Your News, My Views 4.10.07
Posted by Larry Csonka on 04.10.2007
I’m back and better than ever!
Introduction…and Things I want to talk about~!
Welcome to the weekly dose of news and views that you crave. I, as always am you host Larry Csonka. How are we all doing today children? I am great! After the intestinal flu all but shut me down, I am back to normal and actually feeling a ton better than I was before I was sick. Lots of sleep and healthy eating, more working out and a round of golf have improved my overall disposition. SO let's hit some talking points and then on with the news!
411 on MySpace? Yeah baby, the rumors are true! Go and check it out @ www.myspace.com/411mania
First off a special thanks to Stuart Carapola for filling in for me last week. I finally got word from my doctor, and it was some form of intestinal deal that stays with you. In any event that it sucked big time. The good news is that I am back to eating food! Thursday was the first day I was able to eat and eat I did. But yeah, I'm feeling good and glad to be back.
I had a busy week over in the 411 SPORTS ZONE~! It was a UFC week as I covered UFN IX, UFC 69 as well as delivered my Final Thoughts Column on both events! Go and check them out!
Speaking of the SPORTS ZONE, there is tons of great coverage there. The MMA coverage has picked up big time, so head over there and check out all of that. You can relive early MMA as we have column on the early UFC shows as well as Retro Rants on the early PRIDE shows! You're cheating yourself if you don't go and check out all of this awesomeness!
Deep South TV Reports will return this week. You should really check these out if you are a WWE fan as these are the guys that are on TV and will be heading to the main shows eventually.
Fucking Pirates. They start 3-0, now 4-3. I should never get excited, they always do that. Anyway the PENS are heading to the playoffs and looking good!
ON NOTICE~!
And now back to Gene Krupa's syncopated style…
Today in Wrestling History:
1987 - Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup, Baltimore Arena, Baltimore, MD - Day 1
1995 - Cactus Jack defeated Colorado Kid for the Music City North American Heavyweight Title
2000 - Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo return to WCW and declare all WCW titles vacant
2001 - Jeff Hardy defeated Triple H for the WWF Intercontinental title
Births and Deaths:
1955 - Born - Paul Bearer AKA Percy Pringle
TNA stories, scuttlebutt and rumors:
Your News: TNA and SpikeTV continue to discuss ways to expand their relationship. Negotiations are ongoing for a longer Impact timeslot. Interestingly enough, there is also talk now of adding a second weekly TNA show, likely either a talk show similar to the UFC talk show hosted by Joe Rogan or another type of show that would use TNA's library somewhat like UFC Unleashed.
SpikeTV is strongly behind TNA because it remains the only show they have introduced since the Ultimate Fighter that has delivered well in the ratings.
To make the story that much more interesting, two other networks are apparently interested in TNA programming. One of those two is MyNetwork TV, which currently airs the International Fight League. The other network is apparently one that has never aired pro-wrestling before.
My Views: More interesting news here, but for now it is just talk until SPIKE actually steps up and does one of these things. But we can discuss the merits of these ideas.
-Longer Impact Timeslot: This would be the golden goose of the possibilities here I would have to think, because when you hear interviews from anyone in TNA they always talk about, "When we get 2-hours." I would have to think that having two hours regularly would only help the program as a whole and again hopefully the booking of the shows. Add to that the fact that they would HOPEFULLY have and showoff the wrestling a bit more and I would be all for 2-hours of Impact.
-Second Show A – Talk Show: I both like and dislike the idea of this. I like this because if they did a weekly "talk show" deal, they could hopefully push a lot of the talking from Impact to this show and focus some more on the in ring product on the actual Impact show. That's the positive. The negative is the logistics of it. SPIKE and UFC cancelled the Inside the UFC show because it wasn't financially sound to continue on with it. I doubt TNA would make the financial commitment to the show.
-Second Show B – TNA Unleashed: This also has that catch 22 feel to it, but does indeed have potential. While on the surface it wouldn't help advance storylines, having a weekly best of show to take advantage of al of their footage could help build feuds in between PPV's as they could feature highlights of the people in the main PPV matches.
-Another Network?: This is a tricky situation. SPIKE has been good to TNA. Sure they get shuffled from time to time for UFC Fight Nights, but still, SPIKE took the chance on them and has been good to the company. To take a chance on a new home, that is unproven but large is risky. The only way I would consider the move is if they offer TNA a nice pay day/percentage of the advertising and they get 2-hours in prime time.
Your News: TNA has announced that Slammiversary 2007 will take place in Nashville, TN at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium on 6/17.
My Views: We had talked about this before and again I think that this is a damn good ideal. First of all they are "going back home," which is fitting for the 5th Anniversary. Secondly it is another PPV outside of Orlando, and that is just another huge positive. And speaking of PPV's outside of Orlando, the current plan is to hold Bound for Glory out of Orlando again, with Chicago being the leading candidate. THAT is a very good plan, because Chicago is just an awesome wrestling town. TNA has some familiar names and some awesome athletes, so if they go in there and put on a PPV like they are capable of doing they could have a great show with a tremendous crowd.
Your News: On the heels of Dixie Carter's visit to the UK, it looks as if TNA will be planning its first International tour for the fall, or early 2008 in the UK. It would be a 7-day trip, with 3 shows and lots of promotional appearances for the company. While in the UK, TNA president Dixie Carter also met with a British Public Relations firm about representing the company in Europe.
My Views: Excellent, excellent news. I have been a big supported of the idea that TNA should do International shows/touring. They have some great International outlets where they do good ratings and need to capitalize on those successes and increase revenue. With the trip to the UK and negotiations with the Public Relations Firm, it is great news for the company and for TNA fans in the UK. A 7-day trip with 3 shows sounds like a great first outing there. They won't be rushed, can do promotional work, possibly a fanfest and give the UK fans the complete experience. This is a good thing and it is about time really.
Your News: TNA is finalizing more house show dates that should be announced in the coming weeks. The most recent TNA house show drew 1,300 paid.
My Views: Good news. It isn't "huge" by any means, but they have been drawing well and it is a starting point. TNA will have a house show this Friday in Springfield, Missouri at the Shrine Mosque. They also will have the Lockdown Fanfest this Saturday in St. Louis. It is really good to see them picking up with this, and with the UK trip all but official, the company is taking some big leaps as far as this area goes.
Your News: There is talk of producing a "Best of the Asylum DVD," which would feature matches from the weekly PPV days in Nashville.
My Views: FINALLY! They have some great matches from that era of the company, and they fact that they haven't utilized it yet is criminal. If they pick the right matches, this could be a hot selling DVD.
Your News: On April 17th, TNA footage will air on the FOX hit TV show "House."
My Views: Rock on, HOUSE is a popular show and even if it a little deal, it is a cool thing to have them on the show in some way.
WWE/ECW news, notes and happenings to the EXTREME:
Your News: Matt Cappotelli announced last night at the 400th OVW TV taping that his brain tumor had grown to 7-8 cms (which he joked was the size of Mike Mondo's brain) and that he would be undergoing surgery in Boston on May 1st. The entire roster surrounded the ring and it was a very emotional scene.
My Views: Horrible news. Cappotelli disappeared from the scene upon his original diagnosis and left for Hawaii where he got married and waited to see if this would go into remission. Unfortunately it didn't and now he faces surgery. The good news is that I personally know people that have had a brain tumor and are now living full and regular lives. I hope that this is the case for Matt, his wife and family. He had all the tools and I think could have been pretty big in WWE. If he returns to the ring, that would only be a bonus.
Your News: Ring of Honor star Colt Cabana has signed a developmental deal with WWE and will report to OVW soon. Cabana was backstage at WrestleMania 23. He has also done jobber work for WWE in the past.
Cabana also recently worked for Wrestling Society X under the name of Matt Classic, which would seem to indicate that MTV has started releasing contracted WSX talent.
Cabana's final show with ROH will be on 4/28 at the Windy City Field house in Chicago Ridge. The show will in many ways be a tribute to Cabana and be called "Good Times, Great Memories."
My Views: I think I share the opinion of many when I say that it is about time Cabana made it to a big promotion. He has the tools, is very versatile and should thrive in WWE. Congrats to Colt, who paid his dues on the Indies and did a lot of WWE dark matches to get this chance.
Your News: Dean Malenko and Dusty Rhodes were both heavily involved in putting the 8-Man tag match together on ECW last week.
My Views: That is one hell of a duo there working a match together. Congrats to them for a well laid out match, it was a great job by them and the en that executed the plan.
Your News: The word going around is that Vince McMahon will feud with Rey Mysterio and that will lead to a match at Summerslam.
My Views: This actually isn't a bad idea. If this is right when he gets back, it would allow Rey to ease back into the swing of things, which is good considering that his doctors have once again told him he should NOT return to wrestling due to how jacked his knee is. Vince always goes all out, and would probably take quite the beating. Plus it fits into the plan of pushing Rey huge upon his return as they realized how they fucked up last time.
Your News: FORBES magazine has called out WWE and Vince McMahon on his Billionaire status.
My Views: Yeah, and they had nice lines like, "and he last graced our wealth lists in 2002 at a mere $570 million." A "mere" $570 million, did they actually say this? Yeah fuck FORBES ok, fuck them.
Your RUMORS~!: Word going around is that the Actual Attendance for WrestleMania 23, was 74,687, with 68,500 paid, which is NOT a Ford Field Record. The announced attendance of 80,103 was Vince's Call to announce a number greater than 80,000 to break the stadium record and so no other event could break it.
My Views: If anyone is surprised that they would "work" a number then you are silly. All that matters is this. In the end, when you figure pay-per-view revenue, live attendance and merchandise sold, this show will gross in the neighborhood of $46 million. BOOYA.
Your News: MTV.com has an article up looking at legendary artists who have never had a #1 album on the Billboard Charts. The following was written for the band Motorhead.
"Motörhead: OK, while this one doesn't exactly fall into the "shocking" category, we'd like to state for the record that it's a crime of monumental proportions that Lemmy and his mates have not had a #1 album on the Billboard chart (though 1991's 1916 did reach #142). In fact, Mr. Kilminster's biggest chart success came in 2001, when WWF: The Music, Vol. 5 — featuring Motörhead's "The Game," which wrestler Triple H used as his entrance music — sold 176,000 copies and debuted at #2, proving once again that you should never doubt the broad cross-market appeal of Hunter Hearst Helmsley."
My Views: What have we learned kids? 1. Triple H Only sells for friends. 2. You're only over if HHH says so.
Your News: Lillian Garcia was listed at #4 on today's Yahoo! Top Searches. That is obviously the highest she has ever been and the highest a WWE personality has been on the list in awhile. The interest is likely from people looking for a picture of Garcia having her skirt pulled off in the McMahon/Lashley segment from RAW on Monday.
My Views: Lillian – Clothes = Ratings.
Your News: The New York Times has a major article up on WWE and WrestleMania. The article features quotes from CM Punk, fans, and others and puts over WrestleMania as a major pop-culture event and WWE as a "morality play."
My Views: Obviously this is great publicity for WWE. Major coverage in The New York Times is just that, MAJOR. WWE loves and lives for publicity and they definitely got it with this year's Mania.
Your News: WWE announcer Todd Grisham will be hosting a new Major League Soccer show, MLS Saturday On FSC, for the Fox Sports Channel starting this Saturday. Jonathan Coachman also is a regular in the world of mainstream sports announcing as he often calls college football games.
My Views: I hope to God that he is a better soccer announcer than a wrestling announcer. Coach rocks when he does football by the way, I have heard him.
Everything else that needs covering in wrestling…and maybe some MMA
Your News: Trish Stratus is in the process of opening up a yoga studio in Toronto. Stratus fell in love with yoga when she suffered a herniated disc in her lower back a few years ago and used yoga as one of her treatments.
My Views: It is always good to see people that voluntarily leave the business finding success outside of it. They worked hard and put their bodies on the line for so many years and deserve this success outside of the business.
Your News: The latest word out of MTV is that the network has no plans to air the 10th and final episode of Wrestling Society X, meaning the series is over and all contracted talent is now free to sign elsewhere. Colt Cabana (Matt Classic in WSX) was on a short-term deal and has already signed a new developmental deal with WWE. WSX is still airing on MTV in many international markets, but the network has no plans to continue on with the show once those episodes finish airing.
My Views: It will be interesting to see who gets picked up by WWE or TNA. I could have seen Banderas getting a solid look from WWE as he is a pretty mobile big guy, but with his history in Puerto Rico and Dutch Mantel a part of TNA I would expect to see him there sooner than later. Vampiro would only have a chance with TNA, Sydal would be a natural fit with TNA's X-Division, and Hart with WWE due to the possible New Foundation deal. But who knows, wrestling is a wacky business.
Your News: Tickets for the 4/27 Hulk Hogan vs. Jerry Lawler match in Memphis are scheduled to go on sale this Saturday via Ticketmaster.
-The show has been moved from the old Mid-South Coliseum to the FedEx Forum. The reason given on TV was that the Coliseum wasn't big enough, but in actuality they probably couldn't get the city (which runs the Mid-South Coliseum) to open the venue for the event. The FedEx Forum holds 19,000 people for wrestling and will be the site of the WWE Unforgiven PPV this September.
My Views: First of all, still won't believe it until it happens. But Hogan is supposed to have some involvement in this week's Memphis TV. Probably pre-taped, but that's the word. I have about no confidence that they can sell 19,000 tickets, and if they don't how much of a bruising of the ego will this be for Hogan?
Your News: Now you too can book either the American Males OR Vicious and Delicious for your Indy show!
My Views: WOW! You too can see Buff Bagwell suck in TWO tag teams! Scott Norton, you're better than this.
Reader Feedback and Rants!
From Mike on WM 23 -
Wow. Normally I can be a voice of dissention in any conversation but your R's of WrestleMania is dead on. Thanks for putting the 'Taker-'Tista bout as over as you did. I may lose my smark-pass for admitting this, but I largely ordered this PPV for that match. I'm a life-long 'Taker mark and have been more excited about wrestling since Undertaker won the Rumble as I have been in years. Couple that with favorite Wrestler #2 Shawn Michaels in the other title fight and you have what I'd call a good PPV. My only real complaint is that Michaels didn't win. Cena winning was just very anti-climactic to me and I really wish they switched the two title matches, placement wise. Just wanted to say I agree 100% on your R's with the only possible exception of your showcase bitch. It felt like a showcase to me, just not a title match showcase. And with how many tittles there are now, every match would have to be a title match and then what a would a title match be worth, anyway? Unless you want them to go back to putting a dozen plus matches on a WM card? I don't know about you, but I think matches one minute long and shorter are so 1988 Larry. It's not perfect, but it's the lesser of two evils and deep down you know this.
Anyways, WrestleMania was a lot of fun for me this year. I had a large group of friends over, most non-fans, and we all had a really good time plus The Undertaker undertook the world heavyweight championship and it don't get no better than that. Undertaker has been earning' it lately, so suck on it haters! I hope the old guy has a long reign, which is ended by Mr. Kennedy sometime by next year's NO Way Out. Keep up the good work, fella!
From Stephen on WM 23 -
I'm totally with you on the lack of title defenses at the big PPV's....and it kills me to see the IC title as such an after thought as it is now, having been raised on Savage/Steamboat and Hart/Perfect, not to mention all the other prestigious feuds surrounding it.
My comment though is with your stance on MITB being the first match on the
card...I didn't really notice this until watching WM21 and WM22 earlier on in the weekend, but the Money in the Bank match has ALWAYS been the 2nd match on the card...with maybe a backstage skit between that and the opening match. I'd have rather seen Benoit/MVP opening the night myself, but is it that big of a difference between match 1 and match 2?
From Charlie on WM 23 -
I agree with just about everything you said in this feature. I loved Kennedy winning the MIB match. The Benoit/MVP match was as good as it could have been. However, how can you give the Cena/Michaels match more stars than the UT/Batista match? I admit I HATE CENA, and this was a good match for him. But, Michaels could have had that same match with several wrestlers, and it would have been just as good. The UT/Batista match was AWESOME. Great power moves. Some awesome spots. And the Undertaker extending his streak. Overall a way better match. More exciting and blew my expectations out of the water.
From David on WM 23 -
Do you really think mania was as good as the Rumble this year? You been doing this a while and I usually can agree with you I have to say I liked the Rumble better. My match of the night was Taker vs. Batista The reason I think It was the best because I thought they would have a decent match not great but decent, and they both really turned it on for this one. I knew that Batista wasn't going to win but when he hit the Demon Bomb after kicking out of the last ride I thought they were going to do it but they didn't. Taker deserves one last run before his big exit so good he won. I was kind of let down with the Michaels vs.. Cena match I mean it was good but I expected more. After watching Cena and Umaga go to a ***** star match at the Rumble I thought this match had MOTY locked up before it even started, but it never reached that and I think that's why I'm giving it a bad rep. MITB was great but as much as I like MR. Kennedy I hated that Edge's mania streak ended like that. All and all a better then average show and the second best of the year from any company.
