Bleacher Report - Articles by Scott Beeby

Spotlighting The Indies: Naruki Doi, Japanese Wrestling Prodigy

Scott Beeby — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 08:02:41 -0400

For anyone who missed my last Spotlighting The Indies/Australian Wrestling Chronicles article on "Iron Jay" Ben Coles, you can read it here.

Welcome to another edition of Spotlighting The Indies! In this article, I'll be highlighting the career of one of the best up-and-coming Japanese wrestlers today, Naruki Doi.

Trained by legendary Japanese wrestler Ultimo Dragon, Doi spent the first few years of his career in the Toryumon Japan wrestling promotion with a baseball player gimmick (due to a family member being a baseball player in Japan).

Since then, Doi has dropped the gimmick and spent most of his career in the Japanese Dragon Gate promotion, where he is has held over 10 championships as well as reaching success in other areas.

Doi is currently the defending King of Gate champion, similar to WWE's King Of The Ring, after competing in the event last December. He defeated Dragon Kid, BxB Hulk, and the 2006 winner, Masaaki Mochizuki, to be the last man standing in the tournament.

Doi has also tried his hand in other promotions such as Pro Wrestling NOAH and overseas in big name promotions such as TNA, where he was a part of Team Japan in the 2008 World X Cup, and Ring Of Honor, where he won the Tag Team Championships with his partner and longtime friend, Masato Yoshino.

The quality of matches that this man has put on in the past are tremendous, to the point that he even won the award from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter in 2006 for match of the year, along with his tag team partners Masato Yoshino and CIMA, up against the team of Dragon Kid, Genki Horiguchi, and Ryo Saito.

The best thing that Naruki Doi has going for him is that he's still very young for a professional wrestler at the age of 28, but he's still picked up some extremely valuable experience both in Japan and abroad throughout his nine-year career.

Videos:

One of the best one-on-one matches on Youtube featuring Naruki Doi is between himself and CIMA in the Dragon Gate promotion. The match was a title unification match to determine who was the true master of Dragon Gate. You can watch the match here.

Doi is famous for three finishers. They are the Doi 555 (sometimes from the second rope), the Bakatare Sliding Kick, and my personal favourite, the Muscular Bomb. These moves and several others can be seen in this top ten moves video.

B/R Wrestling Community Discussion: Will WWE Ever Go Out Of Business?

Scott Beeby — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 06:47:52 -0400

I have a very important issue I'd like to discuss with all Bleacher Report readers.

The release of the new "Rise and Fall of WCW" DVD got me thinking about the present-day WWE, where it's come from, and where it's headed for the future.

Ever since Vince McMahon purchased a wrestling promotion from his father in 1982, he has truly created a monopoly for himself by breaking the golden rule at the time, which was to stay within the boundaries of your territory when it came to television deals and acquiring new talent. He broke the unwritten law and has had a target on his back ever since.

I hear a lot of people complaining on the Internet week after week about how WWE has become a stale product and they hate watching it. But the fact remains that WWE, RAW especially, still gets high ratings in a competitive time slot.

Luckily for the company, those venting their frustrations over the web only make up a small percentage of wrestling fans. If it were up to the majority of online fans, then John Cena would be fired on the spot and there would be TLC and Hell In A Cell matches every second week.

Let's step back for a second and ask ourselves a question: what would the repercussions be if all of the sources of revenue, including live shows, pay-per-views, merchandise, television deals, WWE films and the countless magazine and autobiography sales suddenly dried up because the fans turned their back in hopes of finding entertainment elsewhere?

Simply put, if the unthinkable were to happen and WWE actually went bankrupt, how would it impact professional wrestling around the world?

In my opinion, if the McMahon family had to close down all facets of the company, then professional wrestling outside of Mexico, Japan, and Europe would be headed for some very dark days indeed. I'm not the religious type, but we should all pray that either this never happens, or somebody (most likely TNA) can rise above themselves and push for the #1 spot.

What would happen to the 600+ current employees of WWE, from the on-screen talent to the backstage crew? Sure, a lot of them could find jobs in other promotions such as TNA, ROH, or even overseas, but the sad fact of the matter is that even TNA, which is considered the second-biggest promotion in America, if not the world, would not be able to support such a large number of workers.

Would those same wrestlers even want to perform in front of the small crowds every other company has? I think going from performing in front of 20,000 screaming fans each week to a measly 1,000 every once in a blue moon, along with taking a significant pay cut, would turn a lot of talent away from the business for good.

Would there have to be a single entity that takes over, or could the responsibility be shared among those most qualified to handle it? Could professional wrestling in the USA possibly return to the days of territories?

If this were to happen, it would have to be one of the biggest falls from grace any company has ever had. WWE sells tons of merchandise each month, along with the sheer magnitude of profit they make each financial year. To go from such a high status to hitting rock bottom would be devastating for anyone to watch. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to be a part of it.

It can't last forever, can it?

Why Does The Great Khali Always Get A Push Leading Into SummerSlam?

Scott Beeby — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:18:40 -0400

The Great Khali made his debut in April of 2006 as an unnamed giant who attacked the Undertaker on behalf of Daivari. From there, they feuded for a while, even going as far as to have a match at Judgment Day, which Khali won.

The two were scheduled to have a Last Man Standing match at the SummerSlam PPV of that year, but it was instead moved to the episode of Smackdown just before the event. Undertaker won the match and handed Khali his first definitive defeat since joining the company.

Shortly after that, both The Great Khali and his mouthpiece Daivari were moved to ECW. Big surprise!

While in the "land of extreme," Khali was used as Daivari's back up. He would wait until Daivari had won the match before entering the ring and showing his dominance with a chokebomb.

This went on for two months before Khali somehow managed to get onto WWE's flagship show, RAW, but without Daivari.

Great decision there WWE! That's how you get a gibbering giant over with the fans, take away his translator.

A few months went by and when the draft came around in June, Khali was moved again, this time to the Smackdown brand. Only a month later he was named World Heavyweight Champion after winning a 20 man battle royal for the vacated belt after then champion Edge was injured.

A month later, Khali was in the main event of SummerSlam where he was defending his belt against Batista. What a match they had! All seven minutes of it was thrilling! Brain chop, big boot, clothesline, and the piece de resistance, Khali intentionally disqualifies himself by using a chair.

Since then, Khali has been in most of the least memorable feuds in WWE's history. In each rivalry, he was carried by his opponent, and the matches rarely went longer than nine minutes.

At SummerSlam last year, he faced Triple H for the WWE Championship. Despite the fact that "The Game" is one of the best in the business at putting people over, even he had a hard time trying to make the match even remotely entertaining.

Fast forward to this weekend. SummerSlam is upon us and I for one am looking forward to the PPV. You look down the card and it's quality match after quality match. That is until you see The Great Khali vs. Kane.

I hope that this is either a joke on WWE's behalf or it's scheduled to be one of the worst dark matches in a long time. As long as I don't have to see it, I'm happy!

I just cannot for the life of me understand what Vince's fascination is with this guy. He has a VERY limited amount of moves, no charisma, and he couldn't work a good match if he had a gun to his head.

After three and a half years what has he accomplished? He's a one time World Heavyweight Champion when everyone was dropping like flies, and... um... that's it!

What the hell does WWE see in this guy?!

This rant was approved by Scott Beeby.

Spotlighting the Indies: Mistico

Scott Beeby — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:20:59 -0400

Here's another one of those pro wrestlers from outside the "big three" wrestling promotions in North America that you often hear about, but you may not necessarily be familiar with his work.

Mistico is THE biggest face in the Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), and possibly the entire country. He's young, full of enthusiasm, and has a high flying style about him that makes people's heads turn.

Professional wrestling is in Mistico's blood. His father was a wrestler who used the ring name of "Dr. Karontes," and he has three brothers who became wrestlers as well.

Arguably the most famous of his brothers, Argenis is currently wrestling as a face in Asistencia Asesoria y Administracion (AAA).

Mistico started wrestling at the tender age of just 15. He wrestled using several ring names throughout his first few years before traveling to Japan to receive extensive training and gain some international experience.

He returned to Mexico in 2004, now 21 years old, where he got a start in the CMLL wrestling promotion thanks to his uncle, Tony Salazar, who was the booker at the time.

Salazar had an idea for a new gimmick for his nephew. He was to be an orphan that was taken in at a young age by the "wrestling priest" Fray Tormenta, going by the ring name Mistico.

The gimmick didn't get over with the fans at first, but slowly over the years the Mistico character has grown to cult status, even going as far as to have its own comic book series in Mexico.

Throughout the last five years, Mistico has wrestled in some of the most memorable matches in CMLL, as well as working with the best that the company had to offer.

Notable wrestlers such as Perro Aguayo Jr., Hector Garza, and Ultimo Guerrero have all crossed Mistico's path at one point or another.

To this day nobody knows Mistico's true identity. That is a big credit to the man behind the mask. Most of us have seen what Rey Mysterio looks like, and you can imagine how hard WWE has tried to keep his identity under wraps.

Much like Petey Williams, Mistico is widely known for his famous finisher. In Mistico's case, his finisher "la mistica" is basically a headscissors takedown which is countered into a reverse armbar before he even hits the mat. It's an incredible move to watch.

One of Mistico's biggest accomplishments has been his almost constant presence in the PWI 500 top 20 wrestlers of the year since adopting the Mistico persona.

In 2007, he reached his highest place on the list coming third behind Edge and John Cena. That is quite an accomplishment seeing as he was placed higher than Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, and Shawn Michaels.

Another feather in Mistico's hat is his record in the "Leyenda de Plata" annual tournament. In memory of El Santo, CMLL hold the tournament, which translates into "Silver Legend," which is host to the best workers in the company at the time.

It's the most prestigious competition in the company, and Mistico has won it for the last three years in a row, which is an unprecedented feat as he is the only multiple-time champion.

Just last week, Mistico was in Japan on tour with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) where he won the prestigious IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. It's hard to believe, but this high flyer's star is still on the rise.

At just 26 years of age, Mistico looks like he has a very bright future ahead of him. If you've never seen him in action, then get onto YouTube right now and look him up. You won't regret it!

Thanks for reading!

Dream Match Ups by the Numbers

Scott Beeby — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:05:24 -0400

Over the years we have all thought about dream match ups. One of the most famous occurrences was at Wrestlemania X8, when we saw a once in a generation type match between The Rock and Hulk Hogan.

Everyone has a different opinion on who they'd like to see in a match or which two wrestlers from different eras would work well in the ring together, but what if we ran through the numbers and matched up wrestlers based on those same numbers. The numbers never lie, so it's hard to dispute these selections.

I only selected current wrestlers from WWE and TNA as a general rule of thumb. Those two companies have a lot of the most recognizable names in the business, so I just stuck to using them.

In each match up you will find at least one common theme, whether that is both participants of the match having the same amount of a certain championship or even both having achieved a certain milestone in their wrestling career.

There's a bit of a WWE vs. TNA feel to the match ups as well. That's mostly because if these matches were possible on one show than they probably would have already happened.

Imagine these matches as part of a joint PPV. There will be no repeat appearances by any of the superstars, but the matches that they are a part of will most likely be one of their specialty matches.

NOTE: When tallying the championships belts of each of the superstars I only counted belts from WWE/F, TNA, ROH, WCW, ECW, NWA, and WWA. I also counted TNA's X Division title to be equal with WWE's Intercontinental title.

High Flyers:

Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles

Both men have held a world championship on three occasions, as well as being Grand Champions for their respective companies. They are both known for their high flying, daredevil antics and would put on an absolute spot-fest.

Jeff Hardy: 3 World titles, 7 Tag Team titles, 4 Intercontinental titles

AJ Styles: 3 World titles, 6 X Division titles, 5 Tag Team titles

Two time Women Champions:

Michelle McCool vs. Angelina Love vs. Gail Kim

One from WWE, one from TNA, and one from both. All of these women have held a women's title on two occasions, and they are also very capable in the ring. A women's triple threat match? It would be a very good match in my opinion.

Michelle McCool: 1 Women's title, 1 Diva's title

Angelina Love: 2 Knockout's titles

Gail Kim: 1 Women's title, 1 Knockout's title

Next Generation Of Tag Team Wrestling:

Legacy vs. Motor City Machine Guns

Legacy are two time WWE World Tag Team Champions, and MCMG have won two Tag Team Championships in Japan. Both teams are young and have big futures ahead of them.

Legacy: 2 WWE World Tag Team Titles.

MCMG: 1 IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles, 1 ZERO1-MAX International Lightweight Tag Team Title.

Battle Of The "Extremists"

Mick Foley vs. Christian

Both are four time world champions, as well as being numerous time tag team champions. They have also both wrestled in WWE, TNA, and ECW. Could Christian prove himself to be just as hardcore as Mrs. Foley's baby boy, or would the experienced Foley prevail?

Mick Foley - 4 World titles, 8 Tag Team titles, 1 TNA Legends title

Christian - 4 World titles, 3 Intercontinental titles, 9 Tag Team titles

No World Championships:

Shelton Benjamin vs. Christopher Daniels

Both of these men are incredibly talented individuals, but somehow they've been overlooked in their respective promotions for the Heavyweight title. This would be somewhat of a grudge match where the winner could walk away saying "I might not be a World Champion yet, but at least I beat the other guy!"

Shelton Benjamin: 2 Tag Team titles, 3 Intercontinental titles, 1 United States title

Christopher Daniels: 8 Tag Team titles, 4 X Division titles

Triple Crown Triple Threat:

Samoa Joe vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Booker T

One from WWE, one from TNA, and one that's been in both. A good sample of wrestlers to help determine which promotion is superior.

Samoa Joe: 2 World titles, 3 X Division titles, 1 Tag Team title

Rey Mysterio: 7 Tag Team titles, 1 World title, 2 Intercontinental titles, 8 Cruiserweight titles

Booker T: 6 World titles, 15 Tag Team titles

Dominant Women:

Beth Phoenix vs. Awesome Kong

The top two women of the PWI top 50 women from 2008 could put on a classic match. They've both won two women's titles in their respective promotions, which means it could be closer than most people think. This match would be a true show of the strength in the women's and knockout's divisions.

Beth Phoenix:2 Women's titles

Awesome Kong: 2 Knockout's titles

PWI 500 #1 Elimination Chamber:

Kurt Angle vs. Batista vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton vs. John Cena vs. Kevin Nash

All of these men have placed first in the annual PWI 500 at some point in their career, so where better to find out who is the real #1 than an elimination chamber? They all have experience in the match type, so the outcome would be fascinating.

Shawn Michaels: 4 World titles, 4 Tag Team titles, 3 Intercontinental title

Randy Orton: 5 World titles, 1 Tag Team title, 1 Intercontinental title

John Cena: 5 World titles, 3 United States titles, 2 Tag Team titles

Kurt Angle: 13 World titles, 2 Tag Team titles, 1 Intercontinental title, 1 X Division title

Kevin Nash: 6 World titles, 11 Tag Team titles, 1 Intercontinental title

Batista: 5 World titles, 4 Tag Team titles

13 World Heavyweight Championships:

Triple H vs. Sting

We hear a lot about Kurt Angle being a 13 time champion, but four of those championships came when he was in amateur wrestling, one of which is his famous Olympic gold medal. That is why He's not mentioned in this match.

Triple H and Sting are not only 13 time World Champions, but they have both been featured at #1 in the PWI 500.

Triple H: 13 World titles, 5 Intercontinental titles, 1 Tag Team title

Sting: 13 World titles, 4 Tag Team title, 2 WCW United States titles

This card is so stacked that notable superstars such as The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Jeff Jarrett, Edge, Team 3D, and Mickie James don't get to wrestle!

So what do you think about these dream match ups? Would you like to see them happen one day? Who do you think would win? Leave a comment and let me know! Thanks for reading.

Back off All You Critics: Monday Night RAW Has Delivered

Scott Beeby — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:28:06 -0400

For a while now, the sharks have been circling WWE's "A" show, Monday Night Raw, anxious to tear it apart.

Well I'm here to tell all of the haters to back off!

I decided to watch Raw for what it is...a great show that entertains the fans. I wasn't paying attention to the repercussions of certain matches, I was just enjoying the show.

It started off with the usual promo, this time by WWE Champion Randy Orton. He started droning on about how he was going to walk out of SummerSlam still the champion. John Cena came out and cut one of his best promos of the year. He mentioned how Orton is always running his mouth when he should be backing up his words with his actions.

We honestly take Cena for granted. He has excellent mic skills, and can really get the crowd pumped. Sure, he only has five or so signature moves in the ring, but so does everybody else.

The Calgary crowd was incredibly hot throughout the show. They were popping for almost every superstar, and that really adds to the matches.

Chris Jericho vs. John Cena was announced as the main event, while Big Show was going to take on Randy Orton.

The first match was a Diva's fatal four way, with the winner receiving a Diva's title match in the future. It was Kelly Kelly vs. Alicia Fox, who got absolutely no reaction from the crowd, vs. Gail Kim, who only got a reaction after it was announced that she was from Canada, vs. "The Glamazon" Beth Phoenix.

Kim and Fox both looked very good, with Kim eventually getting the win by pinning Fox.

The guest host of the night, Sgt. Slaughter, came out next and got some cheap heat from the fans by saying USA was better than Canada...blah, blah, blah. I was just waiting for all the Canadians to start yelling, "Get oot!"

Jack Swagger vs. Evan Bourne was the next match on the card. During the entrances, Lawler and Cole were talking up the pair's matches from the last two weeks, and Lawler gave what I believe to be his best quote of the year.

When talking about the match from two weeks ago, Lawler said, "Not only did Swagger not win the match, but he lost the match too!"

Really!?

Swagger got the win after hitting the Gutwrench Powerbomb. He exerted his strength over Bourne throughout the match, but Bourne also got in some good offense. MVP came out after the match and called Swagger a few names, before challenging him to a match later in the night. Swagger said maybe next week.

Bourne vs. Kidd vs. Morrison would be one of the most exciting and innovative matches in WWE's history.

A segment aired next about Triple H trying to hunt down Shawn Michaels to get him to come back to WWE. HBK has apparently been flipping burgers in some office cafeteria in Texas for the last few months.

The segment finished without answering any questions.

Sgt. Slaughter came out again and apologized to the Canadian crowd, and then claimed that Celine Dion was going to come out to sing the Canadian National Anthem. It turned out to be Jillian Hall that sang the National Anthem dressed in an Uncle Sam outfit, much to the crowd's disgust.

Up next was a short WWE contract on a pole match between the returning Eugene and a newcomer by the name of "The Calgary Kid." After a few moves by both competitors, The Calgary Kid won the contract, and revealed himself to be "The Miz".

The next match was Randy Orton vs. Big Show. After Big Show got in virtually all of the offense in the match, Orton slithered out of the ring and Big Show won by count out.

Another Triple H and Shawn Michaels segment aired next. HBK said he would consider returning to the ring.

MVP vs. Chris Masters was the following match. MVP got the win after countering an attempted Master Lock into the playmaker. Swagger came out after the match to play mind games with MVP as Masters locked in his master lock.

Are Masters and Swagger a possible tag team? The All-American Masters?

What turned out to be the last Triple H and Shawn Michaels promo followed. DX is indeed reuniting after HBK super kicked his boss and quit his job.

Slaughter came out once again trying to befriend the crowd, and said that he had brought a friend to Raw. He is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. Bret Hart's music played and after a while out came "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan waving his American flag.

Hornswoggle and Mark Henry vs. Legacy was next after Chavo Guerrero claimed that he couldn't wrestle and found a good replacement in Dibiase and Rhodes. Henry suplexed both Dibiase and Rhodes at the same time during the match, which was pretty impressive. Legacy got the win after an awesome Dream Street on Hornswoggle by Dibiase.

Legacy cut a promo after their match about DX. They said they would take on DX and defeat them at SummerSlam.

Jericho was then interviewed backstage. Big Show interfered and pulled Jericho to the side to talk to him. Jericho said the Canadian fans were easy to manipulate and that he wasn't even born in Canada, in an attempt to get some heat from the crowd.

Freddie Prinze Jr. was announced as next week's special guest host.

John Cena vs. Chris Jericho was the final match. After a few signature moves and a couple of reversals, Randy Orton came out and attacked Cena.

Out next was Big Show and the four took turns to deliver a few signature moves before Sgt. Slaughter came out once again and announced that on next week's show there was going to be a tag team match between the team of Jericho and Big Show, and Cena and Orton.

Cena picked up Jericho, ready to hit an attitude adjuster, when Orton instead hit him with a nasty RKO. The show finished with Orton and Cena staring at each other, while circling Jericho's lifeless body.

Overall it was a very solid show. I enjoyed it, and I think it was because I didn't over-analyze everything. We should all sit back and enjoy the product they deliver instead of being so critical.

Thanks for reading!

Spotlighting the Indies: Trent Acid

Scott Beeby — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:45:11 -0400

By now, I'm sure most of you know about the new "Spotlighting The Indies" series.

Involved in this new project is the "Awesome Foursome" of Matthew Hester, James Triggs, Hayley Graham, and myself.

So far there's been some great pieces on Jack Evans, Sterling James Keenan, and Jody Fleisch. Hopefully this article lives up to the high standard that has been set before me.

Trent Acid, born in 1980, made his pro wrestling debut at the tender age of just 14 years old. Within the next few years, Acid was trained by The Pit Bulls from the old ECW.

It wasn't until he was 18 that he joined a wrestling promotion based in New Jersey at the time, Combat Zone Wrestling.

Since 1999, Acid has been in CZW while also venturing out into other promotions such as Ring Of Honor, Pro Wrestling Unplugged, and recently Pro Wrestling Syndicate.

Acid made an impact in CZW during his countless wrestling matches with Johnny Kashmere. The two ended up teaming together to form the very popular tag team, The Backseat Boyz.

Little did they know how successful they would be as a duo. Shortly after the formation of The Backseat Boyz, they had already claimed their first of several CZW Tag Team Championships.

Throughout their time as a tag team, the pair also continued to ply their trade as singles wrestlers. Acid was focused on the CZW World Junior Heavyweight Title, and won it on three occasions within the next 18 months, and is still the only wrestler in the history of CZW to do so.

Acid also took part in CZW's first annual Best Of The Best tournament in May 2001. He defeated Juventud Guerrera and Jay Briscoe to make it to the final where he was ultimately defeated. His matches in the tournament solidified his position as one of the biggest up-and-comers in the promotion.

Acid featured in the second annual Best Of The Best tournament as well. This time around he was again matched up against some serious competitors, but he still managed to make it to the final where he defeated Jody Fleisch to become the second Best Of The Best champion in CZW.

It was at this time that Acid, along with Kashmere, started wrestling for Ring Of Honor. They made their debut for the company at the first Glory By Honor when they wrestled, and defeated, the team of Homicide and Steve Corino.

From there they went on to wrestle several notable tag teams such as the Briscoe Brothers, Special K, The Carnage Crew, Jack Evans and Teddy Hart, and The SAT.

The Backseat Boyz went on to win the ROH Tag Team Championships, which meant that they were the first team in history to win both the ROH and CZW Tag Team titles.

Kashmere eventually left ROH, which left Acid in the company to compete as a singles wrestler.

He wrestled some high profile superstars during his two-year stint with the promotion including Homicide, Sonjay Dutt, Colt Cabana, Jimmy Rave, Delirious, Matt Sydal, Shawn Daivari, Samoa Joe, Jack Evans, and Jimmy Jacobs.

After leaving ROH, Acid joined Kashmere's new upstart promotion Pro Wrestling Unplugged, where he was thrown into the main event scene, mixing it up with his old rival Homicide once again. Acid moved on to feud with 2 Cold Scorpio and then Devon Moore, both times over the PWU World Heavyweight Championship.

Acid then entered arguably the biggest rivalry of his career to date. It was in mid-2005 that he began a program with his once good friend Hellter Skelter. The feud went on for months on end after Skelter claimed that he had become the evil person he was due to Acid neglecting their friendship.

The rivalry culminated in a Philadelphia Street Fight in August of that year, with Acid walking away the victor. Acid moved on to face other opponents over the next couple of years, but all that time the anger inside Skelter was building up.

Skelter wouldn't accept the result of their street fight, and so the rivalry picked up where it left off after Skelter cut a series of disturbing promos including one memorable occasion when he promised to carve Acid's flesh. Acid eventually accepted the rematch, but this time around he lost.

Acid also briefly wrestled for Juggalo Championship Wrestling in 2007. He announced during his time there that he was to be referred to as "the saviour of JCW." Acid went on to win the JCW World Heavyweight Title shortly before leaving for a return to PWU.

After having knee surgery and taking time off to recover, Acid made his return to PWU, where he was named as the co-owner of the promotion with Johnny Kashmere after the departure of the original owner Tod Gordon.

After PWU took a leave of absence for the majority of 2008 and the first half of 2009, Acid rejoined the CZW roster in what is apparently his full time return to the company.

Acid explained to the CZW fans at his first event back that his absence was due to being in jail for the past 10 months. He then went on to announce his intentions of winning the CZW World Heavyweight Championship.

Trent Acid is a nine-time Heavyweight Champion in several promotions, and at just 28 years of age, he has a very bright future ahead of him.

He is also able to take huge bumps. Just take a look at this video of him being put through a table, FROM ON TOP OF A SCAFFOLD! Listen for the commentator in the clip. It sounds like he just hit puberty!

This Week In Pro Wrestling History (August 3-9)

Scott Beeby — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 08:33:14 -0400

Over the years we tend to forget about all that has come before us. In this series I will endeavour to recount some of the major events in pro wrestling history from the week gone by. Enjoy!

On August 3, 1997, WWF produced the 10th annual SummerSlam Pay Per View. The two biggest matches leading up to the show were a match between Owen Hart and Steve Austin for the Intercontinental Championship and Bret Hart vs. The Undertaker for the WWF Championship, with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee.

The special stipulation of the Intercontinental Title match was that if Stone Cold Steve Austin lost to Owen Hart, he would have to kiss Hart’s ass. Luckily for Austin, he went on to win the title. This match is most famous for the botched finish that left Austin with a neck injury that he never recovered from.

When Hart went for a piledriver, he landed the move on top of Austin’s head. Austin managed to clumsily roll up Hart for the win, but subsequently had the title stripped from him because he wasn’t able to defend it.

The main event of the night between Bret Hart and The Undertaker ended when the special guest referee, Shawn Michaels, accidentally hit Undertaker with a steel chair when he was trying to get Hart. That incident led to the first ever Hell In A Cell at Survivor Series later that year.

This week was also a popular one for birthdays. Dean Malenko was born this week in 1960, as was Sable in 1967, Steven Richards in 1971, and Scott D’Amore in 1974.

Ron Killings, now known as WWE’s R-Truth, won his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship this week at TNA’s eighth weekly Pay Per View in 2002. He won it from Ken Shamrock, TNA’s first NWA World Heavyweight Champion, and held the title for 15 weeks. He eventually lost the title to Jeff Jarrett on November 20, 2002.

This week, in 1966, Ed “Strangler” Lewis was found dead in his New York home at the age of 75 years old. Throughout his legendary 37-year-long career, Lewis wrestled in 6200 matches, but only lost a total of 33. Other wrestling legends such as Lou Thesz and Verne Gagne have said that Lewis was the greatest wrestler in history and he couldn’t be beaten unless he wanted to be.

In the year of 1997, this week was a very popular one for World Title changes. On August 4, Lex Luger defeated Hulk Hogan to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Just five days later on August 9, Hulk Hogan won back the same title from Lex Luger. On that same day Sabu beat Terry Funk for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.

Lastly, on August 9, 1986, Ric Flair won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for the fifth time. Flair ended up holding the title for 412 days before relinquishing it to Ron Garvin.

So that’s what happened this week in pro wrestling history. I hope you enjoyed this brief walk down memory lane.

Australian Wrestling Chronicles (Part Four): The Fabulous Kangaroos

Scott Beeby — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 08:25:48 -0400

This week's Australian Wrestling Chronicles is being written in conjunction with Matthew Hester's Creature vs. Creature competition. I hope you enjoy it!

For those of you that missed part three of the Australian Wrestling Chronicles on World Wrestling All-Stars, you can read it here. Now let's get on with the article!

Over the years there have been several versions of The Fabulous Kangaroos, but in this article I will focus on the original team which consisted of Roy Heffernan and the original "Man of a Thousand Holds" Al Costello.

The Fabulous Kangaroos are described by many as one of the greatest tag teams in all of professional wrestling. Their ability to get the fans to hate them with such a passion was second to none.

Throughout their career's, Costello and Heffernan wrestled some of the best wrestlers at the time, and they will always be known as pioneers of tag team wrestling.

The Fabulous Kangaroos were responsible for popularizing tag team wrestling in the "golden era" of the business in the late 50s and 60s. They helped keep the struggling division alive; and without them, who knows what the state of tag team wrestling would be today?

The pair were so famous around the world, that it was a common misconception among some wrestling fans that this duo created tag team wrestling. The reason they suggested such a thing is because tag team wrestling was often referred to as "Australian Rules" wrestling, or "Relevos Australianos" in Mexico.

The original idea of The Fabulous Kangaroos came from Costello who thought of having a tag team where both members showed every Australian stereotype that people overseas portray Australians to be like. He believed that an "Ultra Australian" gimmick would work very well, and evidently he was correct.

The Fabulous Kangaroos' gimmick proved to be very successful in getting heat from the Canadian and American crowds. The tag team's ring attire consisted of them wearing bush hats similar to the ANZACs from war time.

They also brought cardboard boomerangs to the ring that they would throw into the crowd, as well as a large Australian flag with "The Fabulous Kangaroos" written on it. The cherry on top for the duo was their theme song of Waltzing Matilda, the unofficial Australian anthem.

Costello started wrestling in 1938, but it wasn't until 1956 that he came up with the gimmick. Up until then he only known as a singles competitor. When most would have been thinking about retiring, Costello came up with the idea that really kicked off his career.

Heffernan, on the other hand, began wrestling at the age of 20, in 1944, but couldn't get a foothold in the Australian wrestling scene so he decided to travel to America, where he was hoping to advance his training and get onto the indy scene. It was purely by chance that Costello and Heffernan met in the United States and they decided to try their hand at tag team wrestling.

The Fabulous Kangaroos made their debut in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling promotion on May 3, 1957. Within a month of their debut they were already working with some of the best tag teams in the company.

After wrestling in Canada for a year or so, they decided to travel across North America to see how they would fair in other prominent promotions. They had the uncanny ability to garner sell-out crowds everywhere they went because they were so good at gaining heat from the crowd.

It is said that in August of 1958, while having a match at Madison Square Garden, The Fabulous Kangaroos almost started a riot. In a match against the team of Miguel Perez and Antonino Rocca, The Fabulous Kangaroos got the crowd so riled up that they began to throw stones and pieces of fruit into the ring.

The match continued and eventually went to a no contest ruling, which only agitated the crowd even more. It got to the point where the promoters had to step into the ring and try to calm the frenzied fans. The promoters then ordered the national anthem to be played over the speakers as a last resort to try and settle the audience.

Later that same year the duo started wrestling for the NWA Western States wrestling promotion that was run by Dory Funk out of Amarillo, Texas. It is there that they won their first ever tag team championships together. Although their reign only last for two weeks, it was a vital stepping stone in their careers.

From there, The Fabulous Kangaroos moved on to wrestle in NWA New Mexico for a short while, until they made the big move of wrestling for Capitol Wrestling, which is now known as WWE. They made a real impact there by winning the NWA United States Tag Team Championship on three occasions.

To avoid over-exposure, the team decided to go on the road once again, this time ending up in Championship Wrestling from Florida. It was there that they wrestled with many great wrestlers, including Eddie Graham and Dick Steinborn.

After spending less than a year in Florida, Costello and Heffernan uprooted themselves and went on a tour that led them to Ohio, Japan—where they were the first-ever NWA International Tag Team Champions, and they finally finished up on the west coast of the United States for the first time in their careers—where they competed for the World Wrestling Association.

Throughout their time travelling the globe, The Fabulous Kangaroos never forgot about how they got their start in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling promotion. They would frequently return to Canada to wrestle for Stu Hart, as well as making several appearances for NWA All-Star Wrestling in Vancouver, where they had arguably their biggest rivalry.

Upon arriving at All-Star Wrestling, The Fabulous Kangaroos where met with contempt by the team of Don Leo Jonathan and Roy McClarty. The two teams fought over the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championships for the better part of a year.

There was one match in the summer of 1964 that the crowd got heavily involved in. The Fabulous Kangaroos had announced that Stan Stasiak was an "honorary Kangaroo" for one night only, which set up a six-man tag team match between the team of The Fabulous Kangaroos, with Stan Stasiak, and the team of Don Leo Jonathan, Roy McClarty, and Karl Gotch.

As usual, The Fabulous Kangaroos utilised typical heel tactics to try and win the match. The crowd was sick and tired of all the cheating, and showed their fury at the wrestlers by throwing their chairs at them.

Costello and Heffernan scurried to get under the ring for their own safety, and some select members of the crowd lit the ring apron on fire to try and smoke them out. Luckily, nobody was seriously hurt, but it just goes to show you the affect that The Fabulous Kangaroos had on wrestling fans.

NWA All-Star Wrestling ended up being the last promotion that the pair wrestled for as a team. In June of 1965, The Fabulous Kangaroos split up. Heffernan had left Australia 12 years earlier to travel the world and felt that it was time for him to return to his home land. Costello decided that he would stay in America for a while longer.

Over the eight-year period that they were together, Costello and Heffernan have an incredible 19 tag team titles to their names.

Costello went on to wrestle under The Fabulous Kangaroos title with several other members over the years, but none will be remembered as fondly as the original pairing.

In 1993 Costello made a comeback from retirement to manage a new tag team called "The New Fabulous Kangaroos." The members of this new duo included Denny Kass and Al Snow from before his first run with WWF. The new faction was short-lived as it only lasted a year due to Snow signing with the WWF. Costello retired for good after the split.

Unfortunately, both members of the original Fabulous Kangaroos had passed away by the time they were inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall Of Fame and Museum in 2003. They were the first-ever tag team to do so, and their legacy will live on forever within those four walls.

If you're interested in watching one of their matches, you can check it out here. That particular match is a six-man tag team match: The Fabulous Kangaroos and Dr. Jerry Graham vs. Antonino Rocca, Ricky Starr, and Miguel Perez.

Thanks for reading!

Scott Beeby's Exclusive Interview With Mark Mercedes

Scott Beeby — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:31:14 -0400

I recently had the opportunity to ask Mark Mercedes some questions about his wrestling career and his personal opinion on a few wrestling-related matters.

If you've been living under a rock and still don't know who this Australian wrestling legend is, then you can read about him here.

He seems like a really down-to-earth kind of guy, and he was generous enough to give up some of his time to answer my questions. Here's what I asked him:

Note to editors: please leave all of the content of the answers the way they are. I'm directly quoting what Mark Mercedes said.

SB: When did you decide that you wanted to be a professional wrestler?

MM: Growing up on the Central Coast of New South Wales, I was lucky to get wrestling three times a week on television. I was about 16 years old when WWF Superstars was on Channel 3 NBN every Tuesday, and Channel 10 on Thursdays and Saturday mornings (Wrestling Challenge). I knew right there and then what I wanted to do for a living.

SB: Who were your wrestling idols when you were growing up?

MM: I was always a fan of the heels such as King Kong Bundy, Big John Studd, Randy Savage, Demolition, and the Road Warriors. I never dreamed that one day I would be touring with these guys.

SB: What's the best match that you've ever had in your opinion?

MM: "Wow, that's a hard question. I have had so many great matches with different guys. In Japan I loved working with Tatsumi Fujinami and Osamu Nishimura, also working with Demolition Smash and Wild Bill Irwin was always fun.

In the USA, Rick Martel, Rick Rude, and Bobby Blaze stand out. In Australia, Billy Cole, Rob Matrix, and AJ Freely were always great matches.

SB: I read about Nathan Jones not showing for his match with you at the third Australian Supershow. What's your opinion of him now?

MM: I only ever met him at a Smackdown taping in Ohio. I chatted with him backstage for a few minutes. He seemed okay and maybe a little goofy.

I was a little pissed at the no show because I think we could have had fun. It was a great show. At the same time, I'm not surprised because it seems he has a history of that kind of behaviour.

SB: Who would you say is Australia's best up-and-coming talent right now?

MM: Being that I only perform in Australia for IWA, it's hard not seeing other performers from interstate etc., but from IWA, The Captain and Reggie Watson are stand outs. From Melbourne I'd say The Apache Warrior and Krackerjack. Also I hear that Jag from South Australia is doing good things.

SB: Were you ever involved with World Wrestling All-Stars at any stage?

MM: Yes. In the early years, the promoters and I could never reach an agreement, but I finally signed with them on the last tour and PPV. I had some great matches with Crowbar and worked the PPV with Rick Steiner. He was awesome to work with.

SB: What would you say is your career highlight?

MM: Starting and helping put together the real AWF Wrestleriot tours back in 1993. We bought out many great stars and sold out across the country.

Working with WCW Monday Nitro, the WWA PPV, and working on some huge shows in Japan at venues like the famous Korakuen Hall were also highlights.

Doing IWA (International Wrestling Australia) at the Australian Royal Easter Show, Wonderland, and the Melbourne Show are also stand outs.

SB: If a young kid from Australia wanted to break into the business and one day go international, what would you say is the best way of going about it?

MM: Find a good school and learn and travel as much as you can to get experience. You will also need luck. It's all about being in the right place at the right time.

SB: Can you share a good road story?

MM: What goes on the road, stays on the road... hehe. Too many to think to think of. Traveling with Jake Roberts was always interesting...

SB: What's your opinion on Greg Bownds' AWF wrestling promotion?

MM: Oh god, where do I start? It's so long ago now, and the sad thing was that we had many great matches early on in our careers.

I guess Greg had a different idea on what to do and went for it. He has pissed a lot of people off over the years, including myself, but these days I simply don't care.

I think he takes the wrestling industry in Australia way too seriously, and he is his biggest fan. The main difference between me and Greg is that I was paid money to wrestle international talent! Greg paid them so he could work with them.

I saw him at the Gladiator try outs early last year. It had been many years since seeing each other so we chatted. I don't think we will ever be friends again, but if I didn't see him again I wouldn't lose any sleep.

As for Greg "TNT" Bownds being Australia's most famous current wrestler? I would seriously dispute that!

I then asked a few questions to get a sense of what he's like outside the ring:

SB: If you were going to be stuck on a desert island, what three things would you take with you?

MM: Beer, Wine, and Spirits.

SB: What would you spend your last $20 on?

MM: A round of Golf.

SB: Have you got any unusual talents that most people don't know about?

MM: Other than playing lots of Golf and Snow Skiing, not really.

I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank Mark once again. I really appreciate him taking the time to share some insight into his career.

If you want to find out more about Mark Mercedes, or the wrestling promotion that he co-founded (International Wrestling Australia), you can find all the details here.

Be sure to click on that link and watch the short video on the homepage. It's well worth watching just to see what Australian wrestling is like.

Thanks for reading!

An Introduction To Rugby League (Part One): Rugby League Terminology

Scott Beeby — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:08:25 -0400

Hello and welcome to the new Rugby League section of Bleacher Report. Over the next few weeks I will be writing an introduction to Rugby League.

There are a lot of intricacies in the game of Rugby League. Like any sport, there are a lot of rules to follow, some of which can be confusing at times.

The following definitions should help the you understand the game of Rugby League a little bit more.

General Terms

Premiers—The winners of the season are referred to as the premiers. They are number one in their competition for that year. It can also be said that they won the premiership.

Minor Premiers—The team that has accumulated the most points on the ladder (leader board) by the end of the regular season is known as the minor premiers. They have placed first for the regular season, which usually gives the team some momentum leading into the finals.

Wooden Spoon—The team that runs dead last in the competition receives the dreaded wooden spoon. If it becomes clear that a team isn't going to make the finals, then they will still fight as hard as they can to avoid the wooden spoon.

Top Eight—The eight teams that place highest on the ladder by the end of the regular season go through to the finals. They are known as the top eight.

For and Against—Throughout the regular season, each team is playing to win two points on the ladder. By the end of the regular season however, if there are multiple teams on the same amount of points, and so they are ranked by how many points they've scored during their games and how many points have been scored against them. (e.g. A team might have scored 400 points in the season and had 350 points scored against them. Their for and against would be +50).

Goal Kicker—The member of the team that has the responsibility of kicking goals is known as the goal kicker.

Playmaker—The member(s) of the team that create the scoring opportunities are called the playmakers.

Penalty—Like any sport, there are penalties in Rugby League. If a player tackles an opponent around the head or is offside, and the referee sees it, then they'll get penalised. The team can then choose to either play on from their current position, kick the ball over the sideline and play on from where it goes out, or attempt to kick a goal.

Professional Foul—It's not very often that you'll see a professional foul in a game of Rugby League, but when they do happen the player gets either put in the sin bin or sent off the field. Some examples are deliberately tripping or holding a player down.

Suspension—If a player gets put on report and the judiciary believes that the player's incident is bad enough, that player can be put on suspension and will miss a certain amount of games.

Sin Bin—If the referee feels that a player has breached the rules of the game and committed a professional foul, then that player will be sent to the sin bin for a 10 minute period.

Send Off —If a player commits a professional foul, then the referee has the power to send them off the field for the rest of the game.

Referee—The man in the middle with a whistle. He controls everything in the game and has the power to give teams penalties or even send players to the sin bin.

Sideline Referee—There is a person that stands on each sideline with a flag to signal when a player or the ball crosses the sideline and goes "into touch." These people are known as sideline referees.

Video Referee—If the referee on the field is unsure whether a try has been scored, due to not seeing the ball or one of many other reasons, they can refer the decision "upstairs" to the video ref, who will review the try from multiple camera angles

The Field

Try/Goal Line—The ball carrier must place the ball either on or past the try line to score a try.

Side/Touch Line—If the ball or the ball carrier go over the touch line then they are out of play and the ball goes to the other team.

Dead Ball Line—When the ball crosses the dead ball line it is out of play. If the last person to touch it was attacking, then the defenders get the ball back on their 20 metre line. If a defender was the last to touch it, then they must kick a dropout from under their goal posts.

In Goal Area—The in-goal area is the area between the try line and the dead ball line. It is where players must ground the ball in order to score a try.

Corner Post—The corner post is mostly used to tell if a ball goes out over the touch line or if it goes into touch in goal. It tends to be one of the more controversial matters in Rugby League because if a player touches it they are automatically out of play, even though their feet might still be in bounds.

Kicking

Kick Off—Before a game of Rugby League, the captains of each team participate in the coin toss to decide which way the teams are going and which team will kick off. To start the game, a player from one of the teams places the ball on a kicking tee in the middle of the halfway line and kicks it

Bomb—A bomb is when a player kicks the ball as high into the air and as far down the field as he can to give his team time to get underneath it and try to get it back.

Grubber—A grubber kick is when the player kicks the ball along the ground, sending the ball going end over end.

Chip and Chase—This is when a player kicks the ball in front of himself just high enough to be out of reach of his opponents. The kicker then runs around the men in front of him and regathers the ball.

Dropout—If a player is tackled in their own in goal area, or they are forced over the dead ball line while in possession of the ball, then the team has to kick a dropout. This is when the kicker dropkicks the ball as far as he can from underneath his own goal posts.

Banana Kick—This is one of the most unpredictable type of kicks in the game. A banana kick is when the ball comes off the side of kicker's foot, sending the ball on an almost 90 degree angle from his foot.

40/20-If a player can kick the ball from inside his own 40 metre line and make it bounce and go out past the opponents's 20 metre line, then the kicker's team gets the ball back.

General Play

Set Of Six—Each team gets a limit or set of six tackles to be incurred when they are in possession of the ball before posession must be relinquished to the opponent. Usually, once a team has been tackled five times they choose to kick the ball down the field so the opposition has further to travel during their set of six.

Try—This is the main way of scoring in Rugby League. To score a try the player must ground the ball in the opponent's in goal area. It's worth four points.

Conversion—Also known as a goal, a conversion is when a player kicks the ball, usually off of a tee, in between the goal posts. It is worth two points.

Field Goal—A field goal is when a player drops the ball on the ground in front of them and kicks it after it bounces. It's worth one point if it successfully travels between the goal posts. It's commonly used as a way to break tied scores or to get ahead on the scoreboard by an extra point.

Penalty Try—If a defender commits a professional foul against the ball carrier who is simultaneously scoring a try, then the referee can award the ball carrier a penalty try. That means that instead of the player earning his team four points as well as a kick at goal, the team gets four points plus two kicks at goal.

Play The Ball—After a player gets tackled they have to get to there feet where they are and roll the ball under one foot. A player from the same team stands behind him to pick the ball up and play it by either passing it, kicking it, or running with it.

Line Break—When a player with the ball manages to slip through the defensive line it is called a line break.

Tackle Break—Obviously when a player gets tackled they fight to break free from it. If they manage to get away then it's called a tackle break.

Offload—When the ball carrier is in the process of being tackled they are allowed to give the ball to a team mate as long as the referee hasn't deemed the tackle to be finished. This is called an offload.

Interchange—Each team has four players on the sideline that they can use as replacements if a player on the field gets hurt or tired. When a player on the field is replaced, it is known as an interchange. There is a set limit to the amount of interchanges each team can make per game. In Australia it is 10, but the international rules state that each team can make up to 12 substitutes.

Fend—This is simply when the player with the ball sticks his arm out to keep the opposition away.

Strip—When a player is getting tackled they must make sure to keep the ball secure. Opposition players will sometimes attempt to pull the ball out of their grasp. This is known as a strip or a rake and is legal as long as it is one on one. If more than one player of a team is involved in the tackle when the strip is attempted, then that team will be penalised.

Knock On—When the ball travels forward from the ball carrier and hits the ground or an opposition player it is called a knock on. A scrum is then formed, with the opponent feeding the ball.

On Report—If a player tackles somebody high or puts them in a dangerous position, then the referee can put that player on report. That means that they can keep playing but sometime after the match a judiciary will get together to decide what the player's punishment should be (if any).

Double Movement—When a player has the ball and gets tackled close to the try line, they sometimes attempt to lung forward to score the try. If the player's momentum has stopped when they attempt to reach the try line with a second attempt, then the referee can rule it as a double movement and the try won't count.

Grounding—When a player scores a try they must ground it properly. As the rules stand right now, that just means that the player must have contact with the ball when it's on the ground, but not necessarily have control of it. If the referee asks the video ref to have a look at the try, he will ask for him to check for grounding.

Hit Up—Whenever a player runs with the ball and gets tackled it is called a hit up.

Chicken Wing Tackle—This is when a player gets tackled to the ground face first and has their arm wrenched across their back by the tackler. It is possible for the shoulder to become dislocated from this type of tackle, and as a result it isn't tolerated by the officials and will get penalized or worse.

Grapple Tackle—It is illegal for a tackler to get the ball carrier on the ground and put an arm around the tackled man's head. That is called a grapple tackle and will be penalised by the referee.

High Tackle—In Rugby League it is legal to tackle a player anywhere from the shoulder down, and by any means necessary. If a player is tackled around the head then it is called a high tackle. If a tackler was to connect with the player's shoulder and bounce up and hit him in the head, then play would just continue as normal.

Ankle Tap—If a player breaks the opponents line and runs past everyone, the last ditch effort of a chasing defender will be to dive at the player's feet and swipe at his ankles to make him fall over. This is called an ankle tap.

Golden Point—If the scores are tied after the two 40 minutes halves, then the game goes for an extra 10 minutes and the "golden point" rule applies. That means that the game ends after the next point is scored. A team could win by scoring a try, kicking a goal, or even kicking a field goal.

Scrum—A Rugby League scrum is formed by six players from each team that haunch over and push against each other. The Halfback from one of the teams then rolls the ball into the scrum and tries to regain it. Both teams are supposed to have an equal chance at getting the ball, but in reality the team that feeds the scrum almost always gets the ball back.

Turnover—Whenever a team loses the ball by getting tackled for the sixth time or knocking it on, it is called a turnover because the team is turning over possession to their opponents.

What Would Your Ideal Wrestling Promotion Be Like?

Scott Beeby — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 03:01:09 -0400

If you were a financial backer of a new upstart wrestling promotion, and you had the majority of the voting power backstage in this company, what would you envision it to turn out like?

Your goal is to rival Ring Of Honor and try to push your way into being outright the third biggest wrestling promotion in the world behind TNA and WWE.

The first thing to consider is who would be the face of your promotion? WWE has Vince McMahon as the most prominent figure in the company, just like TNA has Jeff Jarrett. Who would you choose?

The next thing to consider is which superstars you would have in your promotion. Pick your top five wrestlers that you'd try to poach first from any wrestling promotion in the world.

Other things that you need to think about are the name of the promotion and it's base of operations.

Also, let your imagination run wild. What innovative ideas can you come up with that would make your promotion different to anything else out there?

I've included a form that you can copy and paste into your comment for your convenience. Be creative with your selections, but most importantly HAVE FUN!

_____________________________________________________________________

A) The figure head of my promotion would be:

B) The first five wrestlers that I would try to poach from other promotions would be:

C) The base of operations for my promotion would be located at:

D) The name of my company would be:

E) The thing(s) that separates my promotion from others is:

What Is Your Favourite WWE DVD? (Grand Final)

Scott Beeby — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 08:20:17 -0400

This is it, folks! After 42 DVDs and four rounds of voting, we are finally down to just two!

Last round was pretty one sided when it came to voting for either The Ladder Match or Hell In A Cell. The votes ended up being 10-3 to The Ladder Match DVD, and that is your first grand finalist!

The second bracket from the last round was a completely different story. It was one of the best three way brackets you could imagine. It was Shawn Michaels: Heartbreak and Triumph vs. The Rise + Fall Of ECW vs. Edge: A Decade Of Decadence.

Surprisingly, there wasn't even a single vote for Edge's DVD! Shame on you, Andrea!!!

The final tally was Shawn Michaels - six votes, Rise + Fall Of ECW - seven votes. By the closest of margins, your second grand finalist is The Rise + Fall Of ECW!

After seeing which DVDs made the grand final I decided to go back and watch them both. It's a tough decision.

On the one hand you have The Ladder Match DVD, which has arguably the best matches of any WWE DVD to be released to date. On the other hand you have a great storyteller, in The Rise + Fall Of ECW DVD.

As much as I hate to say it, my vote goes for The Rise + Fall Of ECW DVD. I thought all the way throughout this competition that I'd vote for The Ladder Match, but after re-watching the ECW DVD I can definitely say that it was the best DVD to ever be released by WWE.

That's just my opinion. Maybe you think otherwise? Tell me what DVD you think deserves the title of WWE's best ever DVD. This time around we will be voting using a poll, so don't bother voting in the comments. Feel free to explain your decisions, however.

As always I am including the matches from each DVD. Here they are:

The Ladder Match

1st Ever TLC Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship - Edge & Christian vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Hardy Boyz

WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match - Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho

Tables, Ladders & Chairs II for the WWE Tag Team Championship - Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Edge & Christian

4-Way Tables, Ladders & Chairs Tag Team Championship Match - Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian vs. Dudley Boyz

Ladder Match for the WWE Undisputed Championship - Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy

Tables, Ladders & Chairs for the WWE Tag Team Titles - Kane & Hurricane vs. Rob Van Dam & Jeff Hardy vs. Bubba Ray Dudley & Spike Dudley vs. Chris Jericho & Christian

Ladder Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship - Chris Jericho vs. Christian

1st Ever Money in the Bank Ladder Match - Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Edge vs. Christian vs. Kane

Ladder Match for Custody of Dominic - Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero

Ladder Match (Loser Leaves RAW) - Edge vs. Matt Hardy

Tables, Ladders & Chairs for the WWE Championship - Edge vs. Ric Flair

Tables, Ladders & Chairs for the WWE Championship - Edge vs. John Cena

WWE Tag Team Championship 4-Way Ladder Match - Paul London & Brian Kendrick vs. William Regal & Dave Taylor vs. Hardy's vs. MNM

VS.

The Rise + Fall Of ECW

Follow the rise and fall of Extreme Championship Wrestling. This DVD features some of the best feuds in the company's history, the backstage antics that went along with it, and it also covers the very controversial "crucifix" angle. Matches on the DVD include:

2 out of 3 Falls Dog Collar Match for ECW World Tag Team Championship - The Pit Bulls vs. Raven & Stevie Richards

2 out of 3 Falls - Rey Mysterio Jr vs. Psicosis

Ladder Match for ECW Championship - Mikey Whipwreck vs. The Sandman

ECW World Television Championship Match - 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Sabu

Tommy Dreamer vs. Raven

ECW World Television Championship Match - Tazz vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

ECW World Television Championship Match - Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn

Mike Knox and Ezekiel Jackson: The Future of WWE's Big Men

Scott Beeby — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:59:32 -0400

We've all seen Vince McMahon's fascination with big wrestlers grow throughout his time with WWE. It seems as if he believes that every wrestler should be at least six feet tall and weigh over 260 pounds, but why is that? What is the benefit of having so many big wrestlers in one wrestling promotion?

The most common example of a big wrestler is the monster heel. The role of the monster heel is simple. They are there to prove their dominance, simply because they are bigger than most other guys in the locker room. They throw their weight around until by some miracle a smaller man beats them in a match.

The other type of big wrestler you see, although they're very uncommon, is the babyface wrestler that has a small gimmick on the side.

The best examples of this type of wrestler in WWE are John Cena with his marine gimmick, Mark Henry with his world strongest man persona, The Great Khali's punjabi playboy gimmick, and Triple H as the cerebral assassin.

WWE is entering a new era with a lot of the younger talent currently making the transition from mid card to main event status, but it only seems to be the smaller guys, for the most part, that are getting a push.

WWE continue to use the likes of Kane, Khali, and Vladimir Kozlov when they are all likely to not even be with the promotion or retired within the next five years. Why?

Mike Knox and Ezekiel Jackson are undoubtedly the future of the big wrestlers in WWE. They are both only 31 years old, which means they could potentially be with the company for the next 10 or more years.

Knox and Jackson have been either with WWE or with WWE's development territory for four and two years respectively, but they have yet to win even a single championship belt in WWE between them. Even The Great Khali had won a title after 18 months!

Mike Knox came to WWE back in 2005 with a developmental deal. He only made a few appearances on WWE shows throughout his first 12 months, most notably as a masked terrorist during Mohammed Hassan's famous angle that lead to Hassan parting ways with the company.

In June of 2006, Knox became a member of the ECW roster and debuted as Kelly Kelly's on screen boyfriend who didn't want her stripping in the ring. Since then, Knox has feuded with CM Punk, Tommy Dreamer, Finlay, and Rey Mysterio.

Ezekiel Jackson's entry to WWE was much more recent. He joined the company on a development deal in 2007, where he wrestled with the likes of Eric Escobar, DJ Gabriel, and Kofi Kingston while he was in FCW.

It was only last July when Jackson debuted as The Brian Kendrick's bodyguard on Smackdown.

He continued under the gimmick for the better part of a year before being separated from Kendrick after being drafted to ECW in April of this year. It wasn't until this month that he started wrestling in ECW.

I whole-heartedly believe that WWE should be grooming these future superstars for the main event scene, or at the very least the upper mid card. What's the point of having Knox job to Khali in a throw away match, all to try and build towards Khali vs. Kane? Khali and Kane should be trying to put over Knox and Jackson and passing on whatever tips they can offer.

The bottom line is that WWE will quickly run out of big wrestlers within the next five or so years. Triple H (40), Batista (40), Kane (42), Undertaker (44), Mark Henry (37), Vladimir Kozlov (37), and Big Show (37) will all most likely be a part of WWE's alumni over the next few years.

Vince McMahon should stop introducing big wrestlers at the age of 35+ when he's sitting on a couple of gems in Knox and Jackson. He wouldn't sign a high flyer in his late 30's, so why does he do it with the big guys?

I see a lot of potential in Mike Knox and Ezekiel Jackson. They have already learned the basics when it comes to in-ring skills, and they've got plenty of time to improve all the other aspects of their characters.

Who knows? Maybe we could see one of them tuning face in the near future to fill the void left by the departure of other superstars?

I implore you WWE, please give them a chance!

75 Reasons Why We Enjoy Professional Wrestling

Scott Beeby — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:57:22 -0400

Somehow I'm already up to my 75th article! I figure that's somewhat of a milestone, so I thought I'd do something special. Something a little different.

I read a lot of articles on Bleacher Report about wrestling, in particular WWE and TNA, where the writer isn't happy with what just happened on the latest episode of RAW, or they don't like what TNA just did with one of their story lines.

I think that everyone should take two giant steps back and look at wrestling as a whole. We shouldn't be overly critical of the thing we love to watch. We should enjoy it for what it is. Sports entertainment.

We hardly ever read about the positive things in wrestling, so I'm going to prove to you that there are many reasons to watch and enjoy it. I'm going to take on the massive task of providing you with 75 reasons, in no particular order, for why we enjoy professional wrestling.

75) To ride the highs and lows of WWE. At times, being a fan of WWE is a lot like riding a roller coaster. There are the incredible highs such as the attitude era, and then there are the abysmal lows like the last few years. The best part about that is the ride.

74) International wrestlers. Finlay, Great Khali, William Regal, and Vladimir Kozlov help break up the monotony of stereotypical American wrestlers.

73) Tag Teams matches. There's just something special about tag team matches. The "hot tag" is something that we all wait to see in these matches, and the suspense of waiting for that tag can make the match even better.

72) Survivor Series. The annual elimination tag team match is unique. WWE's second oldest pay-per-view, and I know I look forward to it each year.

71) The high impact moves. The powerbombs, chokeslams, and clotheslines in wrestling can make you wince after hearing the noise of the canvas as the wrestlers hit it with a tremendous force.

70) To support your favourite superstar. It doesn't matter if your favourite superstar is Triple H or Hornswoggle, we all watch wrestling to support them.

69) Lethal Lockdown. The TNA match that only comes once a year. There have been some memorable moments in this match in recent years. The AJ Styles spot on top of the cage roof a few years ago was insane!

68) John Morrison. He is undoubtedly the future of WWE. He has so much potential as a world champion that it's just a shame he's been stuck in the tag team and Intercontinental divisions for all this time.

67) The build up to pay-per-views. If a pay-per-view has a bad build up, it can diminish the overall quality of all the matches on the card.

66) Blood. It may sound sadistic, but having blood in a wrestling match every now and then can be a good thing. Some of the classic matches over the years have involved blood and wouldn't be the same without it. Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart at Wrestlemania is a perfect example.

65) Comedic wrestlers. Santino Marella, Goldust, Festus, and Hornswoggle, all provide the fans with entertainment. Whether it's Goldust stuttering or Festus singing, you have to admit that you have a chuckle or two.

64) The history. The record championship reigns, the classic matches, and the memories of all that has come before them, all add up to make wrestling what it is today. It adds an aura to wrestling that is hard to find anywhere else.

63) Vince McMahon. We owe a LOT to this guy. He is a true icon in the business and a very smart business man. He's currently 63 years old, so what better position to put him in than 63rd?

62) The good looking women. Let's face it. The good looking women aren't exactly a bad thing, are they? Sure, some of them can't wrestle, but at least they look good flailing around in the ring!

61) The good looking men. There are a lot of women that watch wrestling too. Most of them like to look at the guys, as much as the guys look at the girls.

60) Jeff Hardy. The charismatic enigma has been, and always will be, my all-time favourite WWE superstar. The way he can risk everything just to pull off one amazing move is inspiring.

59) Divas/Knockouts. The women of wrestling have proved over the years that they are just as good at wrestling as the guys

58) The celebrities. We've seen many celebrities get involved in pro wrestling. Mr. T, Pamela Anderson, Mike Tyson and many, many more! They help wrestling get some mainstream media attention, which can only be good for the sport.

57) Gimmick pay-per-views. WWE's Night Of Champions and TNA's Lockdown are good examples of a gimmick pay-per-view. I find them entertaining, and they help break up an otherwise pretty boring schedule.

56) Evan Bourne. When he goes for "Air Bourne" he makes it look effortless and mesmerizing at the same time.

55) Backstage Interviews. Who doesn't like to get a bit of insight into the what the superstars are thinking? Or even to see a superstar tease the interviewer?

54) TNA's X division. It might not be as good as the past, but it can still be damn entertaining to watch.

53) The General Managers. They can come up with some of the biggest shock decisions during a wrestling event.

52) The innovative moves. Each year it seems that we witness the superstars push the envelope just that little bit more, and the result is some fresh new moves for the fans to enjoy.

51) The ring attire. Just two words. Zack Ryder.

50) Sting. The 50-year old veteran can still mix it up with the younger wrestlers on TNA and put on a clinic.

49) Multiple person matches. Whether it involves three, four, six, or even more superstars, multiple person matches are great to watch and are so unpredictable.

48) Weapons. It doesn't matter if it's tables, chairs, kendo sticks, or a fire extinguisher, weapons can add to a match. It could be the difference between a good match and an epic.

47) The rags to riches stories of the superstars. You'll often hear superstars talking about when they were young and didn't have anything and wrestling has provided for their family. It makes it seem possible for anybody to get into the business.

46) CM Punk. His slow heel turn has been one of the best story lines in WWE in quite some time. His character is suitable for a face or a heel, so it will be interesting to see which side of the fence he ends up on.

45) The five star matches. Just look at the Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker match from this year's Wrestlemania. Straight away, people were saying that that match could possibly be the greatest of all time. It had the build up, the crowd was emotionally invested, and the skills that were shown by the two competitors were second to none.

44) Wrestling legends. Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat, Randy Savage. These are some of the biggest names in the history of WWE, and whenever they get involved in current story lines you get a real feeling of nostalgia.

43) The celebrations. There are some special moments in wrestling that celebrate all that has come before them and how they got to where they are. As an example, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit at Wrestlemania XX, or Ric Flair's farewell on Raw.

42) Steel cage matches. They have become a staple of wrestling over the years. To this day we still enjoy watching the superstars going head to head while surrounded by steel.

41) Petey Williams' Canadian Destroyer. That finisher made him a star.

40) Triple H. The King of Kings has done it all in the business. He's a multiple time world champion, Royal Rumble winner, and has one of the most devastating finishers in the pedigree.

39) The promos. In my opinion, nothing beats a good promo. Just look at the most recent one that CM Punk did at Night Of Champions. That was a classic!

38) Cheering for the faces. Who doesn't like to join in and pop for the good guy?

37) Booing the heels. As soon as those arrogant people come onto stage, you just want to boo them out of the building.

36) Booing John Cena. I can respect what he's accomplished in WWE, but his current character is so stale it's getting beyond ridiculous. Boo!

35) Ultimate X match. One of the best ideas to come out of TNA is the Ultimate X match. It's a pretty simple idea when you think about it. It's just a ladder match, without ladders!

34) Managers. From Bobby Heenan to Sensational Sherri, each manager has put their own spin on the role. They are an integral part of professional wrestling.

33) The catch phrases. We all used to join in with The Rock whenever he did a promo. Now we yell out in support of guys like Kofi Kingston, MVP, and John Cena. Catch phrases are such a big part of pro wrestling.

To this day, whenever someone hits a knife edge chop you'll still hear at least one person yell out "wooooo!"

32) To share the experience with others. We all enjoy talking about wrestling as much as watching it. That's why we're here on Bleacher Report.

31) High flyers. They are the most exciting type of wrestler in many ways. They usually have fast paced matches and have a lot of aerial offense.

30) Royal Rumble. The event is famous for it's 30 man over-the-top-rope battle royal, and it is awarded with 30th spot.

29) Edge. "The Ultimate Opportunist" has won a total of 29 titles during his impressive career in WWE and that earns him 29th spot.

28) The wrestler's journey. There are some occasions in wrestling when you see a guy in the ring and you realize his great talent level. Over the years, he develops into a main event wrestler, but you knew he was something special after his first match.

27) Hell In A Cell. Satan's structure provides some of the best matches in WWE. It's also the perfect way to finish a feud. If they can walk out of the Cell as the winner, then you know that they've earned it.

26) Kurt Angle. The Olympic gold medallist has proved to be one of, if not the, best wrestler of this generation. He can cut a mean promo and he has the in ring skills to back it up. It's a shame that he's still stuck in TNA.

25) Wrestlemania. There have been 25 of the yearly event to date, with plenty more to come. The granddaddy of 'em all signals the high point on the WWE calendar, and it usually delivers.

24) The crowd. They are one of the most important parts of a good wrestling match. You could have Kurt Angle and Bret Hart going at it in the ring, but if the crowd is booing, it can spell disaster for the match.

23) The Motor City Machine Guns. Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin have tremendous chemistry in the ring. It's an absolute travesty that they still haven't held the TNA tag team championship belts yet.

22) It's an escape from reality. It doesn't matter if you're watching WWE, TNA, ROH, or you're at a live indy show. It's good to forget all of life's little problems for that small amount of time.

21) Money In The Bank ladder match. It's the one time of the year where the mid carders get their chance to shine on the big stage, Wrestlemania. The first one was as a part of Wrestlemania 21, and that's why it gets 21st spot.

20) The athletic ability. How do guys like Shelton Benjamin and Kofi Kingston do what they do? The height of their vertical leaps is astounding!

19) Randy Orton. "The Viper" can hit you with the RKO at any time in a match. It keeps the fans on the edge of their seat, and once he hits it, you know that his opponent isn't getting up.

18) The grand entrances. The pyrotechnics. The lasers. The music. It all adds up to get the crowd excited and to set the tone for the match.

17) Undertaker's Wrestlemania streak. He's 17-0 at Wrestlemania and he takes 17th spot in this article. 17 wins in a row! Wow, that's phenom-enal (haha...that was poor).

16) All the different styles of wrestling. From Lucha Libre to American style wrestling, all types have some awe-inspiring moves to look out for.

15) TLC matches. They may be rare, but they are certainly worth the wait! People to this day still talk about the legendary TLC matches back in the day with the Hardyz, Dudleyz, and Edge and Christian. Nothing can top that in my opinion.

14) Chris Jericho. He's probably the best all around wrestler right now. He has the technical ability, the mic skills, and most importantly he can get a reaction from the crowd. It's always entertaining to watch one of his promos.

13) The "oh my god!" moments. They are almost always totally unexpected, and it's one of the only times that you'll hear an excited crowd go silent.

12) Summerslam. The biggest party of the summer has had some of the greatest matches in WWE history, and that makes it a must see event!

11) Shawn Michaels. He's been in the business for over 20 years, and in that time he has achieved more than most do in a lifetime. He has earned his respect from the crowd after stealing the show on so many occasions.

10) The video games. This year sees the tenth installment of arguably the most popular video game series in wrestling, Smackdown vs. Raw. The create-a-wrestler, general manager, and franchise modes make these games some of the best sports games on the shelves.

9) The feuds. A great rivalry between two or more competitors can add that special something to a match. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels, Undertaker vs. Edge, Triple H vs. Randy Orton. These have all been great feuds.

8) The Crazy 8 match. This match is unique to the Pro Wrestling Unplugged wrestling promotion in Philly, but if you've never heard of it, where have you been? There's three guys, a championship belt, no DQ rules, one side of a steel cage, scaffolds, swinging ropes, and even trampolines!

7) The Undertaker. His arsenal of moves is one of the most impressive in WWE. Old School, Chokeslam, The Last Ride, and the ace up his sleeve, the Tombstone Piledriver combine into a devastating move-set.

6) Elimination Chamber match. Six men walk in, but only one walks out the winner. This is one of the most brutal matches in professional wrestling today, but it's such a great spectacle to see!

5) The story lines. Yeah, they're sometimes a bit cheesy and unbelievable, but when you're watching a compelling story unfold it adds to the overall quality of the wrestling.

4) The emotion. How many times have you found yourself pumping a fist at home while watching wrestling? Don't you get even a little bit annoyed when heels, especially in tag team matches, find a way to cheat without getting caught by the referee?

3) The larger than life characters. The Legend Killer, The Samoan Submission Machine, The Deadman. They all make professional wrestling so much better for what they bring to the table.

2) The commentary. The best play-by-play commentator in the business today, Jim Ross, makes every match he calls that much better. He's produced some great lines over the years, and hopefully he'll continue to do so for many years to come.

1) The wrestling! If you took away the characters, the story lines and the fancy entrances, the majority of us would likely still be watching and discussing the same things.

A note to the wrestling community:

You may have read my recent article on the Australian wrestler, Mark Mercedes. I'm happy to say that he himself has read the article as I've been in contact with him. I have his mobile number and I was thinking of setting up an interview. Are there any questions that you'd like me to ask him?

If you have any suggestions, then please don't hesitate to post them on my bulletin board. Thanks!

Australian Wrestling Chronicles (Part One)

Scott Beeby — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:23:58 -0400

A little while ago I wrote an article called "Australia's Most Famous Wrestler" which focused on Greg Bownds, who goes by the ring name "TNT".

As an extension of that article, I'm now starting a new series which is going to highlight the small number of Australian wrestlers that have ventured overseas and have successfully, to a certain point, made their mark on the international wrestling scene.

Later on I will also take you for a walk down memory lane as I write about some of the defunct Australian wrestling promotions.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the man in the picture above, his name is Mark Mercedes. Some of the older Bleacher Report readers may recognize the name from the early days of WCW, but his journey started a few years before that.

Mercedes, standing at 6'3" or 190cm, and weighing 262lbs or 119kg, first started wrestling in 1991. Soon after he travelled to America where he trained at the Malenko Wrestling School under both Larry and Dean Malenko.

Mercedes was instantly a standout during the training, so much so that he was recommended to WCW, who were quick to give him a run on WCW television. He made his debut for WCW in a match against Rick Rude in May of 1993, and then one week later he was in a tag team match with Ben Jordan, teaming against Blackhearts.

During his tenure in WCW, Mercedes was on match cards with some big name talents including 2 Cold Scorpio, Buff Bagwell, Jim Neidhart, Paul Orndorff, Junkyard Dog, and Vader.

Mercedes returned to Australia after his time in WCW and competed for numerous indy promotions, winning several heavyweight championships along the way, against the best that Australia has to offer.

A few years later in 1997, he was contacted by Otto Wanz from the German wrestling promotion Catch Wrestling Association (CWA), which is primarily a mat-based wrestling organization, about competing for him. Mercedes accepted the offer and went to Germany on a six month tour.

CWA has been home to many world famous wrestlers over the years. From Chris Benoit to Finlay to Chris Jericho, CWA has been an instrumental part of their careers. With the quality of superstars that have stepped through the ropes, being involved with CWA is by no means a small achievement.

After his time in Europe, he made a couple more appearances for WCW including wrestling Rick Martel on WCW Saturday Night as well as wrestling in front of 33,000 people in a dark match at Georgia Dome.

In 1998 Mercedes returned to Australia where he co-founded the International Wrestling Australia (IWA) promotion with his business partner Tyrone Townsend. Since then the company has grown in leaps and bounds, becoming the first Australian wrestling promotion to get a nationwide television deal.

Mercedes has had a big hand in the success of IWA in it's 11+ year history, both in and out of the ring. He has won the IWA Heavyweight Championship on eight occasions along with having three IWA trans-tasman titles. He is also a former IWA Tag Team Champion.

Mercedes is viewed as Australia's best current heavyweight wrestler, as well as being golden on the mic in his heel persona. He has a reputation as an excellent heel with a good work ethic and a great attitude backstage.

Throughout his career, Mercedes has wrestled in many countries such as the USA, Japan, Germany, and of course Australia.

Mercedes' talent isn't restricted to the ring. He's also an accomplished actor, starring in the sci-fi series "Farscape" as an intergalactic bounty hunter.

For anybody that's interested in seeing Mercedes in action against Greg Bownds a.k.a. TNT, you can click on this link to see one of their matches from 1995 when Bownds was just starting his career and was then known as the TNT kid.

In part two of "Australian Wrestling Chronicles" I'll be highlighting the career of a man that many of you will know. He's a former WWE wrestler and is now contracted to TNA. His name is Nathan Jones, and his story is well worth a read.

I'd like to thank the following resources:

www.wikipedia.com

www.wrestling.net.au

www.iwawrestling.com.au

www.pwchronicles.com

www.obsessedwithwrestling.com

www.ozwrestling.com

What Is Your Favourite WWE DVD (Round 2)?

Scott Beeby — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:17:14 -0400

I'd like to thanks everyone that took part in round one of this competition. Without you, I wouldn't be writing round two now. Surprisingly, there wasn't even one DVD in round 1 that got 100% of the votes! There was however a draw in the first round. The votes between "The Greatest Stars Of The 80's" and Rey Mysterio: The Biggest Little Man" were split right down the middle, so I've put them both in the second round. Perhaps the biggest surprise to come out of round 1 is the exclusion of the Bret Hart DVD. It just got pipped at the post by just one vote. Just remember, even if you haven't seen the DVDs, you can still vote on which you like better based on the matches that are listed, or even by who the DVD is about. At the end of the slideshow there will be a form that you can copy and paste into your comment to vote. Read through each of the slides and wait until the end to make your choices. Again, thank you to everyone that participated in round one and I hope you enjoy round 2. Have fun!

Begin Slideshow

Why Isn't Wrestling Featured on the Front Page of Bleacher Report?

Scott Beeby — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 08:06:06 -0400

When someone visits the Bleacher Report website, the first thing they see is the slideshow of featured stories of the day, including the article that has won Pick of the Day and five others articles that are just as worthy.

Just below that they'll see the top stories and most commented articles, which are divided into each sport. The first tab is MLB, followed by NFL, and so on. There is just one thing wrong with that. Where is Pro Wrestling mentioned?

The Pro Wrestling section of Bleacher Report has more members than Golf and Tennis combined, both of which are currently featured on the front page. It is also one of the quickest growing sections, with a new almost every day!

One of our very own community leaders, Shane Howard, is ranked in the top five writers on Bleacher Report, which if nothing else proves that the wrestling community has something to offer in regards to quality of writing.

The only time that we see articles that have been written by members of the Pro Wrestling community on the front page, is when they are listed as one of the most popular or commented on pieces at the time, which happens very often, so why isn't there a place for Pro Wrestling as a whole?

There seem to be two main reasons that people give when asked why wrestling isn't held in such high regards as American Football or Basketball.

1) Pro Wrestling isn't a sport.

To be specific, professional wrestling is a non-competitive sport that is predetermined, yet it still contains all the strength and athleticism that you find in some of the toughest sports on the planet.

If you ask any wrestler, doesn't matter if they're from WWE, TNA, or one of the thousands of Indy promotions across the world, they will all tell you that Pro Wrestling is indeed a sport.

There are athletes going out there week after week, busting their butts, trying to prove that they are the best in the business.

2) Pro Wrestling is fake.

Yes, Pro Wrestling is scripted, but it is in no way fake. There are guys and girls putting their bodies on the line to entertain the fans.

At any given moment their career could be finished after just one botched spot in a match. You can actually hear the impact when a wrestler is slammed onto the canvas. Is that fake?

Let me ask you this in a classic Jim Ross voice. "How do you learn to fall from a 20 foot ladder?"

Professional Wrestling has roots leading all the way back to the late 19th century. That means that it was established before the National Football League, National Hockey League, and NASCAR.

I think that after over 120 years, wrestling deserves its spot among the other sports in America.

Bleacher Report is an international website, and Pro Wrestling is one of the few sports on here that is also worldwide.

You won't see much, if any, American football, Baseball, or even Ice Hockey outside of the USA and Canada, but you'll see Pro Wrestling almost anywhere that you go.

The administration that run Bleacher Report may look down on Pro Wrestling, but is that any reason to punish the hard working and loyal writers?

The great writers of the Pro Wrestling community should instead be rewarded for all the excellent writing that they have done by being able to see their work on the front page.

What will it take for Pro Wrestling and the wrestling fans themselves to finally get respect from the other sport's supporters?

During the Attitude Era of WWE, fans found it a lot easier to admit that they were wrestling fans. If you do that now, chances are you're going to get into an argument with a nearby person that doesn't understand the sport.

We wrestling fans need to rally together and prove that we have just as much right to be on the front page as any other sport. We all need to step up our games and write to the best of our ability to fight off all the conjecture.

In conclusion

Pro Wrestling has more members than several other sections that are featured on the front page. Pro Wrestling has a touch under 1,300 members, where Tennis has less than 600 members, and Golf has fewer than 300 members.

The members of the Pro Wrestling section are constantly receiving the coveted Pick of the Day award.

Great writers like that should be given more publicity by putting them on the front page on a constant basis, and not just when their article is given the POTD award.

Pro Wrestling is a sport and should be treated as one. Give it the respect it deserves as one of the leading sports in the world.

I'm not saying that Bleacher Report needs to replace one of the front page sports with Pro Wrestling. The point that I'm trying to get across is that it should be added to the current lineup.

We, as wrestling fans, should be able to hold our heads up high and stand shoulder to shoulder with all the other fanatics on Bleacher Report. We deserve to be given the respect that any other sports fans get.

What Will WWE Be Like in Five Years' Time?

Scott Beeby — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 04:48:27 -0400

It's no secret that the superstars on the WWE roster aren't as young as they once were. The average age has gone up dramatically in the last 10 years or so. I started wondering what WWE would be like in five years time.

Let's just assume that the entire current roster stays with the company for the next five years, and that no new talent is brought in from development.

Let's also assume that the age of retirement for the superstars is 42 for men, and 34 for women.

Fast forward to the year 2014. There has been an astonishing 27 retirements in the preceding five years, including:

Shawn Michaels (48)

Undertaker (49)

Triple H (44)

Batista (45)

Kane (47)

Chris Jericho (44)

Big Show (42)

R-Truth (42)

Goldust (45)

Chavo Guerrero (44)

Mark Henry (43)

The Great Khali (42)

Tommy Dreamer (43)

William Regal (46)

Finlay (56)

Vladimir Kozlov (42)

Charlie Haas (42)

Kung Fu Naki (46)

Jim Duggan (60)

Beth Phoenix (34)

Mickie James (35)

Gail Kim (38)

Melina (35)

Jillian Hall (34)

Rosa Mendes (35)

Layla (36)

Katie Lea Burchill (34)

We're coming up to WWE's annual PPV Night Of Champions, where all the championships are being defended. Let's take a look at the card, shall we?

Shelton Benjamin vs. Christian (c) - ECW Championship

Shelton still hasn't won a world championship, and he's now 39 years old! Hopefully he can win the ECW title and get on a roll, because everyone still says he's underrated and is so athletically gifted.

Christian meanwhile is 41 years old and is on his last title run. After the retirement of Tommy Dreamer, Christian has been the ECW Champion for 2 1/2 years because the creative team didn't think Shelton was quite ready to handle it.

Michelle McCool (c) vs. Maria - Women's Championship

Even though he's almost old enough to be getting the pension, Michelle McCool is still dating Undertaker. After 'Taker retired he joined Smackdown's creative team and booked McCool to retain the belt in every match for the last four years.

Maria meanwhile has posed for Playboy several more times, realizing that she can't wrestle very well, and hoping that she will one day become Hugh Hefner's latest girlfriend.

Interpromotional Over-The-Top-Rope Battle Royal:

Santino Marella, Festus, Hornswoggle, Jamie Noble, Cody Rhodes, Ricky Ortiz, Jimmy Wang Yang, Mike Knox, Sheamus O'Shaunessy, Hurricane, Paul Burchill, Jesse.

Yes, you read that correctly. Noble and Rhodes are still jobbing to everyone on the roster. Last week we saw them in a handicap match against Hornswoggle where they had to have their feet tied together, both hands tied behind their back, and Hornswoggle was allowed to use weapons. Somehow, Hornswoggle won.

Cryme Tyme w/ Eve Torres vs. The Hart Dynasty w/ Natalya Neidhart (c) - Unified Tag Team Championship

It's been five whole years since Natalya was drafted to Smackdown, along with the rest of The Hart Dynasty, and she still hasn't had a match for the women's title.

Cryme Tyme and The Hart Dynasty are now the only tag teams in the WWE. They've been feuding for the last 28 months over the tag team belts, having a title match at each and every PPV.

Maryse (c) vs. Kelly Kelly - Divas Championship

Maryse and Kelly are now the only females on the RAW roster ever since Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, and Gail Kim retired in the last few years. This is only the third time that the Divas have been on a PPV since 2011, because Vince still isn't very high on them.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Matt Hardy vs. Rey Mysterio (c) - Intercontinental Championship

Nobody can remember what the guy's name is with the bleached blonde hair. After not getting recognized in the locker room, Dolph Ziggler went to an insane asylum before eventually returning to the WWE with his new gimmick, constantly screaming "I'm Dolph Ziggler, who the hell are you!?" at anyone passing by.

Everyone still likes Jeff Hardy better than his brother. Matt went on a rampage and demanded that Vince give him a world title match.

Vince didn't like his attitude and put him in a no-DQ match with Shane at WrestleMania XXIX. Shane won after interference from Stephanie, Triple H, and even Vince himself.

Rey Mysterio is still hovering between the mid-card and main event level status without winning any world championships.

Carlito Colon vs. MVP (c) vs. Primo Colon - United States Championship

MVP still hasn't reached main event status yet, but Vince still considers him to be the future of the company, at the age of 40.

Carlito is now sponsored by Granny Smith apples. (Side note: I actually live about two miles from where Granny Smith apples originated. Yep, that's my claim to fame.)

Brian Kendrick was due to take part in this match but was taken out at short notice after he tested positive for smoking marijuana for the 17th time in the past three years.

CM Punk (c) vs. Edge vs. John Morrison vs. Jeff Hardy - World Heavyweight Championship

Edge, now getting ready to retire at 41 years of age, is returning after taking time off because he felt a little "banged up." Over the last five years, Edge has only been an active wrestler for a total of 14 months, always returning in time for WrestleMania.

Jeff Hardy violated the Wellness Policy for a third time after being in title matches for two years straight without winning the title once. Vince McMahon immediately reinstated him on a "technicality."

John Morrison has been working on his abs over the last few years, and he now has a 10-pack. He's hoping to get to 12 by the end of the year.

Punk's heel turn hasn't quite finished yet. As Jev said, he's still a "cankle."

Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena vs. Jack Swagger vs. Ted DiBiase Jr. vs. Evan Bourne vs. Kofi Kingston - Elimination Chamber for the WWE Championship

Ted DiBiase did eventually turn face against Randy Orton, but went running back to him when Orton said he was reuniting the old Legacy stable.

At the last PPV, there was a match between John Cena and Randy Orton, which Orton won with an RKO through an announce table. The Miz came to the ring afterwards and declared that there was going to be a Last Man Standing match right there and then with John Cena.

Cena didn't move and The Miz claimed to have beaten Cena yet again. He now says his record over John Cena is 148-1.

Jack Swagger cut a classic promo on last week's episode of RAW, saying "John Thena thinks he'th tho thpecial! I'm gonna kick his ath at Night Of Championth!"

All in all, the future of WWE looks bright, but they still need to continue developing wrestlers so they constantly have some fresh superstars being established each year.

I hope you enjoyed my vision of the future! Please feel free to comment below.

What Is Your Favourite WWE DVD (Round 1)?

Scott Beeby — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 04:43:48 -0400

WWE has just released their newest DVD entitled "Allied Powers: The World's Greatest Tag Teams", and that got me thinking. With so many DVD releases each year we never get a chance to compare them. Using a similar format to the very successful "What Is The Best Match Of The 21st Century" series, I want to know, what is your favourite WWE DVD? All you have to do is choose your favourite DVD from each slide. Just in case there are any DVDs that I miss, there will be a special "reader's choice" slide in the second round, so let me know if there's something you want added. Keep in mind that I'm not including any pay-per-views. Also, I've only listed the latest DVD from each superstar, so you won't see any an old Austin or Flair DVDs. Over the coming days there will be an elimination process to find out which DVD Bleacher Report name as their favourite of all time. Will it be "Viva La Raza"? Or maybe "The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment". Only you can decide. Let yourself take a walk down memory lane, and most importantly, HAVE FUN!

Begin Slideshow

TNA Wrestling: Why Is It So Hard to Cross the Line?

Scott Beeby — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 01:31:13 -0400

After watching TNA Impact this week, I was wondering why is it so difficult to actually watch a whole episode? They have the talent, they have the facilities, so why is it so hard to cross that damn line?

I'll admit that this week's episode was the first that I've watched in months. I was expecting to see a lot of fast-paced action mixed in with some technical ability. Sadly, that was not the case.

I saw Mick Foley cut a promo on his TNA championship match, again. I saw Team 3D wanting to get some respect from their opponents, again. I saw Kurt Angle and Sting wrestle each other in a lacklustre match, AGAIN!

The matches themselves aren't necessarily the worst part of TNA. I can understand that they need to build to the upcoming PPV matches at Victory Road. However, the storylines are very ordinary, and that's being generous.

What was the point of having Samoa Joe beating up The Amazing Red backstage before their match? We already know that Samoa Joe can be a dominant wrestler. The only thing that was accomplished was taking away any credibility that The Amazing Red has as a wrestler.

Perhaps the most disappointing thing for me coming out of the episode was during the six man elimination tag team match. Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner, and Booker T from the Main Event Mafia were taking on Beer Money Inc. and AJ Styles.

Nash and Styles are set to have a match for the Legends Championship on Sunday, so you'd think that TNA would have them standing as the last two competitors during the six-man tag match.

Instead, we saw Styles being eliminated first by Nash. Way to kill all of Styles' momentum going into the pay-per-view, TNA!

One bright spot in the episode was the debut of TNA's two newest Knockouts, Alissa Flash and Sarita. They have two very contrasting styles in the ring. Sarita provided the fans with a showing of her high-flying, lucha libre style, where as Flash showed her strength in her power moves that she was pulling off.

Obviously the biggest problem that TNA has is that they continue to push the older talent on the roster.

Angle, Foley, Sting, Nash, Jeff Jarrett, Booker T, Steiner, and Team 3D are getting pushed when most people would rather see guys like Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Robert Roode, Matt Morgan, Abyss, Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed, or the Motor City Machine Guns.

I would like to hear how TNA justifies keeping these older wrestlers and letting future stars of the company such as Petey Williams, Sonjay Dutt, and Roxxi get away.

I'm sure TNA will eventually go through a period much like WWE is going through now. They'll realize that half the roster is unable to wrestle for much longer and have to promote their younger, mid-card talent to the top.

Shouldn't they see what's happening to WWE and learn from its mistakes? It's not like TNA has a developmental territory to rely on. If they don't take drastic actions, then the thought of TNA folding would become a realistic possibility.

I find it amazing that the company has been running for seven years and it still has an indy wrestling feel to it. They've got poor (and usually complicated) storylines and feature several ex-WWE wrestlers. Sounds like an indy promotion to me!

I will give TNA credit where it's due. They have accomplished a lot in their seven years and have taken huge steps to get where they are.

Their Knockouts division has been one of their main parts of the show, unlike most other promotions where female wrestlers are treated like eye candy and not given the proper recognition that they deserve.

TNA's revolutionary X division is what got a lot of wrestling fans to follow the promotion in the first place. With the tag line of "it's not about weight limits, it's about no limits", you know that the X division wrestlers are going to put on a great show.

It's a shame to see their fall from grace since the early days of TNA. They can, however, still put on one hell of a match. Just look at the recent X division King Of The Mountain Match!

Another great feature of TNA is their focus on the tag team division: Team 3D, The British Invasion, Motor City Machine Guns, Lethal Consequences, Beer Money Inc. They're all excellent tag teams.

I think the biggest plus for TNA would have to be their originality and ability to be innovative.

Matches like the Ultimate X, King Of The Mountain, Lethal Lockdown, Elevation X, Full Metal Mayhem, Monsters Ball, and 10,000 Thumbtacks matches have all spawned from the promotion and are now staples of TNA.

TNA also utilised the idea of having a six-sided ring to differentiate themselves from other companies. They use lasers in the superstars' entrances, not just pyro. They have the World X Cup.

Sure, some of the match stipulations don't go over too well with the crowd, but I congratulate TNA for having the balls to try something new every once in a while.

People will say that Vince Russo can't book a match or that Jeremy Borash is annoying, but they're both integral parts of the company who work incredibly hard behind the scenes. They should be receiving our praise, not our insults.

TNA could also argue that they have better overall talent on their show than WWE, and they could be right. Almost every wrestler in TNA is capable of stealing the show. I don't know if the same could be said for WWE.

Over the seven years that TNA has been in existence they have managed to go from being relatively unknown to challenging ECW in the viewer ratings each week.

That's a huge achievement for them. Next in their sights will be Smackdown, and if or when they get there, maybe WWE will finally see them as a legitimate threat.

WWE is the measuring stick to which every other wrestling promotion in the world will be compared to. It will never be perfect, but we hold it to such a high esteem that it might as well be.

I'm walking the line like a tightrope. I'm just not sure which side I'll finish on...

Chris Jericho's Choice: Among a Multitude of Wrestlers, Who Will It Be?

Scott Beeby — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:27:31 -0400

Over the past few days, I've heard countless theories by some writers here on B/R about who Jericho's new partner could be.

Let's think outside the box for a second.

WWE could take this opportunity to debut some new talent. There are several wrestlers on the WWE payroll that are a high calibre of wrestler, that have yet to debut, or re-debut in some cases, on one of the top shows.

I'm going to list a few superstars that I think could possibly be the new tag team partner of Chris Jericho.

1) Chris Masters

The masterpiece is the ideal tag team partner for Chris Jericho. He makes a better heel than a face, and could be Jericho's muscle. He signed with WWE a while ago, and we haven't heard anything from him yet.

Could WWE be keeping quiet to throw us off the scent?

Anything's possible with the way Vince is going right now.

2) Dos Caras Jr.

It was rumoured that he had signed in early January, and then again just a few weeks ago. He apparently wasn't going to be in FCW, but instead was going straight to one of the three brands.

I don't know too much about Caras, but with all the talk that's surrounding him, I assume that he's a big deal.

3) Dolph Ziggler

This guy has emerged as somewhat of a favourite for being Jericho's partner. I personally think that Ziggler would be better off pursuing the Intercontinental Championship right now.

He's made the most of his singles push, and I think he should capitalize on that by winning the IC title.

4) The Brian Kendrick

When we last saw The Brian Kendrick, he was looking for a tag team partner. It looks like a potential partner is looking for him instead. These guys have egos as big as each other, and if they could get past that, then they would most certainly win tag team gold on at least one occasion.

5) Mike Knox

This man is the future of the monster heels in WWE. He's still in his early 30s and could dominate almost any opponent. WWE needs to realize just how good Knox can be and push him to the top.

Is he Jericho's new partner?

Only time will tell, but I can promise you that he's one of the best new superstars we've seen in WWE in quite some time.

6) Charlie Haas

The Canadians could be a force to be reckoned with in the WWE. Both men are highly experienced in tag team wrestling, and Haas so sorely needs the push. He is a great wrestler in his own right, but he's even better as a tag team wrestler in my opinion.

So, what do you think?

Which one of the six men above would most suit Jericho as a tag team partner?

Vote on the poll or make a comment below.

Thanks for reading!

By the way, Matt Hester is still looking for at least three more people for his fantasy draft.

It sounds like a lot of fun!

Why don't you join in?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/214544-wwe-fantasy-draft-play-for-fun-and-prizes

Hardcore Wrestling Lives On: The Son Of The Sandman

Scott Beeby — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:57:16 -0400

Wind back the clock. The year was 1996. The Dallas Cowboys were the Super Bowl XXX Champions, Kurt Angle won the gold medal for wrestling at the Atlanta Olympics, Tupac Shakur was gunned down after attending a Mike Tyson boxing match in Las Vegas, and The Sandman and Raven were involved in their famous ECW rivalry.

During the feud, Raven brainwashed The Sandman's son, Tyler, and convinced him to join his cult-like following, turning him against his father in the process.

Raven ordered Tyler to deny his relationship with his father, and told him that his parents' divorce was all Sandman's fault. Tyler was then persuaded to copy all of Raven's mannerisms, most notably using Raven's trademark taunt.

If you don't remember any of this, or if you've never seen it, take a look at this small tribute video.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, that little boy in the video is the man in the picture above. 13 years later, the son of The Sandman, Tyler Fullington, a.k.a. "Twisted Sand," is now a professional wrestler in his own right.

Fullington has competed exclusively for the still relatively unknown wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling Unplugged (PWU) since his debut on Aug. 23 last year. If you want to know more information about PWU, then you can read about it here.

Fullington's debut was unique to say the least. His first ever match was in a Street Fight match against none other than Kevin "Feel No Pain" James.

Yes, you read that correctly. The actor from the show "King Of Queens" was Tyler Fullington's first-ever wrestling opponent.

The match itself was said to be very violent and apparently Kevin James did a stand up job. There was everything from steel chairs to Singapore canes to guard rails used throughout the brutal encounter.

The Sandman was said to be very impressed with his son's first match, and the crowd support was overwhelming.

Fullington's next match was in a battle royal at PWU's fourth anniversary show where the winner was entitled to a match of their choice at the fifth anniversary show.

Fullington went on to win the match and declared "I'm challenging any wrestler, veterans and rookies alike, to take me on at the Fifth Anniversary one-on-one. I don't care who you are, I WILL run over you as I continue to prove myself and make MY mark on Philly and the whole North-East."

Since then, Fullington has remained undefeated.

I'm EXTREMELY excited for his next match at the Fifth Anniversary show on September 26. It has just been announced on the Pro Wrestling Unplugged: Wrestle Reality website that Fullington's open challenge has been answered and here's what his opponent had to say:

"It's no secret that Tyler and I have had bad blood between us for a decade or more. I have made a living beating the hell out of his father in ECW, now it's time to pass this tradition to his punk kid. On Sept. 26 you will feel PAIN...FEAR...DESPERATION...and ultimately RESPECT...Get ready to be humbled."

"Quote the Raven... Nevermore!"

That's right, Raven is going to be wrestling one-on-one with The Sandman's son!

To anyone in the Philadelphia area and is interested in what is sure to be an epic encounter, stay tuned to the PWU: Wrestle Reality website for more details when they are revealed on July 25! You can see the website at this address:

http://www.wrestlereality.com/

I am now a full-fledged Tyler Fullington mark. This guy has all the potential in the world. One day you will look back and say "I remember when I read an article about him on Bleacher Report!"

Mourning The Tragic Death Of An Unnoticed International Wrestler

Scott Beeby — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 06:58:57 -0400

Andres Alejandro Palomeque Gonzalez, better known as Abismo Negro, was declared dead on March 22, 2009.

Never heard of him? I hadn’t either until I did some research and I found out that he worked for WWF, TNA, CMLL, and AAA throughout his career.

Palomeque was found face-down in a river in the town of El Rosario, Sinaloa. According to the bus driver that was driving him to Mexico City on Friday March 20, Palomeque had some form of a panic attack and insisted on being let off the bus at around 1:30 in the morning.

At some point after Palomeque got off the bus, he sent a text message to his wife telling her that he had gotten lost in the hillside. After receiving the message, his wife contacted a local wrestling promoter, who then organised a search party. It wasn’t until the morning of March 22 that Palomeque was eventually found in the river.

Medical experts thought the only reason for the panic attack would have related to steroid abuse, but after Palomeque’s autopsy the cause of death was revealed to be drowning and no further investigation into the steroid abuse claims were taken.

Palomeque originally debuted when he was 16 years old and later wrestled a year's with CMLL before jumping ship with Head Booker Antonio Pena and joining the new wrestling promotion Asistencia Asesoria y Administracion in 1992.

As a member of the AAA roster, Palomeque was known as Winners and took part in the first-ever Triplemania, AAA’s version of Wrestlemania, and his continued success led to having a match at the next year’s Triplemania in a Tag Team Match with Rey Mysterio Sr. and Rey Mysterio Jr. against Los Destructores.

Five years after his debut for AAA, Palomeque’s Winners character was repackaged into his most successful gimmick, Abismo Negro. Part of his new entrance was to create a flamethrower from a lighter and an aerosol spray can. It was shortly after this change of character that Palomeque made his first appearance for WWF.

His first match was in the 1997 Royal Rumble pre-show in a Six-Man Tag Team Match. Palomeque’s last appearance came during an episode of Monday Night Raw in March 1997.

In 2000 Palomeque, along with several other AAA stars, toured Japan, competing for the relatively unknown wrestling promotion Michinoku Pro Wrestling. He also won AAA’s Rey de Reyes—King of Kings—tournament in that same year.

By 2004 Palomeque was one of the top wrestlers in AAA when the company went to TNA and represented Mexico in the America’s X Cup Tournament. Palomeque and the rest of AAA’s stars were very successful and ultimately won the tournament. After the tournament in TNA, Palomeque returned to AAA and was involved in multiple feuds with high-profile stars. He also had a brief stint with Pro Wrestling Noah in 2006.

Palomeque was married to his wife Martha for 15 years and he leaves behind four children. His memory will forever live on as a member of the roster in the new AAA wrestling video game that will be coming out soon.

You can click here for a teaser trailer of the AAA: El Videojuego video game.

Pro Wrestling Unplugged: The Forgotten Wrestling Promotion

Scott Beeby — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:52:04 -0400

Pro Wrestling Unplugged (PWU) has been one of the best Indy wrestling promotions since its inception in 2004, but for some reason it never gets the spotlight. There isn't even a Wikipedia page on them! That’s where I come in. I’m hoping that by writing this article, people will get interested in the company and check it out online, or even go to a show.

PWU has the best of both worlds. It’s similar to Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) in many ways because of it’s hardcore roots, but it also hosts some of the best technical and high flying wrestlers on the circuit. It’s primarily based in Philadelphia, where it has been held in the original ECW arena on many occasions.

There have been a plethora of quality superstars that have one time or another called PWU home, including:

2 Cold Scorpio

The Sandman

John McChesney

Homicide

Trent Acid

Devon Moore

Delerious

Juventud Guerrera

Psicosis

Drew Blood

Jay Lethal

Steve Corino

Jay and Mark Briscoe

Elix Skipper

Abyss

Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Balls Mahoney

Necro Butcher

Prince Nana

Sid Vicious

“Primetime” Teddy Fine

The Insane Clown Posse

Eddie Kingston

Christopher Daniels

Samoa Joe

Diamond Dallas Page

Ian Rotten

The Nasty Boys

Greg “The Hammer” Valentine

These wrestlers are some of the best in the business, and there are plenty more wrestlers that are constantly emerging in the promotion.

The Backstory:

PWU was first founded in 2004 by Indy wrestler Johnny Kashmere, but the start of this great wrestling promotion can actually be traced all the way back to 1999.

Kashmere had always wanted to create a promotion that was unlike any other. One that was run by wrestlers, for wrestlers. So in 1999, with the help of several friends, Kashmere promoted his first ever wrestling event under the name “Renegade Rasslin’”.

The show was originally supposed to be run on a regular basis, but it folded after just the one event. It did, however, give Kashmere an insight into promoting that he would need later on in life.

PWU as it’s now known, stemmed from a dispute between Kashmere and his tag team partner Trent Acid, against the promotion they were then working for, CZW, and it’s owner John Zandig.

Kashmere and Acid made their debuts for the company one month apart in the middle of 1999. They were part of a clique of wrestlers from the Philadelphia area that had been trained by The Pit Bulls from ECW. Soon after, other members of the clique decided to join CZW too, including the “king of WWE dark matches” Nick Berk.

Kashmere’s influence in the company grew to a level where, by early 2000 he had promoted a CZW show, and had a small part in the creative decisions that were made. Kashmere’s future in the company was looking bright until an event took place in September of that year that would strain the relationship to a point that it couldn’t recover.

By September, Kashmere and Acid were two of the top wrestlers in the promotion, largely due to their popularity as the tag team “The Backseat Boyz” (they later competed in Ring of Honor under the same name). They had teamed together at previous shows before, and they had a running feud with the team of Ric Blade and “Sick” Nick Mondo.

At CZW’s second Cage of Death event, the two teams were booked to face each other as single competitors. Acid was booked to wrestle Mondo, and Kashmere was supposed to face Blade. The show was held outdoors, and Kashmere was wary of wrestling as it got later in the day.

By the time his match was due to start, Kashmere felt it was too dark to wrestle in such a dangerous match. Added to that was the fact that Blade, Kashmere’s opponent, wore glasses but was able to wrestle without them, which also made Kashmere nervous. Kashmere had also been suffering from a niggling neck injury for over a year and didn’t want to risk his health, so he refused to take part in the match.

Zandig (CZW’s owner) was furious at Kashmere’s decision, and a huge argument erupted between the two, ending up with Kashmere quitting and going home. Kashmere eventually returned to the company in November, but it just wasn’t the same as before. Over the next few years, Kashmere and Zandig would argue on multiple occasions, and it all built up into a big argument unlike the previous occasions.

In February 2004, Kashmere and CZW would have their final dispute, this time over a range of issues including the creative decisions that were made in the promotion. Kashmere walked out on the company, and was closely followed by Acid. The pair then went on to do an interview with RF video where they buried Zandig, the CZW staff, the wrestlers, and more.

Acid did make some more sporadic appearances for CZW, but ended when he didn’t show up for the Best of the Best tournament in 2004. Ironically if he had showed up, he was booked to win the CZW Heavyweight Title.

Pro Wrestling Unplugged:

PWU has it’s first official event on November 5^th, 2004. Even though the card wasn’t stellar, it definitely provided a good platform for the promotion to build from. Some notable wrestlers on the show included Psicosis, Human Tornado, Prince Nana, Trent Acid, and Juventud Guerrera. This was the first stop on the way to building a successful promotion.

It was over three months until the second event that was held under the PWU banner. There were 175 fans in attendance, and the main event of Trent Acid vs. Devon Moore vs. Drew Blood alone was worth the price of entry. To this day it is one of the best matches in the company’s history.

It wasn’t until June 24^th, 2005 that the first ever PWU Heavyweight Champion was decided. An eight man tournament took place to finally crown a worthy champion. The participants in the running for the title belt were Homicide, Trent Acid, Nick Berk, Abyss, Elix Skipper, Mana, Sonny Siaki, and Tom Carter.

By the end of the event it was down to Homicide and Trent Acid. After a hard fought battle between the two superstars, Homicide came out the other end as the first ever PWU Heavyweight Champion!

Since then there have only been a select group of men that have won the prestigious championship belt. John McChesney, Adam Flash, 2 Cold Scorpio, Devon Moore, and Teddy Fine have all been the PWU Heavyweight Championship.

Over the last five years, the PWU landscape has changed for the better. Plenty of home grown talents have made a name for themselves, going on to main event the shows, and several notable names have joined the company in some capacity. Ted Gordon, former owner of the original ECW, became heavily involved with PWU as a manager to several wrestlers on the roster before becoming a financial backer for the company.

Bill Alfonso has also appeared on PWU on two separate occasions. The first time he was introduced as the surprise referee in a PWU Heavyweight Championship match between 2 Cold Scorpio and Adam Flash. On the second occasion, Alfonso accompanied Z-Barr to the ring in a match against "Pitbull" Gary Wolf and his manager, Tod Gordon.

The crowd figures have slowly increased over the years. They have risen from only 100-150 people up to 800+ at it's peak. However, in early 2008 there was a series of decisions that lead to the crowd numbers taking a drastic nose dive, and the promotion has never fully recovered.

There was a falling out between Johnny Kashmere and Roger Artigiani, the general manager of the old ECW arena, and Kashmere was subsequently banned from appearing at the arena. Due to the fall out, Kashmere was also released from PWU, and Tod Gordon took over 100% ownership of the promotion in an effort to keep it afloat.

Since then, Kashmere took back the reigns of PWU after the retirement of Ted Gordon. Also Kashmere and Artigiani have put their differences aside, but Kashmere has vowed never to return to the arena.

In an interview with DOIwrestling, Kashmere said "PWU has no interest in ever returning full time to The Arena (as it's now known). It's a way overpriced venue and the spirit of ECW isn't there anymore. In my opinion the spirit lives on in the Indy wrestlers of today, not four walls and a ceiling".

PWU made sporadic appearances in the first couple of years of existence, sometimes having up to three months between shows for one reason or another. They are currently on another one of their breaks which Kashmere puts down to being burnt out. He is now fresh and fully dedicated to making PWU bigger and better than ever.

PWU - Wrestle Reality:

Wrestle Reality is the newest incarnation of Pro Wrestling Unplugged. In an effort to connect on another level with the fans, PWU are striving to make the wrestlers more fan friendly.

It will be announced when wrestlers will be at their local gym for autographs and pictures etc. Fans may also get the chance to get in the ring during an event! If they volunteer, then they could be interviewed about their thoughts on PWU, or even the current state of professional wrestling in general.

The biggest change will be the format of the show itself. Not only will the roster continue to put on excellent matches, but the fans will be able to watch them in their real life. We'll get to see them at home, work, and even with their families.

There has also been an overhaul of the championship belts in PWU. From now on the women's and tag team title belts will no longer exist because of the lack of depth in those divisions.

There will now be three championships for the wrestlers to compete for. The PWU Heavyweight Championship will still be in the promotion. The other belts will be the Wrestle-Reality American Title and the brand new Super Heavyweight Championship.

PWU-Wrestling Reality is a not for profit organization that donates all profits from shows to local charities. It’s a place for wrestlers to make a name for themselves and wrestle just for the love of it.

Innovative Matches:

PWU is home to some of the most entertaining and unique matches that you'll ever see on the Indy scene. Included in those innovative matches is the "Crazy 8 match". What is a Crazy 8 match? I'm glad you asked!

Imagine a wrestling match that was competed under hardcore rules. Anything is legal. Now add to that a scaffold, one side of a steel cage, two trampolines, several rope swings, a championship belt, and three participants, and you've got one hell of a match that we've come to know as the Crazy 8 match!

Another match that you'll only find in PWU is the cuffed + caged match. It is somewhat similar to a Lethal Lockdown match in TNA, but with a few small differences.

Two teams of five wrestlers take part in this match. One member from each team starts the match inside the steel cage, with another person joining the match from alternating teams at certain time intervals.

The main differences between this match and a Lethal Lockdown, is that in this match wrestlers are eliminated until only one man or team stands. Wrestlers can be eliminated by pin or submission at any time in the match.

Whether it's at the start of the match when there's only two men in the cage, or if it's sometime later in the match, a wrestler can be eliminated at any time. Once a wrestler is eliminated they are handcuffed to the outside of the ring.

Highlights:

Here are a few videos from PWU that you should find interesting. The first one is a highlight package of the best rivalry in the promotion in recent years, 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Devon Moore.

The second video is a general highlights package for Pro Wrestling Unplugged that includes a few spots from a Crazy 8 match, which also includes 2 Cold Scorpio and Devon Moore.

Anyone reading this article, please do yourself and PWU a favor. Watch a few matches to get to know the storylines. Buy a DVD or two. Go to a live event in the Philadelphia area. Do your part to support a truly underappreciated wrestling promotion.

After taking their most recent break, PWU will be returning at a special 5th anniversary show on September the 26th. It promises to be one of the best PWU shows yet! So far it has been announced that Johnny Kashmere will be announcing a new general manager, the first ever PWU: WR hall of fame will take place, and the first ever Super Heavyweight Champion will be decided.

Stay tuned to http://www.wrestlereality.com/ for updates on the event!

I'd like to thank the following sources:

www.indywrestlingnews.com

www.DOIwrestling.com

www.wrestlereality.com

www.wikipedia.com

www.onlineworldofwrestling.com

Thanks for reading!

The Life and Times of Booker "T" Huffman

Scott Beeby — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:40:46 -0400

Booker “T” Huffman is one of the most underrated professional wrestlers in the business today.

He has done almost all there is to be done in the world of professional wrestling during his 20 year career, but his story starts much earlier.

Born on March 1, 1965, Booker was raised in the rough area of South Park in Houston, and was the youngest of eight children.

He grew up wanting to be a professional dancer and spent most of his spare time practicing to break dance, along with several of his friends.

The group of them would go from park to park, looking for other kids to challenge or "battle."

After the unfortunate death of his father when he was very young, and the passing of his mother by the time he turned 14, Booker's older brother Lane stepped up to raise Booker and his siblings.

After high school Booker went on to work a few jobs, including one at a Wendy's restaurant. After working there for 2 1/2 years, Booker and three other employees hatched a plan to rob the restaurant.

Their attempt was unsuccessful and the four men were arrested and sent to jail. Huffman was sentenced to five years, but only spent 19 months inside and spent the remainder of the time on parole.

Shortly after being released from prison, Booker was working at a storage company in Houston when his brother Lane approached him about checking out a new local wrestling school that was being run by former WWF wrestler Ivan "Polish Power" Putski as part of the Western Wrestling Alliance (WWA).

At the time Booker was a single father and he was looking for a better life for himself and his son.

Here's what Booker told Slam! Wrestling: "I am the youngest of eight kids and my mother was a single parent too. So, the only way I could look at it was, if my mother had EIGHT, man, what kind of father would I be if I can't take time out to look over the ONE I have?"

"It was $3,000 to go to the school. At the time, I was just working a regular job and raising my son as a single parent. I was just trying to make everything work.

"It just so happened that the guy who I worked for at the American Mini-Storage wanted to see me succeed. So, he put the money up for me. He was a damn good boss."

Booker went to the school and was trained by Scott Casey, who helped to turn Booker's background in break dancing into "sports entertainment," while also teaching him about ring psychology.

Eight weeks after the training, Booker debuted on the WWA Live! program in 1989 under the ring name "G.I. Bro." The gimmick was supposed to be a take on WWF's Sgt. Slaughter character, as well as a reference to the Gulf War which was being fought at the time.

The WWA folded later on, but Booker went onto the indy scene, often tag teaming with his brother Lane "Stevie Ray" Huffman.

At one of the events they were spotted by Skandor Akbar who hired them immediately to compete for Global Wrestling Federation (GWF) as a tag team.

The brothers wrestled under the tag team name of "Ebony Experience." As the tag team got more popular, there were more people attending the show, and there was a large increase in the amount of African-Americans attending the events. The crowd figures changed from 120 to 200 people, up to 3,500 people in just two years!

The team finally won their first of three tag team championships with the company on July 31, 1992. After finding success in the promotion, the brothers moved on to bigger and better things, and started working for the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) promotion.

When they moved to WCW they were repackaged as "Harlem Heat", with Booker's new ring name being Kole, and Lane's new name being Kane.

They were portrayed as heels and put into the Wargames match at Fall Brawl in 1993 along with Harley Race and Col. Rob Parker, facing the team of Sting, Davey Boy Smith, Dustin Rhodes, and The Shockmaster.

They went on to lose the match, but went over with the fans as genuine contenders because of the quality of opponents they were facing.

For the next five years the tag team, now reverting back to their original names of Booker T and Stevie Ray, feuded with several notable tag teams including the Steiner Brothers, The Nasty Boys, The American Males, Public Enemy, The Outsiders, and the team of Sting and Lex Luger.

Towards the end of 1997, Stevie Ray took five months off to heal an ankle injury. Booker successfully transitioned into singles competition in the next few years, winning the WCW World Television Championship on several occasions before reuniting with Stevie Ray as the "Harlem Heat" tag team.

The year 2000 turned out to be the most important year of Booker's wrestling career. Not only was he finally getting the main event push that so many had wished for him to get, but he won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship three times that year, holding it for a total of 125 days.

This was also the year that Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) named Booker the most inspirational wrestler of the year, as well as ranking him No. 5 in the top 500 wrestlers in the world for that year.

In the last days of WCW, Booker T was both the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship.

By the end of WCW he was recognized as the most decorated athlete in the history of the company, winning a total of 23 championships during his tenure.

Booker debuted in WWF at the 2001 King Of The Ring tournament when he injured "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. He then went on to become a heel and be a leading figure in The Alliance during the invasion storyline between WWF and WCW/ECW.

Booker spent the majority of the next few years chasing more tag team gold. He teamed with Test, Goldust, and Rob Van Dam, winning championships with each of them.

Throughout his time looking for tag team titles, Booker also competed on several occasions for both the Intercontinental and United States championship belts.

In 2006, Booker entered into the King Of The Ring tournament on Smackdown, where he eventually won by defeating Bobby Lashley in the final at Judgment Day. After winning the tournament Booker had a gimmick change, referring to himself as "King Booker."

Booker later won a No. 1 contenders battle royal for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship at The Great American Bash.

He beat Rey Mysterio for the title, and became the first African-American in WWE history to win the championship. Booker later lost the title to Batista at Survivor Series.

Booker qualified for the Money In The Bank match at Wrestlemania 23 by defeating Kane in a match on Smackdown.

Booker was unsuccessful in winning the match, but he came very close to grabbing the briefcase before having to save his wife, Sharmell, from getting hit by a twist of fate from Matt Hardy.

In the 2007 draft Booker was drafted to Raw, where he had a feud with Jerry Lawler and then Triple H over who was the real "King" on the show. Booker managed to beat Lawler, but was then defeated by Triple H at Summerslam.

Soon after, Booker was suspended for violating WWE's wellness program. Booker then requested his and Sharmell's release from the company, and WWE obliged.

Booker debuted in Total Nonstop Action (TNA) in his Booker T character at the Genesis pay-per-view as Sting's mystery partner against Kevin Nash and Kurt Angle for the TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Sharmell also debuted during the same match, interfering on Booker and Sting's behalf.

Booker feuded with Robert Roode for the next five months after Booker claimed he came to TNA to test his skills against the younger talent on the roster.

The rivalry went to the next level when Roode legitimately punched Sharmell, dislocating her jaw. The feud was settled when Booker and Sharmell defeated Roode and Payton Banks in a mixed tag team match at Lockdown 2008.

Booker then turned heel and feuded with Samoa Joe for the next four months over the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Booker reverted to a gimmick close to his "King Booker" character from WWE, this time claiming to be the king of Africa.

Booker then introduced a new title belt during an episode of Impact!, calling it the Legends championship and naming himself the current champion. Later he, along with Sharmell, Scott Steiner, Kevin Nash, Kurt Angle, and Sting formed TNA's newest stable, Main Event Mafia.

Booker later defended his Legends title against A.J. Styles at Destination X this year, where he lost the belt. He has since moved on to form the tag team of the Main Event Mafia with Scott Steiner. They are currently in the hunt for the TNA Tag Team Championships.

Booker credits his entire wrestling career to his big brother, Lane "Stevie Ray" Huffman. "That's just the way it's gotta be because if it wasn't for Stevie Ray, I wouldn't be in the business. I wouldn't have a big house. I wouldn't have a nice car.

"If it wasn't for him, I would probably be in jail or dead. You never know. So, we have to look after each other, because we are all that we got. That's just the way it is. Family comes first."

Booker T's list of achievements is quite honestly astonishing:

5x WCW World Heavyweight Champion

11x WCW Tag Team Champion (10x Stevie Ray, 1x Test)

6x WCW World Television Champion

1x WCW United States Heavyweight Champion

1x WWE World Heavyweight Champion

3x WWE United States Champion

1x WWE Intercontinental Champion

3x WWE World Tag Team Champion (1x Test, 1x Goldust, 1x Rob Van Dam)

2x WWF Hardcore Champion

Winner of King Of The Ring 2006

Sixteenth WWE Triple Crown Champion

Eighth WWE Grand Slam Champion

Participant of the first Elimination Chamber

Participant of Money In The Bank match, Wrestlemania 23

1x TNA Legends Champion

Participant in King Of The Mountain match

PWI Tag Team Of The Year (1995, 1996) with Stevie Ray

PWI Most Improved Wrestler Of The Year (1998)

PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler Of The Year (2000)

PWI Ranked #5 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the year (2000)

Booker and his older brother Lane opened a training facility for aspiring wrestlers and referees alike in 2005 called Pro Wrestling Alliance (PWA).

Since then there have been many TNA superstars that have competed in the promotion, including Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed, and Team 3D.

Booker and his wife Sharmell have also founded the Booker T. Fights For Kids Foundation, which is currently trying to build a 24-hour community center for kids.

They're hoping that the center will feature the latest in technology and recreational activities to provide an alternative to the inner city streets of Houston.

Booker has tried his hand in various sports throughout his life. He played touch football and basketball in high school, and later in life he competed as an amateur boxer.

Booker was able to use some of these skills in the 1-800-COLLECT television commercials that he has done.

After featuring in the advertisements, Booker was cast in television shows "Charmed" and "The Jersey," as well as starring in the 2000 wrestling movie "Ready To Rumble."

After writing this article, I will forever look at Booker T in a different light, as an unsung legend of the professional wrestling world. Just imagine the quality of wrestling that we would've missed out on if his former boss never lent him that $3000...

A special thanks goes out to the following references:

www.Wikipedia.com

www.bookertonline.com

www.slam.canoe.ca

Please rate and comment. Thanks for reading!

Who Would Be The Next Wrestling Community Leader?

Scott Beeby — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:36:11 -0400

I got to thinking the other day. What would happen if Shane and Jason weren’t on Bleacher Report? Who would be the wrestling community’s leader? Would there only be one person, or would two people share the job like they do now?

If it were up to a public vote, who would you choose as the new community leader of the pro wrestling section on Bleacher Report?

I've picked some candidates based on their ranking and how active they are on B/R.

Ron Johnson—He's Community Leader of the WWE sub-section, so why not have him as the leader for all pro wrestling?

· Joe Burgett—He’s currently the No. 1 writer, so he obviously has experience here on B/R, but there are some critics out there that down like him too much.

· AkD—With over 4,000 comments posted and five articles of the day, you know that AkD is B/R's gold standard.

· Sulayman—Sully is a great writer, but do you think that could convert into being a great leader?.

· Daris Brown—He has his own radio show, so he has to know what he's talking about. He has potential as a Community Leader.

· Ryan Michael—B/R's very own No. 1 Ortonite has written over 250 articles and would be a welcome addition as Community Leader.

· DJ Rallo—With 150 articles and two articles of the day, he has got to be doing something right! Is he the guy that would run the pro wrestling community?

· Svyato Rovenchuk—He runs Raw in the "B/R turns into WWE" series, so could he run the entire community?

· Matthew Hester—He's making his way up the rankings, and pretty soon he'll probably crack the top 10. Should he be a community leader?

Maybe there's someone else you had in mind? Leave a comment and let everyone know.

This entire article is just out of curiosity. Do the writing rankings reflect the true pecking order here on Bleacher Report? Is there even such a thing? Voice your opinion.

WWE and TNA Present ECW Epics (June 30): New ECW Champion Mick Foley!

Scott Beeby — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:13:59 -0400

For the followers of ECW Epics, you may think it’s a little strange that this isn’t a slideshow this week. The reason is that I’m running a poll to see how you think the show has been going so far.

If you could please vote and/or leave a comment, I would greatly appreciate it and it would help improve the show in future. Thank you!

"Epic" by Faith No More plays as the pyrotechnics goes off, and the commentators do their introductions.

Striker:

WOW! What a PPV The Bash was, just two days ago, Tazz! Christian and Mick Foley had a heated battle for the ECW championship, but once the dust had settled, the victor stood above his opponent. The new champion is Mick Foley!!!

Tazz:

Not only that, Matt. Rey Mysterio successfully defended his Intercontinental championship for the second time in as many PPVs!

We were also witness to one of the most savage and brutal matches that I have ever seen. The Monsters' Ball match truly lived up to its name, with all five competitors bleeding by the end of the match.

Striker:

I don’t think anyone can doubt that those five brave souls are some of the most extreme in wrestling today, and they proved that ECW’s hardcore roots are still alive and kickin’.

Tazz:

That’s for damn sure! I am proud to say that I am part of this joint venture between not only WWE and TNA, but EC f’n W too!

The sound of a car crash blares throughout the arena as the new ECW Epics champion, Mick Foley, walks to the ring with thousands of cheers from the fans.

Foley climbs into the ring and soaks in the atmosphere. The fans cheer even louder, and a chant erupts at a deafening level.

Crowd:

Foley! Foley! FOLEY! FOLEY!

Foley:

They said that I couldn’t do it. That I was too old. I didn’t have “it” any more. Well look who has it now! (Holds title belt in the air. Crowd cheers). I’m gonna bring integrity back to this championship. I’m also...

Christian comes out to the stage, accompanied by Tomko.

Christian:

You got lucky! I’m the real champion of this show, and everyone knows it!

The crowd starts giving him some small heat.

Christian:

Me and my clan will prove that we are the most dominant force to ever hit WWE or TNA!

Foley looks around the ring, and then shrugs his shoulders.

Foley:

What clan? You and that tattooed freak next to you?

Christian:

I’m glad you asked. Let me introduce to you, and the world, the third member of The Clan.

Rhyno walks out to a small pop from the crowd.

Christian:

Now to the reason I came out here. I’m going to do everything in my power to get back what is rightfully mine. I’m invoking my rematch clause at the next PPV, Victory Road!

Paul Heyman appears on the titantron.

Heyman:

Excuse me!? Are you making up the matches on this show now? No, you’re not, so listen up!

The two of you are going to participate in a match that you haven’t been in before, and always feared you would be a part of. At Victory Road, it’s going to be an EXTREME ELIMINATION CHAMBER!!

Crowd:

Thank you, Paul! Thank you, Paul!

Last week my assistant Tiffany told Batista to prepare for a grueling match. Well tonight the time has come. The winner of the match will qualify to take part in the Extreme Elimination Chamber at Victory Road. Batista will be in a match against an opponent of Christian’s choice, seeing as it is his championship that’ll be on the line. Not just any match by the way, but a steel cage match!

That’s not going to be the only Extreme Elimination Chamber qualifier tonight. Next up, we will see a triple threat match to determine who takes another one of the spots. It will be R-Truth vs. Booker T vs. ECW’s newest acquisition, Rob Van Dam!

Crowd cheers ecstatically.

Also, the combatants from the Monsters Ball match at The Bash won’t be wrestling on the show tonight. Those valiant warriors pushed themselves to their limits, so I’m rewarding them with a week off to heal their wounds.

(Commercial break)

Match One: Booker T vs. R-Truth vs. Rob Van Dam (Extreme Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match)

As soon as the bell rings, Truth and Booker go after each other. Booker T kicks him in the gut and runs the ropes, looking to hit a scissors kick. Truth straightens up and nails him with a clothesline.

RVD climbs to the top rope and hits Booker with a flying kick as he’s standing up. R-Truth connects with a jumping heel kick on RVD, which send RVD backwards towards the ropes. RVD retaliates with springboard moonsault, knocking R-Truth onto the mat.

Booker T stands up and RVD whips him into the corner. RVD runs at Booker and delivers a series of shoulder thrusts, followed by a monkey flip. RVD then hits Booker with rolling thunder. RVD stands up and taunts the other competitors.

Crowd/RVD:

R-V-D!!!

RVD walks over to R-Truth and bends over to pick him up. R-Truth connects with a kick to the top of RVD’s head. Truth gets up, runs the ropes and hits RVD with a flying forearm which sends RVD to the canvas. R-Truth goes to the top turnbuckle and hits RVD with a 450 splash. He goes for the cover. 1... 2... Interference by Booker.

Booker shoves Truth out of the way and goes for a pin on RVD. 1... 2... Interference by Truth. Booker and Truth talk trash to each other while stepping closer together. They trade blow after blow, lefts and rights.

RVD runs the ropes and hits Booker with a front dropkick. Booker ends up on the ropes from the impact. RVD then whips Truth into Booker. RVD runs the ropes again and hits them with a dropkick, sending both men over the top rope and to the floor below.

RVD quickly scrambles onto the top rope and jumps onto the two men outside with a huge 5 star frog splash. RVD rolls back into the ring and the referee starts his ten count. 8... No movement outside. 9... Both guys roll onto their fronts and try to stand up. 10! Neither man could get back in the ring.

Winner by count out: Rob Van Dam

Cross to backstage where Gregory Helms is with the winner of the Monsters Ball at The Bash, Tommy Dreamer.

Helms:

Congratulations on winning the match at The Bash! It was an intense battle among the five of you. How have you pulled up from it today?

Dreamer:

As you can see I’m wearing this neck brace, thanks to Raven choking me with that metal chain. I had to get a few stitches on my head wear I was busted open, but besides that I think I got off pretty lightly. Compared to Sabu’s injuries, I consider myself a very lucky man.

Helms:

What’s next for Tommy Dreamer now that he’s proven that he truly is the most extreme in ECW?

Dreamer:

I’ve been told by the assistant GM Tiffany that next week I’ll have my chance to get into that Extreme Elimination Chamber match at Victory Road. Not only that, but I’ll be facing Raven, so I’m looking forward to getting some redemption.

Helms:

How do you think you’ll go if you qualify to be in the match at Victory Road?

Dreamer:

Well, it’s hard to tell because I’ve never personally been involved in one of them. I’ve seen them before, and I’m sure they take a huge toll on the body, but if you want to be the ECW champion, then there are just certain things you have to go through to get there.

(Commercial break)

Beer Money Inc. are in the ring as we come back from the commercial break.

Roode:

Last week we promised to give you a revolutionary way of determining the opponents for our next title defence. Well here it is. Tonight a match has been approved by our GM, Paul Heyman, that we think will sort out the men from the boys.

Tonight there will be a Six Pack Challenge where the winner will get to choose a tag team partner for a title match at Victory Road.

Storm:

The rules are simple. Two competitors start in the ring and the other four wait on the apron in each corner. The four men outside the ring must wait until they are tagged in before getting involved.

Anyone can tag anyone, but only the two men that are in the ring are eligible to win the match, by pin or submission. This match will be sudden death. The first person to beat their opponent wins.

To keep the odds even, there can only be one member of a tag team in the match.

This is an open invitation to everyone in the back. We’re gonna have this match right now, so if you want to participate, you better come out now.

One at a time, out comes Hernandez from L.A.X, Curt Hawkins, Tyson Kidd from The Hart Dynasty, Carlito, The Paul London from The Tag Team, and Chavo Guerrero.

Match Two: Hernandez vs. Curt Hawkins vs. Tyson Kidd vs. Carlito vs. The Paul London vs. Chavo Guerrero (Six Pack Challenge for a Tag Team Title shot at Victory Road)

Carlito and Hernandez start the match.

Hernandez lifts Carlito above his shoulders and throws him in a border toss, straight into the corner turnbuckles. Curt Hawkins is in that corner and tags himself in. The referee assists Carlito to the outside while Hawkins gets in.

Hawkins charges at Hernandez, but Hernandez hits him with a big boot. Hernandez whips Hawkins into the same corner and hits him with a stinger splash. Hawkins collapses onto the canvas and Hernandez drags him into the middle of the ring and goes for the pin. 1... 2... Interference by The Paul London.

Hernandez stands up and stares at London as he scurries back through the ropes. Hernandez literally picks up Hawkins and throws him at London. The ref says that London is now the legal man because he was technically tagged by Hawkins.

London climbs through the ropes and hits Hernandez with a superkick, sending him into a corner where Tyson Kidd tags himself in. Kidd goes straight on the offence, hitting him with a flurry of punches before picking London up and connecting with an inverted atomic drop.

The two lock up, and London grabs Kidd and tucks his head under Kidd’s arm. London hits a northern lights suplex and bridges with a pin. 1... 2... Late kick out by Kidd.

London stands up and goes for a shooting star press, but just as he’s about to connect Kidd rolls out of the way. Kidd takes this opportunity to grab one of London’s legs. Kidd locks in the Sharpshooter on London. London is flailing around for a rope but he can’t reach one. London has no choice but to tap out.

Winner by submission: Tyson Kidd

Backstage in Christian's locker room we see The Clan huddled together, talking.

Christian:

I do NOT want Batista in that match at Victory Road. That’s why I’m putting the two of you in that cage match tonight. You have to do everything you can to make sure he doesn’t win. Got it?

Tomko:

Don't worry, Christian. We'll make it very difficult for him!

Rhyno:

Yeah, all I have to do is deliver a gore and it's game over, Batista!

Christian:

Don't get too overconfident! Over the years I’ve had your backs and you’ve had mine. Do this for me, and I'll make sure we go all the way to the top!

Match Three: Rey Mysterio vs. Shelton Benjamin (Champion vs. Champion)

The two champions step towards each other talking trash. Mysterio is the first to lash out by delivering a series of kicks to Benjamin's legs. Benjamin grabs one of Mysterio's legs and throws him to the mat in a dragon whip.

Benjamin grabs Mysterio from behind and slides him under the bottom rope, and onto the ground below. Mysterio bounces on the floor and ends up on the hard concrete in front of the ramp.

Benjamin is leaning against the ropes, mocking Mysterio. The crowd are giving him some minor heat. Meanwhile, Mysterio is getting to his feet as the referee gets to seven in his ten count. Mysterio limps back to the ring and rolls under the bottom rope. Benjamin stomps on Mysterio to prevent him from getting to his feet.

Tazz:

You see right there, that's a smart move by Shelton Benjamin. He knows that the only way to beat a high flyer like Rey Mysterio is to keep him grounded.

Benjamin taunts Mysterio again, but this time he gets cut off by Mysterio when he gets his feet taken out from under him. Mysterio jumps to his feet and hits a standing moonsault on Benjamin. Mysterio backs away and waits for Benjamin to get to his feet.

Mysterio connects with a headscissor takedown onto the middle rope. Mysterio runs the ropes and hits Benjamin with the 619. Benjamin is knocked to the ground. Mysterio jumps onto the top rope and goes for a body splash. Benjamin kips up and hits Mysterio with Paydirt. Benjamin goes for the cover. 1... 2... 3!

Winner: Shelton Benjamin

Benjamin rolls under the bottom rope and retrieves his Legends title from ringside before heading up the ramp.

(Commercial break)

Back from the break and the ECW theme music is playing in the background as Paul Heyman and his assistant Tiffany are in the ring.

Heyman:

I told you last week that we would have some fresh blood on the roster this week. Well the next match is going to showcase them. Please welcome ECW's three newest superstars: Kofi Kingston, MVP, and Mr. Kennedy!

Big pop from the crowd as the three come out.

Now you may all be wondering who will be facing these three. Earlier tonight there was a six pack challenge with the stipulation that only one member of a tag team could compete.

Well we wouldn't want their tag team partners to get rusty now, would we?It's going to be a 6 man tag team match between the three men next to me and The Brian Kendrick, David Hart Smith, and Zack Ryder.

Match Four: Kofi Kingston & MVP & Mr. Kennedy vs. The Brian Kendrick & David Hart Smith & Zack Ryder

Kingston and Kendrick are in the ring to start the match as the ref signals for the bell.

Kendrick holds out his hands, as if he was about to lock up, but at the last second kicks Kingston in the gut. Kendrick gets Kingston in a reverse headlock, hoping for a quick win by going for sliced bread. Just as Kendrick jumps off the top rope Kingston breaks the hold and Kendrick lands on the canvas face first.

Kendrick rolls onto his back and Kingston starts running around him with high knees. Kingston runs the ropes and pauses in front of Kendrick while raising his shoulders.

Crowd/Kingston:

Boom! Boom!

Kingston lands a double leg drop on Kendrick's chest, knocking the wind out from him. Kingston goes for the cover. 1... 2... Kendrick manages to lift a shoulder off the mat.

Kendrick fights off Kingston and scampers on all fours to his corner where he tags in Smith. Smith is full of enthusiam as he goes after Kingston. Smith picks him up and hits him with a delayed vertical suplex.

Both men get up and Smith charges at Kingston. Kingston counters with Trouble In Paradise, which sends Smith reeling backwards into his corner. Ryder tags himself in and at the same time Kingston dives to his corner and tags in MVP.

MVP immediately aims for Ryder and connects with a Drive-By kick, sending Ryder to the mat. MVP runs the ropes and stops in front of Zack Ryder.

Crowd/MVP:

Ballin'!!

MVP hits him with an elbow to the sternum. MVP walks to his corner and tags in Mr. Kennedy. Kennedy climbs through the ropes as Ryder stands up. Kennedy grabs hold of Ryder and hits a mic check. Kennedy goes for the pin. 1... 2... 3!

Winner: Kofi Kingston & MVP & Mr. Kennedy

The three superstars celebrate as we cross backstage.

ODB is backstage with Beer Money. She skols the beer that she has and thanks the boys. She steps out of their room and proceeds to walk down the hallway. She walks around a corner and is confronted by Natalya Neidhart.

ODB:

Get out of my way. I wouldn’t want to ruin that pretty pink hair of yours.

Natalya doesn’t move an inch.

ODB:

What’s your problem? What do you want from me?

Natalya:

I want a chance to take that title from you. Last week I won our match, so I think I’ve earned my shot. There’s only one top Knockout on this show, and that’s me!

ODB:

All right, bitch. You’ve got it! I’ll give you your title match, and we’re gonna have it at Victory Road. I’m gonna expose you for the fraud you really are. You’ve only gotten where you are by riding on the coattails of your daddy.

The two stare each other down as we cross back to ringside.

Main Event: Batista vs. Rhyno and Tomko (2-on-1 Handicap Cage Match)

The team of Rhyno and Tomko circle around Batista. Batista locks up with Rhyno, but Tomko hits him from behind. Tomko kicks the back of Batista’s knee and Batista falls to his knees.

Tomko wraps his arm around Batista's neck in a choke hold, while Rhyno goes to town with jabs to Batista's mid-section. Batista reaches behind him and grabs hold of Tomko. He whips Tomko over his head, and Tomko goes flying into Rhyno. Both men end up in a heap.

Batista tells the ref to open the cage door. He steps through the ropes, but Tomko grabs a leg and won’t let go. Rhyno comes over and between them they manage to pull Batista back in the ring. They beat Batista down until he stops fighting against them.

Rhyno walks to a corner and sets up for a gore. Meanwhile Tomko starts climbing the cage wall. Batista gets to his feet and sidesteps the gore. Rhyno can’t stop himself and he collides into the cage wall, which breaks apart and Rhyno goes flying to the floor. The crowd all get to their feet cheering.

Batista looks at the broken cage in shock. He remembers that Tomko is still climbing the cage wall and he goes after him. Tomko receives multiple blows to the lower back as he gets to the top of the cage.

Batista climbs up the ropes and puts Tomko on his shoulders. Tomko holds onto the cage with all his might, but he eventually gets pulled off the wall and Batista hits a massive Batista Bomb from the top rope!!

Batista steps over Tomko lifeless body and walks through the portion of cage wall that was broken off. He jumps to the floor below and the bell rings.

Winner: Batista

Backstage, Christian has been watching the match on the television. He has an expression on his face that is a mix of anger and disappointment. He punches the screen and the T.V. goes out. Back to the ring.

Batista approaches Rhyno, who’s on the ground, and picks him up. He walks Rhyno over to the ring and rolls him into it. Batista gets in the ring also, and sets up for a spear. Rhyno gets to his feet and is immediately hit with a spear before he even knows what’s happening.

Batista has a really angry look on his face as he again picks up Rhyno. Batista delivers a huge Spinebuster on Rhyno, on top of Tomko. The screen fades to black as Batista is on top of the cage celebrating.

ECW Epics recap:

Rob Van Dam qualifies for the Extreme Elimination Chamber at Victory Road.

Tyson Kidd earned a tag team title shot at Victory Road.

Shelton Benjamin b. Rey Mysterio.

Kofi Kingston & MVP & Mr. Kennedy b. The Brian Kendrick & David Hart Smith & Zack Ryder.

Batista b. Rhyno & Tomko to qualify for the Extreme Elimination Chamber.

Tommy Dreamer will be in a chamber qualifier next week against Raven.

Natalya Neidhart is the new No. 1 contender for the Knockouts title.

Christian has formed a new faction that goes by the name of "The Clan," which includes Christian, Tomko, and Rhyno.

That's it! I hope you enjoyed the show! Please leave some feedback below so that I can improve the series in the future. Also, don't forget to vote on the poll. Thanks!

Ramblings of a Wrestling Fan: The Bash

Scott Beeby — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:07:16 -0400

2009’s The Bash PPV has come and gone, but what will happen from here?

Kane finally appeared on television after he interfered in the Great Khali vs. Dolph Ziggler match. Please tell me this isn’t leading to a Kane/Khali feud! That’ll be worse than Cena/Big Show!!

Smackdown General Manger Teddy Long was under the pump all night long. He was asked by Vince to shake things up, and boy did he ever!

The Unified Tag Team title match had a third team of Edge and Chris Jericho thrown in at the last second, and they managed to come away with the win.

At last, WWE is starting to bring some prestige back to the tag team division. What will the team of Edge and Chris Jericho call themselves? The Canadian Connection? E & C 2.0? Maybe just plain old Edge and Jericho?

Jeff Hardy wrestling without wearing face paint seems to be the equivalent of Tazz removing his glasses. It’s the whole “this is serious, folks” thing all over again.

McCool became the first woman in WWE history to obtain the Women’s and Diva’s championships. Hopefully this will be the kick start that the women’s division needs right now. Michelle McCool vs. Gail Kim has a nice ring to it.

Mysterio was never going to lose the mask in the Intercontinental championship match. I don’t know why WWE insists on teasing us with the possibility.

It should and will not happen again! Think of all the money WWE would be missing out on in merchandise sales of Mysterio’s mask! I must say, that I didn’t expect him to win cleanly, though.

The Miz should’ve won. I don’t care if it was by DQ or some other way, but he should’ve got the win to continue the feud. It was just a squash match to prop up Cena’s ego. Way to kill The Miz’s momentum, WWE!

Is the shoulder block now the trendiest move in WWE? I mean seriously, how many guys are using that now!?

The CM Punk heel turn is almost complete. After getting a finger in the eye, he’ll say he couldn’t see when he kicked the ref “by accident.” Give it another month and I think that almost everyone will be booing Punk.

Is this the start of the end for Legacy? We saw DiBiase finally confront Orton, asking if they were just Orton’s lackies. For so long I have heard people talk about the potential that Ted DiBiase possesses. Are we finally going to get the chance to see it?

I’m so glad that WWE did the right thing and had Orton retain the WWE championship. Hopefully now we will see a decent run from him as champion. It’s probably the best thing that WWE and Raw could do right now.

What Is the Best WWE Match of the 21st Century? (The Winner)

Scott Beeby — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 12:08:18 -0400

I would like to thank all 111 of you that took the time out to vote in the grand finale.

It became quite obvious after a few short hours which match was going to come out the victor of this competition.

This match has managed to outlast 52 other matches to earn its title as the best of the 21st century. Classics like Austin vs. Rock (WM 17) and Rock vs. Hogan (WM 18) fell victim along the way.

The winner of this tournament with a staggering 61.3% of the vote, and B/R's match of the 21st century (so far) is:

SHAWN MICHAELS vs. THE UNDERTAKER - WRESTLEMANIA 25!!!

I would like to send a big shout out to the following loyal readers of this competition that participated in every single step of the way:

Connor Green

Rob

Captain Charisma

James Brandt

Christi Lott

Jessy Morris

Joshua Mouzon

Kevin Schomaker

Nefatiri H

Kendrick Davis

James Triggs

Danny Starry

Without you guys there wouldn't have been a competition. I sincerely thank all of you for your efforts.

Thanks again to everyone that was involved in this competition. I hope you enjoyed it, and maybe we can do it again sometime?