Your News, My Views 04.25.06
Posted by Larry Csonka on 04.25.2006
“Man it's hot. I can’t take this kind of hot. It's like Africa hot. Tarzan couldn't take this kind of hot.”
That was Matthew Broderick from Biloxi Blues…and end scene.
Introduction…
Welcome one and all to the show that never ends! Another day, another column; you know how it is with me. We have a ton of news to cover as always, WWE, TNA, ROH, Japan; anything that you want to know about you got right here. That's what I am here for, as always. I got the 5-things, a hot chick, a most asked question of the week and tons more. Sit back and relax kids, daddy has a lot to say this week.
Five-things I realized this last week…
The "Prince of Perversion" is apparently Goldust. That's what happens when you don't watch Internet Heat and ignore the Heat recappers while they do their pathetic feud. Did I say pathetic, I meant worse than a Byte This recap. Ok, pathetic.
This one is just reaffirmed. My job is a thankless job.
While on Melrose place, Lisa Rinna had man eyebrows and those horrible puffed collagen lips.
They sure didn't grow the girls in my high school the way they do today. That is so problematic as I feel like a dirty old man.
It's a good thing I have communion coming up this weekend, I'll have some repenting to do.
Begin Random Hot Chick-Pic:
End Random Hot Chick-Pic:
Most Asked Question of the Week:
"Larry, we've been hearing so much about Harry Smith and his signing with the WWE. What the hell does he look like?"
Ask and ye shall receive.
Thanks to the folks at German Stampede Wrestling for the pic.
WWE news, notes and happenings:
Your News: WWE plans to revive the ECW brand. The likely plan at this point is to transform OVW into ECW sometime around September. The roster will be a mix of former ECW stars and current OVW developmental talents. Paul Heyman and Tommy Dreamer will be heading up the ECW brand and booking it. Below are some new notes to add to the story.
- In addition to The Sandman, Balls Mahoney, and Francine, it appears that Lance Storm, Justin Credible, and Sabu have also been contacted by WWE to be part of the new ECW. Al Snow, Rob Van Dam, Kid Kash, Super Crazy, and Johnny Swinger are all also expected to be part of the brand.
- Joey Styles could be pulled from RAW and shifted to ECW while Jim Ross returns on RAW.
- There is a chance that ECW could have its own show that would be broadcast via WWE.com like how Velocity and Heat currently are. The most likely option remains that the brand will get airtime on RAW and/or Smackdown and the matches would be taped at Raw/Smackdown tapings.
- The wrestlers being offered ECW deals are not being told much beyond the fact that WWE would keep them busy and the pay is basically in-line with the typical downside given to regular Raw or Smackdown wrestlers when they first sign with the company.
My Views: Ok, let me preface all of this with the following. I loved ECW, I dug ECW, Shane Douglas was my God back in the day, One Night Stand rocked last year but IT IS DEAD! ECW is dead kids, what ever bastardized Frankenstein that they create out of OVW will not be nor ever will be ECW.
First of all they will be lacking a lot of core ECW talent. The Dudleyz 3, Shane Douglas, Jerry Lynn, Rhino and Raven are big names that they cannot replace. Corino won't do it because he refuses to try and relive ECW. Sure Joey Styles on commentary will be great for it, but that alone can't make the show.
They are trying to get the AM Raw slot turned into the new ECW slot. WWE has a meeting this week with the USA network to try and get this slot approved for that. They will start trying to get this rolling around ONS 2, and debut in around September. If they don't get the slot, ECW would be on WWE.com…yes, nothing says ECW like being on WWE.com. Sure, they could reopen ECW.com, but everyone knows that it is basically WWE.com. Having matches on Raw and or Smackdown, same thing. NOT ECW. Also, the big thing is if they tape at Raw and or Smackdown shows, then it will have that clean, produced WWE look to it. NOT ECW! ECW doesn't work in a big building with clean camera work. IF they want to do this and do this right, buy a small as building. Hell, buy the old ECW arena! Buy the Davis arena, buy something! Shoot from ONE LOCATION every week.
Heyman and Dreamer will be in charge of this. It appears as if they will not transform OVW into ECW, but most likely close Deep South because it has been an utter failure. This would open the door for Cornette to possibly come back to OVW. Some OVW talent will go to ECW, Punk, Roadkill and such. But I digress, let's Tarintino back to ECW. They are offering these contracts to try and lock these guys up, which is smart for several reasons. #1 you make sure that they can't no-show you, and #2 you are sticking it to TNA a bit. What if when the contracts are up that Raven, Dudleyz and others decide to go back to Vince? Scandal afoot!
Another theory is that this could be a high profile developmental, to where if shit gets over that they can bring them to the roster here and there. Could work, but then that's why they have OVW and screw the pooch there 9 times out of 10. Also, and Cook agrees with me, if I read one more email or message board post proclaiming that this will catapult CM Punk to the moon I will puke. Don't get me wrong. I like Punk's work from ROH. I think he could be a good edition to the roster, but just because he is Paul E's favorite doesn't mean shit if Vince and crew do not want to push him. Only time will tell there kids. Although them signing Necro and letting him go ape shit is intriguing.
While in theory this could work, could work, I just see it being a bad idea unless they actually go full out, but I feel that the time is past. And I'm spent.
Ok one last thing; if they are signing guys like Axl, Sabu and other well-known users of "medicines," will the Wellness program apply to them?
Your News:Stacy Keibler made more money from her few weeks on "Dancing with the Stars" than she made in a year with WWE. The New York Post reports that Keibler made $200,000 from the hit TV show compared to her $125,000 yearly WWE salary.
My Views: And people wonder why she doesn't want to come back. More power to her if she can make some good cash outside of wrestling. I'll miss those legs.
Your News: WWE Wrestler Palmer Cannon has flown himself home from the WWE European Tour. Word is that Cannon has given notice with the company, but nothing is confirmed. Cannon is currently flying home to Georgia, where he lives and has been working with the Deep South territory. He has had time on the Smackdown roster as the "Network Executive."
Cannon was apparently being hazed by many of Smackdown's veteran wrestlers including JBL. The hazing escalated to a situation where he and JBL almost had a serious confrontation. Cannon then decided to quit the company and fly himself home.
WWE has tried to get Cannon to reconsider and come back, but thus far, they have had no luck.
My Views: Well, well, well. See, I understand most hazing in wrestling to a point. And I like JBL as a performer. But damn dude, layoff the shower raping brother.
Your News: Variety reports that WWE Films' "The Condemned" starring Steve Austin will be distributed by Lion's Gate Films.
My Views: Well holy shit, they got another outlet for another movie. Whether it makes money or not is the question. I am sure wrestling fans will check it out.
…Intermission…
Pimpin ain't easy…because no one wants to return the pimp, ya fuckers!
Hidden Highlights will point out that John Cena put
his armband on a different bicep! THAT SHIT IS RIVETING!!!
…AND I'M BAAAAAAACK!…
TNA stories, scuttlebutt and rumors:
Your News: TNA Impact scored a 0.94 cable rating this past Thursday with 1-million viewers, down from last week's 1.1 rating.
The Ultimate Fighter, which aired right before Impact, did a 1.9 rating, meaning Impact lost an entire ratings point as their rating fell to their Saturday night levels. UFC Unleashed at 9PM did a 1.4 rating.
My Views: Well, 0.94 is a solid rating but I am sure that TNA has to see this as a disappointment. Losing almost an entire rating point from your lead in is never good. I am not that concerned as of now, but if this is a regular thing and they still don't grow and stay steady with in a few weeks, then they need to make changes and fast.
Your News: TNA will be holding a show at the ECW Arena on 6/9 (the weekend of ECW One Night Stand) called TNA Hardcore War. The main event will be Samoa Joe defending the X-Division Title against AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels in a three-way match. Jeff Jarrett is also scheduled to appear.
Also, there will be shows ran on May 26 and 27 in Mooresville and Greensboro, NC.
My Views: It's really good to see that they are running more outside shows. The sold show idea seems to be working pretty well and they are getting the guys to perform in different areas of the country, namely not Florida. I am going to try and hit the Greensboro NC show, so we'll see how that goes.
Your News: The Unbreakable 2005, Sacrifice 2005, and Final Resolution 2006 DVD's will be available next week on TNAwrestling.com
My Views: Glad to see these are being released, but I wish that they could get them out quicker as it hurts them being so far behind. They are getting better though so that is a good thing.
Your News: Christy Hemme has signed a TNA deal and is in full time for the company.
Low Ki, now known as "Senshi" has also signed with the company. The name change is due to TNA wanting trademark ownership of the name and Low Ki not wanting to give up the name he has used for the past few years. Ki was approached after TNA discovered that Liger would not be able to work the PPV.
Sabu is also set to appear at the TV Tapings. Most feel that this will be his last appearance with the company.
My Views: Hemme is interesting. Dixie Carter was very high on her and I started to enjoy her more once she moved to SD. We'll see how they play it.
Good to see Low Ki back, as long as he leaves his attitude at the door this is an excellent signing. As far as the name issue, I can't blame him for protecting himself one bit.
Rumor is Sabu has already inked a WWE deal. I enjoyed his TNA work a lot, but also know that he needs the cash so I can't blame him one bit for taking the steady payday.
Your News: Shane Douglas, Billy Kidman, Dick Slater, and Don Callis were all backstage at Lockdown. Douglas returned to his backstage duties with the company, Kidman and Slater were visiting as was Callis who was in town on business.
My Views: Good to see Shane back after his stint in rehab. He was a solid interviewer and is a good guy to have as an agent. Kidman is looking for a job after he went to the Hall of Fame with Torrie and no one recognized him.
Your News: Matt Bentley has heat on him for missing a recent TNA/UWF house show. Bentley also hasn't been used on TV as of late, which could be a punishment.
My Views: Dumb ass.
Everything else that needs covering:
Your News: The long legal battle between WWE and Brock Lesnar is finally over. The terms of the settlement are not announced at this time, but Lesnar's attorney had the following comments, "Although the settlement with WWE does not give Brock the clear-cut court victory he was looking for, it does provide him with the certainty he needs to pursue new ventures while he is still in his athletic prime."
The original suit, which was filed in February of 2005, contested the 10-year Non-compete clause that Lesnar and WWE agreed to when Lesnar left WWE to pursue an NFL career. Lesnar eventually decided to go back to wrestling, but not with WWE. The battle raged on for months, and at one point Lesnar looked to agree to a WWE return, only to sign with Inoki Sports, where he wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling and won the IWGP championship. WWE tried to have the contract voided, and even filed injunctions to try and stop Lesnar from performing in Japan. Today marks the end of the 14-month court battle.
Lesnar's attorney also noted that he is not looking to return to WWE at this time.
My Views: What it looks like is that Brock can do MMA, which he probably will to make some quick coin, and wrestle in Japan. Do not expect him in TNA anytime soon. The good news is in celebration of this event, Brock Lesnar has agreed to join us here today, LIVE via Satellite from his party!
Brock:"I DID IT! WOOOOOOOO! IT IS TIME TO DANCE THE DANCE OF VICTORY!"
That man has sweet feet!
Your News: "Southland Tales" starring The Rock has been selected to air at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Cannes selects only 18 movies per year to show, based on their artistic merits. The film stars The Rock as Boxer Santaros, a movie star who gets amnesia and becomes a paranoid schizophrenic who can predict the future. Sarah Michelle Gellar plays his girlfriend and Mandy Moore plays his wife. This will be the first movie that The Rock is credited only as "Dwayne Johnson."
My Views: That's great news for the Rock. I miss the man being in wrestling so much because there will never be another Rock, but I wish him nothing but the best and this is a huge accomplishment.
Your News: The Wisconsin Police are investigating a training session held by Brew City Wrestling. A 17-year old wrestling student named Versailles Smith was heavily bruised during training to the point where his doctor advised him to report the incident to the police. The bruising apparently occurred from heavy chops to the chest during the "initiation" period at the end of the session.
Brew City Wrestling Promoter Frankie DeFalco did say that training is tough but added that nobody, including Smith, is ever forced to do something they don't want to do.
The local police in Waukesha, WI are seeking witnesses. The case is depending on whether a witness can be found to back up wrestler Versailles Smith's claims that other wrestlers held him down and beat him while he yelled for them to stop during an "initiation" session. Brew City Wrestling promoter Frankie DeFalco claims that Smith never told anybody to stop.
My Views: See, I always have mixed emotions on these things. First of all, even though I have been through a lot of it and respect the traditions of wrestling and the etiquette of it, I tend to disagree with a lot of it. Now when I trained, I went through "Chop Initiation." 7-9 guys all taking 3-4 chops on me at the end of practice. I saw nothing wrong with it, just a tradition. It hurt and all, but shit, you go through a lot worse than that in the long run so you should be able to hack it.
Now in part of the full story, the kid claims that he was held down and forced to take the initiation. If that is the case then that's seriously fucked up. I mean, a bunch of guys grabbing you and forcing you to the ground is a bunch of horseshit. That's borderline assault. So either these guys were assholes and MADE him do this by holding him down, or he told him mom that and she flipped and that's why the cops got involved.
Your News: Taiyo Kea won the All Japan Carnival Championship this past week, defeating Kohei Suwama in the finals.
My Views: Taiyo Kea got some love in the 411 WOTW column as well this week. Ryan Mancuso and myself made sure to give the man props for his victory. Here's what I had to say there: Check out this run: defeated Buchanan-4/8, defeated Sasaki-4/12, drew 30 minutes Muto-4/13, drew 30 minutes Yoshie-4/17, defeated Minoru Suzuki and finally defeated Kohei Suwama to win the prestigious All Japan Carnival Championship. That is still a huge accomplishment in the world of wrestling, and while Cage and Abyss were impressive, Taiyo gets the nod this week.
Ryan had some better information, as he is my personal Puro source: After spending almost 12 years in All Japan Pro Wrestling, including sticking around when most of the All Japan roster formed Pro Wrestling NOAH, he is finally rewarded with winning the 2006 Championship Carnival. Kea went through some tough times as well with him missing all of 2003 due to an injury. He also becomes the first foreigner to win the Carnival in 7-years as Vader was the last to do it in 1999. Congratulations to Taiyo Kea for finally winning a major singles title in All Japan. Congrats to Taiyo Kea!
Reader Email Time:
From Prachit on Giant Singh-
I was waiting for someone to catch this but apparently not many Indians read 411. Ahh well.
In Hindi (India's national language) Khali means 'empty'.
Effectively Dalip Singh, the gargantuan monstrosity is going under the name of "The Great Empty". I'd like to believe that this is a subtle reference Giant Singh's lack of personality, charisma and talent but it's a whole lot easier (and more believable) to attribute this to a fairly hilarious screw up somewhere in the WWE.
Hopefully you found this little tidbit as amusing as I did.
That is AWESOME! The Great Empty…tremendous! I found that greatly amusing, thank you!
From Matt on my "Could they have been" columns -
I LOVE this feature. It's really well thought out and complete. I have always felt that Magnum T.A. was the guy to take the NWA to new places back in 1986. I believe he was even slated to win the world title at Starrcade 86, but the accident happened sometime in October (I think) of 86, so he was about 1 month away from it when it all ended. So sad. If T.A. had won it, we probably would have never seen Ron Garvin as World Champ. We probably would have seen a rematch in a cage at Starrcade 87, which probably would have drawn more fan support. I have always thought that If T.A. hadn't gotten injured, that wrestling would be entirely different today. The failure of the Garvin title run and the subsequent buyrate of Starrcade 87 being effected as much as it was by Survivor Series 87 (It still amazes me that two ENTIRELY different shows were done on that same day), would have been a lot different I believe had T.A. wrestled and beat Flair for the gold at Starrcade 86. Plus, that 1 match would have made that Starrcade go down in history as a great show I would venture. Too bad the guy got in that accident.
Then there is Rick Rude. I love Rude, I think that he more than anybody ever deserved the World Title in both companies. He SHOULD HAVE won it from Ron Simmons early in his reign (Imagine Halloween Havoc 92 with a Simmons/Rude match, instead of those terrible Simmons/Barbarian and Chono/Rude matches. They could have put in another worthwhile match involving Barbarian and Cactus Jack, and let Chono Stay at home and not feel the Bill Watts "don't outdo my guys" bullcrap. In The WWF it would have been more difficult. I mean he and Hogan are the ONLY two people to have ever pinned both Warrior Warrior and Flair in their careers I believe. He probably would have made an excellent heel champion somewhere in there. Maybe having won it at Summerslam 90 in that cage match against Warrior. That would have actually worked. I think WWF booked who held the belt pretty well from Hogans initial run until WM IX.
So far of all the ones you mentioned I think those are the two that stick out as "would have changed the face of wrestling" if they were given the Title. Wahoo, while he would have been great with the title, might not have changed the way wrestling was, he just would have drawn in a lot of new fans. They blew it by not giving these three the Title. ESPECIALLY WCW/NWA.
From Daniel, regarding the infamous Scott Steiner Conference Call -
Just finished reading the conference call with Scott Steiner, and what I read surprised me. Even though I had heard on websites like 411 and other people who knew or had met Steiner that he was an asshole, I never thought it would come across so clearly as it did. Despite the fact that he was trying to stay in character, I thought it was obvious that he didn't have a lot of respect for the person was talking about. When asked about the X Division, he didn't put the amazing talent over, he more or less said "they do their thing and I do mine" he sounded like he was the most important thing in the company. I thought his comment in regards to Triple H were harsher even than those I hear from some of the IWC. Triple H was one of the top guys in the business way before he married Stephanie McMahon, and I'm pretty sure he was before he "banging" her as well. I do agree that there was nothing good about his WWE run, but the WWE put him straight into the main event scene and when it came down to it, he didn't perform at that level and to me it just sounds like he wants to blame anyone but himself.
I don't have much to add other than he was an asshole.
And finally, longtime friend of the columns Manu wants to discuss God and HHH -
Re: God and the WWE, here's my problem with it all. It's not interesting. Is it controversial? Sure. Does it get people talking? Sure. But is it interesting? Not really. Wrestling is an escape, and I for one don't want to deal with any serious issues while I'm watching jacked-up men in their underwear hitting each other with chairs! One of the reasons Attitude worked is because it used the FUN controversial things - drinking, sex, drugs, cussing, etc - and left stuff like religion and racism out of the picture for the most part. Sure, there was the Nation of Domination, but the Rock eventually took that over and used it for his own purposes. There was the ministry of darkness, but having the Undertaker leading his own cult is hardly "serious". I'm all for being controversial, but I wish they'd do it in such a way that its interesting and provides me an escape.
Re: ECW and RVD - if HHH can put his 2000 boots on and put on an ECW style match with RVD, this match will rule all. Well, maybe not all, but it'll be a good match. Besides, what says "anti-establishment" more than bringing the heir to the WWE throne into an ECW arena and taking his title in front of an ECW crowd? Done by RVD, the man who never got the ECW world title, no less. Now, if RVD loses, expect a riot.
