Your News, My Views 1.15.08

Posted by Larry Csonka on 01.15.2008

Special Commentaries on Harris leaving TNA and Big Show returning to WWE, The Rock at WrestleMaina, the ECW on Sci-FI Preview, Today in Wrestling History, American Gladiators, health updates on Bobby Heenan and Sir Oliver Humperdink, my thoughts on JR’s thoughts and more!



Mickie James welcomes you…

Introduction…and Things I want to talk about~!

Welcome to the Tuesday news adventure, the one stop shop for all of the wrestling news, scuttlebutt, tidbits and rumors that you crave…Your News, My Views! I am your host Larry Csonka and it is time again to do what I do best, so sit back and relax.

I would like to thank each and every person that sent in live house show results over the last week. Remember, if you go to a WWE or TNA house show, we want a report from you!

Last week was not a good week as far as my playoff picks, as I went 1-3 in the wildcard round. Not good. I went out on a limb and got bit on the ass, that's where picking with your heart can get you. This week started off well with the Packers getting the win over Seattle, which was an awesome game. A good pick for game one of the week and 2-3 overall, add in the snow and I was a happy man.

We then moved to the Pats vs. Jags game, in much tamer weather unfortunately. The Pats came through with a victory most expected, and I get a second win for the weekend, and go 3-3 overall in the playoffs. I love football.

Sunday's games began with the Colts vs. The San Diego…SUPER CHARGERS. This was a hell of a game that came down to the final 2-minutes. There were injuries galore and I wondered if they would have to combine what was left of the two teams to have a championship game next weekend. In the end the Chargers survive to head off to face the Patriots, and helping me to three wins on the weekend, and at this point I am 4-3 for the playoffs.

Finally we had the Giants vs. the Cowboys. The Cowboys didn't show up to me, and down the stretch there were a lot of dropped balls and I feel Romo played poorly. I await the media blaming it on Jessica Simpson. The run is done, 3-1 on the weekend and now 4-4 overall for the playoffs. At least I had a good rebound week.

I made a lovely pork loin on Sunday.

Did I mention that JT (~!) hates when I use the (~!) after his name?

After an awesome week in the 70's and not having to run the heat for 9 days, last night dropped a bit to where I had to run the heat to keep the house warm enough for Hana. This week's weather is in the 40's for my part of NC. I just wish the weather would make up its mind, 40's are fine, I like the cold, but don't do this 40 then 70 then 40 shit!

The 411 Wrestling Hall of Fame has kicked off this week! Make sure to check it out.

If I'm not back in five minutes...wait longer!

Want to buy 411 merchandize? GO HERE! Also I am taking recommendations on Csonka themed merchandize! So hit me up with your suggestions. There is some Csonka themed merchandize with more on the way. Check out the BERRIED SHIRT HERE!

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And now back to Gene Krupa's syncopated style~!

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Today in Wrestling History:

1962 - Larry Hennig & Duke Hoffman defeated Ivan & Nikita Kalmikoff in a tournament final for the AWA Tag Team title

1989 - Event - Royal Rumble, The Summit, Houston, TX

1998 - Rey Misterio, Jr. defeated Juventud Guerrera for the WCW Cruiserweight title

Births and Deaths:

1970 - Born - Shane McMahon

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~WWE and The Big Show, Together Again~

In December of 2006 the Big Show lost the ECW Title to Bobby Lashley, and following a TV defense by Lashley, which he won, the Big Show would be gone from the WWE landscape. I was not surprised that he didn't want to come back. I was very serious when I said that the way they were booking him as champion; with weekly matches, weapons, big bumps and blading were only going to be a detriment on the big man's career and look what has happened. Show's problems were that his knees were killing him and he couldn't do a lot of cardio, which led to more weight gain. His back was also a major cause of pain for him. Some will have no sympathy and say he should have lost weight, which he should have but they were crazy with the way they booked him.

WWE wanted him to stay, they offered him roughly $1-Million a year to stay, but the pain was too much and Show wanted to take time off. He went home, spent time with his wife, appeared on Hogan Knows Best and played Guitar Hero. When Lawler was forced from the Memphis show, Hogan placed the call and we got Paul Wight vs. Hulk Hogan, complete with Show BERRYING WWE, and saying that he was renouncing his slave name.

It was after this that we heard that Show would be getting into boxing. The deal was that Hogan would be a front man, like a wrestling manager. He would talk, get the people excited, help broker the deals because he was Hulk Hogan and then Show would get into the equivalent of a RPIDE Freak Show bout. But with all of the drama in the Hogan family, Hogan signing with American Gladiators, and Show realizing that with his age and injury history that boxing may be a bad idea; that plan was dead.

As reported yesterday via the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the Big Show has either already agreed to or signed a new deal to come back to the company. He has reportedly lost weight and is down to 440lbs, due to his training for a potential boxing debut, which fell apart. When we did our recent Roundtable looking at 2008, I don't think that anyone picked the Big Show to return, so to a lot of us, myself included, this is indeed a surprise. Apparently being a slave pays pretty damn well. It's the same old story, people leave company A, they bash the company and then, when they need the money or the money is right, they come back and are going to spread the company mission statement like it was handed down from high.

I think the important thing to consider isn't the going back on his statement, but his health. He's a big boy and will make his own decisions, that's a fact. But I wonder if he really is feeling better. Sure losing 100lbs or so will help the back and knees, but how will he hold up when he gets back to the ring? Will he work a full 12-15 days a month or will he get a scaled back schedule? There are all questions that I want answered. Where will he be used? Smackdown/ECW is the land of the giants right now, which will likely change once the draft occurs later this year. I think Show going back to raw works, especially if Umaga is moved, which he needs to be I feel. And then there is the debut. Do you do the old surprise Royal Rumble appearance and make it a big surprise, or do you advertise him and hope to pop a buy rate and or rating?

As for my personal thoughts on Show coming back, I am torn. I like Show as a performer, he's funny and can be a lot of fun. Sure he won't have the greatest matches, but he is pretty entertaining. But I am concerned about his health. I would hate to see him come back and suffer some kind of horrible back injury. But more importantly than this, I am really sick of people trashing Vince and then coming back like they said nothing. Either stick to your guns and tell him to fuck off or don't say shit and protect yourself for a return.

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~TNA Loses a Cornerstone~

TNA had also made an official announcement stating that, "Chris Harris is no longer a member of the TNA Wrestling roster. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors." The announcement was then taken down with no explanation. The bottom line is that as of this writing Harris' contract is up with the company, and he is looking to get into WWE. The funny thing is that his character over the last few months has been one of him complaining about his use, which was a true source of frustration. Angles like that make TNA a giant parody, seriously. And I really can't blame him. Harris has been n the cusp of the main event on a few times. One was during the weekly PPV era, right before FSN when James Storm was hurt. He has a great match with Jarrett, was involved in the Four Pack Match, with AJ, Killings and Raven; which he did very well in and then the original King of the Mountain Match, where he again looked good. But at that time I agreed that he needed more seasoning and that there was more mileage to get out of AMW.

The AMW run played out, good matches, good feuds and I loved it as a fan of tag team wrestling. For the longest time I thought Harris was the breakout guy when the team would split. He always seemed more serious about the business, he was always in better shape and he just seemed to be the one. And then we got the AMW split. After playing up the injury angle, he and Storm would have one of the very worst matches of the year (Blindfold Cage Match of Doom) at Lockdown. They would redeem themselves the next month with what in my opinion was the TNA match of the year in their Texas Death Match of Greatness. They then had an excellent TV match, which was like a slightly tamer version of that match. When Jarrett's wife died, Harris got the call for the King of the Mountain match, replacing JJ and many thought it would be his big break. Out of that came the "feud" with Christian Cage, but this was only a match to lead to the real feud and he and Storm never got to follow up on what they started.

The feud was to be with Dustin Rhodes, more specifically his new alter ego Black Reign, and it is there that things really changed. Harris was destroyed on PPV and completely derailed as a singles star as he had a "going nowhere" feud with Rhodes, who was unmotivated, out of shape and made to look like he owned Harris at every turn. Meanwhile Storm was getting screen time, given a chance with his character and showed that he had a ton of charisma and personality. Strom started to get into better shape, which is ironic since he portrays a drunk, while a frustrated and unmotivated Harris started to fall out of shape. Storm was featured on PPV, Harris was booked as a complaining little bitch. In a matter of 8-months one of their homegrown talents went from motivated, over with the crowd and in great shape to unmotivated, chubby and lukewarm crowd reactions.

The choice to leave was all Harris'. TNA offered him a new deal, but right now he wanted no part of it. Many have speculated that his "falling out of shape" was not only due to lack of motivation, but also him "getting clean," because WWE will not sign you unless you pass their drug test these days. Harris is set on going to WWE by all reports; he has no interest in Mexico or Japan unless they are to tide him over until he gets signed. It does make sense, the getting clean argument, and is the right thing to do to get signed.

But the question is, does WWE want him? He is experienced, over 11-years in the business, he is a good size and has a good look. He is someone that wouldn't have to be in developmental long due to his experience, and could make an impact sooner than later if they signed him. I feel that if he goes to WWE, that he'd be placed in another tag team environment, unless they wanted to push him as a singles, and in that case it would be ECW or Smackdown. As for the argument as to how far will he go? In TNA Harris could have been the champion. Smaller company, loyal crowd that would have always cheered for him and he worked well with the guys he had worked a lot with. In McMahon-land? Mid-Card/IC/US/ECW Champion at best. He is too unproven on the mic and in the ring with people he hasn't worked with before. Maybe I'll be wrong, and I wish him all the happiness and success in the world.

In the end I will say this, Chris Harris busted his ass for five years in TNA, they gave him the chance to shine at the beginning but he and Storm were the ones that busted their asses, made a great tag team and then transitioned into a great feud with matches that delivered, outside of the one which was more a booking mistake than their fault. He did everything the company asked if him and delivered, but the company insulted him by looking over him for less talented/motivated people like Rhodes. I feel that TNA let one of their cornerstone guys down, and Harris finally had enough of it and left. Personally I am sad to see him go from TNA, because he built a great career there with memorable matches, but in the end one can't blame him at all for the frustration he felt and why he felt he had to leave.

Good luck man, thanks for the memories and here's to you making new ones where ever you end up.

Damn Csonka's good…

ECW on Sci-Fi Preview: "The Cutting Edge" comes to the Land of the Extreme!

From WWE.com:

Chavo Guerrero had his second chance against ECW Champion CM Punk this week, but Guerrero was not able to earn an opportunity at an ECW Title Match when he was disqualified. As WWE Mobile on AT&T subscribers have already seen, Guerrero challenged Punk to a third match on next week's ECW. Will Guerrero finally get his chance at an opportunity to fight Punk for his ECW Championship, or will it be three strikes, you're out?

Also on Tuesday's ECW, World Heavyweight Champion Edge will host a special Cutting Edge. What does the Ultimate Opportunist have in store for those in the Land of the Extreme?

Last Tuesday, Jimmy Wang Yang & Shannon Moore lost the 15 Minutes of Fame Tag Team Championship Match to The Miz & John Morrison. The WWE Tag Team Champions retain their gold, but is this the last they'll see of Yang & Moore?

Also last week, the rivalry between Kelly Kelly and Layla was interrupted when newcomer Lena Yada entered herself into the Diva Dance Off. Much to the shock of Kelly and Layla, Lena declared herself the winner. What does this 2007 Diva Search contestant have in store for the Divas of ECW?

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…AND I'M BAAAAAAACK!…

WWE/ECW news, notes and happenings to the EXTREME:

Your News: WWE has contacted Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson about appearing with the company during the WrestleMania weekend. The discussions are not for an in ring return, but rather for the purpose of Johnson inducting his father Rocky Johnson and Grand Father "High Chief" Peter Maivia into the WWE Hall of Fame. No agreement has been reached at this time.

My Views: I think that it would be great to see him come back and do the induction of both is father and grandfather. At this point I think that this is the best that we can hope for. The fact is this, The Rock is gone. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is gone. What we have left is Dwayne Johnson, the actor. The guy that USED to be "The Rock." Would I like to see him come back and cut awesome Rock promos and have a match at sometime? Obviously, but that isn't in the cards. But if we could get him at the Hall of Fame, I am all for that.


Your News: For the first time ever, WWE RAW will NOT be pre-empted by the Westminster dog show. USA will air the dog show on February 11th up until 9PM ET, and then air RAW. Dog show coverage will continue on CNBC.

My Views: Wow, this is big news. Through out the years, even the SUPER HOT years the Westminster dog show has always taken top priority over WWE. While the Westminster dog show does a lower rating, USA Network can charge OBSCENE amounts of money for the advertising fees, and HAT is why the Westminster dog show always got the nod, money. I find it amazing that WWE got the nod this year, sure they have recently signed a new deal, but they are delivering lower ratings and aren't in a position of power to demand anything, yet they have magically been able to keep their regular slot. Don't asked me to explain this, but this is a very good sign for WWE as far as their relationship with NBC Universal goes.


Your News: Nattie Neidhart has continued to work Smackdown house shows, including last night's show in Elmira, NY where she faced Victoria. No word on when she maybe called up to the main roster.

My Views: First of all I think that it is great that they have Nattie working Victoria on the house show loop. Victoria has a lot of experience, she knows the WWE style and will be able to mentor Nattie and get her properly prepared for the main roster. What I fear is that they will bring her up and place her on Smackdown. People always ask why I complain about the WWE women's division, and it is because they don't book it seriously and don't have all of the talent on one show, where the belt is. They have a talented roster, they have women that can go:

Beth Phoenix
Mickie James
Jillian Hall
Melina
Victoria
Candice Michelle

They also have some women that are passable:

Torrie Wilson
Michelle McCool

So they have the talent to have a "good" division at worst, it's all about the booking.


Your News: WWE Mobile is reporting what seems to be a storyline involving Playboy. According to the report, Ashley was at the Playboy Mansion on New Year's Eve and was asked by Hugh Hefner who the next WWE Diva to pose for Playboy should be. Before Ashley could answer, Santino Marella showed up and said that the only people who will see Maria naked are "former intercontinental champions who were plucked from the crowd in Italy and beated the Umaga."

My Views: Santino is absolutely awesome. If you have WWE 24/7, you have to check out the "Shorties" section, where he introduces the matches. He is hilarious. If he can learn to work half as well as he talks he'll be amazing.


Your News: WWE's next film project, titled 12 Rounds, will begin shooting in New Orleans on 2/25. The film will star John Cena. Cena will play Detective Danny Baxter. During Mardi Gras, a criminal mastermind Miles Jackson III kidnaps Baxter's girlfriend Janine and orders Danny to participate in a battle of wits that lasts twelve rounds. Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2) will direct.

My Views: You know, some are quick to bash this project. First of all people bash because it has John Cena in it, and secondly because they think it sounds too much like the Marine. Man, you people are so quick to knock a new project, these are totally different. For one thing, he was a marine on the Marine, in this movie he is a DETECTIVE. Secondly, in this film the evil guy kidnaps his girlfriend, in the Marine his WIFE was kidnapped. So you see, they are completely different. Sure it is a joke that's been done, but it is funny.


Your News: WWE has already topped 55,000 ticket sales for WrestleMania 24.

My Views: I am not surprised at all. WrestleMania is a branded name and always sells like a monster. It's the Super Bowl for wrestling fans and until Vince starts killing puppies and eating babies marinated in kitten blood on live TV, that's not going to change.


Your News: Ron Killings has been telling people that he will be accepting the offer given to him by WWE, which is an $80,000 downside guarantee.

My Views: Killings is still waiting for AAA to offer a deal close to that. He likes working AAA because Konnan books the company and Sean Waltman works there as well and he is close to both men. As of now it seems unlikely that AAA will be able to match the downside guarantee, or guarantee even close to that. In the end it will come down to a few things. Does Killings want to get clean and pass the wellness test? What is more important, national TV and guaranteed money or having fun in Mexico with his friends. I like Killings a lot but am not sure he would be utilized all that well in WWE, but stranger things have happened. I would like to have him back on TV because I have always liked Killings as a performer.


Your News: The reason Ric Flair and HHH had the DQ finish on Raw is because Vince McMahon doesn't want Flair going over any money players at this point. Ric Flair's wife and children (Ashleigh, Reid and Tiffany) were at ringside for the match, but WWE made the call not to show them at all. Many feel the reason was because the match and finish were more of designed angle for HHH, despite it being part of the Flair retirement storyline.

My Views: I can understand Vince not wanting Flair at this stage to go over money players, but at this point this is the fault of the booking team. The Flair sags should have started at the bottom of the card; Snitsky, Val Venis, Deuce, Domino, Charlie Haas, Carlito, Super Crazy, Santino; guys like that. But they started him with Orton, the VERY top, Umaga was next and then to HHH. They went absolutely ASSBACKWARDS in this deal, and it really hurt the angle. HHH wanted to job to Flair but Vince was determined to the DQ and HHH decided not to fight it. I can understand Vince not wanting the name players to lose to Flair, but in this situation it works. HHH is bulletproof and Flair is Flair. The people would have bought it. And to close this, I will say that not using Flair's wife, Ashleigh, Reid and Tiffany was a mistake. They should use these tools when they can to build emotion. I think it was a mistake not using them.


Your News: Mick Foley is expecting to make 2008 his last year and to fully retire. Foley knows due to back and knee injuries that his time is limited.

My Views: I'll believe it when I see it.


Your News: Michael Hayes and Pat Patterson had a meeting on January 2nd to finalize the 30-competitors for the Royal Rumble. They also finalized the order of elimination and high spots for the match. They had a follow up meeting with Vince McMahon the next day, and Vince gave the OK on most of the plans.

My Views: If there was ever a booking meeting I would want to be a part of, this would be it. Patterson is the design engineer of the Rumble, and to sit around and listen to his thoughts would be awesome. Adding in Hayes is just a bonus. It's good to hear that they are getting shit all lined up for the show, because some years they have waited until the very last minute and most of those years the Ruble has been lack luster.


Your News: WWE had all of their developmental talent take photos of themselves and make videos in which they explain who they are, when they signed, and how long they have been in WWE's developmental system. This is the first step in a new plan to have "report cards" of sorts on all the developmental talent.

My Views: This is something smart for them too do. Vince and his writers don't now who half of the damn developmental guys are these days. This just makes good sense and I hope that they have a better grasp on the developmental guys once they get this underway.


Your News: There is some talk of debuting new RAW and ECW sets to coincide with the launch of WWE HD at the end of the month. WWE is also preparing to begin broadcasting with 5.1 surround sound when needed. For now the audio will remain in stereo.

My Views: I think that it is a good idea. There is nothing wrong with freshening up the look of the shows. But I agree with a lot of people that they desperately need to change the Smackdown set. It seems like it has been like that forever and could use something new to spice it up. For the most part I don't care about the sets, but sometimes change can really freshen up the look of the show, and I now that there are a lot of people that are the opposite of me and put a ton of stock into the look of the show, and would be thrilled by this. The audio upgrade just makes sense with the move to HD, and will also make many people happy.


Your News: The Memphis Daily News has an article up talking about how local wrestling promoter Cory Machlin has filed a lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE for pulling Jerry Lawler from a match he booked between Lawler and Hulk Hogan in Memphis, TN last year. Lawler had to pull out of the match at the last minute, saying his WWE announcer's contract wouldn't allow him to work the match since footage would be shot for Hogan's VH1 TV show. McMahon and Hogan were not on good terms at the time and WWE did not want anything to do with him or his VH1 show. Paul "Big Show" Wight ended up taking Lawler's place. Machlin now claims that WWE violated Anti-Trust laws and that McMahon used his influence to keep wrestlers from working with him.

My Views: Now this is very interesting for a few reasons. Now I am not a "legal" person and don't claim to have a full knowledge of the law, BUT, WWE may, MAY, have some problems here. WWE said Lawler couldn't do the show because footage could air on the Hogan Knows Best show, which is technically true. Back when Lawler was working MLW, WWE pulled him because they were airing on Sun Sports and it violated his contract. BUT…WWE footage and such has been featured on the Hogan Knows Best show on and off since it began. Hogan and Vince were on bad terms because Hogan wanted main event money for WM, Vince told him to fuck off and that's why Hogan was trying to put together a big independent show. But the fact that they had allowed footage, especially of Vince McMahon doesn't help their case. Also, at the time Big Show was VERY anti-WWE; even going as far to make the comment that Big Show was "His slave name." Machlin may have been depending on Show to be a part of this and testify on his behalf, but with Show headed back to McMahon-Land, I don't see that happening. Like most legal cases against WWE I don't expect much to come from this, but in ways Machlin does have a case and it will be interesting to see how this ends up playing out.


FUN WITH JR'S BLOG…BY THOUGHTS IN BOLD~!:On Ric Flair: Many fans were disappointed that Ric Flair was not on Raw Monday and I don't know why he wasn't but I do know that many fans are talking about the Flair retirement scenario wherever I travel. Hopefully "Naitch" will make an appearance next Monday when Raw originates from Mobile, Alabama.

I think people are disappointed because they started this angle and it is booked so unevenly that it is difficult for some to get into. Also, Gewertz doesn't think Ric Flair talking does anything good for the show. We have discussed this before, but Gewertz doesn't think anything Flair has to say is relevant and never watched Flair in his prime, so he doesn't understand. He also thinks that Flair needs to be scripted. I hate Brian Gewertz .

On how wrestling isn't as extreme anymore: I think wrestlers are taking less stupid chances than they did at times in the past, when everyone seemingly was trying to out-sensationalize the other and basic wrestling and mat psychology became a dying art. I don't think fewer of these "I have to go through 6 tables to get a rise out of the audience" moves have anything to do with the corporate world though.

I completely agree with this. There is a time and place for the over the top stuff, and when it makes sense and builds right those moments are great, not if you see it all the time. This goes back to my Abyss argument, no one cares about him bleeding and taking tacks every week because they see it EVERY WEEK. Hell, he even does that shit on house shows. Crazy Stupid bastard.

On Bret Hart: I received a nice email Tuesday from Bret "The Hitman" Hart, who is relaxing in Hawaii after his exhausting book tour. I have not spoken to a single individual who has read Bret's book who hasn't said that the book wasn't simply awesome. I can't wait to read it and the one common denominator regarding the book is that it is honest.

I have heard this from about everyone that has read the book, but have also heard just as much that, as usual Bret thinks way too highly of himself and also tells some fucked up stories. Messed up shit like he and Owen showering with their brothers and getting pissed on…yeah, level headed family there.

On Britney Spears: Does anyone else think that Britney Spears needs to be committed before she leaves her two little boys without a mom? Good grief, when is enough of this foolishness enough? Can someone please say intervention? Britney gets more, albeit negative, pub than anyone in show business. Where are "her people," but more importantly, where in the hell are her parents?

Really JR? Britney? Really? I am not saying I disagree, but really JR?

On Candice & Helms: Candice is due back in January as I last heard, but Helms is more likely to return in 4-6 months from neck surgery. I HAVE HEARD THAT HELMS IS DOING BETTER. THE FIRST FEW MONTHS OF HIS RECOVERY HAVE BEEN CHALLENGING.

WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME JR? I DID NOTHING TO MAKE YOU ANGRY! BUT I AM GLAD THAT HELMS IS DOING BETTER, EVEN THOUGH HE HAS HAD A TOUGH RECOVERY TIME. HOPEFULLY HE COMES BACK SOON. I ALSO MISS THE HURRICANE. As far as Candice goes, it is good that her recovery went so well out of what could have been an even worse injury. That was a scary moment when she got hurt. Hopefully with her back fulltime they start to get more serious with the women's division, because there is talent there as well as waiting in the wings of developmental.

On Jeff Hardy: For any fan to compare Jeff Hardy to HBK isn't fair to Jeff. HBK has a long body of work that will live for years to come. Jeff needs to put several years of great matches together before he can be compared to Shawn Michaels, in my opinion. However, there is no one hotter than Jeff Hardy in the WWE, as we speak. I hope Jeff's dreams come true, for sure.

Agreed, love or hate Shawn he has had a career that is almost impossible to compare others too. The important thing right now is that Jeff is motivated, is being booked well, the crowd is responding and it is all working. If he and Orton have a good match at the Rumble, I hope that Hardy gets a shot later in the year to truly run with the big dogs.

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Intermission kids, let's party!

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Triple H Turns On HBK…:
How could you Hunter, we were like brothers…



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411 PODCASTS~!

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TNA stories, scuttlebutt and rumors:

Your News: Ticket sales for TNA's Against All Odds PPV in Greensviille South Carolina aren't doing well. Right now the advance sales are under 1,000 tickets sold.

My Views: Man, there's no way to spin that. This is BAD news for TNA kids. First of all, I would venture to say that it is lack of publicity. I know people that emailed in and said that they life right there and had no clue about the event until they saw a 30-second package on Impact about the PPV, and they live IN THE TOWN. That is never good. Also, I would venture to say that ticket prices are a major problem. They are charging upwards of $150 for seats. You can get floor seats in groups still, I checked because we thought about going until I had to replace the exhaust on my car. TNA has limited exposure as compared to WWE, and while this IS a PPV and they HAVE to make money, I feel that they cannot charge quite this much for their shows. Also, if they had cheaper ticket prices, they would have a better-filled arena I would think. And having the arena fuller, and making a decent amount of money is better than a mostly empty arena and making next to no money. They still have a few weeks, since the show isn't until February 12th, but they really need to kick up the promotion of the event and maybe offer some ticket specials through their website or something. I hope that things pick up for them, but as of today things are not looking good.


Your News: Team 3D still has another year left on their TNA contracts.

My Views: There had been a lot of rumors circulating from "NOOZ SYTEZ" that 3D was working without a contract, that they were going to sign with WWE, bring the X-Title with them and all of that good shit. And to make things worse, they attribute these things to the Observer Newsletter. The truth of the matter is that they don't have a subscription and are working on rumors and making up news, which gives a lot of people that did nothing wrong a bad rep. Anyway, as for 3D, Devon wanted to stay because they live in Florida, own a school there and he feels secure in TNA. Ray likes TNA, but wanted to explore WWE eventually because he feels they have one more run and that he especially could transition into an Agent role there. Bottom line is that they are with TNA for about another year at the very least, unless something happens, and that's all there is to say about that.


Your News: Gail Kim suffered a concussion in her match Monday night with Awesome Kong.

My Views: There were reports of her suffering a leg injury at the PPV, but again, that was false reporting with the people reporting it claiming it was Mike Johnson at PWInsider that reported it, which he never did. But the concussion is a real deal, which if it happened when I think it did (early on, when she got slammed to the steps, she looked rocked there) then she did a hell of a job fighting through the rest of the match. Hopefully she will take off the proper time to recover and not rush back to the ring too soon.


Your News: While talent was informed about the beginning of drug testing, there was no follow up on potential punishment for failures.

My Views: Why am I not surprised? Seriously, I hope that they get their shit together with this, but I am not surprised that they aren't getting to specific or don't want anyone of the guys discussing this deal. I'll still take a wait and see approach here and hope for the best, but thus far, I don't have a lot of confidence.


Your News: Samoa Joe is currently being groomed for the TNA World Title. They are working on the right timing for Angle to drop the title, which is why they have been holding off on singles title matches for Joe.

My Views: As I said in the 2008 TNA Roundtable, "I would figure that it has to happen this year. If it doesn't then I have no clue what they are smoking in the booking meetings. But the question to me isn't will he win it, but when he wins it, will it be too late to mean anything? When Raven won the NWA Title it was too late to mean anything. It was cool, but it was well over a year (maybe two) after they had the greatest single build to a title match in the company's history. Let's hope that this doesn't happen when Joe wins the title. And that's how I feel here. I do feel that, at least in their mind they are setting him up and they probably also think it will be an EPIC, INDUSTRY CHANGING EVENT. And it would have been, a year ago. But on the list of problems TNA has, one of them is "timing." They have lacked it throughout their history and continue to do so here. Will I he happy for Joe if he wins? Hell yes. Will it lead to great matches? Hell yes. Will it be too late to make a huge impact? Hell yes. And that's a damn shame.


Your News: Chris Masters has spoken to friends in TNA about coming to the company. Most feel that at his age, 25, and with his size he will eventually be brought back to WWE and he shouldn't get himself tied down to a contract.

My Views: His friends there have also told him that since he didn't have a big name, he probably wouldn't be used all that much. If I am Chris Masters, and I wasn't to improve to the point that I can get a contract with WWE again, I take a page from Tomko. He has already been to Japan since his release, go and work primarily there. Live, eat and shit pro wrestling. Drown yourself in it and soak it in like a sponge. Look, 2-years ago no one would have said, "Man, that Tomko, he's really become one of the best tag guys in the business, and him promos, wow, they're good shit. The man looks like a star." But that's what is happening, and if you don't realize that then shame on you for six-weeks. I am not saying that Masters can be great, but he has physical gifts, good size and if he is motivated then he could become a guy that, at the very least, could be a good mid-card guy. He was brought up too early, he was given a gimmick of "The Masterpiece." He used steroids to stay big, got busted, came back and was then mocked on national TV by co-workers. He would get busted again and fired. He never had a fighting chance, and maybe if he is serious and works hard, maybe he'll get that chance.

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~The HOTTNESS of Rebecca Knox~

She OOZES sex…

Independent News

Your News: Bobby Heenan underwent another surgery a few days ago. Doctors closed the opening in his rebuilt jaw.

My Views: The recovery process continues for the Brain. If you ever appreciated Heenan, if he ever made you laugh, if you ever appreciated please send your thoughts, positive thoughts, prayers or what not out to him. A true legend in this business we love that is still going through a very difficult time.


Your News: American Gladiators did a 6.2 fast national rating last night. That is a strong number, especially considering that it went up against the BCS Championship Game. They have been signed for the full season.

My Views: SWEET! While in many ways I love the old show more, I have really enjoyed the newest version of American Gladiators. I miss some stuff, like Breakthrough and Conquer, and this does remind me a lot of the UK Gladiators, which annoyed me at times, I just dig it. I dig people trying to prove themselves against other people, Gina Carano is hot, and WOLF is a crazy bastard. There is a lot to love on this show. Of course this could take a turn for the worst and pull an XFL and begin to tank, and if it does, I'll blame each and every one of you! It was announced today that they have been picked up for a second season. HOORAY GLADIATORS~!


Your News: Big Vision has released the official match listing for their Rey Misterio Jr. DVD:

1. Rey Misterio Jr. y Torrero vs. Jerry Estrada y Negro Aztecas
2. Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrera
3. Rey Misterio Jr. y Octagon vs. KGB y Pentagon
4. Rey Misterio Jr., Super Calo y Leon Negro vs. Juventud Guerrera, Psicosis y Halloween
5. Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrera
6. Rey Misterio Jr., Super Calo y Leon Negro vs. Los Hombres De Ex
7. Bonus Match - Mask vs. Mask: Ultraman 2000 vs. Psicosis

My Views: Rey vs. Juvi, check. Rey vs. Juvi again; check! Jerry Estrada, Octagon, Super Calo, Halloween and Psicosis; CHECK! I am all over this bad boy. I should be receiving a review copy of this shortly, and will review it as soon as possible to let you know how good it is.


Your News: The Cauliflower Alley Club will be awarding Bret Hart their highest honor, the 2008 Iron Mike Mazurki award on June 11th in Las Vegas.

Also being honored will be Pat Patterson, who will be getting the Lifetime Achievement Award, and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, who will receive the Lou Thesz Award.

My Views: I would like to offer congratulations to these deserving men.


Your News: The reason the Briscoe Brothers dropped the tag titles to The Age of the Fall were two fold. First of all the promotion wanted to give fans something special since there was no ROH Title match that night. Secondly, Gabe Sapolsky believed that he had pushed the Briscoe Brothers so hard and so long, that nobody bought into their challengers. They felt the time was right to change things up and place the Briscoe Brothers in the classic "chase" role.

My Views: As I said in Buy or Sell this week, "They started this so long ago it seems with the Project 161, pictures of the Briscoe's on gimmicked web sites and such. They made the huge debut at MAN UP and beat them down, bloodied them and then hung one of the brothers. If they would have went into the feud and then the Briscoe's just won in a 2 of 3 falls match and moved on, they would have wasted months of build and hype, and essentially they would have made the Age of the Fall look like shit. Instead the story has played out, the AoTF has been booked to look strong and it makes sense for them to win the titles. Now they can run with the titles, while the faces, Briscoe's can play the chase game. To me this makes total sense, I'm down with it." Also, I agree with the theory that the Briscoe's have been built so well that the intrigue has been lacking for a lot of the title defenses, not all, but a good bit of them, in my opinion. They are over, the loss doesn't hurt them, it advances the program and now they get to do the chase, which should make for a very good program overall and again, I'm down with it.


Your News: KENTA will not be back with the promotion (ROH) in 2008. NOAH didn't renew his US Work Visa, the move is said to be a financial one as they feel that KENTA has received enough US exposure.

My Views: I have to say that I am not that surprised. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed KENTA'S time in ROH a lot, but I think that it was the time to return to NOAH. They obviously have big plans for KENTA, and I feel that is the reason for this. They want him around and at their disposal with no outside bookings to worry about. Overall I don't think it is that big a loss for ROH, they have a ton of talent and Takeshi Morishima and Namichi Marufuji both had their US Work Visa's renewed and are expected to be a part of ROH in 2008. Also, Go Shiozaki is expected to come to ROH as a regular around March and work a lot with the company. While I have not seen it, Shiozaki is getting a lot of hype from his match with Danielson back when ROH went to Japan. If it was good and they have good chemistry, I wouldn't rule out a program between the two, possibly over the ROH Title. Speaking of the ROH Title…


Your News: ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness is 100% after suffering a concussion, broken nose and needing stitches on 12/29. His next World Title defense will be in Tokyo, Japan at the world famous Korakuen Hall. Go Shiozaki challenged McGuinness for a World Title Match and the bout will take place on 1/20 in Tokyo.

My Views: Well now this is interesting. With Go Shiozaki set to come into ROH on a regular basis, I would think that this is setting the stage for a possible world title feud/run for him. I will be very interested to see how this particular match plays out.


Your News: Former WWE star Chris Nowinski was Ring of Honor event in Boston, MA to meet with Ring of Honor officials to work on a method of preventing and dealing with concussions suffered by ROH performers as the company, realizing their high impact style, wants to be proactive towards protecting their wrestlers' health.

My Views: I think that this is an excellent idea and am pleased that ROH realizes that the style some of the guys work does lead to concussions and that they want to do something about that. A sign that they are taking this seriously is that Jay Briscoe was reportedly knocked out Friday night in Boston as he apparently tilted his head wrong when taking a super kick from Jigsaw. Even though he wasn't diagnosed with a concussion, ROH officials opted to run an injury angle Saturday in Edison New Jersey for safety reasons. I commend this attitude and hope that they keep up with this, good work ROH.


Your News: Sir Oliver Humperdink was released from the hospital on January 5th. He was suffering from pneumonia and congestive heart failure. At this time his heart isn't strong enough to pump out the water his body is producing. He has to go on a special low sodium diet and has to restrict fluid intake.

My Views: I always hate to hear about things like this, as I don't like to hear about people suffering. Let's all hope that Sir Oliver recovers quickly from this condition.

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+++Comment Section Fun! ~!+++

Reader Comment: Anyone who has read the Scott Keith columns on insidepulse knows that Csonka's column is an obvious rip off. And if you compare the two, it's no contest. Csonka has a weird "personal enjoyment" metric that doesn't seem to be based on anything in particular, and frankly, isn't enjoyable to read

My Response: First of all, I didn't realize retro review things were exclusive to one person. Secondly, when JD was doing his I didn't hear a big stink about it. Thirdly it isn't the same, they did reviews, and I do a break down deal of the shows. Fourthly if you don't understand "Larry's Enjoyment Index," then I cannot help you. If you don't like them, no one is forcing you to read them! It is cool if you don't like my writing, it is cool if you don't like me, but really, some of you come off like stalkers.

If you want to complain about me, email Ashish: [e-mail]


Reader Comment: Larry has continued to allow this site to be free and doesn't have an overabundance of irritating advertising. You could jackoffs should be grateful and stop complaining.

My Response: As much as I would love to take credit for that, this particular honor goes to the big boss Ashish. Ashish is determined to keep 411 free and has done an excellent job of doing so.


Reader Comment: American Gladiators suffers from one thing...Not enough Larry Csonka!

My Response: I tried to pitch them the idea of a new Csonka for the new show, but that Hulk Hogan guy is a bit more popular than I am.


Reader Comment: What happened to the podcast??

My Response: Christi and Hana have been sick, which have caused the shows to be cancelled. I know no one wanted to listen to me for 40-minutes or how ever long it may have been. Don't fear, the new show is up, we'll have one for the ROH PPV Friday with Ari as a guest again and then another Sunday on various things. Then we'll be having a Rumble Preview show with Mathew Sforcina LIVE from Australia and then the Rumble breakdown. We're sorry we had to miss two shows, but we'll be back on track soon enough.


Reader Comment: Is it just me or is Russo working up to an Established Star/New Blood angle for TNA? I mean Joe 'shoots' on the status quo, you've got confrontations with Booker/Roode, Kaz/Rhodes, Petey/Steiner, MCMG/3D, Abyss/Judas Mesias even VKM are getting a title shot (!). Ever get the feeling you've seen it all before? Don't get me wrong I ain't knocking it, if worked right it could be instrumental in putting a lot of the younger guys over, but given the experience of WCW where the old guard berried the new blood, I'm not too hopeful.

My Response: Yeah, IF done right. But unfortunately Russo underestimates the audience. While we can bitch about some of these guys until we are blue in the face, the crowd can and probably would turn on the angle, like in WCW. Hell, they are already rebelling on Joe and that's not a good thing.


Reader Comment on the WWE 2008 Roundtable Feature: I think CM Punk has a great chance at being a breakout star IF he goes to Smackdown. He could have a US Title feud with MVP. He fits much better on Smackdown where he won't be overshadowed by huge star power the way he would be on Raw. If Punk goes to Raw he has little chance of making any impact on such a main-event heavy roster and second HHH feels threatened by Punk he will crush him. I definitely think Matt should be Smackdown Champ in 2008 it makes sense with Edge especially at Matt's desire to take the title from Edge. A Summerslam title win would go in long way in Matt's career. I don't think Jeff Hardy should get the title and while I think MVP should get a title match against Matt after Summerslam but he shouldn't win the title this year because he is not ready. The only way WM does 1 million buys is with participation in the event by a huge star or someone the media is obsessed with like Kevin Federline. An appearance by the rarely seen Federline MIGHT give the WWE enough free pub to break a million buys.


Reader Comment on the WWE 2008 Roundtable Feature: Hey Larry just thought I would pass along some of my thoughts on your 2008 roundtable discussion.

Your thoughts on WWE's break out star of 2008…
My initial reaction was Shelton Benjamin, aside from his forced "Gold Standard" catch phrase. ( how good does a gold standard have to be on the C show?) because I do see is eventual feud with Punk putting Benjamin's name back on the map, But I got to go with Jeff Hardy. I think Hardy, and in turn the WWE will surprise everyone on this one. I do not think the E has forgotten Jeff's last run at the big belt, before his release from his first tenure. The 'E', and the Undertaker especially, did a lot to get the younger Hardy on par with the main event guys. Doesn't anybody remember the ladder match that Jeff had with the then, unified champion Undertaker? Do not think for a second that the E forgot how much people were clamoring for Jeff to finally beat the Undertaker. Anyway, my point is, that I think this will be Hardy's year to break out and really prove himself as the overall better Hardy. No I don't just mean in the ring, people seem to forget that there is so much more to being a wrestling superstar, than just in ring ability. The younger Hardy has the one thing his brother seems to be lacking, that elusive IT factor.

Your thoughts on Matt Hardy winning the World/WWE Title in 2008…
Personally I do not see it happening. I watch raw most weeks with people I would call casual fans, they watch, but don't worry if they miss the show. Matt is constantly referred to as Jeff's brother, because he is viewed as the lesser Hardy. Not saying that the people I watch Raw with would reflect the views of all casual fans, but I'd be willing to bet that there are more than a few that share this view. As I stated before, I like Matt Hardy, I thought he was never more entertaining than in his V.1 era. I feel the elder Hardy lacks a certain IT quality, and he actually benefits from having an over the top character the likes of V.1. Like others in the round table I can see Matt getting invited to the prom, but he is not going to get felt up during any slow dances.

Your thoughts on Jeff Hardy winning the World/WWE Title in 2008…
I absolutely see this happening. At the Rumble? No, but by the end of the year, abso-frickin-lutely. I covered this above, so there is really nothing more to say on the subject. But I will go so far as to predict: Jeff Hardy will win the WWE/World Title by Survivor Series. I even have a scenario for it: Hardy will lose at the Rumble due to shenanigans. He will be in the Elimination Chamber at No Way Out, but will not win the match after doing something stupidly death defying. Orton will hold the title from whomever he defends against at WM. Jeff will win another title shot via money in the bank. He will cash that in the night after WM, but will be DQ'd due to the returning John Cena running in to beat down Orton. The next week Cena calls out Hardy, and offers his apologies for costing him the match, and tells Hardy that if he is willing to step aside so Cena can handle his business with Orton, Cena will guarantee Hardy the first shot. Hardy reluctantly agrees. meanwhile Hardy continues to defend his IC title in rivalries with Kennedy, and a fresh to Raw CM Punk.
Cena eventually wins the WWE title back from Orton, lets say they do a lights out unsanctioned street fight at backlash so the title cannot be defended there, but maybe at Judgment Day, or One Night Stand. From here you go one of two ways, depending on how the fans treat Cena. Personally I would like to see it go the way of Cena getting hated on by the fans, and we finally get that Cena heel turn due to him refusing to give Hardy his promised title shot. This leads to Hardy going on a mission and finally getting his shot and his Title at Summerslam. Unfortunately we know that the E does not book that far ahead, so we can forget that. Anyway, sorry I got off track, hardy will win the title in 2008.

Your thoughts on WWE's Women's Division in 2008…
When folks in the WWE start reading that people are watching TNA simply for the women's wrestling then we will see a change, until then, it is more mindless T&A, and halfway decent wresting.

For more interesting information on wrestling and reviews, check out Bryan Alvarez and Figure Four Weekly Online as well as Mike Campbell over at SPLASH MOUNTAIN!