wrestling / Columns
The Custom Made News Report 09.23.07
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Custom Made News Report. As always, I am Ryan, and we’ve got ourselves a massive report this week. I’d like to think there’s a little something for every type of wrestling fan in this column, with WWE, TNA, Japan, Mexico, the U.S. indies, and several more topics being hit over the course of the next 9500 words. So grab yourself a cold beverage, get in to a comfortable chair, and enjoy the ride.
Wrestling’s Hottest Free Agent?
This is a story that has been kept quiet for a while, despite the fact that I’m sure there are a lot of people who will be quite interested in it. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Paul Heyman is no longer under WWE contract and therefore free to work wherever he pleases. Obviously some wrestling fans are quite happy about this, because they loved the television product that the man produced in the original ECW or during his brief tenure as the head booker of Smackdown.
Paul Heyman
However, this writer doesn’t see too much to get excited about. There are a few reasons for this. The first is that the likelihood of Paul Heyman getting involved with another professional wrestling company at this point seems to be relatively low. Numerous rumors have swirled about Heyman since he first disappeared from WWE television, and almost none of them have indicated that the former leader of the Dangerous Alliance wants anything to do with the pro wrestling world. Some of them stated that Heyman was interested in MMA. Some of them stated that Heyman was busy writing screenplays. However, none of them had anything to do with the industry to which Paul has devoted his entire adult life. Even if Heyman were interested in returning to wrestling, it appears that wrestling isn’t interested in having him return. The same Observer newsbit which indicated that Heyman’s WWE contract had expired also noted that TNA did not want to bring him on board. If that really is the case, Heyman won’t be able to work anywhere on free TV, and, with the mainstream reputation of wrestling at an all time low, it’s not as though the creation of a new national promotion will be occurring anytime soon.
So, Heyman may not want wrestling, and wrestling may not want Heyman. Some people are probably saddened by this. I, however, am not. Though the man was able to book compelling wrestling television in the original ECW and on Smackdown early this decade, his more recent efforts have ranged from bad to outright atrocious. Not long after being taken off the Smackdown crew, Heyman was put in charge of booking Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE’s main developmental territory. The promotion had previously been handled by Jim Cornette, and, if you look at the quality of the Cornette era OVW TV compared to the Heyman era OVW TV, the difference is as clear as night and day. Cornette’s product? Great, old school TV wrestling. Heyman’s product? Quite frankly, it stank. There were many reasons for this, however the primary flaws seemed to be that a.) Heyman was obsessed with booking men who were not ready to work long matches in long matches and b.) Heyman just couldn’t let a feud DIE, as evidenced by CM Punk and Brent Albright having a rivalry that dragged on for entirely too long. Heyman’s other recent booking effort was ECW on Sci-Fi from its inception until December 2006. Though there were a few decent angles on that show (including Big Show as the monster he always should have been), it was still by and large a failure. Heyman reportedly arranged big pushes for several men who were not quite ready for prime time, including Bobby Lashley, Test, and Kevin Throne. He also wrote, from top to bottom, one of the worst pay per views in history in the form of December to Dismember. Some would claim that it’s impossible to book a compelling wrestling product given the limitations placed on the new ECW, but that claim doesn’t hold water when the last several months of ECW TV – which have been excellent according to many commentators – are taken in to account.
Though I certainly wish Heyman “all the best in his future endeavors,” I hope that those future endeavors do not involve booking a wrestling show until he remembers what made him great several years ago.
HBK Not Rushing Return
With the WWE roster being as thin as it’s ever been, many fans are sitting back and asking themselves when some of their favorites will be returning. Unfortunately, for one of the all-time greats, there are currently no plans for a return, according to F4W Online. Though the plans (or in this case lack of plans) could always change, it appears as though the forty-two year old Michaels is not in a hurry to return to the ring.
Frankly, I’m disappointed if this departure winds up being permanent. Obviously, Shawn Michaels is one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, both from a storyline standpoint and when considering the quality of matches that he consistently produced. His return after a seemingly career-ending back injury was nothing short of awe inspiring, and he’s undergone a change of heart since finding God that has resulted in him being much less of an annoyance backstage. Though the end of Michaels’ career would be unfortunate at any point, this seems like a particularly poor time for it to come to a close, primarily due to his unfinished business with one John Cena. In recent months, I’ve made no bones about the fact that, whether you like his character or not, Cena has been one of the top ten in-ring performers in the world, and his series of matches with Michaels was nothing short of awesome. Though more of that was due to HBK than to Cena (particularly their one hour match on Monday Night Raw), the series feels incomplete without a rubber match. If this truly is the end for Michaels, I’d hope that he at least comes back for one more match with the current WWE Champ.
2008 HOF Class Takes Shape
We’re going to spend a long time talking about wrestling halls of fame in a moment here, but, before we get to that, it’s worth noting that potential names are already being put together for the 2008 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (This information comes to us courtesy of F4W Online.) The top candidate at this point is Ric Flair, with one idea being that he would get inducted to the Hall of Fame and then wrestle his final match the next evening at Wrestlemania 24.
Other individuals under consideration are the Von Erich family (to be inducted as a unit, I guess), Ted DiBiase, Mae Young, Gordon Solie, and Rick Rude. There really aren’t any shockers here. I’d be surprised to see Rick Rude go in if the current level of negative mainstream attention directed at wrestling continues, since, unfortunately, he did die a drug related death. The same could be said for the Von Erichs, though at least in that case WWE is more likely to green light the induction since it would help sell the World Class Championship Wrestilng DVD that the company is releasing. Solie’s name has come up for the last couple of years, which probably has a lot to do with guys like Triple H, Jim Ross, and Dusty Rhodes all having varying degrees of pull backstage. I’d say that he absolutely deserves the spot, and this is a “safe” posthumous induction to make since he wasn’t actually a wrestler. DiBiase is an easy choice, and, though I don’t believe he’s employed by the company anymore, he is still friendly with them and would probably be there in a heartbeat. In fact, one of his two sons recently signed a developmental deal, so showing up at the induction ceremony could be a good way to get Ted Jr. rubbing elbows with the right people. Mae Young would probably be all but forgotten by wrestling fans if not for her connection to the Fabulous Moolah and ensuing appearances on WWF TV from 1999 onward. However, as I’ve said in the past, I’m all for honoring former wrestlers almost regardless of the context, so I’m not going to complain too much about that one.
Oh, and Bob Uecker is under consideration for the “celebrity wing” of the Hall. For younger fans, he’s the guy constantly shown in Wrestlemania highlight packages being choked by Andre the Giant at ‘Mania IV. I have no clue why that clip has had such strong legs.
Over the years, there have been numerous attempts to create a professional wrestling hall of fame. Many of the halls still exist, and, though there is certainly no worldwide consensus on which of them is the most prestigious, the one that annually generates the most discussion in the online community is the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame. (Not to slight our own 411 HOF, but let’s call a spade a spade.) Every year, Observer head honcho Dave Meltzer assembles a list of wrestlers from across the world who have been active for at least ten years and made some form of impact on the business. That ballot is circulated to a panel of individuals who are either directly involved in or write about the wrestling industry, with the panel being carefully selected so that nominees from the United States, Mexico, Japan, and other areas will all receive equal consideration. Panelists can select between zero and ten nominees to enter the Hall, and there is also a “non-wrestler” category from which any number of individuals can be chosen without affecting the ten wrestler maximum. A list of all the men and women who have been inducted over the last ten years can be found here.
Why am I going through all of this? Well, the ballot for this year’s Hall of Fame has recently made its way out on to the internet, and I figured that it might be fun to take a look at the nominees and then share what my picks would be if I had a vote. The nominees are:
Wrestler Nominees: Jun Akiyama, Gene & Ole Anderson, Masked Assassins (Jody Hamilton & Tom Renesto), Red Bastien, Carlos Colon, The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D-Von), Ultimo Guerrero & Rey Bucanero, Gran Hamada, Volk Han, Owen Hart, Curt Hennig, Chris Jericho, Satoshi Kojima, Ivan Koloff, Konnan, Karloff Lagarde, Jose Lothario, Mark Lewin, Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey & Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane), Bill Miller, Fabulous Moolah, Dick Murdoch, Rey Mysterio, Paul Orndorff, Blue Panther, The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), Rock & Roll Express, Rick Rude, Sabu, Seiji Sakaguchi, Masa Saito, Kensuke Sasaki,
Hans Schmidt, Sgt. Slaughter, Jimmy Snuka, Wilbur Snyder, Steiner Brothers, Sting, Kiyoshi Tamura, John Tolos, Enrique Torres, Universo 2000, Rob Van Dam, Villano III, Vampiro,
Kerry Von Erich, Dr. Wagner Sr., Johnny “Mr. Wrestling II” Walker, Tim “Mr. Wrestling” Woods
Non-Wrestler Nominees: Lou Albano, Paco Alonso, Jim Crockett Jr., Gary Hart, Jerry Jarrett, Gorilla Monsoon, Don Owen, Roy Shire, Jesse Ventura
Before getting to my picks, I wanted to say a few words about some individuals that I would certainly NOT vote for:
Lou Albano: Though Albano did have a career as a wrestler, he’s nominated in the “non-wrestler” category, so we’re left addressing those aspects of his time in the business . . . and, if you do that, he doesn’t have nearly an impressive enough resume to be considered Hall of Fame material. Of course, his most notable role was as a manager for many years in the World (Wide) Wrestling Federation, including a babyface run alongside Cyndi Lauper during one of wrestling’s hottest periods. Though that certainly made him recognizable, mainstream recognition alone isn’t enough to make the cut for an honor like this. For a manager, Albano wasn’t a particularly good promo, and he wasn’t somebody who could get fans interested in wrestlers that they wouldn’t otherwise take seriously. As a heel, it seemed like he was just hanging around to interfere, and I’m still trying to figure out what his purpose was as a babyface.
The Fabulous Moolah: Moolah is a little bit tougher decision than Albano, and, for the last several years, her name has actually garnered a good deal of discussion heading in to the inductions. When considering whether to vote for Moolah, you’re basically weighing her “kayfabe” accomplishments against what she did outside of the ring. The former lead to a solid case for Moolah being inducted. The latter do not. On one hand, she held a form of the Women’s Championship for several decades (and still claims to hold one version), a feat that will probably never be duplicated. On the other hand, she was never a good wrestler, even for her time. On top of that, there are numerous stories about her keeping a stranglehold on her version of the Women’s Championship and not allowing any younger, more skilled stars to potentially take her place. In the end, I’d say that for this Hall Moolah’s record outside of ring deserves more consideration than her scripted accomplishments, and that precludes her from being a good choice for induction. However, I’d easily give her the green light for the WWE Hall of Fame (of which she is already a member) or any other hall more rooted in storylines.
Jesse Ventura: Some people argue that Jesse Ventura should be inducted because, as result of his stint as the governor of Minnesota, he’s one of the most recognizable wrestling personalities in the United States. However, I’m of the opinion that his governorship shouldn’t even be taken in to consideration. Though it makes him somewhat of a notable character in recent history, it is not in any way, shape, or form connected to professional wrestling. Once you eliminate that, it’s impossible to even begin making a case for Ventura’s induction. (Remember that, like Albano, he’s up in the “non-wrestler” category.) Though he was a damn fine heel commentator for several years, I find it hard to put any announcer in to a wrestling Hall of Fame unless they’re somebody who actually helped the credibility of the sport and assisted the promotion in drawing money. Men like Jim Ross, Gordon Solie, and Lace Russell fit in to that category. Jesse does not, no matter how much he entertained me during his heyday.
Sabu: The argument for inducting Sabu generally focuses on his independent work in the early 1990’s against guys like the Lightning Kid (Sean “X-Pac” Waltman) and Jerry Lynn, which some say helped to revolutionize the professional wrestling industry in North America by popularizing a faster paced, harder hitting style of ring work. I agree that Sabu’s early work was revolutionary in that regard, but I still have a hard time considering him a serious candidate. This mainly has to do with the amount of money that he drew for promotions while in wrestling and his longevity as a top level worker. On the money front, the only promotion in which he was ever a focal point was ECW, and, though ECW also gets a lot of credit for being a revolutionary product, they weren’t doing the sort of business necessary to prove that Sabu was a box office draw on the level of guys normally considered HOF shoo-ins. The other problem with Sabu is that, while his early work was exciting and revolutionary, he was quickly surpassed by other, better wrestlers. Part of this is due to his own physical deterioration, and part of it is due to the introduction of more polished wrestlers like Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, and Eddy Guerrero to the U.S. scene. Whatever the cause for Sabu’s rapid descent, the result is the same: He doesn’t have the longevity as an important figure in the industry necessary to make him a true Hall of Famer.
Rick Rude, Owen Hart, Curt Hennig, Chris Jericho, & Rob Van Dam: I consider these guys to all be on roughly the same level in professional wrestling history. Were they talented in-ring performers? Definitely. Were they good promos? Most of them were. Were they popular with fans? Of course. Are they Hall of Famers? No. As I once heard somebody say, “It’s a Hall of Fame, not a Hall of Pretty Good.” That’s what these men are when you stack them up against everybody else in pro wrestling history: Pretty good. Though excellent in-ring performers, none of them had the lengthy run at the top of a major promotion I consider a prerequisite to being a Hall of Fame inductee. They’re not in the same class as Ric Flair, Harley Race, Giant Baba, or El Santo. Granted, they are (or will someday be) in the class of what I like to call “secondary legends” right below the elite, but that’s just not enough.
The Rock: I never thought I’d compare the Rock to Sabu, but I’m getting ready to do it. The primary reason that I wouldn’t vote for the Rock is the same as one of the primary reasons that I wouldn’t vote for Sabu: Longevity. Though Rock was clearly a major star in the wrestling business, one of its biggest box office attractions, and one of its more entertaining promos, it was all for a very brief period of time. If the Rock had stayed in wrestling full time after 2002, he could have gone on to be insanely popular for the next ten years, at which point he would be a no brainer for any pro wrestling Hall of Fame. However, it’s also possible that he would have become stale, lost a good deal of his appeal, and given up on the business. We don’t know what could have been, and we shouldn’t judge Rock’s nomination on what could have been. We can only judge it based on what actually happened . . . and, as of right now, I think it’s just a bit shy of what is necessary to get in to the Hall.
Don Owen: Don Owen’s Pacific Northwest Wrestling (a.ka. Portland Wrestling, actually the name of its television program) doesn’t get discussed much these days, in part because little if any of their footage still exists and in part because they didn’t do much to expand outside of their region when numerous other territories were racing to take over the United States. However, folks who were around during the territorial days of wrestling still call PNW one of the all time great regional promotions. Numerous wrestlers who worked for Owen put him over as one of the few honest promoters in the business, a man who paid well and always came through with checks. Plus, there are few wrestling promoters in the world who can rival Owen in terms of sheer longevity. Owen’s version of the Portland Wrestling program began in 1952 and didn’t go off the air until 1991, a thirty-one year streak rivaled only by the Memphis Wrestling program which still runs today. For being one of the great territorial promoters and for proving that a class act can be successful, I’d vote for Owen in a heartbeat.
Roy Shire: Shire, like Owen, was another highly successful territorial promoter. He set up shop in Northern California in the late 1950’s and became a major success just a few years later when he began regularly selling out the 14,000 seat Cow Palace, one of the largest venues hosting wrestling events at the time. More impressive still is that he did this without the support of the National Wrestling Alliance and actually ran the NWA promoter in the area out of town, despite the fact that this man had the backing of promoters from across the country. Shire’s big Cow Palace shows – often highlighted by an eighteen man battle royale – continued for twenty years and drew some impressive gates for the era by featuring stars like Pat Patterson, Billy Graham, and Ray Stevens, all of whom are more closely associated with eastern promotions but actually owe just as much of their careers to Shire and the San Francisco territory.
Jim Crockett, Jr.: When you’re talking about Jim Crockett, Jr., you’re talking about the man who ran one of the biggest wrestling promotions in the United States for eight years and was president of the NWA for numerous terms. It was under his banner the Ric Flair became a legend, that Starrcade became a must-see event, and that the use of closed circuit television (the forerunner of pay per view) was pioneered as a revenue stream in wrestling. He was also able to expand his promotion in a manner rivaled only by Vince McMahon’s takeover of the United States, as Jim Crockett Promotions began in the Carolinas but slowly gained footholds throughout the South before enveloping Georgia and the numerous states controlled by Bill Watts and Mid-South. Of course, the major knock against inducting him as a promoter is that his company did go bankrupt, but if every promoter that went up against Vince McMahon and lost was disqualified from being in the Hall of Fame, Vince would be the only non-wrestler left as an inductee.
(Before we run down this list, I would first like to fully admit that my knowledge of this sport skews toward the American end of the game, though I have attempted to apply my knowledge of international wrestling where possible.)
Carlos Colon: It has always been my belief that, if Jerry Lawler is in the Observer Hall of Fame as a wrestler, Carlos Colon should be in the Observer Hall of Fame as a wrestler. Their careers are remarkably similar, as both were the top draw of a smaller territory for several decades and both are considered cultural icons within certain circles in their native areas. Of course, the primary difference is that Lawler’s home base was Memphis whereas Colon’s home base was Puerto Rico. Carols’ career in the ring began in the 1960’s and continues with sporadic appearances until present day and has featured legendary brawls with the likes of Abdullah the Butcher and Bruiser Brody. Colon can also lay claim to a brief reign as the NWA World Heavyweight Champion as a result of a victory over Ric Flair in 1983, although the NWA still refuses to recognize him as a former champion. Yet, even without the NWA belt, Colon was a red-hot regional star during the heyday of territorial wrestling, and that alone warrants his induction.
Villano III: Villano III is perhaps the most accomplished member of a wrestling family that includes his father, his four brothers, and even his wife. He began his career in 1970, and, by 1981, was a major independent star in Mexico. One of the country’s hottest promotions at that time was UWA, which was so popular that on a handful of weekends that they managed to run two major shows in two different arenas on the same day, with numerous fans actually paying to attend both. Though the entire promotion had to be on fire for that to take place, Villano III was one of their top draws, with his presence in the main events taking attendance figures above their average levels. He also regularly toured Japan, putting on fine matches with the likes of the original Tiger Mask. Though his career seemingly deflated in the 1990s with the death of UWA, Villano was still a fine in ring worker and proved that he had legs as a draw in 2000. He had jumped to CMLL not long before, and the feud that he established with Atlantis became one of the most memorable in lucha libre history, culminating in a massive mask versus mask match that headlined CMLL’s first pay per view and sold out Arena Mexico. It also was voted Match of the Year in the Wrestling Observer’s 2000 year end awards, and it remains the only lucha bout in the twenty-six year history of the awards to have walked away with that honor. For his abilities in the ring, his star power, and his legacy, Villano III is an easy choice for an induction.
Konnan: Many American wrestling fans would scoff at the idea of inducting Konnan in to a pro wrestling hall of fame, as his biggest accomplishment in this country is wrestling the WCW Television Title away from Chris Jericho. (And most people have probably forgotten about that.) However, Konnan is one of the biggest stars in the history of Mexican professional wrestling, and his career south of the border would have warranted his induction even if he never set foot in the United States. After being honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy, Konnan discovered the lucha scene in Southern California and began training for in-ring action. In large part due to his unique, bodybuilder-like physique, he became a star very quickly after making his debut. After a brief stint with the UWA, he headed to CMLL, where an historic angle after a loss in a mask versus mask match cemented Konnan’s status as a top player in lucha. The same year that he lost his mask, he became the first CMLL Heavyweight Champion. He was equally successful after transitioning to the rival AAA promotion, where the final match of his feud with Cien Caras set an attendance record for Mexican wrestling. In addition to those accomplishments, Konnan occupies an important place behind the scenes in the history of American wrestling, as he served as a liaison between Mexican talent and U.S. promoters Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff. Heyman and later Bischoff’s use of luchadors introduced a new style of wrestling to the States, and it may never have happened seen without Konnan’s help.
The Midnight Express & The Rock n’ Roll Express: Of course, these would be two separate inductions, but something feels right about addressing them together. Though these two groups didn’t invent tag team wrestling, they certainly defined what it should be for an entire generation of fans and turned it from a simple gimmick match in to an art form. The three men who comprised the MX (Lane, Condrey, and Eaton are the nominated group), and the two men who comprised the RnR Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson), all knew exactly what their roles were in any given tag team encounter and played them too perfection. They are also both rare tag teams who would draw if put at the top of a card, independent of any singles feud. This was proven by the fact that, unlike a lot of other teams during the territorial days of wrestling, they would travel together from territory to territory instead of breaking up when it came time to move. Both teams had success in Memphis, Mid-South Wrestling, and ultimately Jim Crockett Promotions/WCW. The Rock n’ Roll Express even remained a successful team in to the early 1990’s, with their work in Smokey Mountain Wrestling not drawing nearly as much as their earlier performances but still delivering the same level of quality. Both teams were inducted in to the 411 HOF this year, and here’s to their induction in to the WON version.
Sgt. Slaughter: When Sgt. Slaughter shows up for his biannual appearance on Monday Night Raw these days, I sigh, roll my eyes, and get ready for a three minute match that will feature him getting beaten handily after almost locking on the Cobra Clutch. It’s almost a shame that his career has come to this, because, prior to Hulkamania running wild on the WWF, Slaughter was one of their best performers, both in the ring and on the microphone. His wild, bloody brawls with the likes of the Iron Sheik and Pat Patterson in Madison Square Garden were years ahead of their time and still hold up today with the most brutal matches from ECW. Though he, alongside many other “serious” wrestlers, became a cartoon character in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, Slaughter remained popular with the fans and could still put on a showstopping performance from time to time, as was shown during the main event of Wrestlemania VII when he defended the WWF Title against Hulk Hogan, which is an excellent Hogan match despite the deserved criticism of the angle leading in to it. Combine all of the above with entertaining stints in the NWA and AWA, and you’ve got all of the markings of a Hall of Famer.
Joe’s Contract Status Clarified
Samoa Joe’s contract situation has been the subject of many rumors over the last several months. Some people want to say that he’s leaving the promotion imminently, some people want to say that he’s locked in for the next several years, and some people are seemingly just making up numbers. However, all of the debate can now be settled courtesy of the Wrestling Observer: There is one year left on Joe’s current contract, and he has thusfar rejected offers of an extension.
Of course, it should be noted that the fact that Joe is not signing extensions with one year left on his deal is not necessarily an indication that he wants to leave the company. Twelve months is still plenty of time to negotiate, and the Samoan star could easily be taking a “wait and see” approach as to whether he will stay on with his current employers. It is also worth noting that Joe himself recently posted a message on the internet saying that rumors about his wanting to depart TNA were completely false. That could be the truth, or it could simply be a measure by the former Ring of Honor Champion to make sure that he’s not taking any unnecessary heat backstage. I don’t know, and, unless you’re Samoa Joe, you don’t know. The only thing we know for certain at this point is the amount of time remaining on his current deal, and we should all stop pretending that we’re sure of anything more than that.
Angle Again Talks MMA
FOX Sports caught up with Kurt Angle on Thursday night at a mixed martial arts event in Florida hosted by the International Fight League. Angle claimed that he was negotiating with the group to participate in a few fights sometime in the indefinite future. He also claimed that he could be ready for his first professional fight within a year’s time.
I don’t know about anybody else, but I’m taking this claim with a massive grain of salt. For those of you who haven’t been keeping track at home, Angle has been talking about competing in MMA literally since the time that he was fired by WWE. From what I understand, his deal with TNA is structured in such a way that fighting would be possible from contractual standpoint, but the former Olympic gold medalist has been flapping his gums about fighting for numerous months now, and you’d think that, by this point, he’d have signed somewhere if any organization was actually interested. Even if Angle does reach a deal with an MMA group, I can’t see him being anywhere near successful unless the company goes out of its way to provide him with pushover opponents. Yes, Kurt Angle could kick my ass, has a hell of a work ethic, and will probably come in to this hypothetical MMA match in the best shape possible. However, we’re talking about a near-forty year old man with a history of major neck injuries. On top of that, MMA is not simply amateur wrestling, which is Angle’s area of expertise. In recent years, people who have attempted to enter fights while relying on one style of fighting have been destroyed. MMA has developed in to a sport all its own at this point, with a technique distinct from anything else on the planet. It would be virtually impossible for anybody with only one year’s training to become proficient enough in this manner of fighting to take on top level competitors.
Ultimately, Kurt Angle is better off staying exactly where he is. (And who thought I would ever say that about a TNA wrestler?)
Mesias Already in Trouble
Those of us who watched Impact this past Thursday saw the in-ring debut of Judas Mesias, a long time fixture in the Mexican and Puerto Rican wrestling scenes who got his first national exposure in the United States working under his real name of Ricky Banderas on MTV’s Wrestling Society X. Upon joining TNA, he was placed immediately in to a feud with Abyss, though now it looks like that feud and the planned match between the two at the upcoming Bound for Glory PPV (which may also have featured Rhino) is in jeopardy. According to PWInsider, Banderas suffered damage to his sciatic nerve after falling off of a ladder during AAA’s big lucha libre show last weekend. Supposedly this will keep Jim Mitchell’s latest charge laid up for three weeks before he can even begin to rehabbing the injury. Those of you interested in seeing the fall that lead to this injury are in luck. First we’ve got photographs from the event:
And, though it is rather low quality, a fan-recorded video of the incident has also started to circulate online:
That, my friends, is a position no human being should be put in. I’m sure that I can speak for all of us here at 411mania when I say that we wish Banderas a speedy recovery.
October 13 SHIMMER Preview (Part 1)
Anybody who has read my columns on this site for more than a week knows that my favorite current wrestling promotion is SHIMMER: Women Athletes, an all-female group based out of Berwyn, Illinois. The company has somewhat of a unique business model, as they run a relatively small number of live shows but tape enough material for two full DVDs at each of these events. Since forming almost two years ago, SHIMMER has produced ten DVDs of the best women’s wrestling action that the United States has to offer, all of which are available through ROHwrestling.com. The footage for three more DVDs is in the can and waiting to be released, with one of those volumes being a two disc set featuring a sixteen-woman tournament to crown the first SHIMMER Champion.
Why am I going over all of this? It’s because the time is rapidly approaching for another SHIMMER taping. On Saturday, October 13 at 4 PM, the company will return to its home base of the Berwyn, IL Eagle’s Club to tape Volumes 14 and 15 of the DVD series, with tickets still available at SHIMMERwrestling.com. Yours truly will be live at the event, and, in order to put some of my excitement for the show to good use and to educate the general public about this fine product, for the next three weeks I will be previewing the show. This will be accomplished by taking a look at the background of some of the members of the SHIMMER roster who will be in attendance, as well as what their plans should be going forward in the company.
That process begins . . . now.
Fighter Name: Rob Conway
SHIMMER Record: 0-0
Career Highlight: Three-Time WWE World Tag Team Champion
SHIMMER Background: No, this isn’t a joke. Rob Conway, former WWE competitor, is headed to the SHIMMER event on October 13. Fortunately, he isn’t going in an attempt to claim Andy Kaufman’s old Inter-Gender Wrestling Championship. He is appearing on behalf of Fight Sports Midwest, a promotion that ran two absolutely stacked indy shows earlier this year before having to suspend operations. FSM has decided to not promote another full show for the rest of 2008, but they are hosting a “fall tour” of matches which will be held on other companies’ cards and taped for a compilation DVD that will be released through Smart Mark Video. Conway’s opponent has not yet been named, but his match will be a part of this compilation. As an aside, SHIMMER has regularly featured dark matches prior to tapings which involve male wrestlers. To my knowledge, this is the first one of them to actually be recorded since the indy battle royale which was included as an easter egg on SHIMMER Volume 1.
Goals: Proving to the world that he’s far better than WWE ever allowed him to be.
Fighter Name:Lorelei Lee *
SHIMMER Record: 1-5 (singles) 0-1 (tag team)
Career Highlight: Upset Malia Hosaka on SHIMMER Volume 3
SHIMMER Background: Lorelei Lee made her debut on SHIMMER Volume 3 after impressing the company’s management in a women’s showcase match held on an FIP show. Though she had only been in the wrestling business for roughly one year at that point, Lee showed promise in her SHIMMER debut when she upset Malia Hosaka, a veteran with nineteen years worth of experience. Unfortunately for Lorelei, this would also be the last time that she won a match in SHIMMER. On the next DVD, Lee would meet up with Hosaka again, this time in tag team action. The result was Hoasaka and her partner Lexie Fyfe easily defeating the duo of Lee and Cindy Rogers. After that, Rain, Nikki Roxx, and Fyfe all managed to get singles victories over the rookie, and the final straw was when she was absolutely decimated by Sara Del Ray in under three minutes. SHIMMER management has made it clear since the promotion’s beginning that competitors are going to have to win matches in order to get booked, and Lee found herself benched until she could gain more experience. Five SHIMMER DVDs have been taped since the last time that Lee appeared, and, unless she puts on a good show on the thirteenth, chances are good that she’ll be sent right back to where she came from . . . perhaps permanently.
Goals: Re-earning her full-time spot on the roster.
Fighter Name: Alicia
SHIMMER Record: 1-3
Career Highlight: Former WXW Women’s Champion
SHIMMER Background: After making a name for herself on the east coast, particularly in Jersey All Pro Wrestling, Alicia made her presence felt in SHIMMER during the company’s title tournament. The Jersey girl cut a scathing promo that immediately got the Berwyn fans to hate her guts . . . but that wasn’t enough for Alicia. When it looked like “Portugese Princess” Ariel was going to advance in the tournament by forfeit (due to an injury to her scheduled opponent), Alicia hit the ring and goaded Ariel in to accepting an impromptu tournament match, which she won with the Michinoku Driver. Alicia displayed all manner of underhanded tactics during the contest, and fans were ready to see her get her comeuppance. Fortunately that is exactly what happened in round two, as eventual tournament winner Sara Del Ray did Alicia in. That wasn’t the end of Alicia’s weekend, however. During the taping of Volume 12, she attacked young SHIMMER competitor Alexa Thatcher, who suffered a foot injury and was therefore unable to wrestle on the show. Fortunately for Thatcher, MsChif and Daffney were on hand to make the save. Though she only has two SHIMMER events under her belt, Alicia is already one of the most despised members of the roster in the minds of the fans, and she’s also made herself a large number of enemies in the locker room. Alexa Thatcher will certainly want a piece of her, and Ariel, MsChif, and Daffney may also be waiting in the wings. On October 13, Alicia may well learn that revenge is a dish best served cold.
Goals: Keeping half the roster from beating the fake tan off of her.
Fighter Name: MsChif
SHIMMER Record: 7-6 (singles), 1-1 (tag team)
Career Highlight: Former NWA Women’s Champion
SHIMMER Background: MsChif is one of the most accomplished and respected members of the SHIMMER roster. She began her stint in the company embroiled in a brutal feud with Cheerleader Melissa, which saw the two women beat each other senseless in falls count anywhere and last woman standing matches. However, when the smoke cleared, the two had developed an odd respect for one another and formed an uneasy alliance. Recently, Melissa and MsChif (or MelisChif as I like to call them) have had their hands full with the Experience, a team comprised of Lexie Fyfe and Malia Hosaka. This began on Volume 12, when MsChif and her partner dealt the Experience their first tag team loss in six matches. Though Fyfe and Hosaka at first looked like they were going to take the loss in stride, this wound up not being the case. At Volume 13, a last minute change in the card allowed MsChif’s manager Daffney to make her debut as a SHIMMER wrestler against Fyfe. Fyfe dominated the match by attacking Daffney’s knee, a body part that has given her problems throughout her career. Eventually, Daff was forced to submit to a leglock. Though this sort of strategy is part of intelligent wrestling, Fyfe quickly took things too far when she and Hosaka continued to attack Daffney after the bell, prompting MsChif to make the save. That’s an attack which SHIMMER’s Scream Queens will most likely not allow to go unavenged.
Goals: Getting payback for her friend.
Fighter Name: Amazing Kong
SHIMMER Record: 4-0 (singles), 1-0 (tag team)
Career Highlight: Former WWWA World Singles Champion
SHIMMER Background: Ahh, the Amazing Kong. Though she hasn’t made nearly as many appearances as other members of the SHIMMER roster, she is considered a major player because of who she has beaten and the dominating manner in which her victories occurred. Kong has dismantled Josie, Ariel, and Cindy Rogers as part of a six woman tag match. She’s scored two victories over Nikki Roxx (currently Roxxi LeVeaux in TNA). She pinned MsChif in a match that many observers are calling one of the best in SHIMMER history. Not long after that, she squashed the feisty underdog Daizee Haze like a fly. Kong’s impressive SHIMMER record, as well as her vast experience overseas has now won her the ultimate prize. On October 13, she will receive a shot at the SHIMMER Championship, currently held by Sara Del Ray. Though Del Ray and Kong have been on opposite sides of tag bouts in SHIMMER showcase matches promoted by ROH and FIP, they have never locked horns one-on-one in any of these promotions. And, as phenomenal as Kong’s spotless record is, Del Ray’s history in the promotion is just as impressive. She’s appeared on every single SHIMMER DVD to date, losing only one match in that entire period of time. As a writer, you’re taught to avoid cliches. However, when the Amazing Kong gets her hands on Sara Del Ray, there’s no better way to describe it than the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. Who will win is anybody’s guess, but one thing is certain: The promotion’s fans are in for a hell of a thrill ride.
Goals: SHIMMER GOLD.
* Wrestlers marked with an asterisk have not been announced by the promotion as appearing on 10/13 but claim to be appearing on their own websites or MySpace pages.
Dragon Gate Branches Out
Dragon Gate, one of Japan’s top wrestling promotions (if you’re a teenage girl), has long had a strong working relationship with Ring of Honor, which has resulted in numerous DG workers heading stateside to put on match of the year candidates for ROH. Some of the gentlemen of Honor have also appeared on Dragon Gate shows, including folks like Jimmy Rave, El Generico, Matt Sydal, and Delirious. Now a duo of Dragon Gate wrestlers is going to be making another swing through the U.S. indies, although ROH isn’t on the schedule this time around.
BxB Hulk and Yamato, members of the DG faction New Hazard will be coming to Texas and Florida this month. As a matter of fact, they will be wrestling TONIGHT for Anarchy Championship Wrestling in San Antonio, TX. Though no opponents for the DG competitors have been announced, if you’re in the San Antonio era and want to make a last minute attempt to see the card, details about the location and tickets are at the preceding link. The show also features Masada and Bio-Hazard, two names that fans of early ROH may remember. After BxB & Yamato wrap up tonight, they’ll be hitting Full Impact Pro in Brooksville, Florida this coming Friday for a big FIP Tag Team Title match against Jay and Mark Briscoe. They will follow that up with an appearance on FIP’s September 29 show in Crystal Lake, Florida, although their match (matches?) for that night has not yet been signed. Ticket info and directions for the FIP shows are at FullImpactPro.com.
It’s also interesting to note that a currently unnamed Dragon Gate team will be challenging for the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships at NOAH’s tour-ending show on September 29. I hope to have more details on that situation in the coming weeks.
Hart to Release Book . . . but which Hart?
Julie Hart, the ex-wife of Bret Hart and the daughter of his four children, recently did an audio interview with Combat Hooligans. In it, she announced that she and her sister Michelle – the ex-wife of “Dynamite Kid” Tom Billington – are currently writing a book about their experiences as wrestlers’ wives. Though a release date for the book was not given, Hart did say that her portion was essentially completed and that she was waiting for Michelle (who joined the project later on) to finish her portion. There was also no word on a publisher. Hart did not provide in-depth discussion of other topics related to professional wrestling (mainly the fault of the interviewers), though she did mention that she did not think any of her children are cut out for the wrestling industry at this point in their lives. This includes oldest son Dallas, who recently explored the possibility of training at Lance Storm’s Storm Wrestling Academy. Youngest daughter Beans is apparently a big Randy Orton fan, though. All in all, Julie came off as a very sweet, intelligent woman who does a good deal of charity work. You can check out her website here.
It should also be noted that Bret Hart’s autobiography (all 500+ pages of it) will be released next month in Canada late next month and in the United States at some point in 2008. Fortunately we’re living in the age of the internet, so fans in the States shouldn’t actually have to wait that long for a copy.
Knox Copasetic
Speaking of interviews with women tied to the wrestling industry, Irish wrestler Rebecca Knox made an appearance on BritWres.com’s $&M Podcast. Knox, at just nineteen years of age, was a pro wrestling prodigy the likes of which few had ever seen. Though in the interview she denies her own talent, she looked more polished in the ring at her age than a lot of women do after a decade in the business. Though she was well on her way to becoming one of the all-time greats, she suffered a major head injury in October 2006 and was forced to step away from the ring. The damage was to one of her cranial nerves, which impaired both her vision and hearing for a period of time. During the interview, Knox indicated that she is most likely healthy enough for a return to the ring at this point, though she doesn’t know if it will be happening and would want to spend a good deal of time training before actually pulling it off. The interview, which veers off in to some weird directions (including Rebecca’s love of pugs and her encounter with a bizarre almond and honey filled omelette) is rather entertaining and well worth a listen.
Lance Storm: Too Illegit to Quit?
This isn’t really “news” per se, but if you want a good laugh I strongly suggest heading over to Lance Storm’s official website and reading the commentary that he posted about how he was almost booked as Erich Bischoff’s illegitimate child in WCW. Hey, he certainly would’ve been a better choice for this sort of angle than Ken Kennedy.
Here are a couple of small updates to stories that I have discussed in previous editions of the report:
~ Quick results from the AAA Summer Scandal show that I talked about last week: Pirata Morgan Sr., Fabi Apache, Alfa, & Mini Chessman def. Rey Cometa, La Estrellita, Aero Star, & Octagoncito; Scorpio Jr., Zumbido, & Decnis def. Jardi, Chris, & Alan Stone (Jardi is the former Super Calo); Juventud Guerrera, Joe Lider, Crazy Boy, & Extreme Tiger def. Mr. Niebla, AAA Psicosis, Histeria, & Antifaz; AAA La Parka, Laredo Kid, Latin Lover, & Ricky Marvin def. Abismo Negro, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, Kenzo Suzuki, & Ron Killings (Laredo made X-Pac submit for the win); Ricky Banderas (Judas Mesias in TNA) def. Chessman to become the first AAA Heavyweight Champion; and Dark Espiritu lost his hair to Chessman in a Cage of Death match also featuring Charly Manson, El Zorro, Dark Ozz, Dark Cuervo, & Dark Escoria.
~ Two weeks ago, I mentioned that Zach Gowen was headed to All Japan Pro Wrestling, the biggest company he’s worked for since leaving WWE. Gowen wound up being victorious in his debut on September 16, tagging up with Keiji Muto and Taiyo Kea to defeat TARU, Suwama, and “brother” YASSHI, with Gowen scoring the pin on YASSHI with his trademark moonsault. However, Gowen paid for his alliance with Muto on the company’s September 17 show, when Satoshi Kojima reportedly drilled the young Michigander with a hard lariat to send a message to Muto.
~ A little over a month ago, I wrote an opinion piece on the current state of the Ring of Honor product that got a good deal of feedback. Many of the people who responded to it were angry about the dislike that I expressed for the Briscoe Brothers, which in large part is due to the fact that many of their matches involve needlessly risky spots that put both the Briscoes and their opponents at severe risk for a major injury. Some people didn’t think that this was near the problem that I made it out to be, and others couldn’t understand why I would be bothered by it. I’d like to take this time to respond to those folks with a bit of an example. Last week, ROH taped their third pay per view, entitled “Man Up.” The main event was a ladder match pitting Mark and Jay Briscoe against Kevin Steen and El Generico. According to one report from the show, the following spots took place:
– They broke the first ladder by double super hiptossing Generico through it.
– Kevin Steen hit Mark Briscoe with a powerbomb from the ring to a ladder propped up between the guardrail and the ring.
– Jay hit Steen with a DVD onto a ladder on the mat.
– Steen hit Mark Briscoe with a Package Piledriver onto a ladder propped between the bigger ladder and the 2nd turnbuckle as they were standing on the ladder bridge. Jay Briscoe hit Generico with a Jay-Driller [double underhook piledriver] onto the same thing.
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t read that and think “Oh wow! That match sounds AWESOME! I must see it!” I read that and think, “There are several instances in this match in which one or more men could have broken their necks.” And for what, exactly? The ladder match that popularized the genre, Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon at Wrestlemania X, was by several people’s records a ***** match. People who watched the match when it first occurred rated it that highly, and people who have watched the match for the first time more recently have rated it that highly. What was the big highspot there that lead to the finish? Shawn Michaels crotching himself on the top rope. Nobody took an unprotected ladder shot to the head, and nobody got put THROUGH a ladder headfirst. If that’s the case, and if the Shawn/Razor match is as good as conventional wisdom tell us, can somebody please explain to me why these Briscoe spots are necessary? Is there a reason why they have to rely on these kinds of antics as opposed to working a much safer style of match that will allow them to get the same level of reaction from a live crowd? I know that there are a lot of people who disagree with me, but I do not want to watch a match in which my first concern is for the legitimate safety of the competitors. Yes, professional wrestling will always be risky, and I’m certainly not an advocate of limiting everything to chinlocks and Garvin stomps. However, there are lines that can be crossed, and, in my opinion, ROH and the Briscoe brothers have crossed some of those lines. I won’t be buying “Man Up” for this reason.
On a somewhat tangential note, another thing that really gets me here is the hypocrisy of some ROH fans. (Note that I didn’t say ALL ROH fans or even MOST ROH fans, but SOME ROH fans.) There’s a contingent of people out there who applaud things like the Briscoe ladder match as what professional wrestling is supposed to be, yet at the same time passionately booed wrestlers involved in the CZW feud for being “deathmatch guys” who couldn’t wrestle a lick. I’ve got a newsflash for those kids: CZW deathmatches are tame compared to having a two hundred plus pound man slam you head and neck first through a metal ladder. I’d much rather get hit with a light tube, get run in to barbed wire, or even take a weedwacker shot than be on the receiving end of the J-Driller or the Package Piledriver described above. The former set of moves will tear your skin apart, and, at most, shred some muscles. The latter group could turn you in to a quadriplegic.
Well, we certainly went all over the place this week. I hope that everybody enjoyed the trip. If this somehow hasn’t whetted your appetite for professional wrestling discussion and you want more, here are a few links of interest:
~ I swear that, despite the rant above, there is a lot of the ROH product that I like. Read about it in Ari’s Column of Honor.
~ For some reason, I keep watching and reviewing Impact. It hurts.
~ Our video review guys NEVER get enough love. Check out the latest efforts from Magnus Donaldson, Mike Campbell, and Brad Garoon.
~ Phil Feltham is being a tad melodramatic when he says Wrestling is Doomed, but you should read him anyway.
~ And, finally, I’ve got a new update on my MySpace blog, taking a look at Matt “Rosey” Anoa’i’s performance on the reality show Fat March. Check it out, and, while you’re there, add me as a friend to get updates every time that I post new content.
I hope to see you all next week. In the mean time, keep that feedback coming.
