When I first started watching pro wrestling as a first-grader in the early 1970s, there were various types of bad guys (we didn’t call them heels back then). There were black-hat wearing cowboys, flamboyant pretty boys, post-World War II German and Japanese wrestlers and an assortment of rugged-looking guys with snarling faces.

But there was only one Killer Kowalski.

Walter Kowalski, who died yesterday at 81 from the effects of a massive heart attack, portrayed one of wrestling’s all-time great villains during a career that spanned 30 years.

I still remember the first time I saw Kowalski wrestle in person at the Baltimore Civic Center. I was either 6 or 7, and my parents and I were seated about five rows from the ring. Kowalski’s opponent that night was Tony Garea. With his chiseled features and wavy hair, Garea was the epitome of a white meat babyface. He also was my mother’s favorite wrestler.

In contrast, Kowalski looked as if he had just stepped out of a nightmare. At 6 feet 7 and 275 pounds, he was Frankenstein’s monster in wrestling tights. Unlike the fictional character, however, Kowalski was anything but stiff and plodding. Typically, he would hunch over menacingly, curl his hands into claws out in front of his chest and then pounce on his helpless prey.

Before Garea knew what was happening, Kowalski was all over him. I was close enough to the action to hear Kowalski growling as he viciously stomped his helpless opponent. At one point, Garea screamed out in pain as Kowalski applied his infamous stomach claw hold. I believed it was all real, and I was terrified that Kowalski was going to come into the crowd and make me his next victim.

In other words, Kowalski did his job extremely well.

In real life, Walter was no Killer. In fact, he had a reputation for being one of the industry’s true gentlemen. Jim Ross wrote on his blog yesterday that Kowalski “had a heart of gold” and “was always considered too nice a guy by many promoters to be a wrestling bad guy.”

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

Posted by Kevin Eck at 6:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

If you’re of the opinion that there’s too much “sports entertainment” on wrestling shows these days and not enough wrestling, I hope you caught Smackdown last night.

There was an Undertaker-Vickie Guerrero angle sprinkled throughout the show, but the main focus was on the action in the ring, highlighted by two outstanding matches – Jeff Hardy versus MVP, and Triple H versus Shelton Benjamin.

I don’t know that WWE would want to do a show this wrestling-heavy every week, but it was a nice change of pace. With a quintet of talented workers competing in the Championship Scramble at the Unforgiven pay-per-view on Sept. 7, there is no better way to sell that match than to showcase the wrestling skills of the participants.

Benjamin looked especially strong last night, even though he lost to Triple H. Earlier in the show, he laid out both Hardy and MVP after Hardy’s victory. Then, after doing the job in a hard-fought, back-and-forth match, Benjamin got his heat back by knocking out Triple H with a belt shot to the head.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

The Brian Kendrick, the only wrestler in the Scramble who did not have a match last night, cut his best promo since adopting his new persona. He and Ezekiel were sitting in the back reading. Kendrick quoted The Art of War and talked about the fine line between genius and insanity. This was the first time that I saw a touch of Brian Pillman in Kendrick. …

Hardy took a nasty spill, landing on his head and neck, during his match against MVP. I’ve seen him have bad landings like that before, and it always amazes me that he hasn’t suffered a serious injury. Jim Ross called him “The Rubberband Man.” …

I don’t understand the purpose of having The Great Khali attack Triple H after his match with Benjamin. Khali isn’t in the Scramble, so it’s not like it’s going to help sell the pay-per-view. Perhaps it was done to make Triple H seem banged up heading into Unforgiven, theoretically increasing the likelihood that he will lose the WWE title. …

I think R-Truth is going to get over in WWE, but his debut could have been booked better. I see now why Vince McMahon reportedly was furious with how this match was laid out. Kenny Dykstra, who the fans consider a joke at this point, got in far too much offense against a guy that figures to be getting a big push. …

Victoria has been reduced to putting over women making their debut, as she jobbed to Brie Bella last night. For those who don’t know, I won’t give it away, but there is something unique about Bella’s gimmick that warrants a push. …

Maryse, who teamed with Natalya to defeat Michelle McCool and Maria, is starting to look more comfortable in the ring and she’s getting better at being a heel. McCool, by the way, should either carry the belt to the ring or gain about 20 pounds so that it fits around her waist. …

I like Jesse and Festus, but I really don’t need to see them wrestle Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder anymore. Of course, the sole purpose of this match was for The Big Show to come out and destroy everyone. Hopefully, WWE is planning on doing something meaningful with him soon.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

Sting finally broke his silence last night on TNA Impact, but his promo left me more confused than ever. If that was supposed to be a heel promo, then Sting isn’t very good at being bad.

The fans at the Impact Zone sure didn’t see Sting as a villain. They cheered everything he said, even when he ran down TNA’s top babyfaces, Samoa Joe and A.J. Styles. I guess that’s what happens when you book your top babyfaces to be whiners.

I can’t blame the fans for not booing Sting. With the exception of him praising Booker T. and Kurt Angle, who are both heels, he didn’t say or do anything overtly heelish. He also made Styles look foolish (what a surprise). Earlier in the show, Styles said that he was “going to stick my fist down Sting’s throat,” but it turned out to be tough talk that he couldn’t back up.

Sting handed Styles his bat, turned his back and offered him a free shot (this was lifted right from WCW in 1997). Styles spun Sting around and went to clobber him, but Sting beat him to the punch and laid him out with the Scorpion Deathdrop. Yet another inept moment for a TNA babyface.

Sting was passionate when criticizing the young guys in his promo, but he might have been too fired up. Rather than talking as fast as he did and cutting a “Sting promo,” he should have changed his normal cadence and spoken more deliberately – just like Chris Jericho has done during his recent transformation. A hint of bitterness in his voice would have helped as well.

The other key missing ingredient was that Sting showed no contempt for the fans. With Jericho’s turn, as well as Bret Hart’s from a decade ago, they basically told the truth, but they came off as sanctimonious, and, more importantly, they called out the fans for cheering people whom they considered morally corrupt. If Sting had criticized the fans for supporting the guys he referred to as “spoiled brats" and said that the fans were to blame for his attacks on Joe and Styles, the crowd's cheers most likely would have turned to jeers.

Then again, there is the possibility that Sting didn’t go that far because the plan isn’t for him to be a full-fledged heel. He said in his promo that he was going to play the role of a parent by straightening out the young guys and teaching them respect. The story line could be that he is showing them “tough love."

I’d rather TNA just keep it simple and make it clear that Sting is a bad guy now. Judging by the reaction from the crowd last night, having him be a tweener won’t do guys like Joe and Styles any favors.

Other thoughts from last night’s show:

Something significant needs to happen soon with the Kevin Nash-Samoa Joe storyline. The friends one week, not friends the next week bit has gotten really old. After talking to Nash last Saturday at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show, I get the impression that he feels the same way. Sometimes I have no idea why they are even mad at each other. For example, Nash was totally unprovoked when he slapped Joe during Nash's match with Angle last night. Joe, who was doing commentary, was actually speaking well of Nash before that. ...

The Karen Angle interview segment with Abyss was really bad and seemed like it was never going to end. Abyss is a complete ripoff of Mankind, right down to pulling out his hair. The problem is, Chris Parks as a performer is no Mick Foley. Now that Foley has reportedly signed with TNA, I would assume that his first angle would be with Abyss. ..

It was unintentionally funny when Mike Tenay, right aftter witnessing such a bizarre segment, said matter-of-factly, "Some interesting comments from Abyss." ...

It was SoCal Val, however, who had the line of the night. When announcing that she was going to hang her engagement ring above the wrestling ring during a Jay Lethal-Sonjay Dutt match, and the first person to grab the ring gets to be with her, she said, "I know it sounds ridiculous." You think? She also had the fakest-looking black eye I have ever seen. ...

Jeff Jarrett's name was finally mentioned on the broadcast. The video package was very well done. I just hope TNA doesn't pull one of its infamous swerves and have Jarrett come back and turn on Joe or Styles. ...

I like the way Sojourner Bolt was introduced. Rather than defeating a lesser opponent in her debut, she was competitive in a loss to Awesome Kong. Not getting squashed by Kong is more impressive than defeating an inferior opponent in my opinion. ...

ODB showed a lot of fire in her attack on Kong, and Kong's facial expressions were awesome during the beatdown. It looks as if Gail Kim's departure is going to move ODB up in the pecking order. I thought ODB's promo was pretty entertaining as well, and I loved the shirt. ...

The tag match between The Beautiful People and Roxxi and Taylor Wilde was a little sloppy in places. The match wasn't that bad, but the TNA women have set a pretty high standard. ...

TNA really needs to get Kip James away from The Beautiful People. He could be used better and they don't need him as part of their act.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Here is the second part of an interview I conducted with Kevin Nash backstage at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show in Dundalk last Saturday.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Video interviews
        

Here is an interview I conducted with Kevin Nash backstage at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show in Dundalk last Saturday. Check back tomorrow for Part II of the interview.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Video interviews
        

It was great to see that John Cena's surgery to repair a herniated disk yesterday was successful. It has been reported that he is expected to return in two to four months.

Fortunately for Cena, he did not have to undergo fusion surgery, which requires significantly more recovery time. Cena's surgeon removed a disk fragment on Cena's spinal cord that was weakening the nerve leading to his right arm, wwe.com reported.

Cena made it clear in an interview on the Web site that he wants to get back in the ring as soon as possible. Hopefully, he won't try to come back before he is ready. If the timetable for Cena's return proves accurate, he and Randy Orton, who reportedly is out with a broken collarbone, would likely be coming back around the same time.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

ECW got off to a promising start last night with a good Matt Hardy-John Morrison match, but then things went south in a hurry.

Hardy’s hard-fought victory over Morrison was one of four qualifying matches to determine Mark Henry’s challengers in the ECW Championship Scramble at the Unforgiven pay-per-view a week from this Sunday.

It was a little disappointing that Hardy and Morrison were matched against each other, because I would like to have seen them both in the Scramble. But, in the immortal words of Chris Jericho, the worst was yet to come.

Next up was Evan Bourne against The Miz. This one is a no-brainer, I thought to myself. Bourne has been on a roll and he is getting over. The Miz, on the other hand, well, he’s The Miz. The next thing I knew, I was looking at one of the most frightening and disturbing scenes to ever appear on the Sci Fi Channel: The Miz, arms raised in victory, making bug eyes and yelling, “Hoo-rah!”

So Bourne’s first pinfall loss (which was clean, by the way) is to The Miz, who will wrestle on the pay-per-view while his much-more talented tag team partner watches the show on his plasma TV at The Palace of Wisdom.

That travesty was followed by a Chavo Guerrero-Tommy Dreamer match. I mean no disrespect to these two veterans, but they are both played out. Dreamer is a glorified jobber at this point and Guerrero hasn’t exactly been wracking up the victories since that nine-second loss to Kane at WrestleMania XXIV. Guerrero won, which I suppose is the lesser of two evils.

The final match of the evening pitted Finlay against Mike Knox. I have nothing against Finlay, but he is two months shy of his 50th birthday, and at this point in his career he should be putting over younger guys who have an upside. Knox has had more of a presence since he changed his look and adopted a more aggressive style. Why not give him an opportunity? Isn’t ECW supposed to be the brand that pushes the younger guys?

If I were booking the Scramble, I would have had Hardy, Morrison, Bourne and Knox in there with Henry. That way there would be a good mix of high flyers and big men, and you would have the brand’s two biggest stars (Hardy and Henry) in there with three guys on the rise.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (31)
        

Hours before Raw went on the air last night, reports that John Cena had suffered a neck injury were all over the Internet. WWE later stated that Cena needs surgery to repair a herniated disk and “will be out of action indefinitely.”

With Cena out, it was announced that Rey Mysterio would take his place in the Championship Scramble for the world heavyweight title at the Unforgiven pay-per-view on Sept. 7, joining champion CM Punk, Batista, JBL and Kane. Because Mysterio’s in-ring style is so different from Cena’s, his presence changes the complexion of the match. Undoubtedly, there will be more high spots and, at times, a quicker pace. Plus, Mysterio has a personal issue with Kane.

Cena’s injury, coupled with Randy Orton reportedly being out another three months, leaves Raw without two of its top stars. This is Cena’s second major injury in the past 10 months. He suffered a torn pectoral muscle in October and returned ahead of schedule at The Royal Rumble in January.

The specifics of Cena’s injury are unclear at this point, but neck problems in wrestling can often be the result of a cumulative effect rather than one incident. On Raw it was portrayed that Cena got hurt during his match with Batista at SummerSlam on Aug. 17. In an interview on Raw, Batista put over Cena’s toughness and wished him well. You can never take things at face value in wrestling story lines, so it’s possible that Batista’s reaction was planting the seeds for a feud with Cena when he comes back.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

Was it my imagination, or did I actually hear people cheer the fact that Cena was injured? …

As expected, Shawn Michaels announced that he was coming back to get revenge on Chris Jericho at Unforgiven. Also as expected, the verbal confrontation between these two was tremendous. As soon as Jericho’s face came up on the Titantron, he got major heat from the crowd. And speaking of Jericho’s face, his sour expression during the segment was awesome. I am really looking forward to seeing them go at it, but I think the story line could have been even more compelling if WWE had pushed back their match until No Mercy in October.

Cena’s injury gave WWE a perfect opportunity to place Jericho in the Championship Scramble. It could have set up a scenario in which Jericho appears to have the title won, but Michaels – who would have been off TV since SummerSlam – shows up out of nowhere and costs him the match. …

The opening match between Punk and JBL was very good. I especially liked the near fall on the Clothesline from Hell. Fans are clearly starting to believe in Punk. As for JBL, people have been very critical of his in-ring performances, but he held up his end last night. He admittedly had ring rust and was out of shape (not to mention banged up) when he first returned, but he has gradually gotten better. …

When Raw general manager Mike Adamle announced that Cena’s replacement in the Scramble was a former world champion, I thought for a second that he was going to say it was Sid Vicious. …

The Batista-Kane main event was a little slow-moving, but that’s to be expected when these two wrestle each other. The match was effective in helping the build for the pay-per-view. …

Kane cut a good promo, but it would have been even better if there was more of a story behind his program with Mysterio. …

I liked the Kelly Kelly-Beth Phoenix match. I’m sure there are plenty of people who are going to say how much of a travesty it is that Kelly got the pin, but I’m not one of them. Kelly is getting better every week, and the way she won – with a rollup after Santino Marella inadvertently distracted Phoenix – was believable because the match had been competitive up to that point. The bloody nose Phoenix suffered during the match, while an accident, also helped convey that Kelly is tougher than she looks.

Of course, the main reason for Kelly’s win was to add a twist to the Glamarella story line. When Phoenix started punching Marella, at first I thought: “Dissension already? Who booked this, Vince Russo?” Then I remembered that Russo doesn’t work for WWE. It became clear that the couple would reconcile before the end of the show, and the angle was just establishing how quirky and dysfunctional they are. …

It’s nice that the announcers finally are putting over Marella as a threat in the ring despite his goofy personality. …

I won’t go so far as to say that Adamle is doing a good job in his role as GM, but his delivery and facial expressions during backstage segments are getting better. …

I don’t want to judge Primo Colon too harshly after just one match, but with his non-descript look and 1970s-era babyface mannerisms, he’s going to have a difficult time getting over. I guess with his brother Carlito being on Smackdown (he is still with the company, isn’t he?), there’s little chance of a brother vs. brother feud. …

Charlie Haas was pretty funny wrestling and cutting a promo as “Charlito.” Maybe Haas’ new gimmick will be doing impersonations, sort of like The Big Show did years ago. At this point, Haas should try anything. …

Why were the fans chanting “USA” when Hacksaw Jim Duggan and partner Jerry Lawler were wrestling Ted DiBiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes? Are Mississippi and Georgia no longer part of the U.S.? …

Just when I was starting to warm up to Cryme Tyme (who will no longer get the rub from Cena), they go and ruin it by bringing back the “Money, money, yeah, yeah” catch phrase. The crowd was into it at first last night, but JTG and Shad Gaspard kept repeating the phrase long after the fans stopped playing along. I think that was one of the most annoying segments I have seen since Sharmell and William Regal repeated “All Hail King Booker” about a thousand times.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)
        

A sold-out crowd of more than 700 people crammed into the cozy New Green Room in Dundalk Saturday night for the Maryland Championship Wrestling show, and most of them were there for one reason.

Here’s a hint: It wasn’t to see the inexperienced referee who officiated the MCW cruiserweight title match.

Obviously, it was to get an up close and personal look at Kevin Nash. The former WWE and WCW world champion and current TNA star wrestled in a six-man tag match and also took pictures with fans and signed autographs at the event. Both in and out of the ring, Nash seemed to enjoy being at the show and interacting with fans.

So what was Nash like backstage? If you’re expecting to hear that he was aloof or standoffish, you’re going to be disappointed. Not surprisingly, Nash was the center of attention in the back, and he was as pleasant there as he was in front of the fans. Whether it was sitting down for an interview with me, taping a public service announcement, signing memorabilia or posing for pictures with the MCW crew and winners of our trivia contest, he did so without complaint.

The video interview that I did with Nash should be up in the next few days. He talked about walking out of the Impact taping several weeks ago, his story line with Samoa Joe, the overall creative direction of TNA and more.

In the ring, Nash – who teamed with Corporal Punishment (MCW owner Dan McDevitt) and Adam Flash against The Bruiser and The Ghetto Mafia – delivered some of his signature moves and got the biggest pop of the night when he delivered a jackknife powerbomb to MCW referee Chris Clow for his questionable officiating.

Other notes on the show:

I’ve only known Clow for a short time, but he is the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back. And I mean that literally. There were no extra referee shirts there, so Clow let me borrow his for the one match I officiated. Luckily for me, Clow doesn’t sweat that much. Unfortunately for him, I do, and he had to work another match after mine. …

I was impressed with Eric Cobian, a powerhouse who squashed Steve Desire in 47 seconds. This guy looks as if he could be Batista’s younger brother. In fact, he told me that he often gets mistaken for the WWE superstar. Coincidentally, Cobian and Batista were both trained by Afa Anoai at the Wild Samoan wrestling school in Allentown, Pa., and the two briefly crossed paths there.

Cobian, who has been on the independent scene off and on since 2000 (he stepped away for a few years due to a family situation), said TNA has shown some interest in him. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him wrestling on television for somebody in the future. …

Next to Nash, it was four newcomers who attracted the most attention backstage. It probably had something to do with the fact that they were young women in bikinis. I didn’t catch their names, but they were on hand to participate in a bikini contest. Before the show, they all posed for pictures with Nash. As gracious with his time as he was with everyone, Nash seemed to be especially accommodating with them. …

I refereed the MCW cruiserweight title match between champion Josh Daniels and Rhett Titus, which had the unenviable task of following the bikini contest. Both guys worked hard and they had a good, physical match, yet some fans felt the need to start a “boring” chant. I believe that fans have the right to express themselves, but fans at independent shows often seem to revel in being disrespectful. I just don’t get that. …

Speaking of fans expressing themselves, McDevitt got on the mic after the six-man tag match and blasted those who posted on MCW’s message board that Nash wouldn’t draw. …

The one drawback to being backstage is that I end up missing a lot of the show. I’m especially disappointed that I didn’t get to see the match that pitted Joey Matthews and Christian York against Derek Frazier and Ruckus. I guess I’ll have to wait for the DVD. …

Matthews (formerly known as MNM’s Joey Mercury in WWE) cut a heel promo ripping on Baltimore and declaring that he and York are going to WWE in December. Keep in mind that heels usually don’t tell the truth.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

As soon as Mike Adamle announced on Raw Monday that there was going to be a five-man Championship Scramble for the world heavyweight title at Unforgiven, I’m betting that most viewers knew exactly who the four men were that would be challenging champion CM Punk. Excluding Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels – who will likely face each other at the pay-per-view – John Cena, Batista, JBL and Kane are the top stars on Raw, and, not surprisingly, they are all in the title match.

WWE decided to get more creative with the Smackdown version of the Championship Scramble, which is for the WWE title. Rather than being handpicked, the participants had to win qualifying matches on last night’s show. And instead of putting together a match comprised of the usual suspects (neither The Undertaker nor Edge, who was off the show selling the angle from SummerSlam, are in it), WWE made the bold move to include MVP, Shelton Benjamin and The Brian Kendrick in the contest along with champion Triple H and the ever-popular Jeff Hardy.

Before I give WWE too much credit for thinking outside the box, however, I do need to point out that Mr. Kennedy and Umaga would probably have been in the match if they weren’t injured. Still, WWE could have opted for guys such as The Big Show, The Great Khali, Finlay and Kozlov, and they chose to go with wrestlers who have more upside.

No matter the outcome of the match, it should give a rub to MVP, Benjamin and Kendrick. A main event-level push for MVP is overdue, and a case can be made that the same goes for Benjamin. The biggest surprise was the inclusion of Kendrick. Hopefully, this is a sign that WWE believes Kendrick, despite his lack of size, can hang with the big boys.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

A babyface turn for Vickie Guerrero and the rest of La Familia doesn’t seem to be the plan, which is for the best. It will be interesting to see what happens next with her and The Undertaker, who said he was coming for her soul. I hate when that happens. I’m also curious as to how things will be resolved between Guerrero and her “husband” Edge when he returns. With The Undertaker-Edge feud having run its course, both guys need fresh opponents. …

It looks as if the seeds were planted for a Triple H-Hardy feud, as Triple H’s outside interference led to Hardy defeating Khali and qualifying for the Scramble. Triple H had a strange look on his face after he realized that he had given Hardy a big assist. …

Had I not read the spoilers for the show earlier this week, I would have bet anything that Kozlov was going to win the battle royal and land a spot in the Scramble. He ended up being the first man out. I liked how the finish was done, with Kendrick winning because Ezekiel caught him after he was thrown over the top rope, and his feet never hit the floor. A tainted victory like that will get Kendrick more heel heat. …

Benjamin and Finlay had a good, physical match. If Benjamin could just show a little more personality on the mic, there really would be no stopping him. …

I’m not sure if the Kenny Dykstra/Triple H stuff is going to lead to a push for Dykstra or if it signifies that Dykstra is in the doghouse and WWE is just going to have Triple H humiliate him on TV every week. …

OK, I’ll admit it. Even though she is far from a great worker, I enjoy watching Maria wrestle. Actually, I just enjoy watching Maria. Is that so wrong?

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

Two of the biggest stars of the Monday Night Wars era are said to be returning to wrestling.

Steve Austin is listed as making a special appearance at the Cyber Sunday pay-per-view in Phoenix, Ariz., on Oct. 26. Bill Goldberg, meanwhile, said on Fight Network Radio earlier today that he is training for a return and is looking for a one-shot deal.

Goldberg, who previously has said that he probably would never wrestle again, hinted that his comeback would not be with WWE or TNA. If that is the case, it most likely would take place outside the United States, perhaps in Japan or with the European-based Nu-Wrestling Evolution, the promotion The Ultimate Warrior appeared for two months ago in his comeback match in Spain.

At this point, Goldberg's ability to draw is probably greater outside the U.S. He hasn't wrestled anywhere since the infamous match at WrestleMania XX in 2004 when he and Brock Lesnar, who were both leaving the company, were booed out of the building.

Austin was the special referee in that match, and I wouldn't be surprised if that ends up being his role at Cyber Sunday. At the event last year, Austin refereed the Batista-Undertaker world heavyweight title match. As far as getting back in the ring to wrestle, Austin has said that he most likely has had his last match.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 8:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

I'm sure just about everyone has seen the recent reports that have Mick Foley leaving WWE for TNA and Sid Vicious making a comeback in WWE. Neither report has been substantiated, but it wouldn't surprise me to see Foley jump to TNA. I'm not as convinced that WWE would want Vicious back at this point.

All indications are that Foley is done with WWE and his jump to TNA is imminent. Foley stopped just short of saying that in a recent interview with The Long Island Press. He stated that he has not enjoyed announcing from a creative standpoint. Foley nearly signed with TNA a few years ago, but Vince McMahon offered him a lucrative deal to stay.

The question is: What will Foley mean to TNA? I don't think there is an obvious answer.

There is no doubt that his presence would create a buzz and most likely increase ratings and buy rates, at least initially. What his impact would be over the long term is more uncertain, especially if he only works select dates, similar to Sting's deal. With injuries having taken a toll over the years, you also have to wonder how much Foley has left as a wrestler. Regardless of what he can or can't do physically, he would be a great ambassador for TNA, as he has some degree of mainstream name recognition and he is articulate and a very likable guy.

Foley's best attributes undoubtedly are his ability to cut great promos and his willingness to put guys over. He played a major role in elevating WWE performers such as Triple H, Randy Orton and even The Rock to some extent. In TNA, he would have obvious programs with Samoa Joe and Abyss, who could both use the rub from Foley to solidify their star status. He could even renew his long-forgotten feud with Sting. The two had some entertaining matches in WCW in the early '90s, but Foley is a much bigger star now and it is somewhat of a dream match.

As for Vicious, 48, he hasn't wrestled for a major company since WCW went down in 2001. You would think that if WWE really wanted him, it would already have signed him before now.

The Vicious-to-WWE rumors have surfaced at various times over the years, including right around this time last year. Maybe this time there really is something to it, but I just don't see what he brings to the table at this stage of his career.

His hulking physique has always been his calling card, but, generally speaking, there is more emphasis on workrate and less on physique these days. And while he at one time was a big name, I don't know how much his name means to today's audience.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 5:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

I don’t know if TNA suspected that Gail Kim was leaving the company when it booked her to wrestle Awesome Kong at the taping for last night’s Impact, but it certainly was appropriate that Kim’s final match on the show was against her archrival.

The two centerpieces of TNA’s highly regarded women’s division have had some great matches against each other, and they delivered once again, this time in a streetfight. The entertaining brawl ended with Kim, who apparently is headed back to WWE, putting over Kong on her way out.

Kim versus Kong was a match-up that I never got tired of seeing, and I’m disappointed that the latest chapter in their feud basically ended as soon as it got started. However, I am happy for Kim, who reportedly got a significant pay increase to jump to WWE. She takes her craft very seriously, and her role in the profile of women’s wrestling in both companies be raised over the past year cannot be overstated.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

There are two ways to look at this (and most) episodes of Impact. One is that TNA tries to cram too much into one show, everything seems rushed and nothing ends up having any impact. The other is that the show never drags and having so many angles is better than having squash matches. I can see both points. As a viewer, I like that there rarely is a dull moment, and I also like that TNA gives us gimmick matches with top stars (such as last night’s Kurt Angle-A.J. Styles ladder match and the Kim-Kong streetfight) on a regular business.

The question is: Is it good for business? The answer is in the numbers. When Impact’s ratings were steadily rising, its buy rates were plummeting. If you can see the top guys in the company wrestle in weapons matches and stipulation matches for free, why would you pay to see something similar? And no one apparently is that compelled to reach into their wallet to see which side Styles or Tomko is on or who Sting is going to attack next. We can just find out on the next Impact and save our money. …

Styles and Angle had a good, but not great, ladder match (but, remember, you got to see it for free so don't complain). No one can accuse Angle of not trying to do everything in his power to elevate Styles to legitimate superstar status, just as he did with Samoa Joe. …

I know Angle was upset about losing his gold medal to Styles, but it seemed backwards to have three security guys holding back Angle so that he couldn’t go after Styles during an interview. Usually, a heel would attack from the behind and wouldn’t want to come after a babyface in a fair fight. …

Did Angle actually tell Booker T. that he doesn't drink? That's not what the police in Pittsburgh say. ...

It has been reported that many in TNA were caught by surprise that Kim did not come to terms with the company on a new deal. So I guess it was just a coincidence that Kim, when asked about the prospect of facing Kong in a streetfight, was scripted to say, “What do you expect me to do, just pack my bags and leave?” …

Hernandez showcased his impressive repertoire of power moves in his win over Robert Roode. I can certainly see why TNA wants to give him a big singles push, but it seems a little premature to me. There’s still some mileage to get out of LAX, which might be the best tag team in wrestling at the moment. On a side note, how did Salinas manage to avoid a wardrobe malfunction with that top she was not wearing? ...

I liked the Kevin Nash interview in which he talked about locker room etiquette and whether today’s wrestlers show the veterans the proper respect. The only problem is that it portrayed the young guys as heels and the veterans as babyfaces (New Blood vs. Millionaires Club redux), which I don’t think is the direction that this is headed. Nash did not come off as angry or bitter at all. …

The serious tone of the voiceover for the video package recapping the Jay Lethal/Sonjay Dutt/SoCal Val triangle seemed totally out of place. This angle has been cartoonish and played for laughs from the beginning, and now we’re supposed to take it seriously? This program between two talented wrestlers would be a lot more compelling if it had been more serious from the beginning. ...

To further add to the “drama” last night, Lethal and Dutt brawled during Karen Angle’s interview with SoCal Val, which resulted in Val inadvertently getting struck by Lethal. It was announced that Val suffered a concussion and facial bruising. This was a far cry from the Chris Jericho/Rebecca Michaels segment. …

Just wondering: Where was Karen’s security when all of this was going on? Maybe they learned their lesson after the Frank Trigg incident. …

With his wrestling style and mannerisms, Matt Morgan seems to be channeling Brock Lesnar and Bill Goldberg, and to a lesser extent, Batista and even The Undertaker. I suppose it's not a bad idea to borrow from four guys who were/are superstars, but it would be good if there was something in the mix that was distinctively Matt Morgan. ...

By the way, Morgan looked pretty stupid for being suckered by Brother Ray. Who didn't know that Brother Devon was going to jump him froim behind? I also don't think it was too smart of TNA to have Brother Ray point out that Morgan is beating nobodies. I mean, that's obvious, but it doesn't need to be said when the idea is to build Morgan to be a long-term main-eventer. ...

Taylor Wilde is another babyface who was booked to look like an idiot. When The Beautiful People and Kip James attacked her while she was getting her hair and makeup done, why did she just sit there and do nothing? Was she tied to the chair or something? ...

Speaking of idiots, the bit with The Rock and Rave Infection attacking The Prince Justice Brotherhood was embarrassingly bad. I guess it was supposed to be funny in a silly way, but I wasn't feeling it. ...

I thought the match between B.G. James and Eric Young and The Motor City Machine Guns was pretty good. Hey, I never said Young was a bad worker. I just don't care for his character and I think sometimes he's on the show way too much. When TMCMG inevitably turn heel, hopefully it will be a fresh start and result in a nice push. ...

I wonder what accent Booker T. will use next week? I'm guessing Swedish.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Here is a video interview I conducted with Stacy Keibler last Saturday at the Cal Ripken World Series in Aberdeen, where she threw out one of the ceremonial first pitches.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Video interviews
        

After Kevin Nash defeated Jeff Jarrett for the WCW world title, which wrestler did Nash hand the belt over to because he thought that person was the rightful champion?

Answer: Ric Flair.

Winner: Robert Jordan was the first to e-mail me the correct answer. He did so on Thursday at 11:19 a.m. He wins a private meet and greet with Nash at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show on Saturday at The New Green Room in Dundalk and a general admission ticket to the show.

This concludes the contest. Congratulations to the 10 winners and thanks to all who participated.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Gail Kim, who had been the top female babyface in TNA until recently, appears to no longer be with the company. Her bio was removed from TNA’s Web site yesterday, and pwinsider.com reported late last night that she and TNA have parted ways.

An industry source told me that Kim had recently been in contract renegotiations with TNA, and that WWE was definitely interested in bringing her back if she was unable to reach an agreement on a new deal.

I have always thought that WWE made a big mistake when they released Kim in 2004. In TNA, she and Awesome Kong have been the top two female performers since the company created a women’s division last fall. The women’s division has been a ratings draw and is considered by many in the wrestling community – including me – to be one area in which TNA is clearly superior to WWE.

Signing Kim would make sense for WWE, which seems to be focusing more on wrestling and less on bikini contests and pillow fights when it comes to its women’s division. If WWE were to add Kim to a roster that already includes Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Natalya, Katie Lea Burchill and Victoria (who, unfortunately, isn’t pushed), its women’s division, on paper, would arguably be just as strong as TNA’s.

As perhaps a sign that TNA was preparing to lose Kim, the company recently began pushing newly crowned women’s champion Taylor Wilde as its top babyface.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

I know what you’re thinking: It’s Wednesday, the one weekday when there is no pro wrestling on in prime time. Well, before you think about tuning in to the post-Michael Phelps Olympics or an episode of Supernanny, you might be interested to know — if you have Cinemax, that is — that Ready to Rumble, the wrestling movie starring David Arquette and most of the WCW roster from 1999-2000 — will be on tonight at 8:15 (I know I’m giving you short notice, but don’t worry — the movie is being replayed numerous times over the next two weeks).

No one considers Ready to Rumble a great cinematic achievement (although Oscar winner Martin Landau is in the film), but it’s one of those movies that’s so stupid and campy that it’s actually somewhat entertaining, especially if you’re a wrestling fan. The movie has special meaning for me because I attended the premiere at Mann’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood during my second week on the job as editor of WCW Magazine. My first — and, so far, only — trip to Tinseltown was a surreal experience, as there was a wrestling ring set up in the middle of Hollywood Blvd., while C-list celebs rubbed elbows with WCW stars.

Of course, there was a downside to Ready to Rumble. As a cross promotion, Arquette began appearing on WCW Nitro and Thunder. At the time, I saw nothing wrong with him getting involved in a story line, but then Vince Russo (and perhaps Eric Bischoff, too) took it one step too far.

I attended many of the WCW televised events, and while several of the shows and towns run together, I’ll always remember one particular Thunder taping in Syracuse, N.Y. Diamond Dallas Page, who had just defeated Jeff Jarrett for the WCW world title the previous night on Nitro, was teaming with Arquette against Jarrett and Bischoff. The stipulation was that whoever made the winning pin would be the champion. You know what happened next.

I was as stunned — and disgusted — as every fan in the building and every viewer (not that there were many) watching at home when Arquette was handed the big gold belt that had been worn by the likes of Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and Bret Hart. No single decision or event was responsible for the demise of WCW, but stunts like that one certainly contributed.

A couple months later, I interviewed Russo and asked him if, in retrospect, it was a good idea to have Arquette win the title. He defended it, saying he didn’t see how it hurt the company, but he knew how it helped. He cited the fact that the Arquette publicity stunt made the cover of USA Today. The only problem with his reasoning was that despite that coverage, it meant absolutely nothing for ratings and the buy rate for the pay-per-view Arquette headlined was horrible. Over the years, Russo has been asked time and again about it, and he has — to my knowledge — always defended the decision to put the belt on Arquette.

As much as I hated the angle, I actually liked Arquette. I talked to him a few times backstage and he was always friendly and very respectful of the wrestlers and the business. The night he won the title, he came into the hotel bar after the show and bought a round of drinks for everyone (Flair wrote in his autobiography that he told Arquette that’s what the world champion should do).

I ran into Arquette in the bar and we chatted for a few minutes about his big win. He seemed embarrassed about the whole thing, like he thought it was as ridiculous as everyone else did. He asked me who some of the top guys were in the company that never had the honor of holding the belt that was now in his possession. When I told him guys such as Scott Steiner and Booker T. were on that list (neither had won the title yet), he just shook his head.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 7:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that last night’s ECW was a better show than Monday’s Raw, but I would contend that ECW was significantly better than what we have come to expect from it, while Raw was below its usual standard.

The highlight on ECW was the title match between ECW champion Mark Henry and Matt Hardy. For those who were upset with getting a 34-second match between the two at SummerSlam — I wasn’t, because I didn’t get the pay-per-view to see that match — last night’s rematch on basic cable should make them feel better (if they tuned in). This was a well-worked match that highlighted the strengths of both men and told a good story. I’m looking forward to seeing the Henry-Hardy program continue.

Henry will never be regarded as a great worker, but last night he proved that he is capable of having a good match if he’s in there against the right person. With his awesome size and strength and intimidating look, Henry has what it takes to be a credible champion, especially when considering the level of competition on ECW.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

The opening six-man tag match pitting John Morrison, The Miz and Chavo Guerrero against Evan Bourne, Tommy Dreamer and Super Crazy was fun to watch. It reminded me of the glory days of WCW when the cruiserweights would get the shows off to a flying start — literally and figuratively. ...

Finlay and Mike Knox had a good verbal confrontation and pull-apart. Finlay’s primary job on ECW is to help unproven guys with potential get over. Some may argue that Knox doesn’t have a lot of potential, and I would have agreed with that assessment back when he made his debut as the jealous boyfriend of Kelly Kelly, but he has improved in the ring and on the mic. …

The majority of the Internet Wrestling Community seems to be down on Ricky Ortiz, but I think his quirky charisma will eventually get him over. Newcomer Gavin Spears, Ortiz’s opponent last night, made a decent showing.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

At what university did Kevin Nash play college basketball?

Answer: Tennessee.

Winner: Dennis Robinson was the first to e-mail me the correct answer. He did so on Wednesday at 10:48 a.m. He wins a private meet and greet with Nash at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show on Saturday at The New Green Room in Dundalk and a general admission ticket to the show.

The final question will be asked Thursday.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Who was Kevin Nash's opponent in Nash's final WWE pay-per-view appearance before leaving for WCW?

Answer: Shawn Michaels.

Winner: Chris Fahrman was the first to e-mail me the correct answer. He did so on Tuesday at 2:43 p.m. He wins a private meet and greet with Nash at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show on Saturday at The New Green Room in Dundalk and a general admission ticket to the show.

Questions 9-10 will be asked by tomorrow.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

In my thoughts on SummerSlam that were posted yesterday, I wrote that Chris Jericho has never been better as a performer. Last night on Raw, Jericho provided more evidence to support that claim.

He opened the show with a very good promo in which he showed no remorse and accepted no responsibility for punching Shawn Michaels’ wife, Rebecca, in the face. Jericho instead put the blame on Michaels and the fans.

His delivery, which was almost totally devoid of emotion, struck a chord with the crowd and generated major heat. Actually, the fans were jeering him vociferously before he even said a word. Fans didn’t seem to want to boo Jericho when he first turned heel, but now he is getting the closest thing to old-school heat that there is in the present era of sports entertainment.

Jericho was a star in the ring as well as on the mic last night, as he returned at the end of the show to score a pinfall over world heavyweight champion CM Punk in a well-worked non-title match. Jericho is simply clicking on all cylinders right now.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about Raw last night. It wasn’t a bad show, but it was below the usual Raw standard even with Jericho's exceptional performance, and that’s disappointing coming off a hot pay-per-view.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

Normally, I wouldn’t be wild about Punk losing clean one night after he scored a momentum-building and much-needed clean win overt JBL, but it actually made sense here. The idea is to build up Jericho as much as possible for his inevitable showdown with Michaels. Plus, Punk looked good in the match and it did require outside interference to beat him. It’s not like he tapped out to the Walls of Jericho in the middle of the ring or anything. Now, that would have been stupid. …

Speaking of stupid, I see absolutely no benefit whatsoever to having WWE tag team champions Ted DiBiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes lose a handicap match to Cena. I understand that WWE wanted to give Cena a big win after his clean loss to Batista Sunday night, but certainly there were other ways to achieve that. Yes, the tag-team title has been a joke for quite a while, but a team like DiBiase and Rhodes could actually change that perception. They look they just might be something special, so why not give them a legitimate chance to get over? As brash heels, the way to do that is by having no one be able to shut them up. That’s what will make fans love to hate them. Losing a handicap match, however, will make fans feel indifferent toward them and the belts they have around their waists. …

Michael Cole’s brief interview with Michaels that was taped as he and Rebecca were leaving the arena at SummerSlam was very well done. A somber Michaels, still visibly shaken over what happened to his wife, said that he was going home to comfort his wife and kids. Then his expression subtly changed to anger, as he added, “And then …” He walked away before completing his sentence. Other performers or creative team members might have taken this segment in a different direction, such as having the babyface push Cole out of the way or grab the microphone and start screaming, but that would have been cliché. Michaels’ understated performance made for a very realistic scene. …

I have mixed feelings about the Championship Scramble for the world heavyweight title that will take place at the Unforgiven pay-per-view on Sept. 7. The concept is that five guys (Punk, Batista, Cena, JBL and Kane) wrestle each other for 20 minutes, and every time someone scores a pin he becomes the champion. Whoever records the last pin at the end of the time limit is the champion. On one hand, it’s something different and could make for a dramatic finish. But it also devalues the title to have it change hands several times in one match. That kind of stuff is fine for something like the hardcore title, but not the world title. …

The announcement of the Championship Scramble seemed a little like a bait and switch to me. Before going to a break, there was a tease that Shane and Stephanie were going to make a major announcement when the show returned. Instead of the McMahon siblings showing up, however, it was Raw general manager Mike Adamle who came out and made the announcement on behalf of Shane and Stephanie. By the way, whatever happened to the Vince McMahon story line? …

I’m still willing to give the Kane-Rey Mysterio angle a chance, but I’m not impressed with what I saw last night. Apparently the reason for Kane attacking Mysterio is that he just never liked him. After all these years in WWE together, Kane waited until now to act on this feeling? I sure hope there is more to it than that. Surely, Freddie Prinze Jr. or somebody can come up with something a little more creative. On a positive note, I did like Kane’s new music, which is reminiscent of his original music. …

JBL’s mauling of Jamie Knoble was a great way for JBL to get his heat back after jobbing to Punk at SummerSlam, but the finish was weird. As JBL made the cover, the referee counted to one and then stopped the match because Knoble had suffered such a beating. If that was the case, why didn’t the ref stop it earlier or just finish making the three-count? …

The women’s tag match pitting Mickie James and Kelly Kelly against Katie Lea Burchill and Jillian Hall was pretty good. James and Kelly give new meaning to the term “fantasy team.” …

That was some debut for Primo Colon, huh?

Posted by Kevin Eck at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (30)
        

Looking at the lineup for last night’s SummerSlam pay-per-view before the show, it appeared as if there were two must-see matches along with a decent if not spectacular undercard.

To say that the show ended up reflecting that preconceived notion would be accurate, but that wouldn’t do it justice.

In regard to the two money matches, The Edge-Undertaker Hell in a Cell lived up to high expectations, and the first-ever meeting between Batista and John Cena turned out to be a great match.

The other highlight of the night was the segment in which Shawn Michaels – with wife Rebecca by his side – announced his retirement. As expected, Chris Jericho showed up, and what happened after that was as well-executed an angle as I have seen in a long time.

As for the five-match undercard, the only one that fell flat was the Mark Henry-Matt Hardy ECW title bout. The match lasted just 34 seconds and had a groan-inducing finish, but, frankly, viewers probably were happy to get this match over with quickly so that they could move on to matches they truly wanted to see.

Most of the finishes were predictable, but because the matches were entertaining, I don’t see that as a negative. I would rather watch a wrestling show that is somewhat predictable but the action is entertaining and the booking is logical, than to have swerves that surprise people but make no sense.

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

The Undertaker defeated Edge in a Hell in a Cell match: I went into this one giving Edge no chance to win, but still believing that it would be an excellent match. I wasn’t disappointed. These two work very well together, and they engaged in a physical 26-minute match that put an exclamation point on an outstanding program. There were several high spots, but I thought the best one was Edge running across two announce tables and spearing The Undertaker through another. After the match, The Undertaker chokeslammed Edge off a ladder and right through the mat. Flames then shot up from the whole in the ring, symbolic of Edge being sent to hell.

Batista defeated John Cena: This was a match-up of two guys that many hardcore fans view as over-hyped stars who can’t work. They’re stars all right; this match lived up to the hype; and if you think this wasn’t a well-worked match, you obviously can’t get past your biases. The match never dragged and the crowd was hot throughout. The last three minutes were especially good, with a couple of outstanding counters and three exciting near falls before Batista scored the clean pin after his second Batista Bomb.

I think this match had the most drama of any on the show because it really was a toss-up as to who was going to win. The only drawback for me is that it didn’t go another five or six minutes. One thing is almost certain: Whether it’s sooner or later, there will be a rematch. It’s noteworthy that Cena has gone from unbeatable Superman to a guy who in the past five months has put over Randy Orton, Triple H, JBL and now Batista. Will his frustration over these losses result in a heel turn? Dare to dream. Oh, and speaking of Orton, the speculation about him doing a run-in in this match (or any match) proved to be just that.

Shawn Michaels’ announcement: To say that this was an awesome segment is a huge understatement. Everything was first rate, from Michaels announcing his retirement (as wife Rebecca stood next to him with tears in her eyes), to the face-to-face verbal sparring between Michaels and Jericho, to the physical confrontation that resulted in Jericho punching Rebecca in the face, to the facial expressions of Michaels and Jericho afterward. The best part of the verbal exchange was Jericho demanding that Michaels tell his wife and kids that he won’t be able to wrestle anymore because of Jericho, and Michaels responding that Jericho needs to tell his wife and kids that their daddy will never be Shawn Michaels.

Jericho then went to sucker-punch Michaels, but Michaels ducked and Jericho connected with a fist to Rebecca’s face. Watching it in real time, I thought that either it was the best worked punch I had ever seen, or else Jericho had just potatoed Michaels’ wife. Slow-motion replays and her swollen, bloody lip were evidence that it was the latter. Michaels did not go into an over-the-top rage as some wrestlers might have done. Instead, he perfectly conveyed the conflicting emotions of seething anger at Jericho and concern for his wife.

Ultimately, he made the choice to aid his wife rather than go after Jericho, who at first looked concerned. But that look gradually became one conveying no remorse as he slowly made his way to the back, his eyes locked with Michaels’ every step of the way. While all of this was going on, the announcers were silent, which was a nice touch. Michaels and Jericho delivered tremendous performances, and Rebecca also was very good in her role. This is the kind of work that we have come to expect from Michaels, while Jericho has never been better at any point in his accomplished career.

WWE champion Triple H defeated The Great Khali: I think just about everybody knew that Khali’s sole purpose here was to be a big guy that Triple H could get a clean win over before moving on to a stronger challenger. As expected, Khali used his immense size to control the match before Triple H made a comeback and hit The Pedigree for the victory. This was better than expected and not bad at all for what it was.

World heavyweight champion CM Punk defeated JBL: This was a good, hard-hitting match and it provided Punk with the clean win that he needed. You can see that the crowd is starting to accept him as champion. There was one scary spot, as Punk hit a spin kick and the two knocked heads as they fell to the mat. The back of Punk’s head was busted open, and JBL began flexing his fingers as if to regain feeling in his arm. JBL was OK, as he began laying in hard forearm shots to Punk’s back a short while later. After Punk won with the GTS, he rubbed the back of his head and showed the blood on his hand to the crowd. As he did so, he held up the belt with his other hand and said, “I will bleed for this!” That was a great ad-lib.

Matt Hardy defeated ECW champion Mark Henry by disqualification: There isn’t much to say about this one, as Tony Atlas broke up Hardy’s pin attempt about 30 seconds into the match and the referee called for the bell. It’s not like anyone ordered the pay-per-view because of the match, so I doubt that many paying customers felt ripped off. Then again, there are a lot of MFers (Mattitude Followers) out there, so they might have been disappointed. For me, the worst part about the match being so short was that I had been looking forward to Matt Striker’s commentary.

MVP defeated Jeff Hardy: Well, I guess we know for sure that the rumor of Hardy having a broken neck is false. According to wrestlingobserver.com yesterday, Hardy sustained an elbow infection this past week and had it drained, but it didn’t appear to hinder him in this match. The finish was predictable (Shelton Benjamin’s distraction caused Hardy to miss a high-risk move and fall prey to MVP), but this was still a good opener. It also is probably MVP’s biggest win to date.

Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix defeated Kofi Kingston and Mickie James to win the Intercontinental and WWE women’s titles, respectively: As far as comic relief goes, this was pretty funny. Just as I expected, Phoenix pinned James to win the match, and Marella celebrated excessively as if he had never won a match before. Actually, that’s not too far from the truth. Marella jumping into Phoenix’s arms at one point during the match and then being carried off on her shoulders after the match was hilarious. I know that some are going to say that this devalues the Intercontinental title, but it already has been mid-card fodder for quite a while now. I like Kingston, but he can get over without a belt, while Marella only becomes even more entertaining as an undeserving champion with a girlfriend who is twice the man that he is.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

What was the name of the character Kevin Nash played in the movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze?

Answer: Super Shredder.

New winner: Ashley Marinelli. Original winner Brock Reich said he is unable to attend the Maryland Championship Wrestling show on Saturday at The New Green Room in Dundalk. Therefore, Marinelli, who was the second to e-mail me the correct answer (Sunday at 4:20 p.m.), wins a private meet and greet with Nash and a general admission ticket to the show.

Questions 8-10 will be asked between now and Thursday.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

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

Edge vs. The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match: These guys have had four epic matches on pay-per-view, so this one has a lot to live up to. I think they’ll pull it off. As great as this feud has been, I don’t think you can take it any further after a TLC match and a Hell in a Cell, so this should be the climax. I can’t imagine The Undertaker not winning his specialty match, just as Edge won his.

Batista vs. John Cena: There are several possible scenarios here, and I honestly have no idea how this one is going to go down. There is a chance that one of them could turn heel (it would be great if it was Cena, but I strongly doubt it), but I also can envision a clean winner and a post-match handshake. And then there is the Randy Orton factor. A number of people believe the story on wwe.com about Orton breaking his collarbone again in a motorcycle accident is a work and that he will do a run-in in this match, which will result in an inconclusive finish. I don’t know about all that, but since I don’t have a strong opinion on a winner, I’ll go with a double disqualification.

WWE champion Triple H vs. The Great Khali: Khali will probably dominate early, but Triple H will rally, hit the Pedigree and slay the giant (who should be used to being slain by now).

World heavyweight champion CM Punk vs. JBL: Punk seems to gradually be building momentum as champion, and he needs a clean win here to keep it going. I believe he’ll get it. The other possible scenario is that Punk gains a “fluke” victory and the two have a rematch at Unforgiven next month. Either way, I don’t see JBL getting the belt at this point.

ECW champion Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy: I think it’s too early to take the title off Henry. With some outside interference from Tony Atlas, Henry retains the championship.

Jeff Hardy vs. MVP: With yesterday’s report about Hardy being injured, it will be interesting to see if this match even takes place. Assuming it does, I think MVP will win after Hardy misses a high-risk maneuver (possibly from a distraction by Shelton Benjamin). That would keep the program going and possibly lead to a triple threat match. Plus, it fits with what MVP has been saying about Hardy’s reckless style being his undoing.

Kofi Kingston and Mickie James vs. Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix in a Winner Take All match: I have a feeling that Marella and Phoenix are going to be your next Intercontinental and WWE women’s champions, respectively. I expect Phoenix to do most of the work and score the pin on James, and then after the match Marella does his over-the-top marching band celebration.

Shawn Michaels' announcement: I’m guessing that Michaels will put on his “I’ve lost my smile” face and act like he’s going to retire, prompting Chris Jericho to come out and add insult to injury. Michaels then pulls a swerve and super-kicks Jericho out of nowhere.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Jeff Hardy reportedly has suffered an injury, but the nature of the injury is somewhat unclear.

According to a report on wrestlingobserver.com, after missing an appearance yesterday at Best Buy in Rockford, Ill., Hardy was said to have suffered a broken neck during his match with Shelton Benjamin at the Smackdown taping Tuesday. However, the report also said that there was no indication that he suffered a serious injury in the match, but he did show up at the taping with fluid in his elbow that wasn’t draining well.

He was pulled from this weekend’s house shows but is still scheduled to wrestle MVP tomorrow at SummerSlam, the Web site reported.

It would be shame if Hardy did end up missing SummerSlam, especially if it turns out that it’s his neck that is hurt. His match with MVP has had a good buildup and figured to be one of the better matches on the card.

With Hardy’s daredevil-like style, it’s amazing that he hasn’t suffered a major injury at some point. In an interview I conducted with Hardy earlier in the year, he mentioned having a lot of nagging aches and pains all over his body, including bone chips in his elbows. When asked how he has escaped serious injury throughout his career, he said, “I don’t know, man, luck probably more than anything.”

Hopefully, Hardy’s luck hasn’t run out. After coming back from a 60-day suspension for his second violation of WWE’s drug policy, Hardy has looked good and it appeared as if he was primed for a WWE title chase.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Which NFL great was in Razor Ramon’s corner when he defeated Kevin Nash for the Intercontinental title at SummerSlam in 1994?

Answer: Walter Payton.

Winner: Jason Roberson was the first to e-mail me the correct answer. He did so on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. He wins a private meet and greet with Nash at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show on Aug. 23 at The New Green Room in Dundalk and a general admission ticket to the show.

Questions 7-10 will be asked between now and next Thursday.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 9:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Edge again showed why he currently is the most entertaining performer in wrestling last night on Smackdown.

Picking up where he left off last week in terrorizing Vickie Guerrero, Edge’s portrayal of a psychopath was so compelling that it saved what could have been an unwatchable segment thanks to Guerrero. Her shrieking – as well as her fake crying, which failed to produce a single tear – was the most annoying thing I have seen in WWE since The Miz used “hoo-rah!” as his catch phrase. As I have stated before, I think Guerrero is awesome as a duplicitous, obnoxious heel, but the hysterical-version of Guerrero is awful.

Getting back to Edge, he wasn’t too over the top with his facial expressions like he was last week, and his “cuddling” with Guerrero on the floor outside the ring was terrifically creepy. He was so good at being bad that the crowd booed (unless the sound was altered in post production) when he dumped the unlikable Guerrero out of her wheelchair.

Despite Edge’s performance, however, I think the segment ultimately fell a little flat because there wasn’t even a hint of The Undertaker being there. It’s a no-brainer that The Undertaker’s return should be saved for SummerSlam tomorrow night, but I think the lights going out, or his music playing or a video being shown on the Titantron would have added something. Edge then could have reacted with a crazed smile to hammer home the point that he is so deranged that The Undertaker’s parlor tricks don’t intimidate him.

I thought the rest of the show – which included a couple squash matches – was hit and miss and not as good overall as it has been lately.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

There were some logic gaps in the Edge-Guerrero angle. For example, why didn’t she just get up out of her wheelchair when Edge was coming after her? I thought the whole point of having Guerrero use a wheelchair was to get heat from the crowd because everyone knows she doesn’t really need it. And as general manager, why didn’t she have security there to protect her if she was so nervous? She also could have ordered people on the roster to watch over her (someone tougher than Victoria). I also think it’s a little unbelievable how quickly she went from being a vindictive woman scorned to a whimpering victim. …

When Victoria first walked into Guerrero’s office, she asked a jumpy Guerrero how her summer has been going. Now that was funny. …

I am wondering where Alicia Fox (the wedding planner) fits into the story line going forward. …

Another very good match between Jeff Hardy and Shelton Benjamin got the show off to a strong start. MVP interfering in Hardy’s matches has become predictable, but it serves a purpose. It gets heat on MVP for ruining the match and helps build his showdown with Hardy at SummerSlam. Also, a seed might have been planted for a three-way match down the line involving Benjamin. …

I can’t wait until we get the Triple H-Great Khali program over with and Triple H moves on to some more interesting challengers. ...

I hate the “What?” chant – except when Khaki is cutting a promo. …

I forgot Kenny Dykstra was still with the company. He went from being a guy on the fast track to WWE’s endangered species list in record time. …

The Vladimir Kozlov-Festus match wasn’t bad at all. Kozlov is gradually defeating better and better competition. It’s just a matter of time before he is in programs with some of the top babyfaces. …

The R-Truth vignette was very well done. If he is booked half as well as these segments have been put together, he’s going to be a big success. On a side note, the R-Truth character – a guy who had a rough upbringing, ends up serving time and then turns his life around – is exactly was I envisioned for MVP if/when he does a babyface turn in the future. MVP’s real-life background – he served eight years in prison for armed robbery and kidnapping – has been hinted at a couple times on television but never fully revealed. Perhaps the similarities between R-Truth and MVP could be the basis for a program between the two. …

Brian Kendrick’s promo was fine, but I think he is capable of better. As for Ezekiel, he said just three words but I wouldn’t have had him talk yet. His menacing glare spoke volumes, and his silence was part of his mystique. …

Scotty Goldman (aka Colt Cabana) got in some offense against Kendrick and even got to talk before the match. Fellow Smackdown newcomer Ryan Braddock wasn’t as fortunate in his match against The Big Show. Braddock looked great walking down the aisle but it all went downhill once he got in the ring.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Which WWE star served as the special referee for the Kevin Nash versus Triple H Hell in a Cell match in 2003?

Answer: Mick Foley.

Winner: David Greisman was the first to e-mail me the correct answer. He did so on Friday at 5:02 p.m. He wins a private meet and greet with Nash at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show on Aug. 23 at The New Green Room in Dundalk and a general admission ticket to the show.

Questions 6-10 will be asked between now and next Thursday.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Most of the roster cuts WWE made today weren't a big surprise, but I do think the company could have done more with some of the talent. Here's a look at the five wrestlers (and one referee) who were released:

Stevie Richards: Richards certainly wasn't a guy who was going to headline pay-per-views or even get anywhere close to that level, but he did have value. I thought he could have been successful in a featured role on ECW after he cut that great interview six months ago when he talked about the neck injury he suffered in the original ECW and his multiple throat surgeries. Unfortunately, the angle was quickly dropped. Even if he wasn't going to have a significant spot on the show, he's a good worker and would have been a nice fit as a guy putting over the stars (I call it the Brad Armstrong position).

Colin Delaney: This is one I didn't see coming, because Delaney was in a prominent spot on ECW. However, the fact is that he never really got over in the underdog role and his heel turn was met with indifference. In other words, his turn on Tommy Dreamer wasn't exactly "Zbysko-Sammartino-esque" as color commentator Matt Striker said last week.

Robbie and Rory McAllister: The only surprise here is that it didn't happen sooner. Robbie was lucky to still be employed after he showed up on TV sitting in the crowd during a TNA taping last March. Despite being introduced with a series of vignettes, The Highlanders just never connected with the fans.

Cherry: The isn't a surprise, but it is unfortunate. When the Deuce and Domino act broke up, the writing probably was on the wall. Deuce is the only member of the group still with the company, as Domino was let go last week. I liked Cherry because she had a different look than the other divas, although I think that is ultimately what hurt her. While she is attractive, she does not have the bikini/fitness model looks that WWE prefers in its divas. She wasn't the greatest wrestler in the world, but the fans did seem to take to her as a shy and likable underdog.

Wes Adams: I don't have a strong opinion on this referee, but he apparently screwed up the finish of Matt Hardy and Mark Henry's win over John Morrison and The Miz Tuesday on ECW.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

It’s fitting that Mark Henry is Extreme Championship Wrestling champion. After all, his 12-year career in WWE has been all about extremes.

During that span, Henry has been given big pushes and he also has fallen out of favor and been sent down to a developmental territory. Along the way, he’s portrayed a soft-spoken babyface; the comedic, over-sexed “Sexual Chocolate;” a member of a militant faction; and, currently, a monster heel.

I spoke with Henry, who defends the ECW title against Matt Hardy Sunday at the SummerSlam pay-per-view, about his career yesterday in a telephone interview.

You’ve had your share of ups and downs in WWE. What has been your mind-set through all the peaks and valleys, and what drove you to persevere?

I’ve just matured a lot. I don’t just do everything for me no more. I’ve got a little boy who will be 3 years old in October. I always wanted to increase my notoriety and elevate my legacy, so that when he gets older he’ll have a standard to live by and be proud of. I may be one of the very few people on earth that have won a championship in everything they’ve ever done. I know Earvin Johnson won a high school championship; he won a college championship; and he won a pro championship. I’ve done the same thing, just in different sports. It’s like going from being Tiger Woods to being Roger Federer.

What are all the fields in which you've won championships?

Weight lifting, powerlifting, strongman and now wrestling.

What does it mean to you to be the ECW champion and the top guy on one of the three brands?

It means a lot to me because it means that the show is going to be dictated by me. The main events are going to be judged by how many people watch. If you can’t make people tune in, then believe me, you will not be champion long. So far our ratings have been going up. We’re consistently around 1.5. People are tuning in to see what’s going to happen next. It’s new; it’s fresh. They believe the fact that a guy 6-4, 400 pounds is going to beat people’s brains out. To take this title out of my hands, it’s going to be a real knockdown, bloody fight.

What are your thoughts on “Sexual Chocolate” and some of the story lines you were involved in, such as the relationship with Mae Young?

“Sexual Chocolate” is an extension of my personality. I have a good sense of humor. I’m not Martin Lawrence by any means. I’m a little too country to be Chris Rock. But I fancy myself as being somebody with a good sense of humor. Being able to go out every day and clown and act up and not get put in an institution for it – for me to be talking about it 10 years later means that I was a success and that I did what I was supposed to do. Rightfully so, on the box set of the greatest Raws of all time, it’s on there.

How often do you get asked about “the hand?”

All the time. And I tell people that “the hand” is fine.

Turning to a more serious subject, was the Michael Hayes incident resolved to your satisfaction, and what is your current relationship with him?

I have a good relationship with Michael Hayes. Michael Hayes made a mistake; everybody makes mistakes. I forgave Michael. I’m a Christian and I forgive people. That’s the mature thing to do. But we have to be responsible for our actions, and I think that he learned something. If he regresses, then he’ll know because I’ll say something. I’ve always stood up for my rights. I’ve always stood up for myself and I’ve stood up for other people when they didn’t know I stood up for them. Michael Hayes by far is one of the most creative people that ever wrestled and ever been in administration. But he is not above humanity, and anybody else. So, we have to police ourselves and hope for the best.

I interviewed you about 10 years ago and you talked about how you like to write poetry. Do you still do that?

All the time. Hopefully at some point I’ll have a book come out and people will get to see what’s in my mind. From the outside, everybody has an idea of what they think a person is and they’re usually wrong. I’m a primary example of that. People see me and they see a big, dark-skinned, intimidating human being, which I can be if I need to be that, but I’m also refined, educated, articulate, smart and a whole lot of other adjectives that I like to use to pat myself on the back, but I’m not going to do it because we don’t have enough time.

What is it like to be working with Tony Atlas? Were you a fan of his growing up?

Oh, I was a big Tony Atlas fan. I think I tried to throw my first dropkick because of Tony – and almost broke my shoulder. Tony was one of the icons for young black boys that wanted to grow up and be in wrestling and have somebody to identify with. During the time, Tony Atlas and other men didn’t have the opportunity in the industry that I have and other talented wrestlers have today. I feel like having him with me is us giving back. Just sitting in the car driving from one town to the next, listening to the stories that he tells makes you realize how good things are now compared to back then. I want to do everything I can to further that and to put an example out there, like Ernie Ladd did for me.

You’ve got an ECW title match with Matt Hardy this Sunday at SummerSlam. For people who are on the fence about buying this pay-per-view, why should they?

This is going to be from top to bottom one of the greatest SummerSlams in history. They should have waited to do the anthology so they could have put this one on. As far as Matt Hardy goes, it’s unfortunate for Matt that his talent and speed and his ability and the longevity that he’s had in this business will not be able to help him, because he’s facing somebody that’s been in just as long as he has who’s not as fast or a high flyer, but is the total antithesis of that. I am the strongest man on the planet, and if I can get my hands on him, it’s going to be over. He should keep moving.

Photo courtesy of WWE

Posted by Kevin Eck at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Q&As
        

So, what do A.J. Styles and Baltimore native Michael Phelps have in common? I mean beside the boyish looks and cut physique. The answer, of course, is that they both won Olympic gold medals last night.

While the swimming sensation predictably won his sixth gold (yawn), Styles pulled off perhaps the biggest upset since the U.S. hockey team beat the Russians (no, not Ivan and Nikita) in 1980. The phenomenal one had to overcome an early 6-0 deficit to defeat Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle in an Olympic rules match on TNA Impact. The stipulation for the match was that if Styles won, he would get Angle’s gold medal.

As Phelps tries to make history by winning eight gold medals, Styles made some history of his own, as he became the first person to win an Olympic gold medal by smashing a guitar over his opponent’s head. I also think it was the first time that there was a ref bump in an amateur match (not to mention needing a three-count for a pin).

I certainly don’t want to rain on Styles’ Olympic moment, but I hope for his sake that this isn’t the same medal that at one time resided in Chris Benoit’s pants.

All kidding aside, I thought the Angle-Styles match was entertaining, as was the show overall. With the ring ropes being taken down and the unique points system, the match was something different and it furthered the program between Angle and Styles while also working Sting and Jeff Jarrett into the mix (even though neither one of them was seen during the match).

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

TNA did a much better job of getting Samoa Joe over as a hot-tempered tough guy. He made Brother Devon tap out during a tag match and then attacked him with a chair after the match. And he never whined once. …

Unless I missed it, I don’t think Jarrett’s name was mentioned all night, even though there are guitars mysteriously appearing out of nowhere and his entrance music played during the Angle-Styles match. Why not say his name? It’s not like it’s a great mystery. Booker T. did make reference to “a hick” who had a business interest in the company, but I think that was as close to anyone got to identifying him. It just seems a little silly that for weeks the presence of a black baseball bat had everyone believing that Sting was behind it, yet no one comes right out and makes the connection between the guitars and Jarrett. …

In pro wrestling, just about anyone can put on a turban and spout anti-American views and generate major heat, but Bashir has the ability in the ring and on the mic to take it to another level. By the way, until he talked about “raping Lady America,” I though Sheik Abdul Bashir was making a lot of sense. …

You know what they say about being careful what you wish for. Well, last week I wrote that Kip James needs to be back on TV because he is a good heel and he’s being under-utilized, and last night he shows up playing a stereotypical gay character who is aligned with The Beautiful People. Angelina Love and Velvet Sky have a good thing going as a team, but for some reason TNA keeps trying to tinker with their act.

As for James, he’s played this kind of character before and it wasn’t all that great (remember Billy and Chuck?). What I liked about his character in TNA was that he could get heat by wearing the short shorts and doing his hair in a somewhat effeminate manner without being over-the-top flamboyant and changing his voice. What is it anyway with Vince Russo repeatedly creating stereotypical gay characters (Kwee-Wee, Lenny and Lodi, The Rainbow Express)? …

Unless he’s changing his gimmick, I wish Jay Lethal would have cut his promo using the Randy Savage voice. It would have been more entertaining. Having Lethal break character and use his real voice on rare occasions to get over a serious angle is fine, but this program with Sonjay Dutt and SoCal Val has been anything but. …

Based on TNA’s proclivity for swerves, I thought for sure that Abyss was going to attack Matt Morgan after shaking his hand. It wouldn’t have made any sense, but when has that ever mattered? …

I’m excited about Gail Kim and Awesome Kong revisiting their feud, but I have a strange feeling that something very bad is going to happen to Kim’s sister Katie soon. …

I thought Hernandez broke James Storm’s neck with that Dragon Suplex. Between that and the Border Toss, wrestling Hernandez should warrant hazardous duty pay. …

The “Rough Cuts” segment did a good job of portraying Consequences Creed as a guy the fans should root for. …

Maybe I haven’t been paying close enough attention, but is there a story line reason as to why Traci Brooks is now a referee? I mean other than the fact the she fills out her referee’s top well. …

Here’s my opinion of Christy Hemme as a wrestler: I think she tries real hard. …

Thank God the PJB was MIA this week.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Who was Kevin Nash’s tag-team partner in The Vegas Connection?

Answer: Diamond Dallas Page.

Winner: Jason Newsome was the first to e-mail me the correct answer. He did so on Monday at 9:20 p.m. He wins a private meet and greet with Nash at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show on Aug. 23 at The New Green Room in Dundalk and a general admission ticket to the show.

Questions 5-10 will be asked between now and next Thursday.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 9:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Even though WWE did everything right in regard to the John Cena-Batista program last night on the final Raw before Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view, I’m just not as excited about their match as I should be.

Like Cena said last night, it’s a match that has been years in the making. It doesn’t make sense that it would be put together just a few weeks before the pay-per-view like it wasn’t anything special. I think it would have been much more effective if WWE teased the match-up a few times over the next several months before finally delivering it at WrestleMania after a strong buildup.

With that being said, I do think the opening promo that ended with a handshake and the concluding pull-apart brawl between the two were well done. Cena and Batista losing the world tag team titles to Ted DiBiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes and then going after each other was predictable, but still effective.

When you have a marquee match-up such as this, the physical contact between the participants before the big match should be limited, and I thought Cena and Batista touched just enough to make you want to see them go at it at SummerSlam.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

I was glad to see DiBiase and Rhodes regain the tag team title, but I thought it was unnecessary for Cena and Batista to destroy them after the match. Why couldn’t DiBiase and Rhodes have just left the ring with the belts, leaving Cena and Batista to have their altercation? By the way, DiBiase and Rhodes cut a nice promo earlier in the show. These two are the real deal. …

Batista isn’t Cena when it comes to cutting a promo, but he held his own. Batista seems to be a lot more comfortable on the mic than he used to be. …

I was surprised at the lopsided victory (73 percent to 27 percent) for Cena over Batista in the poll that asked who the bigger star is. Cena is the bigger star, but I thought the voting would be a lot closer. …

My favorite segment of the show was the verbal confrontation between CM Punk and JBL. No one plays a bully better than JBL, and Punk carried himself well in standing up to the bully. I also like that WWE finally decided to work Punk’s straight edge lifestyle into the story line. Segments such as this will get Punk over. …

There are a number of people who believe the Randy Orton motorcycle accident and re-broken collarbone is a work. The thinking behind it is that if people think he is badly injured, it would be a huge surprise if he does a run-in at SummerSlam. Plus, faking an injury would get Orton a lot of heat. It is interesting that the first report on wwe.com said that Orton was thrown 30 feet off his motorcycle, but Michael Cole said last night that it was 300 feet, as did an updated story on wwe.com. That sounds like an exaggeration to me. I still don’t think the injury is a work, but I wouldn’t put it past WWE to do such an angle. …

WWE swerved us all on the contents of Kane’s bag, as it was Rey Mysterio’s mask, not Kane’s. I’m wondering if that was the plan all along or if WWE changed things up because too many people had figured it out. I’m actually intrigued to see where the angle with Mysterio is headed. …

I’m not sure how the Kane-Chris Jericho match could be considered a SummerSlam match when it was never announced as being on the pay-per-view. I guess that’s what they refer to as an Adamle Original. Speaking of Mike Adamle, I thought he was fine in his performance as GM. He didn’t do anything embarrassing, but he didn’t do anything extraordinary either. …

I wonder if Kane was still mad at Jericho for that time he spilled coffee on him. That has to be one of the all-time silliest reasons for wrestlers to begin a feud. It’s still not as bad, though, as when the basis for a program between Edge and Booker T. was that they both wanted the lead role in a Japanese shampoo commercial. …

Seeing The Valiant Brothers against Tito Santana and Ivan Putski on the clip for the WWE 24/7 promo brought back a lot of memories. When I was 7, I was a huge Valiant Brothers fan. I’m talking about the original Valiants – Handsome Jimmy and Luscious Johnny, who were a big draw as WWWF tag team champions in 1974 and ’75. In the clip, which was from 1979, Jimmy had been replaced by Gentleman Jerry. I never bought the uncharismatic Jerry as a Valiant. When Cole said that all four wrestlers in the clip were in the WWE Hall of Fame, he was mistaken. Jimmy and Johnny were inducted, but not Jerry. …

Kelly Kelly was lucky that she escaped serious injury when she landed awkwardly on her chest during her match with Beth Phoenix. It looked as if she was supposed to take a backdrop, but she failed to tuck her head and flip over. …

Santino Marella was entertaining as usual, but I can’t remember ever seeing anyone get this much air time and be booked to look so weak. Even S.D. Jones and Johnny Rodz won more frequently. To defeat Mickie James, Marella needed outside interference from Phoenix and also to grab the tights. Or perhaps he really didn’t need to grab the tights and he just wanted to. Can’t say I would blame him for that.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (44)
        

The latest setback for Randy Orton has to be incredibly frustrating for him as well as WWE.

Orton, who just recently announced that he was medically cleared to wrestle after suffering a broken collarbone during his match against Triple H at the One Night Stand pay-per-view in June, re-broke his collarbone in a motorcycle accident, according to wwe.com. He is expected to be out of action an additional three months.

It’s not known what WWE had planned for Orton before this latest injury, but I would assume he was either going to challenge CM Punk for the world heavyweight title or possibly enter a program with Batista or John Cena. With Orton now missing at least the next three pay-per-views after SummerSlam, obviously there will have to be a new plan.

Orton’s prolonged absence means that Raw will remain a little thin on top heels. Currently, there is just JBL, Chris Jericho and Kane (assuming he does turn). Perhaps this latest development will trigger a heel turn for either Batista or Cena.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 7:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (28)
        

Which member of The Four Horsemen did Kevin Nash impersonate in an infamous nWo skit?

Answer: Arn Anderson.

Winner: Patrick Coughlin was the first to e-mail me the correct answer. He did so on Monday at 10:23 a.m. He wins a private meet and greet with Nash at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show on Aug. 23 at The New Green Room in Dundalk and a general admission ticket to the show.

Questions 4-10 will be asked between now and Aug. 21.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Edge took Mick Foley’s advice last night on Smackdown and became a more violent Edge. In doing so, Edge’s association with La Familia appears to have come to an end.

Throughout the show, one by one the members of La Familia were laid out. A single black rose – which was assumed to be The Undertaker’s calling card – was left behind. In the end, however, it appeared that Edge was the one behind the attacks. In the final segment, Edge smashed Chavo Guerrero with a chair and dumped Vickie Guerrero out of her wheelchair (the latter would have had much more impact if we hadn’t seen Vickie get up from the wheelchair numerous times whenever she needed to).

The angle was effective in getting Edge over as a threat heading into his Hell in a Cell match with The Undertaker at SummerSlam. However, not to sound like a second-rate Roger Ebert, but I thought Edge’s acting and facial expressions were a little too over the top this time. It went from being a realistic portrayal of someone who had lost control to almost being campy. As for Vickie, she delivers an awesome heel promo, but when she goes into hysterics, well, let’s just say that no one will confuse her with Meryl Streep.

It will be interesting to see if this results in a babyface turn for the remaining members of La Familia. I don’t see Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder going that route, but Vickie and Chavo might. Chavo has been a babyface before and he could pull it off, but it’s going to be difficult getting people to cheer for Vickie – as we have already seen. I didn’t sense a lot of sympathy from the crowd when Edge was terrorizing her last night. In fact, you could see and hear some fans cheering Edge on.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

Jeff Hardy and Shelton Benjamin had a very good match. I have a feeling I’m going to be writing about Benjamin having good matches on Smackdown quite often. Some might not have liked the finish (MVP ran in to cause a disqualification), but it was the correct call. Less than a week after losing to Edge, Hardy really shouldn’t lose again, and MVP interfering furthers their program. As for Benjamin, he can’t be losing too frequently (he was beaten cleanly by Mr. Kennedy last week), as fans already have been conditioned not to view him as a real threat. To change that perception, WWE needs to really limit the numbers of jobs that he does. …

I’m still not all that interested in the Triple H-Great Khali match at SummerSlam, but the arm wrestling angle was well done. We’ve all seen arm wrestling contests numerous times and they almost always end the same way, but adding shards of glass was an effective device in raising the stakes (and it was a relief to see that the glass did not actually come into play). Fake arm wrestling matches usually look fake, but Triple H and Khali did a nice job making theirs look real. I also liked that WWE put a different spin on it by having the babyface be the one to keep stalling before finally locking up. It was exactly what you would expect from Triple H’s character. He’s not the typical babyface, and that’s why I like him so much in the role. …

I thought it was funny that Triple H referred to Khali as a genie who came out of a lamp, because I was on a radio show earlier this week and I used the cliché “you can’t put the genie back in the bottle” in reference to Khali being pushed as an unbeatable monster heel after suffering so many high-profile losses. …

The Olympic theme for the women’s tag match was a little silly, but it was timely and something different. It’s certainly preferable to referring to a women’s match as a Bimbo Brawl. …

I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but The Brian Kendrick is awesome. I don’t really agree with the comparisons to the late Brian Pillman, though. Their hair might be similar, but their characters are totally different. I think Kendrick and Ezekiel more closely resemble the old Shawn Michaels/Diesel act.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 9:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

Bruno Sammartino, who had some historic matches in Baltimore, returns for his first-ever signing in the area tomorrow at Signature Sports, located at Marley Station Mall in Glen Burnie.

Sammartino will be signing from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Also signing at the store tomorrow are former WWE/WCW stars Bryan Clark and The Patriot. For more information, call 443-749-0681.

Sammartino, wrestling’s “Living Legend,” lost the WWWF title to Superstar Billy Graham in Baltimore in 1977. He also wrestled his final match here – a tag-team bout with Hulk Hogan against King Kong Bundy and One Man Gang in 1987. It was the only time that Sammartino and Hogan ever teamed together.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

After producing one of the sillier episodes of Impact last week, TNA cut way back on the “humor” last night and delivered a solid go-home show for Sunday’s Hard Justice pay-per-view.

Instead of torturing viewers with five segments involving faux superheroes, TNA upped the violence quotient and focused on hyping the pay-per-view. It made for a compelling show, although there were some negative consequences to doing a more extreme style (more on that later).

I know that TNA goes overboard with all the gimmick matches on Impact and the pay-per-views, but I enjoyed the eight-man gauntlet-with-weapons match. It was intense and helped get over the top two matches at Hard Justice -- Samoa Joe versus Booker T., and Kurt Angle versus A.J. Styles.

Of course, what really added to the drama was the fact that Angle bled a gusher hard-way due to catching his head on a sharp part of a ladder. Seconds after he hit the ladder, there was a puddle of blood on the mat. And that wasn’t even the scariest moment of the night.

Earlier in the show, Homicide had a lot of little shards of glass near his eye after being put through a glass table by Beer Money Inc. I know the glass breaking looks cool and all and it gets a pop from the crowd, but I’m not sure the risk is worth the reward. Angle and Homicide were both lucky to have escaped serious injuries.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

I’m officially on the Frank Trigg bandwagon. His natural heel charisma came across during his interview segment with Karen Angle. However, if Trigg wants to get involved in pro wrestling, he really has to learn how to pull a punch. When a member of TNA security (TNA producer Bruno Sassi) tried to restrain Trigg from going after Karen, Trigg connected with a hard punch to the face that reportedly broke the guy’s nose. …

Samoa Joe came off a lot more likable than he has on recent shows. Conspicuous by his absence was Joe's mentor, Kevin Nash, who reportedly walked out during the taping last week because he disagreed with how the gauntlet match (which he was supposed to have been involved in) was booked. Apparently, things have been smoothed over. ...

The Motor City Machine Guns and the team of Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed put on an entertaining match, but I initially didn’t like the fact that an exceptional and established team such as TMCMG lost to a team that was just put together. Then it became apparent in the post-match that the result is part of a developing angle. TMCMG shook hands with Lethal, but Alex Shelley refused to shake Creed’s hand and shoved him. A heel turn for TMCMG might be a good thing if that’s where this is headed. I just hope that it’s not Shelley alone who turns and the team is broken up. …

Roxxi and Jacqueline had a decent match, but I hate that the women’s hardcore matches are called Bimbo Brawls. The women have worked too hard to bring respect to the women’s division to be referred to in such a disrespectful manner. …

During his promo, Brother Ray said: “Who would want to see an old-school wrestling match?” I’d bet anything that line was scripted by Vince Russo. …

It was good to see Kip James back on TV. No, I’m not being sarcastic. I think he’s a good heel and TNA is under-utilizing him. …

I liked that TNA did something a little different with the opening of the show. Mike Tenay stood in the ring and hyped the pay-per-view, while Jeremy Borash and the tandem of Lauren and B.G. James were stationed in the crowd to run down the lineup for Impact. The hot crowd really made it seem as if the Impact Zone was the place to be.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 5:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Stacy Keibler has always been known for her long legs. Now we’ll get to see what kind of arm the actress and former WWE diva has.

Keibler, a Rosedale native, is coming home to throw out a ceremonial first pitch before the Cal Ripken World Series championship game on Aug. 16 at the Ripken Baseball Academy in Aberdeen.

“I’m a big fan of encouraging kids to join physical, organized sports, and there’s nothing better in baseball than ‘The Ripken Way,’ ” Keibler said in a news release. “I actually have an uncle who is currently coaching for a Cal Ripken Baseball league in Florida. … Ripken Baseball represents a totally positive learning experience for their athletes. Attending the Cal Ripken World Series is an opportunity for me to show my support for all their special efforts and participate in an American family tradition”

Keibler is one of the stars if the upcoming ABC Family miniseries Samurai Girl, which airs next month.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 12:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Which actress accompanied Kevin Nash to the ring for his match against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XI?

Answer: Pamela Anderson.

Winner: Gerald Feinstein was the first to e-mail me the correct answer. He did so on Thursday at 1:15 p.m. He wins a private meet and greet with Nash at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show on Aug. 23 at The New Green Room in Dundalk and a general admission ticket to the show.

Questions 3-10 will be asked between now and Aug. 21.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

What was the name of the tag team that Kevin Nash was part of when he made his WCW debut in the early 1990s?

Answer: The Master Blasters.

Winner: Josh Kaminski was the first to e-mail me the correct answer. He did so on Wednesday at 6:11 p.m. He wins a private meet and greet with Nash at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show on Aug. 23 at The New Green Room in Dundalk and a general admission ticket to the show.

Questions 2-10 will be asked between now and Aug. 21.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 6:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I’ve been hearing for a while now how funny John Morrison and The Miz’s Dirt Sheet segments are on wwe.com. It got to the point where I considered checking it out for myself, but I just couldn’t get past my anti-Miz bias.

Last night, I finally got to see what I’ve been missing, as The Dirt Sheet made its television debut on ECW. For those of you who are Dirt Sheet fans, please tell me that the segments on wwe.com are funnier than the lame stuff that I saw last night.

In addition to the material not being funny, it also wasn’t original, as Matt Hardy pointed out. For those who were lucky enough to have missed it, the segment was a copy of a Conan O’Brien bit in which a still photo of someone is shown with the mouth cut out and someone else’s mouth moves in its place (Hardy, Mark Henry, Tony Atlas and Lena Yada were the ones being lampooned). For the record, I’m not a big Conan O’Brien fan either.

It concluded with Henry and Hardy – who will face each other at SummerSlam for Henry’s ECW title – taking out Morrison and Miz. I presume this will lead to Henry and Hardy facing Morrison and Miz in a tag team match next week.

It’s just too bad that Morrison and Miz aren’t WWE tag team champs anymore, or else WWE could do the totally original angle of SummerSlam adversaries winning the tag team title.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

Matt Striker did a really good job as color commentator filling in for Tazz. In fact, I think he was significantly better than Tazz. Striker is very articulate and he knows his wrestling history, too. I loved it when he referred to the Colin Delaney/Tommy Dreamer relationship as “Zbyszko-Sammartino-esque.” Although he plays a heel character, Striker was pretty neutral in his commentary.

No reason was given as to why Tazz wasn’t there, but he actually did the color commentary for the Smackdown taping because Mick Foley was selling his injuries from last week’s angle with Edge. It has been reported that Foley’s contract is expiring at the end of the summer and that he might not re-sign. If that were to happen, I’d love to see Striker get a shot on Smackdown. Tazz is better-suited for ECW. …

I like what I’m seeing from Evan Bourne and Ricky Ortiz. By this time next year, I bet the high-flying Bourne will be on Raw or Smackdown. Ortiz isn’t nearly as good in the ring as Bourne, but he stands out because of his look and quirky charisma. …

Braden Walker (formerly Chris Harris in TNA) is not exactly taking WWE by storm. I’m hoping that the lack of fanfare for his debut, his bland wrestling attire and the fact that Hardy didn’t know his name last week are part of an angle. Looking at Walker and former tag-team partner James Storm now, it’s hard to believe that Walker was considered by most to be the one with more star potential.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

Maryland Championship Wrestling is giving 10 readers of Ring Posts access to a private meet and greet with Kevin Nash at the MCW show on Aug. 23 at The New Green Room in Dundalk.

Between now and Aug. 21, I will ask trivia questions about Nash. The first person to e-mail me with the correct response to a particular question will receive a general admission ticket to the show and a post-show meeting with Nash. The questions can be asked at any time, and there will be a total of 10 winners (individuals cannot win more than once).

Please e-mail your answers to kevin.eck@baltsun.com and include your full name and a daytime phone number.

Good luck!

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

In his first show since being named Raw general manager, Mike Adamle appears to have restored order. Wrestlers declaring themselves in charge, impromptu brawls, announcers being manhandled, fans running in front of the camera backstage, acts of vandalism and attempted vehicular homicide are now the ways of the past.

In other words, all the unpredictability and spontaneity that made Raw so entertaining the past five weeks is gone. Last night’s show wasn’t hard to sit through or anything, but it did have more of a by-the-numbers feel to it. In all honesty, though, the anarchy thing could only be done for so long, and it probably is time to move on.

With that being said, however, I thought the main event – which saw John Cena and Batista win the world tag team title from Ted DiBiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes – was too predictable. Several times over the past decade, WWE has used the plot device of putting the tag team title on two big stars who are reluctant partners because they are booked to face each other in an upcoming match.

In addition to the result being telegraphed, it slows the momentum of DiBiase and Rhodes. I would rather have seen DiBiase and Rhodes retain the title because Cena and Batista couldn’t get on the same page. I’m not too worried about the young former champs, though. Working another main event against top guys gives them a rub, and I’m pretty sure they’ll be getting the belts back soon enough.

As for Adamle, his performance as GM was a lot like his performances as an announcer. Awkward is the best way to describe it. His delivery during his opening promo wasn’t good and he was using a cheat sheet, but I think he came across exactly the way WWE wanted him to.

So, is he really this bad or is it an act? Or could it be a combination of the two? At this point, it’s irrelevant. The more important question is: Is it entertaining? For me, it’s too early to say. I’ll need to see him in the role for several more weeks before forming an opinion.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

Adamle compared himself to Ronald Reagan, making the analogy that Reagan was a bad actor before becoming a great president, and he was a bad announcer who could become a great GM. Actually, I thought Adamle’s GM character was going to be modeled after George W. Bush (a dimwitted leader who mispronounces names and is generally incompetent). I think it would make for a great story line if it is revealed that there is a Karl Rove-like figure behind the scenes pulling Adamle’s strings. …

The bit with Cena and Batista taking turns holding their belts up to see who got the louder pop was pretty silly. Definitely one of the weaker endings to Raw in a while. …

CM Punk was booked to look strong in his handicap match against JBL and Chris Jericho. The stipulations were that if Punk lost, whoever scored the pin would face him for the world heavyweight title at SummerSlam; if Punk won, neither of them would get a shot; and if there was no decision in 10 minutes, it would be a triple threat match at SummerSlam. Once again, a Punk match had a fluke finish, but this time he was on the losing end. Punk more than held his own – and actually seemed on the verge of winning – before a dazed JBL fell on top of him for the win one second before the time limit expired. The finish was well-executed and the crowd was really with Punk throughout the match. …

I’m disappointed that there won’t be a Jericho-Shawn Michaels match at SummerSlam. I suppose the thinking behind holding it off until next month is that it could get lost in the shuffle on a SummerSlam card built around the Edge-Undertaker Hell in a Cell and the first-ever Cena-Batista match. …

I was surprised at how easily Intercontinental champion Kofi Kingston defeated Paul Burchill. I thought Burchill in his current persona had potential, but he might as well go back to being a pirate at this point. …

It was nice to see Beth Phoenix, who attacked WWE women’s champion Mickie James after her successful title defense against Katie Lea Burchill, get back in the women’s title picture. The comedy stuff Phoenix is doing with Santino Marella has added another dimension to her character without taking anything away from her image as a monster heel. …

Could it be that Marella is actually going to be getting a minor push? He and Phoenix are facing Kingston and James at SummerSlam, with the winning team getting both titles. That could be a clever way to put a belt on Marella without him actually defeating anyone. …

Kane was back to being a babyface this week. After squashing Matt Striker, he said that he was feeling better after being in a bad place for a while. Adamle said that he is going to force Kane to reveal what’s in the bag (probably his mask) next week. …

A William Regal-Jamie Noble feud can’t be good for ratings.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (23)
        

The rocky business relationship between Ric Flair and WWE has taken another sudden turn. WWE announced on its Web site late last night that the company and Flair had mutually agreed to part ways, confirming what had been reported by several wrestling Web sites hours earlier.

It also was reported that Flair’s representatives have informed promoters that he is now available to be booked for appearances without having to go through WWE. WWE recently vetoed several appearances for Flair, including one at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show in Dundalk a couple weeks ago.

Flair’s abrupt exit from WWE comes just four months after the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony was built around him, and his retirement match against Shawn Michaels arguably stole the show at WrestleMania XXIV. When his 35-year in-ring career ended, Flair, 59, began working as an ambassador for WWE, a role he said that he enjoyed and one he seemingly could have had for as long as he wanted it.

Judging by WWE’s use of Flair in current and upcoming projects, it’s obvious that the company wasn’t expecting to lose him. Not only had Flair just recently started doing a video feature on wwe.com called Stylin’ & Profilin’ with Ric Flair, but his career is scheduled to be celebrated all next month on WWE 24/7 and Flair is a panelist on the next Legends of Wrestling show on the same channel.

At this point, it is unclear if Flair’s frustration over not being allowed to pursue certain business opportunities is the main reason for him leaving WWE. One can speculate that he might have desired more of an on-camera presence, as he had only made a couple of cameo appearances on WWE television since retiring. Another contributing factor could be that Flair’s short-lived finance company went out of business last month.

It’s difficult to predict exactly where things are headed. I suppose there is a chance that Flair and WWE could repair their fractured relationship, as they have done in the past. Last September, Flair reportedly gave WWE his notice due to being unhappy with his diminished role, but eventually things were worked out and the story line of Flair having to retire if he lost a match was green-lighted.

There also is the possibility that TNA will make a play for “The Nature Boy.” Flair would probably feel right at home surrounded by former WCW colleagues such as Sting, Booker T., Kevin Nash, Jeff Jarrett, Scott Steiner and Vince Russo. Well, maybe not Steiner and Russo. Or perhaps Flair will not align himself with either company. If your name is Ric Flair, appearing at independent shows, fan conventions and signing shows is a lucrative business.

One thing I definitely don’t want to see is Flair tarnishing his legacy by putting the tights back on. As the song says, “Leave the Memories Alone.”

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

It’s not as if last night’s Saturday Night’s Main Event was a bad show, but it certainly wasn’t anything to get excited about. As I watched the broadcast on NBC, I thought back to the old days when Saturday Night’s Main Event was a really big deal.

For those not old enough to remember, SNME originally aired about five times a year from 1985-1991 on NBC in Saturday Night Live’s regular time slot from 11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. There was no Monday Night Raw or Smackdown back then, and SNME was the only WWE program to feature angles, title matches and skits.

WWE had exploded into the mainstream when SNME began, and for a while the show was doing better in the ratings than SNL. Eventually, pro wrestling’s popularity began to wane, ratings dipped and NBC canceled the show. Fox subsequently picked up SNME, but the show was dropped after just two episodes.

SNME was revived for NBC in 2006, but ratings for the second incarnation of the show tanked right from the start. With five hours a week of WWE prime time programming that has all the elements of the old SNME, the show no longer is special or even necessary. At this point, it’s obvious that neither WWE nor NBC puts much emphasis on SNME, and the only reason the shows are being produced is to fulfill contractual obligations.

In its heyday, however, SNME was must-see TV for any wrestling fan. Here are some of my favorite moments from the glory days (in chronological order):

Paul Orndorff on Piper’s Pit (5/11/85) – Roddy Piper placed all of the blame on Orndorff for their loss to Hulk Hogan and Mr. T at the first WrestleMania less than two months earlier. Orndorff sealed his babyface turn by standing up to Piper, but he was attacked from behind by Piper’s bodyguard, Cowboy Bob Orton. Mr. T then came out to make the save to a thunderous pop.

Uncle Elmer’s wedding (10/5/85) – The nuptials of Elmer and Joyce are memorable mostly because of Jesse Ventura’s running commentary. When the understated bride and rotund groom kissed, Ventura said: “It looks like two carp in The Mississippi River going after the same piece of corn.” Vince McMahon, who was a babyface announcer at the time and never acknowledged on TV as the owner of the company, actually got off a couple good lines as well, and Elmer was unintentionally funny as he stumbled his way through the vows. At the reception, Ventura ended up taking a bump face-first into the wedding cake.

Halloween party (11/2/85) – Now this was classic stuff. In between the matches, the wrestlers dressed up in costumes and participated in Halloween party games. Among the guests were The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff (as Batman and Robin), King Kong Bundy (as Abraham Lincoln) and Roddy Piper (as Super-Rod). Of course, the main reason that I’ll never forget this episode is because Elizabeth was the sexiest Jane ever (Randy Savage was Tarzan). The funniest part was the pass-the-pumpkin contest. During the pumpkin exchange between Piper and Elizabeth, the pumpkin fell to the floor, causing the heel team to lose. Naturally, Savage berated Elizabeth for blowing the game.

King Kong Bundy crushes Hulk Hogan (3/1/86) – Bundy interfered during Hogan’s WWE title defense against Magnificent Muraco and proceeded to “injure” Hogan’s ribs. It was the first time I recall Hogan being laid out like that, and the angle set up Hogan versus Bundy in a steel cage at WrestleMania 2.

Jake Roberts DDT’s Ricky Steamboat on the floor (5/3/86) – Nowadays a DDT is a transitional move, but back then it was a deadly finisher, and delivering a DDT on the floor was unthinkable. After rendering Steamboat unconscious, Roberts dragged him into the ring and placed Damien on top of him. What really made the scene great was play-by-play man Vince McMahon’s overacting as he went on about how horrific all of this was, while color commentator Bobby Heenan made wisecracks about smelling pineapple juice.

Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff in a steel cage (1/3/87) – I believe this was the first time that WWE did the angle in which both guys got out of the cage and their feet hit the floor at exactly the same time. For a second it actually seemed as if Orndorff might have won the WWE title. After some confusion, the match was restarted and Hogan, of course, prevailed.

Randy Savage vs. The Honky Tonk Man (10/3/87) – Just as Savage was about to win the Intercontinental title, The Hart Foundation interfered and the three heels beat down “The Macho Man.” Elizabeth pleaded for them to stop, but Honky shoved her down, which got a lot of heat because man-on-woman violence was rarely done. As Elizabeth ran to the back, Honky smashed his guitar over Savage’s head. At Elizabeth’s urging, Hulk Hogan made the save, and he and Savage cleaned house. Former enemies Hogan and Savage then shook hands, cementing Savage’s babyface turn and planting the seed for future angles.

Andre The Giant suffers a “heart attack” in the ring (10/29/88) – I was in attendance at The Baltimore Arena for this one. In the aftermath of the Jake Roberts-Rick Rude match, Andre came down to the ring to assist Rude. Roberts then brought out his snake and put it on Andre, who apparently was deathly afraid of snakes and had a heart attack. It was a great angle, and I actually recall some people in the arena believing it was real.

Hulk Hogan vs. Big Bossman in a steel cage (5/27/89) – Fans did not expect much in the way of big moves from Hogan, but he pulled one off in this WWE title match. With Bossman having climbed over the top of the cage, Hogan went up to the top rope, hooked Bossman and super-plexed him into the ring. For several minutes, both guys sold the move like they were dead. Hogan went on to win in what was one of his better matches as WWE champion.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 5:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

It’s almost impossible these days to write about Smackdown and not praise Edge. He has really hit his stride as a performer, and last night he and former rival Mick Foley provided a compelling climax to the show.

Both guys cut tremendous promos that were effective not only because of the delivery, but also because they dealt with concepts that stir emotions. Each man was asked to take a hard look at himself and both were offered shots at redemption.

Edge invited Foley to be his guest on “The Cutting Edge” and then asked for Foley’s help in preparing for his Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker at SummerSlam. After airing clips of Foley’s famous Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker from 1998, Edge remarked that Foley has never been the same, and by helping him, Foley could exorcise the demon of The Undertaker.

Foley responded by saying that the only man who can help Edge is Edge. Foley told him that he won’t stand a chance against The Undertaker unless he becomes the man he used to be. Edge said he understood, and then he attacked Foley and laid him out.

Few people in the industry have ever been able to get an angle over with a promo better than Foley, and he did it again last night for a match that he isn’t even involved in. As for Edge, there might be guys who sell more merchandise or are “bigger stars,” but there is no better all-around performer right now.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

Until the last segment with Edge and Foley, Smackdown was a pretty straight-forward wrestling show with little in the way of angles and skits. It was a nice change of pace after Thursday’s mind-numbing episode of TNA Impact. …

Mr. Kennedy and Shelton Benjamin were given some time and they had a good match. Since Benjamin’s U.S. title was not on the line, Kennedy getting the win was not unexpected. …

I like the interaction so far between MVP and Jeff Hardy. I assume they’ll be meeting at SummerSlam. …

With The Great Khali getting a WWE title shot against Triple H at SummerSlam, I understand why Khali defeated Hardy, but I’m still not wild about Hardy jobbing to a guy who just isn’t over. At least it wasn’t a totally clean loss, as Hardy was on the offensive before getting distracted by MVP. …

I never thought I would say this, but watching Brian Kendrick has become one of the highlights of Smackdown for me. I always knew Kendrick was a good worker, but I have to admit that I never saw him as anything more than a tag-team wrestler or a low mid-card guy. I am very interested to see how far the Kendrick/Ezekiel act can go. …

Since Maria is over and Victoria is not, I’m not surprised that Maria won their match, but I do think that result is a little ridiculous. Victoria continues to be one of the most under-utilized performers in the company.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 6:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)
        

There is a reason why my thoughts on last night’s TNA Impact are posted a little later than usual today. I went to a late movie last night and then watched Impact on tape after I got home. Instead of writing about it before I went to bed, I decided it would be best to sleep on it. Things always look better in the morning – isn’t that what they say?

Well, this time, “they” are wrong. Impact still is as awful this morning as it was last night. In fact, it was one of the worst episodes of Impact in some time.

It’s extremely disappointing to see Impact revert back to being a silly, boring parody of a wrestling show, but it’s not surprising. When last week’s Wrestling Observer reported that Vince Russo had gained more influence over the direction of the show, I had a pretty good idea where things were headed.

A staple of Russo’s writing is having a backstage story line running throughout the show. If it involves main event wrestlers and is used to further an angle to build for a pay-per-view, that’s fine. Last night, however, Russo wasted valuable TV time by involving mid-card comedy characters (Super Eric, Shark Boy and Curry Man) in a mid-card story line (Jay Lethal/Sonjay Dutt/SoCal Val love triangle) that no one cares about and won’t draw a dime. And here’s the best part – it will be continued on next week’s episode!

Just who exactly is TNA trying to appeal to with the Prince Justice Brotherhood, anyway? I’m willing to bet that even a second-grader would find it insulting to their intelligence.

The other running story line last night did involve main event wrestlers, but in some ways it was even more pathetic than the PBJ. The emasculation of Samoa Joe continued, as he annoyingly screamed and whined about Sting throughout the whole show. Why don’t they just put a blonde wig on him already and get it over with? Kevin Nash, conversely, again was the ultimate babyface, as he remained cool and calm the entire time.

This all built to the show’s big climax. After Samoa Joe stormed off to confront Sting in the rafters, he came face to face with … a crow! And then the show ended after 1997 called and said it wanted its crow back.

If the Sting story line doesn’t end with him turning heel, then Joe, A.J. Styles, just about every other babyface and the announcers will look like idiots. And if he isn’t turning, then this is just a copy of WCW’s story line of Sting being falsely accused from over a decade ago. That was a great story line at the time, but it can’t be recreated.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

The show actually got off to a promising start, as Beer Money Inc. faced Christian Cage and Rhino in the opener. A good match, however, was marred by a finish that took the concept of a run-in to an absurd level. I understand that Team 3D costing Cage and Rhino the match is a device to build heat between the two teams, and I am fine with outside interference leading to the finish. But this was way overbooked. Instead of a quick, simple run-in while the referee was distracted, the outside interference here seemed to go on forever, as Team 3D, Johnny Devine and Jacqueline all got involved. …

Styles must have been studying tapes of Joe’s promos before he did his little rant on Sting. The crowd had zero reaction to Styles’ tantrum. …

I understand that TNA wants to push its video game, but using the video games entrances last night made the show seen even more like a cartoon. …

I have no problem with the story line of Kaz quitting after feeling as if he let down TNA in the X Cup. The execution wasn’t well done, however. Kaz’s acting was bad and the background music was distracting. It was ironic that Tomko – who really has left TNA – showed up at the end of the scene. …

It was nice to see a women’s tag match as the main event, but the match itself was nothing special. After the match, Awesome Kong made her return. It was played up by the announcers, but I don’t think she was gone long enough for her return to be that big a deal. …

It’s good that they’re doing the “Rough Cuts” segments on Taylor Wilde, but the first installment wasn’t much. I thought it was funny that when playing comments from Bill DeMott, TNA used a photo of him from his Gen. Rection/Hugh Morrus days in WCW eight years ago. …

Not only were viewers treated to commentary by Hermie Sadler, but we also got a surprise appearance by Lance Smith from CMT. You know it’s a special episode when a big celeb like this Lance guy shows up. ...

Let’s end this on a positive note. I think the Sheik Abdul Bashir character has potential.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (28)