I spoke with someone who attended Saturday’s George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame banquet in Waterloo, Iowa, to get their account of what transpired when Bret Hart went off on wrestling journalist Greg Oliver, as there have been some conflicting reports on some of the details.

The first thing that needs to be clarified is that Hart’s rant did not take place during his speech for the induction of his late father, Stu. There were two separate events on Saturday. The actual induction ceremony took place in the afternoon, and Hart gave the formal induction speech without incident. That evening, there was a banquet that was attended by approximately 100 people. The honorees or people speaking on behalf of the honorees made less-formal speeches, and that was when the incident occurred.

Here is what happened when Hart spoke at the banquet, according to a source who was there and wished to remain anonymous:

Hart “was wandering all over the place and rambling [during the speech]. Then he said there was something he wanted to get off his chest, and he starts defiling ‘guys who write about wrestling that never stepped into the ring.’ It was not directed right at Greg at that point. He kept saying, ‘you guys.’ It was a real nasty attack. He said books were full of lies and [wrestling writers] reported nothing but lies. Then he mentioned [Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Candadians, which was written by Oliver, who ranked Hart at No. 14 on the list of the greatest Canadian wrestlers ever] by name and referred to his ranking in the book.

“He said writers had no business whatsoever being in a Hall of Fame with wrestlers. [Note: Oliver and writing partner Steven Johnson were not being inducted into the Hall of Fame; they were receiving the James Melby Memorial Award for wrestling journalism.] He said they had no business being in a room with him and it made him sick. He said, ‘Either you guys go, or I go.’ At that point, Steven Johnson and his wife left.”

When Oliver did not leave, Hart did. Prior reports said that other wrestlers left with him, but the source said: “I don’t think wrestlers followed him, but some fans did.”

The source speculated that in addition to Hart being upset at his ranking in Oliver’s book, he also might not have liked Oliver’s review of his autobiography.

“It was surreal,” the source said. “It was so out of proportion to what the evening was about. It was not only inappropriate, but Bret was really on the edge.

“The sad thing is that Jim Melby’s daughter came down from Minnesota to present the award, which meant a lot to her because it was named for her late father, and she was humiliated and embarrassed. And Greg’s elderly father was there sitting next to him the whole time.”

The notion that a writer or critic is unqualified to write about a sport or an entertainment genre because “they never played the game” is narrow-minded. Being a journalist, of course I have strong feelings on the subject. But even if that is how Hart feels, he still could have expressed his opinion in a classier and more mature fashion.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 5:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
                    

Well, WWE is certainly keeping things interesting. After last Monday’s draft resulted in Smackdown having two world champions and Raw having none, I thought it was a foregone conclusion that either Edge or Triple H would be dethroned at last night’s Night of Champions pay-per-view.

However, “The Rated-R Superstar” and “The Game” remained golden.

The big surprise was Triple H defeating John Cena. Because that match went on after Edge retained his title against Batista, it seemed like a Cena victory was a sure thing. Of course, WWE realized that, too, so they swerved us. It’s a swerve that makes good business sense because it gets people talking and most likely gets them to tune in to Raw tonight to find out what is going to happen next.

This could play out a couple different ways, but one thing I’m fairly certain of is that Smackdown is not going to have both titles for too much longer.

Here are some possible scenarios:

• A match between Edge and Triple H is signed for the Great American Bash pay-per-view in three weeks to determine an undisputed champion, who would then defend the title against challengers from both brands. If you recall, when WWE split into two separate rosters in 2002, there was just one champion for the first several months before the format was changed to each brand having its own champion. I think it’s unlikely to happen, especially with such a big deal being made of Triple H’s jump to Smackdown. Plus, having two world titles gets more guys into main events.

• Because Edge again pulled all kinds of shenanigans to defeat Batista, the WWE board of directors orders a rematch between the two, and this time Batista prevails and takes the world heavyweight title to Raw. I think this one is plausible.

• CM Punk cashes in his Money in the Bank contract, defeats Edge for the title and brings it Raw. Punk certainly hasn’t been booked like a world title contender lately, so this seems like a long shot. For this to happen, there would most likely have to be some kind of fluke element to Punk’s win. Perhaps Punk could challenge Edge for the belt, and The Undertaker returns during the match and costs Edge the title.

• An inter-promotional tag-team match is signed for The Great American Bash that pits Cena and Batista against Edge and Triple H, with the stipulation that if Edge or Triple H is pinned, they lose the title to whoever pinned them. Edge could turn on Triple H during the match, allowing either Cena or Batista to win the WWE title and setting up feud between Edge and Triple H for the world heavyweight title. I like this idea because it would have a lot of intrigue, as Cena and Batista would each want to make the winning pin, and Edge and Triple H would each want the other to lose so they could be the only champion on Smackdown. Plus, there is Triple H’s friendship with Batista, so there is the possibility that he would try to help Batista defeat Edge.

• Cena cuts a promo on Triple H and says that now the score is 1-1 between them and they need to have one more match to see who the better man really is. Cena wins the rubber match and takes the title back to Raw.

Stay tuned.

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

WWE champion Triple H defeated John Cena: The result may have surprised me, but it certainly was no surprise that these two delivered an outstanding main event. Triple H finally got his win back after tapping out against Cena at WrestleMania 22 two years ago.

World heavyweight champion Edge defeated Batista: Edge screwed Batista again in another entertaining match. The crowd loved Batista press-slamming Vickie Guerrero.

Mark Henry defeated Kane and Big Show to win the ECW title: With Henry being the only wrestler in this match actually on the ECW roster, this one was predictable, but putting the belt on him is the right call. I don’t ever see Henry as the WWE or world heavyweight champion, but he certainly is worthy of the ECW title.

Kofi Kingston defeated Chris Jericho to win the Intercontinental title: This was the second-biggest surprise of the night, although having Kingston win the title with an assist from Shawn Michaels does make a lot of sense. The main thing this result accomplishes is that it furthers the Jericho-Michaels feud and gets the Intercontinental title out of the mix. With such a strong personal issue between Jericho and Michaels, the title wasn’t a necessary element of the feud.

The rumor was that Jeff Hardy was going to be Jericho’s opponent, and he would win the title with help from Michaels and take the title to Smackdown, but Kingston was the right choice. I originally thought he was better served staying on ECW, but putting the Intercontinental belt on him is a good sign, even though the title certainly doesn’t mean what it once did. Hopefully, Kingston won’t be portrayed as a fluke champion, as he was trapped in the Walls of Jericho before Michaels’ interference and also lost clean to JBL last Monday.

U.S. champion Matt Hardy defeated Chavo Guerrero: As the biggest star on ECW, Hardy had to win clean in his first pay-per-view match since being drafted. Guerrero is a decent worker, but his character has become a bit stale.

Ted DiBiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes defeated Hardcore Holly to win the world tag-team title: I figured out the Rhodes turn pretty early on in the story line – and I know I wasn’t alone in that regard – but I still liked the angle even though I suspected what was coming. With two young studs with famous bloodlines now holding the belts, hopefully more emphasis will be put on the tag-team division (what’s left of it). DiBiase carries himself well for someone so inexperienced, and I think Rhodes is going to get over better as a heel than he did as a babyface.

WWE tag-team champions John Morrison and The Miz defeated Finlay and Hornswoggle: I can’t believe I’m this happy that The Miz won a match. The thought of Hornswoggle holding a title brought back bad memories of David Arquette and Vince Russo.

WWE women’s champion Mickie James defeated Katie Lea Burchill: A solid win for James and another decision that I agree with.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)
                    

Bret Hart proved once again that the biggest Bret Hart mark is Bret Hart.

I know full well that fans of the “Hitman” will be offended by that statement, but the following story, as reported on wrestlingobserver.com, speaks for itself.

According to the report, Hart was giving the induction speech for his late father Stu at the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame last night in Waterloo, Iowa, when he went off on wrestling journalist Greg Oliver. Hart said that “either he goes or I go.”

Steven Johnson, Oliver’s writing partner, left in an attempt to diffuse the situation, but Oliver stayed. Since Oliver wouldn’t leave, Hart made good on his threat and stormed out along with several other wrestlers.

So, what is Hart’s beef with Oliver, who is so respected in the industry that he was there to be presented the Jim Melby Memorial Award for wrestling journalism along with Johnson?

According to wrestlingobserver.com, Hart hasn’t like Oliver since he wrote a book called Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Candadians, in which he ranked Hart at No. 14 on the list of the greatest Canadian wrestlers ever. Apparently, Hart was offended at not being higher on the list.

Unfortunately, this latest incident is consistent with Hart’s reputation among his peers for taking himself too seriously. When Hart and Shawn Michaels were shooting on each other on Raw during the height of their feud, Michaels called Bret “Mark Man,” and basically said that Hart really believes he is the greatest of all time and doesn’t quite comprehend that winners and losers are predetermined, and who is and isn’t pushed to the top is often decided by politics as much as wrestling ability.

The fact is that Hart’s wrestling skills are indisputable. When I listed the top 10 all-around performers that I have ever personally seen, Hart was No. 7 (I guess that puts me on his “bad list,” too, since he wasn’t No. 1 and archrival Michaels was). Anyone who knows anything about this business knows that Hart has had an outstanding career, so he should be above such nonsense and not be so insecure. Hart’s actions were inappropriate and petty, especially on a night when he was there to accept an honor for his father.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 5:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (36)
                    

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

WWE champion Triple H vs. John Cena: The draft last Monday added a lot more intrigue to the two world title matchups. With both champions currently on Smackdown and both challengers now on Raw, obviously one of the titles is changing hands. I’m guessing it’s time to put the belt back on Cena and have Triple H chase the world title on Smackdown.

World heavyweight champion Edge vs. Batista: If I’m right about Cena beating Triple H, then Edge somehow will cheat his way to another victory.

ECW champion Kane vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry: Since Henry is the only one of the three who is officially on the ECW roster, I’ll go with him. The belt will help him get over, while Kane and Big Show already are established stars and don’t need it.

U.S. champion Matt Hardy vs. Chavo Guerrero: It wouldn’t make much sense to have Hardy lose here after he fought so long and hard to win the title from MVP. Plus, as the new top star on ECW, Hardy needs to be kept strong, so he’ll get the win in what figures to be a good match.

World tag-team champions Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase Jr. and mystery partner: I’ve been saying all along that Rhodes will be the mystery partner. I think he’ll turn on Holly and help DiBiase win the title, and then DiBiase will choose him to be the co-holder. If it isn’t Rhodes, my other guess is former TNA star Chris Harris, who has yet to debut on television, but I really think it’s Rhodes.

WWE tag-team champions John Morrison and The Miz vs. Finlay and Hornswoggle: I’m certainly no fan of The Miz, but he and Morrison have had a seven-month reign and defeated teams like the Hardys and Kane and CM Punk, so it would be a travesty if they lost to a midget. I know WWE already treats the tag title as a joke, but I’m holding out hope that it won’t become a complete laughingstock, as Hornswoggle as one-half of the tag-team champions would be worse than Judy Bagwell (I think she was tougher than Buff). Morrison and Miz will retain (I hope).

WWE women’s champion Mickie James vs. Katie Lea Burchill: Burchill has two pinfall victories over James on TV, which leads me to believe James will win tonight. I like Burchill’s character, but I don’t see any reason to take the belt off James at this point.

Note: A match involving Intercontinental champion Chris Jericho has not been advertised on television or on WWE’s Web site.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)
                    

Judging by last night’s episode of Smackdown, it looks as if there is going to be another reason to say, “Thank God it’s Friday.” And if you are one of those people who only watch Raw, well, WWE is trying hard to make you rethink that decision.

As expected, the presence of Triple H and Jim Ross breathed new life into Smackdown. The addition of Ross on play-by-play especially enhanced the show. In fact, Ross is so good that he could even make ECW into must-see TV. OK, well even J.R. isn’t that good, but he would make it a lot better.

Even though Ross initially wasn’t happy about being drafted, he is a consummate professional and has clearly put his hurt feelings aside, which is exactly what he said he would do on his blog and exactly what I would expect from him.

Having Triple H open the show with a promo was predictable but it was the right call. I did think his opening remarks about Vince McMahon’s “accident” were a little weird, however, as he was making light of it after we saw him being very concerned at the end of Raw.

Edge interrupting Triple H’s promo planted the seed for the inevitable feud between them. I can only imagine what Triple H’s peers will be thinking as they watch him participate in a story line in which his opponent tries to hold him down by abusing a personal relationship with the boss. Oh, the irony.

A few other thoughts on last night’s show:

Edge and Matt Hardy had a very good match that was laid out perfectly. Edge as the world champion has the same quality that Ric Flair in his prime had when he carried the belt, which is the ability to make his opponent look like a million bucks before pulling out the win in the end. …

Vladimir Kozlov is getting over as a monster heel. When the time comes for him to work programs with the top guys, I think it would greatly benefit him to have a heel manager to cut the promos. …

I couldn’t get too choked up about Rey Mysterio’s “final” Smackdown appearance. I can still see him every Monday, and with the relaxed “rules” regarding talent appearing on shows other than their own, I’m guessing he’ll be back on Smackdown soon enough. …

It’s always good to see Maryse win a match. Then again, it’s always good to see Maryse.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
                    

Here is the transcribed version of the brief interview I conducted with former WWE star Jake “The Snake” Roberts last week at the Eastern Wrestling Alliance show in Parkville.

There are so many wrestling autobiographies out there now, but I would think your story would be as interesting as any of them. Are you working on a book?

I just couldn’t come up with a book deal, because these book people are [odd]. Instead of having people who don’t know me take what I say and write it the way they want to, I think what I’m going to do is put it on video and sell it on the Internet in installments. The people that buy the installments and survive the first 10 or 12 chapters, they may get a couple chapters free. I got a lot to tell. It’s going to be very unusual, because it’s going to be about me. [Publishing companies] always say, “We may have to enhance this and enhance that.” What do they mean by enhance? They’re changing the facts. I’m not about bull. It’ll be the truth.

How many independent shows are you doing these days?

One or two a week. Going out in front of people always feels good. It’s sad that in reality, you cannot go out there and do the same things you could do 25 years ago – and neither do I wish to. … I’ll never retire. It’s my passion. I hope to die in that ring.

I know that you were involved on the creative side of the business at one time in WWE. Is that something you would like to do again either in WWE or TNA?

I would love to. I just don’t know if that’s possible. I have a tremendous amount to give yet. How I’m going to give it, I don’t know. Because I’m not sure at this stage of my sobriety if I would be strong enough to accept the changes and the enhancements that they would put on what I write. I have a real hard time not calling a spade a spade. If I think you’re changing something I’ve done into [garbage], I take it personally. Why? Because it’s my baby. Power in the hand of an idiot is not a good thing, and there are a lot of idiots out there writing television.

This is kind of a philosophical question. Many of your peers have died within the past decade. As self-destructive as your lifestyle has been, why do you think you’re still here?

I think that a lot of guys died because they gave up on life. They gave up because their dream had been taken away – their notoriety, their ability to provide for their families, their love. I’m not a quitter. I used to get horribly angry at God. I was like, “What’s wrong, I’m not good enough for you to take?” I mean there’s Curt [Hennig], Bossman, Hawk. The list goes on and on. They’re all men I love. It’s not fair when you feel like you’ve been left behind. It ripped my guts out when Sherri Martel went. Sherri and I were lovers – 33 years ago. I remember being at her funeral and I said something that upset some people. I said, ‘Sherri, I thought we were good friends, but you weren’t. Good friends don’t leave friends behind.” I’m still here because God wants me to be here. I’m still here because Vince McMahon helped me to still be here.

When you wrestled Steve Austin at the King of the Ring pay-per-view in 1996 and he cut the famous “Austin 3:16 promo” after the match, did you have any idea that he was going to become as big as he did?

Truth be known, Vince McMahon said that Steve Austin would never be anything more than second or third match. I said, “No, that’s your next megastar.” He said, “No way.” I said, “Watch.” God, I hate being right. You know, they had Austin 3:16, but they missed the boat. What happened to Austin’s 10 commandments? Thou shalt not kill unless thou are [ticked off]. Thou shalt honor thy mother and father unless they’re [jerks]. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife unless she’s really hot. Thou shalt not steal unless you want it. I enjoyed helping guys like Steve Austin get there. Helping Ted DiBiase get there. Helping The Road Warriors get there. Helping Undertaker get there. Helping Rick Martel get there. Helping Shawn Michaels get there – OK, I was wrong on one.

Uh-oh, guess I wore the wrong shirt (I had on a Shawn Michaels shirt).

(Laughs) They have those in men’s sizes? I thought you were wearing it for heat.

To watch video of Roberts talking about how he credits Vince McMahon with saving his life, click here .

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
                    

I’m not sure what the end result of the Samoa Joe-Kevin Nash story line is going to be, but if the payoff is that Nash turns on him, I don’t think Joe is going to be a very sympathetic figure.

On recent episodes of TNA Impact, Joe has come across as paranoid and quick-tempered, while Nash has been the voice of reason and the more likable of the two. On last night’s show, Joe was booked to look like an incompetent.

In a backstage segment prior to Nash’s match against Booker T., Joe made sarcastic remarks to Nash about his gimpy knees and lack of preparation. Nash then went out and basically dominated the match, which made Joe’s comments look silly.

During the match, Joe – who was seated at ringside – was further embarrassed. First, Booker outsmarted him and whacked him with a chair, and then when Joe recovered and went after Booker, he accidentally kicked Nash in the face.

This would all make perfect sense if the idea is for Joe to turn heel on Nash. But if the idea is for Joe to remain the top babyface in the company, then the TNA creative team sure isn’t doing him any favors.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

Booker T. has officially replaced Christian Cage as the most entertaining performer in TNA. Wearing a gaudy red robe with a leopard-print collar while sitting in his refurbished dressing room, Booker cut a tremendous promo that was both funny and serious. He delivered the line of the night after Jeremy Borash pointed to a picture on the wall of Booker and Muhammad Ali and asked, “Is that The Greatest?” Booker: “Yes, and the other guy is Muhammad Ali.” …

During his promo, Booker remarked that ratings and buy rates have been on the rise because of him. He didn’t say that. Tell me he did not just say that. ...

Brother Ray promised before his match with Cage that he was going to deliver something that we had never seen before. It turned out to be a powerbomb on Cage through a glass table. Well, I’ve never seen it before. The glass shattering all over the place and the blood-stained towel on Cage’s back made this work. …

I don't understand why Kurt Angle is so upset that his wife might have fooled around with A.J. Styles. Didn't Angle used to encourage her to "do favors" for Styles in the men's room whenever he wanted to keep Styles in line? ...

TNA is doing a good job of providing an interesting back story to the Gail Kim-Angelina Love feud. …

Awesome Kong had some difficulty getting the “fan” named Danielle up for the Awesome Bomb and she didn’t seem too pleased about it. It looks as if TNA has created a new star in Taylor, the girl who pushed Kong on last week’s show and was back last night for a post-match pull-apart. …

During a backstage interview with “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal and SoCal Val, Lethal started off in his “Macho” voice, but then slipped into his normal voice after Val said that they should hold off on the wedding. I think Lethal should just stay in character the whole time. …

I’m not impressed so far with Sonjay Dutt as a heel. He definitely needs to work on his delivery in his promos. …

For some reason, TNA has decided to pull back on ODB’s push. I can’t believe she jobbed to Moose (formerly known as Mickie Knuckles) in a hardcore match. I also can’t believe that Moose kicked out after taking a couple shots to the head with a shovel. The match was referred to as a Bimbo Brawl. Who in the world came up with that ridiculous name? Probably the same person who came up with Moose.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
                    

Here is a video excerpt from an interview I conducted with former WWE star Jake “The Snake” Roberts last week at the Eastern Wrestling Alliance show in Parkville. In the clip, Roberts talks about taking Vince McMahon up on the offer he made last fall to pay for the drug rehab of any past or present WWE performer.

Because of poor sound quality, most of the video was unusable. I have transcribed the rest of the interview and will post it later in a Q&A format.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
                    

Here is a clip of Jake "The Snake" Roberts wrestling in a tag-team match at last Friday's Eastern Wrestling Alliance show in Parkville. Roberts teamed with Champ Champagne to defeat Chase Rawlings and Jim Christian. This is the match I wrote about in an earlier post.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

WWE has announced the results of the supplemental draft on its Web site. A couple of the moves were predictable, some were head-scratchers and others were inconsequential.

The biggest names involved were Carlito (Raw to Smackdown), Mark Henry (Smackdown to ECW), Shelton Benjamin (ECW to Smackdown) and Finlay (Smackdown to ECW).

Here are the other moves:

Kofi Kingston (ECW to Raw)
Layla (ECW to Raw)
Hornswoggle (Smackdown to ECW)
Maria (Raw to Smackdown)
Matt Striker (ECW to Raw)
Brian Kendrick (Raw to Smackdown)
Chuck Palumbo (Smackdown to Raw)
Super Crazy (Raw to ECW)
DH Smith (Raw to Smackdown)
Deuce (Smackdown to Raw)
Big Daddy V (ECW to Smackdown)
Trevor Murdoch (Raw to Smackdown)
Jamie Noble (Smackdown to Raw)

Analysis: Carlito needed a change of scenery, and I originally thought a move to Smackdown was the answer. However, in light of Smackdown gaining Triple H (who was the target of some unflattering remarks by Carlito recently), I’m not so sure anymore that this move will benefit Carlito. Upon further review, perhaps Carlito should have gone to ECW, where he would have a legitimate shot at being one of that show’s top stars.

Henry to ECW makes perfect sense, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he comes out of Sunday’s Night of Champions pay-per-view with the ECW title. Like others, I believe his renewed push has been sparked by his role in the Michael Hayes controversy.

ECW lost two of its brightest stars in Benjamin and Kingston, and I don’t like the odds of either receiving much of a push on their new shows. I still can’t believe that Benjamin wasn’t pushed as the top star on ECW. His in-ring ability has never been in question, and I figured he would refine his “Gold Standard” character on ECW, have a couple ECW title reigns and then move to one of the bigger shows in the future. Inexplicably, he was as lost in the shuffle on the “C” show as he was on the others. If he wasn’t pushed to the moon on ECW, I certainly don’t see it happening on a show that has guys like Triple H, Edge, Undertaker (when he gets back), Jeff Hardy, Kennedy, Umaga, Big Show, MVP, etc. What a waste of talent.

As for Kingtson, I think he has tremendous upside. I think he also could have used a longer stint on ECW before graduating to a show with a large quantity of talented performers. He was starting to get over with the fans, and hopefully they won’t give up on him while he gets stuck doing jobs for the big stars on Smackdown.

The one positive for ECW in the supplemental draft is that it got Finlay, and it’s probably a good move for him as well.

Going from Smackdown to Raw is a lateral move for Chuck Palumbo. He is another guy that could be a star on ECW but is just mid-card fodder on Raw and Smackdown. Ditto for Trevor Murdoch.

D.H. Smith’s move from Raw to Smackdown means that if the rumor of a young heel stable of second- and third-generation stars being formed on Raw turns out to be true, then the son of Davey Boy Smith won’t be a part of it.

Finally, I have just one thought in regard to Super Crazy going to ECW: Super Crazy is still with the company?

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
                    

It sounds like a cliché, but I’ll bet that every pro wrestling fan knows where he or she was when they heard about the deaths of Chris, Nancy and Daniel Benoit on June 25, 2007.

It was a Monday, and Raw that night was advertised as a special memorial show for Mr. McMahon, who had been presumed “dead” after his limo exploded two weeks earlier.

Taking some time off from work, I had been out all day and had not logged on to the Internet or watched any news on television. That evening, I was talking to a friend on the phone instead of watching Raw (I was taping it and planned on watching it later that night), and he asked me what I thought of the Benoit situation. “What Benoit situation?” I asked.

My friend proceeded to tell me that Chris Benoit, his wife and their 7-year-old son were found dead in their home in Atlanta, but he didn’t know any of the specifics. After hanging up, I turned on Raw about an hour into the special three-hour episode to find a memorial, not for the fictional Mr. McMahon character, but for the Benoit family. It was as surreal as it was heart-breaking.

After the emotionally draining show ended, I got on the Internet and began reading the latest updates. I quickly learned that my theory – that the family had been murdered in their home by an intruder – was wrong. The authorities were saying that Chris Benoit did the unfathomable: He murdered his wife and son and then killed himself.

I had started this blog the month before thinking I was going to be writing about angles, pay-per-views and industry trends, and instead found myself writing about an unspeakable crime that had been committed by someone universally liked and respected by fans and his peers.

As I sat down to write my first entry on the double murder/suicide, I was sorrowful, angry, disillusioned and bewildered all at once. Pro wrestling certainly has had its share of untimely deaths, but nothing shook up fans and people in the industry quite like this.

Even a year later, I don't think most of us have come to grips with what happened. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it must be for the family members of the deceased to try to gain closure.

There’s no way to say this without sounding trite, but the tragedy did spur some positive change. It brought mainstream attention to some of the ills of the wrestling business such as steroid abuse, painkiller addiction and concussions, which led to WWE making its Wellness Policy more comprehensive. That development undoubtedly will save lives.

Sandra Toffoloni, Nancy’s sister, also wants to make a difference. She and other surviving family members founded The Nancy and Daniel Benoit Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to researching the effects of steroid abuse on the brain and body and educating high school children about the adverse effects of steroid and prescription drug abuse. For more information, go to ndbfoundation.org .

Posted by Kevin Eck at 6:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
                    

Jim Ross confirmed on his blog what I think most people suspected while watching Raw last night: He’s not too thrilled about being moved from Raw to Smackdown. He wrote that he actually considered quitting because of it.

I initially believed the shock and disappointment that Ross showed last night was genuine for a couple reasons. For one, I know that most of the talent doesn’t know they’re being drafted until it happens on the air, and I also know how WWE – specifically Vince McMahon – likes to torment Ross.

This is an excerpt from Ross’ blog.

“I am not happy about this surprise development. I also contemplated calling it a career Monday night and not going to Houston to tape SD. After speaking with my wife and thinking on this matter until 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, I have decided to do the right thing for the fans who care and the talent who care and begin my new assignment. It has been explained to me that the WWE’s Smackdown tenure on My Network is a high priority within the corporation. Allegedly, my presence is needed in that effort.

“Many are speculating about when I learned of this development … the same time those of you were watching at home. I should have detected something with the demeanor of certain individuals either through their plastic, poker faces or the perceived smirk that I thought I might have seen on some of their faces during the day. As far as going to Connecticut each week to do Smackdown post production, that’s not going to happen. Either Mick Foley can handle it or the WWE can install a DSL line in my home to facilitate the work.”

It’s no secret that WWE has been trying to replace Ross on Raw for years, which I never have understood. As I previously stated, Raw’s loss will be Smackdown’s gain, but it’s a shame that Ross isn’t treated with more respect by his employer.

More thoughts on last night’s show:

On this morning’s post I questioned why wrestlers would care about winning matches on Raw that would enable their brand to get draft picks, specifically mentioning Edge’s motivation in the battle royal. That prompted several readers to point out that Edge’s incentive to win was that he wanted to eliminate any chance that either he or Vickie Guerrero would be forced to leave Smackdown.

That does make sense, but if that was the case, why did he just walk away and purposely lose by countout to John Cena earlier in the show? That loss also could have meant that he or Guerrero would be drafted.

Like I said before, the draft concept has logic flaws, especially when wrestlers have been routinely appearing on shows other than their own anyway. I think WWE needs to really have three separate shows or else put one big roster back together. …

A few readers also suggested that Smackdown made out better in this year’s draft than it had in the past because WWE wanted the show to be strong when it changes networks in the fall. That’s sound reasoning, but I never understood why WWE didn’t want Raw and Smackdown to be equals in the first place. …

I was surprised at how Mark Henry pretty much manhandled Triple H before losing …

Vince McMahon telling the first contestant that she gave the wrong password (she didn’t), was weird. I’m not sure if he was trying to be funny or if he really thought she got it wrong. By the way, the money giveaway segments would have been a lot more entertaining if Kelly Kelly had accompanied McMahon on all of them. …

Who didn’t know that Santino Marella was going to job to Hornswoggle in the tag-team match? …

Ric Flair’s cameo last week was a nice surprise, but why bring him back last night just to stand there and say one “Wooo!” after McMahon gave away more money? To keep Flair’s appearances special, they have to be infrequent and done for a good reason. …

Melina suffered a legitimate ankle injury, and Batista got busted open hardway after banging heads with Edge. …

I’m still not sure whether Mike Adamle is really this bad or if he is being clueless on purpose so he can be a punch line for the other announcers. When discussing the first seven picks of the draft last night, Adamle said that “ECW has been shut out.” Tazz quickly replied, “No, Mike. We got Matt Hardy.” Then, during the MVP-Tommy Dreamer match, Adamle said that Colin Delaney had just made his way to ringside, when Delaney actually came out with Dreamer.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)
                    

Perhaps Vince McMahon should consider staying home the next time there is a draft on Raw. On last year’s draft episode, McMahon’s limo exploded into flames seconds after he got into it, kicking off the “Who Blew Up Vince McMahon” story line that was scrapped after a couple weeks in the wake of the Benoit tragedy.

Last night, the three-hour Raw draft special concluded with McMahon being taken out on a stretcher after part of the set collapsed on him. To show that it was “real,” Triple H, John Cena and Edge all broke character and tried to come to McMahon’s aid. When McMahon regained consciousness, he called out for “Paul,” which is his son-in-law Triple H’s real name.

The “accident” is being used as the story line reason for ending McMahon’s Million Dollar Mania. WWE announced on its Web site after the show that the weekly money giveaways have been suspended for the foreseeable future.

I suppose this is leading to another whodunit. It might end up being a good story line, but I would be more enthusiastic about it if I hadn’t seen something so similar a year ago. No matter how it turns out, it has to be better than the McMahon illegitimate child angle, right?

As for the draft, much of it was predictable, although Triple H being sent to Smackdown was a big surprise. It was no secret that WWE was going to be moving around major stars, but I never believed that Triple H would leave the flagship show. Based on what had gone on earlier in the draft, it was obvious that the final selection was going to be a huge name, but I would have bet anything at that point that it was going to be John Cena.

Hopefully, this isn’t a swerve and Triple H really is going to Smackdown. If you recall, Triple H was drafted to Smackdown in 2004, but he quickly was traded back to Raw in exchange for Booker T. and The Dudleys. Yes, Triple H was worth a multi-time world champion and one of the most decorated tag teams of all time. But I digress.

The other surprise for me was the switching of play-by-play men, as Jim Ross went to Smackdown and Michael Cole went to Raw.

Unlike past years, when ensuring that Raw remained the top brand seemed to be the priority, Raw and Smackdown benefited equally from this draft. ECW, however, once again got the short end of the stick. It lost its top two babyfaces – ECW champion Kane and CM Punk – to Raw and gained just one wrestler – Matt Hardy from Smackdown.

Before the show began, just for fun I jotted down some moves that I thought made sense. Here’s what I came up with: Raw gets Batista, MVP and CM Punk; Smackdown gets Jeff Hardy, Mr. Kennedy, Umaga and Carlito; ECW gets Rey Mysterio, Mark Henry and Santino Marella. Like I said, some of the moves seemed obvious, but I’m pretty surprised that guys who clearly need a change of scenery such as MVP, Carlito and Marella are staying put.

My biggest complaint about the draft is the lack of logic regarding how the picks are decided and what happens when a champion is drafted. Last night, the winning brand of each inter-promotional match got a draft pick. But what is the wrestlers’ motivation for winning? Why would they care if their show gained a wrestler? Wouldn’t a heel especially not want more competition? For example, Edge went all out to win the battle royal so that Smackdown could gain two picks, which turned out to be Triple H and Mr. Kennedy – two guys that will likely be gunning for Edge’s world heavyweight title.

It would have made more sense if WWE had announced at the beginning of the show that the winner of each match would receive some type of bonus. That way, at least, they would have incentive for winning.

It also makes absolutely no sense that Kane, the ECW champion, is drafted to Raw and gets to take the belt with him. What exactly is he the champion of if he isn’t on ECW anymore? It’s the same thing with WWE champion Triple H going to Smackdown, which already has world heavyweight champion Edge. So, Smackdown has two world champs, Raw has the ECW champ and ECW has no champ.

I know some people will say that it’s just wrestling and that I’m over-thinking it, but this kind of stuff drives me crazy. Of course, as far as the belts are concerned, that all could be rectified Sunday at the Night of Champions pay-per-view.

Here’s a look at each of the draft selections in the order in which they occurred:

Rey Mysterio (Smackdown to Raw): It was time for Mysterio to leave Smackdown, but I thought he would have been a perfect choice for ECW. That show needs him a lot more than Raw.

Jeff Hardy (Raw to Smackdown): Raw had much more depth on top than Smackdown, so this is a great move. My first two thoughts were that a Jeff Hardy-Edge title program will be fantastic, and we’ll finally get the long-awaited Jeff Hardy-Matt Hardy feud. I had it all planned out: Jeff challenges Edge for the title, but Matt turns on his brother and costs him the belt because Jeff got the title shot that he never received.

CM Punk (ECW to Raw): It was pretty obvious that Punk had outgrown ECW, so the only question was whether he would end up on Raw or Smackdown. Hopefully, he won’t get lost in the shuffle on Raw.

Matt Hardy (Smackdown to ECW): So much for that Hardy Boyz feud. I’ve thought for a while that Matt was worthy of a bigger push, but being the leader of the “C” show wasn’t what I had in mind.

Jim Ross (Raw to Smackdown) and Michael Cole (Smackdown to Raw): I certainly have mixed feelings on this one. I think the addition of Ross certainly enhances Smackdown, and he and Mick Foley could make a fine team. However, I think it’s a shame that Ross will no longer call the action on the “A” show, and I’ll miss the chemistry between Ross and Jerry Lawler. I think Ross will miss it too, because he’s either a great actor or he was legitimately upset after the switch was announced. I do think that Cole is underrated, although he obviously has big shoes to fill. At least it’s Cole trying to fill them and not Mike Adamle. I thought it was interesting that Foley buried his own show by saying that he wanted to work with Ross but he was hoping to do so by being drafted to Raw.

Batista (Smackdown to Raw): He had run out of fresh match-ups on Smackdown, so this one seemed like a lock.

Umaga (Raw to Smackdown): This move also seemed like a sure thing, as it had been talked about for months.

Kane (ECW to Raw): Even though Kane is ECW champion, I think he technically was on the Smackdown roster. Whatever. On Raw, Kane won’t be regarded as anything special.

Mr. Kennedy (Raw to Smackdown): Like Jeff Hardy, Kennedy will have a better opportunity to be a main-eventer on Smackdown. A Kennedy-Edge feud could be interesting, as Kennedy never did get retribution for Edge stealing his Money in the Bank title shot last year.

Triple H (Raw to Smackdown): It’s not that the move doesn’t make sense; it’s just that I never thought Triple H would leave Raw. The one person who has to be nervous about this is Edge. He’s clearly the top star on Smackdown, but that could change with Triple H in the mix.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 5:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (86)
                    

Fans of Maryland Championship Wrestling have seen Patrick Brink wrestle at North Point Plaza in Dundalk on a number of occasions. In the near future, however, they very well could be watching him wrestle in their living rooms.

Brink announced at Friday’s Eastern Wrestling Alliance show in Parkville that he has signed a WWE developmental deal and will be heading to Florida Championship Wrestling in Tampa. Once there, he will try to earn a spot on either Raw, Smackdown or ECW.

Brink, 27, an Atholton High School graduate who grew up in Laurel, has been wrestling for seven years, mostly in Maryland and other cities in the Northeast. In the early part of this year, Brink decided it was time to make a serious attempt at taking his career to the next level, so he headed down to Kissimmee, Fla., to enroll in the Team 3D Academy, where he trained under the tutelage of Brother Ray and Brother Devon.

Team 3D’s training center is not a destination for beginners looking to learn the ropes. It is designed for up-and-coming wrestlers such as Brink who wish to advance their current training. “The training that I got at Team 3D’s school was by far the best training I’ve ever gotten anywhere in seven years in the business,” Brink told me at Friday’s show. “Every little detail is worked on and perfected there.”

Three months into his training with one of TNA’s top tag teams, Brink got an opportunity to participate in a tryout for WWE.

“[Team 3D’s] loyalty is to TNA, but with their students, their loyalty is to their students,” said Brink, who is 6 feet 6 and a well-chiseled 280 pounds. “Brother Ray and Brother Devon have been around long enough that they know which company each student is better-suited for. It was their opinion that I would have a better opportunity trying out for WWE.”

Brink was sent to FCW for a five-day evaluation. “I was pretty much put through the ringer to see every single thing I could do, from a promo to what I had done in the ring,” he said. “I had the confidence that I needed to make it happen. There was not one person there that made me feel like they had something that I didn’t. I knew in my heart it would just be a matter of time.”

The next step for Brink is to hone his skills in FCW and convince WWE officials that he is ready for the big time. The average time for a wrestler to go from developmental to WWE is six months to a year, Brink said, adding that it takes less for some and longer for others, while some never make it at all.

“It’s competitive. There are 60 guys down there jockeying to get on TV,” he said. “You’ve just go to do whatever it takes to separate yourself. You have to find something about yourself that makes you stand out.”

On a personal note, I’m happy to see Brink get this opportunity, although I’m not surprised. A little over two years ago, Brink gave me a crash course in Bump-taking 101 to get me ready for an MCW show in which I took a bump from former WCW star Crowbar. From the first time I met him at our initial training session, I thought Brink had “it.”

I applaud him for his determination in pursuing his dream and for having the strength to persevere after the recent death of his 15-year-old sister. It’s always nice to see a local boy make good.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 10:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
                    

A few hundred fans took a trip down memory lane as they watched former WWE star Jake “The Snake’ Roberts wrestle in a tag-team match on the Eastern Wrestling Alliance card Friday night in Parkville.

Roberts, 53, teamed with Champ Champagne to defeat Jim Christian and Chase Rawlings. Champagne worked most of the match for his team before Roberts got the hot tag and cleaned house. “The Snake” delivered a pair of short-arm clotheslines before hitting the DDT on Rawlings for the victory.

Roberts then gave the fans what they wanted, as he pulled a large snake from his ominous bag and draped it across the fallen Rawlings and Christian. The show was supposed to end there, but Roberts wasn’t finished.

The word backstage before the match was that Christian legitimately wasn’t very fond of snakes. That little bit of information somehow made its way to Roberts. So, instead of just letting the snake slither on Christian, Roberts decided to have a little fun and shove the snake’s head down Christian’s pants.

To his credit, Christian never broke character and he sold it well. Either that or he was paralyzed by fear. Backstage after the match, a relieved Christian reported that the snake did no damage to his, um, lower extremities. Roberts responded by saying: “There are some things so foul that even a snake won’t eat it.”

I nearly had my own harrowing experience with the snake at Friday’s event. When I arrived backstage before the show, an EWA official told me to help myself to a bottled water as he motioned toward a pair of coolers on the floor. For no particular reason, I selected the cooler on the left. It was a good thing I did, because I was informed a few seconds later that if I had removed the lid on the other cooler, I would have been greeted by a snake rather than bottles of water.

Trust me, the only “snake” I was interested in greeting was Jake Roberts, who sat down for an interview with me during the show. The interview was videotaped, and I hope to post it within the next fe