News From Cook's Corner 01.17.12

Posted by Steve Cook on 01.17.2012

The future of Cena vs. Rock, the Hulkster has medical issues, and WWE gets dragged in the mud with Rick Santorum!

Hi, hello and welcome to News From Cook's Corner! I'm Steve Cook, and I hope you all are having a wonderful Tuesday. If you think this Tuesday is great, just wait until next week when we celebrate the seventh anniversary of News From Cook's Corner! The very first edition of this column was published on January 23, 2005, so we'll be taking a look back at that train wreck and wonder why the heck they hired me! I may have some other tricks up my sleeve, but I promise nothing.

I promised some Total Request Cook for this week, but unforeseen circumstances will prevent that from happening…namely the fact that I'm recapping Raw this week because nobody else can be bothered. I swear we just hired a bunch of people a little while ago, and none of them are stepping up to the plate. Oh well, that's part of what makes me me and the rest the rest.



Mr Cook, are you serious? Wagner Jr. and LA Par-K over pretty much anybody in TNA. I know you like Lucha but, if the MTV2 audience didn't want to see those guys in the failed Lucha Libre USA project, what makes you think the Spike TV audience wants to see them? - yanni

Neither man was involved with Lucha Libre USA. Furthermore, I never once said that the American public would rather see them than the people currently on TNA's roster. I'm saying that I would rather see them. Big difference. I know there are people out there that love seeing Jeff Hardy on their television…I just don't understand the thought process of those people, nor do I care to.

By the way, they're listing Impact as TV-PG on Spike‘s website, which I was perusing while trying to figure out what their audience wants to see. (Unsuccessfully.) I haven't been paying attention lately, is this a new development or is the website wrong? I don't care because I‘m still of the opinion that PG isn‘t a terrible thing, but the people that hate on WWE only because it's PG may be interested in this development.

Brodus Clay = Rikishi Remixed. The first time I saw Rikishi dancing, I thought it was pretty dumb, but he got over huge. Big, fun-loving dancing guy who can kick your a$$. It worked before, why wouldn't it work now? Obviously it's not a main event gimmick, but at least it differentiates him in the midcard from a generic big man like Ezekiel Jackson or Mason Ryan. - Guest

I remember seeing Rikishi in a Sunday Night Heat match with Tracy Smothers at a Smackdown taping in Cincinnati in November 1999, before he debuted on one of the main shows. I'll be honest, I didn't think that a fat dude in a thong had a very long shelf-life. In my defense, Rikishi was playing it serious and didn't do any dancing. Had I known that Big Kish would be a jolly dancing thong-wearing dude, I may have given him more of a chance. The stuff with him & Too Cool started out small, but it got over like gangbusters once they made it a routine. It gave him personality.

I'm not quite sure about the Funkasaurus gimmick for Brodus Clay. I kind of hope that it leads to a face turn for Clay as he destroys Big Johnny for giving him such a crappy gimmick. Either way, in the meantime I'll enjoy hearing "Somebody call my mama" over and over again in my head, and looking at Naomi's RIGHTEOUS ass. - Christopher

I think Brodus is a more effective face being funky than being all mad and pissed off at the world. They can either play it as Brodus really being a Funkasaurus, or Brodus taking a "crappy" gimmick and making it work. Here's the thing: not everything in wrestling has to be serious, nor should it be. Wrestling needs stuff that's funny and entertaining, and the Funkasaurus has the potential to be just that.

It could flop, too. But it'll be interesting either way and we'll get to see Naomi shake her money maker. Everybody wins!

Interesting that WWE has done a 180 on using a wrestler's previous characters. Vince stuck Dusty in polka dot boxers, but Punk and Bryan are redoing their best ROH stuff. New playbook for getting big in WWE. Have a successful indy career with a couple very successful runs. Keep the vids to show Creative how it was done. - Guest#5496

It's not a terrible idea. WWE always likes to re-cast people when they enter the company. CM Punk was lucky that he got to keep his name, which some people thought wouldn't get over in a major company. If they keep these guys around long enough, eventually they'll figure out what really works with them and go with it. Punk had to be a happy MMA wannabe dude for awhile, but eventually he got to be his sanctimonious self in a feud with Jeff Hardy, run his own stable, and have another Summer of Punk, complete with Cult of Personality.

The key is to let enough time pass so people don't think they're ripping off something that another company did. If Bryan went to WWE and started doing his 2006 "Best in the World" character right away, the "smart" audience would have crapped on it and complained that WWE was ripping ROH off. But they waited a bit, had Bryan do some other things, and now he's playing a role very similar to the one he played in 2006 as ROH Champion, with the twist of having a geeky Diva by his side and needing to be extra-tricky to keep the title against people that are over a foot taller than him.

Dusty isn't really a fair comparison because he ran Vince's opposition for many years. Punk & Bryan were indy stars, but they were never competition. Vince had more reason to be vindictive towards the Dream, even though now they spin it so Vince knew that Dusty could get the polka dots over. It sounds like a load of BS, but it doesn't really matter now.

I'm not going with the usual TNA-WWE thing because lets be honest it's got so boring now, TNA fans hate WWE, WWE fans hate TNa and both sides wonder why the other loves their over-rated peice of crap.

I did though raise a Rock eyebrow at your comment of watching a couple of AA guys over rest of TNA roster because i usually didn't think it was the roster was the complaint, usually its down to booking, or the lack of crowds or the presentation or the storylines.

do you honestly think the TNA roster is that bad because i think that is an extremely harsh comment myself, I think a few of that TNA roster is more interesting than in a few of the other companies including WWE, you telling me Roodes Character isn't interesting at the moment or Storm, or Aries, or think Bully Ray hasn't been entertaining at present also? Could even list in the usual, Styles, Daniels, Angle if needed.

TNA has problems yes, but then so does any company including WWE i could list numerous attacks on it if wanted, but i don't think its fair on hitting the Roster.

all companies have some good and some bad wrestlers, for every Crimson you have a Roode, for every Punk you have i'm sure a range of bland WWE wrestlers (sorry i don't watch to say who), for every eric young, you have a Hornswoggle. - BigDaveJ

It wasn't as big of a slam on the TNA roster as you think it is. Wagner & Park are talented wrestlers with decades of experience at working a crowd and telling stories to fit the occasion. They've wrestled all over the world and have found success wherever they've gone. You remember LA Par-K as La Parka from WCW, right? They never did much of anything useful with him but he still became a cult favorite through his performances. Wagner's been a top star in Mexico forever, which of course doesn't always translate to America (Sin Cara/Mistico is Exhibit A of this), but he's as good in his environment as anybody else is in theirs.

Guys like Bobby Roode & James Storm are definitely on the way up. I think Storm is actually further along than Roode is, as I don't buy into Roode's cowardly heel champion act as much as some of my colleagues do. Bully Ray has been an outstanding character for the past year. Aries has been solid, but sometimes he's too spotastic for my liking. Styles & Daniels need to do something else besides feuding with each other…it's sad because it was one of my favorite things six years ago, but I'd be fine if I never saw another match with them. They haven't gotten any better.

TNA has some good workers. I just happen to like some people better than them…and honestly, there's no guarantee that I'd like those people if TNA was booking their feuds & matches. AAA has been referred to by some as the TNA of Mexico, but I don't think their booking bothers me as much because I don't know Spanish.

If you're a small fry like D-Bry fighting a monster like Big Show, wouldn't a No-DQ stip make the match easier? I mean, just hit him with shit all match. A normal match would mean he would have to lock up with Show to some extent, in a No-DQ match I would simply run from him and throw shit at him, AND hide Brass Knuckles somewhere. - Nic

Since it's No-DQ, that means that Big Show is also allowed to use foreign objects without consequence. Big Show hitting Daniel Bryan with a chair is going to hurt Bryan a lot more than a chair shot from Bryan would hurt Big Show. That would deeply worry Daniel Bryan and perhaps lead him to come up with an inventive way to get out of it. Not that I'm implying that he would deliberately put AJ in harm's way, or that AJ would agree to get run over by Big Show in order to keep the title on her man. I'm just saying that desperate times call for desperate measures.

You know, I bitch and moan about insignicant shit on the internet as much as the next guy (okay, not nearly as much as some), but going to a wrestling show in person is always a blast. Hell, I thought it was stupid shit to have CM Punk come back when he did. But since I was in the audience that night, I was marking out like a 9 year old. I've had fun going to see WCW, WWF, WWE, TNA, ROH, CHIKARA, DGUSA and even podunk indy feds in NC and WV where I don't know 99% of the wrestlers.

But you're lucky, Cook. Your first was a RAW taping. My first wrestling show (not counting Indy shows) was a Thunder taping... though I did get to see Mike Enos ride Fit Finlay out of the arena.

Also, nice picture of the Bellas. But, man, I sure do miss Maryse pinning Mickie James. - G-Walla

I don't think I want to know why Mike Enos was riding Fit Finlay out of the building. But I like your style, G-Walla, so I'm going to give you what you want. Hopefully you won't mind a slightly altered version. It turns out that the old Maryse/Mickie image was one of the casualties of The Great 411 Picture Purge of 2011. I figured I had it saved on my jump drive, but I couldn't find it on there. Weird stuff. Anyway, here's the fake news!



Plans to have CM Punk accompany UFC fighter Chael Sonnen to the cage at UFC on Fox 2 in Chicago on January 28 have been kyboshed by Vince McMahon. Apparently Punk has been told he shouldn't even attend the show now. Sonnen had gotten in contact with Punk about appearing and had cleared it with UFC. Punk cleared it with WWE as well, but Vince changed his mind about it once it became a news story. I think I get what Vince is thinking here, though many of you will say it's an antiquated point of view and shouldn‘t get in the way of CM Punk appearing on Fox.

From Vince's perspective, a perspective where WWE Superstars > all other entertainers, Punk accompanying Sonnen to the cage makes him seem less than Sonnen, like one of his boys. Of course, MMA fans know this isn't necessarily the case, because championship level fighters are in the corner for lower level fighters that are part of their fight team all the time. Vince doesn't know this. Also, he's probably a bit sick & tired of UFC getting all the press & the PPV buyrates. And he's a moody son of a gun. Put this all together, and that's why CM Punk won't be chillin' with Chael Sonnen at UFC on Fox 2.

New Tag Team Champions were crowned in Oakland, California on Sunday afternoon, as Epico & Primo defeated Evan Bourne & Kofi Kingston to win the title. I think it's a good move if WWE follows up on it properly, as it's always important to promote your house shows as being a big deal. They're holding house shows in NYC & LA within the next couple of months, and those can be tough tickets to sell when people know that nothing ever happens on a house show that gets followed up on during TV. Throw a title change or two on a house show, and maybe you get people thinking "Hey, maybe I should go when they're in town, you never know what could happen!". It won't be easy in this day & age, but it's worth a shot.

There has been speculation that Triple H is not very high on Evan Bourne and has no interest in pushing him, while Stephanie McMahon likes him and thinks he brings something different to the table. I don't know if H's dislike for Bourne had anything to do with the title change, but it certainly can't help Bourne's future with the company. On the bright side for him, at least H & Stephanie know that he exists.

The Rock tweeted that he is going on a twenty-five day press tour. He is expected to come back to continue the build for his match with John Cena at WrestleMania sometime around Elimination Chamber. No word on whether or not he will bring it via satellite before then. How geeked are you for Cena vs. Rock? I'm not sure that the interest for the show is quite what WWE was hoping for, as the feud just hasn't been all that hot with Rock not being around. I'm guessing I'll be proven wrong and the show will still do well, but I was hoping for more of Rock owning people when this whole thing began.

Speaking of Rock vs. Cena, Stephanie McMahon said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that their hope with the feud is that the fans will choose sides much like Twilight fans chose between Edward & Jacob. I have no idea who those people are, but I think there's a much simpler explanation for WWE's plan here:

-The men will support Rock
-The women and children will support Cena

Is that how it breaks down in Twilight land too? I think another flaw in this plan is that there's no Kristen Stewart for them to compete over. See, I know who that is.

There were a few interesting things revealed in the interview, which WWE hopes will get Stephanie over as a serious business woman. Seriously, I read that somewhere. Anywho, WWE representatives will be attending the Sundance Film Festival to scout out pictures to acquire for distribution. Considering WWE Films' distribution model of having their movies in a few theaters for one weekend and then immediately released on DVD, I gotta figure they'd be pretty low on the list of ideal film distributors.

Another thing I found interesting was the fact that WWE has sixteen writers at the moment. That sounds like a lot, but it makes sense when you remember that they produce many hours of programming a week...well, until you remember that Vince McMahon calls all the shots anyway. Then you're spinning your wheels no matter who's coming up with the ideas.

Ric Flair will be attending the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony and will be included as part of the Four Horsemen induction. He told Mike Mooneyham that he's only allowed to speak for seven minutes this time, after he ran over an hour during his first induction in 2008. TNA management seems to be ok with this…but even if they weren't, what would they do about it? You could say that Flair needs them more than they need him because he hasn't brought that many new fans to their television & PPV events, but honestly, Triple H would probably put him back on the payroll if TNA let him go. That will probably happen eventually. Hell, maybe they'll let him live in the Legends House.

Ole Anderson will not be part of the Four Horsemen induction at the WWE Hall of Fame, and it doesn't come as a big surprise to him. He spoke with Mike Mooneyham about his mutual hatred with Vince McMahon, and says that even if he was invited, his multiple sclerosis would keep him from traveling to Miami for the ceremony. Lex Luger also won't be a part of it, but he seems a lot less bitter than Ole. He told the folks at the Busted Open radio show that he would be in attendance and cheering on the people that did get inducted, and that he was happy just to be part of the Horsemen at one time. Luger, a man that was known for having one of the biggest egos in wrestling back in the 80s & 90s, certainly seems to have mellowed in recent years. Good for him. Barry Windham will be inducted, and he is expected to be able to attend. He has been recovering slowly from a heart attack & a seizure he suffered in late-October 2011, but should be able to be released from his rehab facility within the next couple of weeks.

Jamie Noble came out of retirement to wrestle Daniel Bryan at a Raw house show in Yakima, Washington on Friday night. It was a big day for Bryan, as January 13 was declared "Daniel Bryan Day" by the mayor of Yakima in honor of the grappler from Aberdeen, Washington. You ROH fans out there will remember that Noble was the man that Bryan defeated to become ROH Champion in September 2005.

In case you're wondering what Chris Jericho has been up to on the house shows, this weekend he put Jack Swagger in the Walls of Jericho. I guess Swagger was mad because Jericho called him out on ripping off his dull, montone heel character as World Champion. Which Jericho was right to do, by the way.

WWE cancelled an event scheduled to be held in College Station, Texas next Sunday. Apparently the Aggies have better things to do next weekend than attend a house show, such as getting ready for the ass-whippings they will receive when they arrive in the SEC next football season.

If WrestleMania comes to Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, it won't be in the next two years. Cowboys Stadium spokesperson Brett Daniels told the Dallas Observer that the stadium couldn't host the event due to their obligations with the NCAA Men's Basketball Regional Final in 2013 & the Final Four in 2014. That's kind of a shame because I was hoping that Steve Austin would get the chance to headline WM in Dallas next year. Triple H was seen at the Giants practice facility last week and people are taking that to mean that one of the next WrestleManias will be held in Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Nothing like an outdoor wrestling show when it's cold and/or rainy, right?

Shawn Michaels will be in Las Vegas this week for one of those big technology/TV/whatever conventions and plans on visiting backstage for the Smackdown that will be taking place there on Tuesday. I wouldn't expect him to actually appear on the show, but Smackdown should be fun anyway with the return of the Roulette wheel. People spinning wheels is always good entertainment, and Booker T will be in the house so maybe he'll get to reprise his role from the last time Raw was in Las Vegas.

Jody Kristofferson has been signed to a developmental contract by WWE. Jody has been in wrestling since 2007 and was trained in All Pro Wrestling, the California-based promotion/wrestling school run by Roland Alexander that some of you might remember from Beyond The Mat. Triple H was impressed when he saw Jody in a tryout, and became even more impressed when he found out Jody was the son of legendary singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson. H loves music, so that's a good way to get noticed. It'll be weird when they give him some FCW name and try to sell him as Kris Kristofferson's son at the same time.

New York Post columnist Phil Mushnick is slamming Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum for his past as a WWE lobbyist. Santorum served as a lobbyist for the company in the late 1980s while he was a lawyer for the firm that represented the McMahon family. Santorum also endorsed Linda McMahon's failed Senate run in 2010. Santorum has fashioned himself as the "family values" candiate in this year's election, and he's getting support from various religious leaders and other conservatives that feel that front-runner Mitt Romney isn't conservative enough. Mushnick trying to blame the downfall of civilization on WWE is nothing new, but this is a bit of a stretch even by his standards. In his article he tries to tie Santorum to the crotch-chop phenomena of the late-1990s because he lobbied for WWE in the late-1980s. I'm not entirely sure what one has to do with the other here. While the company was asserting its Attitude all over the place, Santorum was serving in the US Senate and probably didn't have the time to sit in on their creative meetings. Out of all the problems that people have with Rick Santorum, I doubt his association with WWE ranks very high on the list.

I dunno, it just makes my blood boil when people try to link pro wrestling to politicians. Hasn't wrestling been insulted enough through the years?



Hulk Hogan says that he will be appearing on TNA's tour of the United Kingdom later this month. Hogan has been having some medical problems lately, as some dental surgery he had back in October led to some complications. His mouth became infected after the doctor ripped out fifty stitches put in place for the procedure, the antibiotics they gave him didn't work, and they also left a metal tack in his mouth when they finished. Not good times. Hogan had the tack removed last week and the infection treated, and he expects to be ok for his return to TNA at the end of the month.

Hogan plans on debuting a new look very soon, as he posted a video saying that he will be shaving his head and his facial hair. The loss of Hogan's iconic mustache is of great concern to the American Mustache Institute, whose president told TMZ that Hogan was seen as a "longtime leading figure in the sexually dynamic Mustached American community."

Yup. He also had this to say:

"Not only would the removal of his lower nose foliage cause angels in heaven to die and fall to earth -- as is written in biblical texts -- but it would send a poor message to young people of Mustached American descent who wish to embrace the Mustached American experience. We do hope that Mr. Hogan, for whom we have great reverence, reconsiders shaving his upper lip shading device as millions of those he has inspired would be greatly let down, leading to mass chaos and deep bouts of depression in the Mustached American community."

The American Mustache Institute. I wonder how you get a job there, and what exactly it would entail.

One of Kurt Angle's fans asked him on Twitter if he would be a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble. You know the old saying: If you ask a stupid question, expect a stupid answer. And sure enough, Kurt didn't disappoint! He claimed that WWE was knocking on his door but he wouldn't answer. I think WWE would re-sign Kurt if they thought some money could be made off of him (they bring everybody back. Everybody.), but they probably know Kurt's contract status by now.

TNA announced a bunch of international TV deals that took place recently. Here's a list!

U.K.: Challenge TV (Impact, Xplosion, and PPVs)
U.K.: BT Vision (Impact, Greatest Matches, and PPVs)
Germany: Sky Deutschland (Impact & PPVs)
Turkey: Beyaz TV (Impact)
Thailand: GMM Grammy (Impact, Xplosion, and PPVs)
France: Ma Chaine Sports (Impact & PPVs)
Middle East: FX (Xplosion)
Israel: Ego total (Impact & PPVs)
Australia: Fuel TV (Impact, Xplosion, and Greatet Matches)
New Zealand: Sky Network (Impact & PPVs)

It's a smart move for TNA to continue to increase their international footprint, even if things aren't going so well for them in their own country. It's all about finding your audience, and some of us have to look farther than others.

Angelina Love recently tweeted that she's hoping to be the Knockouts Champion again soon. Angelina's been very quiet in TNA lately, but did appear three times during last week's Impact tapings. Granted, these appearances also involve ODB & Eric Young, but it's better than two months of doing nothing.

Alex Shelley appeared on a TNA house show this weekend in White Plains, New York, where he lost to Austin Aries in a triple threat match that also involved Jesse Sorensen. Shelley's pretty much disappeared over the past few months and whatever he's been up to hasn't been reported on. Judging from his Facebook account he's been focusing on music, school and video games. I never judge these things because I can imagine the conversations my peers have about what I'm up to, and it's not a pretty thought…

"Saw Cook at the bar the other night."

"Oh yeah? What's he up to?"

"He's in some dead-end job that pays nothing while spending most of his time writing wrestling columns and talking on podcasts that also pay nothing."

"They let him talk on podcasts? The guy could barely speak the last time I saw him."

"He still can't."

And that's before they talk about the weight gain or my hair falling out. Let's move on before it really gets ugly. People are mean!

Eric Young had surgery on his throat last week to remove some polyps. This is the fifteenth time since 2004 that Young has had the surgery. Throat polyps are small growths that appear on the vocal chords and cause your voice to become raspy. Eric won't miss any time due to this condition, but he might want to take it easy on his voice for awhile. Since his character is now involved with ODB, I'm not sure he'll get that chance.




I don't think I've mentioned this yet…former 411 on Wrestling guest Kristin Astara has been making appearances on the Home Shopping Network lately! Unfortunately her appearances on Lucha Libre USA haven't made air, but I'm sure she's still bringing tons of joy to HSN. She may have been the happiest person to ever appear on the 411 on Wrestling…Taeler Hendrix was really happy to be on too, so it's a tossup there.

Low Ki, a man who's come up in this column recently because we weren't sure what he was up to, will now be appearing regularly with Dragon Gate USA & EVOLVE. The on-again off-again relationship with Ki & Gabe Sapolsky appears to be on-again. It's good news for fans of DGUSA & EVOLVE, as Ki should mesh well with the Dragon Gate guys and can help the American guys that Gabe likes get over. Ki's a big star among indy fans and has been pretty much since his career started out in Jersey back in 99 or so.

Speaking of EVOLVE, the promotion helped CZW close out the Asylum Arena on Saturday night. The EVOLVE portion of the evening was a bit marred when Johnny Gargano injured his back during his match with Ricochet. Gargano completed the match but was taken to the hopsital afterwards. He is apparently home now but we haven't received any official word on his status for future shows. Some fans were very unhappy with the ending of the show, where Sami Callihan beat down Sabu and declared the Arena to be his arena. I'm not sure why he'd want ownership of a place that might not have wrestling anymore, but whatevs. I don't see a problem with using the final moments of a show to put over somebody that you think is going to be the future of your company, but I do understand why some of the more die-hard fans weren't happy.

On the bright side, those people can go to the Extreme Reunion that Shane Douglas is putting together. That's right, they're doing it again, and PWInsider says it won't be just a one-time thing. If the first show on April 28 is successful, they will continue running events It's pretty amazing how many reunions ECW's managed to have, usually with other people footing the bill. TNA had a PPV for them, WWE had two PPVs for them and then brought ECW back as their C-brand, and Douglas had the Hardcore Homecoming and is now doing this. Not to mention the CZWs & XPWs that competed for the attention of the old ECW fans, and the countless promotions that have brought in old ECW names to try and get the rub from them. Even ROH had some hardcore matches and brought in guys like Raven, Tommy Dreamer & Justin Credible to get that ECW shine on them.

Apparently they've already sold a good number of the $100 front row seats with only Douglas's name announced as participating. Douglas will be involved in the creative aspect along with Kevin Kleinrock of XPW & Wrestling Society X fame and Steve O'Neil of the Urban Wrestling Federation. OK, I liked WSX for what it was, but those other feds...yeah. I thought the ECW thing was played out a couple of years ago, but they're still going to try and draw money based off of it. Hell, if the name has any value left they might as well. More power to them, even though I really have no interest in ECW reunions at this point. We've seen them do it every single year since the company closed eleven years ago. They've been reuniting longer than the company was in existence! How come there aren't any Smoky Mountain reunions, or even WCW reunions?

I know, I know...TNA can be thought of as a WCW reunion, but seriously, people!

Charles "The Godfather" Wright will be bringing back the Papa Shango character for an appearance at Pro Wrestling Syndicate's "Supercard 2012" event in Rahway, New Jersey on March 9. It's funny because the topic of Shango just popped up randomly in the Off The Team caption thread the other day. Apparently Shango will be signing autographs & taking pictures. If I was him, I'd be charging people to have me put curses on people they don't like. You could make a ton of money just off the people that don't like Tim Tebow.



There were no Raw Thoughts this week because I did the Raw Report. I thought the promo work was especially good this week, with the opening promo with Foley, Punk, Dolph & Vickie being quality stuff and the closing bit with Punk & Big Johnny really hitting it out of the park and furthering their issue.

Check out the Offtheteam.com NFL Playoff Podcast with Trent Howell and myself to see how we did on our predictions for this weekend! How about that 49ers vs. Saints game on Saturday afternoon? Frankly, none of the other games had a chance following that one.

I'll be appearing on The Greg DeMarco Show with Greg DeMarco & Patrick O'Dowd, presented by 411Mania & streaming worldwide through the Voice of Choice Nation to discuss the top news story of the week. They really need to shorten that name up a bit.

Byers has done a fine job filling in for Mathew Sforcina on Ask 411 Wrestling.

Weyer talks about my favorite Royal Rumble, the 1992 edition. I think I'll grow to like this year's version better since I'll be in attendance for it, but we know damn well that this year's Rumble won't match the 1992 Rumble from a commentary perspective.

Kirk has been talking lots of smack about the 411 Staff Rumble. Unfortunately for him, I'm hearing the Staff Rumble might not take place this year. Something to do with the writer leaving the site, or the readers threatening to leave forever if it comes back, or something like that.

Ari talks more about chair shots. I'd like to hear more from Ryan Ro, who sent an interesting e-mail to Mr. Berenstein. Always good to hear logical thought on wrestling from people that have been in it.

Bazar ranks the top ten gimmicks that beat the odds. I would rate Kane as one that beat the odds, he's certainly beaten the odds by remaining over despite the horrible feuds he's constantly in.

Well, that's all we have time for this week! Nick Marsico will be in next week with the Wed Wi, and I'll be back next week with more News From Cook's Corner! Until then…


I told you I‘d shoot! But you didn‘t believe me! Why didn‘t you believe me?