Bleacher Report - Articles by Sulayman H.

Killing Them Softly: DX Must Be Allowed to Die Once and For All

Sulayman H. — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 04:12:26 -0500

Note: The opinions expressed here are concerning the team of DX together, not Shawn Michaels and Triple H individually, I mean come on ...by themselves, they rock —hard.

Nothing lasts forever.

We as humans have become too familiar with that statement, be it a loss of a friend, a loved one, or just about anything that has been present in the long term, we understand that one day it has to dwindle into nonexistence.

Just like fine wine, we get better with time.

That proclamation doesn’t apply with Degeneration X’s current state. The way in which their return was brought about had me thinking that the tag team division would recover regardless of whether it would be one crotch crop at a time.

The prospect of having them hold the tag titles and then passing the torch to an up and coming tag team would put said team so over the moon they wouldn't be able to take it all in.

They didn’t enter the tag team scene, though.

But they did grapple with Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes in a spell of matches which thrilled the fans of the WWE all the while transforming Legacy into a plausible duo.

Summerslam, Bragging Rights, and Hell in a Cell showcased their ability to work together and put on a show along with Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes.

Until then my assumption remained true but when Shawn and Hunter were thrown into a match with Cena, I was left wondering what would become of a division that’s been built and damaged too many times?

When the Triple Threat match was over, we were told that DX would be facing JeriShow at TLC (T otally L azy C oncept of a PPV?) and that it would be for the unified tag titles which leads me to ask one question: What’s up with that?

With all the hoopla made over the opening of the triple threat bout at Survivor Series and people calling bull on RAW after all the tension between Michaels and HHH was not sold, this match could either be the start of a long running feud that leads to the title changing hands at the Royal Rumble (or Wrestlemania, depends on what qualifies as a long running feud these days).

Or it could be another opportunity to explore the tensions between Jericho and Big Show, creating a situation where hostility between Michaels and Helmsley reaches a point where it no longer can be ignored.

The word on the grapevine would indicate the second scenario might actually be an eventuality which would be just great.

At this point, let me make one thing clear.

Degeneration X needs to die, once and for all—which means no complete reunions. I’m -alright with a one night appearance but putting those two clowns (don’t look at your monitor like that) together would be the height of "just too much for me to handle."

Why?

I get not being able to be cutting edge, vulgar and raunchy but this version of DX (which would be around 4.0, I think) is bland, boring, unfunny, and just plain unbearable.

Shawn’s character has been dialed down to a bumbling fool outside the ring who resorts to ensuing in unfunny gags with his "bestest" buddy Triple H (who slept his way to the top if you didn’t already know, tee hee), like getting served with papers for little people’s court.

I guess they had to do something for Judge Verne Troyer next week, but how does JeriShow fit into all of this?

My guess is that they probably don’t.

Hear that?

I get it, WWE is PG now and they want to send a positive message to the mainstream media to show that they “care.” I know DX moves merchandise, and money is king in the land of sports entertainment or in any other land for that matter.

But how many times can you resurrect something and make it more pathetic until it can’t be made to look like more of a joke than it already is?

For how long can they pretend that we like watching such garbage?

Hopefully, we’ll be seeing the end of Degeneration X at TLC; for now.

Degeneration X needs to die, once and for all, although HHH and HBK are doing a pretty first-rate job of killing it in the first place.

It's about time, break it (them) down.

Memoirs From the Dossier, Part 2: The Homecoming of a Wrestling Fan

Sulayman H. — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:11:17 -0500

Note: The rumors of me having brutally and accidentally decapitating myself while combing my hair are just that: rumors.

Browsing through the remains of what promised to be an electrifying escapade, complete with enough twists and turns to provide me a lifetime of a roller coaster ride, would be a foolish thing to do.

Those times are gone, never to return.

How I wished I had tried harder to hold on to it; I could have been much more knowledgeable.

Such were my hopes for my passion for wrestling, which dwindled to the point where it became nothing more than a joke.

The torn and tattered pages still remain with me to this day; at least, I had not forsaken the very last morsel of knowledge I acquired. But would my love for professional wrestling ever return?

Seven long years passed without a mention of the word wrestling; I passed my best friend in the corridors of our school and didn’t even bother to glance at him. The person, with whom I grew up, became just another teen-ager in my mind.

So much had changed.

(At the time, our class had been split into two different sections and would remain so until two years later.)

Seven years: could we have something in common now? Something we could rebuild our friendship around?

Why bother pondering over it?

Summer came around the corner, and with report cards on the horizon, we decided to take a vacation and revisit our homeland once more.

I hardly remembered anybody there. It had been seven years since I’ve been in contact with any one person.

I became familiar with everyone within a week, and by the time the month was over, we formed a group of miscreants who would go as far as teasing a retired colonel who carried a bottle of kerosene and a matchbox wherever he went.

We were coming back from a football match one evening when I noticed one of my cousins buying a copy of "Here Comes the Pain."

The first thought that came into my head was, “Who the hell is Brock Lesnar and what in the world does he eat?”

My cousin, as if reading my mind, quickly said, "Your brother told me that babies are the best bet."

After doing some research and going through a lot of SmackDown! tapes, my friends and I started finding ways to get trading cards and PPV tapes. Anything and everything related to wrestling had now become ours to acquire.

The very place that started it all had once again reignited the dying flame of my passion for pro-wrestling.

Was it destined to be this way? I’d like to think so.

But I still was not content.

My mind was racing with questions that hit me one after the other, some that needed to be answered immediately, others being not so relevant.

What happened to Bret Hart? Why was Shawn away for such a long time?

Why is Ric Flair so old? Has Paul Heyman ever had a cough drop?

I pitched to get back to the Emirates right away; my request was obviously denied due to the frivolous nature that my mum gets into when she comes back to a place that is close to her heart.

I once visited the Parliament building, along with my friends and watched as the dignitaries sat and discussed issues of the nation.

Would the wrestler’s court look a little something like this?

After spending a fortnight watching my friends recreating the first ever Iron Man match, with results I’d rather not share due to the sheer amount of injuries they sustained, I returned to the Emirates ready to absorb all I could about professional wrestling.

When all was read, watched, and experienced, I still had one distressing issue to deal with. I had literally nobody to intelligently discuss wrestling with.

My brother and I would casually talk about it sometime, until we’d reach the Bermuda Triangle of topics that is known to many fanatics as “Cena talk,” where no matter how much reasoning and logic you use to explain your point of view, your argument is just met with a deafening roar.

As the time for my board exams drew ever closer, our sections were joined and yet again I was sitting with the old circle of troublemakers, trying to muster up a few words to say to a friend who I had lost all contact and any sense of amity with.

He was quite polite and invited me home that weekend.

What the hell are we going to do for an entire day—study?

I agreed reluctantly and told him I was looking forward to it.

What I would see at his house left me speechless; the Wrestlemania Anthology set. He was concerned at first, thinking I might have gone into shock and then his lips curled into a wide grin.

He said, “I’ve been watching since 2002, and Brock Lesnar is one bad motha@*$!#”

And that was it—the turning point.

My passion rejuvenated, my friendship revived; I came home again to professional wrestling.

The rest is history.

♠♣♥♦

Notes From The Lost Dossier: Greatness Achieved, Bad Blood Spawns Hell On Earth

Sulayman H. — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:21:56 -0400

Since the beginning of time, there have been many epic battles contested in arenas, stadiums, steel cages and even in boiler rooms. But what the world would witness on the night of Oct. 5, 1997 in St. Louis would forever change the perception of fans around the world; the perception that the squared circle is the penultimate fighting ground for wrestlers around the world.

It’s been noted that steel cage matches have always captured the essence of the Roman Coliseum of the wrestling world where man would do battle with another until only one could no longer survive the punishment inflicted on one’s body not to mention the physiological scars on one’s mind.

The irony of the situation which presents itself is that cells are usually for those who must be kept contained; away from society so that they might not commit heinous, violent crimes against others.

In this case, the cell did not contain the rage and anger of the two men encased in it but instead unleashed unto the world a product worthy of Satan’s endorsement: Hell on Earth.

But how did it all come to this? Was it one man who sealed his fate or was it the four who inadvertently caused such a monstrosity to unveil its ugly head?

Fate dealt the world a cruel hand. But we, instead of recoiling from the sight of a man being broken to bits, cheered for more. What a sight it turned out to be, the gladiatorial games reborn, the insatiable appetite for blood and violence personified.

The signs were clear as the night time sky; the Undertaker had just come out victorious at Wrestlemania 13 with the WWF title now in his possession only to find his former colleague and manager Paul Bearer threatening to tell the world of the terrible secret the new WWF Champion had concealed successfully over the years.

The Deadman, who then stood in the ring, with his fingers wrapped around the throat of Bearer, had two options: to knock Bearer out knowing full well that when he would awaken he’d have a hard time keeping his mouth shut.

The other, of course, would be to submit to Bearer’s will; in short, it was a no-win situation for the newly crowned WWF Champion.

The following weeks would show the Undertaker as a weak, miserable champion who did everything requested of him, in order to keep his secret from the world forever.
But the agreement would end as quickly as it began; after the Undertaker teamed up with Vader to take on the Nation of Domination on RAW, Vader became victim to the Tombstone Piledriver and thus broke the pact between Bearer and Undertaker.

The following week would see both Bearer and Undertaker give their sides of the story; the night would come to an end when Bearer revealed that Kane is alive.

Meanwhile, an equally intense feud had been brewing within the bowels of the WWF as Shawn Michaels had, according to him, exacted revenge on the officials for forcing him to referee a title match between his arch rival Bret Hart and the Undertaker during which he hit the champion with a steel chair meant for Bret.

This caused Shawn’s nemesis, Hart, to take advantage and capture the title.

Not only did the Undertaker become incensed at the circumstances of his title loss, he put all of his focus on exacting revenge for weeks leading up to In Your House: Ground Zero, Michaels made it his mission to demonstrate his dominance over the Deadman by making him all too familiar with the dimensions of a steel chair.

The image of the Undertaker leaving the ring with blood gushing all over his forehead, without a trace of aggression or anger, would indicate that he already was devising a way to end the existence of the man who had caused him this much misery.

It’s said that a predator is at the height of his ferocity and is most dangerous just before he strikes; the Undertaker had a plan.

The sands of time began to fall at a rapid pace and at an instant, the two titans of the World Wrestling Federation met. The night of Sept. 7 would be marked as the first confrontation between HBK and the Phenom and also the beginning of the end of Michaels’ supremacy over the Undertaker.

“This might be a bad time to be Shawn Michaels.”
-Jerry “The King” Lawler commentating at IYH: Ground Zero

Their confrontation saw the referee get knocked out, and a determined Commissioner Slaughter force Michaels to get back in the ring. Their spar was so sensational that the bell had not been sounded until 10 minutes into the brawl; there was certainly bad blood between the two cornerstones of the WWF.

The trepidation painted on Michaels’ face was plain for everyone to see; he didn’t have any idea of what this confrontation would build to.

Fortunately, for wrestling fans around the world, the score would not be settled at Ground Zero as both men would attack the referees allowing the match to end in a no-contest.

The following night would begin with Undertaker addressing Shawn’s will to survive and that bad blood marks the beginning of the end for Michaels’ career.

The Heartbreak Kid retaliated by stating that he is the ultimate survivor and that if need be, he will take the Undertaker down with him.

“The reward I get is being stuck in a cell with DEATH himself.”
-Shawn Michaels speaking about the aftermath of Ground Zero while prancing around in his boxer shorts.

The Undertaker as well as the WWF broadcast team would continue to toy with the mind of Michaels, giving the impression to the fans in the audience and those sitting at home that the 16-foot cell would be the demise of the founder of Degeneration X.

But this did not deter Michaels from his goal, as he took on his cocky demeanor once again and he used it well to mask his fear.

Shawn was about to enter a 16-foot structure where he could not come in and get out of as he pleased; the idea of being trapped inside a cage, no less with a demon hell bent on destruction, is enough to make any man fear for his safety.

The night had finally come; as fans gathered to take their seats and the management was getting prepared to air the show, everyone witnessing the event knew that something special was going to happen.

They didn’t exactly understand what this feeling was, but history was about to be made and no one could deny that.

As Michaels stood by with Michael Hayes, Triple H, Chyna and Rick Rude, he began to speak in a calm, cool manner. This affable conduct would leave no traces of ever being present once Shawn’s music hit and he began to approach the ring.

“I can taste the blood, you will look into the eyes of the Reaper and you will pay for your crimes!”

Could these have been the words that echoed through Shawn’s head as the cell began to lower and the bell began to toll?

It’s the simple yet effective pyrotechnics that puts doubt into Michaels’ mind as the cocky attitude disappeared and he rushed toward the cell door trying to dissuade the referee from starting the match.

The cell was alive; the crowd relished the sight of Shawn Michaels realizing that he was doomed. Michaels gasped for a brief moment as his newfound claustrophobia reached every fiber of his being.

No matter what offense Michaels seemed to muster up, the Deadman was one step ahead of him.

The spots took place in quick succession as the match progressed and an opening for Michaels is in place as the cameraman he injured was taken out of the cell.

The cell needed a sacrifice; blood would be spilled. Two men would climb the cell, only one would remain.

The dread washed over Shawn; no amount of technical skill could break his fall.

As Michaels’ body crashed into the announce table, the fans began to cheer for more. Michaels returned to purgatory and the tension rose to new heights.

As the Undertaker grabbed a steel chair, the announcers reflected on the ramification of poetic justice.

A blood drenched head connected with the steel chair as Michaels went down. This was the moment we were waiting for; R.I.P. Shawn Michaels.

But the lights have gone out and this signals the presence of a dark secret.

From the fiery depths of hell will Kane emerge!

The very structure that Shawn had so desperately tried to get out of had just become his best friend.

The very design that Shawn had tried to get out of was effortlessly ripped apart by the demented sibling of the Phenom.

The atmosphere electric; the climax point reached. The Undertaker had just been given a Tombstone Piledriver by Kane and the turning point was finally here.

A bloody Michaels pinned an unconscious man from the dark side. As the camera zoomed in and focused on Michaels’ face, the question that could be asked was: “Does any man deserve this kind of punishment, regardless of the crimes he’s committed?”

Michaels was dragged to the back by his foils, but once again Michaels proved that on this night, he had given new meaning to the phrase to hell and back.

It was Kane who got the last laugh. But no amount of swerves would take away from what Michaels and the Undertaker accomplished.

They had brought a whole new sadistic side of the world to light; they had, in a mere 30 minutes, unleashed hell on Earth.

Is Sports Entertainment on Life Support? Part 4: Prestige of WWE Titles

Sulayman H. — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:38:20 -0400

In case you missed the first three parts of the series, you may take a look at them here, here and here.

Throughout sports entertainment history, a common misconception has been shared by a group of wrestling fanatics regarding to what adds prestige to a company title, whether it’s a top-tier, mid-card, or a women’s division championship.

This erroneous belief shared by a few select individuals is often brought up during the discussion pertaining to the ongoing title changes in the industry today.

To some, it is the length of the reign that a wrestler has which not only proves his supremacy in the industry, but also adds another great portion of history to the already reputable championship.

To others, it is the number of memorable moments that a wrestler creates during his possession of the title that matters most.

And in so doing, they tend to overlook the frequent title swaps that might occur and be inclined to instead count the number of memorable matches and feuds that came to fruition during the wrestler’s tenure.

Judging by the above-mentioned categorization, the first group is to be quite perturbed by the recent series of unfortunate events that have caused a downward spiral of interest for the aforementioned group of people.

The second group might also be quite agitated with the recent roller coaster of title exchanges, and it might not welcome nor appreciate the lack of remarkable feuds and matches that leave you awestruck, flabbergasted, and speechless.

What is understood by the endless discontentment towards the wrestling program of today is that both parties are unsatisfied by the hoopla that is caused by the hot potato exchange of championships between several superstars, whether it is a vicious cycle or between entirely new faces.

The reason for this is clear—it brings in ratings. At the moment, that means more than building cornerstones of today’s wrestling industry.

A quick title change, be it between a face and heel, is going to get even the most bored fan interested, and lead them to think: “Where are they going with this?”

Wrestling fans sometimes joke around that the creative team is under the impression that we, as wrestling fans, have a limited attention span.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s quite the opposite.

What wrestling aficionados everywhere are desperate to see are wrestling feuds that build, lead to a climax, and the eventual blow off match that ends the feud.

A good example of a well-executed, short-term rivalry would be between CM Punk and the recently liberated Jeff Hardy.

The question we have to ask ourselves at this transition era in professional wrestling is: How do we bring back the prestige that has so often been linked to championships?

The most common solution that people will say is long title reigns. While the answer isn’t exactly laced with logic and forethought for today’s market, it does speak volumes for what the fans really want to see.

The answer isn’t an outstandingly long reign, because it is quite impractical in this day and age of fast-paced, technology aided, and nonstop world of professional wrestling.

Without a solid, bankable star that will draw a crowd like established veterans like Michaels, a long title reign is out of the question, although a reign of more than five months would be more than welcomed once in a while.

I’m almost certain that Hardy's fans would have stuck through that amount of time, regardless of who he feuded with.

The structure of the main event would perturb even the simplest-minded Tommy, in the sense that it’s mixed with both surprising returns, ring veterans and the odd triple threat match once in a while.

Blame can be placed on the lack of a long-term booking plan, but then again, no one can foresee injuries and suspensions.

Another possibility is to continue to have the veterans mix it up with the rising stars in order to give them a big rub when they successfully defend the title against them.

The problem with the above suggestion is that what’s missing is that one rising star who has all it takes to not only feud with the likes of The Undertaker, but to take the fight to them.

The answer is quite simple. Yet without a plethora of great talent that is both skilled in the ring and on the microphone, it's quite impossible to put into motion.

The only way left to turn to is to provide us with classic wrestling matches from two competitors in an intense feud in the ring, going head-to-head.

It’s the formula that’s worked so far, but can it be tweaked?

Enter the Palace of Wisdom: Don't Shove John Morrison, Give Him a Steady Push

Sulayman H. — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:21:10 -0400

Note: As I exchanged verbs, nouns, syllables and a few grunts with a fellow wrestling aficionado (who just happens to be a smooth, pimped out player from the streets), the following words were “uttered” by aforementioned aficionado:

“Why don’t you put all this into an article then, Mr. Awesome who doesn’t know what to write?”
-Shane Howard (Community Leader extraordinaire)

Who’s laughing now, boyo? It’s still you; probably.

Onward!

There comes a time in a wrestler’s career when he’s ready and prepared to be branded a main-event talent.

That is evident by two distinct qualities of said wrestler: He’s able to draw fans to watch him both compete and talk smack (on the microphone) and he moves a significant amount of merchandise.

Some might say that John Morrison has both these qualities and more; some might argue that he’s more than capable of supporting the main event scene by shining some of his awesomeness on it.

I disagree.

And to make sure I hadn’t lost all sense of reality and sanity, I posed the question to a dear friend who simply replied that Morrison was in fact, ready, willing and able.

Not only does he have charisma but also he’s able to hold his own in the ring. Plus, his babyface presence will be needed when Jeff Hardy packs his bags and heads for...wherever the hell he goes to on his spiritual journeys while taking time off from the WWE.

He isn’t ready; before you grab your coffee mugs and start tracking me down with your fancy tech equipment, allow me to take two minutes of your precious time to explain why he isn’t ready to handle this burden of responsibility just yet.

As a matter of fact, his "push" into the main event would make about as much sense as giving Jeff Hardy the WWE title at Armageddon only to take the precious jewels off his stuntman shoulders a month later at the Rumble.

I shudder to think what will happen to a superstar of overwhelming talent like John Morrison if he was "shoved" into the title scene.

Why take the risk?

Let’s take a look at some of WWE’s established stars, shall we?

A few names come to mind; stars such as Shawn Michaels, Triple H, The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin and John Cena.

While Triple H and The Undertaker may not have won their first heavyweight title at Wrestlemania, there is plenty of evidence to support the notion that John Cena, Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels all have won their first major title at a Wrestlemania.

Even Chris Benoit accomplished that feat at Wrestlemania XX. Yeah, that’s right, Chris Benoit.

While both John Cena and Steve Austin won the WWE Championship within three years of joining the company, it would be talent like Michaels who would have to wait for seven years before being allowed to compete in the main event that has set the stage for why Wrestlemania is the greatest spectacle in sports entertainment.

It was at the height of his popularity that Shawn mesmerized the crowd and won the most valuable prize in sports entertainment after a grueling Iron Man contest was forced to go into overtime.

Fast forward to the present and the presence of a megastar in his prime is not only deficient but is needed urgently as well.

Not only that, but a disappointed Vince McMahon continues to be frustrated with how little development there has been within the create-a-star department although most of his disappointment might stem from his apparent loss of appetite when it comes to the word "success."

Enter a hopeful, new recruit to the main event regiment: John Morrison.

Not only is Morrison ridiculously talented in both the charisma and in-ring skill department, but he can also verbally spar with his opponents from time to time.

While the switch from heel to face makes sense keeping in with the fact that his former tag team partner, The Miz, turned on him, it took away the one thing from Morrison that made him stand out among all the other cadets (candidates) who were in line for a main event push and that tiny, minuscule talent was his ability to talk smack.

I understand that his little promo against Edge before their match a while back was but a little taste of what could have been a full four-course smack talk serving that Morrison could have delivered had he been given the liberty to speak a little longer.

If not now, then when, you ask?

Despite the fact that it’s evident that Morrison is popular and well endowed with gifts from the wrestling deities, is it not possible that Morrison’s popularity can still rise?

The WWE had waited for so long with the case of Jeff Hardy that by the time he was crowned champion, he was the most "over" superstar in the industry, so "over," in fact, that he would regain the top tier belts two more times and continues to draw fans all over the world despite his microphone handicap.

I’m not saying that we should wait for 10 years until we allow the next superstar to burst onto the scene, but what destruction are a few more months of delay going to cause?

Meanwhile, these coming months can be used to finally give Morrison the edge he needs in order to compete at a main event level.

The same edge that was deservedly given to Austin after his legendary feud with Bret Hart; some might dispute that it was after his little KOTR (King of the Ring) speech that Austin was bound to reach the heights of super-stardom but to me, it remains that night in Rosemont, Ill., when a bloody Austin refused to tap out to the Sharpshooter; that is when his talents would truly be uncorked and allowed to roam free engulfing the WWE fans in its path to a WWE Championship reign.

It may not be the same era or the same roster of superstars that we are surrounded with today but if Morrison is to truly capitalize on his popularity and solidify his position as the top face of the blue brand, he will have to go through an equally grueling feud.

The candidates vary from the most obvious (a member of the Hart Dynasty due to their recent string of bouts) to the best fit (Chris Jericho) to give Morrison that final push that will catapult him to ‘megastar’ level that just might give him a title match at a venue that so many before him have dreamed of and salivated at the thought of: Wrestlemania.

If (in the case of) Hardy was given the opportunity to headline Wrestlemania, I can assure you he would be as popular as oxygen right now.

Vince McMahon wants new stars and now he’s got a prime candidate, hungry and willing to go the distance, to compete at a main event level.

Sure, Morrison would sell tickets if he was given the title at any other PPV but isn’t it the journey to the title that makes it (the final victory) more valuable than anything else?

Was it not a roller coaster of emotion that both Jeff Hardy and we had to ride through in order to see him finally realize his dream?

Is it not the art of storytelling that makes us emotionally invested in the hardships of the protagonist and make us cheer him on even more?

Why should we be selfish to deny Morrison that chance?

Notes from the Lost B/R Dossier: The Art of the Push, Has It Evolved?

Sulayman H. — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:28:36 -0400

What does it take for a superstar to get noticed by the booker?

Is it exceptional in-ring skill or the ear deafening pops or boos the performer accumulates over a certain period of time? Is it the success of a gimmick that puts the management on notice? Or is it the rising merchandise sales of said performer which raises both his stock and importance in the company?

Perhaps, it is because of all of the above.

There is a pecking order; there has always been one in companies where importance is given mostly to the top talent in the company—main-eventers.

The evidence is before you: The opening and closing segments are usually reserved for wrestlers of the top echelon, be it for a main event match or a shocking closing segment.

There is a proverbial glass ceiling that the new talent has to break through in order to truly become one of the top superstars.

Over the years, the wrestling audience has witnessed moderate to main event pushes for superstars; moderate meaning they are given a fair amount of wins or even begin to rack up a winning streak and a main event push would qualify as booking the superstar to get in the ring with the current main event talent, and giving him/her high profile wins, in bouts where the championship may or not be on the line.

But how far does a superstar have to go until he/she reaches the level of success to hold the belt? How long must they be slammed on their backs and be pinned before they are on the other end of the pin fall and are picking up impressive victories?

It’s not easy to establish a definite time period or instruction manual because the way people break into the business varies from one person to another.

Some may attribute it to luck, but whoever thought luck leads anyone to success obviously has never searched for the words "hard work" and "determination" in a dictionary.

Simply put, luck is for losers.

Others get to where they are because of their connections; well, sort of.

This is by no means a bash on Hunter Hearst Helmsley, but a tiny observation of the career of Randy Orton. Orton got into the business due to his ancestral roots being firmly planted into wrestling history.

But even with wrestling in his blood, Orton, just like any other wrestler recalls of starting from scratch and working his way up from the bottom rung of the ladder:

When I first got down there, I hadn’t received a lot of training. I remember throwing my first dropkick and barely getting above my opponent’s knees. Everyone was looking around thinking, “Are you kidding me?”

-Randy Orton discusses his training in OVW in WWE Magazine

We get to where we are because we’ve either perfected the art of what we do so much to the fact that it has become second nature; it matters not which art it is, only that you excel in whatever you set out to do.

Taking that into consideration, what we have here are some of the necessary requirements, if you will, from wrestlers that are as follows:

Wrestling prowess
Microphone skills (The ability to: talk confidently, talk smack)
The look
A good gimmick
Charisma (to connect with the crowd in either a positive or negative way)

These are attributes that are looked at when selecting a superstar that they will benefit most from; this is a business after all.

But over the decades, the importance of some of these qualities has been questioned and for good reason.

Has the art of the push evolved up to the point where the professional wrestling standards are now completely different as opposed to what they used to be?

Let's take a look.

Wrestling prowess: The importance of wrestling skill has taken a sharp drop; I’m in no way suggesting that basic mat skills are obsolete, but rather the clinic we see two superstars put on in the squared circle is a spectacle that comes infrequently but when showcased, it shows the bursting potential of a wrestler.

Another example of how wrestling skill has been put aside in favor of high paced brawling is the move set adopted by Steve Austin after he took on the ‘Stone Cold’ persona.

Long gone are the days of time consuming rest holds and submission maneuver filled bouts; however, what we have now are a plethora of different styles being incorporated into weekly bouts such as Lucha Libre, several aspects of Muay Thai and King’s Road which not only revitalize the wrestling but also creates opportunities for two or more styles to clash in a single match.

What is evident is that even though its importance has decreased, wrestlers still have the determination to provide bouts that are compelling to watch.

Microphone skills: I cannot stress the importance of this enough with a few select wrestlers possessing little to no poise when addressing the audience or their opponents.

One example would be Jeff Hardy, who tends to walk around the ring, addressing the crowd and pausing between moments where pauses aren’t required.

A wrestler without mic skills is a handicapped entertainer; no matter how entertaining the matches might be, without the mic skills, the superstar will fail to gain any substantial reaction from the audience.

One wrestler follows this rule; he goes by the name of Shelton Benjamin.

While his promo skills are improving, I fear his biggest flaw is the inability to rile up the crowd by interacting with them during his matches.

Another wrestler, who was already mentioned above defies both this rule and one of wrestling prowess; Jeff Hardy. While he may be well versed in high flying action, he simply connects with the crowd on the basis of his death defying stunts.

But if it gets the job done and it sells merchandise, who are the WWE to complain?

The importance of mic skills is now more important than ever as it helps put each competitor and their respective rivalry over with the crowd and generates a genuine interest in the program.

Did I mention it helps sell PPVs?

The look: Do you need good looks to get over? Is this one of the reasons John Morrison has gained a loyal following?

This topic has been debated several times whenever it comes to adding new members to Legacy who do not fit the profile.

The look can take a superstar from the ground to cloud nine as evidenced by Shawn Michaels’ flamboyant dress code during the ‘90s.

While the boys in the back taunted Michaels for his weird attire, he gained favor with the fans for becoming a trend setter and that would ultimately become part of his ‘Heartbreak Kid’ character.

It isn’t uncommon to find wrestlers without a golden smile who have succeeded in pro wrestling. Names such as Mick Foley and Ricky Steamboat come to mind when talking about those who didn’t exactly dress for success but nonetheless attained it through the admiration of the fans.

It takes true skill to overcome this barrier between success and failure, and with or without good looks, the admiration will come.

A good gimmick: With a good character comes great in-ring psychology. This attribute has gone through a host of changes from the cartoonish pranksters to the more realistic characterizations.

There are however two wrestlers that have made the most out of poorly thought gimmicks, one being Dolph Ziggler who has pleasantly surprised me with the amount of heat he has amassed, and the other being the Undertaker who has withstood both the New Generation and the Attitude Era of professional wrestling by continually modifying a few aspects of his character yet keeping the core unchanged.

There comes a time when the wrestler takes the gimmick and exploits more out of it, as is with the case of both Ziggler and Undertaker.

A good gimmick is needed to succeed, but both Mark Callaway and Nick Nemeth would tell you otherwise. They are two shining examples of how a poorly thought out gimmick is taken and expanded into something
substantial.

Charisma: Innate or not, it’s one of the harder skills to master but when a wrestler acquires this great weapon, he/she is able to keep the audience in the palm of his/her hands.

Its importance too, has increased greatly with the fact that it gives the wrestler an opportunity to interact with the fans thus getting over with the fans guarantees that they will show their support towards the wrestler and disdain towards his/her opponent.

Wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan, 'Macho Man' Randy Savage, Andre The Giant and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson were able to attain this feat and thus went on to become household names for the WWE.

Has the art of the push evolved or has the art of wrestling entertainment?

Since one affects the other, it’s safe to say that both have changed significantly for whatever the reason may be; it has bred a new species of professional wrestlers, the changes may not seem most important right now.

They have only just begun.

Give Us What We Deserve—Lo, the Community Hath Arrived, Pt. 1: Prologue

Sulayman H. — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:03:13 -0400

As the dust settles, a ridiculously large crowd is walking in unison, bonded together by a cause so hopeless, they’re bound to fail.

There may be some hope left, or not.

They arrived at last, at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, and out of the bustling crowd, two young B/R creatures, one with shades and stilettos and the other, with a bag full of money and a swagger in his step emerged.

The two partners in crime approached the ticket counter:

Person No. 1: Why don’t you do it then?

Person No. 2: It’ll look suspicious if I do it, Drea.

Andrea: Jared, just because I’m a woman...

Jared: It’s the nature of the request that’ll disturb the management, dummy.

(Turns to counter)Yes, hello, ermm…I’d like to catch a flight to San Francisco please.

Sales agent: Of course, we have a flight leaving in three hours. Will that be two tickets?

Andrea: Yes, I mean no (shifts her sunglasses), we need 1284 seats.

Sales agent: Y’all are pulling my leg, right?

Jared: Not really…*Andrea turns and points to the crowd gathered outside the airport*

Sales agent: Well, umm, how’ll you all be paying?

Jared: (smiling) Cash.

Sales agent: I see, well let’s see what we can do here.

After three and a half hours and a lot of luggage, two aero planes (headed for San Francisco) carried with it the fiery passion for professional wrestling with a cunning scheme to break the walls down, if necessary.

(Jared finishes texting to his girlfriend and turns to face Andrea)

Jared: Hey, you want to see my tattoo?

Andrea: Eww, no.

Jared: But Sully was just kidding, really. It’s on my upper back.

Svyato: Will you shut up, Jared? Some of us have to get their beauty sleep.

Scott Beeby (turns around from his seat): How did you hurt your hand again?

Svyato: I told you, some masked assailant pushed me down a flight of stairs. That’s how I got the cast.

Jared: But you said…

Svyato: I know what I said!

While our heroes continued to chatter among themselves, three gentlemen sat comfortably in their first class seats sipping tea, deep in conversation and were also enjoying a DVD of the best of Grizzly Redwood collection.

Shane Howard (rapidly switching shades): Tell me again, why M didn’t want to come?

Ray Bogusz: Because he’s M.

I don’t think anything like this has been done before and for good reason, two words: EPIC FAIL

Shane H: Word. (Settles for the shutter shades)

Jason Le Blanc (buried in his work): Be optimistic, one among us has planned this whole thing and all you guys can think about how badly it’ll all turn out to be.

Here, hold this, will you? (Hands Ray a stack of flyers)

Joe Burgett arrives with a No. 1 jersey with a big B/R logo in the front.

Joe Burgett: More homework?

JLB, Shane and Ray in a bored tone: Oh, hi Joe.

Joe B.: So, how come you guys get to fly first class and I don’t? Ray isn’t even in the top five!

Ray: You don’t hear AkD whining, do you?

Joe B: That’s because he doesn’t have time to join this escapade; he’s too busy meeting with experts trying to study divination just to figure out the exact date of Shelton’s “WWE title win”.

Ray: Shelton’s on ECW.

Shane (mutters): At least, he’s doing something productive.

Back in the coach seats, two elderly men are seated next to the window and begin to chat.

Leroy W: Matt, don’t you miss your family?

Matthew H: Yeah, but Sully’s my best buddy and I‘ve got to do what’s right.

Leroy: It certainly is, my friend. But how did Jared come up with this much cash? Plot *cough* hole *cough, cough*

Matthew (turning to Jen P): Aren’t those the same clothes Leroy has on in his profile picture?

Jen Preston: (shrugs) Recognized easily?

As our brave protagonists land in San Francisco and look for suitable lodging, there is a plot brewing deep within the bowels of the Bleacher Report office where things go slurp in the night, mostly due to everyone being so hopped up on caffeine.

Zander (counting money): Are you positive about this information?

(?): Yes, it’s quite accurate.

Zander then gets up from his armchair and stares out of the window of a 20 floor skyscraper which he calls his kingdom when in the privacy of his office.

Z (turns around): Well done, Mr. Getters. I told you we’d benefit from this partnership. I’m going to fan add you twice, just because I can.

They plan on bringing a fight; they’ll try their best to talk me into giving the pro wrestling section a tab on the front page.

I have to prepare, D-Mo, get me a glass of wine. They shall feel the wrath of Zander, the great.

As Zander Freund, the evil, cunning, yet surprisingly good looking B/R General Manager plans his own little coup against the entire wrestling community, the first rays of the Sun hit the morning sky and this sends our resistance team into panic mode.

Me: We’re running late, we’re already two hours behind schedule.

Chedda Bob (who wears a paper bag on his head): Where are our community leaders, yo?

Dub, Andrea, Sulayman and Shane get into one cab and proceed to ask the driver to take them to 330 Townsend St.

Me (looking at Dub’s cast): What happened? You fell down a flight of stairs?

Dub: No, I’m hiding a stash of codeine, I asked Svy if I could borrow it.

Andrea and Shane give Dub a stern look.

Dub: What? Not the codeine, the cast. I’ve got anger issues, it isn’t even funny.

The fact that four of B/R’s frequent users (the fantastic four) were in one cab and there was pin drop silence only proved the fact that on the outside of cyberspace, none of them had anything in common.

Fortunately, the ice was broken by Ms. Claire who treated us to an hour of Edge-ucation and proceeded to tell us how Edge’s five o’ clock shadow helps him gain massive heat with the fans.

Dub (getting frustrated): Alright, enough of this crap. (pulls out a gun from his cast) Get out of the cab now! I’m driving.

While the fabulous five (driver included) would be engaged in a rather comical situation which would include cursing, hand gestures and oddly enough, a falafel, the B/R building was beginning to attract attention from the other members of the wrestling community.

Slowly but surely, a swarm of people circled the B/R office surrounding all routes leading to and leaving the building.

Some even went as far as spraying n.W.o. and DX on the glass but when a member was caught spraying the words ‘Main Event Mafia’, a fight broke out.

Taking the advantage of the increased level of testosterone, I and my brave comrade/sidekick/2nd best buddy would rally up the crowd and proceed to start a chant.

Sully and Jared: What do we want?

Crowd: A tab!

Sully and Jared: Where do we want it?

Crowd: On the front page!

Ray (raising his hand lazily and speaking drearily): And more coverage. (He added quickly) For the wrestling section.

As Zander peered out of the window of his office on the 20th floor, he started laughing.

Z: Come here, Getters, this is hilarious, look, look; they’re like ants down there.

Getters (in a feeble attempt to speak): Yes, high-larious.

Jared then began to go overboard; watching 300 twice in the same flight might do that to you as well.

Jared: Yeah, that’s right. Take no prisoners; leave no cubicle uncharted, as we take over here tonight!

Jev Thorpe: There’s a limit, you know?

Ice Berg/Chedda Bob/God of Wrestling: Yo, dis jaun is seriously messed up in da head, yo.

Zander continues to mock the furious inhabitants of the Wrestling Community.

Z: Ha, if they think they can hurt me, they better think again.

Zander turns to three of the founding fathers of Bleacher Report to confide in them.

Z: Now, on to you three; not only will you be mummified and preserved but you’ll also be put in a sarcophagus. I know, I know, how will our legacy continue?

Well, portraits will be hung in honor of your sacrifice and commitment to this site. Now that you’re handing the reign of B/R over to me…

All three: Wait a second when did that happen?

Z: I can’t take any chances with this, for all I know; expert negotiator Jev Thorpe could have used his “mad skills” to turn you all into pro resistance protesters.

Suddenly, a cell phone starts to sing Santino Marella’s theme tune.

Z: Who the hell? Get out, everybody out!

We return to a sad sight as the crowd noise has died down.

Christi Lott (checking her watch): Can we get in there already?

Scott Beeby (with an expression of pride): Calm down, will you? I started the whole thing, by the way.

Christi Lott: Quiet!

Shane H: Where’s Jason?

Leroy: He’s handing out flyers for something, I don’t know.

Leroy then walks a few steps away from the tab hungry mob and takes out his cell phone. He dials a few numbers in and proceeds to call someone.

Rocky Getters (holding a Vertu phone): Sir, it’s Leroy Watson, he wants to speak to you.

Leroy: Hello? Zander? Check, check, freaking check! I’m losing precious talk time here!

Anybody there? Dude, this is just like that time I tried to write a wrestling piece!

Z: Speaking, hold on, how did you get this number?

Leroy: Alex, I’m on your speed dial, remember? And you gave me your number.

Z (puts his hand on the microphone and tells Getters): Cancel my cell phone subscription and get rid of the speed dial function on this phone.

Getters: How am I suppo—?

Z (whispering): I don’t care how you do it.

Getters dashes out of the office.

Z (to Leroy): Yes, what is it, Watson?

Leroy: Well, this is just me thinking out loud but wouldn’t it be sensible to avoid all this chaos and turmoil and instead give the wrestling section what they want; what they deserve.

Z: Never! This is the part where I make a reference to Sherlock Holmes but screw that. What has me in knots is why you even hang out with the bunch. You’re a 16 time AOTD winner, you’re like that wrestler, what’s his name, err…Ric Hart.

I don’t get it, why are you people trying so hard to get my attention, even the CLs, sending me so many emails that I’ve come to have a new found appreciation of the delete button.

Zander gets on his knees and screams to the heavens.

Why are you people standing up against me? There is no reason to; I gave you an open forum to discuss your opinion about sports, not about how I run my own website. Why do you this to me?

Leroy: Fair is fair.

Getters (runs into the office breathless): Sir, they’ve broken through the doors.

Z (shouts to the ceiling): Damn you, Leroy for starting this!

Getters: Actually, it was Sul—

Z (rubbing his chin): They’ll try to get me, force me to submit to their will but as long as I have this (pats his coat pocket) I’ll be safe. Yes, yes, I’ll be fine. (Z starts to panic and wipes the sweat off his upper lip with Rocky’s tie)

Zander then nervously removes a vial and places it on top of his desk.

He smiles widely and when Rocky enquires as to what the contents of the vial are, he replies with a menacing smile.

Z : Leroy’s secret sauce.

Six Feet Under: What Lies in Store For the Long-Term Wrestling Program

Sulayman H. — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:12:27 -0400

Disclaimer:

Both this article and its author are not works of fiction. In fact, the writer is quite alive, living on a remote island and frequently partaking in freak boating accidents.

He is known to have a temperament of an angry criminal and as such carries an empty rifle to gunfights. However, a young lad with an Irish accent named Alan is a figment of this author’s imagination. He calls it his inside voice.

Since the beginning of time, war has been waged between good and evil. To this day, it continues in the world that we live in, be it in fiction or in reality.

Since professional wrestling dips into both of those tasty sauces, it would be unfair to you, me and the wrestlers who break their backs trying to give us our money’s worth to say that it qualifies as either real or fake.

Professional wrestling has given birth to many memorable matches and classic promos between two or more individuals who are fighting for a certain cause, because let’s face it: not everyone can pull a Mike Knox these days and get away with it.

These feuds have either spanned large or short periods of time, depending on whether there is enough interest in a rivalry.

Those who have lasted for over significant periods of time have either found great success and in doing so have cemented some of the greatest performers in the annals of wrestling history as one of the finest, greatest talkers and or grapplers.

The other category doesn’t really find as much success but nonetheless, those feuds continue to develop and carry on for several PPV’s spreading throughout the entire roster like the plague that it has transfigured into.

One example would be the current Orton/HHH/Cena/MVP/Shane/Stephanie/Vince/Flair debacle which has produced more unfit and unsettling television than the entire Katie Vick nonsense.

What was supposed to be Orton’s year to shine in which he did constantly (but that is debatable due to the amount of oil he’s used up so far) ended up turning what was to be a feud of the year, at least to me, into one of the worst wrestling programs executed.

Hit and miss: three words that crossed my mind after watching every single Raw during the build up to Wrestlemania.

The story line has, since, come to span over six months and has had two memorable moments so far, both of which have not occurred in the previous month or even in the one before that.

What could be said about the program is that too much juice was squeezed out of the proverbial fruit and there was not enough to sustain another successful collision between Randal Keith Orton and Paul Levesque.

This would lead to injecting all sorts of shenanigans into the already morbidly obese (with performers) feud, including Batista whom I had failed to mention during the initial name calling.

Now at the brink of extinction, if not already dead, the once intense rivalry between HHH and Orton has another unhealthy dose of attitude adjustment in it where HHH resorts to calling Orton a girl.

I will pray tonight before I go bye bye (baby slang for sleep) and hope that DX doesn’t reunite for at least 10 more years.

What has come to pass is a huge mistake on the part of the creative team and while they may not be the most, how do I put it, ‘creative’ bunch, it is still their duty to ensure that a blockbuster feud has both potential and bottled awesomeness that it survives until a big payoff at the biggest party of the summer which is aptly named Summerslam.

An excellent model of a long term wrestling program is the program between Owen and Bret Hart which is, to this day, considered by critics to be the single greatest feud in all of wrestling history.

I might have exaggerated, but considering that I am the one critic who thinks so, I do deserve a chance to present my case, don’t I?

It all started out a simple misunderstanding between Owen and Bret at Survivor Series in 1993 where Owen felt that his elder brother was responsible for his elimination from the match.

What would unfold would be later described as one of the greatest sibling rivalries as Owen Hart began to shine both on the mic and in the ring. He would claim to be the better wrestler in the Hart family and would blame Bret for holding him back.

It would not be until Wrestlemania X that Owen would get a chance of proving his claim and the feud would escalate to a WWF title match in a steel cage at Summerslam in 1994 where Bret would defeat his brother.

Not only did this feud span over eight months, but it was during that time that one could not help but be glued to the screen to find out which brother would come out on top in every confrontation.

One can argue that this was highly successful because of one factor: the exploitation of the relationship between Bret and Owen.

One would also be mistaken since it was the natural charisma that Owen had hidden from the audience for so long which when came to light became the fuel for the rivalry between the two.

The difference between the two above-stated models is that one had shown promise and failed to capitalize and the other hit the ball out of the park several times.

We have to look at the fact that both these feuds were set in different timelines of wrestling history and had it not been for the hot potato fever that clearly has thousands of fans in its spell, we might have seen a better result on both Orton and Triple H’s report card.

The difference also is that one of them had been exhausted towards its limit before and the other was a fresh ripe fruit ready to be plucked.

Today, with ratings more important than providing quality entertainment and with titles moving around faster than air particles, it’s a little problematic to ensure that a feud of such caliber can find moderate to major success.

Alan: But Sulayman, the Attitude Era had a bald man and an eye-brow popper were swapping titles all the time, and they were interesting!

While that is true, what is also true is that both had the ability to attract fans with their words, as opposed to grunting and continuous facial expressions used by both Orton and HHH quite frequently to express both anger and frustration with one another.

What we’re left is messy, untidy and sloppy work from management and that’s just sad to see that months of booking is done and that’s the best these ‘professionals’ can come up with.

Alan: Get to the point!

Right! Of course, conclusion.

We can conclude with these observations that with the current ratings hunger and apparent whoring out (guest hosting which generates a lot of good publicity for the WWE and also improves the product as a while), the chances of having a solid wrestling program the likes of Edge/Undertaker are slim to none.

One current feud which had the potential to go all the way was the Mysterio/Jericho angle which was going quite well and could have possibly gone on to Summerslam. Then, the quite believable happened.

Chris was thrust into a team with Edge and both won gold together.

The long term wrestling program might still have a chance at survival seeing that stars such as Morrison, Ziggler, Kofi, Punk and Swagger are emerging on the horizon.

These are the potential candidates for the newly revised annals of wrestling history which will sadly contain no reference to Chris Benoit.

When life will give them lemonade, let’s hope they won’t squeeze too much too soon. What we can expect is the new generation rocking the foundation of the same old federation.

Memoirs from the Dossier: The Evolution of a Wrestling Fan, Pt. 1

Sulayman H. — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:54:37 -0400

Sifting through the torn and tattered pages of a book with more missing pages than found, the search for lost notes left me weary and doubtful of myself.

It had been a while since I had discovered anything in the notes that interested me.

Has this whole routine become boring? Is there anything that can bring the spark back?

Why did I bother? Why had I spent so much time learning about the polarizing world of professional wrestling?

Why is my fascination with this so strong that it overshadows every other sport that I have come in contact with?

Why did I hold something like sports entertainment so dear to my heart when others ridicule it and look down upon an art form that is not only hard to perform, but impossible to perfect?

Still, I continue to pursue this undying thirst for knowledge. One can never know enough; we all learn something new in life every day.

It is impossible to pinpoint precisely what had piqued my curiosity for wrestling, and it would be a lie to tell you that I remember the exact moment I subconsciously began dedicating my free time to watching, studying, and examining wrestling.

My journey through the world filled with giants like Bret Hart and Ric Flair didn’t start as expected; not with a friend or relative, but it was curiosity that captured my eye as I remember standing in a video rental store staring at a bald man with a look on his face that told you he wasn’t someone you wanted to mess with.

The Indian clerk asked me whether I watched WWF while I had a Disney VHS cassette in my right hand.

What’s he talking about? I responded in the negative and he walked away with a box of disorganized cassettes.

I went home and the incident was soon forgotten.

At our household, we could rent a video per week as a way of relaxing after five days of school and every time I’d go to the store, I’d browse the WWF section more and more and that would lead to many conversations with the clerk regarding these towering figures with menacing, icy stares.

I learned, slowly and steadily, about stars like Shawn Michaels, Sting, Lex Luger, and Yokozuna but it was too early in my childhood for me to retain all the information and by the time I had moved to Dubai, my mind was blank once again.

But this time was different.

I had made up my mind that I would search for tapes and rent them if I could and learn as much as I can.

I asked my father what he knew of wrestling and his pithy reply was: “You know something, brother?” and when I responded with a resounding “What?” he laughed and walked away.

The next day, he told me all about Jimmy Hart and Hulk Hogan and I asked him if we could rent videos, but I was disappointed when he deemed it too violent for a boy of my age. (I was seven at the time.)

A rude awakening had ruined my mood when my brother literally screamed in my left ear: “Our neighbor just got a PlayStation, come on!”

I was about to smack him in between the third and fourth rib before my scowl turned into a grin. Soon, I was staring at Kane and the Rock battling it out on a TV set.

I heard random retorts from both my brother and his friend Suhail, including: “You better watch your tongue before the Rock puts a camera in your mouth!”

All hope was not lost after all.

I still had a source from which to learn about wrestling, but things really started turning around the following week when I found out that my father would be making trips back and forth between here and Tanzania, much to the chagrin of my mother.

And you know the old saying, when the cat is away, the mice will play.

I would rent not one, not two or three or four, but sometimes up to five wrestling tapes every week.

It didn’t matter to me if I couldn’t watch all of it; all I knew was that I had to capitalize on my dad’s absence, and the non-existence of a conscience helped me a great deal in successfully sneaking wrestling-related material past my mother.

During that time, I had also started going for private tutoring. I was weak in a few subjects, notably science, so I had a nice little walk everyday and came back with a noggin full of ideas, theories, and concepts.

It was in the private tutoring that I would meet a devoted fan of professional wrestling. He was shuffling cards around and asked me to play with him.

I frankly told him that I didn’t know any card games. He told me to flip them and what would once again put a smile on my face: they turned out to be wrestling stats cards!

What encouraged me to work twice as hard with my tutor was that I would increase my work rate and finish all of my work before the allotted time.

The rest of my time would be given to challenging that friend in a stats challenge where I would lose very frequently, mostly because I didn’t know which stats to pick and when.

That didn’t faze me as I was introduced to the Road Warriors, Gangrel, Edge and Christian, and other notable stars of the '90s.

When I picked up a card that fell out of my grip and gazed upon the image of a leviathan called Yokozuna, the flood gates opened and my conversations with the clerk came back to mind.

All of a sudden, I exclaimed: “His Banzai drop is deadly!”

He responded: “I know, he did it to Hogan and he couldn’t kick out of it.”

We talked and discussed favorites together, with mine being Shawn Michaels and his being Ric Flair.

He’d show me posters of wrestlers like Dusty Rhodes and Randy Savage, and I would invite him to my home to watch tapes of PPVs of the Attitude Era.

The next few years passed and the wealth of information that I gained over the five years was now being replaced with newer information that I came across in my daily life.

Everything in my life started to change drastically, and it isn’t comforting when one finds out that wrestling is scripted.

My brother shrugged it off, saying that he didn’t care that much for it anyway.

And his friend, Suhail, began to spend more and more time analyzing cricket rather than watch wrestling on TV.

Slowly but surely, the ties I had so lovingly shared were being severed at an alarming rate for one so young.

My school work began to take over and I was no longer in contact with my friend.

But the death blow delivered to my love for pro wrestling came when the video store that had WWF videos closed down and any attempt to find wrestling videos ended in utter discouragement.

I finally gave up on wrestling, just like my brother had done a few years ago, but my mind still wandered and wondered whether I would get a glimpse of the greatest spectacle ever again.

I knew that fate would not deal me a cruel hand for long.

But the journey back to the annals of wrestling history wouldn’t be easy.

Making an Impact: Analyzing TNA's Past and Deducing Its Future

Sulayman H. — Sun, 24 May 2009 05:02:02 -0400

Note: References to WWE will be made not with the intention to compare the two promotions but to highlight TNA’s effectiveness as an alternative broadcast.

On June 19, 2002, Jeff Jarrett and his father, Jerry, introduced TNA (Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) to the world of wrestling enthusiasts.

It first debuted as a weekly pay-per-view event and it would not be until two years later that they would expand to provide a weekly broadcast known as Impact!

After nearly seven years of weekly programming, TNA has come far from being an incomplete business plan; it has become one of the two national promotions in the United States, the other being World Wrestling Entertainment.

While TNA has had its fair share of success with the ever popular X-Division (cruiserweight division) and a solid tag team division, it has unfortunately been a victim to poor writing and bad booking at times.

But like any other promotion, TNA will have to go through the process of trial and error before they find their secret BBQ sauce of success.

TNA aims to be the alternative to the WWE, and thus they should strive to create a difference between them from the “other company.”

It must be a positive difference, so they may appear more appealing to wrestling fans in contrast to WWE’s weekly soap operas.

As a child, I was taught that you should practice what you preach.

If that is the case, TNA should fire their image consultant right away for suggesting a blatantly clear slogan that promotes what the company should be doing.

Crossing the line doesn’t mean poking fun at the WWE all the time or referring to them as the other company.

If you really like to, then show the stones and address them by their name: WWE.

Crossing the line wouldn’t necessarily mean showcasing excessive violence on TV, and it definitely doesn’t mean quibbling about who should apologize to whom.

TNA is chock-full of potential; that is no joke. As far as in-ring competition is concerned, I applaud the roster for putting in so much effort and dedication to perfecting the fine art of wrestling.

When it comes to handling its superstars or for that matter, story lines that might affect aforementioned superstars, TNA has a lot to learn.

Let me provide you with a comment from our Co-Community Leader, Shane Howard:

“TNA fails to do what they said they are about. They claim they are an alternative but in reality, they look like WWE-lite. It's a damn shame they aren't trying to be alternative except for when they make up their gimmick matches.”

I believe this comment was right on the mark, it couldn’t have been put better.

Why does TNA fail to capitalize on their homegrown talent and instead cling to the stars who should be in the alumni section?

What are the current issues of TNA and how can they be resolved?

Let’s take a look, shall we?

The X-Division

It is the heart and soul of TNA, this division which was once the focus of the entire show, it was what made me a TNA fan and I was stunned to hear that such notable stars as Johnny Devine, Sonjay Dutt and Petey Williams were released.

In this area, I would have to say that TNA had created a successful alternative to WWE’s mid-card by providing wrestlers with agility and athleticism so much so that not only were they successful in high-flying spots, but their in-ring skill is also quite the spectacle to witness.

A three-way feud over the X-Division title between A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe, and Christopher Daniels would eventually see the three of these athletes in the main event scene, with both Samoa Joe and A.J. Styles holding the company's top titles.

Many of its current stars are part of the tag team division and now that the X-Division champion, Suicide, is involved in a feud with the likes of Lethal Consequences and the Motor City Machine Guns, it seems that the division will be getting a fair amount of coverage.

The Issues

The division is hell bent on using gimmick matches, and almost every title defense involves four competitors.

Whatever happened to a good old singles contest?

If there are four wrestlers in the ring, it is twice as hard to effectively showcase every single one of the competitors’ abilities and put them over with the fans as opposed to having two wrestlers giving their all in attempt to attain the division’s prized possession.

Currently, the only storyline involving the X-Division is the “Who is Suicide?” program. While having one storyline involving multiple stars promotes the idea of having everyone participate isn't necessarily a bad idea, it does leave a lot to be desired.

It is granted that time constraints are set in place, that is why I would suggest the company stop airing those ridiculous "Cross The Line" promos every other five minutes.

Instead, they should offer to have all the webographies of wrestlers exclusively on the company website in order to better utilize the remaining time and build compelling story lines that force the viewers to stay tuned.

That would prevent the regular channel surfing disease viewers are prone to catch whenever watching TNA or in this case any pro-wrestling broadcast.

Moving on…

Women’s Division: TNA Knockouts

When the Knockout division was started at Bound For Glory ’07, TNA acquired a lot of exceptional talent with both beauty and wrestling skill.

Most of these women had not only great in-ring talent but they had what the majority of the WWE Divas were and are still lacking, characters and personas.

When a superstar debuts on TV, his/her responsibility is to take their character and work with it in order to get themselves over with the crowd thus ensuring their employment as well as their future in the company.

While the fans embraced both Divas and Knockouts, it was the latter that must be commended on their effort to actually make their characters stick out of an ordinary crowd.

A great example of how TNA capitalized on this is The Beautiful People.

When Angel Williams and Talia Madison first debuted, they were generic pretty face baby face divas. But then TNA turned them heel and created possibly the most despised female tandem in wrestling today.

The Issues

After having done well in the past two years, things have drastically changed and for the worse.

TNA has turned Kong into a face without regard for her bloodthirsty ways, and have made The Beautiful People a bunch of dumb blondes whose stupidity knows no bounds.

I could understand why they turned Kong into a face, capitalizing on her increasing popularity would be a healthy source of income.

But true to her core, she is a monster who knows naught but destruction. It’s funny, now that I’ve said that I will be cheering the next time she gets in the ring simply because these people are here to see a TV-14 show and if they get what they want, why won’t they cheer?

A recent trend has emerged which consists of taking very talented and developed characters and shifting them around in personality (Kong to being a face, Roxxi to the "Hardcore" Knockout who swore all the time, ODB to being out there looking for a date through video submissions and then being held off TV)

If TNA’s Knockouts are to once again become the alternative to WWE’s divas, they would have to go back to the drawing board and approach feuds and characters involved in those feuds very carefully.

Engaging the fans is one of the essential ingredients of a successful feud, the others are in-ring competition and legitimate and logically sound story lines.

Although, there must be a variation of little to a lot of suspension of disbelief but never reaching to the extreme highs as that would just leave a bad taste in the mouth of the viewership.

Celebrity Involvement

This has not been stressed enough before by my fellow writers, but celebrity involvement in the world of wrestling must be kept to a minimum.

Although it may give TNA a little publicity, the focus of the show may be diverted in favor of these Hollywood stars and that would make for an unsatisfactory product overall.

Tag team Division

When it comes to TNA’s tag team division, I can say without a doubt that this section of the company has excelled and continues to do so.

With past teams like XXX (Senshi, Elix Skipper and Christopher Daniels), Team Canada (Eric Young, Petey Williams, Johnny Devine and Bobby Roode) and America's Most Wanted (James Storm and Chris Harris), among many others, the company developed a solid foundation.

Teams like LAX, the Motorcity Machineguns and Lethal Consequences among others are participating in tag-team matches.

New teams are being introduced regularly as well.

In two hours of weekly programming, TNA continues to highlight more tag teams and more respectable tag team wrestling than WWE does across all its shows, and it’s hard for anyone to argue otherwise.

Random pairings such as Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed have resulted in not only new exciting but entertaining tag teams as well.

Sure, the tag titles will never be the company's top belt, but treating that as if they are two separate divisions with equally prestigious championships helps keep the tag titles relevant and helps develop new stars at the same time.

Continuing this focus on tag team wrestling, which has been a crucial part of TNA's past as well as present, will allow the company to continue to differentiate itself from its future competition.

Talent acquisitions and the main event scene

Acquiring talent and creating stars out of them has always been the focal point of TNA’s progress.

When the company first started, young talent such as Styles, Joe, Daniels, Storm, Lethal were being recruited in order to provide entertainment and build stars for future inclusion in the main event scene.

What TNA has done so far with all these superstars is nothing short of commendable.

However, you also have to take into account how these superstars’ characters were morphed for better or for worse.

The Issues

Will the real Samoa Joe please stand up?

Grrr…the nation of violence!

See what I mean? They took Samoa Joe who had great appeal and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and turned him into a twisted vigilante who has murderous intentions.

Is that the best you could come up with?

Couldn’t Joe oppose the MEM (Main Event Mafia) by being exactly the same as he was before?

I could understand why they would opt to change his character a little in order to give him an advantage over the Main Event Mafia but this is just plain disturbing.

What TNA is doing with its current main event scene is the exact reason why some of us have turned away from the product.

Having four veterans competing for the company’s top prize and with three of them being executive shareholders defies logic.

The main event of a show is where an upcoming or already established star defends the top tier title against another rising star or a fellow established star.

Having the belt on Mick Foley was a bad decision, in my opinion. It only further strengthens my theory that suggests that every established star that signs with TNA is bound to have a title reign sooner or later.

Why not build Samoa Joe or the phenomenal A.J. Styles to once again reclaim a top title?

Or better yet, begin working out a plan to push a newly signed talent to become the flag bearer of the company.

WWE had Hogan, Austin, etc. TNA needs to hands the reins to the young talent if they are to truly succeed in building superstars.

The one obstacle that seems to be in the way in this sort of progress is the Main Event Mafia. Rather than the usual spot where I would raise my fist to the heavens and ask why, I’ll state why the unstoppable MEM is a great obstacle for a new star to cross.

Isn’t that the usual drill?

An underdog against a world filled with obstacles, a rocky start, an even harder journey and final vindication.

This is the perfect opportunity for a young superstar to rise to stardom. TNA needs a flag bearer to represent not only the youth movement but to provide clear evidence that the company is more than willing to push talent a few kilometers shy of the moon.

After successfully capitalizing of said established star, he will need a new nemesis.

What better way to provide the champion with a worthy opponent than to build a heel star?

Progress may be a slow process, but it will only help the company in the long haul.

Ratings and future competition

The ratings for Impact have been increasing but not a rate that would allow TNA to jump to Monday nights because they have yet to achieve their goal of being an alternative, thus they will have to refocus their priorities.

An episode of TNA will likely have 30 minutes of wrestling, and with a two-hour time slot this is quite the opposite of what you’d like to have.

The key to gaining viewership is to strike a balance between the two; however, exceptions could be made in case of building feuds for an upcoming PPV but at the same time, we must keep in mind that it must never completely dominate TV time.

As I’ve mentioned before, there needs to be a cutback on the webographies and the “Cross the Line” promos.

Another example of bad storytelling would be last week’s episode of iMPACT! In which we were practically following Jeff Jarrett in his day-to-day activities.

Instead of cutting to the final act, the less than mediocre buildup to what should have been an extreme altercation between Foley and Jarrett ended up a huge disappointment and it caused the show to end in a rather anti-climatic fashion.

Like I said, a balance of segments and in-ring storytelling will benefit both the buildup of the stars and will boost ratings.

People have credited TNA’s failure to attract viewers to their inability to successfully advertise their promotion.

This is another area where management might like to look into, get superstars to advertise themselves, get them on radio shows (Here’s looking at you, HTR), and please do something to promote the company.

When the question of whether TNA will ever be a legitimate threat to the WWE comes up, I feel it is matter of perspective as well as time that is a factor here.

If TNA is to step back and redesign their blueprints entirely for the better, it won’t before long that they catch steam and pose a threat to WWE.

Please forgive me as I tend to get theoretically fantastical in my articles at least once, let me present forth a piece of science that I had stashed away in my top shelf.

The term Black Swan comes from the assumption that 'All swans are white'. In that context, a black swan was a metaphor for something that could not exist. The 18th Century discovery of black swans in Western Australia ^[3] metamorphosed the term to connote that the perceived impossibility actually came to pass.

Theoretically speaking, it could happen.

The defense rests, no further evidence.

A big thanks to Adam Testa for being an excellent source of information.

The B/R Writer Rankings: A Necessary Evil or an Agent of Chaos?

Sulayman H. — Tue, 05 May 2009 14:49:01 -0400

Before I begin, let me state for the record that this article was not meant to take advantage of the current ruckus the entire community is a part of. I have no intention to bring a derailed train back on track to its final destination, but merely wish to state my opinions concerning the matter.

Where do we begin?

In the beginning, there was a vision shared by the founders of a site, a site that would allow both young and old from across the globe to coalesce into a larger community that would then be divided into smaller ones.

Each would prosper and have its fair share of success.

Then along came a catalyst: The writer rankings.

For those who do not know what catalysis is, here is a little piece of information to help you understand the term:

Catalysis is the process in which the rate of a chemical reaction is either increased or decreased by means of a chemical substance known as a catalyst. Unlike other reagents that participate in the chemical reaction, a catalyst is not consumed by the reaction itself. The catalyst may participate in multiple chemical transformations.

The chemical reactions can be likened to the articles present on B/R, creating a world of possibilities for a few. This includes giving top writers more exposure, thus awarding them the coveted top spots in their respective communities.

As a result, it gives them a position in the site's top writer rankings.

While many have benefited from the publicity and perks that come with being among the elite, the few who are equally talented—or, moreover, who spend the better part of their time engaging their readers in an argument both logically sound and enticing to participate in—tend to go unnoticed by "the system."

The rankings here reward both quantity and quality, yet the former seems to be the dominant factor with regard to giving a writer a position on the rankings list.

And out of the discontent of the unequally balanced set of scales comes a compelling argument about how the system is truly flawed and needs to be changed.

And out of said argument comes a rebuttal, the likes of which B/R has never seen, the product of which produces a wide array of emotions, resulting in a full-fledged war between some writers with ample tenure and even more ample egos.

While some complain about how a writer winning AOTD for his first article is blasphemous, and one writer tells another to come talk to him after winning a certain number of AOTDs, I sit back and have a good laugh.

Those who strive to improve themselves as writers and look for a positive outlet for their passions are now quibbling over the system, but at the same time are pleading to the gods of change to discard all the tools required to craft a revolution.

What stems from these conflicts of interest is a theory, that if explained will better help a writer be it a newcomer or an old hag understand how the system works.

The collision theory, proposed by Max Trautz and William Lewis in 1916 and 1918, qualitatively explains how chemical reactions occur and why reaction rates differ for different reactions. This theory is based on the idea that reactant particles must collide for a reaction to occur, but only a certain fraction of the total collisions have the energy to connect effectively and cause the reactants to transform into products.

Our articles and comments are written are different rates and, as such, can be thought of as collisions. When you have a large number of collisions, the probability of transforming reactants to products increases, thus elevating a writer's status in his or her community.

You see, it does not matter if the reaction (article) is cost-effective or environmentally friendly (thought-provoking and an interesting read)—the only thing that matters is the reaction take place successfully.

The rankings here are not only flawed; they are obsolete.

Wait a minute, Mr. Science.

Weren't you the one who said competition breeds creativity?

So I did—when it is healthy competition rather than an explosion of plagiarism, crude remarks and a rather hostile environment that it might result in.

An article written by our resident wild card which addressed the issues of the people gave a voice to a once lost cause, and has now become a fire-breathing dragon unwilling to be slain by a few knights in shining armor.

Our resident wild card, however, spent an entire month riding the coat tails of one ex-top writer, claiming that he was the present and future of B/R.

Then all of a sudden, an amusing turn of events prompted this writer to become the voice of reason and post an article acknowledging the problems of the common man—or to put it in better terms, the common B/R writer.

But that is a discussion for another time.

Catalysis is the process in which the rate of a chemical reaction is either increased or decreased by means of a chemical substance known as a catalyst.

The rate of chemical reaction can be decreased as well, meaning this leads some writers to walk away from an environment they feel is unfitting for them while others merely refuse to have a number affect their writing, for which I applaud them sincerely.

But then again, you raise your hands to make another point.

The rankings establish within oneself an opportunity, a strong determination to excel greatly amongst our peers and become part of a higher echelon, but at what cost?

To have your creativity killed and an art form assassinated for the satisfaction of a few is a crime worthy of either a high-stakes player or a writer with no regard or respect towards what he or she is writing.

I don't have to tell you which class some of the writers here belong in.

In the end, it's looked at as both a necessary evil and an unworthy abomination.

The writer rankings: A necessary evil or an agent of chaos?

You decide.

In The Cross-Hair: A Most Valuable Presence, Legacy Cemented

Sulayman H. — Tue, 05 May 2009 07:28:15 -0400

Welcome to another addition of "In the Cross-Hair" as we recap the road to Judgement Day.

Raw starts an odd proposed main event of the night with Randy and Shane.

Randy Orton vs. Shane McMahon

On his way to the ring, Shane gets ambushed by Ted and Cody and the fight is taken to the people in the crowd.

After making his way back to the ring, Shane gets blindsided by Legacy while trying to put Orton through the announcement table.

MVP comes out to help since his hours with Sherri Sheppard have come to a halt.

Instead, MVP gets caught in the cross-hair and becomes another victim of Legacy—until Batista makes his way to the squared circle with intentions to destroy Randy Orton.

Randy escapes, and that leads to Vickie Guerrero coming out to remind us every five minutes that she is the GM, and that she lays down the interesting "Earn and You're In" stipulation to all Legacy members.

So we have Ted vs. Batista, and Cody vs. Shane to decide who is going to join Shane-Orton in the main event tonight.

Matt Hardy makes his way to the ring, followed by Kofi Kingston. Matt makes us aware of the fact that he is wrestling under protest tonight.

Matt Hardy vs. Kofi Kingston

It's a solid matchup as Kofi picks up the win with Trouble in Paradise, but is caught with some trouble of his own when he gets a taste of Matt's cast.

Highlight: Matt's ability to wrestle with one hand is no doubt a new weapon in his ever expanding arsenal.

Matt is on his way to becoming a great heel. He may not be the monster heel or an incarnation of Randy Orton or Chris Jericho, but he's holding his own quite well on Raw and his Mattitude shines through.

As for Kofi, he's able to entertain the crowd with any opponent. That speaks volumes for his wrestling skills.

We're shown a graphic of the matches tonight and a brief glimpse of the Niagara Falls.

Santino, Kelly Kelly, and Chavo Guerrerro talk about a pandemic

Santino tells KK that his sister won't make it tonight since she has come down with swine flu thanks to Vickie.

Chavo interrupts the Italian Stallion and tells him that if he wants to succeed on Raw, then he should think before speaking.

Santino apologizes and asks Chavo to send a message filled with pig squeals to Vickie Guerrero.

You can thank the wrestling gods that Santino got a segment. Look forward to the rest of a Santino-lite program.

Lawler and Cole discuss John Cena's injuries as Big Show makes his way into Vickie's office.

The Big Show and Vickie Guerrero segment

Big Show says that he wants to end Cena's career tonight, which prompts Vickie to remind him of Cena's internal injuries. Vickie proposes a match between them at Judgement Day.

MVP and Bella Twins chat about The View

The discussion about the View ends up turning into an invitation to a date. MVP says that he's going to like it here on Raw.

I think MVP deserves the perks that come following a huge losing streak.

MVP vs. Cody Rhodes—Win and You're in Match

MVP makes his way to the ring and we have William Regal as the guest commentator for this match.

It's a short matchup but with an entertaining finish that sees Regal interfere in the match, thus allowing Cody Rhodes to take the win via count out.

Whether Regal's intentions were to help Cody win or to soften MVP up before challenging him for the US Championship, Regal's cowardly move will make for an interesting rivalry between the veteran and the rising star.

Highlight: Regal is very good on the mic and his work here deserves praise as his attention to detail and observations regarding Raw's opening graphic are spot on.

Jillian seeks Amy and Festus while The King watches; Miz tells Cena an inconvenient truth

I thought Jillian was done with her singing gimmick but I was wrong.

Festus sings and wins by a landslide, which prompts the Miz to interrupt, snatching the mic from a frozen Festus.

He says that the reason why Cena did not accept his challenge was because he's afraid and has no self respect.

Miz goes on to talk about Cena's stupid gimmick and his injuries, and he stops when he sees Cena approaching the ring on the Titan Tron.

Cena doesn't show, which leads to Miz telling the fans about the reason behind Cena's gimmick, even going as far as mentioning that he mailed his latest script to the Rock, who needed toilet paper.

Miz has had enough and says that, for the record, he has beaten Cena twice.

Miz calls Lillian worthless. Unfortunately, he's interrupted by an injured Cena who then is interrupted by a seven foot giant, who decimates John.

A rather boring sing off between Jillian and Festus ensues, but we're saved by the Miz, whose mic skills are improving greatly. His words delivered a great blow to all of the Cena fans. Big Show's interruption was needed to sell their match for Judgement Day, although I would've personally loved to see the Miz and Cena in a one-on-one confrontation.

This promo is a testament to Raw's goal of pushing the younger talent such as MVP and Miz. It seems that Raw is on track right to moulding future super stars.

Highlight: Miz was sporting an armband that had the words "Miz 1 Cena 0" written on it.

Mickie James vs. Maryse

Mickie switches to aggressive mode in this match and dominated. It was an overdue divas singles competition.

I'm liking Mickie's mean streak and how she handled Maryse in the match. Hopefully, this leads to a Divas Championship feud, as she had her eyes locked on the belt.

Batista does a little jump backstage and gets ready for his match against Ted DiBiase.

Highlight: the hair flip gets interrupted by Mickie.

Batista vs. Ted DiBiase

Batista's power game and Ted's technical prowess combine well, but this had "disqualification ending" written all over it. Batista pounded on Ted as the referee counted and then awarded Ted DiBiase the win. This frustrated Batista even more.

Backstage, Chavo and Vickie talk about tonight's main event. Chavo proposes that if Batista were to interfere in tonight's matchup, then he should be stripped of his title shot at Judgement Day.

Without waiting for Vickie's response, he sets off telling her that he will let everyone know about her decision.

I thought that a solid match awaited us when Batista and Ted entered the ring; I guess Vickie is a tool to be used by anyone at any time.

The Brian Kendrick vs. Cool Carlito

TBH is still in the WWE, which is proof that miracles do exist.

Carlito gets the pin fall after a Backstabber in what was a short bout.

Legacy talk strategy in the locker room in preparation for the main event.

Batista catches up with Shane to apologize, and tells him that he can count on Batista at Judgement Day.

Shane doesn't seem to care about his apology and walks away.

Legacy vs. Shane McMahon

Cody enters the ring first to wrestle Shane, who tags in Orton, who, in turn, uses the advantage to help DiBiase punish Shane.

Despite the Legacy's efforts, Shane was able to keep up with the third generation super stars until the momentum shifted when he crashed through the announcement table.

Orton senses an opportunity and goes to work with Ted and Cody, injuring Shane's leg with a little help from a chair.

The officials stop the match and carry Shane to the back on a stretcher as Batista comes out and Orton tells him that his Judgement Day is coming.

I don't know why it took so long to take Shane McMahon out of the picture, but let's hope that Triple H doesn't make a surprise appearance next week.

One reason could be that the officials might not have faith in Batista's promo skills and, honestly, who does?

In an effort to stretch the McMahon-Orton rivalry, all of the family members have now been hospitalised. This feud is far from over.

Final Thoughts

This week's Raw wasn't heavy on action. We had a few matches with potential to be entertaining yet there wasn't enough time to fully capitalise on that potential.

A Passion Unrivaled: Our Devotion To Professional Wrestling

Sulayman H. — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:15:26 -0400

A spectacle unlike any other matched with an affection unbridled.

Words fail to describe our attachment to a world that has become such a vital constituent of our daily lives up to the point that even a day without it is enough to cause distress or perhaps raise an eruption of agony in some of us.

Each one of us has their own distinct recollection of how they were first enamored by this universe of combat and entertainment.

Take that and multiply it by the population of one country alone and the results are outstanding.

The memoirs of a wrestling fan are too many to be counted on both hands, there are so many cherished moments that have become significant to each of us.

Over the years, our beloved sport has butted heads with many critics and scandals alike and has survived the onslaught regardless of the remnants of scars it has accumulated.

A few idolized superstars may have passed and the hallowed athletes have retired, but the show as always has gone on.

Despite the daily criticism from among us, the spectacle never fails to continue.

Regardless of the injuries, the athletes continue; they are the driving force responsible for taking a number of minutes and transforming them into a powerful memory that remains for ever etched in our minds.

Every sport has been put under the microscope and scrutinized at some point, we're no exception to the case.

Take all that aside and simply focus on the elegant artists in front of you, what you will get is a beautifully painted portrait of a vision shared by the masses around the globe.

A vision of one instant classic after another, a vision of a few well worked matches together with a few superb segments that combine to bring forth a phenomenal show.

Whether it be a death defying spot or a match of the year candidate, these young men and women have enthralled us all time and time again.

Their athleticism is what captured our imaginations, their legendary match-ups, their stellar feuds that told stories unlike any other sport ever could.

The next time you're at a live event, take a look around and observe the frenzy that is professional wrestling.

Look at the superstars of today, perfecting themselves to bring enjoyment into our lives and their ambition not only to provide us with that one iconic moment but also to move up the ranks.

They travel all year round to entertain people all over the world and they deserve a salute, to say the least.

Consider for a minute if you will, the control of a superstar over his crowd.

The one facial expression or a slight alteration in body language that can be either met with chants or jeers from the crowd.

This is my tribute to the sport that I rediscovered.

We have stood together to show our support; no matter how many times we have been disappointed, we're drawn right back to it because of the few miraculous moments that we hold dear to our hearts.

The next time you're sitting in front of your television, wondering why professional wrestling has according to you become bland and uninteresting; recall the moments that excited you, that shocked you and left you wanting for more.

You'll remember that those moments can come when you least expect it.

Try to reminisce about the mere seconds that turned you into a passionate wrestling fanatic, you'll realize it was in that very heartbeat that you proclaimed your love for pro-wrestling.

This is a toast to all my fellow brothers and sisters out there regardless of whether we agree or disagree in our opinions, we are all part of something larger than life itself.

Notes from the Lost B/R Dossier: Biopsy Notes/The Search For The Future

Sulayman H. — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:06:30 -0400

The future passed me by so quickly that it made me wonder how time makes a fool of us all, including me.

The time to crown a new community leader for the wrestling section had come and unlike the disappointing payoff to the Orton/Triple H feud, our chairman didn't disappoint.

Shane and Jason Le Blanc have made history, well almost.

The Revolution is about to unleash, you better be ready because a hurricane might be coming.

A soap opera was playing on TV, with some elderly citizen apologizing to a crowd in a town hall.

I switched it off and turned to the challenge my work presented me with.

A change for the better that has been due for some time over here, not only in the demeanor of some of the writers but as well as improving the quality of some of the articles here in our "so called soap opera" of a wrestling section.

The mills pile up and the articles that belong to rumors are posted under breaking news, which grinds my gears and leaves the workload unorganized.

I managed to find a few more pages, some still need restoring so I might not be able to catalogue the information on a few of them.

The recent over flow of news and rumors had irked me, the newsletter was plagued with useless articles on Taz, Jeff Hardy but the headline looked promising.

Interestingly enough, I had read the front page; the rest was copy & paste garbage that needs to be dealt with.

These daily B/R wrestler newsletters were getting heavier and heavier as the days passed.

The page count must be ridiculously large.

I flipped through a few notes until I found a few that stood out.

They seem to look like a doctor's notes.

Sure enough, since the handwriting was terrible and I guessed this would need a lot of time and effort to decipher so I got to work.

I shifted to my desk, I took a quick glance at my computer screen and I saw a few more "CM Punk Will Cash In the MITB @ Backlash" articles.

Boy, would I have loved to write an article telling them why that would be the worst decision on the part of the WWE but I'd rather concentrate on these scribbled notes.

It's appearance reminded me of my Play-by-Play and how although there was a notification, it never went into extreme detail of the on-goings.

I scratched my head trying to figure out why a friend didn't win a very prestigious award, she presented a very interesting argument.

I need to get back to my work. I had successfully recovered 16 pages, two of which I had completely deduced and posted my findings.

Doctor Abdul Lateef, Date: 26/04/09 Time of biopsy: 8:08 pm

The patient has been complaining about frequent headaches, so far all tests have not given any indication of the problem.

Therefore, we've decided to biopsy the brain and look for any abnormalities.

Today, we are going to take a look at some of the structures and systems and we'll be checking for cancerous tissues in the subject.

Let us start with the frontal lobe since it is easily accessible.

Reference notes:

CEREBRAL CORTEX Frontal Lobe: Most anterior, right under the forehead.

Functions:

How we know what we are doing within our environment (Consciousness). How we initiate activity in response to our environment. Judgments we make about what occurs in our daily activities. Controls our emotional response. Controls our expressive language. Assigns meaning to the words we choose. Involves word associations.
Memory for habits and motor activities.

The patient's cousin wrote to us some time ago about the inability of the subject to express language and is sometimes trapped with a single thought and may be focused on one thing for long hours of the day.

It seems the subject might suffer from Asperger Syndrome and expressive aphasia in which speech is difficult to initiate.

Patients who recover from aphasia go on to say that they knew what they wanted to say but could not express themselves.

Sounds quite familiar, some of our writers are unable to fully express themselves or have stationary trains of thought. (continuity of Jeff/Taz rumor articles)

I continued analyzing the notes...

Let's move to the parietal lobe, shall we?

Ref. notes:

Parietal Lobe: near the back and top of the head.Functions:

Location for visual attention. Location for touch perception. Goal directed voluntary movements. Manipulation of objects.
Integration of different senses that allows for understanding a single concept.

The patient also has an inaptitude to learn new concepts and ideas.

This could be attributed to SID or sensory integration disorder and that would require therapy.

SID is a neurological disorder causing difficulties with processing information.

Processing information, huh?

Quite interesting that the patient is plagued with so many problems similar to our own.

We might need to consult with a few other surgeons, and the Dean of Medicine as well.

Paging Doctor Shane and Doctor Jason.

I've been told they're both busy repairing critical damage to the spine of another shut-in, the attending keeps babbling about some revolution.

No problems with the occipital lobe so we'll shift to the temperal lobe.

Ref. notes:

Temporal Lobes: Side of head above ears.Functions:

Hearing ability Memory acquisition, some visual perceptions
Categorization of objects.

Right lobe damage can cause persistent talking and that seems to be the case as the patient can't stop murmuring something about a backlash and somebody named Santina while at the same time cannot form a full sentence.

Persistent talking, sounds like something a fair few are very good at.

I turn to my computer and I've found out that I've been drafted to Raw.

That's good news, now back to business.

Let's go lower into the brain stem.

Ref. Notes:

BRAIN STEM: Deep in Brain, leads to spinal cord.Functions:

Breathing Heart Rate Swallowing Reflexes to seeing and hearing (Startle Response). Controls sweating, blood pressure, digestion, temperature (Autonomic Nervous System). Affects level of alertness. Ability to sleep.
Sense of balance (Vestibular Function).

We need to move forward with caution here. We've taken a few slices and we'll be analyzing them later tonight.

One of the few observations I made is that the patient hardly is able to get any sleep, I wonder if any of this has exacerbated any other complications the subject has.

These problems were quite similar to some of our own, and that needs to be rectified.

The rest of the notes were missing as the end of the page had been torn off.
Change is not something that we want, change is something that we need.

And I believe it will come and when it does, it sure as hell will put a smile on that face of yours.

Then again, the masses can't be controlled for what they see, speak or surmise.

We'll become a totalitarian body or is it exactly what we need?

A society conformed or should we let the clowns run rampant?

Then again, maybe we should be proposing a completely new outlook on the matters at hand.

Why So Serious?

Is Sports Entertainment on Life Support? (Part Three: The Next Superstar)

Sulayman H. — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:21:45 -0400

The next big superstar: Man or myth?

Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin.

The few names that come to mind when I think of superstars.

The icons that transcended the storybook world of pro-wrestling and made it a part of reality.

The larger than life and sometimes over-the-top characters that painted such vivid paintings that have since been ingrained into our minds.

The big draws who gave all they could without regard to personal injury or insult.

What seems to be lacking today, you ask?

Exactly the aforementioned.

A big superstar, who can draw fans to watch him.

I'm not taking into account the already established superstars of yesteryear who seem to be doing the company's bidding at this point of their careers since they have already had their fair share of success and are content with putting over new talent.

Can we make a case for John Cena and Edge?

Touting them as the future of the company is fine, but going as far as tagging them with labels such as "the next big thing" or "the icon of tomorrow" would certainly be a stretch.

That's what seems to be missing from the mix of growing talent, veterans and divas.

A bankable, reliable superstar of true main-event caliber.

You could make a case for Edge, and if you told me that a year or two ago, I would've nodded my head, signifying my new found appreciation for your genius.

Having your wife pulling the strings might be entertaining at first, but after two whole years of all that back-and-forth bickering and approximately 730 days later, it gets BORING.

Wait, you can't see me. I'm the next big thing in the WWE.

Surely, you'd think I would agree that John Cena is certainly the future.

Wrong! You should never assume anything.

For that matter, let's open our dictionaries and look for the word "future" and read the text under it loud so that the entire class is full of babbling children.

Taken from Wikipedia—The future is a time period commonly understood to contain all events that have yet to occur.

All events that have yet to occur. Cena is the past.

End of discussion.

You still want an explanation?

If you told me that John Cena is the future, I would ask you to take a look at a previous article of mine and then you can draw your own conclusions.

The next big superstar needs to be a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stuffed room full of corporate yes-men.

That man who will carry the future of an entire company on his shoulders will need to revolutionize an entire industry in order to be recognised as the real deal and not some failed attempt at recreating a national children's hero.

But how can we revolutionize something that already has been in the past?

For starters, let's get the WWE out of the gutters.

We took a chartered plane straight from the promised land and crash landed into the waters of uncertainty.

Now it's time for us to swim back to the shores and hopefully find our way back there.

Who will be the next superstar?

Will one be enough to take sports entertainment out of its deplorable state?

That's all for this time, I'll check in later to give you the latest test results and the final analysis.

In The Cross-Hair: A Feud Flatlines, Doses Of Nonsense, Steamboat & More

Sulayman H. — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:08:56 -0400

Welcome to another installment of In the Cross-hair.

This week's show was going to make or break the match card at Backlash, did they strengthen their chances of putting on a spectacle or did Raw fall flat on its face?

Jericho/Steamboat In-ring segment

The show opened with Jericho bidding the fans farewell, and goes on with his usual rant/hypocrite bashing that he has become famous for doing.

He explains that without him, Raw will fail and things will become worse.

Steamboat comes out and says that Jericho is out here for some appreciation and he's going to give him a healthy dose of it.

He tells the audience that Jericho rekindled his passion to wrestle once again and thanks him for that.

Jericho tells Ricky that he's going to put him out of his misery and proposes a 1-on-1 confrontation at Backlash.

Cena interupts the two but before he can say anything, Jericho says he doesn't care about what Cena has to say and Steamboat accepts the challenge.

Cena says Ricky can handle himself, and that Ickie Guerrero is not here tonight.
Cena has to compete, so he's gonna face Y2J tonight.

I would've really liked for Raw to start off with a match but this segment was enjoyable nonetheless. The only thing that bothers me about it is that Cena's interference during the segment was not needed at all.

Batista vs. Chavo Guerrerro

Chavo comes out and gets some mic time. He talks about the draft and that he's here to impress his aunt Vickie.

Batista comes out and the match lasts for less than 15 seconds.

If Chavo's wrestling credibility wasn't crushed before it damn sure is now.
He says he wasn't ready and that prompts another Batista bomb.

Why bring back Batista before Backlash if you're not going to have him compete in an actual match-up?

This display of power does nothing for either The Animal or the tool of the RAW GM. This was a waste of time.

Shane/Batista backstage

Shane wants to talk about last week but Batista tells him it's all good and that they will get Orton.

Kane vs. CM Punk

Okay, why are all the SD stars on Raw?

Punk sneaks a quick victory with a unique counter of his own; short match-up which was not high on technicality or high-flying moves.

Santino/Santina/Beth Segment

Santino is going to join us once again, with another installment of the whole Santina/Khali segment.

He tries to suspend the belief that he and Santina are the same person.

Santina joins us via the Titan Tron, and tells us she has a blister on her lip and that she's in Italy.

It's too bad considering she was looking forward to the Kiss Cam with Khali.
Santino begins to read a poem to himself/herself, but is interrupted by Beth Phoenix.

Confrontation time/Intervention time...I guess.

We find out we have to suffer through another Khali/Santina episode at Backlash and Santina's taped video backfires on him/her.

Once again, precious time that could have otherwise been used for anything other than this entire mess of a storyline, the segment was filled with a few chuckles but overall it was just plain BORING.

Melina vs. Beth Phoenix

All these frigging SD stars!
Highlights - Beth tries to snap Melina in half and "the quit hitting yourself" spot by Beth.

Melina gets the win and retains the championship when Melina caught Beth with an amazing counter.

Melina gives Raw one last goodbye and we shift to Triple H and Shane.

Shane wishes him good luck, and tells him to keep his temper in check and reminding him not to screw up.

Chris Jericho vs. John Cena

The crowd chants Y2J throughout the match and that's nice for a change- I guess John Cena can make anyone get cheered more in comparison to himself.

Sidenote—Michael Cole is bland and boring, and Lawler is just as boring if not more.

I guess London hates Cena's guts so much that we have so much back and forth action and the two superstars milking reactions from the crowd.

Highlight - All the cheering for Jericho.

Good switches in momentum and a well done match.

Edge interrupts the match to give Cena a beat down and delivers a concerto to Cena.
He adds a nice touch by counting to 10 and proclaiming himself the new champion.

The fact is Cena is as good as his opponent makes him appear to be, the match itself was pretty good considering we've seen the two fight it out many times before.

Edge's recent psychotic turn is interesting, his obsession with the championship increases tenfold every week, let's see what Backlash has in store for us.

Big Show vs. Rey Mysterio

Why is this match after Cena/Y2J?

Why are cruserweights usually in matches with giants?

Last week with Jeff and the week before with Kofi and now Mysterio.

Who booked this crap?

Seriously?

Yes he's the ultimate underdog, we get it.

They are seriously wasting Mysterio's talents on dead weight like the Big Show.

Another squash that sees Big Show take the win once again leaving Rey knocked out in the ring.

This match was as bad as or maybe even worse than the whole Santina segment.

Highlight - Big Show leaving the ring, signalling the end of the match.

Rhodes/DiBiase converse in the locker room

Cody says the Trio (Shane, Batista, HHH) are ticking time bombs, Ted tries to mention something but is interrupted by Orton who tells them that their teamwork has nothing to do with any of this and that he is the very best and guarantees he will beat HHH.

I wonder if any of this conflict will influence the result at Backlash.

Hey, where the hell are all the Raw stars?

HHH vs. Randy Orton

The crowd was as live as it was for the Wrestlemania match, a few RKO chants rang through the crowd.

The no-DQ was supposed to work in their favor to make the match appear fresh.

Triple H dominated most of the match although Orton was able to swing the momentum in his favor for a few moments.

I was hoping we'd get an actual rematch but instead we get another unwanted dose of classic brutal beat down.

Batista spears Shane which further creates tension between teammates and this allows Orton to steal a victory by planting Hunter to the mat with the RKO.

Closing Thoughts

Although it will be a sight to behold when Jericho and Steamboat lock horns at Backlash, this match will probably the last confrontation of Jericho with any HOF legend since he's headed to Smackdown.

Santino has become the resident nuisance, this entire drag queen thing that he's got going on is really stupid and how exactly is it PG?

As much as I would like to see the World Heavyweight Championship retained for once, it's already been labelled as a bonafide hot potato.

The 6-man fiasco at Backlash will most likely disappoint, if a one-on-one match didn't entertain the fans and you're putting in four more people into the mix, expect twice the disappointment.

The simple fact is that one of the hottest feuds of the year has flat lined.

And there's no way to bring back the dead.

Is Sports Entertainment On Life Support? (Part 2): Who Is At Fault Here?

Sulayman H. — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:27:54 -0400

The relationship we share with sports entertainment is bitter sweet.

One minute, the world is on its feet—awestruck and utterly perplexed with what is going on in the ring, backstage, in the parking lot, or in a general manager's office.

The next, the very same people curse, criticize and complain about what might be a less than stellar program on live television.

The question we need to ask ourselves is: Who is really at fault here?

We've been given greatness at times and at others, we've stuck by feuds thrown together without concern for build up or even following the simplest principle of storytelling—the ability to deviate from logic without having to completely disregard and or ignore the intelligence of the fans.

At times, we're able to excuse those little things which might piss us off due to the overall stellar performances by the larger than life characters placed in front of us.

Ever since the term "sports entertainment" has been coined, we've seen quite a few shake ups, controversies in its history, and the creation of the pinnacle of sports entertainment.

Sports entertainment has spanned over a period of three decades now; not only have we seen some of the best and some of the worst for the duration of this time, we have witnessed sports entertainment become part of the mainstream media and the expansion of many wrestling promotions, most notably the WWE.

But now that all that has become a part of history and the most successful years of the WWE have passed us by, the voice of the people has become strained with complaints, criticisms and disappointment with the current product.

But who is to blame for all this?

Do we point the finger at the talented individuals who strive to entertain us whether it is through hilarious segments or compelling in-ring competition?

Do we blame the writers who come up with ideas for story lines and feuds which might or might not be accepted by the fans?

Is it the corporate big shots who refuse to put the right talent in the limelight or the backstage politicking that is choking the life out of our beloved sport?

Is it the higher authority that does not permit certain stars to shine or story lines to play out the way we, the fans would like them to?

Or did we spend too much time giving them credit where it was due and praise for all the efforts they have done and how they have raised the bar?

Have they turned a blind eye to our riots?

Are they playing deaf to our cries to be saved from boring and overly used, recycled ideas?

Or is it us?

Have we the people stripped the extravaganza that is wrestling entertainment down to its bare essentials?

We've broken down the entire sport right down to its core.

Once we find out the way a magic trick works, its no longer special.

It becomes irrelevant and no longer important.

Can we honestly say we haven't done the same to our passion for sports entertainment?

From insider news to rumors and even 100 percent confirmed storyline details that we come across in our daily cyberspace trips, these little tidbits of information that were so hard to obtain have become quite easily accessible from the media around us.

Has all this affected our overall pleasure or displeasure with the main courses we're served every week?

Think about it.

A story is just like a well prepared meal, if you have the right ingredients and that special secret recipe, you have all the necessary tools to create an impression in the minds of all that are attracted to it's scrumptious taste and aesthetically pleasing appearance.

Now, if you run around telling people what the special recipe is, you're more than likely to get tired of eating, or in our case watching, the very thing which is already present, sitting deep within the conscience of our minds.

Have we done irrevocable damage that we are unaware of or do we just not give a damn anymore?

Do we care about the overall product that is placed at our feet or have we turned into casual fans who will settle for anything they can get?

We as fans, are going around telling people about releases and future draft moves; doing this might just kill the excitement when those events actually occur making them obsolete and irrelevant.

And with that, we end up right where we started, high and dry.

Is there a solution to this madness?

A vaccination, perhaps to fend off this virus, the itch to know everything that concerns the inside-out world of pro-wrestling.

The solution might not present itself now and it might not ever.

Can we strike a balance between our addiction with insider reports and our need to be excited consistently?

That is the true question to be posed.

Is Sports Entertainment on Life Support? (Part One)

Sulayman H. — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:36:49 -0400

I've been watching wrestling for a while now, nearly 10 years, and there have been many highs and lows in the world of sports entertainment.

I first discovered wrestling when I was six by checking out an old Attitude Era tape with superstars such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Triple H.

I was amazed by the spectacle before me, and I went to the lengths of renting out the entire video store collection of old tapes so that I could watch sports entertainment at its peak.

Sure, I was exposed to a little crude language—although my big brother can be credited to my now extensive vocabulary—but I witnessed some of the greatest feuds that Vince and Co. had to offer.

After I had settled in the Emirates, I started researching other promotions such as WCW and I went through the history of the WWE: From the cartoonish, over-the-top gimmicks that had all the kids positioned in their happy places, to the edgy, no nonsense attitudes of the '90s.

That has me wondering: What era are we in now?

Are we still in the Attitude Era, or have we gone back to the stupid gimmicks of the '80s?

Wrestling promotions were losing stars to Vince McMahon as he broke all the conventional rules of wrestling.

He took the likes of Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, and Shawn Michaels and made them household names.

Through the years, these cash cows have served him well, as his intent was to make money.

He created Wrestlemania, was involved in a public relations fiasco, and had some of the top stars of his promotion leave for better offers.

In a desperate effort to create new superstars, he started pushing young talent.

He would eventually let the line in the sand fade that distinguished what was decent and what was morally reprehensible.

He was losing the Monday Night Wars.

It was then that Vince's greatest moment came and he rose to the occasion to provide sports entertainment like you have never seen.

Monday Night Raw moved away from the crowd pleasing gimmicks and took a head first plunge into a whole new plethora of storylines, rivalries, and gimmicks.

Vince had once again produced cash cows to reap the benefit of all their hard work, and why not?

He had deserved to bask in the glory; he had made the WWE what it is today.

Ever since the end of the Wars, Vince has been looking in a new direction.

Vince did not care for restrictions before, but now, he was slowly evolving into this conservative and family-friendly businessman.

We're in the PG era now, dominated by babyfaces who are either out of their prime or those who have become "tweeners."

Vince went from controversial to downright pathetic.

You don't have to be an expert to see that WWE is on life support, and soon, if things take a turn for the worse, the plug is going to be pulled.

Vince McMahon will never quit, you say?

Vince McMahon will never give up, you say?

Are you the same people who were cheering "nWo for life," or do you actually believe Vince has nine lives?

Vince's latest money maker has been John Cena.

No matter what you're personal opinion is of the guy, he's a hard worker, and he deserved the top spot two or three years ago.

But that is all Vince has ever done, produce cash cows.

Let's review the medical chart, shall we?

The start of the year looked to be promising with all new storylines and perhaps a few rising stars looking to become the future of the business.

But the ball has been dropped so many times since then, you'll need at least four hands to count the exact number of times.

I'm not criticising the WWE.

It's Vince I have a bone to pick with.

Whatever you say or do, the head honcho is the one who puts the seal of approval on it, no matter who comes up to him asking him to take a look at ridiculous "mankini" catalogues, or telling him how getting kicked in the head would be great for the business.

I commend Vince for his ability to keep us hooked for all these years: You, Vince, are responsible for keeping the millions of us entertained throughout the years.

You were looked at as a mad genius when you were at the peak of popularity.

Now, you are just plain mad.

The outright stupid plot lines that you have come up with astound me.

From giving complete power of the flagship show to a 500-pound whale, to destroying the credibility of 24 divas all in one night, you have certainly gone crazy...with power, that is.

You haven't found your cash cow, so you've resorted to cheap stunts that no one appreciates.

Sure, it gives us a laugh or two, but how could you not think twice before decimating the prestige of the Intercontinental championship...and in 21 seconds, no less.

Do you have a personal vendetta against all the future Hall of Famers who held the Intercontinental championship, or did you just forget that that belt has one of the most storied histories of all titles?

All the while, you choose to ignore the simple fact that you are pushing the few popular superstars away from the spotlight.

I thought bitter rivalries with other companies would not hinder your judgment when allowing talent to shine through, but clearly, you have proven that even the smartest man can let his ego get in the way of all else.

And what about the fountain of established talent that you push aside so that Santino can show off his little Miss Wrestlemania crown and do a little dance for us?

You could have CM Punk and perhaps Shelton in the spotlight with them fighting for the MITB briefcase, but instead, we have a cross-dresser telling us how great it is to be Ms. Wrestlemann-i-a.

The facts are simple. The evidence from the last four months, or perhaps the last two years, play out before you.

Can you honestly say that we aren't missing something?

Can you honestly say that sports entertainment is healthy and whole?

Vince, you have been desperately clinging to the notion that as long as established stars like Triple H, Edge, and Cena stay in the picture, there is no need to bring improvement to the show.

I didn't mention Orton in the same breath, since he has yet to establish himself as a constant force in the main event scene.

You wanted Raw beefed up. I presumed you meant talent, but you meant actual beef, as you put the likes of Kane and Big Show on Raw.

As long as you hold on to the notion that the money will keep rolling in despite the crap you pull out of your proverbial corporate cave, you will never be part of another breakthrough.

And why won't he get the money?

We as wrestling fans have shown the fiercest loyalty of all.

We have stuck by the same old crap until something new was thrown our way.

But can the same be said about the other side of the argument? Does Vince strive to bring us quality entertainment?

At times, yes he does.

But if things don't change, and soon, this year will be known as the most humiliating year for WWE.

You can blame it on the economy all you like, but you know the truth.

It has been hit-and-miss with the Triple H/Orton feud so far, and now with Batista in the picture, this feud is headed straight for the gutters.

Wrestling in and of itself is not in jeopardy.

As far as in-ring entertainment is concerned, we are being served with a whole new platter of styles and technical maneuvers, and this is what keeps us wrestling fans alive.

The same cannot be said for sports entertainment.

The inability to surprise the fans, the inability to effectively give us what we crave more than anything else....entertainment.

Vince McMahon created the monster known as sports entertainment.

That monster is slowly dying, living as nothing more than a vegetable at a medical facility near the WWE headquarters.

Will it ever regain its strength and make a hellacious return to captivate, to enthrall, to excite us?

Only time will tell.

In The Crosshair: Raw End Of The Deal, The Champ Is Here, And The WWE Draft

Sulayman H. — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:29:34 -0400

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the late edition of In the Crosshair.

Well, last night was the WWE Draft that promised to shake things up big time. Did they succeed? Let's take a look.

Batista's Comeback Promo

His mic work is average at best, and Batista doesn't talk for long before being interrupted by Shane and Triple H. The three argue over who gets a piece of Orton tonight, when they are interrupted by Vickie Guerrero.

Vickie basically tells them that now she is all-powerful and reminds them of the Backlash tag match. She puts them in a 3-on-2 match against Legacy tonight, and whomever scores the pin fall will meet Orton next week in a match.

Overall, this promo did nothing to further the HHH/Orton rivalry; it only showcased each other's egos and the inability to work together.

Once again, Shane stands there in the ring like an idiot. Does he not have some power or has he completely forgotten? Once more, we have been made to look like idiots.

Bravo, Vince. You can come out to have a match with a rising star but you can't put Vickie in her place.

Rey Mysterio vs. Evan Bourne

Solid matchup between the two, with Rey getting the pin and Raw getting its first pick. MVP is coming to Raw, which is a good start for him to rise among the ranks.

By the way, did I mention how good Striker is on commentary? This guy has just blown my mind.

Kane vs. The Brian Kendrick with Ezekiel Jackson

Where are they going with the whole Kendrick gimmick? He just looks so stupid out there; I seriously cannot understand why he is given camera time.

A very short and unsatisfying, match with Kane getting the win.

The draft pick was the Big Show to Raw. Show comes out to celebrate and this has me wondering why they would bring him to Monday nights. The only logical reason is that they want to continue the whole Vickie/Show angle, which is just borderline retarded.

Orton/Vickie Promo

Poor Chavo, what a tool. He gets silenced by Randy.

Orton says she better know what she's doing since the board of directors are watching her every move. She tells him if Ted & Cody win tonight, the loser has to face Legacy next week in a 3-on-1 match. Vickie listens to just about anybody, doesn't she?

I bet if Santino asked her for a title shot, she wouldn't think twice.

Cena/Swagger Talk Backstage

Cena welcomes the All-American to Raw and tells him tonight he's going to teach the ECW Champion respect. It was a funny promo from Cena and Swagger. It's nice to see Swagger on Raw declaring that he is the next big-time player for the WWE.

Divas Match — Team SD vs. Team RAW

Another short match-up which sees McCool getting the pin and Melina going to Smackdown. The King is going to miss her entrance, and so will I, but life goes on, Jerry.

Swagger vs. Cena

The winner gets two picks, cool.

Cole talks up Cena and his will to win. A good technical match-up, with Swagger chants here and there.

Cena always has good matches with technicians. and Cena showcases six of his seven moves of doom. Swagger is showing a lot of improvement, and this match allowed him to shine.

Cena wins and Raw gets Matt Hardy and Triple H. The announcers really overreacted with Triple H's announcement, and it came off sounding very unconvincing.

Wait a minute, both titles are on Raw now.

Legacy Promo

Apparently, Orton wants to know the game plan for the match tonight. Orton reminds them of the stips in tonight's match up and discusses the strategy.

Cody and Ted are going to try to bring tension between HHH, Shane and Boretista, and will disqualify either one at Backlash.

Santino vs. Khali

Squash match which sees Khali take the pin and CM Punk comes to Smackdown. Can you say MITB? (Money in the Backlash).

The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston

I always look forward to seeing special K—yes, that's what I'm going to call Kofi from now on. Once again, Cole makes a mockery of himself on live TV. Vintage embarrassment.

The highlight was Miz turning on Morrison. Some can argue that the lesser talented should have broke up the duo, but I feel Morrison could've easily been the one to break the team. Kofi gets the win via DQ and Miz comes to Raw.

15 Man TriBand Battle Royal

Highlight was Big Show picking up Mark Henry. Edge wins the Battle Royal by using Show's momentum against himself. SD picks Kane and Chris Jericho.

Christian vs. Shelton

Highlight:- Shelton's jump to the top rope, great athleticism. For a match as short as this, I gotta say it was pretty good. Christian gets the pin with the Killswitch.

ECW gets its first pick and Koslov's going to ECW. Did Striker refer to the Molotov cocktail as a drink?

Triple H/Shane/Batista in the Locker Room

The trio argue with one another; each wants to get their hands on Orton. Nothing new here, let's move on.

Cm Punk vs. Matt Hardy

The match ends up pretty quickly, as Jeff interferes, giving Matt a spear and a DQ victory. RAW pick yet again, and they go with Maryse (obvious choice, but I like it nonetheless).

Where the hell is this draft going? I also wonder where the Brother vs. Brother feud is going since Jeff is still on SD.

Chris Jericho vs. Tommy Dreamer

Is anyone tired of seeing Dreamer in action, or is this a necessary Jericho-type match pitting him against a has-been superstar. Jericho wins with a mid-air Codebreaker, and SD gets Rey Rey.

Priceless vs. The Trio—Main Event

The trio argue over who is going in and the match mostly consists of each of the trio tagging in each other and breaking pin falls. Shane opens up a can of whoop ass on Batista as Triple H takes the window of opportunity and gets the pin fall.

Boo...who cares?

Randy comes out to end the show with a typical staredown between two opponents. Let's hope next week's match doesn't stink as bad as their WM match did.

Final Thoughts

The draft was supposed to shake up the WWE, but just failed to register on the Richter scale. Last year, we saw some major switches, but I guess you can't always get what you want.

Notes from the Lost B/R Dossier: The Main Event Push

Sulayman H. — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 09:04:12 -0400

I awoke in the early hours of the day and I was still stuck in the very prison of my mind.

When will this misery end?

When will we learn to be tolerant and polite?

Perhaps, that day would come soon.

I have to find that page, I seem to have misplaced it.

My thoughts would wander from here to there but it would ponder the most on who might be the person to receive the ultimate push.

Who deserves that honor?

More importantly, is it going to come anytime soon?

Who was most deserving?

These were indeed some tough questions that needed answering.

I can envision it now, some campaigning while the others stay silent.

My support to the latter since I have always felt speaking is silver whereas keeping silent is gold.

There were many of those in the top spot that have proved time and time again that they are worthy of being not only locker room leaders but those shining stars that might take us and deliver us to the promise land.

My thoughts did not leave me, it was as if it were getting more and more annoying.

Did they not understand?

We did not need saving. We were fine before and we'll be alright once more.

But no one can leave well enough alone.

We want more, we need more and we crave more.

It is our nature.

Sky's the limit but we have yet to take off.

Competition breeds creativity, then that's what we need more than anything else.

Our community will grow and in time so will it's inhabitants.

Will we be saved?

When and how were they going to decide on who it is going to be?

The only question that remained was the former.

How long will we have to wait until we are saved?

I need to find that page, I must have put it in the desk drawer.

I made my way across my room and opened to look at what was an empty drawer.

Where is that wretched page?

The ten who show promise. They always have.

Each as different and as unique as the violin sonatas of Beethoven.

Each had their fair share of exposure, camera time and a select few even have had a few high profile victories in Money in the Bank ladder matches. (AOTD honors)

Would it be Orton who will be leading us in the foreseeable future?

Would it be the legendary Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan?

Will Shelton Benjamin finally get his big push?

Will it be John Cena who will regain his once mishandled position?

Or would it be the General Manager of Smackdown who is going to move up to bigger and better things?

I had found it but alas, only the top of the page.

It had the words inscribed: A New Community Leader—1/5/09 and the letters JLB.

This person has had the last laugh once again, but I will find these lost pages even if it takes a life time.

When the time comes for the company to make the right choice, they will.

After all, Vince is in charge.

We may be on the brink of a new era or perhaps a new age.

Notes from the Lost B/R Dossier: How to Become a Successful Heel Writer

Sulayman H. — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:26:56 -0400

Welcome to the lost notes from The B/R Dossier!

This series is meant to be a package of informative articles for those newly joined writers of our community.

If I stray from the mission statement, please tell me, as I do tend to be all over the place sometimes.

I've been here for quite some time and I write for the Wrestling section here on Bleacher Report.

I am not yet a Senior Writer, but since joining the community 17 days ago, I've read many articles: some stellar and others not so good.

But who am I to judge?

I'm just like each and every one of you, looking for an outlet for my opinions and becoming better writers.

Looking for challenging debates and testing each other's knowledge so that in doing so, we as a community bond together and help one another out in our works, amongst other things.

I started writing for the wrestling section and will continue to do so from time to time.

During my stint here, I've seen a staggering amount of writers with differing attitudes, personas, styles, and unique prowess.

From the title, it's obvious this article is just meant as a rib at sports entertainment.

But I've been asked, what does it take to be an effective heel?

My answer was simple: Get them to boo you.

Controversy creates cash and more importantly a strong reaction from the masses, be it professional wrestling or any other sport.

This is a guide for those who don't want to be looked at as artistic and remarkable writers, although their work is outstanding.

Those who want to disperse from the norm.

Have I raised any eyebrows yet?

Heels, who are they and what do they seek?

In professional wrestling, a heel tries to attain an extremely negative reaction from a crowd and if he is able to do so, it's a job well done.

Here on B/R, the normal rules don't apply.

I've seen quite a few who are just clamoring for attention by leaving comments here and there, promoting others with the need to be respected, although they have not done much to deserve said status.

There are some who are cool and are appreciated for their comedic timing and for rightfully bashing other writers when needed.

Others pretend to adopt useless labels to try and get people to identify themselves as despicable human beings, regardless of their work.

And there are psychotic heels and annoying ones who use profanity and resort to crude remarks to get cheap heat.

Furthermore, the first and last category doesn't even write, so you can attribute those to attaining X-Pac heat (cheap heat).

Then you have the egotistical heel who thinks he's better than everyone else just because he says so.

But what we seem to be lacking is a new, hybrid type of heel.

Someone who embodies all of the above, save the promoting of other writers and the useless profanity.

Someone who is so influential to his colleagues or fellow heels, that they begin to question their own opinions or adopt a new standard of writing.

That someone is not going to be coming anytime soon.

Here at the B/R wrestling section, we're still stuck in the middle of something quite unpleasant.

I'll agree with those who might argue that we've had a large influx of talent or lack thereof, and the period when the wrestling section was dominated by the NTO (New Troll Order) as signs that more people are becoming ignorant, stubborn, selfish, and therefore are trying to become villains of our fine society.

But unfortunately, these henchmen of something far greater hit a dead end.

The community is becoming increasingly tolerant of such idiots with their asinine comments...right, Shane?

And because of our Zen-like patience, these people are slowly retreating to the fiery depths of Mordor.

But who is their master? Who is the person behind all of this?

Only one answer, all of them.

Their arguments are full of fallacies and they present their cases poorly.

That's why this article is for those few who are still here on B/R.

If you want to know how to become a heel writer, look no further.

I'm not encouraging anyone because they only seem to wage purposeless wars with the top-ranked writers.

I'm addressing those who want to compel, those who want to challenge the reader beyond a simple disagreement.

It's not as hard as you think it might be. You don't have to tell people they are hypocrites or resort to physical violence against their loved ones.

Hell, you don't even have to go around offering money to other writers to vote for your favorites.

Now, let me get that manual out.

Ah, here we are.

It's a simple three-step process, and then you're well on your way to becoming the most hated person in B/R history.

Step 1: Identification

Are you a heel? Do you want to become a heel?

At this point of your life, at this point of your stint here at the Report, do you really want to become despised?

There's no going back. Once you turn to a new road, one that is filled with retorts from troll hunters and other sensible and accomplished writers, there is no going back.

Thought it through?

Well, let's move on.

Step 2: Know Your Role, Build Your Self

If you want to be an annoyance to the society, you've come to the wrong article.

What kind of a heel do you wish to become?

Do you want your voice to resonate through the halls of the wrestling section, to command the attention of all who are present within the court of the open source network?

How will you do so?

Calling them hypocrites and trying to get respect where it isn't deserved through your comments and useless rants might work for a short time. However, these tactics are far beneath you and won't be effective in the long haul.

You need to evolve, to stay one step ahead of your critics. Be sure of what you're saying, because your comments might come back to bite you in the ass.

That's what we do, we find the little things and catch you off-guard and you end up without a strong response and looking like a joke of a writer.

Don't feel the need to label yourself, if you are truly good at what you do, then you will be given a moniker worthy of you by the community itself.

When writing articles, don't rely on writing stupid statements about the reader.

You have to convince them that they are wrong.

You have to make them believe, astonish them and have them question their own perspective.

The one thing that Chris Jericho has done, albeit with a minority of the viewers, is to convince them that they are truly wrong about some of their ideologies.

You don't need a signature sign-off or a unique opening statement to your article.

Use the least amount of time and words to leave a long-lasting impression.

The goal is to write smartly, using everything in your arsenal to support your argument and if you have to cross the line sometimes and deviate from the normal rules of literature, so be it.

The rules don't apply to you; I'm speaking now directly to the surviving offspring of the NTO and I applaud you to listen to reason.

Evolve and transcend.

But let's not have everyone doing the same thing and using recycled ideas again and again.

Everyone wants to be different, so the logic applies that while trying to do so, they inevitably become the same once more.

Step 3: Execution

It all depends on how you present your case to the casual reader or in this case the members of the wrestling section.

All of your preparation is done now.

You know who you are to become and ready to face the music no matter how loud it might get.

Take a step back and reflect on what you have done and see how you have constructed your thoughts, your emotions and your opinions in your words.

If you have a statement which holds true to you but might conflict or contradict something that you may have been supportive or otherwise before, remove it.

You wish to use your weapons to strategically and carefully place and evoke a thought provoking debate into the hands of your reader.

It all depends on the execution of your perception and whether or not you made an impact on your fellow members and the casual reader.

If you do succeed to convince others that your point of view and your reasoning is unbiased and may hold to be true, then you not only have successfully grasped their attention and challenged their point of view, you have in all efforts become a successful writer.

This has been a B/R Dossier presentation.

By the way, the quality of articles on B/R are greater than those across the net. :)

Orton and Triple H: Punts, Sledgehammers, and the Light at the End of the Tunnel

Sulayman H. — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 09:27:15 -0400

B/R is about to witness a plague of WrestleMania recaps and opinion-related articles across the entire wrestling section. From newcomers to senior writers, everyone is going to be talking about what a disappointment WrestleMania XXV was.

JLB is probably going to tear WWE a new one in this week's RNN, and I can smell a Shelton Benjamin article from AkD.

Maybe something like: The Old Standard—WTF??!!!

Ryan Michael has an article out already focusing on the so-called main event of last night's disaster of an extravaganza.

A certain someone will still go on and on about how Joe Burgett's recaps are better than anything Shakespeare could ever come up with.

But I digress.

I roll my eyes and I blink, I've just witnessed history's greatest WrestleMania. Or so I was told by my younger brother.

Adam: "Triple H has retained his championship at WrestleMania, finally he got the revenge he deserved."

Me: "Man, I knew it."

Adam: "In your face, I told you."

Me: "What do you mean, in my face? I predicted this and now even I'm disappointed that what I had said what would come to pass actually did."

I shake my head in shame as utter disappointment flows in my veins.

It felt like moments ago, when Triple H entered the arena, I had come to the realization that he would successfully avenge his family.

As Triple H's music played and he entered the ring, I found my attention wandering to other places.

I watched the Cerebral Assassin use Randy Orton's plan against him and pick up the pieces to get the pin.

I wondered, why did it have to end in such a way? Why didn't Orton put more effort into this match?

Where was Orton's infamous intensity, the unpredictability of his actions that made you sit at the edge of your seats with your sweaty palms waiting, watching in anticipation?

How the hell did all of that disappear?

I had prepared myself for this and ventured with the millions of people watching around the world with the mindset that Triple H was going to retain.

Was it Orton's disappointment at the finish that diverted his attention from giving the fans a good match?

I'm in agreement with the millions that Taker/HBK was a tough act to follow.

I know, because I sat there in front of my TV saying: "It won't get any better than this."

Was it Vince McMahon's grand miscalculation that left us all high and dry, expecting more from the main event that was 25 years in the making?

Or could all of this attributed to Triple H?

Was it his own stubborn attitude that allowed him to go over perhaps the greatest heel in the WWE, and in the main event no less?

As I sat there contemplating the consequences of the results, my mind once again raced.

I began to hear voices, but you need not worry. They were not my own.

My friends were exhilarated at the fact that Triple H finally got his big win. I wish they would shut up now so I could focus.

It was hit-and-miss with this feud. Come to think of it, it has always been that way with the WWE.

But this was a big miss.

The push that Orton had gotten since Survivor Series, his win at the Royal Rumble, the anarchy that he spread week after week on Raw—all of that for nothing.

At Survivor Series, I was more concerned with whether Jericho would ever get another title shot and how soon that would be.

I was frustrated with how McMahon refused to pull the trigger on Jeff Hardy's career.

I hated the fact that the World Heavyweight Championship was stuck in a never-ending game of passing the parcel.

But then I heard a noise, that silenced all others.

I turned to see Randy Orton. I showed interest in his character and development.

I blinked to relieve the strain of my eyes and I returned to the real world.

Sitting there, wondering whether Orton's chances were now slim or non-existent, my friends continued to chatter about the post-WrestleMania Raw.

I raised my head. It struck me harder and faster than Big Show's knockout punch or Shawn Michaels' Sweet Chin Music.

If the very thing that Orton has waited so long to accomplish had evaded him again, what would his retaliation be?

I paused for a second as my mother came to me, signaling to the clock on the wall that I was supposedly staring at for 10 long minutes.

I was there physically, but in my mind I was looking back at Orton's actions and thinking if he was so devastating before his match with Hunter, what would he do now that his mentor had once again defeated him?

Adam comes to put his hand on my shoulder and tells me to cheer up.

I sighed in relief and a smile spread across my face.

Orton is a ticking time bomb and now even more so. If he was willing to do whatever it took to destroy Triple H before they locked up last night, imagine to what great lengths he will go to this time.

I stood up and delivered a thunderous RKO to Adam. My eyes widened, my body was tired but my mind was racing.

Triple H, you've invited even more trouble for yourself.

There's a light at the end of the tunnel for Randy Orton.

There is still a chance for him to redeem himself tonight. Let's hope Vince doesn't screw us again.

Signing out,
Sulayman

The Invitation: The Legends Come Home Pt. 2

Sulayman H. — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:04:48 -0400

Welcome to the second part of The Invitation.

If you missed the first part, here it is.

Let's take a look at one of the wrestling families, the Von Erichs. There's quite a bit of history to cover here but I will try my best to keep it as short as possible.

Once again, I did not know as much about the Von Erichs so I had to do a little digging. Let's take a look, shall we?

The Von Erich Family

Fritz Von Erich:

Fritz became on of the top stars of the NWA, he was a heel for the better part of his career. At one point, his finishing maneuver 'The Iron Claw' was the most popular move in Japan.

He has held the AWA World Heavyweight Title once. He was at one time the president of the NWA and propelled to stardom all thanks to his feuds with Antonio Inoki and other superstars of Japan.

Watch Fritz in action.

Kevin Von Erich:

Fritz' second oldest son Kevin was dubbed the 'Golden Warrior.'

Although it was not his intention to wrestle barefoot, he would do so and it would become his trademark.

Kevin would, from time to time, wrestle alongside his brothers Kerry and David and he would go on to become one of the top performers in several of the NWA territories.

He wrestled a few times for the WWE but nothing developed from it.

The feud that would put the Von Erichs on the professional wrestling radar was none other than the Von Erich-Freebirds feud.

The Freebirds consisting of Michael Hayes, Buddy Roberts and Terry Gordy would feud with the Von Erichs costing several members of the family championship opportunities along the way.

The feud both elevated the Freebirds as heels and the Von Erichs instantly became heroes in the eyes of the fans.

Here is a short video recapping the feud:

In addition, Kevin won the World Heavyweight Title once and the American Heavyweight Title five times.

Kerry Von Erich:

The fourth son of Fritz Von Erich would become the most known of all in the family.

Kerry earned the moniker of 'The Modern Day Warrior' during his tenure in WCCW.

He went on to beat Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

His most memorable feud was with the Freebirds and Jerry 'The King' Lawler at Superclash Three.

He made his WWE debut on Saturday Night's Main Event and during his run with the promotion he became the Intercontinental Champion after defeating Mr. Perfect.

He would dedicate his NWA World Heavyweight run in the memory of his late brother, David, who feuded with the Freebirds and Ric Flair.

Both Mike and Chris Von Erich were never able to find any long-term success in the ring.

The death of many of the Von Erichs were shrouded in controversy as some died of depression while others notably David who according to an autopsy died from a myocardial infarction, but it is still disputed up to this day whether that was the cause of his death.

The Von Erichs certainly left their mark on the industry and are certainly worthy of a Hall of Fame induction. The choice of who is to induct them is not quite clear to me.

Why would you choose Michael Hayes of all people to induct the Von Erichs?

Agreed, that he was a long-time rival of the Von Erichs but it would be fitting for someone who knew the Von Erichs very closely.

Bruiser Brody could be a viable option although it's too late for the WWE to consider any one else and since Michael Hayes is on the pay roll, it's relatively easier for him to appear on the night of the ceremony.

Let's take a look at the career of one of the most loved baby faces of all time.

Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat

He would wrestle for the NWA from 1977 to 1985. During his tenure at Jim Crockett's promotion he would capture the World Heavyweight Title three times, having classic feuds with Ric Flair among other superstars.

When he debuted in the WWE, he was given the gimmick of a dragon as it would sit well with his Asian features.

He would have notable feuds, one of which would culminate into what has been deemed by critics and fans alike as one of the greatest matches of history, as the Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage defended his title against Steamboat in a classic one-on-one encounter at Wrestlemania III.

(Video One, Video Two)

Steamboat returned to the NWA in 1989 to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship one more time by pinning Ric Flair. He also defended his title in Japan against Mitsuharu Misawa—more commonly known as Tiger Mask II.

He would then return to the WWE and would lose only once in 1991.

In a year, Steamboat returned to the newly christened WCW to become a tag team and World Heavyweight Champion.

He then feuded with none other than 'Stunning' Steve Austin for the US World Heavyweight Title. In one of their matchups, Steamboat would injure his back.

Steamboat would officially retire from in-ring competition in 1994.

Steamboat had a journey like no other, he remained a face throughout his entire wrestling career and one of the few who raised the bar permanently for his spectacular in-ring work and story-telling.

It is fitting that Ric Flair would induct him since their rivalry spawned an entirely new outlook on the world of professional wrestling.

Next up...the most loved anti-hero of all time.

Stone Cold Steve Austin

There's absolutely nothing stunning about this man who's been dubbed the toughest S.O.B. in the business.

"Where ever there's a WWE ring and where ever there's one of these WWE cameras then that night that's where Stone Cold Steve Austin's home so that means it's Stone Cold Steve Austin's show."

And rightly so as Steve Austin would take the WWE by storm. Whenever Austin entered the ring to cut a promo or deliver a Stunner or flip the middle finger, the crowd would go crazy.

Austin would begin his career in USWA but his stay would be short lived.

He debuted in WCW as 'Stunning' Steve Austin, where he would go on to win several titles including the US Heavyweight Championship as well as form a tag team with Brian Pillman.

They would be known as the Hollywood Blondes.

After he was fired by Eric Bischoff, Steve would go to ECW to take out his frustrations on camera. The promo that followed would lay the foundations of his future 'Stone Cold' attitude.

After a short period of time, Steve would sign with the WWE who gave him the 'Ringmaster' gimmick and would be managed by 'Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase who awarded him the Million Dollar Championship.

He would later wrestle Savio Vega in a Caribbean Strap match in which he would lose and Ted DiBiase was thus forced to leave the WWE.

At King of The Ring '96, Austin defeated Jake Roberts in the final by using his new finishing move: the Stone Cold Stunner.

His promo after his win was one that would change history forever.

His "Austin 3:16" speech quickly caught fire and he became an overnight sensation.

He began feuding with a returning Bret Hart, which culminated in a Submission match at Wrestlemania XIII.

Their match that would take place on that historic evening would be witness to the most iconic moment in sports entertainment.

Steve Austin refused to tap out to the Sharpshooter and due to an excess loss of blood, he would pass out.

In a rare double turn, the fans began cheering for Austin and booing Hart.

Austin would go on to officially kick start the Attitude Era as he won the WWE Championship from a retiring Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XIV.

Austin would have spectacular feuds with some of WWE's greatest superstars such as the Rock and Triple H.

But no one, not even Austin could elevate himself to be the most cheered anti-hero.

This was the work of one man and one man alone.

The very man who loathed and despised Steve Austin.

Vince McMahon.

Without the boss, Steve Austin's career might not have reached new heights.

Vince would go to such great lengths and allowed Stone Cold Steve Austin to do things even he would not do.

It is without a shadow of a doubt that I say that without these two, the WWE would not have been as successful as it had become.

Steve Austin brought sports entertainment to each and every household in America.

Without these two, the Attitude Era might not have been so successful.

So it's only fitting that Vince inducts his rival into the Hall of Fame and hopefully be on the receiving end of the "Stunner Heard Round the World" one last time.

Even today if fans were to hear shattering glass, it would send them into a mad frenzy as they know they are about to see a legend in the ring.

That concludes our history lesson for today. If you have anything to say for or against my opinion, then fire away in the comments section.

What? What? Signing out? What?

Signing out,

Sulayman

The Invitation: The Legends Come Home Pt. 1

Sulayman H. — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 07:01:04 -0400

Welcome to the second edition of The Invitation.

I thought of The Invitation as a series that would hype major events in the wrestling world as well as provide a small portion of useful information for the casual wrestling fan.

On this edition, we're going to take a look at this year's Hall of Fame inductees and whether they deserve or do not deserve to be given this prestigious honor.

My aim is to look back on some of these accomplishments of these eight inductees and review their cases individually to determine where they stand when it comes to being deemed a legend in the history of sports entertainment.

I won't go into much detail since there is a lot of history to be covered and well we don't have the time since the Hall of Fame is right around the corner.

Let's get it started, shall we?

Terry & Dory Funk

When I hear Terry Funk's name, I think of a million chairs flying into the ring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re1unypDKAE

Terry Funk started out with his brother Dory in his father's promotion. After quickly rising in the ranks they joined the National Wrestling Alliance in 1968.

It was Dory who would first find success by winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in just a year after joining the legendary promotion.

He would hold the title for nearly five years.

It would take his brother Terry seven whole years to capture one of the most coveted titles in sports history. And he did so in Miami, Florida in 1975 when he defeated Jack Brisco.

Their matches as a tag team were classics in their own right as the Funks stormed the NWA.

Terry had already established himself as a brawler and made the term 'hardcore' popular among fans and promotions alike.

Terry's first run in the WWE would be short lived as he would leave right after Wrestlemania.

He returned to the NWA in 1989 to give the people a very heated rivalry; he feuded with the Nature Boy—Ric Flair, and put Flair out of action for a month.

Of course, the Dirtiest Player would respond in kind and would injure his rival at the Great American Bash in 1989 with some help.

At Clash of the Champions IX, they would put on one hell of a show as they made history and even though it was Terry on the receiving end of the Figure Four Lock, that match has earned a place in the memories and the hearts of many fans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tX0w1ffW9s

There are links on the page to the other parts to the 5-star match.

After Terry departed from the WWE, his brother Dory would remain in tag team action with storyline brother 'Jimmy Jack Funk'.

Terry Funk had collected for himself many fans and accolades alike. But it was only the beginning for the man who would be known as the innovator of extreme wrestling.

ECW began to gain steam and they did what was most logical at the time: putting the strap on Terry as he went on to defeat Raven in 1997. Later on, he would compete in one of his most gruesome matches to date when he locked horns with Sabu.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcOkebyq6RI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6fhU7WGTCY&feature=related

Take a look and witness the legend that is Terry Funk.

Terry Funk is a legend, albeit a hardcore one at that.

Bill Watts

Cowboy Bill Watts started out as a wrestler and went on to wrestle for many promotions and feuded with Bruno Sammartino for the WWE Championship, just failing short of realising his dream.

Watts' skills would be better utilised as he would prove his worth in the wrestling territories as a smart and effective booker. He used his insight into the wrestling world to give us such superstars as Cowboy Bob Orton, Sting and Dusty Rhodes.

After a few major and minor setbacks, Watts would sell his United Wrestling Federation to Jim Crockett.

After he went to work for WCW, he would be met with criticism and controversy that would lead him to resign from his position as Executive Vice President of WCW.

He would later be part of the booking in the WWE, but refused to stay for a long-term career in the company.

If you wanted to see some of the best of the business at the time, you need look no further than Mid-South Wrestling where perhaps the most legendary superstars would be showcased week after week.

Koko B. Ware

Okay, this inductee caught me and the rest of the IWC by surprise.

Since Koko B. Ware found the most success in the WWE, I will avoid talking about his early days in the NWA; although one highlight of his time with the promotion was screwing the very man who will host the Hall of Fame on Saturday: Jerry Lawler.

I wasn't quite knowledgeable about Koko so I had to do a little research about his run in the WWE.

He debuted in 1986 as a bright, fun-loving wrestler with a pet macaw. Needless to say, Koko found success and fame amongst the young fans as the WWE was catering to that specific demographic.

Koko would mostly be a jobber who was used to lose against up and coming stars. He sang the title track of the WWE's 1987 album called Piledriver.

Ironically, Koko would be on the receiving end of the first ever Tombstone Piledriver at Survivor Series '90 where the Undertaker made his debut.

As part of a talent exchange agreement, Koko went to the USWA where he would win the world title twice and the tag team titles once.

He would be known mostly as a fan favorite; he would go on to form the tag team known as 'High Energy' with the late Owen Hart.

Koko left the WWE in 1994 and the rest is history.

After reviewing Koko's case, I can't really say he is Hall of Fame material but I don't call the shots in the WWE.

If you want to take a look at Koko's career, there are many videos that could be found on Youtube.

Howard Finkel

Finkel started out training to be a wrestler but there was a higher calling for the Fink or rather: announcing.

He was announcing for many wrestling shows and since the 80s he was the lead ring announcer. With his one of a kind style of announcing, he became the voice of the WWE.

He rarely took part in matches but one bout comes to my mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIJu6F19co4

He is a walking talking record of matches and historic events and is currently working backstage.

He has been announcing for quite some time.

When Vince McMahon was looking to name his greatest creation, Finkel suggested it be called Wrestlemania and the rest is history.

After presenting the career highlights of one Howard Finkel and his long and prestigious career as an in-ring announcer and one of the WWE's longest lasting employees, I have come to the decision that perhaps a case could be made for the Fink.

Of course, he was Vince's man through and through and that is enough to guarantee you a seat in the class of legends.

That's all for this time.

Next time on the Invitation: The Von Erich's, Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Signing out,
Sulayman

In The Cross-Hair: Lawler/Jericho, Taker's Troubles, All In The Family & More

Sulayman H. — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:58:02 -0400

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another edition of In the Cross-Hair.

This week is the end of the build-up leading to Wrestlemania and being the last Monday Night Raw before this Sunday's mega event, this show makes or breaks the feuds on the card.

But did Raw deliver? Let's take a look at this week's show as Raw was live from Dallas, Texas.

We're shown a graphic saying that the Undertaker will be hosting a funeral for Shawn tonight.

18-Diva Tag Team Match

It was nice to see Raw open with a match rather than a promo tonight. The match-up was decent but the highlight came after the match when Santino came to the ring to show off his swimsuit er...mankini.

Spectacular reference to the ex-WWE president. Santino really does his homework.

He even pisses off Beth after his big unveiling which was brilliantly done.

You have my vote, Mr. Marella.

By the way, Tiffany gets the pin here against Katie Burchill.

And we learn that Randy Orton will be addressing the WWE Universe tonight.

Jerry 'The King' Lawler vs. Chris Jericho

This match turned into a brawl as Lawler threw fists left and right but Jericho gained the upper hand by making Jerry tap out to the Walls of Jericho.

After the match, Jericho continued to bash Lawler and then took a few cheap shots at Rourke.

He proclaimed that after Wrestlemania, he will be the only legend in the WWE.

Once again, Jericho and the creative team had the chance to save us from the match-up we're now doomed to sit through come Wrestlemania.

I'm not saying I doubt that Jericho will put these legends over in a great manner, but how little the victims of the assault retaliated against Chris.

Edge & John Cena Segment

T-Grish is about to interview John Cena in the locker room when they're both interrupted by the Rated-R Superstar.

Edge tries to convince Cena of a possible alliance between the two.

While Cena admits that it would make sense, given the history between the two, he could not trust Edge and makes a statement that he's going to Wrestlemania to become champion.

An old template of a segment which has been shown too many times when Triple Threat matches are involved.

Nothing much to say here.

Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes share a few words with Michael Cole

Cody says that Randy will address all that has come to pass including his actions last week. Ted tells us that what Orton has to say will change the WWE universe for ever.

We'll see, guys.

Next up, we're shown a hearse in the parking lot and a few men taking out a casket.

Shawn pops out and asks us if we were expecting someone else.

Nichole Scherzinger tells us she's going to be at Wrestlemania.

JBL vs. Rey Mysterio

Why give us this match when we're less than a week away from Wrestlemania?

Never mind, it will probably raise more questions than answers.

Tolerable to say the least, as Rey gets the pin.

This further confirms my suspicion that JBL will retain. Hopefully, Rey will move on to bigger and better things.

We get a small video package recapping Wrestlemania XI.

John Cena vs. Big Show

Cena and Show gives us a less than stellar match. The highlight of the match was John Cena desperately trying to grab Show while applying the STFU.

That was funny as hell looking at Cena struggling to lock the submission hold in.

Another noteworthy was Edge coming to the ring and attacking Cena; Big Show just stood there, he could've tossed Edge out of the ring easily.

Could the unlikely pair have formed an alliance?

HBK/Taker Segment

Before I say anything, let me say this.

This segment was simply the best and is an example of just how good Shawn Michaels and Undertaker really are.

Shawn walks to the ring where portraits of his and a casket are set along with some flowers.

Instead of a Shawn Michaels funeral, we get to see one for the undefeated streak of the Undertaker.

Shawn tells the Undertaker that with all of his accomplishments, he has never beaten Michaels.

Its true that the Undertaker has put the hurt on many a superstar in the past, but has never come out the victor in any of his prior battles with the Show Stopper.

Then, Shawn slowly walks towards the casket and then suddenly opens the casket expecting the Undertaker to be in it and is mildly surprised, but hides it pretty well.

Shawn proceeds to flee as the lights go off in the arena.

After a few moments of pacing, Undertaker turns his head slowly in the direction of the casket.

When he opens it, he finds nothing there and frustration begins to grow within the Deadman.

Out of nowhere, Shawn appears from underneath the casket and delivers another composition of his Sweet Chin Music.

Once again, Shawn is set to steal the show at Wrestlemania, this time with fellow veteran: The Undertaker.

This promo worked well for a few reasons.

The timing and facial expressions of both Michaels and Taker were right on the money.

When the lights went off, Shawn made it seem as if he hid in the casket which made the finale of the segment even more exciting.

Backstage, Ted and Cody are instructing security to be prepared for anything that may come.

Eight Man Over the Top Rope Battle Royal

History could be made if the MITB winner cashes his contract in at Wrestlemania.

Before the match gets underway, we're treated with a spectacular promo of the Hardy vs. Hardy match.

The match gets started as it's every man for himself.

The highlight of the bout was Mark Henry's elimination by Hornswoggle's distraction.

Kane won the Battle Royal by lastly eliminating CM Punk and Christian.

Backstage, Randy walks with Legacy as he prepares for his address.

Oh, and Kid Rock is coming to Wrestlemania as well, big surprise.

Randy Orton's address

A mixed reaction from the crowd as Orton enters the arena. I wonder what kind of reaction he gets if he's to win in Houston.

This was mostly a flashback segment with Randy Orton telling us why and how he did all those despicable things.

Randy sort of steps out of character when he acknowledges the crowd, but never mind that.

Randy explains to all his deeply laid plans to destroy Triple H.

In my opinion, the WHAT? chants are getting old.

Anyways, Orton continues to show clips of him causing havoc and mercilessly beating the entire McMahon family.

Orton stated that he was fully aware of his actions inadvertently acknowledging that the I.E.D. was a ruse.

He says he was sure that Triple H would seek vengeance for the RKO to his wife and thus had to push Hunter in a comfortable zone so that he could further enrage Triple H by kissing Stephanie in front of him.

It was all part of the plan. But you have to wonder, can Orton be credited with all of the planning?

Take a look at this article

Suspicions aside, Orton informs us that Vickie has added a few stipulations to their match-up.

Triple H can lose the title if counted out or disqualified.

He tells us that he is the future and soon people will line up to impress him.

Orton shows his cocky side here and continues to say that he will finally beat Triple H.

He is interrupted by a limousine pulling up, Ted and Cody bring the fuzz to the ring.

The limousine appears empty. Orton claims he has no problem with ending Triple H's reign tonight.

Vince McMahon's music plays. Holy S***!

The Chairman is here and he doesn't look too happy, he gets ready to brawl as Shane and Triple H join him.

They walk to the ring, easily getting rid of the human barricade and each picks a Legacy member to put the hurt on.

Brawling ensues as Shane and Vince take care of Ted and Cody as Hunter and Orton come to blows and the show goes off air.

The end of last night's Raw left me craving for more. Why didn't they show Vince deliver a kick to Orton's head or see more of the beat down that would follow?

Perhaps the McMahons have something planned for Friday Night...

Through the Looking Glass: John Cena's Devolution

Sulayman H. — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 09:41:58 -0400

In common parlance, "devolution", or backward evolution, is the notion a species may evolve into more "primitive" forms.

"Ruthless aggression":

The two words that define John Cena.

The two words used by John Cena when he made his debut on Smackdown against Kurt Angle.

Cena started off as "The Prototype" in Ohio Valley Wrestling, and started garnering attention from Vince McMahon and the WWE who had him signed for a developmental contract.

That's all well and fine until he first appeared on Smackdown, where he would feud with many veterans.

But Cena didn't fully start connecting with the fans until he took on the Vanilla Ice gimmick.

And the rest is history. Winning multiple championships, dissing superstars, becoming WWE champion and customising his championship belts.

And now the article can begin.

John Cena is not a superstar.

He used to be.

I'll tell you why.

When John Cena had that chance of turning himself into a megastar, he did not take it. Instead, he went on to do the same thing over and over again.

Thus, labelling the Doctor of Thuganomics as a one-trick pony.

Sure, he sells merchandise. but he's the role model for kids that he wasn't meant to be.

Sports entertainment has had its highs and lows in the past. And all of that can be traced back to one man: Vince McMahon.

After opening his eyes to John's fan base, he decided to morph this controversial superstar and give him an "All-American-like" gimmick.

John was never meant to be a talentless, mindless brick, he was meant to be a megastar.

That's what Vince wanted to make him, and in Vince's mind he has done that.

John is to Vince what Hogan was once to him.

A hard-working dedicated superstar, minus the ego.

Because John has always done what's right for the business.

John Cena has become a one-dimensional cartoon character who screams he's going to be World Heavyweight Champion, and does nothing else to back it up except write nursery rhymes.

It's partly John's fault as well. He listened, always to the Chairman.

John Cena was going to be BIG in the WWE.

Vince just had to ruin it.

John Cena didn't screw John Cena. Vince screwed John Cena.

Disagree with me? Fire away, and I want reasons, not random B.S. like Robert.

The Ultimate Opportunist: It's Only a Matter of Time

Sulayman H. — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:32:24 -0400

"You think you know him?"

You're wrong. WRONG, dead WRONG.

Edge is one of WWE's shining stars today, and it is all thanks to one man.

Himself. (and the WWE as well, hehe)

Adam Copeland came to the WWE in 1998.

Ever since, he has made history. Time after time.

He was part of one of the greatest stables of the Attitude Era, the Ministry of Darkness.

He and Christian, skyrocketed to fame when they won their first tag titles which resulted in the birth of one of the most famous gimmick match of all time.

Tables, Ladders and Chairs match.

He won the King of the Ring tournament in 2001, and ever since has established himself a singles star who is here to stay.

At Wrestlemania 21, he won the first ever Money in the Bank Ladder match.

By then, he had transformed himself into a very different person.

He was no longer the comic tag team partner of Christian, and there weren't anymore five second poses.

At New Year's Revolution 2006, when Edge cashed in his contract defeating John Cena with not one but two spears to capture the very thing that had alluded him ever since his debut.

The WWE Championship.

Thus Edge took on the moniker of the Ultimate Opportunist.

He became the highest draw in the company as he helped Raw gain its highest rating in five years.

He has done it all. He's feuded with the Phenom and enraged the Animal.

But now, Edge has another obstacle to overcome.

Not the Big Show.

The one thing that's holding Edge back.

Vickie Guerrerro. Where do we begin with you, Ickie?

When Vickie and Edge disclosed the nature of their relationship, everyone was disgusted.

So was I.

Were the writing team trying to give us a new despicable heel couple?

The answer is yes.

And they succeeded.

It yielded some great results.

The Undertaker/Edge rivalry that unfolded was more than anything we could have hoped for.

That's all well and fine.

And then, out of nowhere; Edge pulls out one of the biggest upsets in the history of the WWE.

At One Night Stand ermm.. I mean Extreme Rules, he banished the Undertaker from the WWE.

The facts are Edge has accomplished so much in such short time and has gained so much heat that the fans hate him with a passion.

He has done his job well and so has Vickie.

So, the only thing left for us to wonder about was: How long would this alliance last?

How long would LaFamilia survive?

When the Undertaker tombstoned Vickie, I thought that was the right time to initiate the disolution of the Edge/Vickie relationship.

I thought it was going to happen.

WRONG!

When Trips showed us the videotape of Edge and the wedding planner, I thought that that was the straw that would break the camel's back.

WRONG AGAIN!

At No Way Out 2009 when Edge lost the WWE Championship, I thought that he would blame it all on Vickie. I thought he would snap and turn on Vickie, effectively letting their relationship rest in peace.

WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

When Edge found out that Big Show was sneaking around with Vickie, the opportunity for Edge to get out of control presented itself once again. Once again, instead of giving us what we want; Edge forgives Vickie.

Perhaps because she forgave him when he was guilty of having an affair.

When Edge speared Vickie, that would be the perfect time for all hell to break loose between the two.

But perhaps another opportunity is about to present itself.

Wrestlemania is right around the corner.

I can see the gleam in your eyes, Edge.

You're up to something.

Edge is going to be in a Triple Threat match at WM XXV with John Cena and the Big Show.

If Edge is going to take time off to heal his nagging injuries, this would be a perfect time to finally end this travesty of a marriage with Vickie.

When Edge returns, he continues his obsession with the World Heavyweight Championship and perhaps engages in a decent feud.

Its only a matter of time before Vince and Co. realise that Edge has too much potential to be stuck in a marriage with Vickie.

Its been going on for two whole years.

If Adam Copeland is to regain his edge, he needs to cut off all ties to LaFamilia.

Would you like to see the end of LaFamilia at Wrestlemania?

Or do you have your own theories or ideas? Fire away in the little box beneath.

Edge's revolution begins, it's only a matter of time.

Signing out,
_.:Sulayman:._

The Invitation: Why WM XXV Will Be Remembered

Sulayman H. — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:03:41 -0400

Welcome to the second half of my previous article.

The Invitation welcomes you to the mind of a writer, unlike any other: Sulayman Hussein.

In my previous article, you might've noticed that I said some really horrible things about some of the matchups for this year's Wrestlemania.

But now, I’m going to excite, to ignite, to delight, and get you hyped for the 25th Wrestlemania.

Twenty-five years in the making, this year's Wrestlemania will emanate from the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Will this year's matchups live up to the expectation of all the fans?
Off the top of my head, I could tell you about the three matches that will make history. Six superstars will truly shine brightest on the Showcase of the Immortals.

Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy (Extreme Rules match)

On July 5, they defeated the Acolytes.

But they would not been named one of the greatest and innovative tag teams in the history of pro-wrestling until Summerslam 2000 when they took part in the first Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.

I am of course talking about the Hardy Boyz.

We haven't seen a brother vs. brother feud in quite some time. The greatest match of this type was, of course Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart.

Jeff's recent real-life events have been incorporated into this storyline giving Jeff all the more motivation to beat his brother. Jeff knows all about being extreme. There is no one in the WWE today who can be compared to Jeff in terms of risk-taking; it’s a miracle he isn't injured so far.

The other side of the story is one of resentment. Matt has always been a little envious of Jeff's popularity but never openly stated it before.

I remember recalling Matt slapping his younger brother but nothing ever materialized out of it. And I'm glad it didn't.

Now, at the 25th anniversary of Wrestlemania, they both have something to prove.
Jeff thrives for competition whereas all Matt has ever wanted is acceptance.

Jeff has always respected Matt and all of his accomplishments whereas Matt has always looked at Jeff with disgust. Just because Matt revealed his envy for his sibling, it doesn't mean he has never expressed any dislike for Jeff; whether he showed it openly or chose to hide it.

At Wrestlemania, Jeff has the golden window of opportunity to rid himself of everything that is stopping him from his destination: the World Championship.

He has the opportunity to silence Matt once and for all.

Matt has only one thing to prove, that he is better than Jeff. If that means having to unleash a 100 per cent purely extreme can of whoop ass on Jeff, so be it.

This match has the potential to be great, since both Jeff and Matt are both innovators of extreme matches. If Matt sheds his identity completely, it would make the match-up even more exciting.

Imagine Matt saying: "I will not fail, Jeff. Why? Because unlike you, I’m not a Hardy."

While this match may not be filled with a lot of technical maneuvers, it will however utilize the Hardyz greatest asset, their skills with tables, ladders and chairs.

And they will perhaps deliver a match that will be remembered by all those with Mattitude and all of those who have been captivated by Jeff’s IMAG-I-NATION.

The one thing that still remains to be asked: Can Jeff even beat his brother?

The emotional conflict within Jeff still seems to be present. He did not go backstage looking for Matt, nor did he completely make use of the extreme rules in his match at RAW. The more Jeff tries to hold his anger in, the deadlier he might become at Wrestlemania.

Look at it this way: After Wrestlemania, there will only be one Hardy standing.

Who will that be?

Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker

Let’s take a trip back to 1997, three years before Summerslam 2000.

Everybody who was in the arena,

Everyone watching at home,

And every single person who knew who Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker were;

They knew that once they had witnessed the chair shot Michaels delivered unknowingly to the Undertaker, something great was to come of it.

And they weren't let down. In fact, they were rewarded.

Go forth into Satan's structure, Shawn Michaels, as you meet the creator of your final resting place.

Those were my first thoughts as I watched history being made at Badd Blood '97.

Twelve years after the Deadman first tasted folded steel courtesy of the Show Stopper, these two living legends will lock horns on the Grandest Stage of them All.

Every fan who knows about the Undertaker, knows of his famous Wrestlemania streak.

Well, Shawn Michaels intends to erase this piece of information from all of our minds.

Who better to face the Undertaker at the 25th anniversary of Wrestlemania then Mr. Wrestlemania himself?

Everybody has dreamed of this match at some point in their lives, wondering if the WWE would ever deliver this legendary match-up.

The wait is over.

Two of the biggest superstars at Wrestlemania.

Head to head.

What better way to end to streak and seek revenge for the lost four years of your career? Or to gain retribution against the very person who not only cost you the WWE Championship but also against someone you have never beaten?

If it wasn't for the stellar promo that the Undertaker did this and last week, I would've doubted there was enough hype behind the match.

You had to know that Michaels would do something stupid; since Shawn has kicked virtually every person he has met in the teeth, with the exception of his wife.

Shawn isn’t exactly breaking hearts at his age, but for someone with a career threatening injury; Shawn has outperformed himself many times and this time will be no exception.

The Undertaker has been the one superstar who stood the test of time. While some of the superstars left for WCW or quit the business, the Phenom has been a constant unstoppable force.

His ability to reinvent himself has been deemed his greatest quality.

His resilience is what makes him undefeated.

When the Undertaker enters the Reliant Stadium as the Deadman, Houston will never be the same again.

The last time he was in Houston, he decimated Triple H, one half of Degeneration X.

This time, it’s Shawn Michaels who is going to be in the cross hair.

Who am I kidding here?

When I found out that two cornerstones of the WWE were going to face off in a match at Wrestlemania, I was hooked. It needed no build-up. It felt as if the twelve years apart was the entire build-up to this match.

That is the power of these two men. They will get the fans rioting for Tombstone Piledrivers and begging Shawn to tune up the band.

When the 70,000+ fans stomp their feet in unison with Mr. Wrestlemania as he tunes up the band to play one last number, Shawn may finally end the Undertaker's illustrious winning streak.

Or he may fall victim to the Deadman's wrath as Hell's Gate open and swallow Shawn whole and devour what is left of the self-proclaimed "Main Event". No one poses a greater threat to the streak. If Shawn wins, he pulls off the biggest upset in wrestling history.

The wait will soon be over. But perhaps, this is just the beginning.

WWE Champion Triple H vs. Randy Orton

While Edge is chained to a post in creative hell, his former tag-team partner and three-time WWE Champion looks to solidify himself as the future of the WWE.

What do I say about Randy that hasn't been said before?

Take a moment to reflect on what I've just said and what I'm about to say.

Like it or not, Randy Orton is going to become the future of the WWE.

He already has evolved so much. Before Orton broke his collarbone, his sights were set on regaining his WWE Championship.

After his return, Randy does the very thing you would not expect of a brash superstar like Orton to do.

He waits.

He knows.

He is the future.

Before Orton suffered his injury, he thought of himself to be the future of this business.

But now, he is certain.

To prove himself, he demands to cement his legacy. A legacy that has been built at the expense of Vince, Shane and Stephanie McMahon.

Let us look at the other side of the story. Hunter Hearst Helmsley, The Cerebral Assassin.

Formerly known as my favorite superstar. I grew up watching the greats like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, the Undertaker and Triple H. When Hunter took on the role of the maniacal Assassin, I was astonished.

Never before had I seen such a heel.

After I witnessed the evolution of Triple H, I thought I had seen it all.

But to see The Cerebral Assassin show such rage was a pleasant and welcomed surprise. A cat and mouse chase has ensued ever since. I thought if anyone deserved an accolade for being the dirtiest player in the game, it was Triple H.

That was nearly 10 years ago, ever since I have considered him to be the new breed of heel.

But once again, I stand corrected.

Not by Randy Orton, but by his actions.

By his show of ruthless aggression, by his words and most of all, what changed the way we view Randy Orton as a superstar: the punt heard round the world.

What have you done, Randy Orton?

You've destroyed the most powerful man in sports entertainment? How could you commit such a heinous crime? Yet, the fans cheered.

Wait for it.

You didn’t kick Vince in the skull. You moved up the ladder.

That moment is what finally transformed you into a megastar.

That moment solidified you as the biggest ticking time bomb in the WWE.

But what has triggered these actions? Was it just Vince threatening to fire Orton or has the doomsday clock been ticking for quite some time?

Is the source of Randy Orton’s recent act the very person he will be in the squared circle with, come Apr. 5?

Let’s take a look and indulge this notion.

Evolution was the platform Triple H had built to help young superstars elevate themselves to stardom. While Batista’s revolution came after Orton’s, Batista was more successful. He even defends Evolution to this day.

Orton was kicked out of Evolution after Triple H felt threatened by young Randy. So to see Batista actually defend himself for being nothing more than Hunter's pawn sickened Orton.

That is until he reprogrammed Batista's inner circuitry thanks to his boot.

Looking back at the Rumble, I was and still am curious as to what Orton was telling Hunter while Ted and Cody were holding him down.

I still don’t know what exactly was said but I think it was along the lines of: “You’ve really come full circle, haven’t you?”

You have, Triple H.

That’s when I smiled. I remembered what my father once told me.

“As you sow, so shall you reap.”

And now it’s your turn to face the three stages of hell.

Stage One: Watch your wife crash to the mat courtesy of a thunderous RKO.

Stage Two: Watch once more as the monster you created decimates the love of your life; and there is nothing you can do about it.

Stage Three: At Wrestlemania, your anger will get the best of you, ultimately leading to your own demise. You will be damaged beyond repair.

This is perhaps my choice for the match to close the show. I’ll tell you why.

It features the WWE Championship.
Regardless of who wins this match, there has been a lot of effort put into this storyline by everyone involved in it.
It’s about the McMahons.
If WWE passes this chance, it will look stupid when they pull the trigger later on.
Randy Orton deserves to be in the main event. Look at him last year and now. He has evolved completely. He is a white hot blinding light of power.
This feud has gotten so much attention, and the seeds planted for this feud go all the way back to the disagreement between Stephanie and Shane.
It is being set up as a mega feud and not just to have a WM main event.

Orton extracted everything that made him look like a cocky brash heel and instead, made his character into one of the most diabolical superstars ever.

Triple H should consider changing his name.

It’s time for you to step down.

But will you? Are you ready to give up the very thing you’re willing to die for?

Will the student surpass the master? Will he be bestowed upon: the honor of being the new WWE Champion?

The question remains:

What will the Voices tell you to do on Apr. 5?

Signing out, hope you've enjoyed my article.

Fire away in the comments section.

As always I look forward to your criticism.

_.:Sulayman:._

In The Cross-Hair: The RAW Build-Up To Wrestlemania

Sulayman H. — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:16:09 -0400

Welcome to this week's MNR review as we take a look at the build up to WM XXV.

Woooooooooooo! Ric Flair is in the house. Why though?

Ric Flair and Chris Jericho

The show opens with Ric Flair in the ring cutting a promo about the Legends match with Chris Jericho. I think the camera work during Jericho's speech was spectacular, and this promo allowed Jericho to exact revenge upon those has-beens.

However, Ric is going to be at ringside at WM and I don't see why Piper can't represent the legends and cut a promo which would perhaps surpass their previous one.

Flair got busted open and in all seriousness its not Flair that needs injuring since he isn't one of the Legends Jericho is facing.

But smashing the watch was a nice touch, showing the words engraved on it and then smashing it would've been much better and would've given him more heat.

Seeing that none of the legends coming out from the back to come to Flair's aid was a sad sight.

And if Jerry "The King" Lawler took offense to the beatdown, he could've just blocked Jericho after Ric was busted wide open. This would've been a better set up to their match next week.

In addition, Lawler could have done the commentary a little different tonight instead of keeping his cool.

After the segment was over, Michael Cole looked as though he was paying no attention to Lawler and looking anywhere but in his direction. What's up with that?

Jeff Hardy vs. Dolph Ziggler

Nice pop for Jeff. What bothers me about this feud that Jeff hasn't blown up yet.

Matt has already admitted to not only assaulting Jeff before Survivor Series but also to burning Jeff's house down.

Although Jeff showed a little aggression and put on a short performance with Ziggler, he better pick up the pace when he rolls into Houston and live up to his moniker of being the "Extreme Enigma".

And I plead with the WWE, give Dolph more than: "Hi, I'm Dolph Ziggler" to work with.

John Cena segment

After a recap of last week's Smackdown, John Cena sang one his own Christmas Carols.

Was this a bad attempt at revisiting The Rock's Night Before Christmas?

I didn't mind JC in his promo trying to convince Ickie Guerrero that both men are using her but it's not going to work.

The fans had a good laugh but in my opinion it's just dry humor. But I'm going to excuse Mr. Cena this week as he had to go on the Tonight Show.

8-Man Tag Team Match: CM Punk, Kofi Kingston, Christian & United States Champion MVP vs. Kane, Mark Henry, Finlay & Shelton Benjamin

Nice tag team action, but did anybody notice the ghost of Flair's voice during the match or was it just me?

Christian got the pin, but I thought the highlight of the match was MVP and CM Punk taking down Mark Henry.

By the way, have Hornswoggle pull off a few funny antics otherwise he's just a waste of space.

Randy Orton's Promo

After last week's awful Orton's Law promo, this week Orton talked about how Trips had called him a coward.

He also talked about how Trips took things too far and how he was going to do something extreme tonight.

Not much to say here except by the sound of things; Randy is going to finally reverse the roles tonight.

Big Show vs. Edge

What is the point of having a Triple Threat match in two weeks if they are going to give this match-up on RAW.

Ickie Guerrerro is back in the chair but what I hate about this angle (besides Vickie) is that Edge doesn't seem to show any rage while Big Slow shows no signs whatsoever of being prepared for the big dance.

Wow, Cena actually makes sense here stating the obvious: "You need the love and support of Vickie Guerrerro."

After Wrestlemania, you will have both slept with Vickie for nothing."

Hmm...seems that everybody wants to tiptoe on the large PG fence, even Cena.

By the way, Vickie's acting skills are horrible and Chavo should think twice next time before provoking Show.

I was glad this ended quickly as it was just unpleasant to watch Edge in the one of the worst storylines of his career.

Rey Mysterio vs. William Regal w/Layla

JBL joins the commentary as the match starts. JBL has always been good at heel commentating, the disrespect for his former broadcast partner was a nice touch by Bradshaw.

Why is Layla here? And even if she was put with Regal for absolutely no real reason at all, they could build on it from there perhaps turning Layla into a heel manager.

With a quick and obvious finish, if Rey and JBL pick up the mic next week they could spark more interest in this feud as it was Rey who retired JBL before.

I think that would be a good place to start from.

Onward to the graveyard.....

Taker/Michaels Promo

The purple lights took a little away from the promo but its all good.

What was Shawn shouting to the Undertaker last week as the latter was on laid on the floor? Never mind.

I did not think they would mention Shawn's back injury but I am glad they did. They're incorporating real life events into storylines more and more which makes feuds all the more intense.

The camera cuts to the titantron which shows Michaels in a graveyard, telling the Undertaker that all things must come to an end.

In a nutshell, the WM streak will rest in peace and in a show of disrespect for Taker; Shawn kicks a tombstone into a freshly dug grave and fills it with sand.

Again, I have a few problems. Isn't this supposed to be a promo for WM 25, shouldn't he be in formal wear when he is in a graveyard? And for the love of mankind, what is with the cowboy hat?

They are approaching WM 25 fast so you'd expect Shawn to clean up a bit.

Otherwise I thought this promo was alright although the Undertaker didn't really sell his "pissed off" expression.

Next up..the pride of Italy!

Santino Marella vs. Mickie James

Why not? Why can't Santino compete for the title of Ms. Wrestlemania?

Anyways, this match was filled with two great moments.

1. Santino gains the moniker: Santino "The Steamroller" Marella

2. Watching Santino try to climb up the turnbuckle was just pure gold.

I'm very curious as to what long term plans are in place for the Stallion, but before that; expect to see Santino interfere in the 25-Diva Battle Royal.

ME: Randy Orton & Ted DiBiase vs. Triple H

Jerry Lawler calls out Jericho and the match gets started.

The control of the match goes back and forth until Cody Rhodes finds Hornswoggle's trap door under the ring and appears with all the neatly stacked weapons.

It was satisfying to see Cody get some payback with the handcuffs, even if they didn't show him enjoying it up close. It's fitting since Cody was trapped last week and now the shoe is on the other foot.

With Hunter in handcuffs, the beatdown continues until Stephanie runs down the ramp in street clothes and pleads Orton to stop.

The blockade provided by Ted and Cody was sufficient enough to give Randy the window of opportunity he needed.

And the Viper struck, slowly but methodically. Not only did he knock Stephanie's lights out but to further enrage Triple H, he kissed the unconscious Billion Dollar Princess.

With a fiery rage and a maniacal expression, Randy Orton watched as Trips struggled to get a hold of him.

The Legend Killer finally gets the last laugh before decimating the WWE Champion with the sledgehammer.

I personally thought this segment was pure gold.

MNR finishes on a high note, Orton silences Triple H.

"I'm going to raise you. Tonight, I'm going to do something that will make the previous assaults on your family look tame in comparison."

And he delivered. He did what he intended to do.

And so the legacy continues.

See you guys next time.

_SulaymaN_

Wrestlemania 25 (Part I): Why Wrestlemania 25 Won't Be Very Memorable

Sulayman H. — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:07:26 -0400

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages

Welcome to the grandest stage of them of all, the pinnacle of sports entertainment, welcome to WRESTLEMANIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Wrestlemania is less than two weeks away, and this is going to be perhaps the biggest event to ever take place in wrestling history!

25 years of tradition continue and on the biggest night of every wrestling year, superstars showcase their ability and shine in the spotlight.

Frankly speaking, what the World Cup is to FIFA and all of its soccer fans and what the Superbowl is to all footballers is WRESTLEMANIA to all wrestling fanatics out there.

But can we say that all of them have been memorable?

Can't we say some of the Wrestlemanias sucked? Before you raise the People's brow and tell me to know my role and shut my PC down, take a look at all the Wrestlemanias that have passed us by.

I won't talk about them since Vince may be watching, but I will talk about why the "the imaginary 25th ANNIVERSARY" might be memorable and why it may not be.

Intercontinental Champion JBL vs. Rey Mysterio

Yes, sure Bradshaw history may be made indeed when you receive the award for worst worked match in the history of sports entertainment.

I don't mind Rey Rey being in the spotlight since his spectacular performance in the chamber at No Way Out. JBL seems to be retiring this year, and in a bit of irony it seems that they may be looking to have Mysterio retire him again.

Snorefest, if nothing else maybe just maybe Rey carries JBL through the entire match to provide a tolerable bout.

25-Diva Battle Royal

To find out who will be crowned Ms. Wrestlemania, we are going to have 25 beauties in the ring doing their stuff and putting on a show for fans and men alike.

Please, if they want to make this atleast of a little significance they shouldn't have any celebs in this match. Snoop Dogg maybe an amazing performer, but he don't run this. I for one highly doubt this title of Ms. Wrestlemania will stick for long, dumb idea in my honest opinion.

"Greatest Diva of all Time" would have been a better choice. There is only Mr. WM.

Money in the Bank

Last year, I thought MVP was finally getting the push he deserves but...Punk wins, Punk wins, Punk wins! (wooo yipeee, I'm so happy...not) Nothing against CM Punk though.

Christian also has a chance in hell to win this thing, I was suprised to see Mark Henry qualify but I figured he would give Kane a boost to grab the briefcase..oh wait that would just create a huge hole in the ring.

I guess I'm not too enthusiastic about it. Expect shockwaves to run through your veins as once again Vince and his people shock the socks off us all (for better [MVP] or for worse [Mark Henry])

WWE Tag Team Champions vs. World Tag Team Champions (Unified Tag Team Championship Match)

If there is any gray matter left in that thick skull of yours (here's looking at Vince) you will give both titles to Miz and Morrison.

They deserve it as they have been the only worthwhile tag team in these few years. At the grandest stage of them all, let them make history.

Carlito and Primo need to dominate this match if they want to be taken seriously or otherwise become the butt of everyone's jokes.

Don't just spit in people's faces, back it up in the ring and for Godsakes get a haircut, you could hide a foreign object in that thing. Expect Miz and Morrison to make history as they go to WM 25 wearing one belt and come out with two.

I'm not really sure what the Bella Twins have to do with this feud but in all seriousness women are not objects to be traded back and forth!

Chris Jericho vs. Legends w/Ric Flair and Mickey Rourke

This match was going to be a platform for one last hurrah of perhaps Stone Cold or Hulk Hogan.

But after weeks of interesting promos, we get three senior citizens in the ring with Chris Jerko who by the way gets heat because he calls the fans hypocrites although they are.

So in closing, I would like to say this is going to beat JBL vs. Rey Mysterio for the worst worked match in not only history of sports entertainment, but the worst display of athleticism in the world.

And after this match, the respect for the legends, the hate for Chris Jericho will never, evaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar be the same AGAIN!

Next up..finally the Rock

Oh wait, no its not Dwayne, its the Rock-Basher, the Big Slow and the PG-Rated Superstar in a Triple Threat (threat: pfft!!) match for the World Heavyweight Hot Cake Championship

World Heavyweight Champion Edge vs. John Cena vs. Big Show (Triple Threat Match)

Where do I start with this match, is it the god-awful love triangle that wants me to shoot myself in the mouth and have my suicide note blaming the creative team of WWE.

The awful Big Show will amount to be as exciting as a bag of sand, John Cena plays no part whatsoever in the build-up to this feud, and the Master Manipulator has been screwed by being thrown into creative prison.

Was it that the team came to Edge and said: "Adam, its time to dive in the crap, take one for the team *wink*"

A love triangle may be tolerable, but and this is a big BUT this one revolves around Ickie Guerrero. Nothing could be so stupid and disgusting to do.

John Cena's one-dimensional character doesn't help its chances. Actually, why is he in this match? Even when he told on Vickie, he's still in.

And by the looks of things on MNR, anyone who hasn't seen the lineup will say the match is Big Slow vs. Edge. I guess Egomania still has back problems, brother!

Stay tuned for the sequel to this article, next time with less sarcasm!