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (141)
Categories: Q&As
        

It’s fitting that “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase appeared last night on Raw. In a not-so-subtle attempt to boost ratings, Vince McMahon is buying into – pun intended – DiBiase’s theory that everyone has a price.

At the top of the show, McMahon promised to make an announcement regarding something that’s never been done before in the history of television. In the final segment, McMahon revealed that he will be giving away $1 million every week on Raw to show his appreciation for the fans. He did not go into details regarding the giveaway.

This isn’t the first time that a wrestling company with declining ratings tried to lure viewers with the promise of $1 million. In fact, WWE did it back in 1997. I don’t recall the specifics, but I do remember Sunny seductively standing in front of a big case of money. I believe it was some kind of contest in which viewers could win an opportunity for a shot at $1 million. I’m pretty sure no one got lucky – I mean with the money, not Sunny. In 1999, WCW also had a $1 million contest going. Again, I don’t remember the details, but I think the idea was quickly dropped without any explanation.

As far as big announcements go, at least this was better than the revelation that Hornswoggle was McMahon’s illegitimate son. Hey, if it gets WWE some publicity and helps the ratings, why not? It could blow up in McMahon’s face, however, if this is some kind of bait and switch, although he did make a point last night to say that it wasn’t a hoax.

The other big announcement wasn’t much of a surprise, as McMahon said that there would be a draft in four weeks. With so many inter-brand matches, as well as the “talent exchange” between Smackdown and ECW, I think the drafts have lost some of their luster.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

Triple H and Randy Orton both did a great job on the mic in their intense verbal confrontation. I really didn’t have any interest in seeing another match between these two after the Judgment Day pay-per-view last week, but by the end of this segment, one more match didn’t seem like such a bad idea after all. …

I know there are people who think that Orton cuts a boring promo, but I couldn’t disagree more. Not everyone has to be The Rock or Ric Flair on the stick. Orton’s promo style is perfect for his character, which is cold-hearted and cunning. His persona is not over-the-top, so witty catch phrases wouldn’t work for him. …

One match that I don’t think I will ever get tired of seeing is Shawn Michaels versus Chris Jericho. They had another good match that advanced their compelling story line. Jericho again seemed to be on the verge of turning heel, as he was contemplating attacking Michaels with a chair before putting it down and help Michaels get to his feet. A Jericho heel turn six days before Michaels’ stretcher match with Batista at the One Night Stand pay-per-view wouldn’t have made much sense. …

DiBiase was on the show to introduce his son, Ted DiBiase Jr., who has been training with WWE for a less than a year on a developmental contract. The younger DiBiase cut a decent promo, especially considering it was his debut on a big stage. It was interesting that DiBiase Jr. confronted Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes. Dave Meltzer reported in The Wrestling Observer this week that WWE is mulling over the idea of putting together a young heel stable that would include second-generation wrestlers such as DiBiase, D.H. Smith, Afa Anoai Jr. and possibly Rhodes. …

The Roddy Piper-Cousin Sal stuff just seems like a big waste of time. I wouldn’t mind WWE doing a celebrity angle with Piper and Santino Marella if an actual celebrity was involved. …

JBL got in the line of the night when he said that Mickie James was trying to make the divas into escorts with her idea of having a contest in which divas would hang out with fans. The only thing that would have made it better is if Ashley was standing there instead of James. …

I must have missed something, because I have no idea why Melina and Jillian Hall suddenly don’t like each other. It seems as if Melina is a babyface now even though she never really turned.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Hulk Hogan and his family can’t seem to stop making headlines, as Hogan’s daughter, Brooke, was involved in a car accident this afternoon. According to the police report on tmz.com, Brooke had one passenger in the car (not her mother or father, as was first believed), and no one was seriously injured. The report suggests that Brooke was not at fault.

Even before this latest news, I was planning to write more on the Hogans. Since my post early this morning on the Nick Hogan tapes, I have received a few comments and e-mails from people who are supportive of the Hogans. Sorry, but I’m just not going to drink the red and yellow Kool-Aid anymore.

One person claimed that “the wolves are out bashing Hogan and his family.” Generally speaking, I do think sites like tmz.com go too far the way they hound celebrities and go to extreme lengths to show them in an unfavorable light. In the case of the Hogans, however, especially in light of the recently released tapes, they bring much of the negative reaction on themselves.

As far as me personally contributing to the “bashing” of the Hogans, until this morning’s post I had refrained from writing about Nick Hogan’s legal troubles, as well as Hulk and Linda Hogan’s messy divorce and the infamous sunbathing photos of Hulk and Brooke. The only time I wrote about the Hogans’ personal issues was back in November after Linda filed for divorce. And the only reason I wrote that one was because I thought the divorce could impact the wrestling business (if Linda were to get a huge settlement, I speculated that it could lead to Hulk making a return to wrestling sooner rather than later).

Another point that was raised in the comments I received was that it is understandable that parents would want to alleviate their child’s suffering. As a parent, I certainly understand that. However, it is possible to support your child and be there for him or her in trying times, but still do what is right. It’s called tough love. It’s also called being a responsible parent.

It’s difficult to say what any of us would do if our kids were in the same predicament as Nick Hogan. I’d like to believe that I would be strong enough to show them tough love.

When Nick asked Hulk to speak to the judge and try to get him out of jail and on house arrest, Hulk’s response shouldn’t have been, “I’m trying, Bubba.” It should have been: “Nick, I feel for you and I love you. But, in life there are consequences to our actions. You made a bad decision that had very serious repercussions, and now you have to pay the consequences. You need to be strong, do your time, learn from it and move on with your life. You are going to be uncomfortable for eight months, and then you have the rest of your life and a bright future ahead of you. Think how lucky you are that you weren’t seriously injured or worse. John Graziano wasn’t so lucky. His life will never be the same.”

When Nick asked Hulk to broker a deal for a reality show, Hulk’s response shouldn’t have been that he was working on it, it should have been: “Absolutely not. You committed a serious crime and you are paying your debt to society. You nearly killed your friend, and you are not going to profit in any way from that.”

While I believe that Nick should be held accountable for his actions, I don’t discount the fact that he is 17. His parents, by seemingly condoning his foolish behavior both before and after the accident, certainly haven’t done their son any favors. Hulk may claim that he and Linda “run a tight ship,” but it seems obvious that the inmates were running the asylum to some extent. When that happens, who is more to blame when things go awry, the inmates or the people in charge of the asylum?

As for the reader who said that “it’s very possible that Nick does feel a lot of remorse for what happened. … Let’s give him a chance to serve his time and see if he’s learned his lesson,” all I can say is that, after listening to the tapes, he sure doesn’t seem to be remorseful or enlightened. Calling Graziano “a negative person” and talking about wearing his orange jumpsuit in front of a judge to play the sympathy card show him to have a perverse value system to say the least.

The same person also said, “If he does something like this again, obviously he should have the book thrown at him.” The fact is that Nick Hogan was a serious accident waiting to happen. It has been reported that he was busted for unlawful speeding three times in the 11 months prior to the accident, for going 115 mph in a 70 mph zone, 57 in a 30 and 106 in a 70. It’s unfathomable that his parents seemingly did nothing to curb this outrageous behavior.

The most absurd comment that I got was from someone who blamed Graziano for Nick’s incarceration because he wasn’t wearing his seat belt. That probably doesn’t even warrant a response. However, I will say this: While I certainly empathize with Graziano and his loved ones, I do not believe that he is a completely innocent victim. Graziano got in a car with Nick knowing that they were going to be doing something illegal and incredibly dangerous that could have killed themselves or others. Still, what happened to him is beyond sad, especially considering the fact that he was a Marine who had served two tours of duty in Iraq.

While there is no doubt that Graziano made an extremely unfortunate decision to get into that car with Nick, it was Nick who chose to get behind the wheel and drive recklessly. Both are paying for their actions, but, as I stated earlier, Graziano basically got a life sentence, while Nick only got eight months.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 12:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (45)
        

Hulk Hogan has been pro wrestling’s ultimate Teflon man for years, but this time I think his reputation has been tarnished beyond repair – and rightfully so.

I’m assuming that most people reading this have either heard the taped conversations between Hogan and son Nick during Nick’s incarceration or have heard about them. I don’t know how anyone can ever look at Hulk Hogan the same way after listening to the tapes on tmz.com. I know I certainly won’t.

During one conversation, Hulk and Nick – who recently began serving an eight-month sentence for felony reckless driving – assassinate the character of John Graziano, who was Nick’s passenger during the accident and was critically injured.

If that isn’t disgusting enough, Nick also talks to his father about wanting to put a deal together for a reality series that would chronicle Nick’s attempt to get back on his feet after leaving jail. When an enthusiastic Hulk asks who they should make the deal with, Nick says, “I want to do it where I’ll make the most money.”

So rather than having the car accident and jail sentence serve as a wakeup call, the Hogans are busy thinking about how they can cash in. These are some sick people.

In addition, Nick is heard asking his father to pull some strings for him and get him out of jail and onto house arrest. “I’m trying,” Hulk replies. Nick also complains that he doesn’t have a window in his cell and has nobody to talk to. In a conversation with his mother, Linda, a tearful Nick says, "I have to get out of here.”

So much for the recent claims of Hulk and his daughter, Brooke, that Nick in real life was nothing like the spoiled, cocky knucklehead he was portrayed as on Hogan Knows Best.

With everything that has happened to Hulk Hogan in his personal life recently, just think about how ironic the title of his reality show is. I was on a conference call with Hogan about three years ago before the show’s debut. When comparing it to The Osbournes, Hogan said he and Linda as parents were the exact opposite of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. “We run a real tight ship,” he said. It would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic.

Hogan certainly is no stranger to controversy. He was in the middle of a steroid scandal in the early 1990s, and he is almost as famous for his backstage politics as he is for his 24-inch pythons. More recently, he has been involved in a messy divorce and allegedly had an affair with his daughter’s friend.

I can overlook all of that, but I will never be able to get past Hogan badmouthing Graziano and callously trying to turn this tragedy into a money-making entertainment vehicle.

For decades in wrestling story lines, countless heels tried to kill Hulkamania. As someone who first became a Hulk Hogan fan in 1979, and who always found him easygoing and gracious during the handful of times that I interviewed him, it pains me to say that the person responsible for killing Hulkamania is a guy named Terry Bollea.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (52)
        

The A.J. Styles babyface turn that has been building for months came to a head with a hot angle last night on TNA Impact.

The show climaxed with Styles being battered and bloodied by Booker T., Tomko and Team 3D. Karen Angle was bullied by the heels for trying to protect Styles from the attack, so she went to the back and returned with Kurt Angle, who was carrying a chair. Instead of saving Styles, however, Kurt joined in on the assault and nailed him with the chair.

This was a strong, well-executed angle to kick off the Styles-Angle program.The beat-down seemed to go on forever, and it almost seemed like watching a scene in a slasher flick when the camera doesn’t pan away from the carnage as quickly as you might like. The blood oozing out of Styles’ forehead was used to great dramatic effect, as well. Brother Ray at one point rubbed Styles’ blood on his own face, and Karen Angle had his blood all over her top. Believe me, it was not a coincidence that she was wearing white.

Anyone who has been paying attention knew Kurt wasn’t going to save Styles, but sometimes predictable is OK. Everything doesn’t have to be a swerve – although I think one is eventually coming in this story line. I’m still betting that Karen, who seemingly walked out on Kurt earlier in the show after he begged her to take him back, will end up turning on Styles at some point and reuniting with Kurt.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

Team 3D also participated in a beat-down to open the show, as they combined with Booker T. to lay out and bloody LAX. Team 3D are such tremendous heels. I hope it’s a long time before they go back to being babyfaces. …

In the first segment, Team 3D was shown talking to someone behind a partially closed door, and the announcers were speculating as to who it could be. Gee, do you think it might be Booker T., the guy they formed an alliance with last week? Why is TNA so adamant about making its announcers look like idiots? …

I think Karen Angle has been a good performer for the most part since becoming an on-air talent, but she was overacting during her verbal confrontation with Kurt. At one point, her shrill voice was more annoying that Christy Hemme’s. I was waiting for Kurt to say, “On second thought, maybe we should separate.” …

Kurt asked Karen if she was seeing someone else, but didn’t she already indicate a while back that she was seeing someone on the TNA roster? …

Thank God Styles finally tossed away that ridiculous crown. …

The on-again, off-again tension between Samoa Joe and Kevin Nash was back on, as Joe did not choose Nash to be one of the participants in the King of the Mountain qualifying. If Joe ends up being duped by Nash it officially makes him the most gullible babyface of all time. Joe and Nash being allies has always seemed like a stretch anyway. …

I like the angle of Awesome Kong issuing an open challenge to fans in the audience. It gets Kong over as a monster and a sadistic bully, and it also has the potential to create a new star when someone comes out of the audience and gets the better of her. The plant on last night’s show was trying so hard not to look like a plant that it was obvious that she was one. She took a very scary-looking Awesome Bomb. …

The second part of Mike Tenay’s interview with Sting focused on Jeff Jarrett, although Jim “Ultimate Warrior” Hellwig’s name was dropped again. Sting talked about Jarrett losing his wife to cancer and him having to raise three girls now on his own. I really hope that Jarrett is coming back as a babyface. Yes, it would be a shocking swerve for him to go heel, but no one wants to boo him at this point. Plus, his heel persona has been played out. …

It’s difficult to get a predominantly male audience to boo attractive women such as Angelina Love and Velvet Sky, but TNA is making it happen. Not only has the head-shaving angle succeeded in getting heat on The Beautiful People, but it also has helped Roxxi Laveaux get over as a babyface. Love and Sky have become really good in their roles as the conceited hot girls who tease men with their provocative antics but make it known that they are unattainable. …

Referee Rudy Charles came off as one of the biggest heels on the show when he stopped Laveaux from shaving Love’s head. TNA is doing a good job of making people want to see Love lose her blonde locks, but I have a hard time believing that will ever happen. …

There were two separate references to “plastic breasts” on the show, and we also had ODB placing backstage interviewer Lauren’s hands on her breasts (and she kept them there for most of the interview). I’m not really offended by any of this, but it’s funny that TNA used to push the idea that their program was suitable for the entire family. Yeah, maybe the Manson Family. And speaking of which, with her shaved head, Laveaux kind of looks like ex-Manson girl Leslie Van Houten. …

What was the point of having the Rock and Rave Infection brawl with Black Machismo and Sonjay Dutt when the cameras were just going to cut away after the first punch was thrown? …

Eric Young continued his search for Elvis in Memphis. Perhaps he should look for him at the corner of Know Your Role Boulevard and Jabroni Drive. Surely, there is a better use of two minutes on the show than this. I think I’d rather see Super Eric.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

The surprising plot twist of William Regal being fired on Raw last night was due to Regal (Darren Matthews) being suspended 60 days for his second violation of WWE’s drug policy. WWE announced the suspension on its Web site this morning.

The abrupt halt to Regal's story line -- which was the main angle on Raw -- seemed like it had to be a response to one of two things: Either WWE was panicking because the ratings had slipped, or, as I wrote early this morning, “something has happened behind the scenes that we don’t know about.” Now we know.

Regal has been open about his battles with drug addiction, including going into detail about the subject in his autobiography. He also has credited Vince McMahon with saving his life by for paying for his rehab several years ago.

This latest setback comes at a time when he was getting perhaps the biggest push of his career. It also means that he is one more violation away from termination.

I have long admired Regal as a performer, and I hope I can see a lot more of his work in the future. More importantly, I hope that Darren Matthews can overcome his problems and get his life back on track.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

While I didn’t really care for WWE turning out the lights and ruining good matches recently, I did enjoy William Regal’s performances as Raw general manager. He was generating a lot of heel heat as WWE’s megalomaniacal authority figure and King of the Ring.

Just three weeks after pulling the plug during the Raw main event, however, Regal seemingly had the plug pulled on his story line last night on Raw, as he lost a loser-gets-fired match to Mr. Kennedy.

Blurring the line between reality and fiction, WWE chairman Mr. McMahon alluded to the fact that the ratings were down because of Regal. WWE is misguided if it really believes Regal’s stint as general manager is the reason that ratings have slipped a bit lately.

The good news is that – unless something has happened behind the scenes that we don’t know about – Regal isn’t going anywhere. I’m hoping that this is all just a plot twist and that Regal will be returning to power shortly. WWE has done a good job the past few weeks of repackaging him, and it would be a shame if his push gets shelved.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

There was an emphasis on wrestling, as there were four good, star-studded matches. In addition to the Kennedy-Regal bout, I also thought Batista’s win over Chris Jericho, the double countout between Jeff Hardy and Umaga and Randy Orton and JBL’s victory over Triple H and John Cena were all solid TV matches. …

Hardy took a painful-looking bump when Umaga delivered a sidewalk slam on the floor. …

The One Night Stand pay-per-view is just two weeks way, so WWE couldn’t waste any time in announcing some of the matches. None of the four matches are fresh, although they all have “extreme” stipulations: Triple H vs. Orton (last man standing), Cena vs. JBL (first blood), Shawn Michaels vs. Batista (stretcher match) and Hardy vs. Umaga (falls count anywhere). The only match among the four that I really don’t care to see again is Triple H-Orton. Triple H already has beaten Orton clean on the past two pay-per-views. Why should Orton warrant another title shot? I’d much rather see a new program between Triple H and JBL start sooner than later. …

As the late great Gorilla Monsoon often said: “What a miscarriage of justice.” I’m referring to the fact Santino Marella now is getting bullied by some guy named Cousin Sal from Jimmy Kimmel’s show. I didn’t even know Kimmel’s show was still on the air. And I certainly don’t know Cousin Sal from Cousin Junior. Cousin Sal has to be the worst “celebrity” to do an angle with WWE since Herb from the Burger King commercials appeared at WrestleMania 2. ..

Beth Phoenix looked dominant in her win over Maria. I don’t like Melina’s chances in this feud. I would love to see Phoenix work against Awesome Kong and Gail Kim. …

Katie Lea’s delivery was fine when she was cutting a promo on Mickie James, but she had some kind of eye contact issue going on there, almost appearing as if she was reading off a teleprompter. …

It could just be a red herring, but it was strongly hinted that Teddy Long will become the new GM. For those who missed it, he quit/was fired as Smackdown assistant GM last week, so it does make sense. I don’t see Ted DiBiase – who made a cameo appearance – having a recurring role at this point.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (31)
        

Looking at the card for last night’s WWE pay-per-view, I figured it would be a decent show but not a special one. And that’s pretty much how it turned out.

Starting with Cyber Sunday in October, I think the past seven WWE pay-per-views have ranged from good to very good. Sooner or later there was going to be a show that didn’t quite deliver what fans expect for their $40, and Judgment Day was it.

Overall, there was nothing wrong with the action or the effort of the wrestlers, but the booking fell a little short for me. The basic formula in wrestling is that the story lines on television build to some kind of payoff on pay-per-view. I just don’t think there was enough payoff, making this one pay-per-view that fans could have skipped.

Coincidentally, the two best matches on the card – Shawn Michaels versus Chris Jericho and The Undertaker versus Edge – were the most disappointing in terms of delivering on the expectation of either a resolution or a big angle.

Here’s a match-by-match look at last night’s show:

WWE champion Triple H defeated Randy Orton in a steel cage match: I don’t think anybody really thought that Triple H was dropping the belt just one month after winning it, and that took away some of the drama. I’m not saying that WWE should have pulled a swerve and had Orton regain the title, but it could have done a better job in the buildup of making it seem like he had a good chance of winning. That could have been accomplished if Orton had taken out Triple H on Raw last Monday and it was established that the champion was going into the match at less than 100 percent.

The Undertaker defeated Edge by countout (the world heavyweight title remains vacant): These two work very well together, but as good as their matches are, I think fans are ready for Undertaker and Edge to move on to new opponents. The finish of Undertaker seemingly winning the belt only to have Smackdown general manager Vickie Guerrero declare the title still vacant because the fall wasn’t decided by pinfall or submission would be fine for an episode of Smackdown, but not for a pay-per-view that advertised that a new champion would be crowned.

John Cena defeated JBL: I’m a little surprised that Cena got the win because I thought Triple H versus JBL would be a fresh program. I didn’t think we’d get to Triple H-Cena until later on down the line. I also was surprised that a match involving Cena opened the show. Perhaps Cena can use his placement on the card as further justification for his heel turn if it ever happens. Cena again played the underdog who takes a beating before pulling out the victory out of nowhere, and JBL came out looking strong in defeat after he dominated the match.

Shawn Michaels defeated Chris Jericho: It’s certainly no surprise that these two had a very good match, but everyone was waiting for one of them to turn heel or for Batista to show up and attack Michaels. Neither happened. I understand that this story line has a slow build, but, again, if you’re asking fans to pay $40, I think something more needed to happen.

Jeff Hardy defeated MVP: WWE made the call to put this match on in place of the Big Show-Mark Henry bout. Good call. It’s a no-brainer that Hardy shouldn’t lose this early in his return, but I am disappointed in the way MVP has been booked since losing the U.S. title to Matt Hardy. I am hoping – and perhaps it’s just wishful thinking – that MVP’s recent losing streak is part of a story line that leads to him regaining his focus and getting a big push. WWE could use some fresh faces at the top of the card, and MVP would be a good choice.

World tag-team champions John Morrison and The Miz defeated Kane and CM Punk: The mystifying booking of Punk continued, as he did the job here. The Money in the Bank gimmick is seriously being devalued.

WWE women’s champion Mickie James defeated Melina and Beth Phoenix: As I expected, James retained her title and Phoenix wasn’t involved in the decision. Phoenix putting both James and Melina on her shoulders for a backbreaker might have been the spot of the night.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

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

WWE champion Triple H vs. Randy Orton (steel cage match): There’s no way WWE had Triple H go through a long chase to regain the title just to have him lose it a month later. The “Age of Orton” won’t resume tonight, as Triple H retains.

Edge vs. The Undertaker for the vacant world heavyweight title: When The Undertaker defeated Edge for the title seven weeks ago at WrestleMania XXIV, the logical assumption was that he would be getting the long reign that he was denied last year due to injury. That still may be the case, but I have a feeling that Edge is getting the title back tonight. Edge makes a better champion, and Undertaker doesn’t need the belt to get over.

John Cena vs. JBL: Cena has been on a bit of a losing streak lately, and I think it is going to continue tonight. Look for JBL to cheat his way to a win and become Triple H’s next challenger.

Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels: This is the match I’m looking forward to the most. Heel turns have been teased by both men, and Batista basically came right out and said that he was going to show up to hurt Michaels. WWE has me guessing as to how it’s all going to play out, but I think a heel turn is imminent for Jericho, and he will come away with the win.

Big Show vs. Mark Henry: WWE isn’t doing Big Show any favors by having him face The Great Khali and Henry on consecutive pay-per-views. This match probably will be kept short, with Big Show getting the victory.

World tag-team champions John Morrison and The Miz vs. Kane and CM Punk: The way Punk has been booked lately has been odd to say the least, so I have no feel for where his character is going. With Morrison beating Kane and Miz beating Punk on ECW Tuesday, one would assume the babyfaces would avenge those losses and win the title. But Morrison and Miz are actually starting to get over as a team, and I don’t see Kane and Punk as tag champs. Somehow, Morrison and Miz will retain the title.

WWE women’s champion Mickie James vs. Beth Phoenix vs. Melina: I expect James to pin Melina and retain the title, which will keep her program with Phoenix going.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 5:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

I have “You Really Got Me” and “Runnin’ with the Devil” running through my head as I’m writing this, so it’s a little hard to concentrate on last night’s TNA Impact.

I was thinking about pro wrestling while I was at the Van Halen concert last night at 1st Mariner Arena, however. Watching David Lee Roth perform, it struck me as amazing that someone with “Diamond Dave’s” cheesy personality and showmanship never had any involvement in sports entertainment. Judging by the six-packs abs on the 53-year-old front man, it may not be too late for him to climb in the ring. I know I’d pay to see a smackdown between Roth and Sammy Hagar.

Moving on to the subject at hand, I thought Impact was a decent show, and there were a few things that really stood out in a positive way. For one, I think Booker T. is a much more interesting character as a heel. And as much as I found his King Booker schtick entertaining, the nastier, more serious Booker that we are seeing now is even better.

I’m also becoming more impressed every week by The Beautiful People — Angelina Love and Velvet Sky. They are rapidly becoming a hot act — no pun intended. They cut a great heel promo last night, and they are definitely getting heel heat for their demeaning treatment of crowd favorite Roxxi Laveaux.

I also like the fact that LAX is getting a big push again. They are perhaps the best tag team in wrestling (although that really isn’t saying much these days). It looks as if Hernandez is being groomed for a singles push somewhere down the line.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

I never get tired of watching Gail Kim and Awesome Kong wrestle. Even though they have had better matches together, this was the best bout on the show. The tag-team match of Love and Sky versus Laveaux and ODB wasn’t bad either, as the women’s matches continue to be a strong part of the show. …

I thought Booker completely overshadowed Samoa Joe in the verbal confrontation that opened the program. As far as star power, I still think Joe is somewhat lacking, and it becomes apparent when he is put in situations like this with guys such as Booker. …

When Team 3D came to Booker’s aid in that segment, it was pretty obvious that they were going to be his partners in the six-man tag main event. Yet, for some reason, the announcers kept saying that they had no idea who Booker would get to team with him. …

The six-man match was good, and Team 3D’s attack on Hector Guerrero, who was left knocked out and bleeding, was a dramatic way to end the show. I’m looking forward to the next chapter in the Team 3D-LAX feud. …

I’m not sure what the purpose was of Sting talking with Mike Tenay about how he broke into the business. I guess it’s interesting to newer fans who don’t know his history. The mentioning of Sting’s former tag-team partner Jim “Ultimate Warrior” Hellwig surely will spark rumors that he’s coming in. Say what you want about Warrior, but I bet a Warrior-Sting match on pay-per-view would do a good number for TNA. Warrior, of course, wouldn’t come cheap. …

The Abyss character always has come off like a combination of Kane and Mankind, but the newly repackaged Abyss, who was seen in a straightjacket rocking back and forth in a padded cell, seems like a total copy of Mankind. …

So, Black Machismo proposed to SoCal Val and she responded by saying “Oh yeah.” Didn’t we see the same exact scene a while back when he asked her out on a date? Sonjay Dutt obviously wasn’t happy, but it seems too obvious that he is turning on Machismo. I still think it’s SoCal Val who is turning on him and revealing that she has been seeing Dutt. I wonder if Dutt will show up at the wedding reception with a present with a snake in it. Then Val can ask him, “Is that a snake you have there or are you just happy to see me?” …

It’s really a shame that The Motor City Machine Guns are getting buried. Will they ever be able to get out of the doghouse? …

Don’t even get me started on the Eric Young story line in which he is looking for Elvis. That has bathroom break written all over it. Maybe it will end with him finding The Honky Tonk Man. …

Lauren returned as the backstage interviewer this week. She’s OK, but comparing her to Crystal is like comparing Buddy Landell to Ric Flair. Or Sammy Hagar to David Lee Roth.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 7:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Finally … the cable has come back to Bal-ti-more!

Yes, my TV is back in business, and, luckily, just in time to watch ECW (insert your own joke here). But I digress. I’m here to talk about Raw, which I finally watched thanks to a combination of a colleague’s videotape and youtube.

The big news from Monday’s show was the return of Jeff Hardy from his 60-day suspension. It wasn’t advertised ahead of time, but it was known in wrestling circles that Hardy was set to come back Monday. Jim Ross called it “a big surprise,” and the crowd greeted Hardy with a tremendous ovation.

Hardy acknowledged that he made a mistake and he paid for it. Before Hardy could get too far into his promo, William Regal cut off his microphone. I thought that was a good move. It gets more heat on Regal and it allows Hardy to address his suspension without going into specifics or cutting a long promo.

Regal immediately ordered a match between Hardy and Umaga, and Hardy surprisingly went over in about two minutes (although it looked to me as if Umaga got his shoulder up before the three count). Having Hardy defeat Umaga in such convincing fashion tells me that Hardy is still going to get a big push. I truly hope that Hardy can keep it together and realize his potential.

Other thoughts on Monday night’s show:

I liked the latest twist in the Chris Jericho-Shawn Michaels story line, as Jericho apologized for accusing Michaels of faking his knee injury, and then Michaels admitted he was faking and proceeded to knock out Jericho with a superkick. In the bygone era of babyfaces such as Bob Backlund and Rick Steamboat, a move such as that would signal a heel turn, but nowadays, babyfaces are expected to be almost as cunning as the heels.

WWE continues to keep fans guessing as to whether it’s Jericho or Michaels who is turning. I’m still betting on Jericho. The wild card here is Batista, who said previously that he would hurt Michaels if he found out he wasn’t really injured. One would expect Batista to confront Michaels either on Smackdown or at the Judgment Day pay-per-view Sunday. For the third consecutive pay-per-view, I think Michaels' match has had the best build. ...

The main event featured another good match between John Cena and Randy Orton, which Orton won due to the interference of JBL, who was inserted as the referee late in the match by Regal. It was a good way to build the Cena-JBL feud and get even more heat on Regal. …

Remember when Cena was unbeatable? Since coming back from his injury, he has been pinned on two consecutive pay-per-views, as well as Monday on Raw. Could it be that his frustration will bubble over and he will turn heel? We can only hope. …

Those who complain about Triple H being on Raw too much must have been happy, as “The Game” didn’t show up until the end when he did a run-in after the main event. …

Orton’s new theme music is awful. Sometimes, you just have to leave well enough alone. …

Speaking of awful music, Lillian Garcia does a great job of singing the national anthem, but she should never again attempt to sing an Aretha Franklin song. Her rendition of “Respect” had about as much soul as a Barry Manilow song. …

While I didn’t care for Garcia’s singing, I can’t get enough of Trevor Murdoch’s vocal stylings. The live crowd didn’t seem to catch on that his signing was supposed to make him a babyface, but I think they got it after Lance Cade KO’d him with a stiff right hand. …

I wonder if the flirting between Cena and Mickie James is going to lead to a story line. I’m all for anything that gives James more of a role. By the way, wasn’t there a budding romance between James and Murdoch a while back? …

I like Mr. Kennedy better as an obnoxious babyface than as an obnoxious heel. I think he is getting very close to becoming the main-eventer so many people thought he would be. …

Snitsky seems to be, um, not working out as much lately. Yeah, that must be it. …

Santino Marella was really steamed at Roddy Piper for costing him and Carlito their match against Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes. We all know what that means. Yep, it’s just a matter of time before 54-year-old Piper is added to the ever-growing list of people Marella has jobbed to, joining the likes of 58-year-old Jerry Lawler and Maria.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

I sat down in front of my television at 9 o’clock last night, just as I do every Monday. This time, however, my weekly routine was anything but, as I was greeted by a blank screen.

I proceeded to curse William Regal for pulling the plug on Raw again. They are really taking this thing too far, I thought. After a minute or so, I defiantly turned the channel. It will be my little way of protesting WWE’s current direction. But there wasn’t a picture on that channel either. I frantically began channel surfing, but I came up dry. There was nothing on anywhere.

Who knew Regal’s power was this far-reaching. He had pulled the plug on the entire cable television universe.

Well, no. Actually, my cable was out. And as of 11:30 this morning, it still was. If you live in the Baltimore metro area and have Comcast, there’s a decent chance that you missed Raw as well. The storm yesterday caused quite a few screens to go blank.

Therefore, I regret to say that there will be no blog entry today with my thoughts on last night’s show. I have read a couple recaps from other Web sites, and it sounded like a decent episode.

But fear not. An esteemed colleague — well, maybe he’s not so esteemed, but he is a guy I work with — taped the show for me, although he didn’t get the first 15 minutes. So I will watch the show tonight and post my thoughts tomorrow.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

TNA set a high standard for a go-home show to one of its pay-per-view last month, and while last night’s Impact fell short of that, I still found it to be an entertaining show. Sure, there was so much going on that things that should have had more of an impact were quickly forgotten, but the flip side is that the show never dragged.

Much of the episode was devoted to the “Egotistical Eight” pairings for the Deuces Wild tag-team title tournament at the Sacrifice pay-per-view Sunday. Before the show — and without reading the spoilers — I predicted the pairings would be Sting/James Storm, Matt Morgan/Kip James, Booker T./Robert Roode and B.G. James/Awesome Kong. The first two were right on the money, but the other two teams won’t be announced until the pay-per-view. It seemed contrived that every team in a “random drawing” would consist of feuding wrestlers —except for B.G. James and Kong — but it probably was the right call.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

I thought TNA did a nice job of building up the women’s battle royal at the pay-per-view, which will result in one of the women getting her head shaved. As is common with TNA, however, some things were a bit confusing. There was an immunity pole match last night, meaning one of the women would be immune from getting her head shaved. When Jim Cornette said that if the winner of last night’s match turned out to be the loser on Sunday, instead of her getting shaved, it would be the “runner-up.” It was never made clear, though, what constitutes being the runner-up. I guess it would be the second-to-last woman eliminated, but wouldn’t it make more sense to punish the first one to go? This seems like something that wasn’t well-thought out and was just thrown in at the last minute. I think it’s hilarious — and somewhat surreal — hearing Cornette — of all people — trying to explain Vince Russo’s crazy concepts. …

I also have to admit that I’m not quite sure what the object is of the Terrordome X-Division match. …

Back to the women’s pole match. Pole matches in TNA long ago jumped the shark — has saying “jump the shark” jumped the shark yet? — but this match, which was won by Gail Kim, was pretty good. …

I’m the first to say that TNA has gone overboard with swerves, but I actually hope there is one with the Samoa Joe-Kevin Nash angle. It seems too obvious that Nash is turning on him, which will make Joe look stupid for not seeing it coming when everyone else does. Given Nash's history of turning on people — which Joe should be familiar with since it is obvious that TNA is obsessed with past WWE and WCW story lines — why would he ever trust Nash in the first place? …

Speaking of TNA referencing WWE, it came off as cheesy having Matt Morgan do a DX catch phrase. Get your own material. …

I’m starting to like Kip James as a singles heel. He definitely has an unlikable quality about him, and I mean that in a heat-getting way, not in a channel-changing way. ...

I enjoyed the Sting-Storm match, although I wish that Storm would have gone over. He is very close to getting to the next level, and a win over Sting would have been a big step in that direction.

The Border Toss that Hernandez did to Christian Cage backstage on the floor looked painful. If a guy is going to take a bump like that it should mean more in the story line than this did. …

Not to be too nitpicky, but among the four “regular” tag teams in the Deuces Wild tournament, I only count two: Team 3D and LAX. And how can perhaps TNA’s best team — The Motor City Machine Guns — not be in it? …

Two more questions: Why were Scott Steiner and Kurt Angle wearing sunglasses at night? And was there a story line reason as to why Johnny Devine has gone back to the Paparazzi Productions gimmick? …

The six-way X Division match — which ended with Jimmy Rave pinning Curry Man — was good. This was the match in which Petey Williams suffered a broken orbital bone, which I think was the result of a kick to the face by Rave. …

Crystal is back!

Posted by Kevin Eck at 7:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

“Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner has never been one to hold back when he’s asked for his opinion on something or someone. During a telephone interview on Wednesday, Steiner discussed his stints in WWE and WCW, his near-death experience in Puerto Rico last year and what he thinks about Ric Flair, Triple H and Shawn Michaels.

Steiner will participate in a three-way match against TNA world champion Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle in the main event of the Sacrifice pay-per-view Sunday.

You’ve had your share of injuries over the years. How are you feeling physically these days?

For the most part I feel pretty good. I’m starting to get back in pretty good shape, [but] not as great as I was at one time. I think ever since I had the accident in Puerto Rico, there was so much trauma to my body that I haven’t really been able to get as lean as I’d like. But it’s starting to come around. There was just so much swelling that it was hard to come back from. And there’s still a little bit of pain. My muscle back there doesn’t work entirely correctly because my lat was sliced in half. Other than that, I feel pretty good.

You were talking about the serious trachea injury you suffered in Puerto Rico. Can you take us through that whole experience?

I didn’t realize there was a big problem until later on that night. I got kicked pretty hard in the throat, but I finished the match. I felt like there was bleeding back there, but the EMTs at the building said there was nothing wrong. I actually went back to the hotel. My throat was hurting pretty bad, but I just thought it was swelled up, so I tried to eat some ice cream to bring down the swelling back there, but it didn’t help. Then I tried eating, and I couldn’t eat because it was just so painful for the food to go down. Then I went back up to my hotel room and stayed there for about an hour or so, and then I felt my lungs starting to get heavy and I was having cold chills. Then I started spitting up blood. That’s when I called the ambulance, and they rushed me to the hospital, which was an experience.

I’ve been to jail before, and it was like the gates of the jail at the hospital. There were 20-foot high steel gates and there were armed guards outside the hospital. The opened the door, which creaked, and then they slammed it shut. I walked in there, and there was literally people lined up, bleeding, screaming down the corridors. Nobody was speaking English, and it was kind of freaky. I was actually at the same hospital where Bruiser Brody died. So, I was kind of freaked out. I called a couple of my buddies because I wanted to get out of there. I came in and they took some scans, made me drink some stuff to see what the damage was. That was brutal trying to drink that stuff. They finally found that I did have a torn trachea. The bad part about it was that it was torn in my chest. They told me I had five hours to live. The air that was supposed to be going into my lungs was now going into my skin. That turns poisonous and then you die. I still didn’t really want to believe them. My buddy owns a private jet, and he was going to fly it down. They kind of sensed that I wanted to get out of there. Thank God that didn’t happen, because my lung would have collapsed and they couldn’t have saved me because the trachea was torn. They put me on some sedatives and kind of calmed me down. I was still fighting it and trying to get out of there, because I didn’t want to have surgery in Puerto Rico. Finally, a Puerto Rican doctor came in and calmed me a little bit, but he still sensed that I wanted to leave so he put me under.

The next time I woke up – I had been in an induced coma for two days because the pain would have been so bad – I felt like I was choking. It felt like I was going to drown because I couldn’t get any air. They pulled the ventilator out of my throat and I woke up. They told me they cut through my lat, basically split my ribs in half, and then cut through my lung, sewed my trachea up. Then they put a tube in my lung to drain for two weeks. I just swelled up. I looked brutal, like a 300-pound fat guy. It was the most swelling I ever experienced. I still couldn’t fly, so I had to take a cruise ship home. I went to get on the cruise ship – and no cruise ship. A guy jumped off and committed suicide, so the FBI boarded the ship and had to circle for like 17 hours. So I had to wait an extra day in Puerto Rico, got on a cruise ship, and it took me another week to get home. I took my tour bus back up to where I live, and I tried to recover. I still kind of worried, so I went to a doctor to see if they did everything right, and the doctor shook my hand and said, “You’re lucky to be here. Those doctors saved your life.” That will mess with your mind. I was kind of messed up for three or four months, knowing that I could have been dead.

Has a brush with death changed your outlook on life at all?

Yeah, a little bit. The thing that really messed me up was that one of my best friends had died a month earlier. Life isn’t fair. It definitely makes you look at things a little bit differently. I think I’m pretty much over the fact that I could have been dead, and physically I’m almost there.

Does that whole experience make you never want to go back to Puerto Rico?

Oh, no. The Puerto Rican people and the doctors were great. The nurses were fantastic. Other than the language barrier, they were nice. Here’s one funny story. I told you that I swelled up real bad – and my [testicles] swelled up really bad. I literally had to carry them in my hand to go to the bathroom. Some of the nurses weren’t so easy to look at, but one day, one of the most beautiful nurses I have ever seen walked in. I got up from my wheelchair and turned around, and she was beautiful. I dropped my drawers and I said, “Are my [testicles] supposed to be this big?” She ran out of the room and I never saw her again (laughs).

Switching gears a bit, why do you think your WWE run from several years ago wasn’t as successful as it could have been?

Well, if you look back, everyone from WCW got treated like [garbage], from Goldberg, to Kevin Nash, to Scott Hall. You have to remember – you were there – we beat WWE for 82 weeks straight, and Vince [McMahon] obviously took that personally, so he wanted to bring everyone in that was on top in WCW and bury them. Kevin Nash is supposed to be the best friend of Triple H, but he got the same thing. He won the first title match [against Triple H] by DQ and then lost the second one. I can’t really take it that personally because [Tripe H] treated supposedly his best friend the same way. I’ll tell you right now: People up there are miserable. Both times that I went up there, it was the most screwed-up place I’ve ever been.

Worse than WCW was screwed up?

Oh, my God, it’s not even close. You got Triple H, who’s [sleeping with] the boss’ daughter. She thinks she’s the greatest and he’s the greatest. He’s in the production meetings and the booking meetings. You mark my words: He will break Ric Flair’s record for world championships, because they’re both cut from the same mold – they’re both marks for the belt. It will happen. And it’s bull. I think [The Wrestling Observer’s Dave] Meltzer wrote that every time [Triple H] is the champion, ratings go down, pay-per-view buys go down – it’s a fact. But that’s what happens when you’re [sleeping with] the boss’ daughter. That’s the one thing that was worse going up there the second time – she was involved. And the only reason she’s involved is because she was part of the lucky sperm club. That’s her only qualification.

Scott, please stop sugarcoating it and tell me how you really feel.

(Laughs). There are other people that felt the same way.

Was a run as world champion ever discussed when you went to WWE?

Oh, no. I was there for the same [expletive] that Goldberg and Kevin Nash were.

So did you know that going in?

No, actually I did not expect that. I really didn’t think Vince was that stupid to buy out the competition and then bury it. How stupid is that? That’s his ego. He wanted to own the wrestling world. Well, now he has it and look how it’s done. Ratings are worse than they’ve ever been. They’ll never come back because there’s no competition. I hope TNA becomes a viable contender. If things work out the way it happened with WCW, where finally we went head-to-head live, there’s a possibility it can happen. Trust me, people want to jump. I’m not the only one that sees that Triple H is a [jerk]. If they can jump to a better situation, they will.

You mentioned WCW, and you and I were both there when the doors closed. How did the company go from being so successful to going out of business in such a short time, and who should take the most blame for it?

The people that are the most to blame are the higher-ups in TBS. They despised professional wrestling even though we outdrew basketball, baseball – even when the Braves were in the World Series. And then to sell it for $2.5 million? That’s ridiculous. That right there shows you it was a [screwed] up situation. Everybody wants to blame Eric Bischoff, and they don’t know what they’re talking about. Eric Bischoff was one of the best things to happen to WCW because he brought the pay scale up and he wanted to get rid of the old [expletive] that was going on in WCW. Unfortunately, he didn’t want anything to do with the booking. I had a number of talks with Eric where he said, “Man, I need to find some different bookers. Where do I go?” It was hard to find.

You’ve been very critical of Ric Flair in the past. What are your thoughts on his retirement, his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame and his career overall?

I thought it was a joke how many times he cried. Remember the nWo skit when X-Pac was supposed to be Ric Flair, and every time they asked him a question tears would come down his face because he had a pump of water under his arm pit? Now that comes into play as far as what Ric Flair was like behind closed doors backstage. He was a crybaby. He was a little [wuss], man. And for him to do it during the match and then at the induction ceremony, come on, man. Are you kidding me? That’s the way Ric Flair was.

OK, I’m going to play devil’s advocate. Didn’t I see you cry on TV once?

Yeah, but that was for an angle that I did later on that night, and everybody knew I was faking.

I know. I’m just kidding.

He was doing it because he’s a mark, man. It was unbelievable. That’s how he was in real life. Here’s another story: Ric Flair thought his big Four Horsemen were going to come back again. So, [Curt] Hennig was going to join them, and we were going to wrestle them at a pay-per-view in a cage and it was going to be the Four Horsemen’s triumphant return. But Hennig was going to turn and join the nWo. When they told Ric Flair the finish, his eyes started welling up, and we had to leave the room because we started laughing. We were like, “Look at that little piece of [garbage]. He’s [freaking] crying. I’m not the only one who has that view on Flair. If you talk to Bret Hart, he’ll say the same thing about Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels and Triple H. They're all pieces of [garbage], man.

My first two months in the business was my first indication that Ric Flair was a piece of [garbage]. I broke in with Dick The Bruiser, and I was going to go down to the NWA for a tryout. I told Dick, and he said, “As soon as you get there, you drop your bags in front of Ric Flair and you tell him to carry your bags and you tell him I said so.” I said, “OK, I’ll do it.” I didn’t know anything about ribs back then. On the way home I was riding with “Bulldog” Don Kent, and he said, “No, you can’t do that.” But Dick The Bruiser had no respect for him. He said that’s how he got in the business – carrying guys’ bags. Look at Bruno Sammartino – he has zero respect for Flair. Ole Anderson once slapped David Flair and said, “I’ve got more for your dad if he wants some.” Flair had so much heat with the guys he wrestled with – he had zero respect.

I don’t know if you saw Flair’s farewell address on Raw, but everyone on the roster came out and it sure seemed like they all had a lot of respect for him.

Kevin, it’s written in the show. They have to show up. It’s just like if they tell you to go out there and do a match. They had to go out there and pretend like they respect the guy. The only guys that do are Triple H and Shawn Michaels. They’re three peas in a pod – three guys who couldn’t fight their way out of a paper bag. They’re three of the biggest [wusses] that have ever been in the sport. And they’re all friends – imagine that. They all come from the same mold. They were never athletes and the way they got things done was behind closed doors and backstabbing people.

You’re really going to love it when I tell you this: I’m a big Shawn Michaels fan.

Well, I guess if you like to look at gay magazines that he’s posed in and watch him dance around in chaps like one of the Village People or a Chippendale, if you’re a fan, more power to you, baby. Personally, I think he’s a [freaking homosexual].

Well, all right then. Let’s move on. After some bad experiences in WWE and WCW, is wrestling fun again for you now that you’re in TNA?

Yeah. When I left I WWE, I had surgery on my foot. I had drop foot, where my foot was totally paralyzed. I had a tendon transfer and got nine screws in my foot. They broke my foot, took a bone graph from my hip and put it in my foot and put a plate in there. So, now my foot is not 100 percent, but it works, so I can wrestle a lot better than I did.

People were quick to criticize you when you were in WWE and say that you had lost it, but you were in constant pain your whole time there, right?

That’s why I really didn’t care a whole lot up there. When your mind is concentrating on pain 24 hours a day, which I was – I’d like anybody to try and wrestle with one foot. If I moved my foot it would just flop uncontrollably. I had total paralysis down there. And it causes pain up your legs and in your hips. It was hard. I was actually going to retire; I did not want to go up [to WWE]. But they offered me more money than I was asking for, so I took it, thinking that they would want to do business. Shoot, they paid Bill Goldberg more than they paid me just to bury him, too. It made zero sense whatsoever.

Speaking of Goldberg in WWE, there was an infamous segment in which they put a blonde wig on his head. If they had come to you with that blonde wig, what would you have done?

Yeah, I’d have told then to [expletive]. That was one of the first things that Bill did up there. I said, “Bill, that’s brutal. Why’d you do it?” He said, “Oh, they want to expand my character.” But that’s the way that politics work up there. They aren’t trying to expand his character; they’re burying him. But when you first get up there, you don’t think it’s going to happen because you figure they want to do business.

What was it like to team with your brother Rick again last year in TNA?

Oh, it was great. The fans wanted it. The only reason that we went into singles competition was because, as a tag team, we had defeated everybody, we had wrestled everybody. When went up to WWE, we beat everybody. There were no more mountains to climb. That’s when my career took off in a different direction – that’s when I became “Big Poppa Pump.” I’m glad it happened, but when we got back together, people loved to see it. It was good.

You mentioned that you considered retirement several years ago. How many more years do you see yourself wrestling, and what will you do after your career is over?

It’s hard to say. I’ve prepared from Day 1 to get out of the business, and now that it’s so close for me retiring, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. But as long as they want to pay you and keep you around, I hope I can go on long enough to where we start challenging WWE for ratings, one-one-one live. Yeah, [retirement] is close, and I have no idea what I’ll do to fulfill that void. When you do something as long as I have, you obviously love the sport – although not everything about the sport. It will be tough to replace that high that you get because you like to perform and give the fans what they want, or in my case, make the fans hate you. I’ve got a couple options, but I don’t think anything is going to replace wrestling.

You’re wrestling in the main event of the Sacrifice pay-per-view Sunday against Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle. What can fans expect from that match?

A lot of brutality. Everybody knows Kurt Angle. Everybody knows me. Everybody’s getting to know Joe. He’s one of those guys that fans are behind. He has some interesting aspects to his game that Kurt and I don’t have. I think it’s going to be a great match. We’re going to try to put on the best show possible.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 5:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (63)
Categories: Q&As
        

I didn’t write about the 60-day suspension of Smackdown head writer and former wrestling star Michael Hayes when it was made public a couple weeks ago because I wanted to hear some more details before I commented.

As just about everyone knows by now, Hayes was suspended for using a racial slur when talking with Mark Henry at a WrestleMania after party.

The Wrestling Observer reported that MVP, who is friends with Hayes, jokingly told him, "You're more [N-word] than I am." Later, apparently after drinking at the party, Hayes supposedly was trying to explain to Henry that if he showed more personality, he would get over better. "I'm more [N-word] than you are," Hayes reportedly said to Henry.

Henry complained to management about it, and WWE chairman Vince McMahon made the call to suspend Hayes. WWE subsequently reported on its Web site that Hayes will have to undergo an evaluation before he will be allowed to return once his suspension is over.

There are some in wrestling circles who believe that Hayes should have been fired, while others think he shouldn't have even been suspended. Personally, I think the 60-day suspension was the appropriate action.

In a traditional workplace, what Hayes reportedly said certainly is a fire-able offense. Working behind the curtain in WWE is anything but a traditional workplace, however. There is somewhat of a frat house mentality, and ribbing, hazing and various sorts of politically incorrect behavior -- including racial jokes -- are prevalent. I’m not saying that I condone any of that, but that culture has existed in professional wrestling for a long time.

I have met Hayes a few times in passing, but I certainly don't know him well enough to say with any certainty whether he had any malicious intent. If I had to guess, however, I would say that Hayes probably views racial jokes as just boys being boys in a male-dominated, macho industry. According to The Wrestling Observer, this is far from the first time that Hayes has used racially offensive language in a joking manner.

If he and MVP have the kind of relationship in which they can joke with each other in that way, then so be it. It still has no business in the workplace, but, again, WWE isn’t a traditional work environment. Obviously, Hayes does not have the same kind of relationship with Henry that he does with MVP.

The reality is that Hayes, the former leader of the Fabulous Freebirds who wrestled in the South during the territorial days in the late 1970s and early ’80s, has to accept that it’s a different world in 2008 then it was in 1978. No matter what his intent was in saying such an inflammatory word, he should have used better judgment, especially because he is in a prominent position (he has vice president status) in the company.

WWE is a publicly traded company, and its employees – especially those in management – should be held to a high standard. As I said, however, I don’t believe that Hayes should be fired, because it seems as though he said what he said with no malice, and I think that does matter. Most likely, alcohol played a part in this incident, as Hayes has a reputation for saying offensive things when he's drunk. That problem also needs to be addressed, and Hayes and anyone else in the company who engages in inappropriate behavior needs to be put on alert that it no longer will be tolerated.

I believe in second chances, and I think Hayes deserves one. If he slips up again, however, I don’t think he should get a third.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Here is an interview I conducted with Axl Rotten backstage at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show Sunday night at North Point Plaza in Dundalk. Before anyone brings it to my attention, yes, I am aware that a sign that reads "Adult toys and XXX videos" is visible at times in the shot. That was not on purpose, and I apologize if anyone is offended. Axl does point out in the interview that he once worked for XPW, which was run by adult film producer Rob Black, so maybe the backdrop is fitting after all.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 12:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Video interviews
        

Here is an interview I conducted with James Storm backstage at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show Sunday night at North Point Plaza in Dundalk. The video begins with Storm's response to my first question, which was inaudible and edited out. The question was: "When America's Most Wanted broke up, most people thought that Chris Harris would become a big singles star, but they weren't so sure about you. What are your thoughts on that perception, and did it motivate you?"

Posted by Kevin Eck at 7:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Video interviews
        

Here is an interview I conducted with ODB backstage at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show Sunday night at North Point Plaza in Dundalk. Despite what the closing credit says, I did not shoot the video (I was off to the side asking the questions). I'm not sure why my associate was shaking the camera so much. Perhaps he was trying to engage in guerilla filmmaking. Or maybe he had one too many beers with James Storm. Either way, I hope no one gets seasick watching it.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 6:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Video interviews
        

The 100th episode of WWE’s version of ECW was commemorated by the return of everyone’s favorite announcer, Mike Adamle, after he abruptly walked off last week in the middle of the broadcast.

I was expecting this to turn into more of an angle – and it still might – but Adamle simply opened the show with a promo in which he said that he lost his cool last week, acknowledged his mistakes and apologized to Tazz and the fans. And that was it.

Adamle certainly wasn’t good at the announce table last night, but he has set such a low standard for himself that he actually was serviceable. It seemed like he wasn’t trying as hard to be a buffoon as he was Monday night on Raw.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

In keeping with the 100th show theme, highlights from past episodes were shown when going to breaks. You know, great moments like The Boogeyman spitting worms into Matt Striker’s mouth. Oh, those were the days. And let’s not forget The Zombie, who was on the very first episode of ECW. After a grand entrance, he was squashed quickly by The Sandman. Believe it or not, the guy who played The Zombie actually does the gimmick on independent shows now – and gets paid for it. …

Colin Delaney defeated Armando Estrada to finally win a WWE contract. The real story, however, was that Estrada showed off a ripped physique. Seriously, he has one of the best bodies in the company. I know some world champions who don’t look anywhere near as good as the ECW general manager. With his look and his obvious ability on the mic, Estrada should be an in-ring competitor. …

The main event wasn’t bad, as Kane and CM Punk defeated Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely. John Morrison and The Miz joined Tazz and Adamle on commentary, and Miz presented Tazz with one of his T-shirts. When Adamle asked for one, Miz said that they don’t come in kids’ sizes. Considering the respective statures of the two announcers, I think Miz should have directed that line at Tazz. …

The opening extreme rules match, which saw Mike Knox defeat Tommy Dreamer, was a decent brawl. I keep going back and forth on Knox. Sometimes I think there’s nothing special about him, and other times I think he has potential. He has good size and he isn’t bad in the ring. I could see him doing a Big Bubba Rogers-type gimmick. …

Backstage interviewer Lena Yada had one line and she couldn’t even deliver it well. Maybe Adamle has been giving her pointers. …

Kelly Kelly’s Extreme Expose was brought back for this special episode. In the immortal words of Diamond Dallas Page: That’s not a bad thing, that’s a good thing.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

So now we know why Mick Foley replaced Jonathan Coachman as the color commentator on Smackdown, and it wasn’t solely because Coachman wasn’t any good. Coachman is leaving WWE to become an anchor at ESPN, according to a report on pwinsider.com.

Coachman, who began his broadcasting career as a weekend sports anchor in Kansas City, also has worked in recent years as a play-by-play announcer for College Sports Television and a studio host and reporter for the MSG Network’s sports and entertainment show MSG, NY. I have only heard Coachman announce wrestling, but from what I’ve read, his work with traditional sports is solid.

This seems like a good move for him, and — to be brutally honest — I don’t think his departure from WWE will leave much of a void. Being a wrestling announcer — especially in WWE — is a challenge because of the uniqueness of the genre, and Coachman never really cut it as a play-by-play announcer or color commentator.

I do think that he did a good job in his role as a heel authority figure, and he and The Rock did some classic interview segments together. Who could ever forget when The Rock made “The Coach” dance The Charleston?

The “E” in ESPN stands for entertainment, so Coachman’s WWE experience should serve him well in his new gig. And since Coachman also wrestled some for WWE, maybe he’ll do us all a favor and deliver a Rock Bottom to Stuart Scott.

Boo-yah!

Posted by Kevin Eck at 8:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Every time the ratings for Raw and other WWE programs slip, fans and critics are quick to jump to the conclusion that WWE is on the decline. Even within the company itself, there supposedly is a lot of hand-wringing over ratings.

Maybe this news will put everything in perspective.

WWE announced financial results for its first quarter, which ended March 31, and it was the company’s most successful business period ever. Revenue was $162.6 million, which is up from the first quarter from last year, when revenue was $107.4 million (although last year’s WrestleMania was listed in the second quarter). The after-tax profit was $19.5 million.

Also, WrestleManix XXIV is estimated at doing 1.1 million buys. That’s a very good number, but it fell short of the company record of 1.2 million buys set by WrestleMania 23, which featured the Donald Trump-Vince McMahon head-shaving angle.

As I’ve said in the past, it’s better to have ratings steady or on the rise rather than on the decline, but first and foremost wrestling is a business. And when it comes to WWE, business is good.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 6:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

As someone who almost always enjoys Raw, I have to say that I don’t think you missed anything if you didn’t catch last night’s show. After the controversial fade-to-black ending of last week’s episode, I was curious to see what the fallout would be this week. As it turned out, there was no fallout.

WWE chairman Vince McMahon opened the show by saying that he endorsed Raw general manager William Regal’s decision to pull the plug last week in the middle of the Triple H-Randy Orton WWE title match. Then, in three different segments, Regal turned off the lights in the arena for a few seconds to prove the point that he is in control and won’t tolerate disrespect.

I’m wondering how much longer viewers are going to tolerate matches with star power that just end in darkness with no finish, which is what happened last night when Orton was wrestling CM Punk. Wherever this is leading, I hope WWE gets to it sooner than later.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

While this was a sub-par episode, I am enjoying Regal’s performances. Although they have been around seemingly forever, a feud between Regal and Triple H has a fresh feel to it. I wonder if it will be brought up that the two were briefly tag-team partners years ago in WCW as the Blue Bloods. …

Mike Adamle got a lot of heat from the crowd when Regal ordered that he replace Jim Ross for one match. Obviously, Adamle now is playing the part of an inept announcer – as opposed to before when he really was an inept announcer. I think this segment missed the mark, however. It’s one thing to be entertained in a train wreck kind of way by Adamle unintentionally messing up, but it’s more annoying than entertaining when he intentionally plays a buffoon. Also, it didn’t make any sense to me that Jerry Lawler wouldn’t ask Adamle why he abruptly left the announce table on ECW last week. …

Chalk one up for ECW, as 14 of its wrestlers somehow managed to overcome the odds and defeat Triple H and Mr. Kennedy. This handicap match was well-below the usual standard for a Raw main event. …

The Chris Jericho-Shawn Michaels story line is being done in a way in which it is obvious that someone is turning, but it’s not obvious who is turning. I’m looking forward to their match at the Judgment Day pay-per-view. …

It was nice to see a surprise appearance by Trish Stratus, but it would have been even nicer if she had actually said a word. …

JBL cutting a promo inside his limo as he made his entrance was a good way to do something different. WWE is doing a fine job of building up JBL – who destroyed D.H. Smith – as a tough-guy heel before his match with John Cena at Judgment Day.

I’m a fan of both Mickie James and Beth Phoenix, but I thought their lumberjack match was a little sloppy. As much as I like James as WWE women’s champion, I don’t care for the idea of Phoenix getting pinned again. WWE destroyed her aura of invincibility way too soon. …

I was enjoying the verbal sparring between Roddy Piper, Carlito and Santino Marella until Cryme Tyme showed up. Piper had the line of the night when he told Marella – who was charged with driving under the influence last week – that he needed to use a designated driver.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (38)
        

It’s been a while – too long, actually – since I have been to an independent wrestling show, but I saw a good one last night, as Maryland Championship Wrestling had an event at North Point Plaza in Dundalk.

TNA stars James Storm and ODB were there, as was Joey Matthews (formerly Joey Mercury in WWE). Balls Mahoney – who was released by WWE a week ago – made an unadvertised appearance.

I videotaped interviews with Storm and ODB, which I will post later this week. I also caught up with – as “Mean” Gene Okerlund would say – my longtime, close, personal friend Axl Rotten, and I will post my videotaped interview with him as well.

The main event was a wild, falls-count-anywhere eight-man tag match in which Mahoney, Corporal Punishment (MCW owner Dan McDevitt), Danny Doring and Adam Flash defeated Matthews, MCW heavyweight champion Christian York, The Bruiser and Zachary Shane. The guys brawled all over the building, and if you weren’t paying attention, you just might have had Balls Mahoney landing in your lap.

During that match, heel wrestling announcer Joel Oresky, who is listed at 5 feet 6 and 165 pounds, took a wicked chair shot to the head from Mahoney. I don’t think taking such a blow is the smartest thing to do, but I give Oresky a lot of credit for suffering for his art. I caught a glimpse of him backstage after the show and he was legitimately woozy and had a nice knot on his forehead.

Everybody on the show worked hard, and I can’t overstate how much respect I have for the guys on the independent scene who are willing to put their bodies on the line for little pay in front of a few hundred fans simply because they love the business. If you ever get a chance to catch an MCW show, I definitely recommend it. MCW is one of the best-run independent promotions around, and that comes straight from several wrestlers who have worked on its shows.

It was announced last night that MCW’s Shamrock Cup will be held July 18-19 at The New Green Room in Dundalk. Among those scheduled to appear are Tammy “Sunny” Sytch, The Iron Sheik and Devon Storm (aka Crowbar) – another longtime, close, personal friend. The Iron Sheik is advertised to be doing a Q&A on the second day, and that alone should be worth the price of admission. For more information, go to marylandwrestling.com.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

Storm, who worked as a babyface, put on an entertaining performance and seemed to be having a lot of fun in his victory over Champ Champaign. Storm interacted with fans during the match, including taking his opponent outside the ring and holding his arms so that kids in the audience could chop him in the chest. “The Tennessee Cowboy” allowed Champaign to get in a lot of offense before beating him. …

ODB’s victory was a little more one-sided, as she defeated Kylie Pierce in under five minutes. Pierce got a bloody nose in the bout. …

It’s not often that a ring announcer really stands out, but Larry Kennedy Phillips was just tremendous. This guy has more charisma than Tony Chimel, David Penzer and Justin Roberts combined. He started off the night with a spiel about the matches being “sanctioned and supervised by the state athletic commission,” which took me back to my youth when I watched WWWF ring announcers Gary Michael Capetta and Joe McCue give similar speeches on television on Saturday afternoons.

Phillips also did his routine in which he enthusiastically points out the fire exits – he even had his own “fire exits” T-shirts for sale. Who knew learning where the fire exits are could be so entertaining? Later, during the eight-man tag-team main event, Phillips got physically involved and delivered a Rock Bottom to Shane. …

Kelly Bell showed a lot of talent on the microphone when he hosted an interview segment with a new tag team called Team Stranglehold. Bell definitely is a charismatic heel with a quick wit. He also was sporting one of his new T-shirts, which are fantastic in a politically incorrect way. …

One of the best matches of the night saw Josh Daniels and Ruckus defeat The Best Around. Daniels and Ruckus executed some nice moves, and The Best Around, an effeminate tag team in pink tights, were good at getting heat from the crowd. …

Finally, I want to offer my condolences to Patrick Brick and Kimberly McDevitt. This past week, Brink – who wrestled in MCW before moving to Florida to train with Team 3D – lost his younger sister, and McDevitt – an MCW female personality – lost her father.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

It was inevitable that TNA women’s champion Awesome Kong would mix it up with male wrestlers, and last night on Impact it was revealed that she would be a participant in the tag-team title tournament at the Sacrifice pay-per-view on May 11.

With Kong’s size -- she's listed at 5 feet 9, 250 pounds -- and aggressive style, viewers will most likely not have a problem accepting her as a physical threat to the men. I think it’s a good move because it’s a chance for TNA to do something different. The only woman to compete against men on a regular basis in a major promotion in recent history is Chyna, who did it in WWE in the late 1990s.

Other than the announcement of Kong's inclusion in the tournament, however, not much stood out on Impact. Typically, the show is either really good or really bad, but this episode was just kind of there.

Here are some other thoughts on last night’s show:

Throughout the show, A.J. Styles was looking for a tag-team partner to replace the "injured" Tomko. After Styles was repeatedly turned down, a mystery man off camera accepted, and Styles and Jeremy Borash acted like it was a big star. Instead, it was Super Eric. TNA fans seem to like this character, so I can't fault the creative team for pushing him, but, personally, I don't find it entertaining. ...

Just wondering: Does teaming with Super Eric make Styles a babyface now? If so, I think TNA missed a golden opportunity. Styles should have remained a heel until doing his face turn in a big angle, perhaps one involving Kurt and Karen Angle. ...

Scott Steiner is so bad on promos that he's good. His convoluted spiel in which he went into a plethora of percentages regarding his chances in the three-way match at the pay-per-view was pure gold. The sad part is that I had an easier time understanding him than I do most of TNA's match stipulations. ...

Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle have had such an intense feud that I didn't like seeing them as tag-team partners, even though things eventually did get physical between them. When the announcers questioned how Joe and Angle could possibly coexist, I was thinking, "Probably the same way they did when TNA did the exact same angle during Joe and Angle's initial feud. ...

Cheerleader Melissa was impressive in her debut. The match I really want to see is Cheerleader Melissa against Raisha Saeed. And also Super Eric vs. Eric Young. Here's an idea for the TNA creative team: When one of the heels charges that Super Eric and Young are the same person and demands that they both appear on camera at the same time, Young can come out with someone like Mike Tenay or Borash dressed in the Super Eric costume. That's right out of the Batman series from the 1960s, when Bruce Wayne and Batman appeared together. It was really the elderly, lanky Alfred the Butler donning the mask and cape. ...

I enjoyed the women's match in which Gail Kim and ODB defeated Angelina Love and Velvet Sky. Love is actually a better worker than I first thought she was. Even though Velvet Sky isn't as good in the ring -- although she is great at entering the ring -- I wouldn't be surprised to see her in WWE one day. She has the WWE look -- and she is dating Gregory Helms. ...

The opening match between The Motor City Machine Guns and Curry Man and Shark Boy was really good before Steiner and Petey Williams interfered. ...

It looks as if LAX is about to get another push, which is a good thing. Apparently, Hector Guerrero will be taking over the Konan role as the mouthpiece, but I'm not sure he can fill those shoes. That reminds me of one other match I'd like to see: Guerrero vs. The Gobbledygooker.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
        

I conducted a phone interview with wrestling's "Living Legend," Bruno Sammartino, who talked about what he's been up to lately, his thoughts on the WWE Hall of Fame and his memories of wrestling in Baltimore. Sammartino, 72, also spoke with Sun reporter Childs Walker about drug testing and the state of WWE nearly a year after the Chris Benoit tragedy for an article in Friday's editions of The Sun.

I know that you still work out on a regular basis. What else keeps you busy these days?

There are people interested in doing a movie of my life, and so we have been busy with that. We went back to Europe to show where we hid from the Nazis during the war, so we went back and shot that. And we’ve done a lot of interviews. I also do some personal appearances. I don’t do a whole lot of them because I like to be home. My wife and I, thank God, we’re together. You never can make up all those years when you were on the road, but now that I’m here I will not keep myself busy because I want to be home. I have my sons here and my grandchildren here and I like to spend time with all of them, and I can’t get enough of that.

You know, in my day, it wasn’t like it is today where these athletes make millions of dollars. In my day, you made a good living, and I’m extremely grateful for everything that came my way after coming from Europe, but you didn’t make the big bucks back then. Don’t get me wrong — my wife and I, we’re fine — but if you have the opportunity to go pick up a payday someplace, I don’t turn my back to it. It’s not that I really enjoy the traveling because I despise traveling. The only thing I like about doing autograph shows is that the people who used to be fans are so wonderful. They’ll come over and give such wonderful compliments. Younger people say, “You were a role model for me growing up. My parents love you.” You hear these wonderful comments and it really touches you that people have these positive things to say about you. It makes me feel good that I never did anything negative.

I tell you how seriously I took my role in my life and what I was. I was the world wrestling champion, and I would be in restaurants, and being Italian, especially if I was in an Italian restaurant, a lot of time I’d go for dinner and people would say, “Let’s have a glass of wine.” I would loved to have had a glass of wine, but if it was during the afternoon and there were people there with kids, I would never, never touch it because I was afraid that if they recognized me and saw me drinking, I thought it just wasn’t a positive thing. I wanted people to have a positive image of this wrestling champion. I really tried to conduct myself properly.

During the war, I should have died. I lost a brother and a sister, and I came down with rheumatic fever. After the war, my mom brought me back to our home — what was left of it — and for three years I laid there. My mother swore that she had lost two children and she wasn’t about to lose another one. We had no doctors, no medication — nothing. That’s why when I came to America I was such a skeleton. My mother is the reason why I lived. She did more for me than any doctor could have done to keep me alive. So, that’s another thing that I was very, very strong about when I started to make a name for myself. I was never going to do anything that would have brought shame to my family. I owed too much, and I wanted them to be proud to say that they were Bruno Sammartino’s mother and father.

You have been an outspoken critic on some of the problems in the wrestling industry. Do you think wrestlers need a union, and will that ever happen?

No. I tried to get a union organized in the 60s. It will never happen. They guys that are making money don’t want to do anything to rock the boat with the promoters, and the little guys are afraid to do anything or say anything because they’re afraid of being fired on the spot. That’s the mentality, unfortunately.

I understand that you have no interest in being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. How would you feel if they inducted you without your consent, just because they feel you deserve to be in it?

When they started that Hall of Fame, Vince McMahon was going to show me, so he never considered me to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. What he didn’t expect was the outcry of the fans. They said, “How the heck could you call this a Hall of Fame when Bruno’s name was never even mentioned?” It backfired on him so bad that the following year or two years he didn’t even have a Hall of Fame. He figured let it die down. And then when he started again, again I wasn’t mentioned and again he got bombarded pretty darn big. So then because of all the pressure, he finally got his attorney to call my attorney to try to talk me into coming to their Hall of Fame.

The thing is this: I have been extremely critical of everything that this man has done to wrestling since he took over — extremely critical. I so resent all the vulgarity, the nudity, the profanity and all the ugliness, and I really was outspoken about the drugs going back to 15-20 years ago. And after that, I got away from it all, but still, if anybody ever questioned me, I remained that way. Now, what the heck kind of a guy would I be if, after expressing myself so loud and clear about how I feel about this organization, that then I would accept to be part of them into this Hall of Fame. I’d be the biggest hypocrite there was. And besides that, when fans tell me, “Yeah, but you belong,” I tell them, “OK, if I went in the Hall of Fame, where would you go to see it. You know, baseball has Cooperstown. If I’m in the Hall of Fame, wouldn’t there be a place for you to go and see it and see all these people that have been inducted?” They said, “Uh, I don’t know.” “Yeah, because it doesn’t exist.

McMahon started this — it’s all just a moneymaking thing. He puts out DVDs of the new Hall of Fame inductees, and then his TV goes to 126 countries and they’re selling these DVDs, and they don’t even give these guys anything. I understand when you get inducted into the Hall of Fame, they give you $5,000, and then they go ahead worldwide and sell the DVDs and I don’t think you get anything. So, it’s all a gimmick. It’s nonsense. But more than that, even if it was legit, I simply would never accept for the simple reason of what I’ve told you. Now, your question was, “Well what if they decide to do it whether you like it or not?” Well, I don’t know if there is anything I could do by law — probably not. But I would again be outspoken and make it very clear that this is being done and by no means do I approve of it or want any part of it. I’d want all the fans to know that.

You reportedly had a meeting with Vince McMahon in Pittsburgh a couple years ago to discuss some kind of business arrangement. Were you ever close to an agreement?

I’m glad you brought that up because I want to clear the air with that. [The Wrestling Observer’s Dave] Meltzer said something about how resentful I am, yet I actually met and tried to negotiate a deal with McMahon. Not true. This is the time when I told you we went to Europe to shoot my town, the mountains where we were hiding during the war and all that kind of stuff. Jerry McDevitt, McMahon’s lawyer, was contacted by Marty Lazzaro, my lawyer, because we were doing our story and we needed to use the Civic Arena, which is where I wrestled all those years, and that’s where wrestling still is. It turns out that WWE was going to be there for one of their TV shows. We knew that there was going to be a ring put up for that. Marty contacted the arena and asked if we could use the ring to film for about 15-20 minutes. They gave us the permission to do that, but because it was McMahon’s show, they’d have to get it OK’d with them, too. So that’s when I told Marty that I didn’t want any part of this. He said, “Wait a minute.” He said he heard from McDevitt and it was fine. He said all [McDevitt] wanted was to have a meeting between him and McMahon and Marty and me when we come there to do the filming. I said, “Marty, I’m not interested in meeting with the guy.” Marty said, “What have you got to lose? Please, let’s meet with them. I want to see this guy in person and I want to hear just what they have to say.”

I cannot tell how you how much I didn’t want any part of this, but, for Marty, I said OK. But I said, “Marty, I’m telling you right up front. I’m not interested in anything with these people.” So we met with them. Vince acted like there were never any ill feelings between he and I. He acted very friendly — “Hey, you son of a gun, you look great.” So we went in a room, and somebody said that Vince has nothing but respect for the old-timers. And boy did that give me the opening. That’s when I had to open my mouth and I have no regrets about it. I said, “I’m sorry, but I think you have shown nothing but disrespect for the old-timers. You bring some of the old-timers here, whether it’s Lou Albano or [Killer] Kowalski or Domenic DeNucci or [Baron Mikel] Scicluna or whoever, and whether it’s a big show or a pay-per-view, and you toss these guys $1,000, $1,500 or maybe $2,000 if they’re really lucky. But yet you bring in Mike Tyson and you give him $3.5 million to be outside the ring refereeing a special event. You brought Pete Rose and other athletes from baseball and football and you give them six figures for an appearance. People that have done nothing for this business, and a lot of them look at it as a joke. But those who have given their whole life to this business and never made any real money, what do they get for all those years of banging their bodies up? And a lot of them are physically practically handicapped. They get a bone thrown at them. This is respect for the old-timers? Give me a break.”

I said to Vince: “You could never use me in any way and show the disrespect you have shown for wrestlers. If you and I could ever work out anything, you would have to show me the respect you showed Mike Tyson.” That was my way of slamming the door and having him be the guy to refuse, because I know them. When it comes to wrestlers, they’ll throw you a bone. But if it’s a baseball player, football player or movie star or Mike Tyson, they want to show that they’ll make big-money deals and they’ll give out hundreds of thousands or millions. So at that point, I got up and said, “Whatever you want to discuss, discuss it with Marty, because there is nothing else here for me to talk about.” To those who think that I went there to really have a serious meeting to work something out with him, they couldn’t be more mistaken. I did it to please Marty Lazzaro, but there’s no deal they would have made that I would have come out of there and said, “Hey, great, let’s go for it.”

You were a big favorite in Baltimore for many years. Do you have any special memories of wrestling in Baltimore?

I loved the Baltimore Civic Center. I have nothing but pleasant memories. It was a nice arena, and I was there from the time they opened it. The fans used to make me feel like I was really, really welcome. Not that Baltimore was unique in that. I used to get goose bumps at Madison Square Garden. Every time I went to the ring the place would explode and they would chant my name. Boston was like that. Philadelphia, too. I always loved going to Baltimore because I loved the arena and the whole atmosphere. But also, there was Little Italy and a restaurant called Sabatino’s, and I used to go there and eat after the matches. Sometimes [DeNucci] was with me; a couple times I went with Andre. I always looked forward to that because I would eat around 1 or 2 o’clock in the afternoon because I wanted to be fully digested by the time I went to the ring. But afterwards I would be as hungry as can be. In every city, I had my favorite place. In Baltimore, it was Sabatino’s. You ever hear of it?

Oh, sure, I’ve been there quite a few times.

Is it still there?

It is.

Oh my God. Anyway, Baltimore was great for me because, if it was a Saturday night, for example, it was a short trip to get to Pittsburgh the next day. And like I said, the fans were always extremely great with me, and I knew where to go to get a terrific meal afterwards.

One of your most famous matches took place in Baltimore on April 30, 1977, when you lost the WWWF title to Superstar Billy Graham. What are your thoughts of that night? I know at that point you were looking to slow down your schedule. Was it a relief to finally not be the champion anymore?

Well, it was more than that. Let me tell you what happened. When I was champion for the first eight years, they had me on such a ridiculous schedule. I was hurting from head to toe. I was wrestling every single night. Two Sundays out of the month, I would go to Toronto because I had spent two years there and I had promised [promoter] Frank Tunney — who gave me a break and was a good man — that when I went back to [the WWWF] that I would still come in when he wanted me for the Maple Leaf Gardens. So, two weeks out of the month I would wrestle seven days a week, and the other two weeks I would wrestle six days a week and get to go home on Sunday. I was also making tours to Japan and Australia. [Vince McMahon Sr.] would not run Madison Square Garden without me, so he would always arrange my trips so that I would wrestle in the Garden on Monday and leave Tuesday morning for Japan or Australia. And I’d have to be back for the next Garden show. When I got through with a tour, I wouldn’t even go home. I’d be flying in from Australia or Japan to New York to be there in time for the Garden.

After eight years, I was hurting so bad. And anybody who really knows me will tell you that I will never even take an Aspirin much less anything stronger for the aches and pains. It just reached a point where I told McMahon that my body hurts from head to toe; I can’t train properly because I hurt. I have to get out for a while. I need a layoff from wrestling. Other people said I retired, but I never said I was retiring; I needed to heal. I said to McMahon, “I have to bow out.” I did this on my seventh year. He kept stalling me and stalling me until I got angry and I said, “Vince, if you don’t make arrangements for whoever you want as your next big guy, I am just going to take a plane to Pittsburgh and I’m going to take three, four, five, six months off.” So at that point they went and got a new guy — Ivan Koloff. After I lost the belt to Koloff and I came home, I really took care of myself and I rested real good. Now that I was no longer tied up with the WWWF, all the promoters from everywhere were contacting me and trying to get dates on me because now they didn’t have to go through McMahon. I refused until I really started feeling well. And then I really started loving wrestling again. I would go to St. Louis for [Sam] Muchnick for a match or two, and then I would be off five days. If I went to Indianapolis — Dick The Bruiser and I teamed up there — I would take three shots but then I would take off six, seven days. I would go to Japan for two weeks and then take off two weeks. So I loved it and I was getting a good buck. The promoters all wanted me and they were willing to give me a little bigger percentage of the gate. I was happy because I wasn’t battering my body, I was home a lot and I was making a good buck for that era. I was making as much money as I had been making as the champion.

So, McMahon contacts me and he says, “Bruno, please, we have to have you back, just for a year.” I said, “No, I can’t.” He met me at the airport with his son — Vince Jr. — and he says to me, “Look, Bruno, one year is all we ask until I can get somebody else really ready to take over.” The other part of the deal was that I wouldn’t have to wrestle on the secondary clubs; I would just do all the major clubs. Well, I thought that’s not too bad. That would mean maybe wrestling three times a week, sometimes four. I thought I could handle that for one year. Well, one year went to two, two went to three and on the fourth year I broke my neck. I was scared for a while because I couldn’t feel anything on my left side, but thank God there were some great neurosurgeons here and things started coming back. Anyway, I came back and I said, “I’m done. If I wrestle anymore, it’ll be a shot here and there, but not this title thing.” So I wrestled Billy Graham in Baltimore, and he took the title and became the champion for like nine months. I went on and wrestled here and there, and at the very end of my career, I wrestled Larry Zbyszko. We sold out everywhere. In fact, we had a 1 o’clock show at the Capital Centre in Washington, and then that night we wrestled in Baltimore and we sold both buildings out. In Shea Stadium, we packed the place. So that was a pretty nice way for me to retire. Japan heard I was retiring and they begged me to come and do a farewell tour. They treated me well through the years, so I couldn’t say no. On Oct. 4, 1981, I wrestled at The Meadowlands. Oct. 5, I took a plane for Tokyo, got there on the 6th, which was my 46th birthday, I did my tour, I came home and I was retired.

I know that you have spoken in the past about how WWE talked you into making sporadic appearances in the ring after you had officially retired and your son, David, was starting out. Your final match took place in Baltimore on Aug. 29, 1987, when you teamed with Hulk Hogan against King Bundy and One Man Gang. Did you know when you stepped in the ring that night that was going to be your last match?

I was very angry when I found out I was put in that position. In 1985, they wanted me to go back in the ring because Boston wasn’t doing well. Hulk Hogan, who everybody thinks is such a big attraction, was the champion. I turned it down. But then they went to my kid and said, “You know, we could make a tag match if you could talk your father into putting the tights on, and it would be a great boost for you in establishing yourself.” My son came to me, and I said, “David, if they want to push you, they can do it with you just like they do everybody else.” Anyway, I didn’t want it to be said that I didn’t want to help my kid, and I did, but I was resentful of it that McMahon put me in a situation like that. It happened more often as time went on, and I thought, “That’s it. It’s time for me to make my exit.” I didn’t even know about that match [in Baltimore]. When I found out about it, I didn’t say a word to anybody, but I was disgusted and angry. I came to Baltimore, and I thought to myself: “That’s it. They got me into this one, and I’ll do it, and then they can all go you know where.” That night, I hated being there — not Baltimore, but the whole situation. And that was my last match.

How did you feel about being teamed up with Hogan and doing the posing routine with him after the match?

I was light. I was down to about maybe 230 at that time. Look at who was in the ring: Hogan was all juiced up and he was 300-310 pounds; the other two guys — Bundy was like 450 pounds, and One Man Gang was like 400 pounds. Here I am at 230 pounds, a shadow of the 275 pounds I was when I first broke into the business in 1959, and they came to me and said that the orders were that I had to pose in the ring. I said, “What do you mean I have to pose?” And they said that’s what Vince emphasized. I guess they wanted me to look foolish next to a guy like Hogan. Here I was at 52 at the time, and I looked in the mirror when I got dressed and I did a pose and I thought to myself, “You know, maybe these people are aware and maybe they’re not. Maybe they know about steroid freaks and maybe they don’t. But they remember me from my heyday when I was a much bigger guy.” I’m looking at myself and I thought: “You know, I’m only about 230, but I’m well-defined. So, yeah, I’ll pose. Two guys are big fat guys, so they aren’t going to make me look bad, and this other guy here I think everybody knows is a steroid freak. Let them see what a person looks like who does natural training without any chemicals and is in his 50s.” Out of anger more than anything else, I went and did those poses.

Is there anything else you wanted to bring out in this interview before we wrap things up?

The McMahon camp say that I won’t go into the Hall of Fame and stuff like that because I’m a very bitter guy. You know, I cannot tell you how much I resent them saying that. I wish that most people on this globe were as happy as I have been in the past 15-20 years. No, I don’t have money to burn, but I’m comfortable and I’m happy because I’m with my family — my grandkids and my sons Danny and Darryl are close by. I work out every day — sure, I had some setbacks with some surgeries, but I always bounced back real good. I tell everybody that I’m dating my wife again. Every Saturday, we go out to dinner. I think, “My God, if this could only continue.” So, for people who haven’t seen me in so many years to say that I’m a bitter guy, they just haven’t a clue of what a happy, happy guy I really am at this stage of my life.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 8:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (49)
Categories: Q&As