Bleacher Report - Articles by Matthew Hester

WWE Superstars: Thoughts and Reviews From This Week's Show!!

Matthew Hester — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:16:31 -0400

Hello everyone. I would like to welcome all of you to my weekly edition of the Superstars round up.

Since the birth of Superstars, I have to say that it has turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I thought at first it would be nothing more than a highlight show for Raw and Smackdown. Instead it has been a refreshing hour of wrestling that I have come to enjoy.

This week on Superstars we got mainly rematches that have been seen numerous times. Although they were good matches overall, I can’t help but wish they would freshen things up a bit.

Let's be honest with ourselves, folks, I don’t thinks anyone believes that Primo will ever beat Swagger.

Jack Swagger beat Primo

In this week's edition he wrestled Primo yet again. The match itself was short and simple. The results were pretty much the same as they have been. It ended with Primo getting pinned with a gut wrench power bomb.

It think it is time that they put this feud to bed. If the WWE wants Swagger to be taken more seriously, then it is about time they upgraded his opponent levels. It seems that week in and week out, they feed either Primo or Evan Bourne to Swagger.

Alicia Fox beat Kelly Kelly

Out all the divas on the WWE Roster, Alicia Fox has to be one of my favorites. She is not only one Foxy mama, but she is also getting better and better in the ring every time I see her. This week on Superstars she battled it out with Kelly Kelly again.

This was a short but sweet match. Both divas put on a good showing in the ring this week. I wish they would give the ladies more time to wrestle then they do. I think if given the opportunity the current diva roster could really shine.

That is very unlikely to happen though. It has been a very long time since the woman has been given proper attention. Either way this match was a nice match, I hope we continue to see these two work together in the future.

Zack Ryder beat Tyler Reks

I don’t care for either one of these guys gimmicks. I think they are both lame and should be retired A.S.A.P. With that being said, I really like the work that these two put in week in and week out. I don’t know where they will be in the big picture.

It wouldn’t surprise me though if at least one of these guys became champion in the future. This week on Superstars they would do what they do every other week. They worked hard in the ring and put on a good match.

I know some may not care for Tyler Reks, but I have seen him wrestle a lot over the years. I hope that in the future they give him more time to show off his skills. He is much better than they portray him these days.

Cryme Tyme and R-Truth beat The Hart Dynasty and Mike Knox

This is another match that has been played out to death. I am tired of seeing these guys wrestle every other week.

The WWE needs to either break these teams up, or actually improve the tag team division. They can’t have the same two teams wrestle every other week.

This match was no different than any other times they have wrestled. The work rate was good, but that should be expected though with the quality of the wrestlers. It would be nice to see them wrestle other people once in a blue moon though.

Well folks that is all the time I have today. I would like to thank all of you for joining me today.

(You can read this review plus much more every week at http://www.ring-rap.com/.)

WWE Fantasy League: Week 12 Results, and The Big Winners From Season One!

Matthew Hester — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:58:25 -0400

Hello, everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me today.

Well, folks, the season is finally over. We had a lot of moves and turns through out the season. It was a lot of fun, but like most things in life it must come to an end.

Here are your top three winners:

First place: Scott, who rode the Show and Jericho to victory.

Second place: RKO, with the help of Legacy he nailed second with a bullet.

Third place: Alex, who with a little help from a trade snagged third place from everyone.

I would like everyone to show some sportsmanship and congratulate them. As far as everyone else goes, this is how it is going to work. The top ten finishers have an automatic spot in the next league.

Just post below that you want in and you have your spot secured. I will be posting an article shortly containing the details for the next draft. For now, just sit back relax and enjoy the memories.

I will need the winners to PM me with the prize they want and an address it can be sent to. Once again congratulations to the winners. I look forward to seeing all of you in the next league.

Please let me know of any scoring discrepancies as soon as possible.

1. Scott

2735

2. RKO

Orton, Kofi Kingston, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, Tiffany

2080

3. Alex

Ziggler, Alicia Fox, Drew McIntyre, Matt Hardy, Yoshi, Miz, Jericho, R-Truth, Finlay, Big Show, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Justin Roberts

1745

4. Svyato

CM Punk, Batista, Teddy Long, David Hart Smith, Swagger, Gregory Helms/the Hurricane, Michael Cole, Michelle McCool, Matt Styker, Tony Chimmel.

1590

5. Danny

Mysterio, Zack Ryder, Mickie James, Sheamus, Josh Matthews

1580

6. Jack

Morrison, Bourne, Tyson Kidd, Shad, William Regal

1575

7. CC

Christian, Cena, Shelton

1475

8. Matthew Hester

1340

9. Adrian

Triple H, Kane, Tommy Dreamer, MVP, Edge

1325

10. DJ

Mark Henry, Undertaker, Ezekiel Jackson, Mike Knox, Beth Phoenix

1250

11. Candice

Jeff Hardy, Maryse, Kozlov, JTG, Todd Grisham

1105

12. E.T.

Goldust, Melina, Gail Kim, Chavo Guerrero, Rosa

800

13. Dan Telek

Natalya, Santino Marella, HBK, Hornswoggle

650

Farewell Lou Albano: A Tribute to the Captain

Matthew Hester — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:41:56 -0400

Hello, everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for joining me today.

I know I haven’t been writing much lately, but I felt it was only proper to come in and pay my respects to longtime legend Lou Albano.

For those of you too young to remember him, he was one of the true pioneers in the world of pro wrestling.

To us older fans, we remember Lou Albano as the manger whose attire consisted of tacky shirts and rubber bands. He was a key figure during the rock and wrestling connection in the '80s.

He was much more than that though. He was a key figure in wrestling going all the way back until the '50s. While he was never a tremendous wrestler in the ring, he was a major player in the way managers would transcend the sport.

Albano would spend almost 40 years in the business known as pro wrestling. He would be remembered mostly for the excitement and controversy he created as a manager.

His over the top heel persona would make him one of the most hated managers in the business. He would later flip the script and become a fan favorite in the WWF during the early '80s.

What some don’t know about Albano is that he also made an impact as a grappler. He was part of a team in the late '50s known as the Sicilians. During this run he would win multiple tag titles.

His gimmick at the time was an Italian gangster. In fact, he pulled the gimmick so well that he had real gangsters approach him and tell him to tone it down.

The Sicilians would reach their peak in the early '60s, when they won the Midwest tag titles in Chicago. This would instantly make them one of the premier tag teams at the time. They would later go on to take the United States tag titles in the late '60s.

Eventually Albano would leave the tag ranks and make his way to the WWF as a manager. In his early run with the WWF he would spend years feuding with Bruno Sammartino. He managed guys like the Crusher, Fred Blassie, and Ivan Koloff. He would finally succeed when Koloff pulled the strap from Martino in 1971.

He also feuded with longtime champion Bob Backlund in the late '70s. He was unsuccessful in his efforts to remove the belt from him, though.

Albano also managed some other singles champions in his career. He had legends like Don Muraco, Pat Paterson, and Greg Valentine in his family.

His real success would come in the tag team ranks. Over his career he had 15 different teams hold the tag team champions. It is a feat that will unlikely be accomplished again.

In an era where managers were key to a wrestler's success, Lou Albano stood behind no one. He has helped make stiffs into Hall of Famers for years.

His last real major angle was during the Rock and Wrestling angle. He would shock the wrestling world by turning babyface during this stint. Shortly after that Albano would leave the WWF.

Besides appearing in various movies like Body Slam and doing shows like Miami Vice, he also was a head figure for many charities. He would occasionally appear on TV for the WWF, but not very often.

Despite the lack of appearances on wrestling, he remained a fan favorite for years to come, and in 1996 he would have his dues paid when he was inducted into the WWE HOF. It was a fitting honor to a man who gave so much to the business.

Sadly, Lou Albano has left us. He has recently passed away at the age of 76. I truly hope that all of today’s fans appreciate what he did for the business. He now belongs to the wrestling Gods in the sky.

Rest in peace, my friend; many will truly miss you.

BR Wrestling Community: Going Away for a Little While

Matthew Hester — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:19:00 -0400

Hello, everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for spending a few minutes with me today.

I have wanted to avoid writing this for some time now. Unfortunately at this point and time, I have no choice but to do so. I will be taking a large bit of time off from writing on BR.

It is not that I have not enjoyed writing for all of you great people. In fact, it was all of you that inspired me to try and do new things. From the bottom of my heart, I thank each and every one of you.

For the next three to six months, I will be spending most of my time putting together my own website. So between that, my work, and my family, I just won't have the time to write on here for a while.

I will continue to do my fantasy leagues. They don’t take a lot of work, and they are a lot of fun for all that participate. I will also continue to check out everyone’s work when I have the time.

Once I have my site running smoothly. I will then come back and be an active part of the BR community. I just hope all of you will still remember who I am.

I would also like to give the keys to my “Spotlighting the Indies series” to someone. It is a great series that showed the wrestling community something besides the big three. If you would like to continue, it please let me know.

In case anyone is interested my new site will be entitled Ring-Rap. It will be an exciting new site that will cover Wrestling, Boxing, and MMA. It will feature great articles, reviews, and recaps. It will also have behind-the-scenes documentaries on wrestlers and promotions.

There will be a lot of other cool features that will be on there. But I won't get into all of that right now. I already have a couple of writers and a filmmaker on board. I am currently looking for a few more.

I need some writers for recaps, reviews, and columns. I also am looking for another editor/writer. If anyone is interested please let me know by posting on my board or sending me a PM.

I will then include you with more information on the website. It should be a lot of fun for anyone who chooses to get involved. I thank everyone in advance that does apply for an open spot.

For all of you writers out there, stay true to your heart, and never let anyone deter you from what you want to write about. This is a great community and I will be back as soon as I possibly can.

As always, have a safe day and God bless.

The Rock May Be Appearing on Smackdown!

Matthew Hester — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:38:43 -0400

Hello, everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for joining me today.

I was given some info last week that I didn't want to report until I heard more on it. Well it appears my buddy who works with the WWE pulled through for me again. Last week he told me that the Rock might appear on Smackdown.

Well it would appear that he was speaking the truth. It is now being reported on different sites, that the Rock has indeed made plans to appear on the 10th anniversary of Smackdown. I know this may be hard to believe by some out there.

I will be honest with all of you, I am still skeptical on the issue. It does seem though that it will at least be a possibility. If it is true that would be big news for the fans of the WWE.

It has been some time since we have seen the Rock on the WWE. He dropped "the Rock" from his name a while back, and it seemed unlikely that we would ever see him again. I think him returning to Smackdown would only be fitting.

He was a key factor to that show for a long time. In fact, it was pretty much his show for a long time.

While I would warn all to stay skeptical. I think it would be fair to get a little excited about the possibility.

As always, have a safe and blessed day.

The B/R Wrestling Community: Let's Keep This a Peaceful Place!

Matthew Hester — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:42:57 -0400

Hello, everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for spending a few minutes with me today.

Let me first start of by saying that the BR wrestling community is a wonderful place. It is a place where wrestling fans can share their love for the fine art of pro wrestling.

You have men and women of all ages writing articles and discussing wrestling with each other.

To me that is the cornerstone of what makes this community great. We also get to see an array of different writers on here. Some use BR as a stepping stone, while others just write on here for the love if it.

No matter what your reason for you writing on here is. It is great to see so many people showing their love for wrestling. It gives me a lot of hope that the sport is alive and well.

I am going to be honest with everyone, though. I can’t help but worry a little about the way things have been on here lately. It seems like we are starting to see more ugliness and bitterness poke its head out.

At first this ugliness would only pop up once in a while. A few uncalled for comments here and there. I have also noticed more and more arguing between writers on here.

While this is to be expected, it seems that things are getting a little out of control. How are we supposed to stay strong as a community when we have our top writers constantly going at it like dogs?

To make matters worse, we have even dragged other sites into the argument. For reasons unbeknownst to me, we have writers on BR, hating on the writers for The Wrestling Daily.

It makes no sense to why this is even happening. The guys who founded the Wrestling Daily are all great writers. They decided to branch off on their own and start a site. I think that we should be happy for them.

It does no one any good to be upset by someone else’s success. We make our own success in life. It’s just a matter of grasping the bull by the horns and doing it. If anyone is upset for anyone’s success, they should only be upset with themselves.

All I want is what is best for the BR wrestling community. I couldn't care less what any other person or site is doing. We are a great community, and I would like to see it stay that way.

I will be branching out myself soon. That doesn’t mean that I am going to stop writing or posting here. In a way, we are a family: a family of wrestling fans that are passionate about the world of pro wrestling.

Isn’t that what this site is about anyways, all we are doing by fighting with each other is tearing the thread of the community. I would like to see all of this come to an end before it becomes a major problem.

I apologize if am coming off as trying to preach to all of you. I am just simply trying to keep peace amongst us all. Like I said before, this is a great community and I would like to see it grow and get better.

I would like to thank all of you for joining me today.

As always, have a safe and blessed day.

Thank You Lilian, You Will Be Missed By Us All

Matthew Hester — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:11:00 -0400

Hello, everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me today.

Over the many years of watching wrestling I have seen many great performers in the ring. Tonight, we are losing one of them. We have seen the last of long-time ring announcer Lilian Garcia.

Her final night on Raw ended with a tearful speech to the crowd. It was touching moment for everyone in attendance and on TV everywhere. After she was done, the crowd deafened the arena with "Thank you Lilian" chants.

Most of us new this day was coming; still it was a sad night to see. There is only one other ring announcer that I can recall that has garnished as much attention as Lilian. That would be Howard Finkel.

I can honestly say that watching Lilian leave is a sad moment for me. I have enjoyed her good-hearted nature over the years. Who can forget her torrid love affair with Big Vis?

I also remember her promos with The Rock. Those were some funny moments. If you doubt me You tube it for yourself. Let’s just say she enjoyed The Rock's strudel.

She was a good-hearted person who was always willing to lend a helping hand. She stood side-by-side with Lance Cade during his rehab. She has also spent countless hours with our boys in Iraq.

She has warmed our hearts with the national anthem for a decade. I hope that when the time comes. That she receives her proper dues, and is put in the WWE Hall of Fame.

Lilian, I wish you the best with your future away from the squared circle. You will truly be missed by each and every one of us. Thank you for the many wonderful years you have given us.

Dawn Marie: On the Verge of Making Wrestling History!

Matthew Hester — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:49:48 -0400

Hello, everyone. As always I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me today.

When we talk about someone making wrestling history, it is usually referred to a wrestler or promoter. This is not in any part of the discussion in this article.

Over the many years of pro wrestling we have seen a lot of guys come and go. Does anyone ever wonder what happened to them after they retire? If you ask around in the business, you will not be given a happy story.

Most grapplers after they retire must endure a lifetime of aches and pains. It is a sad but true fact in the world of wrestling. This is greatly attributed due to the lack of a health care system for the sport.

Legendary performers like the Iron Sheik and many others are unable to afford the needed care to get better. It has become growing problem in wrestling with no hope in sight.

That may all come to an end soon though, thanks to the help of former WWE diva Dawn Marie. She has spent the last few years fighting for the aid of our retired warriors.

In fact, she is on the verge of putting together for the first time ever, an affordable health care plan for past and present grapplers. It is a project that is near and dear to her heart.

"These guys should be enjoying their later years, and here they are selling autographs to support themselves and their families," (Dawn Marie) Psaltis said Tuesday in a telephone interview. "It isn't right that this epidemic keeps going.

"You fall in love with the business and spend your life focused on it. If you're one of the lucky ones who make it, you ride it as long as you can.

"When your time is out, the next person comes in and you fade out. Nobody knows what happened to you. Then you realize the damage you did to your body that doesn't show up until years later...I saw this all happening and it bothered me."

This all started when she formed "Wrestlers Rescue" last September. It’s a foundation that started of as a charity drive for retired grapplers. They would often raise the funds through charity auction.

Wrestlers from the WWE, TNA, and former grapplers have all donated memorabilia to the cause. The auctions have gone so well that they are near the goals they set out for.

With this new insurance plan, they will not only be able to cover themselves, they will also be able to cover their families. It’s a plan that has been needed in wrestling a long time.

Dawn Marie could have this done with in the next few months. She is just ironing out the wrinkles right now. This can change the lives of the past, present, and future wrestlers.

“We will have family packages. We will have prescription and major medical. We will have different levels of packages depending on what you can afford, or we can do different types of co-pays like any insurance.

"We will have a disability package. In the real word, if you are disabled, you get disability. They way we’re getting our package put together, disability by definition means unable to work for a period of time.

"Because most people when they break their leg, they can still go to work and sit behind a desk. When we break our leg, we can’t go to work. So there will be compensation and a disability packet.

"With the health care, there’s no high-risk category; it’s normal category. The thing I think people don’t understand, is that when you work with a major [wrestling] company, we don’t have health insurance.

"We don’t even have anything to purchase into with our own money. And if we do, we’re considered high risk and we can’t even afford it. Not only can we not afford it for ourselves, we can’t afford it for our families.”

As it stands now, her new health insurance plan will cover anyone who has, or had a WWF/WWE, TNA, WCW, and ECW contract. She is also working on getting some kind of plan together for Indy workers.

This could possibly be one of the greatest contributions to the world of professional wrestling. While she may have not earned herself a spot in the HOF for her wrestling, she has certainly gone above and beyond to make it better.

I wish her nothing but the best of luck.

As always, have a safe day and God bless.

(info and quotes from wrestlerescue and 411mania)

WWE Is Due For a Long-Needed Overhaul

Matthew Hester — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:29:32 -0400

Hello, everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me.

I have been watching wrestling for many years now. Like many other long-time watchers, I have seen a lot of good times and bad, while I still do enjoy the action in the squared circle today.

I find that it is getting harder to watch. It just seems to me at least, that the product has gotten very stale. If not for ECW, I might not even be watching wrestling at all.

I am getting tired of seeing the same guys week in and week out headline Raw. It has gotten to the point where I fast forward through most of the show. The thing that bothers me though is it doesn’t have to be this way.

The WWE as it stands now as an incredible pool of talent at their disposal. Yet I’m still forced to watch the same wrestlers, in the same matches every week. It would be nice to turn on Raw and see some of the up and coming stars headline.

I am tired of seeing HHH, Cena, and Orton in the main event all the time. I’m not saying that they should not main event at all. They are the star power right now so they should get the main spots most of the time.

My only concern is the lack of development with some of the other guys. I think it is vital that the WWE mixes things up a little. Would it hurt to have Jack Swagger or Bourne main event a Raw once in a while?

It’s not like it will kill them to mix up the main events from time to time. It would be nice if the WWE threw guys like the Miz and Kofi a bone on occasion. The fans are craving to see some new blood in the mix of things.

It is also time for them to stop taping Smackdown ahead of time. It is doing nothing but killing their ratings. The spoilers are readily available two days before the show even airs.

I can’t help but feel less interested in watching it after I know who is going to win. So why not take the best of the big two and make it live? It’s about time that we got to see the best of the four wrestling shows live.

It would not only help the ratings, it would also add some element of surprise to the show. I don’t care how good a match is between Morrison and Ziggler, if I know who is going to win, it takes something from the match.

It also wouldn’t hurt if they aired Smackdown on a different day besides Friday. Let's be honest, I’m sure most of you have better things to do besides watching wrestling on a Friday night.

The only shows that I don’t have any issues with now are ECW and Superstars. I think ECW is still doing a fine job of keeping their talent and matches fresh. I can honestly say it’s the only show left that I really enjoy watching.

Watching guys like Zack Ryder and the rest come in to their own has been a treat. I even enjoy watching the Jobbers lose each week. In a way it adds a little comical appeal to the show.

Let’s face some facts. It’s not ECW that is going to be the big sell at PPV's. That job belongs to Raw and Smackdown, and the ratings aren’t exactly flying through the roof.

The fact is that the WWE has been a stale product for some time now. It is a problem they are going to have to address sooner or later. If they don’t they will find fans finding other things to do on Mondays and Fridays.

I am a die hard wrestling fan and even I have trouble watching wrestling these days. To me that says a great deal about the product. If die hards are changing the channels, what are the casual fans doing?

It doesn’t take rocket science to put a good wrestling show together. Keep the matches fresh and don’t over expose your main event guys. That was the whole purpose of PPV's in the first place.

If you don’t see Orton headlining Raw every week; then the fans will be a bit more excited to see him when it comes to ponying up the cash at the end of the month. It was a formula that worked well for decades.

We don’t need drastic changes, all the current shows need is a little tune up. Then things will run smoothly again in the WWE. If they ignore these problems though, they will only see their fan base get smaller.

I thank you all again for spending some time with me today.

As always, have a safe and blessed day.

Vince, Do The Right Thing: Don't Bring Back Jeff Hardy!

Matthew Hester — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:24:52 -0400

Hello, everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me today.

Well it would appear that Jeff Hardy has found himself in trouble yet again. While this may be a shock to some of the wrestling fans out there, I was not surprised at all with this news.

Through out his whole career, he has found some way or another to screw up. Now before the Hardy fans come screaming with pitchforks, I would like you to keep in mind that I am merely speaking the truth.

If you disagree with me, please show me the evidence to dispute my claims.

I only have one question regarding the current situation. What is Vince McMahon going to do about this? If he is a man of his word, then we have seen the last of Jeff Hardy. That is a big if, though.

How does McMahon replace the cash cow known as Jeff Hardy? In all honesty, I’m not sure if he will be able to do this. Hardy was not only a draw at the box; but he was also a big merchandise mover.

Regardless of what Jeff drew in, Vince needs to do the right thing and drop this guy like a bad habit. Over the years, we have seen many stars come and go after getting nailed with their third strike.

If they let Hardy slide yet again on this, it will not only be a slap in the face to the past stars fired, it would also be a slap in the face to the current guys on the roster.

You know, guys like Matt Hardy, Jericho, HHH, and the many others who actually give a damn about the business. Jeff Hardy has become a growing cancer on the WWE. It is about time he was removed like bad cancer.

Vince McMahon has been called a lot of things over the years. The one positive thing I can say is he is a man of his word. Whether you like what comes out of his mouth makes no difference.

When Vince says something, he does it. If Vince says there is a three-strike rule, I then expect him to honor that policy, Even if it is with the WWE golden boy.

If Hardy is found guilty of these charges, and Vince lets him slide yet again, then he will have lost the one few redeeming qualities he has left, his word. If he loses that, then he doesn’t have much left.

It is time for the right thing to be done, don't bring back Jeff Hardy.

I would like to thank all of you again for joining me today.

As always, have a safe day and god bless.

Marty Jannetty: The Tale of the Fallen Rocker (Part 1)

Matthew Hester — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:49:23 -0400

Hello, everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me today.

Over the many years of watching pro wrestling, I have seen many tag teams come and go. Some of these teams were good and some of these teams weren’t so good. Either way it’s a common occurrence to see teams split up.

When teams split up in wrestling, it usually happens for a couple of reasons. One of the main reasons though, is because a team has run its course and they both go on their separate paths.

The story that is told when this happens is often the same one. One wrestler goes on to become bigger than the other. Why this happens, is a question that I don’t think we will ever be able to answer.

In some cases it is clear as day, when one wrestler is better than the other, then it is just natural that the better wrestler will succeed over his former partner. With some teams though, both are equally as talented.

The one team in particular that comes to my mind is the Rockers, or if you prefer the Midnight Rockers. Whatever name you call them, one thing that can’t be argued is they were a great team.

When fate put Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels together, they would form a team that would become lightning in a bottle. Whether it was the NWA, AWA, or the WWF, these two would rock the wrestling world for years.

The breaking up of the two would shock the wrestling world. Most felt that they would go on to become one of the best tag teams in the history of wrestling. This would obviously would turn out not to be the case.

As we all know, HBK (Michaels)would go on to become one of the WWF/WWE’s most decorated superstars. He is known to all as Mr. Wrestlemania, and will most likely be inducted into the HOF as soon as he retires.

The story of Marty Jannetty is a much more somber tale. To say his life and career has been an emotional roller coaster would be a vast understatement. He has had his good times, bad times, and everything between.

Jannetty would start his training in the early 80s. Trained by Jerry Oates, he would quickly turn heads. He made his ring debut a short time later with the NWA in 1984.

He would start off his career in the tag ranks. His first of two partners before teaming with Michaels would be Tommy Rogers. They would form a team called the Uptown Boys.

The Uptown Boys would start a long feud with The Grapplers; they would go on to feud for a bit, before taking the tag straps that year in 1984.

They would only hold these titles a few months though, before dropping them back to the Grapplers. The feud with the Grapplers would end after they reclaimed the belts a short time later.

The Uptown Boys would drop the tag titles a little later to Gypsy Joe and Mr. Pogo. This would lead into a feud with Gypsy Joe. It was during his battles with Joe that Jannetty would capture his first singles title by beating him for the TV championship.

Jannetty’s first partnership would end when Rogers left the promotion. This would leave Jannetty solo for a while. He wouldn’t have to wait long, though, before he would find a new tag team partner.

His next tag partner would be “Bulldog” Bob Brown. The two of them would continue to fight for the tag belts against Gypsy and Pogo. All the while, Jannetty was still defending his TV title.

These two would go on to remain partners for a while and regain the tag belts. It would be the third in Jannetty's short career. 1985 would continue to be a big year for Jannetty.

He would end his partnership with Brown, and the tag titles would become vacated. He would also end up losing the TV title to Gary Royal in 1985. These two events would play a key part in Jannetty’s career, though.

Although partnerless, Jannetty would accomplish his biggest feat in his early career. In September of that year, he would win the heavyweight title by beating Mr. Pogo. This would be the first of his only two heavyweight title runs.

1986 would end up being another career year for the young Jannetty. He would win the heavyweight title once again when he beat The Shadow. What would be the most important aspect of his year would be his new tag partner.

It would be the year that Jannetty would be teamed up with Shawn Michaels. These two would go on to form the team known as the Midnight Rockers. The pairing would be an instant success, and they would win the NWA Central States tag titles a short time later.

This would ultimately be a short run for both though, because a short time later they would leave the NWA for greener pastures, and sign with the AWA.

In the AWA the Midnight Rockers were an instant success. With their high flying style, the Midnight Rockers would soon become fan favorites. In most of 1986 they would spend it feuding with guys like Doug Somers and Buddy Rose.

In 1987, the Midnight Rockers reached their goal, defeating Rose & Somers to win the AWA Tag titles. The feud between the two teams continued for the next year, with the Midnight Rockers & Ray Stevens beating Somers, Buddy Wolfe, & Kevin Kelly at Superclash 2.

A few weeks later, the Midnight Rockers lost the AWA Tag Titles to Boris Zhukov & Soldat Ustinov. This was because the Midnight Rockers were leaving the AWA, signing a contract with the WWF in the summer of '87.

This would be a short lived run though. The reason being, it was reported they were parting too hard, and weren’t focused on their ring work. This would be the first of many public reports of the Rockers wild life style.

They wouldn’t have to wait to long for work, though; the AWA would take them back with open arms. The Midnight Rockers were a hot ticket, and Verne Gagne needed all the help he could get competing with the WWF.

Shortly after their return, the Midnight Rockers beat the RPM's for the AWA Southern Tag Titles, adding another title to their names. Only a few weeks later though, they would lose the belts back to the RPM's, continuing the feud between the two teams.

Another match between the two would take place, with the Midnight Rockers winning the belts. Jannetty and Michaels would hold the Southern Tag Titles for the next month, but they had other plans as well, they wanted to unify the AWA Tag belts.

At the end of December 1987, they would get their chance; they beat the Midnight Express to unify the AWA Southern and World Tag Titles. The Midnight Rockers continued to defend the AWA World Tag Titles into the next year.

Their run would end in 1988, as Jannetty & Michaels lost the belts to Bad Company. The Midnight Rockers wouldn’t regain the gold. This would hardly matter though because a short time later; they were once again hired by Vince McMahon.

Jannetty & Michaels signed with the WWF, would come in as the Rockers. They soon became one of the WWF’s hottest commodities. They would bring their high flying offense to a whole new set of fans.

The Rockers were reaching new levels of fame never seen before. They were not only becoming the new faces of tag team wrestling, but they were also the new role models for the younger fans to admire.

With fame comes a heavy price though, and the Rockers were feeling the pressure. Jannetty's partying was soon reaching the point of no control. It was a life style that would send him on a path for self destruction.

This would be the beginning for Jannetty's downfall. While he was still sharp in the ring, his behavior in the back was changing drastically.

(To be continued…….)

(I want to point out that this article was originally intended to just be one 5 page article. I went a little crazy though, so I had to break it up into multiple parts.)

The History of Pro Wrestling in the United States (Part 1)

Matthew Hester — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:59:09 -0400

Hello, everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me today.

If you live in the U.S, you may have heard the saying “this is as American as...”. It is a common saying that has been around long before you, or me, and it will most likely be around long after we are gone.

I have heard the term as American as baseball, apple pie, and even football. The two words I have never seen thrown in there was "pro wrestling, which in a way is surprising if you think about it.

Pro wrestling as we know it has been around for over 100 years and was made popular in the U.S. If you want to be precise on the matter, it started in late 1800’s shortly after the Civil War.

During the hard times following the war, wrestling was a form of entertainment that could be found at the carnivals and other traveling acts. Most were college wrestlers who were looking to make some quick money.

Over time, pro wrestling would start to grow into a very popular social event. By the turn of the century, pro wrestling was just as popular as boxing and baseball.

Frank Gotch and Martin Burns were the main draws, and business was good. Things would start to go sour shortly after though. Soon, the word would be spread that wresting was in the fix.

While it was never confirmed, it was widely believed the word was spread by the boxing commission at the time. Wresting at the time was starting to become more popular and would draw more than boxing.

Whether it was due to sour apples or the fans wising up, wrestling would indeed find itself in trouble. The fans were turning fast on the once-popular attraction, and things would only get worse with the retirement of Frank Gotch.

With no public name to represent wrestling and the swift decline in attendance, things were looking bad for our great pastime. Like a tree that wilts away and dies though, its seeds are often spread and new trees are born.

The new seeds that would become the savior for pro wrestling would be Ed Lewis, Billy Sandow, and Toots Mondt. These three would go on to be called the Goldust trio. They would shape the way the world would look at wrestling forever.

They would be the first ever to implement time limits and DQ’s. Knowing that wrestling was a work, they would also start using cheating tactics, even while the ref had his back turned.

These are just a few of the changes that would help modify wrestling, though. The trio would also introduce the world of wrestling to signature holds, and tag team wrestling.

Their most innovative and biggest accomplishment, though, was the start of promotions. Unlike in the past where shows consisted of hired talent from all over, these three decided to hire and keep a stable of wrestlers for long periods of time.

This bold move would pay off in multiple ways. By keeping the same stable of wrestlers this would help keep the fans familiar with the product. It would also help them build up a new fan base wherever they went by advertising the same wrestlers.

Probably the biggest key to keeping the same wrestlers though was the ability to run angles and storylines. Without their wrestlers going to other places and wrestle, they were able to continue feuds for long periods of time.

This formula would keep them at the top of the wrestling world for nearly a decade. Like most success stories, though; they are often copied. This fate would be no different for the three.

Soon local promotions were popping up all over the country. The newfound competition was soon taking its toll on the Goldust Trio. They were competing with local promotions all over the country now.

In the late '20s, their dominance would finally come to an end. Their biggest downfall wouldn’t be from its competition, though. What would end their reign, as the kings of wrestling would come at the hands of Stanislaus Zybyzko.

What was supposed to be a normal dropping of the title went terribly wrong. Zybysko was supposed to drop the belt to a new talent, Wayne Munn. Zybysco would go against the bookers and defeat Munn in order to retain.

To make matters worse Zybysko, out of spite would go on a short time later and drop the title to Ed Lewis' competition, Joe Stecher. Stecher would only make things more difficult by constantly ducking Ed Lewis.

This whole fiasco would cause so much damage that by the time they did get the belt back, it was deemed worthless. It would ultimately cause the demise of the three’s dominance over the wrestling business.

In the 30’s and 40’s the whole landscape in pro wrestling was drastically different. Gone were the days of wrestling at the carnies and farms. We were now embarking on a new business like wrestling world.

While wrestling continued to grow in popularity, promoters were making more money. It was during this era we would see the term “Raiding Talent.” Promoters were seeing dollar signs as the business was growing.

In order for them to stay atop of their competition, they would often sabotage and raid other nearby promoters of their talent. As you could imagine, this led to a lot of bitter fights between companies.

To also make things more difficult, many titles were losing credibility. The reason being is many wrestlers would go to the other promotions as champion. Even the greediest of promoters realized that this was a major problem.

It was because of the concerns for the business pro wrestling, would embark on its most important decision. In 1948 all the local promoters would sign a loose treaty, and the NWA was formed.

It is also worth noting that wrestling purists believe the NWA actually started in the late 20’s. While there is some merit to this because the NWA was formed in the late 20’s. It is also false; the reason being is the NWA tried in 1929 to unify the local promoters.

The first time this was attempted though it would turn out to be a failure. They didn’t have nearly enough backing in order to do this. So that is why the NWA wasn’t officially recognized until 1948.

When the NWA formed on paper, it looked like a foolproof plan. Like many great ideas, sometimes what looks good on paper always isn’t so. The first order of business was to pick a wrestler to represent the organization and unify the titles.

That honor would be bestowed to none other than the godfather of wrestling, Lou Thesz. This wasn’t the original plan, though. At first it was supposed to be Orville Brown who was going to represent the NWA.

As fate would have it though he would suffer a career-ending injury after an automobile accident. It was then decided that Thesz was the best man to represent the NWA. This is where the NWA would run into its first bit of trouble.

Not everyone agreed that Thesz should have been the champion. So at first many of the promoters fought hard against him, and refused to unify their titles with Thesz. It would take some time, but eventually Thesz would unify all the titles.

Things at first would seem to run smoothly for the NWA and wrestling. It was reaching levels of popularity never seen before and the money was rolling in. Being in the NWA would have many perks.

For starters if any promotion tried to muscle its way in, it was stopped quickly. If a promotion decided not to oblige the NWA, they were met with violence and sometimes death. Being in the NWA also meant the end of talent raiding.

It makes sense if you think about it. Why would you raid your brother’s talent, when in all likelihood, they would wrestle there anyway? The NWA would share the champions all over and it seemed like they had found a formula that had worked.

Pro wrestling and the NWA were soon on a collision course for destiny. Pro wrestling would be seen on TV sets all over the country. With the coming of the TV era upon them, the NWA would find them selves walking into a goldmine.

With the help of television bookers no longer needed to rely strictly on radio and newspaper to advertise their shows. Now with the help of TV, they could run the stories and angles better.

In the early 50s, the NWA was making money hand over fist. With the help of TV, they were able to promote the local stars and build the arrival of the champ. It seemed like an almost flawless system.

We would see new stars in the making: guys like :Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, "Gorgeous" George Wagner, and Baron Michele Leone. It was reported that the match between Thesz and Leone drew in a record draw when it pulled in over 100,000 dollars.

As time passed, though, the promoters would start to hunger for more of the pie and more power. By the mid 50’s, though, things broke down between promoters. Many of them wanted to have Thesz replaced.

It was also reported that many of the NWA chapters were working with the outside promotions. Meetings between the chapters were growing uglier. The first break in the alliance would happen in 1957.

It would stem over an angle where Thesz would lose the title to Edouard Carpentier. In the angle, Carpentier was supposed to be represented as the champion along with Thesz. It was supposed to lead into a high stakes match between the two.

The problem with all of this was that Carpentier wasn’t being recognized as a real champ. This would ultimately cause the split and the AWA would officially break away from the NWA.

This would lead us to a new chapter in wrestling history.

(To be continued…)

WWE's Aging Roster: An Evaluation of Our Older Stars

Matthew Hester — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:20:33 -0400

Hello, everyone. As always, I would like to thank you for spending some time with me today.

I did an article on the Undertaker the other day and it got me thinking about something.

As it stands today, there are many aging stars on the professional wrestling scene.

While being older in wrestling doesn’t mean that you can't be good, it does raise the question on how much gas may be left in the tank for these superstars.

Let's be honest, folks; these guys aren’t machines; at some point their bodies will break down. Whether it’s from injuries over the years or just aging, sooner or later they will have to stop wrestling.

So I decided that I would look at some of these guys in their twilight, and evaluate roughly how much time these guys may or may not have left. If you disagree, please feel free to let me know.

Undertaker

While his return is exciting and he should help bring some juice back to SmackDown, you really have to wonder how much more this guy can give us.

Undertaker is now 45 years old and he has been wrestling for 25 years. Over the years he has been in many physical matches. Needless to say, he has certainly built up the injuries over the years.

I can't really say he has gotten slower over the years. It's hard to say, since he was never the fastest horse out of the gate. It is fair to say, though, that he has certainly lost a few steps. He now wrestles mainly on a part-time schedule for this reason.

As far as I am concerned, he has earned the right to wrestle whenever he wants. But it is no secret that the Dead Man wants to call it quits soon.

The question is, when does he make this decision?

If I had to guess, I would say he makes a decision in the next two or three years. I say this because unlike Flair and some others that have hung around a while, the style that Undertaker has wrestled over the years was rough and has taken its toll on him.

Kane

While Glen Jacobs may be roughly the same age as Undertaker, he has wrestled far fewer years than his supposed brother—around eight less years to be exact. So I think it would be fair to assume he may stick around a little longer than Undertaker.

That is not to say that Jacobs is a spring chicken. It would probably be fair to say that he is in the early twilight of his career. Kane does have some other issues that do concern me, though.

Over the years I have noticed a common pattern with the Big Red Machine. He tends to let himself fall out of shape as time passes. While he does eventually shape back up, it seems that lately, it takes him longer to do so.

Also, like Undertaker, he has racked up the injuries over the years. While they might not be affecting him as much now, they are sure to a few years down the road. If you add nagging injuries to an out-of-shape wrestler, that often leads to a broken down wrestler.

Jacobs has other avenues he plans on pursuing, no matter when his wrestling career ends. He has stated on multiple occasions that he is very interested in running for public office.

I can easily see Kane leaving if he ever ran and won a race in the political world. Let's face facts people, if Jacobs ever became governor somewhere, it is unlikely he will still be chokeslamming people.

He wrestles now mainly for a paycheck and that is the only reason. If he did care about his status in wrestling, he wouldn’t be jobbing to everyone under the sun. That is not a knock on him; I am just simply pointing out the truth.

I have a feeling we will see the Big Red Machine hanging up his boots in five years. It could be even sooner depending on his success in the political scene.

Chris Jericho

With Chris Jericho, you have to look at things a little differently. He is now pushing 20 years in the business, but he is only in his late 30s. He is another guy who is just barely in the early stages of his twilight years.

Chris Jericho does have an advantage though over the other aging vets on the roster. He has managed for the most part to stay injury-free through his career. Part of this is due to luck, but it is mostly because he is just a smart wrestler.

If Jericho really wanted to, he could wrestle another 15 to 20 years. He is in a way much like Ric Flair as far as staying in shape and avoiding injuries. Jericho is a great worker and would be in demand anywhere in the business.

The only one who I could see ending Jericho’s career in the near future is himself. It is no mystery that he has other interests other than wrestling. During his long period off a short time back, he explored these opportunities.

He has and still is trying to get an acting career. While the parts he has taken have been bad by any estimation, it just further shows how badly he wants to be part of that business. He also has his band, Fozzy, which just signed a new record deal.

I will choose to keep my opinions to myself as far as his acting and music goes. I will say, though, that if either his music or acting really took off, I think he would quit wrestling in a heartbeat.

He is sticking with wrestling because it his bread and butter. (I will say this: I am not too worried about him making it big in his other venues, so I think we will see Jericho around for some time.)

I think it would be a safe estimate to say that Jericho will wrestle for at least 10 more years.

HHH

It might surprise some people to know that HHH is only a year older than Jericho. That is in people years, though. As far as wrestling years go he has clearly aged more than Jericho.

HHH has always given this business 110 percent. I may joke around about the fact that he is married to the boss’s daughter, but that doesn’t mean I do not respect the guy for what he has given wrestling.

He has always wrestled hard and fast when it comes to his ring style. HHH has been in some of the most brutal and bloody matches I have ever seen. He has also wrestled injured for many years.

While I admire all these things about the man, it is his wrestling style that very well may shorten his career. He has a list of injuries a mile long and those are the plain facts. I never thought I would see someone with knee braces as big as his.

The only thing that keeps HHH ahead of his injuries is his work ethic. You have to give credit where credit is due. HHH still keeps himself in great shape to this day.

It is probably for that reason alone he is able to get in the ring and wrestle. Still, it’s starting to get noticeable that he is losing a few steps. He runs a lot slower than he used to.

That is, if he runs at all.

He also doesn’t seem to have the same pop when pulling off some if his moves. These are all telling signs that he is loosing his mobility.

I am not saying we should put him out to pasture just yet but the truth is, like in any sport, even if you are in tip-top shape, injuries catch up to you.

Another sign of falling apart in the business is when you are involved in more tag matches than one-on-ones, and HHH has seen his fair share of tag matches lately.

Still, I think HHH has some time before his body gives out on him. I could see him giving us at least seven more strong years.

I also think that he will end up being part owner of the WWE down the road.

HBK

Has been around just as long as Undertaker. Also, just like Undertaker, he has taken his fair share of abuse. He had a back injury that probably should have ended his career.

Thanks to his determination and the modern miracles of medicine, HBK was able to come back and wrestle. While he still gives his 100 percent, he is also a lot more careful in the ring.

In a way, his back injury was a blessing in disguise. It gave the rest of his body time to heal. He is another wrestler who has always kept himself in shape.

While it is clear that he is a part-time wrestler these days, he still works a pretty heavy schedule. When he needs his time off, he takes it and returns when good and ready. I also have to admit that he still puts on a great match when called upon.

I think HBK is still around for a couple of reasons.

The first one and probably the most important is he still loves the business; for that reason alone, the man deserves your respect.

The second reason he is probably still around is because he lost out on a lot of money while he was injured and missed the Attitude Era. So I can't blame him for wanting to cash in on his name now.

I think he is going wind up sticking around as long as he physically can. How much time he has, that is hard to say. If he stays healthy and his back stays up, it could be another four or five years.

It can also wind up being much shorter run if his back acts up again.

I would like to thank all of you for again for spending some time with me today.

As always, have a great day and God bless.

WWN: Randy Orton Kills His Biggest Legend Ever!

Matthew Hester — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:42:26 -0400

Hello everyone. As always, I would like to thank you for spending some time with me today.

I am pleased to tell you it once again time for another hard hitting report of the “Wrestling Word News." This is the only place where you can read about the stories the mainstream media is afraid to report.

If you have any stories you would like to share but are afraid to, due to “the man's” pressure to shut you up. I would encourage you to share it with me. I keep my sources safe from all evildoers who try to censor the world from the truth.

I only have one late breaking story for you, but its a big one!

Randy Orton kills another legend

€

Story reported from Moliver, Maine

Over the years we have seen Randy Orton kill many legends in the ring. It has just been released that that Randy has struck again. The legend he killed this time was no wrestler, though.

Orton was on vacation and was having dinner with his family at a local fish restaurant. As he was leaving with his family he was approached by local fisherman and Maine native Bob Bobbitt. Bob, who looked in bad shape, would go on to ask Orton for help with something.

Orton felt bad for Bob, so he offered to help Bob out. Orton would soon find out though that he had agreed to something for worse than anticipated. As it would turn out, Bob had been recruited to ask Orton for help with local legend “Big Red."

Big red is a lobster that is over 50 feet long and weighs over 1,000 pounds. Over the last five years, Big Red has terrorized the local fishermen, leaving them almost penniless.

When the fishermen had heard Orton was in town they knew they had to ask him for help.

“We were desperate,” cried Bob. ”Just this year alone Big Red has capsized three of our ships. We have tried harpooning him, shooting him; we just couldn’t kill the damn thing.

"We knew the legend killer was in town and we thought who better than him to ask for help.”

Orton was in shock when he discovered what Bob actually wanted him to do. Still being a man of his word, Orton agreed to still help the fallen fisherman. It would be a decision that would almost cost him his life.

Bob brought him to the pier that Big Red had last been seen at. At first everything seemed docile and Orton had thought he had dodged a bullet.

It wasn’t until he was on his way back to Bob's pick up truck, when he heard something looming under the decks.

As he turned around to see what the noise was. He was shocked when he saw the gigantic lobster crash through the decks.

The startled Orton was frozen as Big Red landed right in front of him. Big Red was quick on the attack and tried to grab Orton with its giant claws.

Orton came out of his daze just in time and was able to avoid the mammoth meat hooks. Orton, remembering his studies in marine Biology, knew he had only one chance to beat the huge crustacean.

“I first I didn’t know what to do. I saw this giant lobster attacking me and I panicked. Then, I remembered that lobsters have bad vision and use their antennae to see.” Orton recalled. ”I knew that if I could get to them I stood a chance.”

Orton’s knowhow would pay off big time. As Big Red went to take another swipe at Orton, he quickly jumped in the air and ripped off Big Red’s giant antennae.

This sent Big Red into a tail spin, not knowing which way it was going; it went inland instead of heading back to the ocean.

After a few minutes, Big Red was unable to breathe and eventually died. While the fishermen were happy with the defeat, the victory over Big Red was a bittersweet one for Orton.

“I really didn’t want to kill it. I was hoping it would just swim away after I confused it. I am a firm believer in not abusing living creatures.”

The town was so happy that they would reward Orton the key to the city. After words they took him and his family out to dinner. When the food arrived, he was shocked to see his former foe smothered in butter and ready to eat.

Orton gracefully thanked the fishermen but passed on the lobster dinner that night. This would turn out to be one vacation Randy Orton would never forget.

“If I learned anything from this, it’s always ask what someone wants, before offering your help.”

That is it for today’s report.

As always, have a safe and blessed day.

A picture is worth a thousand words

Matthew Hester — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:40:23 -0400

Hello everyone. As always, I would like to thank you again for spending some time with me today. Through out the history of pro wrestling there have been many great moments. You can watch many of these moments on TV. You can also read about them in a book or article. I have always felt the best way to see a great moment is through a picture. Maybe it’s because for a brief second you are capturing a true feeling. It also seems a lot more sincere when you look at a photo. So I decided to put together a slide show of a few special moments in wrestling’s great history. I hope that the moments I am showing captured do these great wrestlers justice. So sit back relax and enjoy the show.

Begin Slideshow

Spotlighting the Indies: Brian Linder, Rest In Peace, My Friend

Matthew Hester — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:31:21 -0400

Hello everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me today.

Normally when I gear up for my spotlighting the Indies series it is done with enjoyment. That is not the case today, as I am here to report some rather sad news. Veteran Indy worker Brian “Prime Time” Linder has recently passed away.

Linder, who passed away at the tender age of 35, was more then a local wrestler; he was a community leader and an educator. He died on impact when the car he was traveling in jumped a guard rail and smashed into a highway sign.

Linder was born March 30, 1974, in Kinston, the son and step-son of Keith and Frances Linder of Chesnee, S.C., and J.P. and Marcelle Crocker Elm of Gaffney, S.C. He was a 1992 graduate of Spartanburg High School.

Brian also attended Gardner-Webb University, where he received his BA and MA degrees and was pursuing his Ph.D. degree from Walden University.

He started his wrestling career in the late 90s with his tag team partner Richie Scruggs.

Through 1997 all the way to 2007 they would tear up the Indy scene as a tag team known as the U.S. Express. They held tag team gold in every federation where they competed.

He wrestled in many federations including the PWF, NMCW, APW, CCW, CCC, WASP, NBCW, and the NWA. He would also go onto have solo success wrestling in TNA against Shark Boy.

His death left his partner stunned and sad, as they would often traveled together from show to show. It will most likely leave his partner, Scruggs, scarred for life.

“I’m close to my family, but Brian was closer than a brother,” Scruggs said, at well over 6 feet tall and pushing 300 pounds, Linder appeared “larger than life” to many fans.

“Rippling muscles, the biggest smile in the world,” Scruggs, a coach at Burns Middle School, described. “My boys looked at Brian like he was a superhero.”

They would have a local show to commemorate his passing in Kings Mountain. It was an event that would be an emotional night for the wrestlers, the fans and most importantly his tag team partner.

“It was a difficult night, Kind of hard to think, ‘Let’s have fun and have a wrestling show.’ But we said, ‘In his spirit, we're going to carry on.’”

To his community, he was known as a friend and an educator. He would serve as a vice principal for his local school, where he would serve as mentor for his students. Linder was known to many as good guy with a heart of gold.

While many wrestlers’ deaths are usually filled with controversy over drugs and steroid use, Linder's death is a tragic tale of fate that would take the life of a good person in the prime of his life. His death is a sad reminder that on any given day, it could be our last.

I’m sorry if this isn’t one of my normal detailed spotlights, I just felt that his death should be honored. I hope I was able to give our fallen brother the proper respects he deserved.

Brian Linder left behind a wife, family and many friends after his passing.

I would like to thank all of you again for joining me today.

As always, have a safe and blessed day.

(Info and quotes from indynews.com and shelbystar.com)

Kofi Kingston: Scoring One for the Good Guys!

Matthew Hester — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:51:09 -0400

Hello, everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me today.

After watching a surprisingly pleasant episode of Raw last night, a couple of things came to mind. The first thing that popped in my head was: with a little effort, Vince can make Raw good.

The next thing that came to mind was just how good Kofi Kingston is turning out to be. I have said it before that I am a fan of heels. I always have been and most likely always will be.

With all that said, I can't help but enjoy watching this kid in the ring. He brings a breath of fresh air in the ring every time he wrestles. You can just tell that he really enjoys what he is doing and that is very nice to see in a wrestler.

It is also very refreshing to see someone that the kids can look up to besides John Cena. Unlike most of the current faces the fans just draw to him naturally. The fact is when he wrestles he just tends to bring smiles to everyone’s faces.

I can’t help but feel that other than Kofi, all the other faces feel phony to me. I can’t buy into Cena, or MVP as a face; to me it feels like it's forced with them.

With Kofi, though, it just comes naturally; whether this is a good thing for him, only time will tell.

Add into the mix the skills he brings to the table and you have a recipe for a bona fide superstar. He is an excellent worker and can soar in the air with the best of them. The only thing that can stop his acceleration in his career is an injury or he himself.

The only thing I would like to see out of Kofi now is some improvement on the stick, and maybe a turn as heel, just to see if he is able to pull it off. I know he wouldn’t turn anytime soon, but maybe down the road we can see one.

Since Kofi has become the U.S champ, it’s been hotter then it has ever been. That is saying a lot, considering how well Matt Hardy and MVP held the title. When he defends the belt, it actually feels like an important match.

Where Kofi’s career goes from here, no one knows. I don’t think he can get any hotter with out jumping into the heavyweight picture. While I don’t think that will happen any time soon, it would be nice to see.

As it stands now, Kofi will be either fighting either The Miz or Jack Swagger for the U.S. title. If done the right way, this could turn out to be an excellent feud that can accelerate Kofi’s career.

I think we will wind up seeing five-star matches no matter who he wrestles next. His days as champ may be numbered, but it shouldn’t hurt him too much. His run as champ has done wonders for his career.

I just hope the WWE does the right thing after he does drop the belt. There is no reason why he shouldn’t get thrown into the title mix.

It would not only elevate his status on the roster but it would also create some fresh new matches.

This man has earned a crack at the spotlight. It would be a shame and a scandal if he gets thrown back into midcard limbo. Lets just hope that the WWE does this kid right and reward this kid for all his hard work.

I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me today.

As always, have a safe day and God bless.

WWN: HHH Divorces McMahon

Matthew Hester — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:25:45 -0400

Hello everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me today.

I would like to welcome you all to the very first of edition wwn (Wrestling World News) wrestling’s only reliable tabloid news and rumors. It is here you will only get to read the real stories that others are afraid to cover.

For safety reasons, I unable to reveal the sources of the stories you are about to read.

HHH divorces the McMahon and the WWE

According to and undisclosed source, HHH is in the process of divorcing the WWE. From what I was told HHH has been unhappy with not holding the title as of late. According to HHH, it is in his contract that he is supposed to be the champion at least once a month.

This obviously hasn’t been the case as current champion Randy Orton has been the champ for some time now. The situation has left HHH distraught and suicidal,” I feel so betrayed and violated. How am I supposed to survive if I can’t see my title everyday? I just hope Orton isn’t abusing her.”

When asked for comments from Stephanie, she was too upset to speak, but her father Vince McMahon was very vocal on the issue. “ That ungrateful S.O.B. is going to pay for what he has done to our family. If it wasn’t for me, he would jobbing at a local high school.”

According to HHH’s lawyer, he will not budge on the request for full custody of the WWE title.

It is safe to report that both sides are at high tensions. The proceedings will be decided in a couple months by honorary Judge U.R. Skrewed, I will be sure to keep you up on any new developments of this groundbreaking story.

John Morrison abducted by aliens

According to Morrison, he was at his favorite coffee shop enjoying lunch. When he was approached by what he thought was a couple of fans. As it turned out though they wanted more than an autograph.

“I was just enjoying my lunch when I saw a couple of kids approach me. I thought at first all they wanted was some autographs. As it turned out they weren’t kids and they said they had a lucrative business proposal.”

Morrison reluctantly followed them to hear there offer but started to get a little nervous when he saw that he was directed to a big flying saucer. Morrison reports that after he got out of his car to see what was going on. The little men ripped off their skin and revealed them selves to be aliens from the planet Jeraxon.

They apologized for the deception and then explained that they wanted Morrison to wrestle their interplanetary champion “Faruthar” in a promotional match. It was reported that they offered Morrison 2,000,000 Falithas to compete in the bout.

Morrison while flattered by the offer had to decline due to his contractual obligations with the WWE. He decided though that he would sign autographs for the fans. It was a gesture that was greatly appreciated by the Jeraxon natives.

"We were disappointed that JoMo couldn’t wrestle our champion but we understood. He was nice enough to sign a few hundred pictures for us though so we can pass them out at home. We are currently in talks with Vince to make this match happen.”

With a show of no hard feelings they teleported JoMo and his car back to the café. They even decided to pick up his lunch tab. It was a gesture that Morrison greatly appreciated.

“They were really nice to me, at first I was upset that they tricked me, but I can understand why they did it. I am flattered that they are fans of mine; I didn’t think they would be able to get the WWE on other planets.

I hope we are able to work something out between the two planets.”

When asked about the experience, Morrison said that it was a interesting, yet great experience that he wouldn’t take back. I guess it is safe to say that Morrison is truly “Out of this world.”

In a follow up from the reported story by the Weekly World News, it is being reported that Jericho not only accepted mangators challenge but the match already took place.

This all stemmed over a fan incident with Jericho and the Mangator, which lead to a challenge.

It was reported that last week flew down to Florida and fought the Mangator in a No Holds Barred match. According to eyewitness it was a real tooth and nail battle. During the tough fight Jericho ripped of a piece of wood with a rusty nail and assaulted the Mangator.

Mangator reported that he had no choice to defend himself so he bit off Jericho’s arm. The fans went wild and Jericho fled the match. It resulted in Jericho losing by forfeit. Reporters caught up with Jericho as he was getting his arm reattached.

“It was a dump down there, I had to change in a outhouse, and the condition of the ring was horrible. I couldn’t believe how bad the fans smelled, and when they he bit my arm off they cheered.

It just goes to show what kind of hypocritical, lying, parasites they are.”

It is safe to say that this feud is now over and Mangator has become a hero in the swamp he lives in.

Well that’s all the news for today.

I would like to thank all of you for joining me today.

As always, have a safe day and God bless.

How ROH Can Stay Afloat and Possibly Advance

Matthew Hester — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 12:08:29 -0400

Hello everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me today.

Well it would seem like to me that the ROH is in for some very key moments its history.

They have made the move to Monday night and have felt the wrath of Vince already. Now that Danielson is gone, where does this leave ROH?

It’s safe to say that losing him is a big blow but it doesn’t mean doom for the company.

It just means that others will have to pick up the slack for his departure. It’s not like the roster they have still isn’t filled with good grapplers.

The question is who will be the one that will step it up and fill in for some heavy shoes. The likely candidate would probably be Nigel McGuinness. He has been a world champion and has also held their Pure championship.

Between both runs he held the title for over 800 days. He is a mainstay with the fans and he can step up and become ROH’s savior. It will also be interesting to see if Austin Aries can step up his game and make the ROH title a hotter commodity.

It really isn’t a matter of talent though with ROH. The ROH roster in general has always been good. What will be a key factor for them is trying to keep Vince from snagging more talent away from them.

If he went in and took guys like the Briscoes or KENTA away then things could get bad. It is also not out of the realm for Nigel to follow Danielson’s foot steps if given the chance. Last I checked, he was in his 30s and the injuries were racking up.

It is going to take some hard work and money if ROH wants to make the jump to the next level. Even if they can snag the No. 2 spot and bump down TNA, it would be worth it.

I won’t pretend to know ROH’s financial state. I would think though that they must be pulling some kind of profit, even if it’s a minimal one. They can also look into taking out some loans in order to boost their product.

Let’s face facts; it usually takes money to make money. It has and will always be this way in life. Or they could sell their souls to Vince and hammer out a working relationship. They can swap talent and try to keep fresh stars coming in.

I don’t think that is the way they want to go, though. If it were, they probably would have done so already. I know people have said they can’t sign big-name talent, but I don’t believe this for a second.

If you offer anyone enough money you can secure a big name. There are lots of big names that are out in about that doesn’t have WWE on them. I have mentioned Angle before; I think he would be a good fit for them.

Think about it for a second; Kurt Angle doesn’t need the money. Maybe they can lure him in by promising a long run as ROH champ. It would certainly make Angle's legacy bigger than it already is.

They can also bolster up their women’s division. I know Lufisto has displayed interest in getting involved in the big three before she retired. I also don’t see why they couldn’t pony up the dough and sign a few of New Japan's top stars.

One way or another ROH is going to have to make some kind of move. That is unless they are content at being stuck in that three spot.

I wish ROH the best of luck in their new ventures. They are most likely going to need as much of it as they can get.

Here is a little history lesson for all of you guys. Vince McMahon took almost every penny he had and invested in Wrestlemania. How did that work out for him?

Some times in life you have to gamble a little. If you fail, at least you can say you tried.

I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me today.

As always, have a safe and blessed day.

WWE's Now and Then: Comparing Some Of Our Present to the Past Stars!

Matthew Hester — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:47:56 -0400

Hello, everyone. As always I would like to thank all of you once again for spending some time with me today.

As I watch Raw, Smackdown and ECW every week I seem to notice a pattern with the commentators. It seems they are constantly throwing in references of past grapplers while some of the younger stars are wrestling.

There isn’t anything groundbreaking being news that this is done. It has and will always be done as long as wrestling or any other sport is being broadcasted. The arguments I have though are with some of the comparisons.

So I decided that I would break down each comparison that I have heard on TV. I will give you my honest and unbiased opinions in the comparisons. If you disagree with me please feel free to throw in your two cents.

It is after all opinions that make BR such a great place to write on.

So with out any further delay I give you "WWE's now and then."

Tyson Kidd / Owen Hart

I only heard this comment once on ECW by Matt Stryker. I found it to be a very interesting one when I heard it. I’m not to sure if I can agree 100 percent with Stryker on this one, though. Sure there are some obvious similarities between the two.

Owen Hart is about 5'10" and Tyson Kidd stands around 5'9". You can also argue that both wrestle the same style of match. Both Owen and Tyson have the ability to mix up the aerial with solid mat work.

I can totally see how Stryker can make the comparison between the two. The only differences I see between them are the charisma level and weight difference.

Even when Owen broke into the WWE he was well over the 200 pound mark, while Tyson barely breaks the 200-pound mark. I would also argue that it’s more impressive for a 220-pounder to fly around than someone of Tyson’s size.

When it comes to the ability on the stick, I think Owen has that hands down. Owen was very gifted when it came to cutting promos. He played a great heel, and it can be easily argued that he was better at cutting a promo better then Bret Hart.

This is the one area that concerns me the most when it comes to Tyson Kidd. I know it is hard to cut a good promo when you don’t get any time on the stick. That being said you need to take advantage of the time you do get.

I think Tyson still has plenty of time to develop these skills, but lets face facts at this point of his career he should be capable of cutting a decent promo. I am also starting to wonder why he hasn’t had more promo time.

I don’t think that Tyson is even close to being what Owen Hart was in my opinion, but I can see how this comparison can be made.

Dolph Ziggler / "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig

I hear this comparison made on Smackdown very often from JR, I can see how you can compare his looks and attitude to Curt Hennig, other than that though I can’t buy this comparison at all.

Let’s face some facts people; Ziggler isn’t even close to what Curt Hennig was. Curt Hennig had the total package. He was great at cutting promos and knew how to work the crowd really well.

As far as the in-ring work between the two, that isn’t even debatable. Mr. Perfect could out-wrestle Ziggler with no legs and no arms. Curt Hennig is probably the only wrestler that I can say is possibly better than Bret Hart.

I don’t think Ziggler will ever be able to say he was a better ring worker than Hennig. I’m sure if you asked him this he would probably tell you the same. I found it more of an insult to Hennig to even compare the two.

Now don’t get me wrong, folks, I’m not saying Ziggler is bad or anything, but let's be honest with each other; he is nowhere in the league of a Mr. Perfect. That said I think Ziggler has a chance to make a real impact in the WWE.

I would have to strongly disagree with the comparisons of Ziggler to Curt Hennig.

John Morrison / HBK

This is another reference that can be heard a lot on Smackdown. As far as height and weight it is a very close match up. I would also have to agree that there is a bit of HBK seen in the style of John Morrison.

In HBK's prime he often would show up to the ring in an over-the-top costume. The same could also be said about John Morrison. They both sell and work matches well inside the ring. I think it can even be said that JoMo may even be a little better.

The only difference that I can see between the two is the ability to cut a good promo. HBK has always been strong on the stick. It can easily be said that HBK's ability to cut a good promo is probably his greatest asset.

This, like Kidd, is where I feel Morison falls very short. I have heard him cut his fair amount of promos. I don’t think he is even close to HBK in this aspect. That is not to say he wont ever get their or anything.

I just feel JoMo needs a little more work on that before we can start putting him in HBK's category. I think JoMo has a very big future ahead of him in the WWE. He may be a year or two away before we start really praising his greatness.

To compare JoMo to HBK is a fair one, I think JoMo be even better down the road. He still has a long way to go though before we can even start saying anything like that.

Yoshi Tatsu / Tajiri

This was another one of Stryker's comparisons that I’m kind of split on. When you watch both in action, you can see why the comparison was made. If you look past the kicks that both dish out, I’m not sure if I buy this comparison.

For starters, Yoshi has about four inches on Tajiri and he weighs more. Also I don’t feel that Yoshi is as talented as Tajiri.

I know in the WWE he was a mid-carder for the most part of his career, but if you ever saw him in action outside of the WWE, you know what I am talking about.

I’m not sure how Yoshi will pan out when all is said and done. I like the kid’s style in the ring, but I’m just not sure if it will sell in the WWE. I think he is better suited in maybe TNA or Japan.

I have watched some of his FCW matches and I don’t know if I can buy the comparison between the two. I think I need to see more of him before I can say he is close to what Tajiri brings to the table.

Jack Swagger / Kurt Angle

I have only heard the reference between these two made only once. I don’t know why it was never brought up again. I’m sure part of it is due to Angle being on TNA, and I’m also sure it also has to do with how he left the company.

The fact is though it was brought up and it was a very good comparison. If you compare the height and weight difference this would clearly go to Swagger. Swagger weighs 20 more pounds than him and is about six inches taller.

Once you get past that though you can see how these two are alike. Both Angle and Swagger can bring the goods into the ring. Angle is obviously better in that area due to him being a long time veteran.

I think it is fair to say though that Swagger isn’t that far behind Angle as far as grappling skills go. Angle and Swagger both have that look that says champion. As far as the ability to cut promos, this also would favor Angle.

I still think Swagger has a little ways to go in that area. That is not to say that he is bad on the stick, though. You can tell he has the potential to cut good promos; it’s just a matter of time for him to hone his skill.

While I doubt Swagger will ever accomplish all that Angle has over his career. I think it would be fair to say that he can become a big star in the wrestling world. I just hope that he is able to distance him self from the Angle comparisons.

As far as the comparison of the two; I can totally buy into this one.

Well thank you all again for spending some time with me today.

As always, have a safe and blessed day.

Only in Pro Wrestling

Matthew Hester — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:21:00 -0400

In the world of professional wrestling there is no logic or reason. Just about anything can and does happen in this crazy sport, to the outside world though it’s just crazy nonsense. To the rest of us though it makes perfect sense, which is why I decided to put this goofy slide show together showing some of the crazy logic. The scenarios I am about to show will most likely never happen to us in the real life. In fact if you attempted them you would probably end up in jail. I have named this slide show "Only in Pro Wrestling". It only seemed appropriate that it would be given such a title. I hope all of you enjoy, and please feel free to comment.

Begin Slideshow

Vince McMahon: It's Time for Everyone to Show Him Some Respect!

Matthew Hester — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:08:21 -0400

Hello, everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me today.

There is one thing I see plenty of here on B/R, and that is plenty of WWE bashing.

While a good amount of the complaints are justified, I can’t help but feel that people are being a bit harsh on Vince.

Yes, he is a ruthless, bloodthirsty businessman who has no compassion for anyone. He has folded more companies than I care to remember. How does that make him any different from any other business owner though?

I also get why people complain about the writing and lame acting. I agree 100 percent with all of you on that point. I would much rather see six or seven great matches, instead of watching a long, drawn-out birthday ceremony.

You can say a lot of things about the old lug. Yes, he is a little crazy, he also has an uncanny knack for pissing the fans off with some of his decisions. There is one area though where you have to give the devil his due: The man knows how to produce good wrestlers.

You can fill a 10-page resume with the stars that Vince has made. In the '80s, he turned many mid-card wrestlers into legends. If it wasn’t for Vince, guys like Hart, HBK, Perfect, and Ted DiBiase would be unheard of.

In the '90s he managed to build up a plethora of wrestling talent. He took a mid carder named Steve Austin and tuned him into a god. You can also add the Rock, Hardys, and Edge and Christian on to that list.

I hear people say often that Vince is starting to lose a step or two. I also see the articles where people wonder if Vince can still run the ship. It’s hard for me to take any of these opinions seriously.

He is still pumping out the goods, and as long as he does that he and the WWE will be fine. We have seen Vince turn guys like Cena, Batista and Orton into household names. If not for Vince, we would have never even know who Brock Lesnar was.

To be a great promoter, you need to know how to turn a talented wrestler into a star. I don’t see where he is failing at this. As we speak now, JOMO, Swagger, and the Hart Dynasty are the verge of superstardom.

The future looks very good for the WWE as far as I’m concerned. There is no shortage of talent anywhere for Vince. Just look at the current FCW roster if you doubt me—It is loaded with superstars just waiting to be molded into art.

I know Vince has his flaws as far as the way he runs the WWE. It annoys me just as much as anyone else. You have to admit, though, he is very good at probably the most important aspect of wrestling.

Instead of constantly bashing the guy, I think it’s about time we sat down and started appreciating him more. He has made the wrestling business bigger than it’s ever been in the past.

While wrestling has been a roller coaster as of late, he still has the ability to give the world a great wrestling product. You have to respect the guy for his love, respect, and care of pro wrestling.

I can honestly say that if I had one guy to start my wrestling company, it would probably be none other than Vince McMahon.

I would like to thank all of you for spending a few minutes with me today.

As always have a great day and God bless.

BR Power Ratings: Have Fun and Be a Part Of BR History

Matthew Hester — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:08:00 -0400

Hello everyone. As always, I would like to thank you all once again for spending some time with me today.

A while back I announced that I would be working on a BR power ranking system for the pro wrestling section. Well I am happy to announce that it is ready and raring to go.

I have posted the rosters for the WWE, TNA and ROH. Here is how the voting works. You guys pick your top 10 in the order you think they should be. You have to do this for each roster.

If you’re not sure about a certain company you can look it up on their sight to get a better perspective. If you don’t feel comfortable though doing that you don’t have to vote in that section.

After your votes are placed I will simply tally the votes and place the top ten for each section. I will have a separate section also with the top ten wrestlers who got first place votes.

I will leave this up for a week then place the results at the beginning of September. This will not only be fun, but we will also have a chance to make BR history. I need voters in order to make this work.

So lets see if we can get this fun little shindig started.

I have posted all the rosters below good luck!

WWE

Alicia Fox, Beth Phoenix, Big Show, Carlito, Chavo Guerrero, , Chris Masters, Cody Rhodes, Evan Bourne, Festus, Gail Kim, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Jack Swagger, Jamie Noble, Jillian, John Cena, Kelly Kelly, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, Maryse, Mickie James, M.V.P, Primo, Randy Orton, Rosa Mendes, Santino Marella, HBK, Ted DiBiase, The Miz, HHH.

Charlie Haas, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Curt Hawkins, David Hart Smith, Dolph Ziggler, Edge, Eve, Finlay, Jeff Hardy, Jesse, Jimmy Wang Yang, John Morrison, JTG, Kane, Kung Fu Naki, Layla, Maria, Matt Hardy, Michelle McCool, Mike Knox. Natalya, R-Truth, Rey Mysterio, Shad, The Great Khali, Tyson Kidd, The Undertaker.

Brie Bella, Christian, DJ Gabrial, Ezekial Jackson, Goldust, Gregory Helms, Katie Lee Burchill, Nikkie Bella, Paul Burchill, Sheamus, Shelton Benjamin, Tommy Deamer, Tyler Reks, Vladimir Kozlov, William Regal, Yoshi Tatsu, Zack Ryder

TNA

Abdul Bashir, Abyss, AJ Styles, Alex Shelly, Alissa Flash, Amazing Red, Angelina Love, Awesome Kong, BG James, Bobby Lashley, Booker T, Butus Magnus, Chris Saben, Christy Hemme, Cody Deaner, Consequences, Daffney, D,Angelo Dinero, Daniels, Doug Williams, Dr Stevie, Eric Young, Hamada, Hernandez, Homicide, James Storm, Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarret, Jenna.

Morasca,Jeremy Borash, Jesse Neal, Kevin Nash, Kip James, Kiyoshi, Kurt Angle, Lauren, Madison Rayne, Matt Morgan, Mick Foley, ODB, Rhaka Khan, Rhino, Rob Terry, Robert Roode, Samoa Joe, Sarita, Scott Steiner, Shark Boy, Socal Val, Sojournor Bolt, Sting, Suicide, Tara, Taylor Wilde, Team 3D, Traci Brooks, Velvet Sky

ROH

Nigel McGuinness, Tyler Black, Jerry Lynn, Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe, Kevin Steen, El Generico, The Necro Butcher, Kenta, Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Colt Cabana, Brent Albright, Claudio Castagnoli, Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, Chris Hero, Bison Smith, Kenny Omega,

Delirious, Kenny King, Rhett Titus, Erick Stevens, Brodie Lee, Kory Chavis, Jon Davis, Sami Callihan, Silas Young, Bobby Dempsey, Grizzly Redwood, Ernie Osiris, Alex Payne, Andy Ridge, Daizee Haze, Sara Del rey, MsChif

I would like to thank all of you for helping me out with this.

As always, have a safe day and God bless.

WWE Fantasy League: New Standings and week 6 in progress

Matthew Hester — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:58:08 -0400

Hello, everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me today.

I would also like to thank Scott, RKO, Jack, and everyone else who helped me out when my PC crashed. Without them, this draft would have failed.

The prizes will be an autographed pic of Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, and a Ring of Honor DVD. The first-place winner gets his choice, than the second-place winner picks the prize that they want. The third-place winner gets the unpicked one.

I have decided to start keeping the scores after each show. It just makes it easier for me and I'm sure you guys would rather have it that way.

Well following Summerslam we had a lot of movement on the board. The two biggest winners were Scott and Adrian. While a lot were left behind in the dust, its still early though with two months left in the season.

Please remember that all trades and transactions must be done on Saturdays and Sundays when I post the scores. Also if you feel your points are wrong, please let me know ASAP. That way, we can try to figure things out.

For those of you who have not made their fifth and final pick, please do so as soon as possible.

FREE AGENTS

Raw

Festus, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Jamie Noble, Jillian, Mr. McMahon

Smackdown

Charlie Haas, Curt Hawkins, Eve, Jesse, Jimmy Wang Yang, Kung Fu Naki, Maria, Mike Knox, Ranjin Singh, Teddy Long, Finlay, primo, Layla

ECW

Brie Bella, DJ Gabriel, Paul Burchill, Katie Lea Burchill, Nikki Bella, Tiffany, Tony Atlas, Tony Chimmel, Yoshi Tatsu

1) Scott – Jericho, HBK, Big Show, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

1020

2) RKO – Orton, Kofi Kingston, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, Lillian Garcia

750

3) Alex – Cena, Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, Carlito, Drew Mcintyre

725

4) Danny – Mysterio, Zack Ryder, Mickie James, Sheamus, Josh Matthews

675

5) Jack – Morrison, Bourne, Tyson Kidd, Shad, William Regal

675

6) CC – Christian, Miz, The Great Khali, Matt Hardy

650

7) Adrian – Triple H, Kane, Tommy Dreamer, MVP, Edge

575

8) Candice – Jeff Hardy, Maryse, Kozlov, JTG, Todd Grisham

560

9) DJ – Mark Henry, Undertaker, Ezekiel Jackson, Tyler Reks, Beth Phoenix

525

10) Matthew Hester -Swagger, Chris Masters, Gregory Helms/the Hurricane, Michael Cole, Michille McCool,Matt Styker

490

11) E.T.- Goldust, Melina, Gail Kim, Chavo Guerrero, Rosa

450

12) Svy – CM Punk, R-Truth, Kelly Kelly, Alicia Fox, David Hart Smith.

425

13) Dan Telek - Natalya, Justin Roberts, Santino Marella, Batista, Hornswoggle

195

Here is how the scoring will work:

If your pick wins by pin or submission, you will get 50 points.
If your pick wins by DQ or count-out you get 25 points.
If you pick a non-wrestler, all they have to do is appear on TV and you will get 15 points.
If your wrestler makes it on the Pay Per View card, or your non-wrestler is shown on the Pay Per View, you will get 25 points no matter what. If your wrestler wins, they will get double the points depending how the match is won.

I will be posting the scores on every Saturday. You will get points if your picks win on Raw, Smackdown, Superstars, ECW, or a Pay Per View.

If you would like to trade a wrestler with another member, you must do so on an open forum when I post the scores, that way everyone will see it.

Trades with other players can only be made on the weekends once the contest starts. This is to prevent double swapping for points.

If your guy gets hurt, you will have the option to send him into the pool of left-overs from the draft and take someone new. This also must be done when I post the scores.

If someone decides to drop out, his or her wrestlers will be up for grabs in the pool on a first-come-first-served basis.

Please PM me if you decide to drop out of the contest. When I post the new wrestlers available, then, and only then, can you put dibs on them.

If that does happen, a person must sacrifice one of his picks to get the new guy. The pick they sacrifice will then go into the pool. All this must also be done on an open forum when the scores are posted.

After three months, I will announce the winner. The top three will get a small prize. The top 10 finishers will have the option to be in the next fantasy draft automatically.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

There are only a few rules to follow. All trades and transactions must be done on an open forum.

The second rule is something that shouldn’t be a problem, but I am putting it in just in case. You must be respectful to your fellow competitors. A little trash talking is fine, but you should know when the line is being crossed.

I will now address some questions that were asked.

Q) If I pick a non-wrestler and he or she appears on TV more than once, do I get points every time?

A) No you don’t. One of the pluses of picking someone like JR would be that you are almost always guaranteed points. The drawback is that they don’t get as much and can only get points once.

Q) If my wrestler is a heel and he cheats, will I get as much points as everyone else?

A) Yes you will. As long as they win via pin or submission, the points will always be the same.

Q) If my guy is in a tag match but he doesn’t make the pin, will I get the points?

A) Yes, because he would be on a team.

WWE vs. ROH: This Could Be a Very Short War

Matthew Hester — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:43:11 -0400

Hello everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for joining me today.

When Shane had reported that ROH was going to move to Monday nights on his rumor article, I had really hoped it was one of those rumors that would not come true. I think it was a very bad move on ROH’s part to make a move on Vince’s turf.

I do realize that it will air at 8 p.m. it still is on Monday’s nights, and as far as Vince is concerned that is his night for wrestling. Of course there is a possibility this could be nothing.

Bryan Danielson’s signing could have been nothing more than mere coincidence. Somehow, though, I don’t think anyone with common sense believes that story. While I doubt it will ever be confirmed I think most people knows what that signing meant.

I don’t want you to get me wrong here. I am happy that ROH is showing some gumption and is trying to make a play for a bigger piece of the wrestling market. I just think they might have been better off attacking TNA first.

Whether you like him or not Vince McMahon is a genius when it comes to wrestling. I know he can get lazy when there is no competition. Once he has some though he is like a lion on the attack.

He is ruthless and has no boundaries in the ways he will tear you apart. I have said this before and I will say it again. You never want to poke at a sleeping bear only bad things will result in doing this.

If you think the WWE signing Bryan Danielson was bad just wait; that was only the beginning. ROH has to be really careful with the way they go about their business now. They also need to be smart and lock in the talent they have right now.

This would mean that they would have to actually spend a little bit of their earnings on the talent. It also might help ROH to try and sign some marquee talent. Kurt Angles contract is ending soon from what I hear.

He would be perfect for the ROH; he would not only bring instant ratings, but he would also make the workers they have ten times better. It’s going to take a little work and effort for ROH to play with the big boys now.

The ROH is going to be in a fight for their lives though. That my friends you can take to the bank. I hope they do well though it is nice to see someone step up and give Vince a little challenge.

At least it gives us something new to write and talk about. It’s been a while since we have seen a good rasslin war. It may end up being a short one but I will enjoy it all the same. Maybe ROH can step up to the plate and hit a homer, who knows?

I just hope people don’t get some crazy idea thought that Vince can lose to ROH. That would never happen in a million years. Vince owns wrestling in the U.S right now. This may be a sad fact but it's also one that’s true.

The best ROH can do is try to move to the number two spot in the wrestling market. Maybe they will also smarten up a little and try not to burn bridges. It’s always better to try to be on working terms with your competition.

There is no reason the both of these organizations can't have a working relationship. As far as I knew Vince always had a mutual working relationship with ROH. I hope that this is still the case but there is a good chance things could get ugly.

Only time will tell if ROH made a big mistake. It's not guaranteed that ROH would get killed if they fought; this could very well make ROH stronger.

It’s also a good possibility that we may soon see ROH added to the list of many defunct organizations. Don’t worry though we still get to see it, the only difference would be that it would be shown on WWE on demand.

I would like to thank all of you again for joining me today.

As always, have a great day and God bless.

Spotlighting the Indies: LuFisto, A True Unspoken Queen of the Ring

Matthew Hester — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:29:55 -0400

Hello everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you again for spending some time with me today.

Well it’s about that time for another edition of Spotlighting the Indies. I am pleased with the way the series has gone so far, and I would like to thank all of you for being so supportive.

I would also like to thank the many talented writers who have taken the time to join me in the series. We have seen some great work out of Scott, Hayley, and James. I am also pleased to announce we have a couple more writers on board.

It gives me a great pleasure to introduce Christi Lott and Niall to the series. I am sure they will bring some great wrestlers to everyone’s attention. I would ask that everyone gives them the same love and support you have shown the original 4.

Enough of the butt-kissing, though; you opened this article to read about some wrestlers.

Today’s spotlight will be on one of the most talented young ladies ever to grace the ring. She is not only a wrestler, but she is a musician and an artist. She is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet outside the ring.

Inside the ring though she is an absolute beast. She has wrestled hardcore matches, death matches and has accomplished many great achievements in her 10-plus years in the indies.

She also made her mark by mixing it up with the men more than women in the ring.

The woman I am referring to is none other than Indy great LuFisto. She has been seen all over the world tearing it up in the ring. Whether it was the U.S, Mexico or the land of the rising sun, this lovely young lady would always leave a good impression.

Genny Goulet was born 1980 in Sorel, Quebec, Canada. This talented young lady has gone on to achieve many accomplishments outside of the ring. Whether it was music, art or with computers; this queen of the ring is certainly multi-talented.

Her love for the ring though surpasses them all. She would start her career in 1997 when she started training with P. Marchessault and P. Lewis in Sorel. She would start her career as “Precious Lucy,” a ring valet for Steve Ramsey.

She would realize quickly though that being a valet was just not meant for her. Her heart and desire was in the ring, not as a spectator looking in. She would make her first in ring debut in mid 1997 as a gloomy character named “Lucifer.”

It was a character that was more than a ring name as it also reflected some of her insecurities and personal feelings.

"Lucifer was inspired especially by my teacher's new gimmick. When he changed his character for 'The Devil's Machine' I thought that Lucifer would be a perfect manager for him (and wrestler later).”

I was dressed in black only, and I was not smiling a lot although I was complaining all the time to make the crowd angry. My entrance music was Darth Vader's Imperial March. I just love Star Wars and I always had a big fascination about the Dark Side and death.”

“Maybe that's because my father died when I was so young. That's the main reason why I loved the Undertaker so much. There was a bit of myself in his character."

"The color (of Lucifer's clothing), black, was also to hide my body. I didn't like the way I looked back then, and it was really hard for me to go out there and perform looking the way I used to.

"I used to be 187 pounds of pure fat. I just hated myself; that character just represented the way I felt about myself.”

She was soon turning heads at the young age of 19 with her ring work, and quickly was making a name for herself. In 1999, she was at the top of her game and making TV and was moving higher up the ladder fast.

It was a bittersweet accomplishment, though, because she didn’t like how the promoters in the EWA were pushing her. She felt constricted and was being limited by the brass as far as what she could say or do.

"He wanted me to be his 'Miss Elizabeth' and I tried very hard but couldn't," in regards to the image Jacques Rougeau had set out to derive from her at IW2000. "I could not use chairs, tables, nothing I like.”

It had to be a family show and in the year 2000, I think this thing is way behind. I'm not judging his ideas, it's just that I don't feel good being involved in things I don't like or don't believe in. I felt like I was being held back.”

“Plus, Jacques didn't want me to wrestle for anybody else but [at the same time] he is producing only two to three shows a year. I love my job too much to only wrestle two or three times a year."

In 2001 LuFisto would go on to have a year that would ultimately carve her name in stone. She would be pitted in series of matches against J.C. Owens, a 433-pounder.

She also would get into an angle where she wrestled none other than Tony Atlas.

During her matches with Atlas, she would learn the art of working stiff. It was Atlas who would push her to work this style. During their matches, she would often kick and punch Atlas in the face, leaving him bloodied and scared.

"As he was wrestling another guy, I showed up, spit on him, kicked him and punched him many times in the face for real. This whole thing was to set up a shoot match between the two of us," Lucy stated about the initial proceedings of the 'angle'.

She then jokingly backed her stiff in-ring action against Atlas by outlining that "Tony liked to get hit, what I can say?"

Her matches with Atlas would be a major influence in her style of wrestling through out her career. She is now known in the business as the queen of hardcore. It is a name that she carries like a badge of honor.

In 2002, though, LuFisto’s career would be caught in a web of controversy. She was scheduled to appear in the main event of the “Blood Sweat and Ears” against Bill Skullion. The athletics committee would step in and stop the match, though.

“The regulation in question stipulates that under regulation 52, part 4, line 85 of the Athletics Acts, "No person shall hold a professional contest or exhibition of wrestling where male and female wrestlers are in the ring at the same time.”

Since she mostly wrestled men at the time, this ended up with her ultimately being banned in Ontario. It was a ruling that hurt and infuriated LuFisto.

"I really thought it was a joke, this is wrestling. I've been performing against guys for 5-1/2 years and never got hurt." Lucy continued, "The regulation itself is discriminatory. I can't perform with the workers of my choice in an entertainment business."

After being banned in Ontario she decided to get involved in the training aspect of wrestling. She would start working with the NWA and train new talent. That didn’t mean she was hanging up the boots, though.

In 2003 she would venture into new territories. This time it would be over in the Land of the Rising Sun. When she arrived, she would live and train at the Arsion Dojo. While living there she would luck out and be roomies with fellow North American wrestler Sara Del Ray.

“I'm glad she was the one that made the tour with me. Each of us had a task: She would do the laundry; I would cook and clean our room. It was really easy to live with her.

"Also, not only is she a good wrestler but she also has a very good vision of what this business is about.”

“In Japan she would have to adapt to a whole new style of wrestling. A style that would make her work on her technical skills in the ring, although she was already a good technical wrestler, she would learn a lot from her time in Japan.”

Her debut match in Japan would be on Aug. 25 against Gumi at Korakuen Hall. She would have an outstanding match that would wind up being one of the staples of her career. It would be an experience that she would never forget.

Her tour would be cut short though after an injury to her already bad knee. It would happen during her training as she was climbing the ropes; her left knee would bend the wrong way and cause a severe tear.

While this might automatically put some on the shelf; Goulet would try to work through the pain and wrestle a few more shows. She would finally head home though after receiving some advice from a good source.

“I couldn't feel my toes and the knee was starting to turn black so I called my mom, who's a nurse, and explained my problem. She strongly advised that if I wanted to do any sport in the future I should go back home and see my orthopedist as soon as possible before it would get worse.”

“So I told Mariko Yoshida about what my mom had said and she admitted that, from her personal experience and because her mom is a nurse too and that she learned a lot from her, it was safer for me to go back home.”

“So I did the match, and took my shower...where I removed the tape. The back of my knee was definitely black and we could see some veins or whatever it was...it was not pretty. I then confirmed to the AtoZ people that I would prefer to go back home if it was possible.”

“They told me everything was fine and that they would take care of everything. That was before they announced to me that I had to pay to change my plane ticket back home...the day before I was leaving.”

In 2004 LuFisto would maintain a very light wrestling schedule. She would mostly go on that year as a trainer. She would pass along the fine art of wrestling at the Torture Chamber. Many of her students would also contend that the name definitely fit the bill.

"The students must expect pain," she explained. "Yes, you'll get hurt and there is no way to get away from it. I like to teach them the Japanese style where we hit hard and where nobody complains.

"This is not ballet and I don't want my students to learn how to dance in the ring, I want them to learn how to fight. So yes, there is discipline. However, I want them to have fun while they are learning.”

She would also start to get involved behind the scenes with the CWA. Lufisto would go on to become the graphic and web designer for the company. She even went on to get a degree in multi-media designing.

LuFisto wouldn’t be done in the squared circle though. In 2006 she would return to the ring, when she started wrestling for Shimmer and CZW. It was then she would gain a ton of recognition from the U.S. fans.

On Aug. 13, 2006 she would make history by becoming the first-ever woman to win the CZW Iron Man championship. It is a major accomplishment that she still considered one of her finest moments.

She wouldn’t be done that year, though, because on October she would win the death match tournament by beating Necro Butcher, Juggulator, and Skullion. She would also not only be the first female to ever compete in a “Cage of death match”, she would also win it.

Sadly though, her back problems would get the best of her and she would be forced to forfeit the Iron man title. She even thought that she would have to retire due to the piling injuries she has taken over the years.

In 2007 she would announce her retirement on her web site. Like most wrestlers who love the business, though, she would return to the ring again. On Sept. 22, 2007, she would come out of retirement.

She would go on and continue to work for the IWS, IWA, and CZW. This only goes to show that she is a competitor who will give her all for the business. She is currently wrestling for Shimmer, where she still continues to be a big draw.

Lufisto has done more for women’s wrestling than anyone else that I can think of. She has held over a dozen titles. A good amount of the titles that were won were men’s titles. It is an honor she holds dear to her heart.

She is not only one of the greatest female wrestlers ever to compete. She may very well be the best ever female to compete in this business.

I would like to thank all of you again for joining me today.

As always, have a safe and blessed day.

(Quotes and info from WIKE, SLAM Report, and LuFisto.com)

A Behind the Curtains Report on WWE

Matthew Hester — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 12:05:08 -0400

Hello everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me today.

Today I would like to spend some time by dropping some news about the current goings-on with the WWE. There are a lot of things that aren’t mentioned on here that I thought some people might find interesting.

From the ring to politics

It might interest some on here to find out that Linda McMahon is considering a serious run at the U.S. Senate. While this isn’t anything official, if it were to happen, Vince would take over full duties with the WWE.

I’m not sure how well it would work out for Linda with her last name being McMahon. I do wish her the best of luck though. She is definitely going to need it in the world of politics.

Profits on the rise

"The WWE today announced financial results for its second quarter ended June 30,
2009. Revenues totaled $138.8 million as compared to $129.7 million in the prior year
quarter.

"Operating income was $28.1 million as compared to $12.0 million in the prior
year quarter. Net income was $19.9 million, or $0.27 per share, as compared to $7.0
million, or $0.10 per share, in the prior year quarter."

It looks like the WWE is making some progress. It may only be a small jump, but its better than falling behind. I don’t know though if this report takes into the account of payroll and operating costs. If it doesn’t, then those are shaded numbers.

Giving back to the community

If you can say one positive thing about the WWE, it would be that they are always giving. They do countless charity work for surrounding communities. They also are very generous with supporting our troops in need.

The WWE still continue to give tickets away to veterans and current members in the military. While to some that may not seem like much, but to the troops it is not only a nice break from their hectic lives, it is also a good morale booster for them too.

The WWE also continues to give to its local communities. I find it odd how this never makes the news. Tiffany joined Brandon Diciccio in effort to help raise money for the less fortunate. In total they have raised $5,000 to help their cause.

ECW GM Tiffany also helped in a soup kitchen and made food for the homeless. It was a rewarding experience for both parties.

“Brandon is such an amazing kid. I had heard all that he had accomplished, and I was so impressed by him,” said Tiffany. His Humility and Humanitarianism makes him one of, if not the, most amazing kids I ever met.”

It is also worth noting that John Cena has taken time from his busy day to donate time for a family of a lost firefighter.

He will be appearing at a car show with his brother and doing a meet and greet in order to raise many for the fallen firefighters family.

I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me today.

As always, have a safe and blessed day.

(All Quotes and info came from WWE.COM)

WWE Fantasy League: Week 4 Results and Week 5 In Progress

Matthew Hester — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 11:07:08 -0400

Hello everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me today.

I would also like to thank Scott, RKO, Jack, and everyone else who helped me out when my PC crashed. Without them, this draft would have failed.

This week we had some noticeable moves on the board. RKO jumped into first place and is now the leader. Scott also jumped up three spots all the way to sixth place. We also have a second place tie with Jack and Alex.

With Summerslam one day away things will change very fast. A lot of points will be out there for the taking. I wish everyone out there the best of luck.

For those of you who have not made their fifth and final pick, please do so as soon as possible.

FREE AGENTS

Raw

Festus, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Jamie Noble, Jillian, Mr. McMahon

Smackdown

Charlie Haas, Curt Hawkins, Eve, Jesse, Jimmy Wang Yang, Kung Fu Naki, Maria, Mike Knox, Ranjin Singh, Teddy Long, Finlay

ECW

Brie Bella, DJ Gabriel, Paul Burchill, Katie Lea Burchill, Matt Striker, Nikki Bella, Tiffany, Tony Atlas, Tony Chimmel,Yoshi

1)RKO – Orton, Kofi Kingston, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, Lillian Garcia

545

2)Jack – Morrison, Bourne, Tyson Kidd, Shad, William Regal

525

3)Alex – Cena, Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, Carlito, Primo

525

4)Candice – Jeff Hardy, Maryse, Kozlov, JTG, Todd Grisham

485

5)Danny – Mysterio, Zack Ryder, Mickie James, Sheamus, Josh Matthews

475

6)Scott – Jericho, HBK, Big Show, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

380

7)DJ – Mark Henry, Undertaker, Ezekiel Jackson, Tyler Reks, Beth Phoenix

375

8)Matthew Hester -Swagger, David Hart Smith, Chris Masters, Gregory Helms, cole

375

9)E.T.- Goldust, Melina, Gail Kim, Chavo Guerrero, Rosa

350

10)CC – Christian, Miz, The Great Khali, Matt Hardy

300

11)Dan Telek - Natalya, Justin Roberts, Santino Marella, Batista, Hornswoggle

170

12)Svy – CM Punk, Michelle McCool, R-Truth, Kelly Kelly, Layla, Alicia Fox

150

13)Adrian – Triple H, Kane, Tommy Dreamer, MVP, Edge

100

Here is how the scoring will work:

If your pick wins by pin or submission, you will get 50 points.
If your pick wins by DQ or count-out you get 25 points.
If you pick a non-wrestler, all they have to do is appear on TV and you will get 15 points.
If your wrestler makes it on the Pay Per View card, or your non-wrestler is shown on the Pay Per View, you will get 25 points no matter what. If your wrestler wins, they will get double the points depending how the match is won.

I will be posting the scores on every Saturday. You will get points if your picks win on Raw, Smackdown, Superstars, ECW, or a Pay Per View.

If you would like to trade a wrestler with another member, you must do so on an open forum when I post the scores, that way everyone will see it.

Trades with other players can only be made on the weekends once the contest starts. This is to prevent double swapping for points.

If your guy gets hurt, you will have the option to send him into the pool of left-overs from the draft and take someone new. This also must be done when I post the scores.

If someone decides to drop out, his or her wrestlers will be up for grabs in the pool on a first-come-first-served basis.

Please PM me if you decide to drop out of the contest. When I post the new wrestlers available, then, and only then, can you put dibs on them.

After three months, I will announce the winner. The top three will get a small prize. The top 10 finishers will have the option to be in the next fantasy draft automatically.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

There are only a few rules to follow. All trades and transactions must be done on an open forum.

I will now address some questions that were asked.

Q) If I pick a non-wrestler and he or she appears on TV more than once, do I get points every time?

A) No you don’t. One of the pluses of picking someone like JR would be that you are almost always guaranteed points. The drawback is that they don’t get as much and can only get points once.

Q) If my wrestler is a heel and he cheats, will I get as much points as everyone else?

A) Yes you will. As long as they win via pin or submission, the points will always be the same.

Q) If my guy is in a tag match but he doesn’t make the pin, will I get the points?

A) Yes, because he would be on a team.

Patrick Brink: Overcoming Death and Tragedy To Follow His Dreams!

Matthew Hester — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:00:18 -0400

Hello everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you fro spending some time with me today.

The man I would like to talk about today is probably someone no one is familiar with. It is a man who has dealt with tragedy and suffering. He is also a man who has refused to give up on his dreams even after the bad hand that life has dealt him.

The man I am referring to is Patrick Brink, also known as Koleb O’Neal.

Unlike other Indy workers who have fought all their lives to make it to the WWE. Brink has been there before and knows what it is like.

Like fans he was exposed to it at a young age, 4 to be exact. Brink wouldn’t be bit by the wrestling bug until he was ten or 11 after going to a few live shows. After that he knew he had found his passion in life.

"It appealed to me for the larger-than-life circus that it was," he said. "The first couple of times I went to a live show when I was 10 or 11... I thought, ‘I would love to have 50,000 people cheer for me.”

He started wrestling after high school in 1998. After he graduated he would sign up and learn to wrestle at the Bone breakers pro wrestling school training center. He would spend three years in training before he wrestled his first match.

He would spend the next several years with MCW (Maryland Championship Wrestling) and other various feds on the Indy scene. Also like many others in that same spot he would also be forced to work many side jobs along the way.

During his time in the Indies he has gone on to achieve some success. He has been a tag champ and TV champ for MCW. He also would win MCW’s wrestler of the year.

Life has a funny way of working things out for people though.

In 2007 he would have to return home because his stepfather was dying of cancer. He chose to stay home with his mother and be there for her during this trying period.

He would catch a break though in 2008 and would get his chance to try out for the WWE. Brink would go on to impress them so much he would be offered a contract shortly after. He was sent to the FCW in order to try to get him ready.

During his time there we worked with many trainers like Billy Kidman, Norman Smiley and Dusty Rhodes. He describes his time in the FCW like a family environment.

“It’s basically, “You guys are a family, but you are in competition with each other.” You’re there to get on TV and become a star, period. And it’s up to you to take advantage of the program, take advantage of your trainers, and take advantage of the video library. “

“You’re in the absolute best program ever. This program wasn’t around back in the day. You have every tool there to become a star in this business, and it’s up to you to utilize it. The ones who want it will make it.”

He would be introduced the wrestling world as “Koleb O’Neal”, a mean 255 pound monster. During his time there he would also spend lots of time working on his promos and mat skills. Brink worked with guys like Tyler Reks and Sheamus.

Jut when things started to look up for brink fate would strike him once again with its cruel hand. Before having to report back to FCW he would have to deal with the death of his sister. On April 15^th 2008 she would pass away after a massive head injury.

"I had a tough time with my sister's death," Brink said. "I was like a walking zombie. I worked just enough to get by.”

Upon his return he showed up 60 pound overweight. Brink would have to work extra hard to get the weight off. Brink would impress the brass so much that would even get a raise.

Like many times before though fate would step in once again and strike Brink in the heart.

His grandmother and three of his close friends would pass away all in the same year. While trying to deal with all of this and still train he would make a fatal mistake. Brink would show up 30 minutes late for his physical therapy appointment after being stuck in construction traffic.

He was forced to miss his appointment because of the tardiness and that would be the straw that broke the camels back. The WWE released him a short time later, still, he doesn’t blame anyone but himself for the incident.

“The bottom line is you have the appointment and you have to make sure that you’re there on time. It was the third thing they had with me, so they let me go to learn a lesson and to make an example. They couldn’t keep letting me get away with stuff.”

Still determined to make it to the WWE Patrick Brinks continues on. He is back with MCW and the fans welcomed him home with open arms. Now he faces a new enemy in his attempts to get back to the bigs and that is time. He isn’t giving up though and that is half the fight right there.

“I hope that I’m able to prove to everyone that I’ve earned a chance to get another opportunity, whether it be with WWE, or TNA, or Ring of Honor or wherever. I hope that I get another opportunity and that I can set the record straight and show the world that I belong in this business and that I have what it takes to become a somebody in this business.”

He is no longer a young pup, Brinks is now 28 years old, and as most grapplers will tell you: wrestling is made for the young. It doesn’t seem likely that he will make it back to the WWE at his age. You never know though, stranger things have happened.

I wish this man nothing but the best of luck. He has worked hard and overcome a lot of issues in order to fulfill his dreams.

I would like to thank all of you for spending some time with me today.

As always, have a great day and God bless.

(Info and quotes from WIKI, Baltimore sun and Gazette.net.)

Summerslam 2009: My Thoughts, Previews, and Predictions

Matthew Hester — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:02:42 -0400

Hello everyone. As always, I would like to thank all of you once again for joining me today.

Well it’s almost at the end of August and the days are hot and muggy. August also means a couple other things also. For starters school starts soon for all the kiddies out there. It also means that it's time for Summerslam.

Over the last few months I have been complaining about the same championship matches. Well it looks like my cries have gone un-heard again. I will spare everyone the complaining this month.

I have to admit that Summerslam looks like a pretty solid card. The only match that probably shouldn’t be on the card is Kane vs. Khali. I would have much rather seen Kofi defend his title against someone.

It would have also been nice to see the women’s titles defended—I guess that would be asking for too much though!

All in all though it should be a solid night of action, we get to see Ziggler tested in his first big PPV. It should be interesting to see if he can step up to the plate and hit one out of the park. We also get to see the grand return of DX.

If you go by the listing on the WWE website it has that as the main event. No offense to the fans of DX, but there is no reason why that match should be above a TLC match and Cena vs. Orton. It should be right below the championship matches at the most.

It’s now time for me to stop babbling and give you my thoughts and previews for the PPV. I have to say this year I am doing very well. I am hitting over 70% on my predictions every month.

Without any further delay here are my picks for this upcoming Summerslam.

Jack Swagger vs. MVP

I really think the WWE dropped the ball on this feud. This one started a while back when Swagger was on the MVP lounge. The following week they had Swagger destroy MVP on raw. Then they kind of forgot about this feud.

Then a couple of weeks ago, they brought it back up out of nowhere. MVP took the second match via DQ, but they really made MVP look weak in the process. He won it because Swagger was beating him down in the corner and wouldn’t stop hitting him.

This feud could have been something really entertaining. Instead it’s a filler match at the bottom of the card. I’m sure this will be a good match though, both men are more than capable in the ring.

I can see this match going 15 minutes or so. In the end though I like Swagger to pick up the win, he will be in the process of a monster push soon. I would prefer to see MVP win but I just don’t see it happening.

Winner by pin fall Jack Swagger.

The Great Khali vs. Kane

I don’t know how this match even made the card to be honest with you. No one really cares about the Great Khali. I am also pretty sure these two have gone at it before at a PPV. If I remember correctly the match was lousy.

I also can’t figure out for the life of me why Kane has all of a sudden become a coward. I’m sure there will be some goofy reason given to us as to why: I would be lying though if I said I cared much. Either way I would be surprised if this match turned out decent.

I don’t see this match going more than ten minutes. I am not sure who will win, but since I have to pick someone I will go with the Great Khali.

Winner by Pin fall the Great Khali.

The Big Show and Chris Jericho vs. Cryme Tyme for the Tag titles

I don’t know why but I can’t seem to put my finger on this match. This was supposed to be Edge and Jericho but we all know what happened with that. I was thrown off guard when they announced that Big Show would take Edge's place.

It is such an odd pair for these two to be together. I was also surprised that it was Cryme Tyme who they would end up fighting at Summerslam. This is probably Cryme Tyme's biggest match in their careers.

I think this should be a good match over all. It would have been a whole lot better if Edge was still involved. I guess that is just how the cookie crumbles though.

I don’t know why but I have a funny feeling that Cryme Tyme picks up the win. My gut tells me that Jericho and show retain, but the funny voice in my head says Cryme time is the victor in this one. I guess we will find out this Sunday.

Cryme Tyme wins and becomes the new champs.

Christian vs. William Regal for the ECW championship

I am going to go on the record here and say that I really really really want Regal to win this one. Regal picking up a heavyweight title before he retires could do wonders for his career. With all that said though I think it is unlikely that it will happen.

Regal came out of nowhere and became the number one contender. I got the feeling that they didn’t know how to book this match, so they just made him the guy to wrestle Christian. As far as the action goes, I’m sure these two will put on a great match.

They are both sound ring grapplers and both have been around for a long time. I think this one should go a solid 15 to 20 minutes and the action will be up to snuff. I could be wrong but I don’t see Christian dropping the belt at Summerslam.

William regal gets besmirched and Christian wins this one by pin fall.

Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler for the IC title

I am probably most excited for this match. It will be interesting to see how Dolph performs on one of WWE’s biggest PPV’s. He is in the big leagues now and I just hope that he is up to task.

The WWE has done a good job building up this feud so far. I don’t think it will end after Summerslam to be honest with you. I have a feeling this feud will go on for at least one more month.

We know what Mysterio brings to the table as far as ring work. I must admit that I was wrong about Dolph Ziggler: he made some major improvements in a very short time. I will be very interested to see how he does in this match.

I think this match could easily go 20 to 30 minutes when all is said and done. Both men should do their parts to keep the fans going in this one. I think it is Dolph's time to shine at summer slam.

Winner and new champ Dolph Ziggler.

Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk in a TLC match for the title

I am a man of my word so you won't hear one complaint from me about this one.

It’s a TLC match so this should be good no matter who is in it. We will see bodies mangled and beaten in this one. This match will probably go at least 20 minutes if not more.

There are lots of reports that Jeff Hardy will be going away for a while. I have also read reports that Hardy is not going anywhere. I am going to side with the group that says that he is not going anywhere.

I say this for a couple of reasons. For starts God doesn’t love me enough to make Jeff Hardy go away. I also think that the WWE is going to push another Bro vs. Bro match with these two. This time the title will be involved in the picture.

Matt's face turn is complete BS, I think he will get involved and help is brother win this one. I then see Matt pulling the double-cross on Jeff after the match is over with. I could be wrong, it wouldn’t be the first time, and this is just how I feel things will pan out.

Jeff Hardy wins.

Randy Orton Vs John Cena for the WWE title

I couldn't care less who wins this match.

In protest of having to see this match for the umpteeth time I will only pick a winner.

Cena wins by pin fall.

DX vs. Legacy

As I said before I’m not really sure why this is the main event, I hope it isn’t but I have a funny feeling that it is. I know that all the HBK and HHH fans are stoked for this one. I won’t rain on your parade DX is back.

I’m sure this will be a decent match when all is said and done. I just hope they do the right thing and put Legacy over at Summerslam. They can always have DX beat them on raw the next night.

We all should know by now what to expect from Legacy. They are a solid team that should have no trouble holding up their end of the bargain. The same can be said for DX. This is now their 1000th reunion so I’m sure there won’t be any ring rust between the two.

I say this one goes around 20 minutes with lots of near falls. It should be a classic back and forth contest between both teams. I am going to say the WWE does the right thing and puts over Legacy.

Winner by pin fall Legacy.

I would like to thank all of you again for spending some time with me today.

As always, have a safe and blessed day.