The Custom Made News Report 02.17.08

Posted by Ryan Byers on 02.17.2008

Two deaths in the world of professional wrestling, a WWE No Way Out Preview, trouble for the Machine Guns in TNA, and much more.

Welcome, one and all, to the Custom Made News Report. As always, I am Ryan Byers, and I'm here to bring you all the latest from the world of professional wrestling. This weekend has and will continue to be absolutely huge for the grappling world, with WWE, New Japan, the Inoki Genome Federation, and FIP all holding major cards. With that said, we'd better get started on running down all of the insanity . . .

Weaver, Sharon Pass

We've got unfortunate news to begin the report, as the past two weeks have seen the death of two influential professional wrestlers. (Two influential wrestlers whose careers are in no way, shape, or form connected, but two influential wrestlers nonetheless.)


Johnny Weaver

The first of these men is Johnny Weaver, who wrestled throughout the country during his four decade long career, with his best known work coming in the old Mid-Atlantic territory during the 1960's and 1970's. Weaver, who was born in 1935 in East Saint Louis, Illinois, wrestled his first match at the age of twenty-two, making several stops throughout the eastern half of the United States (perhaps most notably in Indiana) before signing on with Jim Crockett, Sr.'s North Carolina-based promotion in 1962. His first match in Charlotte, the heart of the territory, was against relatively obscure wrestler Eddie Auger. It was an inauspicious first match in, but things would only pick up from there. In the latter part of 1964, Walker formed a regular team with George Becker, and the two would go on to become what was definitely the most popular act in Mid-Atlantic at the time and what probably ranks as one of the three most popular acts in the history of the promotion. The duo would hold the Mid-Atlantic version of the NWA Southern Tag Team Titles and its successor championship the NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Titles a combined nine times between the years of 1965 and 1971, feuding with such legendary names as Paul Jones, Rip Hawke, Swede Hanson, Bronko Lubich, and Gene and Ole Anderson. He also wrestled for the NWA World Heavyweight Title several times during this period, taking on Buddy Rogers, Lou Thesz, and Dory Funk, Jr. when those individuals traveled through the Carolinas.

Weaver's contributions to professional wrestling go far beyond his title reigns and classic matches, though. Perhaps the biggest part of his legacy will be the sleeper hold. The move, which was supposedly introduced to professional wrestling by Jim Londos in 1931, became Weaver's finishing hold at the height of his popularity. The move and the man were so well-associated in the Mid-Atlantic territory that, as part of a late 1980's angle in Jim Crockett Promotions, Dusty Rhodes began using a sleeper that he referred to as the "Weaver Lock." Almost as closely associated with Weaver is his time in the announcing booth. After putting the bulk of his in-ring career behind him, Weaver became Mid-Atlantic's number one color commentator for almost an entire decade. His call of, "Turn out the lights. The party's over," is well-remembered by numerous fans of the era.

The lights turned out for Weaver on February 15, 2008 in his Charlotte home. His death is believed to have been the result of natural causes. He is survived by ex-wife Penny Banner (a wrestling legend in her own right) and their daughter Wendi.


Babe Sharon

Our second recently deceased wrestler comes from a completely different walk of life. He was born Ocatvio Armando Haro Oliva on June 18, 1954 in Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico. Wrestling was in his family's blood, and he would spend many hours learning of the sport from his grandfather, who had worked throughout Mexico under the name Carrillo. Additional training from prolific lucha libre "maestro" Diablo Velasco resulted in the young man making his pro debut in the early 1970's as Guerrero Samurai. He would hold on to that gimmick for several years before ultimately losing it in a mask versus mask match to El Imposter.

It was without his mask that Armando (as he was known to friends) would gain his most fame. At this point, he adopted the persona "Babe Sharon" and became what is referred to in lucha libre as an "exotico." The exotico, for those not aware, is a wrestling transvestite. It may sound odd to American fans, but such characters are actually an accepted part of Mexican professional wrestling to the degree that, at any given point in the last several decades, numerous men throughout the country have been working with such a gimmick on mainstream wrestling shows. Babe Sharon in particular would take the gimmick to great heights, forming a formidable three man team with Sergio El Hermoso and Bello Greco in the late 1970's. Sharon would also compete against legends of the lucha libre world in singles competition, most notably suffering a hair versus hair loss to Villano I, the eldest brother in the five sibling Villano clan. Sharon continued to wrestle through the 1990's and even made some appearances in the early part of this decade before being forced in to retirement.

Sharon, who was 53, is believed to have passed away as a result of heart problems. We here at 411mania send our condolences to the families of both Babe Sharon and Johnny Weaver.

All the Stuff from Stamford

PPV Preview: WWE No Way Out

WWE No Way Out

- This will be the tenth No Way Out pay per view.
- No Way Out is one of very few WWE pay per views to go on a hiatus.
- The No Way Out name was first used in 1998 and then disappeared until 2000.
- The event has been held every year since its return 2000.
- This will be the second year that No Way Out has emanated from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
- The event was first held at the Thomas & Mack Center in 2001.
- Over the years, No Way Out has played host to twenty-five title matches and thirteen title changes.
- The title to change hands most frequently at No Way Out is the WWE Cruiserweight Title, which has been defended five times on the show with four new champions being crowned.
- The Cruiserweight Title is currently inactive and not scheduled to be defended on this year's show.
- No Way Out is one of few WWE pay per views on which a non-WWE title has been defended.
- This took place in 1998, when Jeff Jarrett put his NWA North American Title on the line against Bradshaw.

Chavo Guerrero, Jr. (c) vs. CM Punk for the ECW Title

- This will be the second time that the ECW Title has been defended at No Way Out.
- The only prior defense of the belt at this show saw Ken Kennedy defeating champion Bobby Lashley by disqualification last year.
- This will be CM Punk's No Way Out debut.
- Chavo Gurrero, Jr.'s No Way Out Record is 3-0.
- It is interesting to note that all three of Chavo's prior No Way Out wins came in title matches.
- Chavo has even gone over Ring of Honor alumni in his prior No Way Out wins, including Paul London, Brian Kendrick, Super Crazy, and Little Guido.
- However, this will be the first time at No Way Out that he is vying for a championship other than the Cruiserweight Title.
- This will also be the first time that Chavo comes in to No Way Out as a champion instead of as a challenger.

Ric Flair vs. Ken Kennedy

- Ric Flair will be forced to retire if he loses this match.
- This will not be the first time that a wrestler's career has been on the line at No Way Out.
- In 2000, Mick Foley promised to retire if he could not defeat Triple H in a Hell in a Cell match.
- Foley lost that contest but has since returned to WWE on numerous occasions.
- Despite having a career that is far longer than that of most active pro wrestlers, this will be Ric Flair's first match at No Way Out.
- Kennedy's No Way Out record is 1-0, though that victory came by disqualification.

Batista vs. Fit Finlay vs. Montel Vontavious Porter vs. Viscera vs. The Great Khali vs. The Undertaker in an Elimination Chamber Match

- Assuming that this match takes place before the scheduled Raw Elimination Chamber, it will be the sixth such match in WWE history.
- These matches also mark the first times that a title has not been at stake in the Elimination Chamber.
- This will be the first time that an Elimination Chamber match has been promoted by the Smackdown "brand."
- This will be the first time that the Great Khali has wrestled either at No Way out or in an Elimination Chamber.
- Fit Finlay's No Way Out record is 1-0.
- This will be the first time that Finlay has participated in an Elimination Chamber.
- Montel Porter's No Way Out Record is 0-1.
- This will be the first time that MVP has participated in an Elimination Chamber.
- Viscera's No Way Out record is 0-1.
- Viscera's only prior No Way Out appearance took place eight years ago.
- This will be the first time that Viscera has participated in an Elimination Chamber.
- The Undertaker's No Way Out record is a surprisingly poor 2-4.
- This will be the first time that the Undertaker has participated in an Elimination Chamber.
- Batista's No Way Out record is 0-1.
- This will be the second time that Batista has participated in an Elimination Chamber.
- In Batista's first Elimination Chamber appearance, he scored two eliminations.

Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho vs. John "Bradshaw" Layfield vs. Umaga vs. Shawn Michaels in an Elimination Chamber Match

- This will be the fifth time that the Raw "brand" has promoted an Elimination Chamber match.
- The match was initially exclusive to Raw, having been (in storyline terms) invented by the show's general manager Eric Bischoff in 2002.
- This will be the first time that Umaga has wrestled either at No Way out or in an Elimination Chamber.
- Jeff Hardy's No Way Out record is 1-3.
- This will be the first time that Jeff Hardy has participated in an Elimination Chamber.
- John "Bradshaw" Layfield's No Way Out record is 4-1.
- This will be the first time that Layfield has participated in an Elimination Chamber.
- Chris Jericho's No Way Out record is 3-1.
- Chris Jericho has previously competed in three Elimination Chambers.
- In his prior three Elimination Chamber appearances, Jericho scored four eliminations.
- This means that Chris Jericho has the most eliminations in Chamber history.
- Shawn Michaels' No Way Out record is 1-0.
- Shawn Michaels has previously competed in three Elimination Chambers.
- Shawn Michaels was also guest referee for a fourth Elimination Chamber.
- In his prior three Elimination Chamber appearances, Michaels scored three eliminations.
- Shawn Michaels won the first Elimination Chamber match, in which the Smackdown Title was at stake.
- Triple H's No Way Out record is 3-2.
- Triple H has previously competed in three Elimination Chambers.
- Triple H won two of those three matches, giving him more Elimination Chamber victories than any other wrestler in WWE.
- It is interesting to note that the only time Triple H has made an elimination in a Chamber match is in the contest's final fall.

Edge (c) vs. Rey Misterio, Jr. for the WWE Smackdown Title

- As noted elsewhere on the site, Rey Misterio, Jr. was injured earlier this week on WWE's South American tour.
- As such, he is now questionable for this match with no definite replacement having been named as of this writing.
- This will be only the second time that the Smackdown Title has been defended at No Way Out.
- In that one prior defense, the title did not change hands.
- That match saw Kurt Angle defeat the Undertaker in 2006.
- That match was voted Match of the Year in 411's 2006 Year End Awards.
- Edge's No Way Out record is 2-1.
- Edge is 1-1 in title matches at No Way Out.
- Rey Misterio, Jr.'s No Way Out record is 1-2.
- Rey Misterio, Jr. is 1-1 in title matches at no Way Out.

Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena for the WWE Raw Title

- This will be the sixth time that the Raw Title has been defended at No Way Out.
- In its five prior defenses, the title has changed hands twice at No Way Out.
- It is interesting to note that the two men to previously win the title at No Way Out are no longer involved in professional wrestling.
- The first was the Rock, and the second was Eddy Guerrero.
- Randy Orton's No Way Out record is 1-0.
- John Cena's No Way Out record is 2-1.

A V8 That Doesn't Involve Tomatoes

WWE set my heart aflutter earlier this week when they announced that they would be releasing WWE: The Music, Volume 8. Entrance music CDs always wind up being some of my favorite pieces of pro wrestling merchandise next to DVDs. Granted, wrestlers generally don't come out to musical history's greatest artistic achievements, but there's something about the majority of themes the manages to get me pumped up. Hell, I'll even admit to a few of them having pretty catchy hooks. Thus, I was rather interested when the track listing for the new disc hit the internet. Let's take a look at it:

1.) "No More Words" by Endevetafter (Jeff Hardy)
2.) "SOS" by Collie Budz (Kofi Kingston)
3.) "Glamazon" by James A. Johnston (Beth Phoenix)
4.) "The Wall" by Heat Mobb (Mark Henry)
5.) "In the Middle of it Now" by Disciple (Rated Rmy)
6.) "Sliced Bread" by James A. Johnston (Jillian Hall)
7.) "No Chance in Hell" by Theory of a Deadman (Vince McMahon)
8.) "ECW Theme" by ???
9.) "Biscuits & Gravy" by James A. Johnston (Jesse & Festus Dalton)
10.) "What Love Is" by James A. Johnston (Candice Michelle)
11.) "This Ain't No Make Believe" by James A. Johnston (Johnny Nitro)
12.) "Ain't No Stoppin' Me" by Axel Rose (Shelton Benjamin)
13.) "Turn Up the Trouble" by Airbourne (Ken Kennedy)
14.) "Break Down the Walls" by James Grundler (Chris Jericho)

All in all, I'd say that this isn't a horrible lineup, providing a solid mix of previously unreleased tracks and a few old favorites performed by new artists. I'm particularly interested in getting my hands on Kingston's current music, and the updated version Shelton's song by AXEL ROSE of all people should be interesting if nothing else. The only track on the list that we definitely know to be a stinker is Candice's music, which is putrid and should be erased from history immediately. (After humanity has wiped itself out in a nuclear war, alien races will discover that song amongst the ruins of our charred society and cite it as evidence that we deserved our fate.) And, in a side note indicative of just how much ECW bores me, I now watch the show so little that I can't even tell you what their current theme music sounds like. Not so much as a note.

My other big hope related to this project is that we don't have any of the current awesome theme music used by WWE wrestlers ousted for less enjoyable tracks. This is all too common an occurrence. Who could forget the Big Show looking awkward as all hell entering to the rap version of his theme from the WWF Aggression CD or, worse yet, Chris Jericho sauntering down the aisle to Saliva's painfully humdrum "King of My World?" This sort of thing seems to happen every time that the promotion puts out a new CD, though fortunately they always come to their sense quickly and make things right. All I know for sure is that if Vince McMahon's classic song is replaced for even one week by a second rate cover, somebody is getting a nasty letter.

WWE: The Music, Volume 8 is scheduled for release on March 25.

Random Video Interlude

We're all familiar with Vincent Kennedy McMahon's current heel character on WWE television, and we know that it's existed in some form or another since 1998. However, how many of you realize that Vince had an opportunity to play a heel before that?

Well, it happened. Check out this Vince promo from 1993, which is part of an angle in the Memphis-based USWA that saw several WWF wrestlers "invading" the promotion.



To view videos that have appeared in previous editions of the Custom Made News Report, be sure to check out my new YouTube page.

The Word from Dixieland

Yet Another Global Impact

The working relationship between TNA Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling continues to progress, as several stars of the promotion have spent the last several days in the Land of the Rising Sun, competing in numerous high profile matches and preparing for more that are yet to come.

The action began on Saturday in Tokyo, as Antonio Inkoi's "Inoki Genome Federation" promoted a show which featured some TNA talent. The last IGF show was to have featured Booker T., but the promotion failed to get him proper clearance to enter the country. T's inadvertent no-show drew a strong negative reaction from the crowd who was on hand for that event. However, Booker DID manage to make it to Japan this week. His opponent was former WWE coworker Yoshiro Tajiri, who the five-time WCW Champion defeated handily. The bigger TNA-related news on the card was an un-advertised appearance by Travis Tomko, who currently holds one half of the IWGP Tag Team Titles in New Japan. He threw down his belt and wrestled an impromptu match against former PRIDE mixed martial arts fighter and current pro wrestler Alexander Otsuka. Tomko handily won the contest, which was described as being an "MMA style" bout by Dave Meltzer over at the Wrestling Observer. (That would mean a fake match in which mixed martial arts was emulated, not a legitimate fight.) There was further speculation from Meltzer that the IGF may be Tomko's new home Japanese promotion once he fulfills his final obligations for New Japan.

That final obligation is actually scheduled to be fulfilled TODAY, as New Japan promotes its own show in Tokyo. This card will also feature numerous TNA stars. This list includes Tomko, who will be defending the aforementioned IWGP tag straps with partner Giant Bernard against Togi Makabe and Toru Yano. Many insiders are of the opinion that this will be the match in which long-time champions Bernard and Tomko finally relinquish the gold, setting Makabe and Yano up for a big run of their own. It's also worth noting that Makabe and Yano are the duo who lost to the Dudley Boys on the January 4 TNA versus NJPW show, which has resulted in rumors that the Duds are going to return to Japan for a shot at the belts not long after Makabe and Yano win them.

That's not the show's biggest match, though. In what should be an epic battle, Kurt Angle will be wrestling Shinsuke Nakamura with not one but two championship belts on the line. (And, no, I'm not talking about Angle's TNA strap.) For those of you who have not heard the story yet, Brock Lesnar was holding New Japan's IWGP Title when he walked out on the company in 2006. Though stripped of the title, Lensar retained the physical belt, taking it with him to the aforementioned Inoki Genome Federation and using it as that company's championship. He lost it to Kurt Angle in his first defense back on June 29, 2007, and Angle has kept the belt and his recognition as the IGF's champion ever since. New Japan, meanwhile, held a tournament to crown a new IWGP Champion, which was won by Hiroshi Tanahashi on July 17. Several title changes have taken place since then, resulting in the belt residing on Nakamura's waist. The two belts will now be unified, with the Japanese native being the odds-on favorite, particularly given the victory that New Japan gave Angle over Yuji Nagata in January.

Elsewhere on the card, Christopher Daniels, who currently wrestles in TNA as Curry Man, will take to the ring sans mask in non-title action against reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Wataru Inoue. This is a rematch of a contest between the two that occurred on the January 4 card, which saw Inoue successfully defending his championship against the Fallen Angel. My guess would be that Daniels somehow wins this one to set up a third match in the series with the belt on the line once more.

Rounding out the TNA contingent is AJ Styles, who will be wrestling Hiroshi Tanashi in a rematch from Total Nonstop Action's Final Resolution 2006 pay per view. Styles won that match when Shannon Moore's interference backfired, and I cannot imagine any result here other than Hiro getting his win back.

Be sure to check back here next week, where I will have complete results from the big show.

Murder City Machine Guns Moping

Last week, the nine or ten of you who bought TNA Against All Odds saw Jay Lethal, Chris Sabin, and Alex Shelley defeat the Dudley Boys and Johnny Devine in a six man street fight. Though the match managed to make Jay Lethal look like a HUGE star, there were still several people (including 411's own Danny Boy Wilcox) who hated the booking because it supposedly cut the knees out from under Shelley and Sabin. This was the case, the detractors claimed, because each member of the Guns wound up eating a 3D early in the match, after which they disappeared for upwards of eight minutes, never to be seen again. This, combined with a pre-match promo in which Bubba Dudley praised Lethal's heart but buried the Machine Guns, left several people with their eyebrows raised.

Well, now we may have an explanation for that interview and for that match, courtesy of PW Insider. According to the website, the street fight was laid out by Bubba Dudley himself. Originally the structure of the match had been designed to give Sabin and Shelley the big "rub," but that plan was changed because the Michiganders aren't exactly held in high regard backstage these days. Alleged knocks against the team are that they have shot down ideas for their storylines posed by the creative team and that they care too much about what internet fans think. Obviously, I don't hang around backstage at TNA shows and therefore can't provide independent confirmation of those stories. However, on this past Thursday's edition of Impact, I watched Shelley and Sabin cut promos that were supposed to put over the NASCAR racers who were guest starring on the show. In that segment, the two wrestlers off as men who absolutely hated their jobs and wanted to be anywhere else on the planet.

If the PWInsider story is true and if my assessment of the NASCAR promo is true, I have one thing to say to TNA and Bubba Dudley in regards to their treatment of the Machine Guns:

Good job.

I'll do that one more time, because I don't say it to TNA very often and don't want people to be confused:

Good job.

Yes, I know that the NASCAR angle was idiotic and had no place on television. Yes, I'd be willing to put money on the fact that whatever creative ideas the Guns ixnayed were painfully stupid. However, in the world where I come from, you do what your boss tells you to do, and you do it to the best of your ability. (With obvious exceptions existing for anything illegal or immoral.) If you don't like the particular task, your options are to put full effort in to the task despite your objections or quit. You don't repeatedly tell your boss how wrong he is, you don't embrace the opinions of a bunch of armchair quarterbacks as though they're the gospel, and you sure as hell don't half-ass your assigned tasks. Until the Machine Guns are ready to either be team players or put their money where their mouths are via leaving the promotion, they should be put in to roles like the one in which they were utilized at Against All Odds. There's no need for the promotion to invest time and effort in to individuals who are going to actively work against their vision of what professional wrestling is, even if that vision is dangerously flawed.

Linking In & Wrapping Up

And that just about does it for this week. However, before we go, I'd like to provide you all with a little bit of additional reading material from the fine folks at 411:

~ There is no finer folk at 411 than yours truly, so start off by reading my Impact Crater, during which I first noted Sabin and Shelley's odd NASCAR related behavior.

~ If you don't want to read about TNA, read some TJC! Of course, I'm talking about 411's own TJ Corke in The Seventh Dimension.

~ From what I'm told, Jarrod Westerfield does things on YouTube. I'm too old and unhip to follow the wrestling scene on that website, so I can't tell you much about his activities over there. However, what I can tell you about is his far more traditional, far more textual thoughts on grappling, which you can read here.

~ Hey, it's me again! I checked in with a couple of video reviews this week thanks to the generosity of Dr. Keith and Big Vision Entertainment. Take a look at my rundowns of Volume 1 and Volume 2 of The Very Best of GLOW. I will also have a review of Volume 3 up early in the coming week.

~ I'm not the only one talking about women's wrestling, though. Mike Campbell checked in with his second review from my favorite wrestling promotion, namely SHIMMER: Volume 6. Believe it or not, Mike liked this show a hell of a lot more than I did, as I still consider to be one of the weakest releases in the DVD series.

And that'll do it for another week. Enjoy No Way Out if you're ordering the show, and be sure to add me as a friend on MySpace to receive a bulletin notification every time I post a new column here on 411.