Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Blog

2012 Almanac Available In Print/Digital Formats

2012-02-08T12:02:00.002-05:00

The 17th edition of the PWI Almanac is now ready for purchase and/or download. If you are a PWI print subscriber, the issue will be sent to you shortly. If you are not a subscriber (and for the life me, I can't understand why you wouldn't be!), you can order by clicking beneath the cover on the right side of this page.

For the first time ever, the Almanac can be downloaded in digital format for viewing on your PC, Mac, or tablet for the special price of $3.99. Click here to sample it for free. Note to current and would-be digital subscribers: The Almanac is not included in the subscription price. You have to order it separately.

Either way, the PWI Almanac is still an invaluable reference tool, including title histories, a listing of more than 750 active wrestlers, pay-per-view results throughout history, a day-by-day review of 2011, and the top 10 stories of the past year.

Stu Saks

Publisher

PWI Awards Issue Ready For Downloading!

2011-12-30T14:11:00.003-05:00

The official on-sale date of our 2011 Achievement Awards issue is January 30. But I'm happy to let you know that we reached our goal of making it available in digital format a month earlier.

I'm not going to tell you who won the all awards; that much you can see without even having to buy the issue for $4.99. I will say this: If you voted for CM Punk, your voice has been heard!

Click here to sample PWI's annual Year-End issue.

Stu Saks
Publisher

Looking Ahead To The Best Of 2012

2011-12-27T16:43:00.001-05:00

As 2011 draws to a close, all of us here on the staff of theKappa Publishing family of wrestling magazines would like to sincerely thankyou for your loyalty and support over this past year. And what a year it’sbeen.

The Rock made his triumphant return to WWE. CM Punk becamethe most talked-about superstar in the sport. Homegrown TNA stars Robert Roodeand James Storm eclipsed legends like Hulk Hogan and Sting. And ROH took itsbiggest step to date toward becoming a national force with its sale to SinclairBroadcasting Group.

In the coming weeks, you’ll find out who you chose as thewinners of the PWI Year in Wrestling Awards for 2011. But, looking even further ahead, Ithought I’d give you a very early look at who might be in the running when we’recounting ballots this time next year.

I’ll leave out some categories that are particularly difficultto predict, including Comeback of the Year, Inspirational Wrestler of the Year,and Rookie of the Year. And, just please, don’t hold me to any of this. A yearago, I predicted John Morrison could contend for 2011’s Wrestler of the Year award.How could I have known?

2012’s Tag Team of the Year: Unless TNA or WWE radicallychanges its approach toward tag team wrestling, it’s likely that the crop ofcandidates for this award will remain slim pickings a year from now. Kofi Kingston & EvanBourne have a lot going for them—youth, excitement, popularity—but with littlecompetition to speak of, it’s unlikely that Air Boom will be featured in manymeaningful tag team matches in 2012. TNA’s best hope for a standout tag team in2012 will depend on whether Chris Sabin heals from an ACL injury and canreunite with Alex Shelley in The Motor City Machine Guns. With far morevisibility than ever before, there’s a strong possibility that a duo out of ROH’sdeep tag team roster finally takes home this prize in 2012. And they don’t comeany tougher or more polished than the now-seven time ROH tag team champions,Mark & Jay Briscoe.

2012’s Woman of the Year: Although the best women’swrestling in the U.S. is likely taking place in independent promotions like SHIMMERand Women Superstars Uncensored, the reality is that, with their hugeaudiences, WWE and TNA will once again dominate voting come next year. WWE’sbest hope for winning the award may rest with a returning Diva, such as LaylaEl or Karma, if she’s feeling up for returning to the ring soon after givingbirth to her child. TNA’s women’s division is still head and shoulders above WWE’s,and veterans like Mickie James, Gail Kim and Tara can always be counted on todeliver a quality effort. If TNA or WWE would wise up and hire some of thesport’s most talented ladies, such as Madison Eagles or Mercedes Martinez, they’dall but be guaranteed this award.

2012’s Match of the Year: If one match in particular isn’t ator near the top of the vote tally next year, WWE will have some serious egg onits face. I’m speaking, of course, of The Rock vs. Cena. This generation’sversion of Hulk vs. Andre will have a full year of build, a gigantic audience,and a hot Miamicrowd undoubtedly cheering on “the Great One.” What’s more, there will havebeen plenty of time to lay out as perfect a match as possible between the twostars, and also to ensure that both men are healthy and in shape going in. Ifrumors of Chris Jericho’s return to WWE pan out, he would instantly top thelist of WWE wrestlers capable of having a 5-star match, particularly if he’s inthe ring with someone along the lines of CM Punk or Daniel Bryan. Speaking ofwhich, Punk and Bryan would be guaranteed to have blockbuster affair if giventhe proper stage. Similarly, if built up the right way, the next clash betweenformer tag team partners James Storm and Bobby Roode could have the emotion andgravitas to deliver a MOTY contender. And ROH is always good for someincredible matches each year. I’m thinking a Davey Richards vs. SheltonBenjamin heavyweight title bout could be something special.

2012’s Feud of the Year: The most obvious pick for thiscategory would be The Rock vs. John Cena. But given The Rock’s Hollywood commitments, it’s likely that his wrestlingreturn will be short-lived, and won’t include many, if any, rematches withCena. As I touched on earlier, Chris Jericho has been taking some jabs at CM Punk in recent months, perhaps hinting to a possible feud upon his return. Ifanyone knows what it takes to inject passion and intensity into a wrestlingfeud, it’s Jericho—andPunk might be a close second. In TNA, there are still plenty of unsettledissues between Storm and Roode that could take several months, and hopefully severalquality matches, to play out. And, even in its third year, there are fewwrestling rivalries more volatile than that between Kevin Steen and ElGenerico. You have to think those two will spill some serious blood in 2012.

2012’s Most Popular Wrestler of the Year: Having been in Madison Square Gardenwhen he won his latest world title, Imust say that I’ve heard few pops louder than the one CM Punk received thatnight. Punk may not be the kind of wrestler who will expand WWE’s universe offans, but he is the kind of wrestler who can win over nearly every fan in thatuniverse. And Punk’s booming popularity should only grow in 2012. Fans who onlyknow Daniel Bryan from his WWE body of work may be slow to warm up to him. Buthe has much the same charisma and talent as Punk, and could similarly win overfans in 2012. Over in TNA, James Storm has been showing the kind of charm andtoughness that made Steve Austin one of the biggest stars ever in the sport. He,too, could make a run for Most Popular Wrestler in the New Year.

2012’s Most Hated Wrestler of the Year: One name inparticular comes to mind: John Cena. With each year that passes, Cena’s jeeringsection has overtaken more and more of his cheering section. These days, it’stough to make out a single, discernable clap among the chorus of boos every timeCena takes the stage. There have been hints dropped about Cena finally makinghis “turn” official in the coming months (perhaps leading up to or immediatelyfollowing his WrestleMania match against The Rock.) But even if he doesn’tformally embrace his dark side, there’s a strong chance of Cena earning the topspot in this category next year. Other candidates could include a returningJericho, for whom heeldome is something of an art form, Bobby Roode, who is offto a good start as a bad guy world champ in TNA, and Kevin Steen, who isofficially back in ROH and is about as evil as they come.

2012’s Wrestler of the Year: It’s so hard to predict a yearahead of time who will dominate the sport in 2012. But certainly some wrestlerswill be off to better starts than others. At the top of those lists are the sport’sreigning world champions—CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and Bobby Roode. In many ways,all three men exemplify what pro wrestling could, and should be in the modernera. They are relatively young, fresh, charismatic, athletic and passionateabout their professions. Much the same could be said for several top contendersfor their respective titles, including James Storm, The Miz, and Dolph Ziggler.One thing seems likely: After dominating the top tier for most of the lastdecade, established acts like John Cena, Randy Orton, Kurt Angle, and Jeff Hardywill become far less relevant in 2012 than they have been in a long, long time.

That’s it for me. On behalf of everyone at Pro WrestlingIllustrated, The Wrestler and Inside Wrestling magazines, I’d like to wisheveryone reading this a very happy New Year. See you in 2012.

Al Castle

Senior Writer

Women Of Wrestling Lives Digitally!

2011-12-14T16:44:00.001-05:00

I can't begin to tell you how many letters of regret our Customer Service department has had to write to people requesting back issues of our Women of Wrestling specials. Unfortunately, all of these issues sold out years ago.

Well, the rule of magazine publishing is you never go back for a second printing, but now, our new digital capabilities have enabled us to make the Fall 2004 issue available once again. For $4.99 the issue featuring 160 pages and more than 300 color photos of stars, from Stacy Keibler to Trish Stratus, is available by clicking here. Sample a few pages for free and see if you can resist!

Another in-house note: If print magazines is your thing, I urge you to take advantage of the sale we're running at www.pwi-online.com. Current issues that would cost $9.95 at the newsstand are on sale for $5.95 plus $2 for postage and handling in the U.S.

Stu Saks
Publisher

PWI Goes Digital!

2011-11-25T11:23:00.001-05:00

I am so pleased to let you all know that the digital edition of Pro Wrestling Illustrated launched at just about the same time that idiot in Los Angeles pepper-sprayed her fellow Black Friday bargain-hunters at Walmart in an effort to get a competitive shopping edge. You can sample PWI Digital from the comfort (and safety) of your own home. Just click here.

I'm very excited about this new direction for PWI. Working in conjunction with Zinio, the world's largest electronic newsstand, we will now be able to deliver PWI weeks faster and at about half the newsstand price for a single issue. A subscription costs only $3.33 an issue, two-thirds off the newsstand price!

What we have for you right now is the February 2012 issue, which won't be on sale in its print format until the third week of December. Along with that are our last three back issues. One of those is the October 2011 "PWI 500" issue, which is fortunate since the print edition is completely sold out. Another is the January 2012 issue, which is also fortunate because we have a major error in the print edition that has been rectified with an updated page 48.

You will be able to see the cover and table of contents of all four issues. You will also see the remaining pages in thumbnail form, with the ability to enlarge three pages of your choosing before deciding if you would like to make your purchase.

This is just the start for PWI Digital. Beginning with our March 2012 year-end awards issue, we plan to add video links. Check it out now, though. I'd be interested to read your comments.

Stu Saks
PWI Publisher

The Indy Scene Through Fresh Eyes

2011-11-16T08:40:00.001-05:00

I tried my best at artfully dodging the question. The thing of it was, Trevor Blanchard, one of the top guys at Purely Obsessed Wrestling World Entertainment, was sitting right across from me waiting for an answer. And it was the second time he’d asked me inside of five minutes. It was still pretty early on a Sunday morning and I was still a little leery of Trevor because he and my wife had teamed up to play a practical joke on me while I was still sleeping off the reverie of the night before. It was a good enough justification to play coy, anyway.

"How many indy shows have you been to?” he’d asked. Here was the guy who – on behalf of Chicago-based POWW – had invited me up to the area and, with POWW’s owner, Jim Blaze, given me the VIP treatment so I could go back and spread the word to PWI faithful far and wide. The truth of it was that I hadn’t seen many indy shows at all … in person, anyway. Counting the ROH show I attended late last year and the Memphis and ICW shows I’d attended back in the territory days, I could pretty well count them all on one hand. But the POWW roster had given it their all the night before at their biggest show of the year, WrestleRage IX. The last thing I wanted to do was to give Trevor and his crew the impression that I, a dedicated fan of professional wrestling for somewhere around three decades, was some kind of newcomer to the scene.

Yes, I am still a newbie when it comes independent wrestling. I certainly have some found memories of the best territory days of the late-'70s and early-'80s, but when it comes to post Monday Night Wars indy stuff, I am pretty wet behind the ears. But that is, in and of itself, not necessarily a bad thing because the more I see of independent wrestling, the more I like it. In fact, my evening with POWW reminded me about so much of the good stuff in wrestling, including why and how I became a fan in the first place. In short: POWW made a believer out of me, that’s for darn sure.

WrestleRage IX brought some former WWE stars back to the squared circle, including Scotty 2 Hotty, as well as a “one night only” DX reunion featuring Billy Gunn, Road Dogg. and X-Pac. NWA champ Adam Pearce and TNA’s Robbie E were also on hand for scheduled contests and Lanny Poffo made a memorable appearance representing his late brother, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, for his posthumous induction into POWW’s Hall of Fame. Additionally – and a genuine highlight of the night for my money – “The Franchise” Shane Douglas made a surprise appearance at the show, cutting a blistering promo that ultimately constituted a broad critique of the current state of this country's two biggest organizations, WWE and TNA. In perfect form and with all the tact of a 10-pound sledgehammer, Douglas let everyone within earshot know what needs to change at the highest echelons of the industry if the business is to survive and stay relevant as a pop culture institution. Most importantly, he put an emphatic exclamation point on the implicit theme of the entire WrestleRage event: Today’s indy scene is wrestling’s wave of the future.

“Big” names from WrestleRage aside, the POWW roster is full of men and women who are so dedicated to professional wrestling and carry themselves with so much pride that, at first glance, one might well be easily persuaded that they’re already big wheels in the business. Indeed, “The Flyin’ Hawaiian” Kanoa and “Ruthless” Ramon Rodriguez tore down the house with a main event TLC contest that would easily have stood up to any WWE or TNA pay-per-view contest. And at the end of it all, fans received the shock of the evening when all-around bad dude Ruff Crossing crashed the match to cash in his chance at the gold, ultimately scaling the tallest ladder in the building to grab the strap. And all of this came at the end of a card packed with high spots and solid mat work from the likes of wrestlers like Soulbrotha #1, “The Gentleman” John Campbell, Braun the Lumberjack, “Bad Boy” Justin James, SHIMMER’s Sassie Stephie, Nikki St. John, and a host of others. It was certainly a night to remember for everyone who was there.

For my part, I was fortunate to spend some time behind the curtain getting to know some of the class acts who put their livelihoods on the line to entertain their fans. Looking around, I was reminded of one of 1989 review for a buzzworthy new band named Nirvana in which the band mates were described as guys who “…wanna rock, who, if they weren't doing this, would be working in a supermarket or lumberyard, or fixing cars.” True enough, for every wrestling fan who complains that he or she isn’t happy with the product offered by the likes of WWE and TNA, there’s a bright-eyed up-and-coming grappler who spends weekends on the road, wrestling in school gymnasiums, meeting halls, and county fairs. In their real lives, they’re laborers, electrical workers, bouncers, and P.E. teachers. And whether they’re from Philly-based ECWA, APW out on the West Coast, or POWW Entertainment, independent wrestlers see a grand vision through all of their worst pain and greatest triumphs: These are the people who want to bring about a new era in the world of professional wrestling.

Call it a “New Renaissance “of professional wrestling, this fabulous marriage of nostalgia and youthful enthusiasm. This is the era of documentaries like Canvasman and Sadermania, films that unabashedly show the positive side of professional wrestling with tremendous candor and plausibility. It’s the era in which trailblazers like Shane Douglas can speak freely about the need for change in the business and nudge hardcore fans and a confederation of open-minded promoters toward a grassroots movement to reinvent professional wrestling as a powerful and compelling medium that effectively combines athleticism with drama of the highest caliber. It’s the era in which a legion of day laborers and old school veterans compete to earn one of the most coveted of all prizes: respect from peers and fans alike.

From what I saw at WrestleRage IX, POWW is at the forefront of wrestling’s New Renaissance, that’s for sure.

So Trevor, my friend, if you’re reading this, I suppose it’s time to give you my best answer to your original question: How many indy shows have I been to? Not many at all, but I can now proudly say that’s about to change. Consider me an “indy guy” now.

Mike Bessler

PWI Contributing Writer

Link: PWI Presentation To Madison Eagles

2011-10-31T14:55:00.001-04:00

On October 1, I had the opportunity to present Madison Eagles with a plaque to commemorate her earning the top spot of the 2011 "PWI Female 50." Madison was gracious enough, but she had some harsh words for Serena Deeb, which brought the former WWE star out to the ring. Eagles went on to beat Deeb, but she lost the championship to Cheerleader Melissa the following day. As for me, I was just happy I didn't get roughed up the way former Managing Editor Jeff Ruoss was manhandled by Angel Orsini last year ... although being manhandled by Eagles and Deeb is an intriguing prospect.

A youtube link of my presentation just surfaced on youtube, so I thought I'd share the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gmbXCPoBQ8

Dan Murphy
PWI Senior Writer

Bound for Glory 2011: PWI Staffers' Predictions

2011-10-12T15:41:00.002-04:00

Choosing which match is the true main event of TNA’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view is may depend on how you like your wrestling served up. If you lovenothing more than to watch the legends of the sport relive their glory days,then you probably can’t wait to see the epic “fight” between Hulk Hogan andSting. On the other hand, if you're hungry for something fresh and exciting,then you should be looking forward to seeing TNA’s newest superhero, Bobby Roode,challenge Kurt Angle for the World title.

In fact, whatever your tastes are, there’s a good chancethat the loaded lineup for this Sunday’s show—TNA’s biggest of the year—has somethingfor you. Our senior staffers offer their predictions for each match at Bound for Glor,accompanied by some commentary.

World Tag Team Championship: Mexican American (c) vs. InkInc.

Frank Ingiosi: Ink Inc.
Al Castle: Ink Inc.
Dan Murphy: Mexican America
Dave Lenker: Ink Inc.
Frank Krewda: Ink Inc.
Harry Burkett: Ink Inc.
Stu Saks: Mexican America

Commentary: TNA’s tag team division isn’t what it used to bejust a few months ago, when the likes of The Motor City Machine Guns, BeerMoney Inc., and Team 3-D were all in the title mix. Nevertheless, the team of JesseNeal and Shannon Moore appear to have more of an upside than that of Hernandezand Anarchia. Whoever comes out on top, here’s hoping TNA finds them some freshopponents.

Knockouts Championship: Winter(c) vs. Mickie James vs. VelvetSky vs. Madison Rayne

Frank Ingiosi: Madison Rayne
Al Castle: Mickie James
Dan Murphy: Velvet Sky
Dave Lenker: Madison Rayne
Frank Krewda: Velvet Sky
Harry Burkett: Velvet Sky
Stu Saks: Mickie James

Commentary: It’s looking likely that a new Knockoutschampion will be crowned in Philly this Sunday. Velvet Sky is the frontrunnerto win the title for the first time, but you can never count out Mickie James.She’s hardcore country, and a multiple-time women’s champ. Whatever the case,if given enough time, this could be one of the better women’s matches by anational promotion this year.

X Division Championship: Austin Aries(c) vs. Brian Kendrick

Frank Ingiosi: Brian Kendrick
Al Castle: Austin Aries
Dan Murphy: Austin Aries
Dave Lenker: Austin Aries
Frank Krewda: Austin Aries
Harry Burkett: AustinAries
Stu Saks: Austin Aries

Commentary: It’s nearly unanimous. A-Double looks to be a lock toretain the X title at Bound for Glory. Our confidence in Aries is no surprise.He’s a two-time ROH heavyweight champ, and has almost singlehandedlyresurrected the X division since his arrival in TNA. We’re looking for somebig-time athleticism in this one.

I Quit Match: AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels

Frank Ingiosi: Christopher Daniels
Al Castle: Christopher Daniels
Dan Murphy: AJ Styles
Dave Lenker: Christopher Daniels
Frank Krewda: AJ Styles
Harry Burkett: AJ Styles
Stu Saks: AJ Styles

Commentary: You can expect wrestling magic every time Stylesand Daniels step into the ring. And with the “I Quit” stipulation added, thelatest battle in the Daniels-Styles war promises to have its drama level turnedup to 11. Styles is the favorite to pick up the victory here, and hopefullyalong the way remind TNA matchmakers how “phenomenal” he really is.

Falls Count Anywhere: Mr. Anderson vs. Bully Ray

Frank Ingiosi: Bully Ray
Al Castle: Bully Ray
Dan Murphy: Bully Ray
Dave Lenker: Anderson
Frank Krewda: Mr. Anderson
Harry Burkett: Bully Ray
Stu Saks: Bully Ray

Commentary: In a race to fill up a swear jar, it would be a closeone. But a falls-count-anywhere match looks to favor Bully Ray, who helped putTeam 3-D on the map through wild brawls like this one. What’s more, with Rayimpressing fans and observers in recent months, it’s a good bet he’ll move intoa World title feud before too long.

Full Metal Mayhem: Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn

Frank Ingiosi: Rob Van Dam
Al Castle: Ron Van Dam
Dan Murphy: Rob Van Dam
Dave Lenker: Jerry Lynn
Frank Krewda: Rob Van Dam
Harry Burkett: Jerry Lynn
Stu Saks: Draw

Commentary: It’s the latest chapter in an epic saga thatbegan more than a dozen years ago. But this time, the grace and athleticismyou can usually count on with Lynn and Van Dam will be accented by some tables,ladders, and chairs. Eight years younger, and infinitely more valuable to TNA, VanDam looks to be a favorite here, but not by much.

Hulk Hogan vs. Sting in a “fight”:

Frank Ingiosi: Sting
Al Castle: Sting
Dan Murphy: Sting
Dave Lenker: Hulk Hogan
Frank Krewda: Sting
Harry Burkett: Hulk Hogan
Stu Saks: Sting

Commentary: On this much, we can all agree: Don’t look forHulk Hogan to be dropping the big leg, or doing much of anythingthat would require leaving his feet. The toughest thing to predict is exactlywhat shape this “fight” will take, and what kind of smoke and mirrors TNA willemploy to disguise the limitations of Sting, 52, and Hogan, 58. We’re expectingJoker Sting to get the last laugh on Hogan… and, possibly, a return of the redand yellow.

TNA World Heavyweight Championship: Bobby Roode vs. (c) KurtAngle

Frank Ingiosi: Bobby Roode
Al Castle: Bobby Roode
Dan Murphy: Bobby Roode
Dave Lenker: Kurt Angle
Frank Krewda: Robert Roode
Harry Burkett: Kurt Angle
Stu Saks: Bobby Roode

Commentary: If you told us six months ago that Roodewould be headlining TNA’s version of WrestleMania, we would have said you wereTotally Not Aware of how this promotion operates. But TNA has done a tremendousjob of building up Roode as an inspirational underdog challenger to legendaryformer Olympic gold medalist. We’re counting on Roode pulling out the victoryin this one, but even if he doesn’t, he should be proud that the match happenedat all. And so should all of TNA.

"Female 50" Issue Available At Special Price!

2011-09-09T09:05:00.000-04:00

All it took was a mere tease on the home page of our website to incite all the "experts" out there who want to explain why we should or shouldn't have selected Madison Eagles as the number-one gal in the 2011 "Female 50" rankings. Better yet, some of these "experts" actually speculate on the remainder of the list--numbers 2 through 50--when the entire list hasn't even been published yet!

Want to get the jump on these self-proclaimed pundits? Check out our website, where you can order your copy of the November 2011 "Female 50" issue at the reduced price of $5.95! Not only can you cut through the all the misinformation littering the Web, you can save $4 off the newsstand price while doing it.

Much like our annual "PWI 500" ranking, this year's "Female 50" is sure to inspire some thought (and possibly debate) among readers. Any time our editors put together a list, we have to make some hard decisions that often get people talking. This year's ranking has quite a few newcomers in it. That means we had to drop some familiar faces from the list. To see how the 2011 "Female 50" rounded out, order the November 2011 issue that appears at right.

Frank Krewda
Editor-In-Chief

PWI Writers on Wrestling Talk Shows

2011-08-25T14:52:00.000-04:00

Pro Wrestling Illustrated Senior Writers Dan Murphy & Al Castle have been making the rounds on several pro wrestling radio shows to promote the new PWI 500 issue. Click on the links to listen to them discuss how the list was put together, the debate over choosing The Miz as number one, and some predictions on next year's 500:

Legends Radio
Right After Wrestling
Over The Ropes
Fever Keeps It Real

Keeping The Dream Alive

2011-08-11T10:44:00.004-04:00

One ofthe things I love the most about writing for Pro Wrestling Illustrated is talking to men and women whotruly love their work. Almost every time I chat with an up-and-coming indystar, I hear those wonderful words, “I am living my dream.” It’s a greatsentiment, indeed … Especially in troubled economic times like these in which alot of folks have to scrape and struggle in some rough conditions just to makeends meet.

Alongthese lines, most of us writer-types have our own “day jobs” in which we puncha clock for eight hours (or more) every day so we can meet our obligations and—hopefully—livecomfortably. The end of the day is when we really get busy, though, because that’swhen we get to watch, discuss and write about professional wrestling. Most ofus love wrestling so much that we write about it wherever and whenever we getthe chance. We have blogs, forums, podcasts and all kinds of other stuff goingon. But writing for PWI is really and truly the brass ring for many of us.

PWI has earned a really special placein the wrestling industry because the magazine is absolutely enmeshed with thevery history of the business. For some good evidence of this, look no furtherthan WWE’s outstanding new DVD set The Greatest Cage Matches Of All Time. In the commentary for the August 9,1980, match between Bruno Sammartino and Larry Zbyszko, talking encyclopedia ofwrestling Matt Stryker touches upon the importance of PWI back in the days when printed mediawas the most important link between wrestlers and their fans. Josh Matthews,who joins Stryker in play-by-play for the match, acknopwledges this, addingthat the Sammartino/Zbyszko was voted Match of the Year by readers of PWI, and that Zbyszko himself earned thedubious distinction of Most Hated wrestler, according to PWI faithful. Indeed, PWI was a lifeline for wrestling fansfar and wide as well as an outlet for fan enthusiasm and critique.

In herrecent appearance on Colt Cabana’s The Art Of Wrestling podcast, WWE’s Beth Phoenix furtherarticulates the unique connection PWI has enjoyed with wrestling enthusiasts of all ages andorigins. Beth recalls that her grandmother, who was of Polish descent, was apassionately dedicated fan of professional wrestling who kept issues of PWI on her living room coffee table,right next to her Polish language magazines.

The veryfirst interview I did for the PWI family of magazines was a story on indy star Ray Alexander. Idistinctly remember Ray telling me just how important it was that he’d finallylanded in a magzine in the PWI family, as he said, “In the locker room, most of us complainabout PWI and all that … But when PWI comes calling, we know it’s a big deal.” I thought aboutthat for a minute and, having written about wrestling here and there on the ’netmyself (and doing my own share of ribbing the folks at PWI in the process), I replied, “Yeah,it’s kind of like that for writers, too.” And that’s the absolute truth of itall. At the end of the day, we really love what we do when we knock out a shortblurb, a column, or a feature piece for PWI because we know we’re part ofsomething that’s been so important to readers and wrestlers alike for a verylong time. Just like the subjects of our stories, I think it’s safe to say thatwe’re living our dream, too.

MikeBessler

 PWIContributing Writer

"PWI 500": 1-100

2011-08-09T08:54:00.003-04:00

1. The Miz

2. Randy Orton

3. John Cena

4. Kane

5. Takaski Seguira

6. Alberto Del Rio

7. Mr. Anderson

8. Rey Mysterio Jr.

9. Eddie Edwards

10. CM Punk

11. Rob Van Dam

12. Sheamus

13. Roderick Strong

14. Suwama

15. Daniel Bryan

16. Jeff Hardy

17. Dolph Ziggler

18. Kurt Angle

19. Wade Barrett

20. Jeff Jarrett

21. Sting

22. Hiroshi Tanahashi

23. Ultimo Dragon

24. AJ Styles

25. Davey Richards

26. Christopher Daniels

27. John Morrison

28. Dr. Wagner Jr.

29. Kofi Kingston

30. Robert Roode

31. Big Show

32. Matt Morgan

33. Christian

34. Kazarian

35. Cody Rhodes

36. Chris Hero

37. James Storm

38. Ricky Banderas

39. Jack Swagger

40. Bully Ray

41. Satoshi Kojima

42. Samoa Joe

43. Sin Cara

44. Claudio Castagnoli

45. Shinsuke Nakamura

46. El Generico

47. Alex Shelley

48. Chris Sabin

49. Adam Pearce

50. El Zorro

51. R-Truth

52. Drew McIntryre

53. Seth Rollins

54. Togi Makabe

55. Hernandez

56. D’AngeloDinero

57. Mark Henry

58. Negro Casas

59. Gunner

60. Abyss

61. Justin Gabriel

62. Douglas Williams

63. Brother Devon

64. Go Shiozaki

65. Matt Hardy

66. Heath Slater

67. Robbie E

68. Ted DiBiase Jr.

69. Evan Bourne

70. Naomichi Marufuji

71. Shelton Benjamin

72. Tommy Dreamer

73. Prince Devitt

74. Jay Briscoe

75. Rob Terry

76. Austin Aries

77. Max Buck

78. Ezekiel Jackson

79. Charlie Haas

80. Jushin Liger

81. Mark Briscoe

82. Orlando Jordan

83. Jeremy Buck

84. Jesse Neal

85. Kenny Omega

86. Shingo Takagi

87. Carlito

88. Volador Jr.

89. Crimson

90. BxB Hulk

91. Shannon Moore

92. Vladimir Kozlov

93. Homicide

94. Colt Cabana

95. Yuji Nagata

96. Eric Young

97. David Otunga

98. Yamato

99. Tommasso Ciampa

100. Santino Marella

"PWI 500": 101-200

2011-08-08T10:09:00.004-04:00

101. Kenny King

102. Jon Moxley

103. The Sheik

104. Low-Ki

105. Great Khali

106. Alex Riley

107. Brian Kendrick

108. Jimmy Jacobs

109. Rhett Titus

110. Scott Steiner

111. Minoru Suzuki

112. La Parka

113. Tyson Kidd

114. Mike Bennett

115. Adam Cole

116. Johnny Curtis

117. Michael McGilicutty

118. Jay Lethal

119. Mason Ryan

120. Tyson Dux

121. MVP

122. Kevin Steen

123. Minoru Tanaka

124. David Hart Smith

125. Ryota Hama

126. Ultimo Guerrero

127. Hirooki Goto

128. Blue Demon Jr.

129. Husky Harris

130. Giant Bernard

131. La Sombra

132. Michael Tarver

133. Chessman

134. Kaz Hayashi

135. Ryusuke Taguchi

136. Amazing Red

137. Yoshi Tatsu

138. Yoshihiro Takayama

139. Toru Yano

140. Zack Ryder

141. Delirious

142. Takuma Sano

143. Primo Colon

144. Karl Anderson

145. Wataru Inoue

146. L.A. Park

147. Averno

148. Kotaru Suzuki

149. Mohammed Yone

150. Hiram Tua

151. Joe Doering

152. Joe E. Legend

153. JTG

154. Kota Ibushi

155. Takeshi Morishima

156. Mephisto

157. KONO

158. Taiyo Kea

159. Big Daddy Voodoo

160. Rhino

161. Steve Corino

162. Chavo Guerrero Jr.

163. Tyler Reks

164. Magnus

165. Chris Masters

166. Masato Tanaka

167. Anarquia

168. Yoshinobu Kanemaru

169. William Regal

170. Murphy

171. CIMA

172. Trent Barreta

173. KENTA

174. Heavy Metal

175. Curt Hawkins

176. Masakatsu Funaki

177. Paul London

178. Luke Gallows

179. Kensuke Sasaki

180. Ray Gonzalez

181. Akitoshi Saito

182. Atlantis

183. Yoshihiro Tajiri

184. Yujiro Takahashi

185. Brodus Clay

186. Tetsuya Naito

187. Sami Callihan

188. Pac

189. Jimmy Uso

190. Jon Davis

191. Bo Rotundo

192. Jey Uso

193. Jun Akiyama

194. Bison Smith

195. Oliver John

196. Hector Garza

197. Masato Yoshino

198. Kory Chavis

199. Jack Evans

200. Arik Cannon

Tomorrow: 1-101

"PWI 500": 201-300

2011-08-05T09:09:00.003-04:00

201. Perro Aguayo Jr.

202. Tim Storm

203. Electroshock

204. Taiji Ishimori

205. Darren Young

206. Richie Steamboat

207. Extreme Tiger

208. Xavier Woods

209. Masahiro Chono

210. Hartley Jackson

211. Brad Allen

212. Naruki Doi

213. Derrick Bateman

214. Johnny Vandal

215. Big E. Langston

216. Eric Escobar

217. Silver King

218. Chris Grey

219. Calvin Raines

220. Brodie Lee

221. Jerry Lawler

222. Tommy Taylor

223. Byron Saxton

224. Glamour Boy Shane

225. Peter Orlov

226. Drake Younger

227. Jado

228. Ultimo Gladiador

229. Michael Elgin

230. Raven

231. Matt Taven

232. Kyle O’Reilly

233. Necro Butcher

234. Chris Angel

235. Rasche Brown

236. Jon Rekon

237. Cibernetico

238. Keiji Muto

239. Sabu

240. Percy Watson

241. Keith Walker

242. Joe Lider

243. Gedo

244. Conor O’Brian

245. Metal Master

246. Martin Stone

247. Cody Hawk

248. Tim Donst

249. Titus O’Neil

250. Octagon

251. Vampiro

252. TJ Cannon

253. Dragon Rojo Jr.

254. Tiger Mask IV

255. Super Crazy

256. Jacob Novak

257. Blue Panther

258. Caylen Croft

259. Bruce Maxwell

260. Lucky Cannon

261. John McChesney

262. Ricky Reyes

263. Tokyo Monster Kahagas

264. Petey Williams

265. Akebono

266. Akuma

267. Cody Deaner

268. Johnny Gargano

269. Shawn Spears

270. Sterling James Keenan

271. Latino

272. Ryan Eagles

273. Mascara Dorado

274. Akira Tozawa

275. Matt Cross

276. Derek Wylde

277. Damien Sandow

278. Joey Ryan

279. “Mr. 450”Hammett

280. Chuck Taylor

281. Jigsaw

282. Icarus

283. Ares

284. Ruckus

285. Jayson Cypress

286. Kazuchika Okada

287. Tito Colon

288. Eddie Kingston

289. Mike Quackenbush

290. Josh Daniels

291. Rocky Romero

292. Mason Beck

293. Sebastian Suave

294. Darin Corbin

295. Joey Mercury

296. Hunico

297. Robbie Heart

298. Rich Swann

299. Matt Riviera

300. Dragon Kid

Monday: 101-200

"PWI 500": 301-400

2011-08-04T09:18:00.002-04:00

301. Jason Bane

302. Dennis Rivera

303. Pepper Parks

304. Lance Bravado

305. Harlem Bravado

306. Dylan Kage

307. Kijimuna

308. Dan Lawrence

309. Matt Cage

310. Silas Young

311. Craig Classic

312. Shane Hollister

313. Brandon Locke

314. Sugar Dunkerton

315. Slyck Wagner Brown

316. Aden Chambers

317. Robert Anthony

318. Robbie McAllister

319. T.J. Perkins

320. Hallowicked

321. Cliff Compton

322. Don Paysan

323. Robbie Gilmore

324. Max Bauer

325. N8 Mattson

326. Brian Milonas

327. Mohamad Ali Vaez

328. Wes Brisco

329. Brandon Espinosa

330. Eli Cottonwood

331. Arick Andrews

332. Desean Bishop

333. Samuel Elias

334. Christopher Rockwell

335. J.D. Maverick

336. Jinder Mahal

337. Donny Marlow

338. Alexander Rusev

339. Ace Hawkins

340. Cole Callway

341. Jerome Hendrix

342. The Blue Meanie

343. Andy Ridge

344. C.J. Esparza

345. Mike Mondo

346. Ophidian

347. Diego Corleone

348. R.D. Evans

349. Amasis

350. Jake O’Reilly

351. Kirby Mack

352. Brett Gakiya

353. Steve Boz

354. Jake Crist

355. Tommy Treznik

356. DJ Hyde

357. Ryan Bisbal

358. TJ Mack

359. Paredyse

360. Vance Nevada

361. Shane Haste

362. Franky the Mobster

363. Lince Dorado

364. Dave Crist

365. Kyle Sebastian

366. Devon Moore

367. Asylum

368. Corey Hollis

369. Mike Sydal

370. Ryan Rush

371. Roman Leakee

372. Matt Burns

373. Russell Walker

374. Kevin Grace

375. Adam Revolver

376. Steven Walters

377. Sam Shields

378. Danny Havoc

379. Mike Rollins

380. Ted McNaler

381. Damien Slater

382. Jake Manning

383. Ryan McBride

384. Sinn Bodhi

385. Josh Alexander

386. Bloody Harker Dirge

387. RJ City

388. Alex Silva

389. Mega

390. Jonny Puma

391. Aaron Epic

392. Adam Windsor

393. Cobian

394. Chase Del Monte

395. Shiima Xion

396. Ricochet

397. Papadon

398. Josef Von Schmidt

399. Pat Buck

400. Dan Maff

"PWI 500": 401-500

2011-08-03T14:26:00.001-04:00

Beginningtoday, the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Blog will list the 2011 "PWI 500," 100 spots at a time.Tomorrow, we will reveal 301-400, Friday 201-300, Monday 101-200, and Tuesday 1-100.

Wewelcome your feedback!

401. Jason Static

402. Bazooka Joe

403. Bobby Shields

404. Grizzly Redwood

405. Breaker Morant

406. Scott Zenzen

407. Bobby Dempsey

408. Maifu

409. Kekoa the Flyin’ Hawaiian

410. Kid America

411. Mathieu St-Jacques

412. Saifu

413. Bryan Logan

414. Sylvan Grenier

415. Crazzy Steve

416. Eric Cooper

417. Brandon Aarons

418. Matt Logan

419. Pat Guennette

420. Whipdog Johnson

421. Damian Dragon

422. Jason Jones

423. Cheech

424. Elvis Pridemore

425. Rastakhan

426. Mr. Fantastic

427. Matt Saigon

428. Player Uno

429. MASADA

430. Sexxy Eddie

431. Benjamin Kimera

432. Stupified

433. Chris Wylde

434. Shaun Rickers

435. Jake Davis

436. Jimmy Cicero

437. Ernesto Osiris

438. Mike Posey

439. Gee Gee

440. Axl Rotten

441. Joe Gacy

442. C.W. Scott

443. Shorty Smalls

444. Noah Lott

445. Scott Wright

446. Mozart Fontaine

447. Cloudy

448. Jimmy Lee

449. Mike Dell

450. Tim Horner Jr

451. Vincent Vega

452. Leslie Leatherman

453. CUJO the Hellhound

454. Bill Collier

455. American Kickboxer II

456. Chrisifix

457. Scott Tytus

458. Outlaw J. R. James

459. Kevin Douglas

460. Tommy Mack

461. RudySwitchblade

462. Steve Stasiak

463. Don Vega

464. Dennis Allen

465. Chris Cooper

466. Sabian

467. Vince Beach

468. Bodie Williams

469. Nick Fury

470. Brain Damage

471. Fred Flash

472. Biff Slater

473. A.J. Istria

474. Abraham Washington

475. Shockwave the Robot

476. Marc Mandrake

477. Martin Stanley Fuqua

478. Pee Wee

479. Damien Kass

480. Will Calrissian

481. Kwan Chang

482. AHTU

483. Ethan Page

484. Griffen

485. Barry Hardy

486. Jimmy theHippy

487. Preston Maxwell

488. Scarry Garry

489. Brandon Bishop

490. Ryot

491. Joey Kings

492. Corey Blaze

493. Ash Walker

494. Justin Sane

495. Brandon Thurston

496. MiloBeasley

497. Peter B. Beautiful

498. SinisterCross

499. Johnny Adams

500. Gino Martino

Triple-H As New WWE Head? More Like Triple-F

2011-07-27T16:26:00.001-04:00

Just around the same timeInternet chatter took off about the 2011 “PWI 500,” Triple-H assumed leadership of WWE’s day-to-dayoperations.

We can tell you that “Trips” didn’trank in this year’s “500,” due mainly to the amount of time he spent on theinjured reserve list during the evaluation period. However, if we were to analyzeand rank Triple-H for his early performance as a wrestling executive, he’d appearmuch closer to the bottom of the list than the top.

Triple-H’s first few weeks incharge have been unimpressive to say the least. And we dare say that if thepast 14 days are any indication of how Triple-H intends to run the company, WWEis in for a very chaotic future.

It’s a good thing Triple-Hisn’t a baseball player, because after whiffing on his first three front-officechallenges, we’d have already benched him in favor of a more reliable batter:

Strike One: Triple-H’s first blunder actually occurred months agowhen he made his first WWE talent acquisition by signing Mexican sensation SinCara. Sure, the lucha libre star is a scintillating wrestler capable ofwhipping out highlight-reel maneuvers on a whim. And, yes, he appeals directlyto the Hispanic and children markets WWE so covets. Unfortunately though, SinCara is currently on the sidelines, waiting out a 30-day suspension for a violation of the WWE Wellness Policy. Making matters worse, Sin Caradiscussed the suspension in the press, which the gang in Stamford, Connecticut, couldn't have appreciated.

Of course, Triple-H didn’tcause Sin Cara’s violation, but he reportedly lobbied very strongly for WWE todo the deal. And now, there’s no way around the fact that Cara’s sins reflectpoorly on Triple-H’s judgment.

Strike Two: More recently, Triple-H orchestrated the distastefulspectacle of publicly firing WWE Chairman—and his father-in-law—VinceMcMahon on Raw.

Triple-H may have been actingat the behest of the WWE Board of Directors when he “future endeavored” Vince,but it takes some pretty big grapefruits to humiliate somebody who not onlygives you a job, and a wife, but also the proverbial keys to the familybusiness.

The incident not only callsTriple-H’s judgment into question yet again, but this time WWE employees are leftto wonder if values such as loyalty and gratitude mean anything to “The Game.”

Strike Three: Triple-H squandered an opportunity todemonstrate his leadership ability when he completely mismanaged the WWEheavyweight championship situation on Raw.

In a scenario wherethen-champion CM Punk and former champion John Cena were expected to be gonefrom the Raw brand after July 17, WWE enters SummerSlam with both men holdingclaim to the same title, but no unification or elimination match announced forthe PPV as yet.

Triple-H had an opportunityto restore clarity to the heavyweight title scene by making some bold anddecisive decisions regarding Punk and Cena. Instead, he ordered a championshiptourney on Raw that only muddied the waters further by getting Rey Mysterioinvolved. Triple-H has only himself to blame for the bungled mess the heavyweighttitle picture has become.

In fairness to Triple-H, nobody expected the transition from active wrestler to veryvisible front-office executive to be seamless. But while some mistakes are acceptable, Triple-Hwould’ve been better served by staying off of Raw and Smackdown until he saw a viable way through all the confusion.

Luckily for him (and us),however, there are some ways Triple-H can fix some of his mistakes. SeniorWriter Dave Lenker expounds on them in an upcoming feature article in the November2011 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated(on sale September 27). Let us know what you think!

Frank Krewda

Editor-In-Chief

"PWI 500" Top 10 List A Fraud!

2011-07-27T08:35:00.003-04:00

Please dismiss any "PWI 500" top 10 lists you might find on the Internet. The only people who know at this point are the editors and the pressmen at Kappa Graphics, our printer. The only piece of information that has been released is that The Miz is number one.

I have seen the list that is circulating, and it's not even close!

Stu Saks
Publisher

The Miz: No. 1 In The "PWI 500"!

2011-07-25T14:39:00.003-04:00

The man who held the WWE title for 160 days--and then suffered one of the worst slumps of any headliner in company history--has been named number one in the 21st annual "PWI 500."

The official announcement has not yet been made that The Miz was PWI's selection, but today's update of the PWI home page prominently displays the cover with the news. So I figured, Hell, we may as well get the scoop.

I invite you to visit www.pwi-online.com to check out the cover and read the story that includes Miz' somewhat surprising reaction.

One note: Before anyone jumps down our throats for making Miz number one when he's clearly had a hard time of it since scoring a tainted victory over John Cena at WrestleMania 27, please keep in mind that the evaluation period for the "500" is from June 1, 2010, to May 31, 2011.

Stu Saks
Publisher

Punk vs. Cena: As Good As It Gets

2011-07-19T17:05:00.004-04:00

The entire Pro Wrestling Illustrated staff has been hard at work as of late,especially with the production one of the biggest issues of the year—the "PWI 500"—which will be on sale at pwi-online.com within a week. Andso, it’s been tough to find the time to update this blog. All apologies.

But, speaking at least for myself, I know I would have beenremiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to sound off on one particular bit ofnews coming out of the WWE over the last couple days. Simply put, for my money (in the bank), CM Punk vs. John Cena from this past Sunday was,hands down, the best match I’ve seen all year. In fact, it’s one of the verybest matches I’ve seen in my 30 years as a wrestling fan.

It’s not that uncommon to see a terrific, four-star-plus Matchof the Year contender over the course of a year. But a truly great, five-star wrestlingmasterpiece can be the rarest of gems in this sport. In the tens of thousandsof matches I’ve watched, perhaps only a dozen or so might fall into thiscategory. The majority of them include either Ric Flair or Shawn Michaels. Oneincludes both.

For a match to reach the highest levels of artistry, severalvariables need to fall into place. Yes, athleticism is important, but it’s noteverything.

It needs to have a compelling storyline that gives the bout a “bigfight” feeling before the bell even sounds. Punk’s recent reality-based promos,and his looming WWE departure, took care of that.

It needs the right setting.Usually, WrestleMania takes care of that part of the equation, but in thiscase, 14,000-rabid fans in Punk’s hometown of Chicago did the trick.

It needs to haveplenty of time to develop. At 34 minutes, this bout never felt rushed, nor didit ever drag.

And, last but certainly not least, it needs to have a solidfinish. There were a lot of ways this match could have ended. But Punk's clean pin of Cena, and the jubilation that ensued, was the best.

On what is a typically an off-month pay-per-view during alull period between WrestleMania and SummerSlam, Punk and Cena managed to placea check mark on each of the categories above and deliver an unlikely match forthe ages. What’s more, they also delivered the best match of their respectivecareers.

Ultimately, it will be up to you, the PWI readers, todetermine what 2011’s Match of the Year will be. I imagine The Undertaker’sepic showdown with Triple-H at WrestleMania 27 may give this past Sunday’sbout some serious competition. But there’s something to be said for Punk andCena having a match as special as they did without the added boost of theWrestleMania stage.

That’s not to say that 'Taker-Triple-H wasn’t fantastic inits own right. And so was February’s Smackdown Elimination Chamber bout, withits awesome closing minutes involving Edge and Rey Mysterio.

There's certainly some irony in the fact that, in the year that WWE formally decides to vanquish the word "wrestling," it delivers some of the best wrestling it ever has.

-Al Castle

Pro Wrestling Illustrated Senior Writer

My Thoughts On Austin Aries

2011-06-17T16:58:00.002-04:00

I’ve said it so many times now, that I’ve become predictable, but I think it bears repeating: I always want to see the “good guys” succeed. Austin Aries is one of the “good guys.”

Whether his actions in the ring make you want to pat him on the back or smash your chair into his skull—and I’ve seen fans attempt both— “A-Double” is one of the most genuine and honest guys you will ever meet, inside or outside of the ring. That’s why I’m really hoping this new opportunity to wrestle for TNA heading into the Destination X pay-per-view next month will be so much more than a one-time comeback or a final goodbye.

For a long time, Austin has referred to himself as “The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived.” He has taken such pride in his body of work as a wrestler and his overall presentation as a performer. He also makes no bones in talking about how wrestlers are almost never paid as much as they should be for the tremendous physical sacrifices they make. Some might call him bitter, but his critics must remember that Aries has spent much of his adult life making those sacrifices.

I’ll never forget the first time I met Aries. It was at a bar after one of the South Philadelphia ROH TV tapings a few years back, and I was there with fellow PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED writer Jeff Ruoss, former NWA champion Adam Pearce (then a high-level ROH executive), and several younger roster members. As we sat around with our beers and talked about the incredible card we had just seen, in walked Austin, replete with elbow-patched “professor” sportcoat, and pipe sticking out of his pocket. He seemed so reserved compared to the man who had been out at ringside only two hours earlier, screaming in the face of some young fan that was making a very un-PG-like hand gesture. And as he walked around the bar, red wine in hand, embracing his colleagues with hugs and introducing himself to those of us he did not know, it struck me so much that here was a man who carried himself like a major star, but never lost his humility.

A few months later, Austin was a guest on my Internet podcast. At the time he spoke of all the opportunities out there for him as his successful tenure with ROH came to a close. At the time, I felt Austin was destined to catch on somewhere—anywhere—in a prominent role, whether as a wrestler each week on WWE or as the face of any number of other television projects. As I listened to the certainty and determination with which he spoke, I just knew Austin Aries was going to be a bigger name some way.

I’m sure that’s why he has been struggling for so long with which path he wants to take. I think in the back of his head, Austin always figured his talent in the ring would land him a spot with WWE someday, in spite of his modest size. When it was announced that WWE was casting independent wrestlers for the return of its Tough Enough program, Aries seemed like such a natural I that I figured it was only a matter of time until we saw it happen. For reasons I can’t really reveal—mostly because I don’t understand them myself—“A-Double” never made it to the show as I’d expected.

With diminishing hope of eventually catching on in WWE, and Austin’s own reluctance to continue beating up his body for little compensation, retirement seemed imminent. I can now look back so proudly on getting to catch up with Austin in the Philadelphia area last April at the ECWA Super 8 tournament for what I thought then might be the last time ever. Other than a few commitments with Dragon-Gate USA and EVOLVE, the tourney was really about all he had left at the time, and it was nice to see Austin Aries the performer bring his career full circle from a 2004 Super 8 event that helped him achieve some notoriety. I also relished sitting and talking with my friend for hours … knowing it could be my last opportunity.

When I got an e-mail the other day telling me Austin would appear on Impact Wrestling, I was elated for him. Aries has been working for so long to better himself that I was left baffled when it seemed there really might not be that happy storybook ending to Austin Aries’ tale.

In TNA, “A-Double” has the chance to remind wrestling fans around the world why he was once considered one of the top men in his profession, and to show the whole locker room just how brilliant of a guy he really is.

Will this stint in TNA result in just a few more matches, and a chance to get to say goodbye on an international stage? Or could it be the beginning of a rebirth that will place him back to the same level as peers such as AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, and Christopher Daniels, as I think he deserves? Who knows? I do think that if TNA rewards him for all of the hard work I know he will give, we might actually be in for a new chapter in the Austin Aries story—potentially the best chapter yet.

–Brady Hicks
Contributing Writer

Wrestling Loses A True Superstar

2011-05-20T15:09:00.004-04:00

The day-to-day goings-on in pro wrestling (or whatever it's called these days) might not be of much interest to the mainstream news outlets, but when Randy Savage tragically died in a car crash after suffering a heart attack today, it was big, big news everywhere.

Most of the people who control the media not only knew of the "Macho Man," they were probably closet wrestling fans during the height of his popularity. I learned of Savage's death on ESPN radio while driving back to the office after lunch, and quickly turned to WFAN, where the discussion was in full swing. Checking the Internet upon my return to the office, Savage's death was the lead story on cnn.com. Even as I'm writing this blog, I was interrupted by reporters from Newsday and Sports Illustrated looking for my take on Savage's career.

Kostya Kennedy of SI (who did some freelance work for us way back when) asked me what it was about Savage that made him stand out as a wrestler. I really didn't know how to answer that. Was it his talent? I guess that's the first thing that gets any wrestler noticed. But there was something about the man that reached out and touched the audience. Whether they wanted to love him or wanted to hate him, they always wanted him. I supposed that's the best explanation of that cliched "It Factor" that has become part of our vernacular.

Randy Savage was a superstar, a term that we at PWI don't throw around loosely. He wasn't always the nicest of men. In fact, he very nearly got violent with our own Bill Apter over a cover headline on PWI. He later called and apologized, blaming his behavior on "the demons" inside his head.

If anything good can come from his tragic death, hopefully those demons died right along with him.

Stu Saks
Publisher

[Top: Randy Savage cartoon by Jason Conlan]

The World's Strongest, And Nearly Most-Tenured, Man

2011-05-18T16:36:00.003-04:00

In any line of work, you always hope that seniority comes with promotions. The longer you work for a particular employer, the more money you make, and the more you will increase your profile.

But that’s not always the case in WWE. As you witness WWE’s latest attempt to repackage Mark Henry and push him as a “fresh” main event act, consider this: Henry—the perennial staple of WWE’s Superstars weekly program—-is the second-longest tenured full-time wrestler on the entire WWE roster. (Author's note: I originally thought him to be the longest tenured, but was reminded that Kane has a year on him.)

Some of WWE’s other longest-working veterans behind Henry aren’t much higher on the cards.

That may not sound right to some of you, considering how long you’ve seen some of the same faces in WWE. But the reality is that the Undertaker and Triple-H are far from full-time performers these days. Other WWE mainstays like Goldust, Christian, and The Big Show began working for WWE more than a decade ago, but have gaps in their WWE employment of at least a year or more. Edge had 13 years of steady employment as a WWE wrestler until suddenly retiring last month.

So what you’re left with is a roster consisting largely of performers hired over the last five years. That can be a mixed blessing.

On one hand, such turn over can help the WWE product feel young and fresh—certainly more so than in TNA, where up-and-comers must feel frustrated as they watch aging wrestling stars from the 1990s nearly monopolize the upper tier.

On the other hand, veteran wrestlers can be an important ingredient in a healthy locker room. Not only can they provide leadership and direction to younger wrestlers, but they can serve as an example that loyalty can pay off, and that it’s possible to have a very long, steady career in WWE.

And, the truth is, that several WWE stars may be well on their way to becoming just those kind of elder statesmen. Although they've only been around for nine years, it's certainly possible, if not likely, that John Cena and Randy Orton will put in another 10 years or more in WWE.

And, although Henry may seem like an exception, the truth is that WWE's most senior employees are typically rewarded with big spots on the card, as evidenced by the list below. But that only makes sense. If WWE thinks enough of a performer to keep him on the payroll, then odds are he's doing something right. If he's under achieving then, well, just ask Shelton Benjamin what can happen.

Those who aren't headlining shows after a decade or more in WWE, but still manage to keep their jobs, don't necessarily have anything to be ashamed of. Skilled veterans like Henry, William Regal and Chavo Guerrero all play an important role in WWE. They help get over younger stars who, one day, may be the veterans themselves.

All that said, here is a list of Top 10 most-tenured, part-time and full-time WWE talent, whose stints in the company have been uninterrupted. (And no, I won’t count the Brooklyn Brawler.)

1. The Undertaker, debuted on TV in 1990.
2. Triple-H, debuted on TV in April, 1995.
3. Kane, debuted on TV in August, 1995 as Isaac Yankem.
4. Mark Henry, debuted on TV in 1996.
5. William Regal, debuted on TV in 2000.
6. Chavo Guerrero, debuted on TV in 2001.
7. Randy Orton, debuted on TV in April, 2002.
8. John Cena, debuted on TV in June, 2002.
9. Rey Mysterio, debuted on TV in July 2002.
10. John Morrison, debuted on TV in 2004.

Al Castle
PWI Senior Writer

Jericho Nears Elimination From DWTS

2011-04-26T09:19:00.000-04:00

The end may be near for Chris Jericho.

It was "Guilty Pleasures" night yesterday on Dancing With The Stars, and Chris and Cheryl Burke danced a tango. In my opinion, it was not clean and the lines were not very good. Chris' facial expressions gave a clear indication that he was having trouble.

The judges were very critical of the dance, pointing out that Chris looked very stiff. Chris admitted afterward that he did not have a good feeling about the dance. Jericho and Burke received only 22 points out of 30 points from the judges, the lowest among the seven couples still in contention.

The top score of 28 was shared by the teams of rapper Romeo and Chelsie Hightower and Disney star Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas (who was injured during rehearsal).

Dianne Weber

Wrestling’s Anti-Bully Pulpit

2011-04-20T11:39:00.001-04:00

Professional wrestling is a medium in which art frequently imitates life. Its propensity to adapt according to the prevailing “spirit of the times” is what sustains sports entertainment as a cultural phenomenon decade after decade. Through athleticism and high drama, the men and women of the squared circle frequently offer an interesting spin on classic tales of conflict, crises, suffering and redemption.

Recently, North America’s two largest promotions have addressed the real world issues of bullying and hate speech. Through public campaigns and partnerships, as well as on-screen storylines, WWE and TNA are each seeking to spread a new message of tolerance and sensitivity. At first glance, it might seem like an odd fit. Pro wrestling is, after all, a world in which smack-talking frequently leads to protracted violent feuds. But it is, to be sure, a kind of theater. It’s a theater in which valuable lessons can be conveyed to a large audience in short order and promoters are wise to use this forum to its full potential.

Almost two decades ago, the original incarnation of ECW proclaimed itself “politically incorrect and damn proud of it!” Indeed, pushing the proverbial envelope is a time-honored practice of wrestling promotions. But times and attitudes change and as we learn more and grow as a society, and we expect our cultural institutions to evolve as well.

In November 2010, TNA launched its multifaceted “Eliminate The Hate” campaign in an effort to stem the nationwide trend of assaults and suicides associated with teen bullying. In addition to online posts and televised public service announcements, TNA brought its anti-bullying message to wrestling fans through compelling storylines involving the likes of Sarita, Velvet Sky, and Brother Ray.

Brother Ray, recently rechristened as “Bully Ray,” pulls out all the stops to expose bullying in all its ugliness. It’s a violent spectacle, but Bully Ray’s exploits convey the ferocity and cowardice that fuel the fire within every schoolyard punk. In the end, whether it’s at the hands of Brother Devon, AJ Styles, or any of the other titans of the TNA roster, Brother Ray is certain to get his just desserts and fans will undoubtedly get the message that decent folks can only take so much abuse.

WWE also addressed the topic of bullying through backstage and in-ring action, casting Sheamus as a domineering antagonist through his run-ins with Santino Marella, Evan Bourne, and John Morrison. But as well-intentioned as those particular angles were, WWE was compelled to step up its anti-bullying message after controversy erupted regarding the homophobic musings of John Cena on the February 21 and February 28 episodes of Monday Night Raw. Following a storm of public criticism, WWE issued an apology and, shortly thereafter, the company announced a joint initiative with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) to combat bullying and hate speech.

Of course, Cena isn’t the only WWE performer to use homophobic language and double entendre against fellow denizens of the WWE Universe. Triple-H is notorious for peppering his promos with gay jokes and comments that question the masculinity and sexual orientation of his rivals. While he often gets the cheap pop for an off-color comment here and there, it’s clear that “The Game” is going to have to retire a lot of material from his longstanding repertoire if he wants to conform to the new company line.

Old habits die hard, though, and at the moment some folks in the wrestling world still seem a bit confused about a way forward. For example, during a recent opening spot on TNA Impact, Mr. Anderson advanced an unusual angle involving his former math professors who, some years ago, started a rumor that Anderson was gay, ostensibly so that the professor could put the moves on a female classmate of Anderson’s. While recounting the story, Anderson noted that he didn’t have a problem with gay people, adding that he had plenty of “gay friends” and all that … A sort of throwback to the old Seinfeld “not that there’s anything wrong with it” routine. But there was something of a twist at the end, as Anderson’s segment punctuated the conversation by cold-cocking the old professor. The assault was apparently payback for the professor’s attempt to steal Anderson’s gal, but the decision to throw a question of sexual orientation into the mix—especially given the message that TNA is purportedly trying to promote these days—was a confusing one, for sure.

WWE is struggling with issues surrounding about hate speech and bullying as well. Hot on the heels of WWE’s new partnership with GLAAD, commentator Michael Cole recently caused a stir via Twitter when he referred to broadcast colleague Josh Mathews with an anti-gay slur. Wrestling fans know all too well of Cole’s propensity to take a mouthful of his own foot now and again, but to the greater public, he’s just proving the point that there’s a longstanding problem in the world of professional wrestling. Given the the controversy regarding Cena’s homophobic promos, the public backlash from Cole’s comments was swift and certain. Although Cole quickly retracted the comment and issued an apology, the uproar served to further underscore the need for a reassessment of pro wrestling’s general attitude towards tolerance and diversity.

GLADD will reportedly offer provide training to Michael Cole following his unfortunate public gaffe. Moreover, in the near future, the organization will team with WWE to shoot some vignettes regarding hate speech and bullying. Hey, let’s hope Maryse gets the memo this time, as she’s now the most recent WWE talent to broadcast anti-gay sentiment via her personal Twitter feed. Could it be that she totally missed the respective brouhahas involving Cena and Cole? Is any one person that oblivious?

To ensure recent and future anti-bullying campaigns of TNA and WWE amount to more than symbolic gestures, the wrestling industry will need to engage in a sustained, collective effort to change longstanding practices and prejudices. In 2009, PWI writer Michael Moore called for an end to xenophobia in pro wrestling through his poignant article “Anti-Americanism Runs Rampant in Wrestling…AND IT’S YOUR FAULT!” In the piece, Moore effectively argued that it’s the responsibility of fans to use their collective power as enthusiasts and consumers to encourage promoters to stop relying on the cheap heat brought about by anti-American and “foreign” bad guys. What’s true for the tired, old plot devices of jingoism and race baiting surely applies to the equally distasteful prevalence of bullying and intolerance. In the ring, on the mike, and behind the curtain, pro wrestling can effectively model the kinds of attitudes and behaviors that will promote lasting and positive change in the real world.

Mike Bessler
PWI Contributing Writer

Jericho Earns His (Stars And) Stripes

2011-04-19T13:47:00.003-04:00

It was "America Night" on last night's Dancing With The Stars, which meant that all the couples had to dance to a song dedicated to our nation. Chris Jericho and Cheryl Burke danced an elegant Viennese waltz to "America The Beautiful." You can tell how much Chris is enjoying himself by his ever-present smile. It's plain to see that his technique and posture have improved since the start of the show.

Chris and Cheryl received a score of 26, with Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli giving them both 9's and Len Goodman (who seems to be warming up to the couple) giving them an 8.

The leading dance team was Hines Ward and Kim Johnson with 27. Romeo and Chelsie Hightower also scored a 26.

Dianne Weber

Edge Was My "PWI 500" Pick

2011-04-12T12:36:00.003-04:00

We're not quite ready to compile our 2011 "PWI 500" just yet, but there has been informal discussion about who--at this point at least--is most deserving of the top spot. Until last night, I was prepared to make a strong argument for Edge. He's has a magnificent year, topped off by a successful World title defense against Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania that none of our senior staffers was able to predict.

I know that a wrestler's career body of work is not supposed to be a criterion for the "500," but Edge has given so much of himself to this sport that it would have given me great pleasure to see him earn this one final honor. Unfortunately, there is one criterion for the "500" that has to be adhered to: The ranking is only for active wrestlers. Edge no longer qualifies for consideration.

I'm reasonably sure that Edge knew of his condition before taking on the dangerous Del Rio at WrestleMania. Thankfully, unlike Del Rios' title hopes and his Rolls-Royce, Edge escaped unscathed and will have a one more fond memory as he moves into the next phase of his life.

Stu Saks
Publisher

A Sad 'n' Sour Finish

2011-04-11T15:40:00.000-04:00

The world of professional wrestling lost a great entertainer today with the passing of “Sweet & Sour” Larry Sweeney at the tender age of 29.

For those who never got a chance to see Sweeney's work, let me put it to you this way: If he had come about a generation earlier, his mike skills could have given Jimmy Hart and Bobby Heenan a run for their money as perhaps the best heel manager of this era.

Larry was never the biggest or most athletic guy in the squared circle, but he was always entertaining.He was gold on the mike, and while he never got a chance in the “big leagues” (outside of playing Nick Hogan in Randy Orton’s “Orton Knows Best” spoof during his 2006 feud with Hulk Hogan), he was a well-respected name on the indy scene in the latter half of the 2000s.

Coming up, Larry spent a lot of time working in CHIKARA, Combat Zone Wrestling, and Pittsburgh’s IWC before getting his big break in Ring of Honor as the leader of Sweet & Sour Inc.,a group that included various former WWE talent and a lot of current top ROH stars as well. As recently six months ago, he was back in CHIKARA, assuming the identity of Vokoder before being unmasked in October.

As a frequent patron of CZW, Chikara, and ROH over the last half-dozen years, I was lucky to see Sweeney work in every capacity – manager, wrestler, interviewer, and color commentator. I also got to know Alex Whybrow the man a little bit in that time and every conversation (mostly about the wrestling of the 1980s both he and I grew up watching) was always pleasant and usually hilarious.

I’m sure those who choose to trash the business will carelessly add Larry’s name to the list of wrestlers who passed away before age 40 (or, sadly, 30 in his case). He had some personal issues as we all do, but instead of simply counting his loss as a statistic, hopefully Larry will be remembered as a man who lived to entertain and was damn good at it.

RIP, Sweet & Sour. The ICW/ICWA Texarkana television title will never be the same.

Louie Dee
PWI Contributing Writer

K&S WrestleFest: A Chance to Meet Some Personal Heroes

2011-04-08T12:26:00.000-04:00

It isn't often that I have an opportunity to be around people who inspire me, but on Saturday, April 9—tomorrow—I will have a chance to meet three men I've come to admire, not only for their stellar wrestling careers, but also for the way they've carried themselves in the face of serious medical illness.
As somebody who has lost several family members to cancer and neuro-cerebral disease, it will be a pleasure and an honor to meet Rick Steamboat, Lex Luger, and Bobby Heenan, all of whom will be on hand at the K&S WrestleFest at the Airport Ramada Inn in Essington, Pennsylvania, from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm., and all of whom have fought severe illness in recent months.
Aside from these three legends, 2011 Hall of Fame inductees Paul Ellering and Road Warrior Animal will be on hand, as will Amber O'Neal and members of her new Arenachicks promotion.
So, even if you have no personal impetus for coming out such as mine, K&S WrestleFest still promises to be a fun event well worth checking out.
For more information, go to http://kandswrestlefest.com/wp/
Frank Krewda
Editor-In-Chief

WrestleMania 27: More Bankrupt Than "Money"?

2011-04-06T21:27:00.003-04:00

After covering WrestleMania either WWE or PWI for the last seven years, I packed my suitcase and went to Atlanta to be a fan this year.

I can't say I'd trade the five days of debauchery 900 miles from home for anything, but WrestleMania itself almost felt like the low point of the trip. That's not to say I hated the show by any means, or that it was poorly worked. I'd classify five of the eight matches as pretty good, and give Triple-H vs. Undertaker the distinction of "interesting," given their physical limitations.

But I don't know: Was it just me, or did the show feel a little ... flat?

Yes, the matches were good, and half of them had a "big match" feel. But after years of Money in the Bank shenanigans, crazy Undertaker matches, and world title classics, it felt more like just another PPV.

Undertaker's match with Triple-H might have been his least built/anticipated main event match since WrestleMania XIX, the eight-man tag felt like an old Survivor Series "smash three feuds together into one match" special, and as great as the build was for Cole vs. Lawler, the token non-wrestler grudge blowoff spot (which in the last few years has been occupied by Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon, Chris Jericho vs. three Hall of Famers, Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show, and Bobby Lashley vs. Umaga as a proxy for Vince vs. Donald Trump) was occupied by two announcers.

I think that while any of us could quibble about match results, show order, or other superficial factors, there were three major things that really hurt the show: too few title matches, the lack of brand interaction, and the absence of Money in the Bank.

The first is almost inexcusable. I'm sorry, I know Night of Champions is guaranteed to be one night where all the gold is on the line, but if the titles aren't even important enough to be defended at WrestleMania, then what's the point of having them? And, no, I don't count the fact that the Intercontinental and Tag Team Champions comprised three-quarters of the Corre team. The U.S. title match was bumped to the pre-show, and Divas champion Eve got the most PPV time of them all in a backstage segment with The Rock and Mae Young, but I don't count that as "all the champions being involved."

The second? Well, I know Triple-H is a Raw guy and Undertaker is on Smackdown, so that was technically an inter-brand match. But Hunter pretty much hadn't wrestled in 11 months, Undertaker has been on the shelf for most of the last nine, and the match wasn't even hinted at until six weeks ago, so it's hard to think of the match as inter-brand. If you don't, then brand interaction was limited to Santino Marella taking one spot in an otherwise Smackdown eight-man tag and Lay-Cool teaming with Dolph Ziggler in an inter-gender six-person tag match that featured a retiree and a reality star on the babyface side.

And for the third, yes, I know Money in the Bank has its own event now, but WrestleMania 27 desperately needed something, anything, to get excited about. Outside of Rey Mysterio, the most flying we got was the finish to CM Punk vs. Randy Orton.

Rectifying problems 1 and 3 would have been very easy.

First, instead of having the eight-man tag and having Ziggler and John Morrison tied into what ended up being a five-minute match, they could've had Big Show and Kane destroy Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater for the tag title and swapped in Eve and Vickie for the boys to make a six-Diva tag match. Then, instead of a "traditional" Money in the Bank, they could've had Ziggler, Morrison, Kofi Kingston, Wade Barrett, Ted DiBiase, Drew McIntyre, Evan Bourne, and R-Truth in an eight-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Title. This would've given fans a Money in the Bank-like trainwreck where either Kofi could've regained the title or Barrett could've won it instead of doing so a week earlier on Smackdown.

Boom, easy. All the champions get a slot and you have an extra match added that could've stolen the show. Heck, Sheamus and Daniel Bryan could have even stayed as the pre-show match and still turned into a 20-man battle royal, as long as they did something like at WrestleMania 24 where the pre-show ECW number-one contender battle royal was streamed on WWE.com.

Very disappointing, WWE.

I'll be going to WrestleMania again in 2012 simply because it's in Miami, but I certainly hope the show itself feels more special.

-Louie Dee
Contributing Writer

Jericho Dedicates Dance To His Mom

2011-04-05T10:36:00.002-04:00

It must have been difficult for Chris Jericho to keep his mind on his performance last night on Dancing With The Stars, having dedicated the dance to his beloved mother, who died six years ago after an auto accident left her a quadriplegic.

Chris said he was coming out of character and would perform as Chris Irvine in honor of his mother, who always encouraged him to dance. Chris and partner Cheryl Burke danced to the rumba, with Chris choosing The Beatles’ “Let It Be,” the song that was played at his mom’s funeral.

In my opinion, the judges where very hard on Chris and Cheryl, noting that he was not moving his hands in the right position. C&C’s score of 21 out of 30 left them in a tie with Kirstie Alley and her partner, Max Chmerkovskiy and Ralph Macchio and his partner, Karina Smirnoff. The high scores of the night, 25, went to Hines Ward and Kym Johnson and Petra Nemcova and Dmitry Chaplin. Tonight we will see if Chris and Cheryl will be able to dance other day.

Dianne Weber
PWI

H(ip), H(ip), H(ooray)

2011-04-05T10:02:00.001-04:00

Let me add my applause to those fans at Philips Arena last night who gave Triple-H such a warm ovation one night after his brilliant match against Undertaker at WrestleMania.

Without the physical tools in his arsenal that his buddy Shawn Michaels possessed, his only chance to follow up HBK's two Matches of the Year against UT on Sunday night was to match the "Dead Man's" determination and courage. He did just that.

Triple-H may not have scored the win, but standing in the ring last night and being doused with the fans' respect had to be the highlight of his career. This man has taken a lot of abuse from fans since his marriage to Stephanie McMahon. He has been deemed overrated for so long that he's actually underrated. I thank you, Hunter, for your part in what was by far the best match at WrestleMania. And I thank the fans in Atlanta for what they gave you last night in return.

Stu Saks
Publisher

WrestleMania 27: PWI Staffers' Predictions

2011-04-01T16:42:00.000-04:00

With so many outsiders making appearances at WM27, exactly how each bout will turn out is anyone's guess. However, our editors and senior writers think they have a line on who will prevail. Below are match-by-match predictions made by six senior PWI staff members, followed by a few lines of commentary:

The Big Show/Kane & Santino Marella /Vladimir Kozlov vs. Justin Gabriel/Heath Slater & Wade Barrett/Ezekiel Jackson

Al Castle: Gabriel/Slater & Barrett/Jackson
Dan Murphy: Gabriel/Slater & Barrett/Jackson
Dave Lenker: Gabriel/Slater & Barrett/Jackson
Frank Krewda: Show/Kane & Marella/Kozlov
Harry Burkett: Gabriel/Slater & Barrett/Jackson
Stu Saks: Show/Kane & Marella/Kozlov

Commentary: A Corre loss would suggest that WWE has cooled on Barrett, which is unlikely. Just as unlikely: WWE squandering a 'Mania spot to elevate a comedy act like Show/Kane/Marella/Kozlov.

Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole (with Jack Swagger); "Stone-Cold" Steve Austin special guest referee

Al Castle: Lawler
Dan Murphy: Lawler
Dave Lenker: Lawler
Frank Krewda: Cole
Harry Burkett: Cole
Stu Saks: Lawler

Commentary: Lawler fans may not get the satisfaction of seeing Cole trounced in the ring, but it's a safe bet he and Swagger will be "Stunnered" into oblivion at some point.

Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.
Al Castle: Mysterio
Dan Murphy: Mysterio
Dave Lenker: Rhodes
Frank Krewda: Rhodes
Harry Burkett: Rhodes
Stu Saks: Mysterio

Commentary: Assuming there is a kernel of truth to the rumors of Mysterio seeking his WWE release, WrestleMania would be the perfect place for him to put Rhodes over. After all, Rhodes' Smackdown push hasn't exactly taken off.

Trish Stratus, Snooki, & John Morrison vs. Michelle McCool, Layla, & Dolph Ziggler
Al Castle: Team Snooki
Dan Murphy: Team Snooki
Dave Lenker: Team Snooki
Frank Krewda: Team Snooki
Harry Burkett: Team Snooki
Stu Saks: Team Snooki

Commentary: Special guests like Snooki are rarely booked by wrestling companies to be made to look bad … even if it means two former Divas champs have to take the fall to make her look good.

Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan (U.S. title match)
Al Castle: Sheamus
Dan Murphy: Bryan
Dave Lenker: Bryan
Frank Krewda: Sheamus
Harry Burkett: Sheamus
Stu Saks: Bryan

Commentary: Would Sheamus be buried on Raw for months, only to win the U.S. title, then resume a losing streak at 'Mania? We don't think so. Then again, with his skills, it is hard to ever count Bryan out of any match.

Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
Al Castle: Punk
Dan Murphy: Orton
Dave Lenker: Punk
Frank Krewda: Orton
Harry Burkett: Punk
Stu Saks: Orton

Commentary: Considering the odds Orton overcame to secure a one-on-one match with Punk at WM 27, logic dictates that though Punk may be sitting pretty going into the show. Orton will find a way to win.

The Miz vs. John Cena (WWE championship match)
Al Castle: Cena
Dan Murphy: Miz
Dave Lenker: Miz
Frank Krewda: Cena
Harry Burkett: Miz
Stu Saks: Cena

Commentary: WWE has allowed The Rock, and—to some extent—The Miz, to denigrate its franchise player for several weeks. Cena will get payback at some point. Can there a higher-profile stage on which he can get it? He does and Rock graciously gives him his endorsement afterward.

Edge vs. Alberto Del Rio (World championship match)
Al Castle: Del Rio
Dan Murphy: Del Rio
Dave Lenker: Del Rio
Frank Krewda: Del Rio
Harry Burkett: Del Rio
Stu Saks: Del Rio

Commentary: It is wholly obvious that given Del Rio's spectacular months-long push, that he won't fall short at 'Mania. However, an Edge-Christian feud, which we suspect could kick off at WM 27, will distract from Edge's loss, without detracting from Alberto's win.

The Undertaker vs. Triple-H
Al Castle: Undertaker
Dan Murphy: Undertaker
Dave Lenker: Undertaker
Frank Krewda: Undertaker
Harry Burkett: Undertaker
Stu Saks: Undertaker

Commentary: Just. Not. Time. Yet.

Order PWI Back Issues Online

2011-04-01T09:25:00.002-04:00

For the first time, all available back issues of PWI are available at our website, www.pwi-online.com .

Just click on PWI Cover History in the menu at the left side of the home page and use the drop menu at the bottom of the page to view each year. Sorry about all the "sold out" buttons. If you want any of the issues that remain, I suggest you get them soon.

Stu Saks
Publisher

Can Chris Jericho Win The DWTS Title?

2011-03-31T09:47:00.008-04:00

Let me start by saying that I am not a PWI staff writer; I actually work in the magazine’s circulation department. But if I am qualified to write about one thing, it’s Dancing With The Stars. I haven’t missed an episode in the show's 12 seasons on TV and may be its biggest fan.

I think Publisher Stu Saks got a little sick of hearing me talk about the show, so he finally got smart and decided to put my expertise to good use. Obviously, since this a wrestling blog, my focus will be on Chris Jericho. I will attempt to answer the question that’s on most fans’ minds. Can Chris and his partner, Cheryl Burke, win the mirror ball trophy?

I think they have a good chance. Chris is very light on his feet and is a very good dancer. In Season 2, Cheryl won the trophy with her partner, Drew Lachey, who, ironically, beat Stacy Keibler and Tony Dovolani.

When Chris shows that winning smile, it brings a lot to the dance. He is a crowd-pleaser. The first night he and Cheryl did a jive-type dance, and Chris’ athletic training was on full display. The past Monday night, Chris and Cheryl did a quick step, which brought the crowd to their feet. I like when they show the families of the dancers. Chris’ seven-year-old son was jumping up and down showing how proud he was.

The only competition that I see for Chris and Cheryl come from Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff and Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, with Hines Ward and Kym Johnson having an outside chance.

I feel that this is the best group of competitors for Dancing With The Stars yet. So let's keep watching and voting for Chris and Cheryl. As long as they’re still in the competition, I’ll keep blogging.

Dianne Weber
Senior Dance Critic, PWI

PHOTO: ABC/ADAM TAYLOR

Where Have You Gone, Mr. WrestleMania?

2011-03-30T11:09:00.002-04:00

1994, 1995, 1996, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010

Those years don’t represent all the Match of the Year awards that Shawn Michaels has won (he actually has two more). Those are the Match of the Year Awards that he’s earned just from bouts contested at WrestleMania.

Although The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak may be the most heralded accomplishment in all of wrestling, Michaels’ streak of world-class performances on the biggest stage in the sport is, in some ways, even more impressive.

And for the first time since 2002, the man who earned the name “Mr. WrestleMania” will not compete on the big show. As loaded as this year’s line up may be, Michaels’ absence leaves the event with a huge void, and fans with a looming question: Is there a Match of the Year candidate at WrestleMania 27?

This year’s nine-match card features several potential good matches, but perhaps no truly great one. The best chance for a MOTY nod likely rests with the Undertaker vs. Triple-H, but even here a five-star classic is not guaranteed.

Triple-H may be the greatest practitioner of the “WWE style” of wrestling, but his deliberate, methodical approach can sometimes hold back a match from reaching its full potential. He’s certainly not the athlete that Michaels is, but does his best to make up for his shortcomings in speed and agility with unparalleled ring psychology.

Still, Triple-H’s only previous Match of the Year was WrestleMania XX’s triple-threat main event that included Chris Benoit and, yes, Shawn Michaels.

In the past, The Undertaker has proven more than capable of holding up his end of an epic match. He’s been one-half of three MOTY’s—two against Michaels and his famous Hell in a Cell match against Mick Foley, which was memorable less for what Undertaker did to Foley than it was for what Foley did to himself.

But, because of mounting injuries, “The Dead Man” has been largely inactive since last year’s WrestleMania. His run during the fall months against Kane was entirely forgettable.

To maximize the potential for ‘Taker and Triple-H to have a classic contest, WWE added the no-holds-barred stipulation, which will allow the two men to use every shortcut imaginable to make their bout stand out. But it’s still far from a given that the two icons’ styles will mesh enough to deliver this year’s best bout.

The rest of the card is even less likely to deliver an HBK-esque WrestleMania classic. The Miz vs. John Cena should be a solid bout, but will be focused more on the involvement of The Rock than the actual wrestling content in the ring. Edge has looked terrific in the ring in recent months, and may have done enough to already earn MOTY with his stellar performance in last month’s Smackdown Elimination Chamber bout. But his WrestleMania World title match with Alberto Del Rio doesn’t have the gravitas—and likely won’t be given the time—to be truly great. CM Punk and Randy Orton are two seasoned professionals, but likely won’t be aiming to steal the show, even if they could. The same could be said for Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan and the other undercard matches.

And so, come this fall, it will be very interesting to see how the votes add up for the 2011 Match of the Year. As the biggest wrestling show of the year, WrestleMania is typically the first place to look for a candidate. Storylines are intricately developed. Wrestlers are inspired to give it their all. And the grand setting of ‘Mania makes every bout feel that much more special.

But with Michaels not on this year’s show, and nobody in WWE coming close to replacing what he brought to the table, fans may have to drop their standards a bit this year when casting their votes.

I can’t help but be reminded of something Chris Jericho said to me during an interview late last year.

“What used to be a three-star match five years ago just may end up being the five-star match of the future.”

-Al Castle
Pro Wrestling Illustrated Senior Writer

Supporting Japan In a Different Way

2011-03-29T10:28:00.003-04:00

As the American independent scene braces itself for the largest Japanese wrestling invasion in history, one question looms: Is there enough fan support in America to make it viable?

Puroresu, or the Japanese style of wrestling, has traditionally been a niche market for American fans, drawing mostly those committed enough to scour the Internet for videos, discussions, and others willing to trade tapes and DVDs.

But this spring, a distinct Japanese presence will take center stage on America's East Coast, as performers from Dragon Gate, Michinoku Pro, Osaka Pro, New Japan, and Big Japan grace American rings for CHIKARA, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, and CZW.

These three U.S.-based sponsors, all known for promoting shows in the same general region of the Northeast, will host the incoming Japanese performers for a total of seven shows between April 9 and May 15, with all the shows happening within a 100-mile radius of each other. Three of the shows will, in fact, take place in the same building.

Add Gabe Sapolsky's Dragon Gate USA promotion, which has run shows featuring Japanese talent throughout the Northeast since launching in the summer of 2009, and the market becomes even more saturated. Fortunately, DragonGate USA's April shows will be further south, booked in Burlington, North Carolina, and Atlanta during WrestleMania weekend.

To help try to differentiate itself from the rest, each of these American promotions has taken a different approach. CZW has booked Big Japan's Daisuke Sekimoto for its Best of the Best tournament, which will also feature talent from Germany's wXw promotion. Jersey All Pro is promoting its Triple-Shot Showcase with New Japan. The theme is "Attack on the East Coast," and is a rare opportunity to see top talent including Prince Devitt in U.S. appearances. Devitt will compete against Low-Ki when the show hits New York City on May 14. For CHIKARA, booking Japanese teams for its annual King of Trios tournament is nothing new. But this year, the promoters have turned up the volume in an apparent attempt to directly challenge Jersey All Pro and New Japan's joint venture. CHIKARA's three-night show will feature the U.S. returns of Great Sasuke, Dick Togo, and Jinsei Shinzaki, as well as the second stateside appearance of joshi (female) legend Manami Toyota, who debuted for the promotion in September to much fanfare. Osaka Pro's Atshushi Kotoge and Daisuke Harada will return for their second Trios appearance in as many years; this year teaming with Ultimate Spider Jr. Finally, a Dragon Gate trio of Super Shisa, Akira Tozawa, and Kagetora will enter the competition.

But even with all the special attractions, will these appearances be enough to help the sponsoring promotions draw a crowd, and ultimately, turn a profit? On the one hand, these Japanese stars, many of them legitimate icons of their own profession, will appeal to the segment of the wrestling fans that follow international companies. These fans will likely shell out whatever money is necessary to see their favorite performers live.

Some casual fans may also recognize some familiar faces from appearances in WWE and WCW, among other companies. While these members of a potential audience may be enticed to attend one of the shows, the prospect of them traveling and spending money to attend more than one or two of the events seems dismal, even if these events are concentrated in a relatively small geographic location.

On the other side of the equation is that all three promotions—CHIKARA, CZW, and Jersey All Pro—have established fan bases that would likely support them under any circumstances. These die-hard fans will come for the regulars and hope to find themselves enthralled with the special guests.

Overall, it seems likely that each company will find success in its own right, but to what extent that will stem from the Japanese presence remains to be seen. Of the three offerings, fans seem to be most thrilled with the prospects of CHIKARA's tournament, especially with the presence of the three Michinoku Pro veterans.

For casual wrestling fans, and the masses of them who refuse to acknowledge independent wrestling, this Japanese invasion may go unnoticed, but for the hardcore puroresu fan base, it may be a true once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, not only to see their favorite international stars, but also to help attract more foreign wrestlers to The States.

The next two months will prove an interesting time that will serve as a gauge of the viability of international stars becoming a draw in the United States. One must also be curious about the relationships and feelings of these promotions and their attempts at out-drawing each other. Taking an optimistic view, I believe this invasion could spark a whole new era of competition among independent promotions, which would be healthy for the wrestling business overall … but only if American puroresu fans respond favorably.

For those who spend their time scouring the Internet for footage of Japanese shows, and consider puroresu superior to anything American companies are putting out, this is your opportunity to show your support by spending a few bucks, which is, after all, the best way to convince more international superstars to return to the States.

If you don't buy tickets to the shows, and/or subsequent DVDs, these types of projects and venture may no longer be considered in the future.

The power is truly in the hands of international wrestling fans. Let's see what you do with it.

Adam Testa
Contributing Writer

Narrow Escape For Wrestlers In Japan

2011-03-23T11:58:00.000-04:00

Note: The following column by Senior Writer Dan Murphy is slated to appear in the issue of PWI that goes on sale May 24. We have chosen to post it here early to convey the story while the images of what took place in Japan are fresh in the images of people's minds.

THE STRAIGHT SHOOTER
BY DAN MURPHY

When the earthquake struck off the coast of Japan on the afternoon of March 11, independent wrestlers Jake O’Reilly and Shawn Spears were traveling in a tour bus, about 30 miles outside of the northern city of Sendai.

“We felt the bus shaking. We thought we had a flat tire,” O’Reilly recalled. “Once we pulled over, we saw the trees moving and the other cars pulling over, and that’s when we realized it was an earthquake.”

The two Canadians had experienced their first earthquake a few weeks earlier, when the dojo where they were staying was shaken by a small tremor shortly after they had arrived from Ontario for three scheduled tours with All Japan Pro Wrestling. But earthquakes are common in the islands of Japan, and when this quake struck, O’Reilly and Spears tried to remain as calm as the Japanese crew onboard the tour bus.

“What struck me was that the earthquake went on for such a long time, maybe two, 2½ minutes,” Spears said. “I could tell it was a big one, but we were in the countryside. We had no idea about the damage it caused.”

With the bus pulled over to wait out the tremor, the driver turned on the television sets to check the news. The TV monitors showed a map of Japan, with an ominous red circle that covered the northern section of the country. The Japanese began chattering excitedly.

“The news was in Japanese and I didn’t understand,” O’Reilly said. “I turned to Minoru Suzuki and asked, ‘Suzuki-san, what happen?’ He said, ‘Danger. Tsunami.’ I said, ‘Where?’ And he pointed right into the middle of the red zone.”

With the highway they had been traveling upon closed due to damage from the tremor, and facing the prospect of driving along unfamiliar back roads under the threat of a tsunami, the driver opted to keep the bus where it was. They remained there overnight, waiting until sunrise, as most of Northern Japan had lost power.

For 16 hours, the All Japan crew waited through the inky blackness of a tense and uncertain night. Taiyo Kea translated the newscasts for his Canadian compatriots.

Sendai, the city where the bus was headed, was devastated by the tsunami generated by the 9.0 magnitude quake. It was the largest quake ever to hit Japan. Waves up to 30 feet tall slammed into the Japanese coast, sweeping away homes, cars, and trains.

“Fear didn’t really sink in until we saw the pictures of the waves coming in,” Spears said. “We didn’t know where they were. I was looking over at the hills outside the window, and I didn’t know if a wave would come over those hills at us at any time.”

“Honestly, I’m very lucky to be talking to you today,” O’Reilly said. “We had been scheduled to leave half-an-hour earlier, but one of the guys was late getting onto the bus. Had he been on time, we would have been in Sendai when the tsunami hit.”

The ring crew had arrived before the tour bus and was in Sendai when the waves came in. Luckily, the building they were in remained intact. It was used as an emergency shelter and makeshift morgue.

As word of the magnitude of damage taking place spread, All Japan officials decided to cancel the remainder of the tour, and the bus began making its way back to Yokohama, about 20 miles south of Tokyo. The drive proved to be slow, as the bus navigated back roads and traffic, creeping southward as news continued to filter in.

“We were on the bus for 36 hours total, basically living on protein shakes, water, Snickers bars, and Sapporo beer,” O’Reilly said. “As we drove back to Yokohama, we passed through these small towns where the houses had been flattened, and people were lining up in the streets to get fresh water.”

Once they were safely back at the All Japan dojo, they were able to log on to cnn.com to read English language news accounts of the tragedy. They were also able to contact friends and family back in Ontario and in the United States to let them know they were safe.

On Sunday, a hydrogen explosion rocked the Fukushima nuclear power plant, spurring concerns of a radiation leak. “The water was contaminated by radiation, so we couldn’t drink that. On the last couple days we were there, they didn’t want anyone to go outside and risk exposure,” Spears said.

The Canadians had been scheduled to remain in Japan until May, but with the status of upcoming shows in question, they met with All Japan management and opted to return home. To get to the airport, they had to catch both a train and a bus, and aftershocks of 7.0 and 6.5 threatened to disrupt travel further. If international flights were grounded, they would be stranded.

Fortunately, they were able to get to the airport and make it home without further complications, shaken and saddened by the devastation they had witnessed.

“The training, the living in the dojo, it really creates a bond,” O’Reilly said. “I only knew the guys for a month or so, but I still felt guilty leaving them there. I really hope they can rebuild.”

Despite the fear and anxiety they experienced, both Spears and O’Reilly hope to return to Japan.
“Wrestling in Japan was a dream come true,” said O’Reilly. “If the office called me tomorrow, I would be on the next flight back.”

“I’d go back in a heartbeat,” Spears said. “My heart is with those people. Millions of people are devastated, without heat and power. It really makes you appreciate the things we take for granted.”

It Had To Be HHH; It Couldn't Be Nunzio!

2011-03-23T11:26:00.000-04:00

We've received quite a few e-mails from people who read our "All-Time WrestleMania Roster" section in the current issue of PWI (cover-dated June 2011). A lot of work went into the section, in which we list every wrestler to have competed in WrestleMania, along with their record and high and low points. Harry Burkett did an awesome job. Unfortunately, though, we made a huge omission: Triple-H.

Obviously, there is nothing we can do about it now except apologize. Hey, I'd urge you to pick up a copy. It could be a collector's item one day--the one and only mistake PWI ever made!

Stu Saks
Publisher

Attention, Wrestlers And Promoter's: It's "500" Time

2011-03-22T09:35:00.003-04:00

Just a reminder that it is time to submit information to us to be considered for the 2011 "PWI 500" ranking. If you need submission guidelines or other information, please contact me at fkrewda@kappapublishing.com For your convenience, we've also set up a submission form on our website's home page (http://www.pwi-online.com/pages/500form.html) Click on the form and please fill it out with as much information as possible. Deadline for submissions is Wednesday, June 1, 2011. Please, serious inquiries only.

TNA At A Crossroads

2011-03-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

In the interest of full disclosure, I should start with the following disclaimer: I am a loyal TNA fan. To me, today’s TNA is reminiscent of the Memphis and ICW promotions that first attracted me to wrestling back in the early-1980s. In many respects, TNA is still trying to find its way as the world’s number-two promotion—and the industry standard set by WWE is a tough act to follow, for sure.

Still, with a roster packed full of talent as well as the freedom to produce a product that is truly unique, TNA is in a fortunate position to potentially capture and maintain a respectable share of the business.

But success isn’t measured in potential. It’s not measured in what “could be” or what “should happen.” Success is measured in results. It comes from forward progress and growth. Further, success often comes about when folks actually learn from their mistakes and adjust their strategies and future plans accordingly. And let’s face it: The outcome of last weekend’s Victory Road pay-per-view was a nearly unforgivable mistake.

By most accounts, Victory Road, despite having some decent moments, wasn't exactly a historical event. Most of the feuds weren’t resolved and there were some head-scratching results in the mix. Then there was the non-finish to the number-one contenders’ match between Mr. Anderson and Rob Van Dam. Having two potential number-one contenders battle to a double-disqualification makes no sense, but given the energy and talent of both men, I can almost see how TNA would want the Anderson-RVD feud to burn just a little longer.

There is, however, no excuse for what happened in the main event between Sting and Jeff Hardy. On paper, it should have been an epic: the returning veteran Sting, holding the “Immortal” championship belt forged in the very likeness of challenger Jeff Hardy, defending his title against the self-proclaimed "Antichrist of Professional Wrestling."

But after an ominous delay at the beginning of the pre-match fanfare, Hardy emerged from backstage appearing dazed and sluggish as he made a slow, low-octane trudge to the ring. The tension was clear on the faces of everyone else who entered from that point forward. From Jeremy Borash to referee Brian Hebner to "The Icon" himself, the tension was palpable. Even the usually unflappable Eric Bischoff looked to be on edge as he took to the mike to add a nonsensical and ultimately unnecessary no-DQ stipulation.

Things quickly deteriorated from there. Once the bell rang, fans were treated to nearly one full minute of Hardy teasing that he would throw his shirt into the crowd as he staggered from one side of the ring to the other. A few half-hearted maneuvers later, Sting landed the pin and it was all over. Hardy looked genuinely shocked. Sting looked genuinely pissed, and he demonstratively agreed with some very irate and vocal fans that they had been screwed, though not nearly as badly as those who had paid 30 bucks to watch the pay-per-view.

By now, most everyone in the wrestling world knows the most crucial statistic of the match: 88 seconds. That’s how long it took for Sting to pin Jeff Hardy. And, by golly, it was a real pin, as Sting laid every bit of his 258 pounds across Hardy’s torso to force an end to the debacle.

The evening promptly went down as the latest black mark on the public image of TNA Wrestling. But what matters most at this point is how TNA reacts to this embarrassment. Many sources and signs point to Jeff Hardy as the sole reason Victory Road's main event fell apart, as the quick finish came about because Hardy arrived at the event "in no condition to wrestle." Indeed, his appearance and demeanor lend credence to this explanation. Moreover, Hardy’s history of personal demons, professional missteps, and legal woes provide a strong backdrop of circumstantial evidence indicating that Hardy is in real trouble, both inside and outside of the ring. This is not the first time Hardy arrived at a major TNA event in questionable condition. At Final Resolution 2010, he reportedly showed up in bad shape. Eventually, his condition that night was attributed to exhaustion due to travel, not substance abuse of any kind.

Regardless, the bottom line is that Hardy has shown an inability to handle a spot at the top of TNA's roster. Even if he were scheduled to wrestle in six-man dark matches at Victory Road and Turning Point, he owes it to his employers and co-workers to show up ready to put his best foot forward, especially if he entertains any serious aspirations of helping TNA gain traction as a viable alternative to WWE. The stakes are that much higher when TNA is counting on him to headline a World title match.

Hardy is solely responsible for the choices he makes, but TNA should not wait until he buries the promotion and/or himself with his lack of professionalism. The fact is that no matter how his drug trafficking trial turns out, it’s time for TNA management to make a decision on Hardy's future with the company. It is simply not fair for all those, from talent to ownership, that want so desperately for TNA to succeed to be subjected to the fallout of Hardy's exploits.

Yes, Hardy made TNA look amateurish at Victory Road, but TNA has an opportunity to look professional again by handling Hardy in the proper manner, even if moving forward means leaving him behind.

Mike Bessler
PWI Contributing Writer

Orton vs. Punk: Why Pay For It?

2011-03-15T15:31:00.003-04:00

What was the single biggest gripe expressed by "smart" fans once wrestling abandoned kayfabe in the 1990s? It was that cartoonish, super-hero type characters a la Hulk Hogan were no longer viable. Once they were "smartened up," wrestling fans demanded better athletes and more reality-based storylines. Okay. Then what's up with the Popeye treatment WWE has been giving Randy Orton in his feud vs. Nexus?

Apparently, Orton has been taking his vitamins or saying his prayers or at least eating his spinach. How else are we to believe that after being laid out by five Nexus members backstage and then dragged to the ring, Orton could mount a comeback for the ages, throw uncountered RKOs all the way around, and live to fight another several weeks while systematically dismantling the entire New Nexus unit, no matter what it does to defeat him? I get it. The suspension of disbelief is as basic to pro wrestling as ring ropes. But accepting the cloak of invincibility WWE has wrapped around Orton is asking too much.

For me, the real shame of it is that this feud had such promise when it kicked off with Punk revisiting the 2008 Legacy beating that cost him his first World title. I thought it was a clever and different way to start a feud. But the angle has since developed into nothing more than Orton crawling on his fists with that goofy look on his face after kicking yet another Nexus member in the head. Been there, done that ... last week, and the week before that, and the week before that, and the week before that. Like most one-sided fights, this one has become stale, boring, and predictable. The feud is no longer hot; in fact it's become a farce, which can't be what WWE wants heading into WrestleMania.

You know what would make the Punk-Orton match at WM27 at least quasi-interesting? Maybe some adversity for Randy The Sailor Man, some momentum going Punk's/Nexus' way. In the time that's left before WrestleMania, Orton needs to be made vulnerable in some way. Otherwise, it's a foregone conclusion that his match with Punk will end exactly the same way his last five matches on Raw have ended: with Orton snatching yet another impossible-to-imagine victory from the jaws of defeat. If the past five episodes of Raw have shown us anything, it's that Randy Orton can swat down Nexus members as if they're gnats. After all, Punk, even with the help of his friends can't get to Orton, so what chance does he have against Orton at WM 27 on his own? None.

Since we already know this, why would we shell out $55+ to see it again? Will their WM match have a major surprise or swerve? Will Punk carry Orton to a five-star Match of the Year candidate?

I wouldn't bet on it ... not even $54.95 plus tax and fees.

Frank Krewda
Editor-in-Chief

An Exciting Idea For WWE NXT

2011-03-09T14:47:00.001-05:00

It seems as if the fate of NXT is a popular topic for my "On The Farm" column in every issue of Inside Wrestling/The Wrestler.

Well, NXT Season 5 debuted last night, and outside of the potentially awesome commentary team of Todd Grisham and William Regal, I find it hard to get excited. Not because I don’t enjoy the Florida Championship Wrestling call-ups, but because we’ve already seen these guys.

Season 5 is sort of an “all-star” format, as six previous NXT contestants (Darren Young, Titus O’Neil, Jacob Novak, Lucky Cannon, Conor O’Brian, and Byron Saxton) are back for a second chance, with the winner earning the right to compete on Season 6...giving him a third stint on the show.

Now, nothing against these guys personally, but they already didn’t win once, so why would the fans want to see them again? Instead, if WWE wants to make NXT something “fresh,” then I have a potentially great idea – an all-second-generation edition.

Right now, FCW has a ton of guys who are part of a wrestling family and haven’t taken part in NXT as of yet. For this endeavor, we can pare it down to these eight: Richie Steamboat, Wes Brisco, Bo Rotundo, Roman Leakee (son of Sika), Donny Marlow (son of Haku), Jinder Mahal (nephew of former Stampede standout Gama Singh), Tito Colon (nephew of Carlos, cousin of Primo and Carlito), and Brett DiBiase. An elite eight for sure, and if DiBiase’s knee isn’t up to it, we can sub in Buck Dixon, whose father is Mark “Henry Godwinn” Canterbury.

All eight (or nine) would kill to reach the heights of their fathers/uncles/cousins/brothers, but here’s the real twist: You pair them all up with multi-generation stars currently on the WWE main roster. See, that’s where the fun comes in, because when it’s matchup time, do you go the natural route, or do you mix it up a little?

You could take the easy way out on roughly half of these pairings. Ted DiBiase and Husky Harris could go with their brothers, The Usos could pair with their cousin Leakee, and Primo could mentor cousin Tito. Harris may be a little soon, but work with me there.

But what if you don’t?

Imagine how Ted DiBiase might feel if he had to help, say, Richie Steamboat – whose father was a thorn in Ted’s father’s side – defeat his own flesh and blood? Or even better, what if he was with Bo Rotundo, whose dad, IRS, was the other half of Money Inc. with Ted DiBiase Sr.? Sure, they’re likely childhood friends because of that connection, but blood is thicker than water, right?

How about Goldust with Marlow? After all, one of Dustin Rhodes’ biggest feuds in the early-1990s in WCW was with the Stud Stable, which included...Marlow’s dad, Meng.

Maybe they could pair Cody Rhodes with Brett DiBiase? Not only would it be a bit of a callback to Cody teaming with Ted in Legacy, but they could explore the until-now buried thought that it was Ted DiBiase Sr. who made Dusty Rhodes’ life a living hell in 1990-91. David Hart Smith and Jinder Mahal, whose relatives waged war for years up in Calgary, could also be another dynamite pairing in that vein.

So many great possibilities, and whether they go feel-good or fireworks, it could be a hit!

-Louie Dee
Contributing Writer

The PWI Ratings As You've Never Seen Them Before!

2011-03-07T15:24:00.004-05:00

If you have not yet visited The Internet Wrestling Database at www.profightdb.com,let me issue this warning: Don't go there; you might never come out!

My friends, this website is simply awesome. I'm not going to waste time telling you what it's all about. If you're reading this, you're obviously on the Internet, so click yourself over and see for yourself.

What I did want to point out for you IWD veterans is a new item on the menu that falls under the heading "PWI." For a while now, IWD has included a history of the "PWI 500" and the "Female 50," but now, under the PWI heading, IWD features a comprehensive listing of the PWI ratings from September 1979 to the present. Now, I'm not talking about just the Top 10, I'm talking about all of our ratings (OK, not the ones in agate type). On top of that, IWD has compiled some very unique statistical derivations of the ratings that are quite intriguing.

I am proud of our new affiliation with IWD, and you can look for more joint ventures in the months ahead.

If you decide to go there now, be prepared to stay a while. And don't say I didn't warn you!

Stu Saks
Publisher

Take This Crown And Shove It

2011-03-01T10:50:00.001-05:00

Some push for our 2010 King of the Ring,huh?

Apparently, Sheamus has landed on the wrong side of somebody with stroke in WWE. Why else would a two-time former WWE champion and current King of the Ring be doing jobs to mid-carders on the company's flagship program as it heads into the biggest card of the year?

Most (not all) Kings of the Ring end up advancing their careers after capturing the crown. If getting squashed by Mark Henry, punked by Triple-H, then thumped by Evan Bourne is career-advancement, the lad from Dublin should go back to working security for U2. As recently as his feud with John Morrison, Sheamus appeared to be one of WWE's building blocks for the future, along with Morrison, The Miz, Wade Barrett, and Daniel Bryan, among others. But somehow, some way, Sheamus went from legitimate title contender to job guy in a matter of weeks. Those guys progressed, Sheamus regressed, and that doesn't happen by accident.

It seems obvious Sheamus is being punished by somebody for something. It's not just a matter of wins and losses, either. Sheamus has been made to look pathetic to the point where he can't even compete against Henry, Triple-H, and Bourne. His offense is nil and he's been helped from the ring post-match two weeks in a row.

Again, it seems to me there's more at work here than merely the ebb and flow of a young wrestler's career. Having no inside knowledge of what's going on with Sheamus, I can only speculate as to why WWE is going out of its way to embarrass him-but if you have a theory, we'd love to hear it.

-Frank Krewda
Editor-in-Chief

From Mysterio to Mistico, WWE Is Very Diverse (But You Already Know That)

2011-02-25T15:53:00.004-05:00

As a young WWE fans in the 1980s, there was no shortage of reasons to like Tito Santana. He was young and exciting, tremendously athletic, and an honorable Intercontinental and tag team champion.

But there was another reason many of my friends and I were fans of Tito Santana. He looked and sounded like us.

I was born in the Bronx, the son of immigrants from Nicaragua and Ecuador, and grew up speaking Spanish in my home with my two brothers. Many of my friends had similar experiences as the children of parents who came to New York from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and other Latin American nations.

While we may have shared different geographical origins with each other, and with Tito, many of our customs and experiences were similar, from the food we ate for dinner, to the slang we used, to the modes of discipline we were subjected to by our folks.

And consciously or not, we were drawn to public figures who had similar cultural backgrounds, whether it was Luis & Maria on Sesame Street, Alvaro Espinoza on the New York Yankees, or Lisa Lisa on the radio.

They represented us, and they had made it, just like Tito. And it was important for us, as young Hispanic Americans, to see that.

I bring this up to draw attention to one of the most important and under-reported stories coming out of WWE in recent years—the growing minority representation in the company’s on-air product.

Earlier this week, WWE finalized one of the most important talent acquisitions in years—the signing of Mexican luchador Mistico, whose praises have been sung in the pages of the Pro Wrestling Illustrated family of magazines for many years. What’s more, WWE treated it as one of its most important talent acquisitions in years, with a full court press in Mexico City and here in the United States.

This comes at the same time that Alberto Del Rio prepares to headline WrestleMania just months after debuting in WWE, and after Rey Mysterio stole the show with Edge in the Smackdown Elimination Chamber match this past Sunday.

We wrestling journalist-types often spend a lot of our time and energy focusing on what wrestling companies are doing wrong. So I think it’s very important that WWE gets credit for something it is doing very much right, namely promoting the most ethnically and culturally diverse pro wrestling product in history.

More impressive, WWE has been doing so quietly, and without drawing attention to that fact.

Consider this: More than half of WWE’s on-air talent, including wrestlers, announcers and managers, are non-white. They range from Korean American Gail Kim to African-born Kofi Kingston, to Indian native The Great Kahli to Japanese dynamo Yoshi Tatsu to my fellow Nicaraguan Eve Torres.

As such, WWE’s on-air product features one of the most diverse cast of performers of any show on television.

More importantly, WWE has largely moved away from the days when an ethnic talent’s background was something to exploit or even draw attention to. Far removed from the days when Juventud Guerrera drove into the ring on a lawnmower, Alberto Del Rio has risen to become one of WWE’s top stars not by portraying an ignorant stereotype of Mexican Americans, but rather by playing a rich, elitist jerk—a role usually previously reserved for the likes of Ted DiBiase and John Bradshaw Layfield.

For years now, two-time World champion Rey Mysterio has been featured as one of the most popular acts in all of WWE, not because he’s Mexican, but because he’s damn cool. But whatever the motivation, you can be sure that when Rey inserts a few lines in Spanish in his promos, there are fans out there who appreciate it. I’m one of them.

This is not to say WWE is perfect. With its penchant for lowbrow humor, some racial and cultural stereotypes still make it onto to the on-air product. I can do without Rico Rodriguez singing “La Cucaracha” or Edge needlessly referring to Del Rio as “amigo.” For that matter, I wouldn’t mind if I never heard John Cena make another gay joke or take a jab at Sheamus’ pale complexion. (Can you imagine the backlash if wrestlers were scripted to make fun of how dark R-Truth is?)

But for a long time now, WWE has clearly been moving in the right direction with the right motivation. That is to reach out to fans of all colors and cultures throughout the world and show them talented performers who look like them and sound like them.

By doing so they send a message: One day, you can be them.

Al Castle
PWI Senior Writer

WrestleMania's Main Events Needed Freshening Up, And Here's Proof

2011-02-21T17:02:00.003-05:00

A year ago, it would have been impossible to predict that The Miz and Mexican lucha star Dos Caras Jr. (Alberto Del Rio) would be competing in the two world title matches at WrestleMania.

For sure, the involvement of the two relatively fresh faces in the top matches at WrestleMania XXVII is a testament to the youth movement that has been in full swing in WWE for more than a year now.

And a quick glimpse at the history of the wrestlers who have competed in WrestleMania shows how unique it is to feature two such relative newcomers:

. Del Rio has worked his way to a WrestleMania world title match after only seven months as a member of WWE’s main roster. You’d have to go back 18 years to find another wrestler who headlined WrestleMania less than a year into a televised WWE run. Yokozuna won—and lost—the WWE title in the main event of WrestleMania IX in 1993 after debuting on television five months earlier.

. The Miz headlines WrestleMania in his fifth year as a member of WWE's main roster. The last wrestler with five years WWE experience or less to compete in a WrestleMania world title match: Batista, who six years ago participated in the main event of WrestleMania 21 in his third year on WWE television.

. This will not only be Del Rio’s first WrestleMania world title match, but his first WrestleMania match altogether. The last person to make his WrestleMania debut in a world title match: Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XIX in 2003.

. There have been 27 slots for participants in world title matches in WrestleMania since 2005. Those slots have been filled by just 13 men.

. From WrestleMania I to WrestleMania X, all world title matches included at least one first-time WrestleMania headliner. The first WrestleMania to feature exclusively repeat Mania headliners was XII, when Bret Hart, who headlined Manias IX and X, took on Shawn Michaels, who headlined WrestlerMania XI.

. Since 2009, WrestleMania’s world title matches have only involved wrestlers who participated in past WrestleMania world title matches. (John Cena, Triple-H, Randy Orton, The Big Show, Batista, Chris Jericho and Edge)

. The Miz and Alberto Del Rio are both competing in their first WrestleMania world title matches. The last first-time WrestleMania world title match participant was Edge, who headlined WrestleMania XXIV against the Undertaker, a decade after debuting in 1998.

. The last WrestleMania world title match to feature exclusively first-time headliners was John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield at WrestleMania 21.

. If The Miz vs. John Cena closes out WrestleMania XXVII, The Miz, who defended the tag team championship in last year’s Mania opener, will be only the second person in history to compete in the first match at WrestleMania one year, and the last match at WrestleMania the next. The only other wrestler with that distinction is Chris Jericho, who wrestled William Regal in the opening match of WrestleMania X-Seven in 2001, and wrestled Triple-H in the final match of WrestleMania X-8.

. This will be John Cena’s seventh consecutive WrestleMania world title match—a record. He also moves ahead of Hulk Hogan in total WrestleMania world title matches. Hogan had six. Triple-H holds the record for the most WrestleMania world title matches, with eight.

-Al Castle
Pro Wrestling Illustrated Senior Writer

Things That Make You Feel Old

2011-02-17T09:14:00.000-05:00

Inspiration comes in many forms, and today, mine is brought to you by Edge and the meatball sandwich currently swimming through my tummy.

Tomorrow marks a milestone for WWE Friday Night Smackdown: Episode number 600.

Sure, it's an arbitrary number simply because it's round—as opposed to, say, 100 or 500. But it really makes you think about the passage of time when you consider that that Smackdown is now in its 12th calendar year. I was at WWE for about a third of that, roughly 230½ episodes (does it count as 231 considering my final day at WWE ended 3 hours before that week's show aired?), and that feels like ages ago.

Either way, I didn't really think about the "milestone" when I read the spoilers this week (and, yes, I read them—don't judge), even with all the "celebration ballyhoo" they had.

I did, however, think about it when I bought lunch today. At the deli, I saw a sign. You know the one: "Do not sell tobacco to people born before this date on … ," whose year now reads 1993.

The year Raw went on the air.

I still consider myself a young man, especially considering how many of my similarly aged colleagues here at PWI are married, have children, etc. Speaking of old, I guess I'm the modern-day Matt Brock in that sense.

But I digress. I was 12 when Raw went on the air in January 1993. Now, as an enterprise, that program is old enough to purchase a pack of Camel Lights, vote for President, and register for the military. It would likely be graduating from high school in June and is, for all intents and purposes, an adult.

On Friday, little sister Smackdown officially celebrates its latest arbitrary milestone, and in six months, it will be old enough to receive a Bar Mitzvah.

I remember watching the first episode of Smackdown. August 27, 1999, the day before I moved into the dorms for my junior year at Temple University. But instead of seeing any of my friends in the area, I was locked in my room at the DoubleTree glued to UPN 57.

599 weeks later, I'll be sitting on my couch Saturday morning, coffee in hand, watching a DVR’d "600."

Yikes.

For reference, I remember watching the first episode of Raw, too. Prime Time Wrestling was the only program my mother let me stay up later than 10 on a school night to watch as a pre-teen, and I was mad that just as I was entering adolescence, wrestling came on earlier.

But there I was on January 1, 1993, watching Yokozuna literally squash Koko B. Ware and his Benny the Cab pants, glued to the screen as Undertaker (still my favorite 20+ years later) send Damien Demento back to the outer reaches of my mind with a Tombstone.

And now that I think about it (and thanks to some quick math via IM from a friend still inside Titan Tower), I realize that next summer, I'll likely be sitting on my couch watching that franchise reach four digits.

I can only wonder how old I'll feel then.

Louie Dee
Contributing Writer

Wrestling's Elite Eight

2011-02-16T12:26:00.004-05:00

The hilarious NBC sitcom 30 Rock has recently helped popularize an entertainment industry term - the EGOT.

The word is used to refer to the elite few performers who have achieved the grand slam of entertainment achievement: winning an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony.

In the entire history of show business, only a dozen people have earned the distinction of being an EGOT. They include such heavyweights as Mel Brooks, Audrey Hepburn and Whoopi Goldberg.

Caught in the throes of awards season, I got to thinking: What would be the wrestling equivalent of an EGOT?

It would be the few wrestlers who have accomplished four of the most prestigious feats in the sport. I'm not talking winning a world championship, which is something of a given for wrestling headliners. Rather, it would have to be an achievement that relavtively few people in history have accomplished.

And so I came up with these four criteria: Having won a Royal Rumble match, having competed in a world title match at WrestleMania, Having won a PWI Wrestler of the Year Award, and having been ranked number 1 in the "PWI 500."

Unfortunately, there's no snappy acronym for the short list of wrestlers who have accomplished those four feats, so we'll have to settle for WRM1's (Wrestler of the year, Rumble winner, Mania headliner, and #1 ranked.)

And so, let me unveil, for the first time ever, wrestling's WRM1's!

1. Hulk Hogan
2. Steve Austin
3. Triple-H
4. Brock Lesnar
5. Chris Benoit
6. Batista
7. John Cena
8. Randy Orton

It's an interesting list, both for who is on it, and who is not. Lesnar, whose national wrestling career lasted just two years, makes the list, but some all-time greats, including Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels, do not. (Flair is missing a #1 "PWI 500" ranking. Michaels, surprisingly, has never been voted Wrestler of the Year.)

Obviously, there are several reasons why the list is far from a perfect gauge of wrestling greatness. For one, since 1993, winning the Rumble and headlining WrestleMania largely go hand-in-hand (although two Rumble winners, Austin in 1997 and Vince McMahon in 1999, did not go on to get their world title matches at the big show.) But Hogan and Flair both won Rumbles and headlined WrestleManias before the two feats became synonymous.

Also, some of these achievements have longer histories than others. For example, the "PWI 500" began in 1991, disqualifying some all-time greats whose wrestling primes came before then (including, arguably, Flair).

Nevertheless, considering the stature of the eight wrestlers on the list, I think my WRM1 concept has some merit.

Some trivia about the elite eight:

. Steve Austin is the only one to have accomplished all four achievements at least twice. (Two Wrestler of the Year awards, two "PWI 500" #1 rankings, three Rumble wins, and three WrestleMania world title matches.)

. Three of the eight men have also won WWE's "Triple Crown" - the WWE heavyweight, Intercontinental, and tag team championships. They are Austin, Triple-H, and Orton. (Benoit never won the original WWE heavyweight title, but rather the World title version created in 2002.)

. Three of the men are also past King of the Ring tournament winners: Austin, Triple-H and Lesnar.

. Six of the men have worn more than one version of a pro wrestling world title. Hogan and Benoit both won world titles in both WWE and WCW. Triple-H, Batista, Cena, and Orton have each worn both the WWE heavyweight and World titles.

. Lesnar is the only one to have won a world title in UFC.

. All have been WWE wrestlers. Four once competed in WCW: Hogan, Austin, Triple-H and Benoit. Only one of the men, Hogan, has ever competed in TNA.

. Two of the men - Hogan and Austin - are in the WWE Hall of Fame. Four are in The Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame: Hogan, Austin, Benoit and Triple-H.

. Lesnar was the youngest to earn all four achievements. He was 26 in 2003 when he won Wrestler of the Year. Hogan was the oldest, having been 38 when he was ranked #1 in the inaugural "PWI 500."

. Just one full-time wrestler is one feat away from making the list. That's Kurt Angle (#1 ranked, Mania headliner, Wrestler of the Year). The semi-active Kevin Nash needs a Rumble win to make it. As I mentioned before, the largely-retired Flair is missing a #1 "PWI 500" ranking.

. All eight men, in my opinion, are infinitely more talented than Whoopi Goldberg.

- Al Castle
PWI Senior Writer

60 Sad Minutes With Nick (Sinn Bodhi) Cvjetkovich

2011-02-16T09:26:00.000-05:00

Imagine the horror of having a close friend kill himself. Even worse, imagine having that friend put down his final thoughts in a chilling letter that details the last few desperate weeks of his life. Such is the sad situation faced by Nick Cvjetkovich (a.k.a. Sinn Bodhi, f.k.a. WWE's Kizarny and TNA's Sinn).

On Wednesday, January 26, 2011, the lives of Cvjetkovich and his wife, former WWE Diva Stacy "The Kat" Carter, were changed forever when they received an eerie text message from their good friend, Shawn McGrath (p.k.a. Shawn "Bad Seed" Osbourne). According to Cvjetkovich, the message was not a cry for help, but a quick goodbye. "I look back at that text, and I know it was just a farewell from him," observed Cvjetkovich. "So true to his form, Shawn did not want to be a bother to anyone. He went through great detail to accommodate other people, even at his darkest hour ... he even paid his rent a month in advance. That is just the kind of guy he was. He didn't want to bother anybody. He just wanted to leave."

Upon discovering McGrath's body, Tampa authorities also found a long farewell letter, which was later published online by Nick, Stacy, and others. Although some questioned their decision to put the sobering letter online for all to read, Cvjetkovich was very quick to defend his decision—and his friend—saying, "It's exactly what Shawn would have wanted. When you read the opening line of the letter, it says 'To All Who Care.' Shawn would have wanted everyone who did care to have the opportunity to hear what he had to say."

Recently, I had the chance to talk with Cvjetkovich for 60 emotional minutes, and listen as he sadly recalled the loss of his very close friend and colleague Shawn McGrath.

Brady Hicks: First off, condolences on the tremendous loss you have to be feeling right now.

Nick Cvjetkovich: Thank you, Brady. My emotions and my thoughts are attacking me at every direction, just trying to make rhyme or reason. Shawn was one of the nicest, most sincere and genuine guys you could ever meet. Sometimes people were a little put off by him because he could use snarkiness as a defense mechanism, to bury all that he had going on. Those who got to know the real Shawn, however, got a real treat.

BH: Please tell me a little about the circumstances in which you actually came to know the "real" Shawn.

NC: We were originally on shows together in OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling, then a WWE developmental territory). I just really enjoyed his comedy. He would have to redo take after take after take ... all because Al Snow, who was the producer, would not be able to stop laughing. He just had such a natural delivery ... so funny and so talented. Through our interactions during our time in developmental sprung an extremely close friendship that we had up to this day.

BH: Knowing Shawn as such a great friend, what do you feel are some of the circumstances that led to all of this heartache?

NC: Shawn was a great guy who was just fed up with being sad. And he was sad about a lot of different things. He had just had enough. But at the same time, he was a really courteous guy. I think most people are in it for the now. What can you do for me today? Shawn wasn't like that. He was very attentive and concerned with others' thoughts and feelings. He felt best when those around him felt happy, no matter how he might have felt inside. That's just how he was.

BH: Can you elaborate on some of the things that caused Shawn such deep sadness?

NC: Shawn was very melancholy, by nature. He was estranged from his family. There were details about his family I don't even know, and I was his closest friend. He was really private about some things. So he had family issues, then his wrestling dreams were shattered upon his WWE release, and in what I call the hat trick—his three-for-three—was that Shawn's love life fell out the window as well. So, as much as he had friends around him, I think he just really felt alone and was just lonely.

BH: So you believe the pressures of a strained family, career troubles, and, finally, failed romances just kind of got the better of him?

NC: Stacy laid it out best, and the way she put it just hit me so hard: Shawn had finally gotten a taste of this one true love for which he had been searching, when suddenly it was all just swiped away from him. Basically, Shawn was atypical of so many wrestlers in that he never went for having 10 strippers on each arm. He never looked to bring home a different woman every night. And I guess the best way to put it is that losing the girl was not the end-all, be-all for Shawn, but it was yet another problem in his life that he was just a little too sad to deal with. And I think he was just like, I'm so over it. I'm out.

BH: Looking back on the emotional text message you received from Shawn on January 26 and upon reading what he had to say in his final letter, what is your reaction?

NC: I didn't think Shawn would do something like that. I look back and kick myself. How stupid could I have been to be Shawn's main confidante and not put my finger on what was coming? I could just see the sadness in some of the things he would talk about. His body language alone would just tell such a story about a pain I couldn't fathom. Even though he had friends, Shawn felt he was perpetually alone.

BH: And this feeling of isolation is something you think Shawn struggled with for years?

NC: Who knows how long? The document he typed his final letter in was started in early-January. That means he was drafting his final goodbyes for almost a month. I mean ... who does that?

BH: If nothing else, I can't imagine the torment of knowing my best friend's final, suicidal words are out there, lingering forever. In that letter, Shawn alludes to so many personal, private, negative emotions, compelling him to want to "check out." Why did you feel it was so important to make his words so available to the public eye?

NC: That letter should be sitting there, being a thorn in people's side. It's a really stiff reminder of what life will do to you. I'm not even pinning this on wrestling, but life in general. People just need to be more accountable ... and nice. Stacy and I had a long talk about publishing the letter, actually, and we both kind of felt that was what Shawn would want. His letter reads, "To All Who Care." Shawn felt his voice was never really heard in life, so I'll be damned if it wasn't going to at least be heard after the fact. I actually also had a couple of his family members reach out, and the only ones who said anything were those who were appreciative of us putting his words out there.

BH: What, if anything, do you think can be learned from all of this—in the wrestling industry and in life?

NC: There are always things people can do to fight the perception that it's bad to turn to others for help, and that goes for any facet of life. I think one of the biggest things is that people just need to be nicer to each other. Not just in the wrestling industry, but in any kind of job, and in life as a whole. A smile is really contagious. Can it really hurt sometimes to just look somebody in the eye and talk to them as a human being, sometimes? I think in Shawn's case, a little more compassion could have gone a very long way.

Welcome Back, "Great One"

2011-02-15T12:32:00.003-05:00

Considering how many magazines he’s sold for us over the years, we’d be remiss if we didn’t ring in on the return of The Rock on last night’s Monday Night Raw.

Even after a seven-year absence from the ring, The Rock quickly reminded the wrestling universe why he is, indeed, “The Great One” by delivering an inspired 20-minute monologue that put to shame just about any wrestling promo in recent history.

With his speech, the Rock almost single-handedly made it finally feel like WrestleMania season. Even without competing in a match, his presence as host of the big show is enough to sell WrestleMania XXVIII. And his highly anticipated confrontation with John Cena is, essentially, WrestleMania’s new main event.

And yet, for all the joy in the wrestling community today, I can’t help but notice some of the bitter-sweetness of The Rock’s celebrated return. Yes, The Rock (2000’s PWI Wrestler of the Year) is a charismatic giant. Yes, he’s untouchable behind the microphone. Yes, he can elicit a crowd pop like no other.

And yes, he probably won’t be sticking around too long.

The Rock may have vowed last night “never” to leave WWE, but the reality is that his acting career will always come first. And there’s nothing wrong with that. And so while The Rock may make more regular appearances on WWE television than he has over the past seven years, the reality is that he is not a regular part of WWE’s roster.

And so I fear that the collective wrestling universe is in for the kind of depressing reality check that comes at the end of a really great vacation. You’ve just spent a week partying at poolside and staying in a nice resort, and then you return home to your regular life. Or in this case, your regular WWE product.

None of this is meant as a putdown of WWE, which has developed some big stars over the past decade in the likes of Cena, Randy Orton, and others. But none has risen to the level of not only of The Rock, but of other wrestling icons who have left the sport over the past 10 or so years.

Ironically, three of the biggest names who fall into that category—The Rock, Shawn Michaels, and Steve Austin—have all come back to WWE this WrestleMania season in non-wrestling roles. Their returns could be both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, they could help “pass the torch” by endorsing the new generation of WWE wrestlers, who may some day reach their heights. On the other hand, they just drive home the fact none of them is even close to doing so.

- Al Castle
PWI Senior Writer

Royal Rumble Answered Some WrestleMania Questions, Raised Others

2011-01-31T12:16:00.003-05:00

WWE laid the first bricks on the Road to WrestleMania last night with an entertaining and memorable Royal Rumble that packed three hours with some good action, big surprises, and an unlikely winner of the night’s big match.

Alberto Del Rio outlasted 39 other men to win the Royal Rumble, guaranteeing himself a world title match at WrestleMania 27, presumably against Edge in the second-to-the-top world title match.

Although the only thing that is for sure about WrestleMania is that Del Rio will get a title shot, there were several other developments last night that helped bring into focus some of 'Mania’s likely top matches. With The Miz eliminating John Cena from the Rumble match, it seems likely that the two will compete in the other world title match in Atlanta. That match is likely to get top billing on the card, unless WWE pulls a rabbit out of its hat between now and April 3 by signing a major celebrity to compete in a match or bringing back a former top star along the lines of Shawn Michaels.

With CM Punk’s new Nexus attacking Randy Orton during his match with The Miz and costing him a possible world title victory, it’s likely that Punk and Orton are also headed for battle at 'Mania in an upper-mid-card match—perhaps with some major stakes involving The Nexus.

Although the Royal Rumble pay-per-view appeared to answer a lot of questions about WrestleMania, it also raised some new ones:

Are the top matches enough to carry WrestleMania? If you told me a year ago that then-tag team title co-holder The Miz and Mexican luchador Dos Caras would be involved in the two world title matches at this year's WrestleMania, I would have thought you were crazy. And the fact is that, even today, having the two top matches of the biggest wrestling show of the year featuring such relatively unproven main-event stars won't sit right with a lot of people. WWE deserves all the credit in the world for rolling the dice on some fresh talent, rather than exclusively featuring another combination of the usual suspects, but, inevitably, the lack of proven star power may establish this a "rebuilding year"for the company, as it struggles with plummeting pay-per-view revenues. Barring something unforeseen, this will likely be the least-watched 'Mania in a long, long time.

What—if any—role will Booker T and Diesel have in WWE going forward? Both men got pretty strong reactions from the Boston crowd, particularly “Big Daddy Cool.” If time has proven anything, it’s that stars of the past always mean more when they are featured in the proper context. And, so while the returns of Booker and Kevin Nash to TNA might induce groans, their returns also induce curiosity and excitement. With both mrn around the 50-mark, it’s unlikely that either will be headlining WWE pay-per-views anytime soon. But as nostalgia acts and veteran presences in a very young and green WWE locker room, both could play a valuable role.

What about Triple-H and The Undertaker? Both are sure to play prominent parts in this year’s WrestleMania, and yet both are still on the sidelines with injuries. With six entrants to the Rumble match kept a mystery ahead of time, it made sense that at least one, if not both the WWE legends, would make their surprise return in the match. Neither did, and so it would seem that WWE is saving their returns for some time in the next several weeks when they wouldn’t have to share the spotlight so much. Next month’s Elimination Chamber seems like the ideal setting for at least one of the two men to come back. And if neither has any other plans on April 3, why not put them in the ring together?

How about that John Morrison? The “Prince Of Parkour” left us with one of the most memorable moments in all of Royal Rumble history by defying gravity to avoid certain elimination from the Rumble match. In case you missed it, Morrison was knocked off the ring apron, but managed to avoid touching the arena floor by clinging to the ringside barrier like a fly on your living room wall. In a move that would make Spider-Man jealous, Morrison then climbed the ringside barrier, walked across the top of it, leaped onto the ringside steps, and made his way back into the ring—without ever having touched the floor. It was a sight to see, and further reason why WWE should take a good, long look at Morrison as a potential top act in the company. The guy can do things that nobody else in WWE—if not the entire sport—is capable of.

Where is WWE’s women’s division headed? Eve Torres won the Divas title last night after the Raw GM inserted her into the match involving LayCool and Natalya, making if a Fatal 4-Way. Despite what seemed like genuine emotion on Eve’s face following her title win, the match only served to further establish how weak the division is, with another interchangeable female competitor now wearing the championship. The imminent arrival of the former Awesome Kong could serve to shake things up, as could a possible breakup of BFF’s Layla and Michelle McCool, who seemed to have some tension between them last night.

Is Dolph Ziggler ready for the big time? With so much happening on last night’s show, one of the forgotten stories may have been Ziggler’s stellar performance in his match against World champion Edge in the night’s opening contest. Ziggler may be one of the more unlikely world title challengers on pay-per-view in recent years, but he showed he could more than do his part to deliver a main-event-worthy match on a big stage. With so many big names clamoring for a top spot at WrestleMania, it’s unlikely that Ziggler will be headlining any pay-per-view again in the next several months. But he definitely left Boston last night with a stronger reputation than he did when he arrived. Assuming WrestleMania features a Money in the Bank ladder match, Ziggler has to be a favorite to win it.

Al Castle
PWI Senior Writer

Chris Jericho: The Unedited Press Conference

2011-01-20T14:32:00.001-05:00

What follows is the full transcript of the Press Conference Senior Writer Al Castle conducted with Chris Jericho in December. The edited print version appears in the current issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, our annual year-end awards special, available now at newsstands and by following the link on the right.

AL CASTLE: Can you talk a bit about what your status is right now with WWE? We obviously haven’t seen you there for a few months, but there have been some indications that you might look forward to working there again.

CHRIS JERICHO: As simple as you can put it, my contract ran out and I’ve moved on. That’s basically it. People are always looking for dirt and ask, “When are you coming back?” and “What happened?” and whatever. My contract ended and I decided to continue on in my life. That’s basically in a nutshell the answer to give you. I’m not working with WWE. I loved the work I was doing. I think it was some of the best of my career. But I never intended to re-sign again after coming back for that three-year period. And that three-year period ran out and there’s other things going on. That’s basically it. There’s no hidden agenda. No hidden secret. People are waiting for the other shoe to drop, and there really isn’t another shoe to drop. I did the job I was signed up to do, and that’s it.

AC: So do you see your wrestling career in the past tense now? Do you think you’ve wrestled your last match?

CJ: Who knows? I’ve never judged my life that way, in terms of, “I’m going to do this and I’m going to do that.” I’ve always kind of gone with my heart. As of right now I don’t see myself returning to WWE any time soon. That’s not to say that I’ll never return, but I have no plans, no schedule, no time line for it. Every fan that I see is like, “Hey when are you coming back? What’s going? What are you doing?” And I’ve never really thought that far ahead. As far as I know right now, I don’t have any plans to come back any time in the near future. Sorry if that disappoints anybody! (laughing)

AC: For WWE, the timing is not ideal, because it comes at the same time that they’ve lost so much other talent. Shawn Michaels and Batista both left several months ago. The Undertaker is on the shelf. Triple-H is on the shelf. And so I could see them taking your loss worse than if it came at another time. Did that put any pressure on you when your contract was coming up?

CJ: No. It may sound selfish, but that’s really none of my concern. That’s how it works man… I don’t have any obligation to the company to stay because they don’t have anybody else. That’s their responsibility. That’s their issue. And I think it’s better for them if they lose a lot of top guys, because then they don’t rely on the same thing over and over again. They’re forced to make changes. They’re forced to use new guys. They’re forced to move forward, which is something they could have done a couple years ago, but they really didn’t. So now they have no choice. The business will be fine without Chris Jericho. It was fine when Shawn Michaels left. It was fine when Bret Hart left. Guys move on. That’s how it works. You can’t stay there forever. Not everybody’s going to be a Ric Flair type of guy or a Hogan type of guy that stays there for years and years and years. I know I’m not. I never planned to be. So if leaving put the company in a lurch, it won’t be in a lurch for long. WWE is going to be just fine without Jericho. They were just fine before I got there, and they’ll be just fine after I’ve left there. It forces them to take a chance with some guys. You know, that’s the bad thing about the business nowadays. Before there were always lots of guys in other countries, and guys climbing up the ranks, and guys that had experience who weren’t with WWE. Now the way that it works is that all your guys are in WWE, and that’s it. And a lot of those guys don’t have a lot of experience, but that’s just the way the business has moved nowadays. So they’re forced to take a chance on guys who they might not have taken a chance on before… So good for them. Like I said, when Steve Austin left, the business was strong. When the Rock was left the business was strong. Me leaving is not going to affect it either way.

AC: I’d say one thing about your departure that maybe is different than some of the other people WWE has lost. It’s something that’s not easily replaced, and made worse since Shawn Michaels left. It’s having that guy who can wrestle. They have a lot of stars and attractions and they’ve done a good job of bringing guys up. But when you think of who is going to deliver that five-star match at WrestleMania and really bring home the wrestling, I don’t see that many guys there who could. There are a lot of good wrestlers, and even very good wrestlers. But maybe not that many great wrestlers. Do you agree with that?

CJ: Well, the one thing you can’t teach is experience. And that’s what made the great wrestlers great. If you look at all the guys over the years who were able to churn out great matches over and over again, they were guys that had years of experience under their belts to be able to do that. They knew a lot of different styles, and had life experiences and lots of different matches they could draw upon to create great matches. Unfortunately, you might never have those guys again, because times have changed. Now you guys who have five, six, seven, eight years experience working at the top of the top, whereas before you had guys who 15 years experience or 20 years experience. You just might never have that anymore. It’s one of those things where the whole game has changed now the curve will now maybe drop. And what used to be a three star match five years ago, just may end up being the five star match of the future, because you just might not be able to replace that ever. You just don’t have guys like with that experience and it’s not built that way anymore. It’s kind of sad in a lot of ways. You can’t just take out a magic wand and say, “This guy’s going to be a five star wrestler.” You either have it or you don’t, and it takes years and years of experience to be able to cultivate those ideas and mindsets. And a lot of guys might never, ever get that, because they don’t have that diversity to fall back on.

AC: What do you think of some of the recruiting tools that you see now, as far as shows like NXT? There’s some talk of bringing back Tough Enough. Obviously, that’s a big difference from the way you broke into the business and how you finally got into WWE. Do you resent at all some of the guys who are coming through those shows and getting big breaks so quickly?

CJ: I don’t resent anyone. They have to do what they have to do. And they have to get new guys. You can’t get stuck on past ways. “They way we used to do things is this.” Well, those days are gone. Guys working in Japan, and Mexico, and ECW, and Smoky Mountain Wrestling and WCW—It’s done. It doesn’t work that way anymore. So you’ve got to get guys where you can. And once in a while you get guys who come through like Sheamus or (Wade) Barrett or Danielson (Daniel Bryan) who have been in the system for years and years and years. But the majority aren’t like that. So you can’t sit on a high horse and say, “Those guys didn’t pay their dues,” because it’s just not like that anymore. So if they can do an NXT or a Tough Enough and find some new guys who can be entertaining and put on a show, then they’re going to have to do that, because the days of the guys traveling worldwide and ending up in WWE are gone. It took me nine years to get to WWE, and when I got there I still wasn’t polished. I still had lots to learn. Now you get guys with nine months of experience who are on TV. But you have to find those guys somewhere. So whichever way they want to do it, go for it.

AC: You responded to a comment Kevin Nash made where he criticized WWE’s youth movement and spoke in favor of having some older, more established guys on top. I wanted to ask you what you thought the right mix was, and what you thought the role of the older, veteran, 40-plus wrestler is in a company that’s trying to get younger.

CJ: It’s like a sports team. You look at a guy like—I know, Brett Favre may be a bad example because he’s having a bad season. But you look at a guy like (recently retired NHL defenseman) Chris Chelios a couple of years ago that was in his mid-40s and was still the best guy in the game. There’s still a place for guys who are older and it’s not necessary to just take care of the young guys. You are who you are. There are guys who are better in their 40s than in their 30s. There are guys who are done by the time they’re 25, 26, 27 years old. So you can’t really say, “Well this guy can work until he’s 45, and this guy can work until he’s 50.” Everybody’s got a certain shelf life. Some guy’s shelf life is longer than others. That’s why you always have to have young guys come in. You always have to have big drafts come in. And you can’t keep guys on top just because they have name value. That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. You have to be able to entertain and you have to be able to provide the certain quality of work that they’re you’re always used to. Just because a certain somebody had name value in 1999 when wrestling was quote-unquote hot, doesn’t mean they necessarily should be on top in 2010. It’s a case-by-case basis. I remember Eric Bischoff saying when I was in WCW that you have to be on TV seven or eight years before you can really get over. Well, guess what, now 90 percent of the guys you have haven’t been on TV seven or eight years. That’s just a dumb thing to say anyways, because there were guys like the Ultimate Warrior and Bill Goldberg who were on TV for two months and got over huge. So everybody has to be judged individually. You can’t have this blanket statement of “It has to be this” or “It has to be that.” It’s like, well, who’s available at the time? What have we got to do with them? What can we do with them? And what do they bring to the table? And what are their strengths and what are their weaknesses? That was one of the best things about the old ECW. (Paul) Heyman was always good about hiding those weaknesses and focusing on the strengths. We went through a really bad phase in WWE in the 2000s where it was the opposite. People were hung up on people’s weaknesses, and not on their strengths. This business is all show business. We can do whatever we want. So you can mask the things that people don’t do well and focus on their strengths. And that’s what they’re having to do at this point after years and years and years of being spoiled, because there was this huge influx of talent, of all these great performers who had five, 10, 15 years of experience and were fresh. Well, that’s done. So now you have to create a product somehow. And you have to put people on TV somehow. So they’re starting to go back on focusing on the positives and trying to stay away from the negatives, which is something wrestling’s always been built on.

AC: You just criticized some things Kevin Nash and Eric Bischoff have said, and you’ve had other comments about TNA. You calling it a “vanity promotion” was picked up some places. As a whole, how do you see TNA? There’s been some speculation in the past that maybe you’d end up there some day.

CJ: First of all, the “vanity project” thing, you know, you say certain things in interviews. It’s not like I spent hours and hours on end saying that. I might have said it at the end of a long sentence in talking about it. And of course that’s what gets picked up and it becomes “Chris Jericho said this.” As far as going there, I’ll never go there, not because I have any problems with them, but because I’m WWE for life. I always wanted to work with WWE, from when I was a kid. I never cared about WCW when I was growing up. I went to WCW for one reason, and that was to get to WWE. And once I got to WWE, I said I’ll never wrestle another match outside WWE for as long as I’m in the business. And I haven’t. Even when I was off for two years starting in 2005, I never worked anywhere else, in the independents or anything like that. And that will never change. I would love for TNA to get huge. I want them to. And I think there’s glimpses of greatness there. But, to be honest, I don’t watch a lot of what they do to even be able to have an opinion at this point. I don’t have time to watch wrestling as it is. I just think a company with that much talent should be doing better than they are. They’ve had the same ratings for the last three years. It’s just unacceptable with the amount of talent they have there, just as a business. I run my own business as well. I run the business of “Fozzy.” And if somebody’s not performing and we’re not getting bigger, than something has to change. So I just wish they would look at it that way, instead of relying on the same old things and the same old people. They’ve been trying different things and something isn’t clicking. They’ve had the same million and a half viewers for the last three years. Just as an outsider looking in—as any business-owner looking in—if you had the same return or the same results after three years, maybe you might want to try something different to make it grow. But maybe that’s their ceiling. Maybe that’s what they can get. And if they can make a profit with that and have a successful company with one a half million people, they don’t care about doing anything differently. It’s not my concern. I’m just calling it as I see it as a business-owner and as a fan of wrestling. I would love nothing more than for TNA to get 2 million viewers, 3 million viewers, 10 million viewers. Whatever it takes, I’d love to see that happen. I pull for them every time I hear about them.

AC: I want to talk a little bit more about your last few years in WWE before your most recent departure. You took a two-year break from the business and pursued some other ventures. And when you came back there was some speculation about, “Well maybe his heart is not in it as much as before. He wants to do these other things—write books and act and perform with his band.” And then you went on to have what I think a lot of people thought was the three best years of your career, completely reinvented yourself, had some of the best matches, best feuds. Looking back, are you really proud of the work you did over the last three years as a chapter in your entire career?

CJ: Of course. Speculation always makes you laugh, because I never did anything freewheeling. I stepped away from wrestling because my heart wasn’t in it. That’s exactly it. You hit the nail on the head. I didn’t come back with my heart not in it. I came back 100,000 percent committed. That’s why I came back. And that’s why it took me 27 months to come back. I wasn’t messing around when I said I wasn’t going to come back unless I felt I could be better than ever. And that’s what I did. The last three years of my career were the three best of my career, as far as I’m concerned. That’s why I came back. I wouldn’t come back if I didn’t feel like I was in it and could contribute. I’ve always done other things, my whole career. I never sat back and did just one thing. I’m a very diverse person. I have a lot of ideas and I’m very creative. I have been since I was 10 years old. And that’s how I’m wired. And that pisses some people off. And I’m sorry, but I’ve always had other ideas and other things that I’ve wanted to do. I’ve never been 100 percent just a wrestling guy—never, ever, ever. From the day that I had my first match to me talking to you right now. I love wrestling, but I love music and I love acting and I love writing, and I’ve always done all those things. So, then to come back in 2007, I knew that it would take a couple of months to find out what I wanted to do. I thought coming back as a babyface was bit miscast, but you do what you are told to do or are asked to do by the boss of the company. But I still knew that I wanted to change some things, and that’s why I came back the way I did. I didn’t come back with long hair. I remember a friend of mine before I cam back asked, “Are you going to get hair extensions?” And I was like, “Why?” And he said, “Well, Chris Jericho has long hair.” Well, so did Bruce Dickinson in 1987. And now Bruce Dickinson is a better singer than he’s ever been in Iron Maiden, and he’s got short hair. So it’s obviously not the hair that matters. It’s the guy. So, I wanted to change things, and I did that. And then I really got in the groove, after all these years of kind of being in the groove, but not really. I always knew I could be better in wrestling, and I kind of attained that in the last two years. Is it the best that Chris Jericho could ever be? I’m not going to say that, but it’s the best Chris Jericho has ever been over the course of his career.

AC: Was it particularly scary to embark on that radical change in character? You had been doing the Y2J for so long. Before it was even Y2J, it was loud, boisterous, explosive. And it was such a complete 180 to strip it down to the point that you’re not even smiling. You’re just walking out in your suit, a grimace on your face. I’d think that that was a pretty big gamble on your part. “I’ve been doing this one way for so long and now I’m about to become somebody completely different.” How frightening was that?

CJ: It wasn’t frightening at all. It was cool, because it was a captivating thing. I wanted to be completely different from anything I’d ever been before. I wanted to reinvent myself 100 percent. So, that meant getting rid of the fun guy. The countdown was gone. I switched to the short tights, short hair. Everything that I did before I just changed to the opposite, and that’s why I did it. I always believed that when you turn heel, you should change and make people realize that they’re not dealing with the same old guy. I heard, “Well, people want to cheer for you.” Exactly. Of course you do. That’s why I did it—because people love the Y2J character. And when I got rid of it completely, people were like, “You’re going to bring it back, aren’t you?” And I was like, “No. This is what you get. This is a new guy all the way across the board.” I wanted people to see that I wasn’t screwing around. So no countdown. The only thing I kept was my music. I kept that the same because—I hate to use the word iconic—but it is very identifiable to who I am as a performer. But everything else changed, and that was all a calculated call from me. I wasn’t terrified about it at all. I’m always about the future. I never stay in the past ever. People ask, “When are you coming back?” It’s never been that way. It’s: What can I do better and how can I change things? It’s why I did things that way.

AC: Would you recommend the same kind of complete make over to other guys who maybe feel stuck in a rut? One guy who comes to mind is Edge, who has 12 years in the company now. He came back earlier this year and was cast as a babyface, and it never really took hold. And then they turned him heel, and that didn’t really work. And now he’s back as a babyface, and I’m not sure how much momentum he has. It strikes me, why not take the Chris Jericho route and completely reinvent yourself and become something else?

CJ: It’s all individual. I don’t recommend anything at all. All I could so is recommend for myself. But I will say this: The Edge babyface character last year at WrestleMania was getting over. It took a while because Edge was such a hated heel. You can’t just turn into a rah-rah babyface in five or six months. It takes time for people to sort of trust you. And they were behind him, even to the point where we worked a couple of shows after that when he was already a heel, and by proxy became babyface because he was working with me. And people were into him as a babyface. It just took time. For whatever reason Vince got an itchy trigger finger and decided to switch him back heel. But it would have worked. Now people don’t know how to trust. They don’t know if they trust the good guy or the bad guy, the way they’ve changed him. But I said the same thing to Matt Hardy when he was in WWE and turning heel with Jeff Hardy a couple years ago. I said, “Cut your hair, man. Change it up.” It’s all up to the individual guy and where they feel comfortable. For me, I was so over the whole Y2J thing. I just couldn’t even stand it. I just wanted to get completely different and change it. If you look back at that time, nobody was doing that. Nobody was coming out and being serious and not smiling. Nobody was wearing a suit. And that’s why I did it. And now every heel is coached to be that way. Be silent. Be straight. Because it worked. So now it’s the prerequisite for a WWE heel. But if you go back to 2007, nobody did that. And I have no problem saying that. I’m not saying I was the first guy to do it. But I’m saying I was the first guy to do it in that company and at that time. So if I was there now, I’d almost have to change it again, because everybody’s doing it now, you know what I mean? You have to original and do something different. It’s something Brian Pillman told me years ago. If you want to make it in this business you have to do something that nobody’s ever done before. I did that, and that’s why it worked.

AC: You were somebody who really embraced being hated. For so long, there’s been that “cool heel” thing, where even guys who turn heel still play for applause. It was the nWo and to some extent Triple-H when he was a heel. They still did things to try to get over. You didn’t do any of that. You were loathsome. You were just a total jerk. And you’re right. I think now you’re seeing more and more of that kind of thing. I think the Miz is like that. To some extent Wade Barrett is. It’s kind of a return to that heel that embraced being hated.

CJ: Well, at least they think they embrace being hated. But I took it to the next level. There were no catch phrases. There became some by proxy from the stuff that I said. But I never set out to make “I’m the best in the world at what I do” or “shameless pandering” a catch phrase. I mean, who would ever think that “gelatinous parasite” would be a catch phrase?

AC: I like “mucilaginous troglodyte.” You had me look that one up.

CJ: Yeah, I was just saying whatever I could, and when people started repeating it, I didn’t like that. I never wanted to have a catch phrase. I didn’t want merchandise. There’s no Chris Jericho merchandise. There’s no Chris Jericho T-shirt. All that stuff was because of me. They wanted to make a T-shirt, but I said, “Why? Why would I want someone wearing a T-shirt in the crowd that has my name on it? That’s one guy in the crowd that’s not going to boo me.” It’s an art form to be a heel and to stay a heel. Because the best characters of all times are villains. Darth Vader. Terminator. Hannibal Lector. Freddy Kruger. And all those villains turned babyface because they were so entertaining. Each one of those guys I said in the second or third movie became a good guy. If Heath Ledger hadn’t passed away, he would have been a good guy in the next Batman movie, guaranteed, because he was too entertaining. So it’s easier to make people hate you than to make them love you. But it’s very, very difficult to make them stay hating you, and I was able to do that for two and a half years because every time I was going down on a road where people were starting to get into it, I’d turn it, change it, go back and forth. That’s why the Shawn Michaels angle worked and the Rey Mysterio Angle worked—because there was no comedy behind it. And over those last three years there were some comedy bits, and that was fine. There was that whole Bob Barker thing for example. And most of the guest host stuff was done for fun. Once again, you can’t do the same thing all the time. But the crux of it was to be very serious. Like you said, a loathsome jerk, who has no redeeming qualities to him. And that’s why it worked. I did enjoy playing that because it’s a challenge. It’s hard to do. It’s not easy. You can’t just go out there and say, if you’re in New York City, “Ah, I hate the Yankees. The Yankees suck.” Boo! “Well, I’m a great heel.” No, that’s cheap heat. The secret is, how do you get the people in New York to boo you without saying that? Saying you love the Yankees and still get them to boo you. That’s a challenge.

AC: I remember, I was there live for the Great American Bash ’08 when you had a match with Shawn. I thought this was just tremendous heel work. This was the match where I think maybe they stopped it because maybe Shawn was bleeding out of the eye or something. And the next match, or a couple matches later, was the finals of the tournament to crown the first Divas champion. And in the middle of the celebration, you came out and you told all the fans to hold on to their ticket stubs, because they had just witnessed Shawn Michaels’ last match. The place just went nuts. It was just a very, very smarmy thing to say and do.

CJ: It’s funny, you do some of this stuff, and I totally forgot about that. I’ve told people in WWE, “You guys should make a whole DVD set.” There were two great angles at the time. There was Edge and Undertaker and Jericho and Michaels. They both lasted six or eight months. And they were the two last great stories in WWE for a while, I think. You could have put those entire chronicles on DVD—every match, every interview. The whole thing. And it really would be kind of a handbook on now to do a great angle. You had the most evil villain and the long-beloved babyface. Both shows were so hot because you had that cornerstone of Michaels-Jericho on Raw and Edge-Taker on Smackdown. It was kind of a golden time for fans, for sure.

AC: I think you went on to have other angles that had that similar kind of intensity. You mentioned Rey Mysterio. It was maybe a notch below the Shawn Michaels feud, but several notches above almost anything else WWE was doing. What do you think you were bringing to your rivalries that made them more intense, more personal, more compelling than anything else that was going on in WWE?

CJ: First of all, it goes back to the international experience I was talking about before. (Rey and I) had a lot of places we could go, a lot of things we could dip into. The whole Mexican culture of the mask match, and all the spots you do during a mask match. There was just so much stuff that Mysterio and I could do because we had that history there. Not a lot of people know what it’s like to be in Mexico wrestling, and we both did, obviously. And the real thing was the mask. That was the major, major thing. And they had kind of flirted with mask vs. mask matches before, and losing a mask. But this was real. This was not just a one-time thing. This was a three or four-month crusade for Jericho to take his mask. And why did I want to take his mask? Because I could. End of story. I was explaining that to Vince, “I’m a bully and I want your milk money.” “Well, why do you want his milk money?” “Because I want it.” And that’s the reason that I wanted his mask, because I was a bully. It was about giving me that reward. Why can’t everyone wear one? Why does he get to wear one? Just to see this character who had been in WWE for 10 years and wears this mask and was so popular, and yet we had never done anything with that mask. We never explained why he wore it. We never really had anyone try to take it. That was the first time we had really done that, and it really, really worked out well.

AC: Did you think that feud ended a little early? I know a lot of fans thought it did.

CJ: Maybe, but we still ended up having like six matches over or a three-and-a-half or four-month period that were six classic matches. All of them are great. So I don’t think it really ended early. I think a lot of people are just comparing it to the Shawn Michaels thing where there were a lot of twists and turns. Maybe we could have put another twist in it, but for what we had and what was going on, I think three months is long enough. And each match got better than the last. I think the crescendo of that was amazing. So I wasn’t feeling that at all.

AC: After that Rey Mysterio feud, were you disappointed at all where Chris Jericho went in WWE? You went on to main event several more pay per views. But I don’t know if anything you did was as compelling as those two feuds. And toward the end there you were losing a lot on TV and working with some newer, younger guys. Any disappointment or bitterness over the last year or so?

CJ: What was there to be bitter about? I was the World champion at WrestleMania. Some times you have angles that really connect and really work. Other times you try as best you can to do things well. The big thing at the time was that Edge got hurt. We had a lot of plans to do this big tag team that split up and then go from there. And then Edge got hurt and we had to change everything. I think the stuff with Big Show was great. I think it turned out way better than it had reason to. I enjoyed that immensely. And then when Edge came back, we kind of had to start really quickly from scratch almost. And I enjoyed the stuff that I did with Edge. As far as losing, the only guys who were really stuck on the losing were guys who were reporting on it. Most of the losses were my idea. It’s not like there was anything going on behind the scenes. Once again, we’re at a time where you have a lot of young guys and you’ve got to build them up quickly, so you have them win. I could lose every night. I can lose to you. You think anybody’s going to care? Nobody.

AC: Let’s do it.

CJ: I was one of the few guys that could do that make that work. Once again, that was a challenge. Wins and losses mean nothing if you know how to do them properly. So like I said, there was nothing to be bitter about. If anybody is bitter about being world champion at WrestleMania, you should maybe look for another line of work or try to find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that doesn’t exist. And the whole thing with Nexus. I thought the whole last month building up to SummerSlam was genius, with me and Edge being the ----stirrers involved. I loved that angle. I thought it was amazing. So I disagree with that.

AC: You’ve had two world title matches at WrestleMania—back in 2002 with Triple-H and again last year. I think it’s fair to say that neither of those are going to be thought of among the most iconic, memorable WrestleMania main events. Any thoughts on that? Disappointments? Was there anything different you wish you had done in those matches?

CJ: I don’t know, man. Once again, just because you have a world title match at WrestleMania doesn’t mean necessarily that it’s a classic. You do the best you can do. Some main events are better than others. My WrestleMania calling card was at XIX with Shawn Michaels, and there was no title involved in that at all. It was the fifth match on the show out of 10 matches. To steal the show in that position, that’s what it was. All the cards aligned and all the fruit lined up on the slot machine. It was the iconic match for that WrestleMania. Last year I was going up against 'Taker and Shawn and pretty much accepting second place at best. But, like I said, you do the best with what you have at any WrestleMania, at any situation. I was fortunate enough that at WrestleMania XIX, mine was the match that people remembered, and there was no title involved in that at all. Just because you have a title at WrestleMania or you go on last at WrestleMania doesn’t mean that you’re going to have this classic match. Even at WrestleMania X8 when we went on last, Hogan and Rock were the true main event. They were just protecting the title by putting it on last, but Rock and Hogan was the match that everyone paid to see. So anybody after that was at a disadvantage. But I don’t regret anything I’ve done in any of those matches because it was the best I could do on that given day. Some of them are more memorable than others, but all of them were Chris Jericho given 1000 percent.

AC: You know one that I neglected to mention because it slipped my mind, but definitely deserves mention with some of the best work you’ve done in the last couple years was the angle you did with the Legends leading up to WrestleMania 25, and especially the work you did with Rick Steamboat.

CJ: Yeah.

AC: That photo of you getting the autograph from Steamboat when you were a kid has become this iconic image of that whole thing. How surreal was that for you—not only to work with Rick Steamboat at that point, but to have some really good matches with him?

CJ: Yeah, that’s kind of a forgotten angle that I did. It was all those promos. Everybody’s talking about that promo that (Roddy) Piper did before Survivor Series this year. People forgot the promo that he did before WrestleMania that year in Tacoma, Washington. I went up to him beforehand and we were talking and I said, “Listen, dude, I don’t want Roddy Piper, the funny, happy guy. I want the Roddy Piper who was the biggest heel in the world WrestleMania I. The guy is forgotten man in the reason why that company was built.” That show was a success because of Hogan and Cyndi Lauper. But if it wasn’t for Piper being the quintessential, jackass heel, that show never would have worked. And I said that’s the guy I want to talk to tonight. And he responded in spades. He was great. So, yeah, that’s one of those angles that I did that people forgot, but at the time was very, very good. And that’s all because Mickey Rourke was going to do a match and then pulled out of it, so we were kind of left holding the bag. Vince had this idea to do something with the legends. The criteria was that they had to be in the Hall of Fame and they had to be in the first WrestleMania. That’s why we teased (Jerry) Lawler for a while, but Lawler didn’t meet Vince’s criteria, because he wasn’t in the first WrestleMania. So Vince wanted (Greg) Valentine. And I said, “Listen, man, if that is going to have any chance of being a good match, they’ve got to get somebody else in there.” So I asked if we could have Steamboat. And at the time there were some problems with Steamboat’s name. I don’t know if his ex-wife owned it, or whatever it was. And I think Vince was a little reluctant at first. But after a while, we went with Steamboat, and that’s when I said, “Okay, this is going to be great. Finally I’ve got somebody I can work with.” I wasn’t in awe. It wasn’t surreal. By the time you get to that point in your career—It’s like when I worked with Hogan in 2002. Hogan was my all-time favorite, but I didn’t go into the ring with stars in my eyes and mark out for him. At that point, I’m one of his peers. So it’s time to get the job done, make the donuts, and make some magic here. That was the same with Steamboat. I mean it was cool for about three seconds, and then after that it was like, “We’ve got to make this work and get things going.” I knew Ricky would respond that way. It would be like Wayne Gretsky coming back to play hockey now. He’d still be better than 80 percent of the roster, because he’s that good. And Ricky was. We worked for a couple months. We worked five or six times. And I think the best match we had was at a house show that we worked in Greenville, South Carolina that nobody saw except the people that were there. He continued to get better and better. And that’s just because he’s one of those guys. We talked about guys who have shelf life. His shelf life was definitely a lot longer than he lasted. I think he retired when he was like 45. He probably could have gone until he was 55.

AC: In that way, you kind of did something special for Rick Steamboat, I imagine in letting him have that closure on his career and a last great, memorable match. After this great career he had, it just sort of stopped. I think it was 1994 he had to retire and never got that sendoff he deserved. And now, at whatever age he is, he got that. Was he grateful to you for being able to do that?

CJ: He never came up and said that, but you can tell. Ricky’s a great guy. He’s a very respectful guy and he’s very direct and he’s very thoughtful. Not to get too deep into it, but yeah, I think he definitely respected it. But I respected him, and so did everybody else in the roster. This was no charity case of bringing a guy back for one last run. He’s Ricky Steamboat, man. Any bit of a chance he got from anything I did, he responded to in spades and ran with it. That’s what true pros do. That’s what the greats do.

AC: Let me ask you a little bit about your new book, Undisputed. Your first book was just tremendous. For my money, it’s one of—if not the—best wrestling autobiography I’ve read. Just compelling, really funny. I just loved jumping from country to country and getting a peak at the wrestling scene there at that particular time, especially places like Europe, which you just don’t hear that much about. Just a tremendous book. Did that give you any added pressure in writing this followup?

CJ: Yeah, there was a lot of pressure. I wanted to get a Godfather II with this one—a sequel that’s better than the original. And that’s why I wrote the book the way I did the first time. To include everything up until that point in 2007, I would have had to compromise some of the earlier stories. And I knew I had so much stuff, that I didn’t want to do that. And when it came time to write the second book, it took a long time to get my butt in gear and to do it, because it’s a big commitment. It takes a lot of time. And that’s why it took me about a year and a half to do it properly. And I didn’t even start working on it until January of this year. I had the deal two years before that, but you can’t just jump into something like that half-assed. You have to give it your all, 100 percent. And that’s something I do for everything I’ve done as Chris Jericho. If you see my name on it, you know it’s 100 percent. That’s why it took a while to get this book out. I wanted to make it as just good if not better than the first one. And I think I’ve done that. I think this book is in a lot of ways better than the original, because the first book was dealing with a lot of stories that nobody ever knew. This one deals with a lot of stories that people do know, or think they know. So you have to deal with that and make it better. It also deals a lot with my experiences with Fozzy and stuff I did in Hollywood. So it’s also a little more diverse than the first book is. And I think it’s better. I’m really excited for it to come out. It comes out in February. If you thought the first book was the best wrestling book ever, then this is definitely the best wrestling sequel ever. The fact that I’ve had two autobiographies published by the time I was 40 years old, I’m pretty fortunate for that and very cognizant that both those books are considered classics in their field—or at least I hope the second will be. I’m very cognizant that the first one is a classic in its field. And that’s really rewarding for me, because I wrote every word. And I think that’s the reason it does resonate so well. I’ve always been a writer. And I’ve always wanted to write a book, but I had to wait until I left WWE to do that. I’m glad I did.

AC: How different was the experience writing it under the WWE banner. Inevitably, there are going to be people looking for, you know, “Is he holding back a little bit here? Censoring himself” or “Is WWE censoring him?” Was there any of that?

CJ: Well, WWE can’t censor me, because it’s not their book. It’d impossible. They don’t read a draft of it until you do the final draft. As far as holding back, if you think I held back in the first one, then this one will be about the same. I really don’t hold back, but I don’t go out of my way to bury anybody or to be bitter or angry, because why would I? I mean the book is a story, and I win at the end of both books. I became one of the best wrestlers of all-time, one of the biggest stars in wrestling history. What do I have to complain about? If I’ve had some issues with some people over the years, that’s fine. I think everybody does. But I’m not going to go out of my way to verbally bash them. A book is not a place to settle a vendetta. That’s for sure. I tell the stories as I see fit. And when I was editing it, I did dial back some things, because you don’t want to be mean. Mean is mean. But I’m very honest about the things I went through. And in this book there’s a lot of that stuff. When I first got to WWE, it was a political quagmire. There was so much stuff that I faced that I never expect to face. Look back on my career. The first six months that I was there they basically didn’t do anything. I was just a guy. So I talk about all that stuff in the book, as I should. And I don’t pull any punches. But I don’t go out of my way to be mean or bitter or anything. I just tell the story as it is.

AC: Mick Foley has now written four books dealing with his wrestling career—kind of autobiographies. And I think there’s a popular opinion that they were kind of progressively less interesting. The first one was this incredible, landmark book. The next one was very good. The next one was just okay. And there have been mixed reviews for this most recent one. Do you worry about that same thing happening with you? I guess the one big difference is that the real bulk of your career and what people most know you from—your time in WWE—you didn’t even deal with in the first book.

CJ: Yeah, exactly. So that’s one kind of ace in the hole that I had. I always planned on having a sequel. That’s why it ended the way that it did. I mean, I’m not stupid. And this book also ends in a cliffhanger because it ends right when I come back in 2007. So there’s still this whole other three-year period that some people, including myself, considered the best of my career. But obviously those (Foley’s) books, if you think they’re less interesting, is because there are less experiences to draw on. The first book, for me, was 30 years. The second was seven years. If I started writing another book tomorrow, it would be three years. But it’s three years of pretty good stuff. So I’d like to do a third book, but there’s no rush to do it. I already have more than enough material to fill a third book, and it’s all interesting stuff. At least I think it is. More importantly to the fans, there’s still that whole three-year period of my whole rebirth that hasn’t been dealt with. So that’s a book right there. So I’m not worried about it in the least.

AC: Kind of looking back in a different way now that it may be over, do you start to think about things like the WWE Hall of Fame? I know different guys have different takes on what that means to them. I’ve heard wrestlers pretty cynically say, “It’s all a work. Who cares?” And then other people talk about it being pretty valuable to be recognized by your peers. Is it something that peaks your interest?

CJ: Well, anybody who says, “It’s all a work,” is probably somebody who’s not in there, you know what I mean? To not be in the Hall of Fame, you think, Oh, who cares. But I think anybody who is in the Hall of Fame probably thinks it’s pretty cool. For me, I think I’d be a little bit embarrassed that all of these people were there cheering for me for the work I did in the past. Like I said, I’ve never really thought of the past. I always think of the future. I think it would be an honor to be in the Hall of Fame, but I think I’d be very, very embarrassed to be up there talking about how great I am, or how great I’m perceived as being, or how great I am on that night. I think that’s one of the reasons I like writing books. I can tell the good things that I’ve done, and also really focus and call myself on the carpet for all the bad things I’ve done as well. So yeah, the Hall of Fame is a huge honor. I hope I’m in it someday. But I’d almost be scared to show up. I might not even go. (laughs)

AC: I just pulled up this list. WWE put out this “50 Greatest Superstars” DVD, and you’re exactly at the halfway point. You are the 25th greatest superstar of all time, in between Bruno Sammartino and Ted DiBiase. Any thoughts?

CJ: Well, I don’t think there’s really any thoughts you can give on that. I think it’s just a gimmick, promotional thing to sell DVDs. I think when you look at that list, it’s pretty crazy all the way through and there’s really no rhyme or reason to the way they’re ranked, with the exception of the first one (Shawn Michaels). Any list where Hogan is at number 20 or something like that, it’s making more of a political statement than anything. But I think if you take the top 25 guys of all-time, maybe I could have done a little bit better. Top 20 maybe. But I definitely don’t see myself in the top 10 of all-time. But any time you can be included in something like that—I’d rather be at number 25 than at number 51 and not make the cut.

AC: What do you see as your legacy? Not a ranking or anything like that, but when you’re dead and gone, how do you want to be remembered in the wrestling business?

CJ: Just as a guy who entertained, who gave his best every single night and found different ways to do that. I think I’ll probably be remembered in a lot of people’s eyes as an over achiever, but in my eyes, I achieved exactly what I always knew I would do. When I started in 1990, there was a real prejudice against me because I was small. I was a small guy. In the '90s it was all about how big guys were. I just never accepted it. I don’t think I’m small. I mean, I know I’m small but I was never going to let it hinder me. So I found other ways to do it. So I went to other countries and I worked on my character and I worked on my presentation and I worked on my showmanship. So I was lucky that I was doing all of that for ten years. And by the time I came into WWE in 1999, it was almost like the perfect storm. It was the right time to be a guy my size to really make your mark. Because in the 1990s, look at all the guys who were on top. It definitely wasn’t anybody like me. But by the time 2000 rolled around, almost all the guys were my size, because the giants were all proven to be, you know, ----. They just weren’t good. So, had I started in 1980, I never would have made it to the heights that I did. So 1990 was the perfect time for a guy like me to start. So I always did my best to entertain every night. And I was always good about adapting to the crowd and adapting to what was going on. I had a great experience in WCW. A lot of people cut on it, talk bad about WCW. But I really learned how to make the most out of the time I ‘m given. If you’re given one minute of TV time, you’ve got to find a way to make that a minute that everybody’s going to remember. How can I make that mark in one minute? So by the time I got to WWE, if I had 10 minutes, I knew what to do. If I had 30 seconds, I knew what to do. I was able to do that on a consistent basis. And that’s why people got into what I was doing. Whatever I was doing, whether people loved it or they hated it—and most of the time they hated it—they always looked forward to see what exactly I was going to do next and who was going to be there to shut me up.

AC: I’d be remiss if I didn’t give you an opportunity to talk about some of your other projects. I know that’s what’s going on in your life right now. How is the Fozzy tour going? You just got back form Australia. Are we going to get a tour here in the U.S.?

CJ: For whatever reason we have a great international fan base for Fozzy, and we always have. And that’s what I like to focus on. Over the last three or four months—as a matter of fact since I left WWE—we’ve been to seven countries. We toured England, Ireland, Scotland, Whales, France, Australia and Canada. That’s seven countries since I left in September. And Fozzy’s not a project. Fozzy’s who I am. We’ve been doing this for 11 years now. I know a lot of people think, “Eleven years, really?” We’ve really made a lot of progress and in roads. And most importantly people don’t see it as the wrestling band anymore, not that we ever portrayed it as that. But people always had it in mind that because I’m a wrestler I couldn’t possible be good at anything else. And that’s something I’ve always proven wrong. And it makes people angry. But we do great business overseas, and even the shows we’ve played in the States have done great. We had a show at the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles. It’s probably the biggest club in the world. Everyone knows the Whisky. We’re headed to Canada in January. And then we’re going to do all the festivals this summer—all the big 50,60,70,000 people festivals with Metallica, Megadeth, Avenged Sevenfold, Linkin Park, all the biggest bands in the world. Like I said, I’ve been a musician a lot longer than I’ve been a wrestler. I’ve been playing in bands since I was 14 years old. So I didn’t just wake up one day and say, “Hey, I want to be in a band.” It’s something I’ve always done and something that I’ll always do. I’ll be 65 years old and playing with a band somewhere. I’m just glad that I’ve had the chance to pounce on that and really take advantage of that and really build a band. I think we’re very fortunate that after 11 years we’re a band that’s still growing. The only people who don’t like our band are the people who haven’t heard it. Everybody that’s heard the band loves the band and that includes my peers in music. I just got a call from Slash the other day. He was listening to the record and he loved it. He’s another guy in a long line of guys who are into the band. That’s very cool for me—that I was able to focus and achieve both of my dreams.

AC: It’s kind of a shame that it’s a brand of music that, at least in the United States, has kind of come and gone. Obviously, metal was huge in the mid- and late-'80s, That’s when I was really into it. I went to a Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer show out here on Long Island about a month ago in the Nassau Coliseum. And it was like a few cars in the parking lot. I mean, it was a pretty good crowd. It might have been eight-or-nine thousand. But I certainly see more people at the Coliseum for almost any other show going on. And then I saw the movie “The Big 4” with Metallica and those same bands in Bulgaria. And they had like 100,000 people. So it’s like a whole different seen. It definitely has its following here in the United States but nothing like in Europe and other parts of the world.

CJ: Well, it all depends on who you’re talking about. People love metal all around the world. And there are all these bands that are coming up playing it. We don’t play like '80s metal. We play hard rock music. Our songs would fit with something you would hear by Stone Sour or Avenged Sevenfold today. There’s definitely influences from those past bands, but we’re not that type of band completely. And anybody who listens to our records would know that there’s always diversity on it—a lot of different stuff. I think we’ve carved out a little niche for ourselves. I think we just don’t spend a lot of time in the States because we really haven’t had a chance to. We’re spending so much time in these other countries. The shows that we’re doing here are getting bigger and the records that we’re selling are more and more. It’s all I could ever ask for.

AC: I would think that, particularly in the States, you would get people at shows that are fans of Chris Jericho, the wrestler, and like the novelty of seeing their favorite wrestler singing. Do you welcome that? Is it a little but annoying in that these are two different sides of you?

CJ: Whatever it takes to get people there. Most of the time, our fan base is probably 60 percent true blue Fozzy fans, at this point and 40 percent people who want to see Chris Jericho do a dropkick on stage, which is fine. That’s cool. Whatever it takes to get people in there. But everybody who leaves are shows are converted Fozzy fans. Every band has a gimmick. Kiss wore make up. And I’m sure there were a lot of people who went to see Kiss because the guys are wearing make up or they kill cows on stage or whatever the rumors were that they did. But when you caught them, you’d say, “Man these guys are actually, really kick ass.” I love challenges. I love people coming and getting into the band. And I also love playing songs where the whole crowd is singing every word of our songs, where they actually know what we’re doing and they obviously came prepared. So it’s all good to me, man. It’s all making people happy and entertaining. That’s what I like to do.

AC: How about the acting side of things and other TV work? Are you doing another season of Downfall?

CJ: I don’t think we’re doing another season of Downfall but there are other projects that have been extended because of that. So that was a huge deal for me in being perceived outside the box in the Hollywood environment because for whatever reason there’s a prejudice against wrestlers in Hollywood. They think, Well we’ve got our wrestler. We’ve got The Rock, and that’s all we need. But I mean there are guys who can do anything. Wrestling is show business boot camp. You learn a little bit about everything when you work in WWE. So Downfall was a huge step forward for me because now people know me in that world, as the host of a network game show and not just the wrestling guy. So there are other projects that have come up that have stemmed from that. I’d love to do more acting because I love playing characters, as you can tell. The hosting gig was fun, too. So I see myself doing a lot more of that in the future as well. I think at this stage in my career, it’s going to transition more to just being Fozzy and doing more of the hosting and acting thing. I think that’s another reason why the wrestling fans are mad at me, because they’re starting to realize that when I say I might not come back, they’re starting to see the result of that, and saying, “Well, jeez. He might actually be serious and not be pulling a typical wrestling thing where they keep coming back.” And I’m not saying that’s not going to happen. But the way things are going right now, the road isn’t taking me down that path right now.

AC: As you talked about in this interview, when you were Chris Jericho, the character, you took it so seriously that you didn’t want people wearing your T-shirts, because you wanted to be hated. And yet, at the same time, you’re doing this show on the other channel, Downfall, where you’re this likeable, nice, jovial game show host. Did you have any personal problems in presenting yourself in different ways?

CJ: Absolutely not. I’m an actor, and I have to play the part of Chris Jericho in WWE. It’s like Anthony Hopkins doesn’t walk down the street eating people’s livers with a fine Chianti and a straightjacket. It’s a character he played in a movie and he’s more than capable of playing two or three different characters at the same time as they shoot two or three different movies. And I played the character of Chris Jericho in WWE and outside of WWE there is no character, unless I’m doing another movie. But, Downfall, that was myself. I was playing myself. I never ever, ever once went into the ring as they guy that’s talking to you right now. I became somebody else, because that’s what wrestling is—from day one for me. It’s not athletic. It’s not a sport. Not even close. You have to be an athlete, but there’s no scoring goals and all that sort of thing. It’s show business, man. One hundred percent. And that’s how I’ve always treated it and that’s why I did as good as I did. That’s why I’ll always do good in anything like that, because I play a character. I understand that. And the best guys in the business do that, and understand that and can be that. And the guys that aren’t are the guys that come and go.

AC: One last thing. I went to a house show in Newark earlier this year where Y2J returned. You announced before the match that Y2J was back, and you worked the match as a babyface and you were slapping hands at ringside with fans. I wondered if that was kind of your way of saying goodbye. Can you give me insight into what was that about?

CJ: You’re reading to much into this, man. This isn’t the DaVinci Code where there’s all these secret messages … I started as a heel, and then turned into a babyface. That’s the one where I challenged Cena to a match, and then Sheamus beat him up. And then Nexus came down and beat me up. And then Orton came down. And I said, “You’re going to see the one night only return of Y2J!” or whatever it was. The thing is, at the end of that match if I wanted to turn back into a bad guy, all it would have taken was two seconds to do it … There was definitely no goodbyes. “(Pretending to sob) This is my last show in Newark.” I don’t want that. I don’t ever want that big, overblown, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair goodbye. I don’t want it. Good for those guys that got it. I don’t want it. If I never wrestle another day, I wouldn’t feel bad about the fact that I never got my last applause and got to ride off into the sunset. I’m a bad guy. Bad guys are cowards. Bad guys die at the end of movies. And that’s it. You never see them again. That’s what I want to happen to me. I want to fall off the building like the dude in Die Hard and scream “Aaaah!” all the way down. And it’s like, “That guy was a loser. I’m glad he’s dead.” That’s what my mindset is. Although, I don’t want the “dead” part to happen.

ROH May Be Losing More Than Just Its TV Show

2011-01-19T11:00:00.004-05:00

Few wrestling personalities are as gifted in the art of spinning a negative into a positive as Ring of Honor owner Cary Silkin.

WWE just signed away my two top stars? That only allows us the opportunity to create new and more exciting top stars! Can’t afford to keep such veteran talent as Austin Aries on the payroll? We’ll just give him a break to freshen up his act and come back sometime in the future hotter than ever!

Indeed, no matter how many signs of trouble have arisen for ROH over the last several years, Silkin has always found a way to focus fans’ attention on the silver lining.

But this time, that’s especially tough to do.

Earlier this month, ROH announced that its two-year run on HDNet was coming to an end, and that the Mark Cuban-owned cable network had decided not to renew the company’s weekly TV show.

True to form, Silkin has tried to see the cup as half full, remarking in interviews that the development was just another part of the ongoing evolution of ROH, and that the company was actively looking for another television home.

Now, I should emphasize that I don’t believe for a moment that Silkin is trying to deceive anyone. On the contrary, I think Cary is a terrific guy who fully believes everything he says, and fully believes in Ring of Honor. But that doesn’t mean he’s telling the truth.

Regardless of how officials may want to spin it, the loss of ROH’s TV deal is a devastating blow to a wrestling company that, by many indications, was already struggling to stay afloat.

It’s important to note that this isn’t just a matter of ROH losing its TV audience and exposure. In fact, although solid viewership figures were always elusive even to ROH officials, there were no indications that the TV show ever drew big numbers. The company still struggled to fill small venues in some markets and to unload its massive inventory of DVDs. Yes, in some areas business did move up a tick, including its new Internet pay-per-view offerings and in live attendance in some major markets, such as New York. But it didn’t appear that whatever increases there were in some revenue streams were enough to make up for the company’s losses. Former ROH booker Adam Pearce shed some light on the situation in an exclusive interview with me (the full transcript of which is available here) where he said that Silkin was dipping into his own funds to keep the company running.

And so while HDNet may have not made a huge difference in increasing the size of ROH’s audience, it played an invaluable role in a different way toward ROH’s growth: It made ROH look major league.

For years, one of the biggest criticisms leveled at ROH has been of its poor production values. DVDs looked like they were shot by your little brother using the family camcorder, and the audio sounded like it came from the same little brother’s My First Sony Tape Recorder.

HDNet—one of the pioneers in high-definition television—gave ROH a significant shot in the arm by not only producing its weekly television show, but also subsidizing it. The result was a sleek, big-budget presentation of a wrestling product that deserved it.

While ROH may be able to find another cable network interested in airing its product, it’s unlikely it will find one that will use all of its financial and technical resources, as HDNet, to make it look that good.

So does this mean that ROH is going out of business anytime soon? Not necessarily. But, while ROH may stick around indefinitely, its part in the national wrestling landscape could take a significant hit in 2011.

The fact is that there are hundreds of independent wrestling promotions in the U.S. that have operated for years and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. They run regular shows out of a couple of tiny venues in their geographic territory, sell enough tickets, DVDs, and shirts to cover the cost of renting the building, and don’t pay many of its wrestlers a single penny. In fact, many of the wrestlers pay the promoter for their training.

Under that business model, those promotions could last indefinitely, and even turn a tiny profit for the promoter. But calling them “successful” may be a stretch.

And under that model, ROH could also survive as long as Silkin feels like it. But it would be a vastly different ROH than the one that we have come to know—one that has carved out a reputation as a national wrestling promotion featuring the very best talent in the U.S. not signed by WWE and TNA. ROH may continue to exist, but in name only.

What can ROH do to reverse its fortunes? I wish I had an exact solution. The truth is that ROH is already doing many things right, and to some extent is at the mercy of a weak economy and a tepid era overall for wrestling. If WWE is struggling to get just 100,000 people to purchase one of its monthly pay-per-views, what chance does ROH have?

But blaming all of ROH’s shortcoming on outside factors would be a copout. The fact is that there are things that ROH could and should be doing that they have not done. The biggest problem may be that ROH management has historically been reluctant to make the kind of risky moves that will lead to significant growth. Instead, they have insisted on keeping an antiquated small business model of selling enough DVDs and tickets to keep the lights on and keep the company in the family.

The way I see it, in many categories, ROH is a far superior product to TNA. Its wrestling is generally better. Its storylines are far more compelling and logical. And many of its characters are better developed. And yet, TNA has a significantly bigger audience and is bringing in far more revenue than ROH could ever dream of.

And the reason for that is simple: For all its flaws, TNA has made the right business connections at the right times. Jeff and Jerry Jarrett could have stubbornly refused to hand over their control and interest in TNA in its formative days, but instead they wisely got in bed with a multibillion-dollar energy company that bankrolled their small business. That connection led to other connections—Fox Sports, Spike TV, Jakks toys, Midway video games.

Along the way, the Jarretts lost most of their power, control, and influence over TNA. But TNA is still in business, drawing more than a million viewers each week for its weekly TV show airing on primetime on a major cable network.

As daunting as such a move might be, ROH’s management has to be similarly willing to hand over the keys to the company to a major investor who is willing and able to prop up the company. By some indications, HDNet may have been just such an investor, but ROH’s management was reluctant to hand over too much control to an outside entity. Now, how did that work out for them?

If the opportunity is still there for ROH to restore its relationship with HDNet by giving the cable network more control and interest in the promotion than ever before, Silkin should jump at it. If that window has closed, Silkin should make it a priority to find another investor willing to take an interest in ROH. And if they bite, Silkin should be willing to step back and let them take the lead.

The end result may not be exactly the product that ROH officials and fans want, but at least it will still be around.

Al Castle
PWI Senior Writer

PWI Cover History

2011-01-18T12:34:00.003-05:00

A complete history of PWI covers is now available for viewing at www.pwi-online.com. Check it out; it's a pretty neat trip down Memory Lane. To get there directly, click here: http://www.pwi-online.com/pages/coverhist.html

At some point, we're going to add a "Buy" button to the issues that are still in stock.

Stu Saks

And, Finally ... PWI's 2010 Wrestler of the Year

2011-01-17T11:02:00.001-05:00

2010 Wrestler of the Year: Randy Orton
1st Runner-Up: Rob Van Dam
2nd Runner-Up: John Cena
3rd Runner-Up: Sheamus

The Achievement 2010 Year-End issue will officially go on sale tomorrow. Look for it at your local newsstand or click the "Buy Now" button at right.

Achievement Awards: Most Hated

2011-01-17T10:58:00.000-05:00

This was posted but somehow deleted:

2010 Most Hated Wrestler of the Year: The Nexus
1st Runner-Up: CM Punk
2nd Runner-Up: The Miz
3rd Runner-Up: Hulk Hogan/Eric Bischoff

Achievement Awards: Tag Team of the Year

2011-01-14T12:44:00.000-05:00

2010 Tag Team of the Year: The Motor City Machine Guns
1st Runner-Up: The Hart Dynasty
2nd Runner-Up: Claudio Castagnoli & Chris Hero
3rd Runner-Up: Beer Money Inc.

Monday: Wrestler of the Year

Achievement Awards: Match of the Year

2011-01-12T13:09:00.001-05:00

2010 Match of the Year: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker
1st Runner-Up: Beer Money Inc vs. The Motor City Machine Guns
2nd Runner-Up: Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson
3rd Runner-Up: Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards

Tomorrow: Tag Team of the Year

TNA: From Genesis, Some Revelations

2011-01-12T13:06:00.000-05:00

While I rarely have free time—or money—to invest in TNA pay-per-views, I was glad I tuned into TNA Genesis on January 9.

On the whole, the show offered lots of drama, some surprises, and solid in-ring action. In general, I thought it was a strong start to what Mike Tenay graciously labeled “the year of the a$$hole” in TNA.

But rather than go through a dry match-by-match analysis, let me offer you the biggest takeaways of the card, from my perspective.

TNA desperately needs to hold its PPVs outside the Impact Zone. It may be an unrealistic expectation, but TNA needs to either hold their feature events in various facilities or dress up the Impact Zone somehow to make its pay-per-views feel like special events. While TNA production values are good, they should be great for PPVs. As it stands, their PPVs, even the ones that deliver in the ring, feel like Impact.

Apparently, some sort of bug is going around the TNA lockerroom. Aside from the excessive spitting in the ring (numerous wrestlers were caught spitting at each other in the ring), several wrestlers, most notably Robert Roode and Jeff Jarrett, literally had the snot beaten out of them, or at least beaten out of their nostrils and on to their facial hair? Hello, Mr. Executive Producer, sir, pan left of that gelatinous blob hanging from Jarrett’s nostril, please. PLEASE!!!!

Sometimes, outside interference is good. My gut reaction when Tara interrupted the Knockouts title match between Mickie James and Madison Rayne was that the bout could’ve done without outside interference. Then I thought, Maybe not. Nobody in his or her right mind would ever believe that Rayne could beat James without help from Tara and a loaded glove. Mickie looked as bouncy as ever in her undersized cut-offs, and Maddie was her usual voluptuous self, but in terms of in-ring performances, it was night and day.

You didn’t see that. Mr. Executive Producer, sir, did I just see Kurt Angle fiddling with a wrapped razor blade? You’re not supposed to show that. Isn’t Rob Terry blasting a snot-rocket somewhere? Why don’t you show him? Indeed, during the MMA exhibition with Jeff Jarrett, the camera cut to Angle, who was crawling on his elbows, and-accidentally we suppose- showed Angle unwrapping something. Fast-forward a few seconds, and Angle is pumping ounces of plasma on to the mat from his head. It was gruesome. It was disturbing. And thanks to some shoddy camera work, it set slight-of-hand back two centuries.

Doug Williams has a hand injury. Thought you should know that, just in case you didn't notice the 5,019 times he looked at his wrapped hand, flexed his wrapped hand, grimaced at his wrapped hand, or shook his wrapped hand, or, if you happened to miss Taz' and Tenay's wall-to-wall commentary on Doug Williams' wrapped hand. Was there any way Williams was leaving Genesis with the TV title?

Love is in the air. Hey, No doubt in my mind that Taz is as badass as they come, but I have to say I was more than a little shocked by the attention he paid to Kazarian in the opening bout of the show. At one point, a clearly aroused Taz squealed that Kazarian looks like Antonio Banderas. Nice of you to notice, Taz. ... but creepy of you to say. Maybe I'd have been a little lest flustered if Orlando Jordan was calling the action.

—Frank Krewda
Editor-in-Chief

Achievement Awards: Most Popular

2011-01-11T13:39:00.000-05:00

2010 Most Popular Wrestler of the Year: Randy Orton
1st Runner-Up: John Cena
2nd Runner-Up: Rob Van Dam
3rd Runner-Up: Daniel Bryan

Tomorrow: Most Hated

Achievement Awards: Feud of the Year

2011-01-10T13:45:00.000-05:00

2010 Feud of the Year: Nexus vs. WWE
1st Runner-Up: Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon
2nd Runner-Up: Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson
3rd Runner-Up: John Cena vs. Batista

Tomorrow: Most Popular

Achievement Awards: Woman

2011-01-07T13:09:00.000-05:00

2010 Woman of the Year: Michelle McCool
1st Runner-Up: Angelina Love
2nd Runner-Up: Madison Rayne
3rd Runner-Up: Madison Eagles

Monday: Feud

PWI Achievement Awards: Comeback

2011-01-06T14:44:00.000-05:00

2010 Comeback Wrestler of the Year: Rob Van Dam
1st Runner-Up: Kane
2nd Runner-Up: Edge
3rd Runner-Up: Jeff Hardy

Tomorrow: Woman

Achievement Awards: Most Improved

2011-01-05T14:12:00.002-05:00

2010 Most Improved Wrestler of the Year: D'Angelo Dinero
1st Runner-Up: Wade Barrett
2nd Runner-Up: Sheamus
3rd Runner-Up: Jay Lethal

Tomorrow: Comeback

Achievement Awards: Inspirational

2011-01-04T12:44:00.000-05:00

Continuing our daily announcement of one PWI 2010 Achievement Award, today we announce the result of our readers' choice for Inspirational Wrestler of the Year.

(The Year-End issue is due on newsstands January 18, but you can order right now at our website, www.pwi-online.com

2010 Inspirational Wrestler of the Year: Shawn Michaels
1st Runner-Up: Kurt Angle
2nd Runner-Up: John Cena
3rd Runner-Up: Rob Van Dam

Tomorrow: Most Improved

Achievement Awards: Rookie

2011-01-03T16:41:00.000-05:00

With the Year-End issue due on newsstands January 18 (earlier for subscribers), we'll announce one PWI Achievement Award winner each weekday.

2010 Rookie of the Year: David Otunga
1st Runner-Up: Tamina
2nd Runner-Up: Percy Watson
3rd Runner-Up: Corey Hollis

Tomorrow: Inspirational Wrestler of the Year

Tough Enough Is Back? Why?

2011-01-03T15:57:00.003-05:00

First off, Happy New Year to all of you loyal PWI and Inside Wrestling/The Wrestler readers. I'm happy to be starting my fourth calendar year with the family, and per Stu Saks' advice, I'm gonna try this blogging thing a little more often.

Now, onto the news.

If you frequent WWE.com, you probably already know that WWE is bringing back Tough Enough for a 10-episode run in the spring. The show returns April 4 (the night after 'Mania 27) on USA immediately following Raw, then will precede Raw at 8/7 CT from April 11 through its conclusion sometime in June.

And my first thought is ... uh, what? Why?

Doesn't WWE already have NXT as a showcase for "a group of 12 individuals looking for a once-in-a-lifetime shot to become the next WWE Superstar or Diva" with "the grand prize winner ... awarded a contract with WWE"? I thought so, but those are WWE.com's exact words regarding the show.

Oh, wait, Tough Enough is "non-scripted." So then if it's different, I guess NXT must be scripted, huh? Could've fooled me, what with every cast member from Season 1 getting jobs, while the "fans' choice" for Season 2's winner has already been released from his contract.

Yes, that's sarcasm.

From reading the press release on WWE.com, it looks like WWE is basically taking the Diva Search and UFC's Ultimate Fighter, putting them in a blender, and rolling out a "new" format.

Great ... but even if it's done with 12 true rookies (read: not guys/gals who have been in FCW or the indies for years) fighting to become a WWE Superstar, it still doesn't really make sense. After all, if they have that time slot and that ability, why not just start NXT Season 5 that day, put that on USA, and push guys you're already invested in? Guess they really need a new feeder system for FCW now that we're upwards of two dozen guys taken for NXT within the last year.

I'm not even sure Vince McMahon knows the answer to any of that, but whatever.

The person I honestly feel the most sorry for is whoever ends up winning that thing. Seriously, these are the winners of WWE's other three "reality" competitions:

Tough Enough: Maven, Nidia, Linda Miles, Jackie Gayda, John Hennigan, Matt Cappotelli, Daniel Puder

Diva Search: Christy Hemme, Ashley Massaro, Layla El, Eve Torres

NXT: Wade Barrett, Kaval, Kaitlyn

So, off the top of my head, that group of 14 did ... uh, not much.

For the TE gang, Hennigan is the exception that proves the rule (he's John Morrison if you weren't aware), and Cappotelli gets a pass due to health issues - but Maven did little outside of a couple brief runs with lesser titles, all three girls spent most of their careers as valets, and Puder got five minutes of fame (and the ass-kicking of a lifetime) in the 2006 Royal Rumble.

The Diva Search chicks are a little better off, as both Layla and Eve have won some incarnation of the women's title and both Christy and Ashley got WM title shots at some point.

Meanwhile, Wade Barrett has had some high-profile matches but not actually won anything yet, while Kaval is already gone from WWE and Kaitlyn is making Vickie Guerrero lunch reservations or whatever on Smackdown.

Now, want a list of people who DIDN'T win those competitions?

Tough Enough: Chris Nowinski, Josh Mathews, Kenny King, Matt Morgan, The Miz, Nick "Spirit Squad Mitch" Mitchell, and Ryan "Skip Sheffield" Reeves were finalists, while Melina, f ODB, Shelly "Ariel" Martinez, Awesome Kong, Shad Gaspard, and Daivari were all semifinalists at one point.

Diva Search: Maria, Michelle McCool, Joy Giovanni and Amy Weber, Kristal Marshall, Maryse, Milena "Rosa Mendes" Roucka, and Taryn "ECW GM Tiffany" Terrell were all finalists.

NXT: Gabriel, Slater, and Otunga have held the WWE tag title, Daniel Bryan is U.S. champ, and five other finalists from S1-S2 are on the WWE main roster (Sheffield, Darren Young, Alex Riley, Husky Harris, and Mike McGillicutty).

Quite a skewed success ratio, no? Sure, you can say that it's because of a greater amount of people in the pool, but when the most successful alums of the Diva Search (Michelle or Maryse), Tough Enough (Miz), and NXT (Bryan) are all non-winners, while maybe a third of the 14 winners have had any career worth writing home about, it proves that victory means little but temporary bragging rights and a guaranteed Wikipedia page.

Sounds like American Idol, actually. Maybe that's what Tough Enough should be.

-Louie Dee
Contributing Writer

Looking At The Wrestler Of The Year . . . Next Year, That Is

2010-12-31T17:42:00.003-05:00

First off, all of us here at the Pro Wrestling Illustrated family of magazines wish all of you and your families a happy and healthy New Year. We’d also like to express our deep appreciation to our readers for another year of your loyalty. We’re committed to continuing to deliver to you the highest quality pro wrestling journalism in 2011 and beyond.

If you’ve checked out our official web site, or Stu Saks’ blog item below, you know by now that Randy Orton has been voted PWI’s 2010 Wrestler of the Year. I can’t argue with the fans, as “The Viper” had another banner year that included a two-month reign as WWE heavyweight champion, and a surprising transformation from one of WWE’s most reviled villains to one of its most popular heroes.

It may be a bit early for you to start sending in those ballots, but here on the last day of 2010, it’s worth looking 12 months ahead and wondering who may be in the prestigious slot of Wrestler of the Year for 2011.

For five years now, the award has been dominated by WWE’s three perennial top acts—Orton (who won it last year), Triple-H (who won it in 2008) and John Cena (who won it in 2006 and 2007.) It remains very likely that one of those three men will earn himself another Wrestler of the Year plaque next year.

At just 30 years old, it’s entirely possible that Orton has not yet reached his peak. Maybe he will do so in 2011. As good as he was in 2010, it’s clear that he still has a ways to go in developing a personality that fans will want to cheer. Orton is likely to be in the top mix at WrestleMania XXVI, maybe even defending the heavyweight title if he can defeat The Miz for it before then.

Triple-H is expected back in the ring following his lengthy hiatus soon, and it’s almost a lock that he’ll win his 14th world title before 2011 is through. However, now in his 40s and dedicating more of his time to his corporate responsibilities in WWE and to his family, it could be that Triple-H plays a smaller role in WWE’s on air product than in recent years. (I wouldn’t count on it.)

Cena is always a top candidate for any award recognizing achievement in wrestling. He remains, by far, wrestling’s top attraction. And while many fans will never give him credit for it, he’s also one of the sport’s most talented performers. If he doesn’t get injured, it’s a given that he will remain the centerpiece of WWE for another year, headline another WrestleMania, and add at least another world title reign to his resume.

But that could be a very big “if.” Earlier this week, Cena reportedly suffered a leg injury during a live event in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. WWE still has not released any official information about the severity of the injury, although Jim Ross has indicated that it may be less serious than initially feared. Even if he does make it back to the ring fairly soon, at the rate that Cena’s extending himself, it’s not unlikely that he’ll suffer another injury that could sideline him in 2011.

It’s possible that someone else could sneak in and take Wrestler of the Year honors for the first time in 2011. The Miz is only weeks into his first full-fledged run as a main eventer, and has impressed many with his confidence, speaking ability, and wrestling prowess. If he stays on this track, he’ll certainly be a top vote-getter come next year. CM Punk has shown new depth to his personality since returning to the Raw brand, initially as a commentator and most recently as the new head of The Nexus. He could have a very big year in 2011. Sheamus remains one of the most ambitious wrestlers to grace a WWE ring in years, and won’t be denied his opportunity to break through to most elite level of WWE stardom in 2011.

Let’s not forget TNA. Kurt Angle is primed to return to the ring in January, and reclaim his throne as the very best wrestler in all of the sport. If TNA world champ Jeff Hardy could square away his legal and personal problems and focus on his job, maybe he could return to the heights he reached in WWE in 2009, and help elevate TNA along the way. After becoming the first ever TNA wrestler to top the PWI 500, AJ Styles’ stock has dropped considerably. But with a few breaks, and lots of hustle, Styles could make his biggest impact so far in 2011. And then there’s Rob Van Dam, who is yet to try to reclaim the world title that was stripped from him in August. If he does so, he could be on the minds of voters come next fall.

How about a real dark horse? Might Daniel Bryan convince voters he really is “the best in the world”? Could Alberto Del Rio put his money where his big mouth is and dominate the Smackdown brand in 2011? Is it even possible that John Morrison defeats his former tag team partner to win the WWE heavyweight title this Monday, and holds onto it through much of next year?

There are plenty of reasons to be excited about following wrestling in the New Year. We hope you’ll follow along with us.

-Al Castle
Pro Wrestling Illustrated Senior Writer

PWI Achievement Awards

2010-12-30T14:52:00.001-05:00

If you have visited our website, www.pwi-online.com, over the past few days, you no doubt saw the cover of the March 2011 edition of PWI, and you know that our readers voted Randy Orton Wrestler of the Year for the second straight year.

Beginning after the new year, we will post the name of one Achievement Award winner a day, leading up to the official on-sale date of the issue, January 18.

You can pre-order the issue at our website right now.

Have a happy and healthy New Year, folks.

Stu Saks
Publisher

WWE Shows "Snow" Concern For Safety

2010-12-29T14:30:00.001-05:00

Last night the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in a rare Tuesday night NFL game. The game was postponed from Sunday night because officials were concerned over the safety of fans and players, as less than a foot of snow fell in Philly.

Concern over fans and talent? What a foreign concept.

The NFL’s decision stands in stark contrast to those made earlier this week by WWE. On Sunday night, WWE went ahead with a non-televised live event at Madison Square Garden, despite ample warning of an impending blizzard that promised to wallop the New York City region.

For those of you who have never been to MSG, let me give you a quick layout of the “World’s Most Famous Arena.” The Garden sits right on top of Penn Station, Manhattan’s terminal for the Long Island Rail Road—the oldest and largest commuter railroad in the nation, and one of the primary sources of transportation for fans heading into and out of MSG.

I’ve been using the LIRR to get to WWE shows at the Garden for 20 years, and it’s always a fun experience to ride in and out with hundreds of fellow wrestling fans, eagerly anticipating the action before the show, and after the show reveling in the fun they had the whole way home.
And WWE, which has called MSG its “home” arena for half a century, is well aware of the vital role the LIRR plays in getting its fans to and from its shows in the venue.

It’s worth noting that earlier this year, the LIRR enacted a policy of suspending all train service during a particularly harsh snowfall. And throughout the entire weekend, the LIRR warned customers that it might just have to do that on Sunday night.

Ultimately, the storm dumped nearly two feet of snow in some parts of the region and had sustained hurricane force winds in some locations. It went down as the sixth-worst snowstorm in New York City in recorded history. And it came as a surprise to nobody.

Nevertheless, WWE, as it has done so many times in the past under questionable circumstances, decided that the show must go on, despite the fact that even some talent was unable to get to the Garden.

And, sure enough, just after John Cena defeated Wade Barrett in the cage match main event of the show, thousands of fans made their way down to Penn Station to discover that no trains were running.

Well, that shouldn’t be that big a deal, right? So they wait a couple of hours before service is restored, right? Try 22 hours.

It was Monday evening before some WWE fans were able to finally get home. Until then, hundreds of them—including very young children—slept on idling trains, wandered the train terminal, and even tackled jigsaw puzzles on the station floor.

For its part, WWE defended its decision to run the show. In a comment to Newsday, a spokesman said the company “tries its best not to let down our fans due to the weather,” and made the decision in conjunction with the Garden. They figured some public transportation was working, and many fans lived in the area anyway.

The most shocking part of the spokesman’s comment was when he actually boasted of the show’s attendance of 13,600, “which was more than those that attended the respective Islanders and Devils games” that same night.

WWE may think it had its fans in mind when it decided not to let to disappoint them. And for certain many fans were glad that the show went ahead as planned (some no doubt even enjoyed the experience of spending the night in a New York City train terminal.)

But something far more important than the entertainment of some wrestling fans was at stake here.

By not postponing the event, WWE jeopardized the safety of thousands of fans, as well as its own talent (who had to make the perilous drive to Albany right after the MSG show for Raw the next night).

Imagine what would have happened if a family with young children ventured out in the severe weather to get to the show and got into a nasty car accident? Or if a fan with medical issues was unable to get help for hours because he was trapped in a train station?

WWE did its fans no favors by running a show on Sunday. The right and responsible thing to do would have been to cancel the show with plenty of notice, reach out to ticket-holders by e-mail if possible and post a message online, and reschedule the show for a future date. Some fans may have been inconvenienced and upset, but at least they would have been safe.

WWE officials shouldn’t be bragging about how many fans came out during a dangerous blizzard to attend one of its shows. They should be apologizing to them.

-Al Castle
Pro Wrestling Illustrated Senior Writer

Lennon ... Bruno ... Cosell

2010-12-08T13:36:00.002-05:00

Where were you the day John Lennon was assassinated? If you were born and have any memory of December 8, 1980, you probably received the tragic news from Howard Cosell, who broke the story during a telecast of Monday Night Football.

My buddy Ed and I were in a bar at Penn Station, two miles from The Dakota, where Mark David Chapman gunned down Lennon just hours after receiving an autograph from the former Beatle. Ed and I had just attended the WWF show at Madison Square Garden and had a great time watching Bruno Sammartino defeat Sgt. Slaughter in the main event.

Ed suggested we head over to The Dakota, but I couldn't. I am a huge fan of The Beatles and Lennon and I just wouldn't be able to handle it.

On the 30th anniversary of that horrible day, I think about John, Bruno, and Howard Cosell. I e-mailed Ed this morning to learn that he had the same thought.

Miss ya, John!

Stu Saks
Publisher

"King Sheamus" Isn't The Future Of WWE ... He's The Present

2010-11-30T16:44:00.005-05:00

Last night Sheamus became the 19th WWE wrestler to wear the King of the Ring crown. As Michael Cole reminded us time and time again, he joins the likes of such wrestling greats as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Bret “Hitman” Hart, and Triple-H.

And Billy Gunn. And Ken Shamrock. And Mabel.

Indeed, not all past WWE King of the Ring tournament winners have gone on to have great careers. For proof of that, you can look no further than William Regal, who just months after winning the crown in 2008 was relegated to the role of WWE Superstars jobber (Granted, Regal appeared in line for a big push after winning the tournament, but had his career derailed by a Wellness Policy violation.)

And so, the King of the Ring tournament is significant for a different reason than WWE might have you believe. While not every KOTR winner goes on to be a major star, they all were pegged by WWE as having the ability to do so.

Both Mabel and Gunn were groomed as future main-eventers soon after winning the tournament. Mabel challenged for the WWE championship in the main event of one 1995’s biggest pay-per-views, SummerSlam. Gunn got a co-headlining match against WWE megastar The Rock at SummerSlam 1999, and was rumored to be considered for a big run with Steve Austin that year. Ken Shamrock also got a couple of WWE pay-per-view main event paydays.

But, in the end, WWE clearly got it wrong when it came to predicting big things for each of those men, who went on to have respectable but unremarkable careers.

And so, it begs the question: Could WWE be wrong about Sheamus as well?

In some ways, the question doesn’t even really apply. Sheamus is the first wrestler to have won the WWE heavyweight championship before winning the King of the Ring tournament. (You may be thinking Bret Hart did it first, but he won his first KOTR tournament in 1991, a year before winning the WWE title.)

"The Celtic Warrior" has already worn the WWE championship on two occasions, headlined several pay-per-views, and remains in the top tier mix on the Raw brand. And so it's a bit peculiar to forecast big things for the new King of the Ring. Been there, done that.

That’s not to say that Sheamus’ peak years aren’t ahead of him, but still I can’t help but think that WWE missed out on an opportunity by not having an up-and-comer win the crown, and in doing so sending a message to fans that the new King of the Ring is one to watch.

To me, the best fit to win the tournament was Alberto Del Rio, the arrogant Smackdown antagonist who boasts of coming from Mexican royalty. Like past KOTR winners, including Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle, Del Rio has made a big splash in WWE in very little time, and seems likely to get a main-event run some time in the future. What’s more, Smackdown could have really used the boost it would have gotten from claiming the KOTR crown.

Of course, nothing is to say that Del Rio, or any other participant in last night’s tournament, won’t go on to have a big career that even eclipses that of Sheamus, regardless of whether or not they won the King of the Ring tournament. But it’s telling that WWE chose an already-established main eventer, rather than a potential future one, to wear the crown. Perhaps, after the Gunn, Mabel, and Shamrock disappointments, WWE wants out of the handicapping business.

-Al Castle
Pro Wrestling Illustrated Senior Writer

Some New Lessons in "Old School" Raw

2010-11-16T17:58:00.002-05:00

I had more fun watching Monday Night Raw last night than I have in a long, long time. Having followed WWE for nearly 30 years, last night’s “Old School” Raw was right up my alley, and, I suspect, the alley of a lot of wrestling fans around my age. From the retro show opening, to the red-white-and-blue roped ring, to the numerous appearances by WWE stars of yesteryear, the program allowed me to revisit some fun memories from my childhood.

But more than just deliver a one-time nostalgia fix, last night’s Raw actually offered a lot of lessons that remain relevant in the modern wrestling era.

Here’s some of what I took away last night:

• With the right theme, a theme-show could work: With pay per view buy rates shrinking over the last several years, WWE took the questionable route in 2010 of rebranding many of their traditional PPV offerings to instead be “concept shows.” The flawed theory reasons that since the Royal Rumble is always good for a few extra buys, why not have every pay per view carry a specialty match theme? And so WWE came up with Fatal 4-Way, Money in the Bank, Hell in a Cell and TLC. None have done anything to drive up buys, and instead have served largely to water down once special stipulations. While I remain down on the idea of gimmick-match centered shows, I’d be all for an annual “Old School” show. It might even be a good idea to move the theme show to pay per view, rather than giving it away from free on Raw. Coincidentally, Survivor Series may be the ideal stage for a nostalgia show. The event, now in its 23rd year, reeks of old-school, so much so that WWE nearly canceled it, feeling its dated tag-team elimination format had become irrelevant. But such a format would be perfect for an annual legends match, where the old timers could “compete” without any one being called on to do all that much. Most importantly, it would allow WWE to brand a show with a “theme” without affecting its organically-developed main storylines and top matches. WCW experimented with just such a concept in the early 1990s with its first Slamboree events, which featured whatever big matches they had on top, and a couple legends matches on the mid-card.

• Nostalgia has its place: As a longtime Yankee fan, one of the highlights each year for me is “old-timers day,” when retired Yankees from over the years return to the Stadium, don their old uniforms, and play a couple innings of ball. The key to maximizing the value of the retired players is to bill them as legends, honor their past contributions to the sport, and make their appearances feel special. As beloved as Reggie Jackson may be, no Yankee fan would argue that he should be playing right field today for the team. The money is in presenting Jackson as a superstar of an era gone by, and then presenting Derek Jeter as just as big a star for this era. That point appears lost on TNA, which believes that the fact that Hulk Hogan, Sting and Kevin Nash were effective headliners 15 years ago must mean they could still be effective headliners today. In fact, if Dixie Carter took over the job of general manager for the Yankees, I imagine Jackson would be batting cleanup today, perhaps behind Don Mattingly, Dave Winfield and Yogi Berra.

• Some of what worked then would still work today: WWE may have intended to get no more than a few chuckles and smiles by bringing back some of the old staples of WWE’s programming from the 1980s, such as the interviews on the small stage, the “Update” segment with Gene Okerlund, and the small picture-in-picture promos that ran during a couple matches. But it struck me that all those ideas could work well today. One of my favorite features of the 1980s-1990s WWE programming was the “Update” segment, where Okerlund would recap storylines. The same format was used for special pay per view “Report” segments, in which Okerlund would run down the entire card for an upcoming pay per view. Those are both effective tools of promoting that, for some reason, have fallen by the wayside over the last 15 years. Similarly, the small insert promos could help several wrestlers get their personalities over without taking up any extra TV time. And conducting the occasional interview or angle on a ringside stage, rather than in the ring itself, would offer a refreshing and much-needed change of scenery.

• WWE has an announcing crisis: Perhaps one of the most underestimated contributing factors to WWE’s recent drop in business has been its subpar announcing team—the worst crew of play-by-play and color commentators I can remember in WWE’s history. Michael Cole’s inconsistent heel persona has only confused fans and distracted from the matches and storylines he is supposed to get over. Jerry Lawler is professional, but unmotivated. Matt Striker is a cliché dispenser. And those are WWE’s three best announcers. But because mediocrity has become the standard, most WWE fans may not even notice how bad they are. All they know is that they are not particularly inclined to tune in to next week’s show, or buy the next pay per view. Indeed, WWE announcers' primary job is to sell the product, and clearly they not have not been effective in doing so. Enter Jim Ross, making a special one-night-only return to call a match last night. Instantly, we were reminded how good WWE announcing could be. Ross called the action with passion and zeal, got over the characters, and spoke as a voice of the fans. And he looked great. It’s absolutely insane that the greatest wrestling announcer in the history of the sport is at WWE’s disposal, and they don’t use him. Even if they never bring back Ross to the booth full time, WWE needs to do something to shake up its listless announce team.

• WWE has a rich tradition: I don’t know the logistics of doing so, but I’d be all for WWE re-visiting legal settlement with the World Wildlife Fund, and making an attempt to bring back the WWF name, and the classic logo that was on display Monday night. Even eight years into its new name, WWE still does not easily roll off the tongue, and I still cringe every time the mention of the old letters is censored, or the “Attitude Era” logo is blurred out. Even if WWE can’t get back the WWF name, it should do everything it could to pay homage to its history. It’s taken some big steps toward doing that in recent years, with its historic compilation DVD releases and line of “Legends” action figures. Creating an actual WWE Hall of Fame building, as has been rumored, would be fantastic.

• Some old timers still have something to offer: Perhaps with a straight face, Hulk Hogan would argue that his mission in TNA is to use his star power to “get over the young guys, brother.” Of course, many astute observers of TNA and the “Hulkster” would beg to differ. But, it remains true that, when used correctly, legends from past generations could be effective in helping establish today’s stars. I can think of no better recent example than Monday night’s show-closing “Piper’s Pit” segment. The “Rowdy Scot” may have done more to bring into focus John Cena’s moral dilemma heading into the Survivor Series than anybody else for the past month. Adding gravitas to the situation was the wisdom Piper could offer from his decades in the sport, and the respect that Cena said he had for Piper and his generation. Who would have thought that the MVP of the go-home angle heading into this Sunday’s pay per view would be a 56-year-old retiree? While WWE should be commended for its recent youth movement, there remains something to be said for the valuable roles of wise, experienced, grown men in a winning wrestling formula.

• Some wrestling stories have happy endings: 2008’s Oscar-nominated film, “The Wrestler” told the tragic tale of a down-and-out former wrestling star spending forced to live in a trailer park and slice meat at a deli after his wrestling career was finished. It’s a story that resonates throughout the sport, but it’s not universal. Monday’s Raw illustrated that, in fact, many of the stars we grew up watching years ago are now well-adjusted, comfortable and happy in life after wrestling. Tito Santana is a successful business owner in New Jersey. Roddy Piper has been trying his hand at stand-up comedy, and is cheering his son on in his career as a mixed martial artist. Nikolai Volkoff has a municipal job and even ran for public office some years ago. And, of course, several WWE stars from the past remain employed with the company in backstage roles. It was nice to be reminded that not everyone ends up like Randy “The Ram.”

-Al Castle
Pro Wrestling Illustrated Senior Writer

Memo to Mr. McMahon: You're killing your own gimmick!

2010-11-14T21:11:00.003-05:00

Sunday is the 24th annual Survivor Series, and on a more historical note, the nine-year anniversary of the “official” death of WCW. Technically, it was nine years ago Thursday, Team WWE defeated Team Alliance at Survivor Series 2001 to kill the brand once and for all, but you know what I mean.

Since then, WWE has been called to task for numerous things that have “ruined” the business; you name the factor, and it’s been pegged as the reason wrestling is in a down cycle.

Changing from WWF to WWE? Death! Brand extension and brand-specific pay-per-views? Stupid! The Diva Search and Tough Enough? Expose the business why don’t ya? In recent times, it’s been anything from not making new stars to drawing out feuds too long to Linda McMahon’s senate campaign causing WWE to go PG being blamed as the eventual cause of death.

Yet, we’ve all kept watching—or have we?

Alas, I think I’ve figured it out, and while the above factors may play into it, the real culprit is … wait for it ... gimmicks. More specifically, the pay-per-views touting them specifically.

The latest Wrestling Observer printed a list of the 10 Worst Bought WWE PPVs of all-time. Naturally, the dismal December to Dismember PPV in 2006 was number 1 on the list (and believe me, even many of us backstage wondered why we were subjected to it). However, of the other nine, a whopping SEVEN of them have happened since SummerSlam 2009.

Trivia Time: When was it that WWE officially went away from their old PPV schedule and turned every non-Big 4 PPV into an official gimmick-filled event?

If you guessed September 2009, you win the booby prize.

Yes, it was just 14 short months (and 16 pay-per-views) ago that Unforgiven became Breaking Point, Armageddon became TLC, Money in the Bank got its own event, and so forth … which means that almost half of the pay-per-views in that time rank in the bottom 10 buy rates of all-time.

Think about that for a minute. In 25 years, WWE has held probably 200 pay-per-view: 26 WrestleManias, 23 Survivor Series’ (24 after next Sunday), 23 SummerSlams, and 22 Royal Rumbles account for roughly half of those, with maybe 100 more “lesser” events in a quarter-century … and seven of the last 16 are among the worst of all-time.

It has to be the gimmicks, right?

It can’t be the “not building new stars” thing, because Sheamus and Wade Barrett have been all over the un-magnificent seven. It can’t be the drawn-out feuds because that’s been going on for years. And it definitely can’t be the “kid-based” strategy, because while they can’t make purchasing decisions, they can sure convince their parents to shell out $45 once a month for their love.

It has to be the gimmicks, because after all, remember rule number 1 of why WWE almost failed in the mid-1990s: Gimmicks sell t-shirts, storylines sell tickets.

Night of Champions and Extreme Rules can get somewhat of a pass because they were already conceived, and Elimination Chamber gets a pass because it’s at least an innovative concept and that show can vitally shake up WrestleMania (and in the process prevent the full nine-week stretch after the Rumble from becoming stale).

The rest? Shoehorn city.

I loved the TLC matches of 2001-02 as much as anyone, but the stipulation loses its luster when I get to watch Degeneration-X vs. Legacy main event a PPV in one. Hell in a Cell was once a violent feud ender, but this fall it was a mere prop to drag out the thrilling Randy Orton vs. Sheamus blood feud.

Even Money in the Bank, which was an exciting addition to WrestleMania that made the card, has become just another useless idea. Don’t even get me started on Fatal Four Way, which in addition to being obvious could also just be called “slap together the top two singles matches from 'Mania into one mess.”

I will not be watching either of WWE’s remaining pay-per-view events. I love Survivor Series, but I have tickets to the Eagles/Giants game that night; I’d say I’m missing out, but we’re seven days away and we know all of three matches.

As for TLC, though, I’ll be far away from my TV. While adding three legal weapons may make Sheamus vs. John Morrison or Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler that much more epic, I’ll pass.

Though, Vince, in 2011 you’ll get my money if you spend less time fitting the storylines around the stipulations, and more time doing the opposite.

-Louie Dee

Contributing Writer

Angel Is The Devil

2010-11-09T16:59:00.004-05:00

Dear Ms. Angel Orsini,

I write this letter to you as a matter of professional courtesy, which is something I’m sure you will need to look up in the dictionary, as after our recent encounter, I seriously doubt you have any idea you know what it means.

This past Saturday, I was asked to attend the WSU show in Union City, New Jersey, to honor the WSU champion, Mercedes Martinez. As you are very well aware, Mercedes has been atop of the WSU roster since she won the title back in May of 2008. Now whom did she beat for that belt? I just had the name on the tip of my tongue a moment ago. Oh, that’s right, she beat you. So you should be very familiar with that match indeed.

Back to the point, however. The night was supposed to be about Mercedes. PWI was asked to come and present WSU’s Woman of the Year award to Ms. Martinez, I was to say a few kind words, and all would be well. But that wasn’t okay with you, was it?

I had a feeling from the moment you entered the ring during Mercedes’ acceptance speech that things wouldn’t continue to go so smoothly. When you grabbed the mike and started directing your frustrations toward me, I was sure the evening would be ruined.

While I’m normally a very attentive, patient, and laidback person, hearing you yammer on and on about how your All Guts, No Glory title needed to be recognized by not only WSU, but by PWI as well, well that really struck a bad chord with me. Look, any kid who’s cut enough lawns can save up to buy a belt and start proclaiming him or herself a champion as well. Doesn’t mean we, or anyone, has to acknowledge it.

As you continued spouting off your career accomplishments, which I will be the first to admit are rather impressive, my frustration at your audacity to come in the ring and steal Mercedes’ spotlight, not to mention my time, continued to grow.

Sure, I may have turned my back on you a few times. Maybe I checked my phone to see the score of the TCU vs. Utah college football game. Certainly I stopped listening more than halfway through.

Regardless of what I did, it does not excuse your actions that followed.

When you placed your hands on me and began ranting and raving about how you were going to “drop me” and “rip me apart” until you got your way, I knew you were out of your mind.

When I heard head WSU official Ray Sager yell to you to stop, I thought, Finally, someone is taking control of this mad woman. As WSU conceded to your threats in fear of my safety (and, more likely, a possible lawsuit), I was very pleased to have you let go of me, and get as far away from me as possible. But when you came back in my face, taunting me, delivering a painful knee to my stomach, and throwing me to the ground, that is when you crossed a line that should never be crossed.

Let’s get something straight, Ms. Orsini, I’m not a trained fighter. Much like The Thomas Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress, “The Pen Is Mightier” has been firmly engraved in my foundation. What does picking on me prove? That you, a trained combatant, can take down a kid who hasn’t been in a fight since Dan Martin tried to steal my lunch money in 5th grade? Well, cheers to you.

The real travesty of this whole thing, Ms. Orsini, is that WSU officials did what they felt they had to for my safety (by the way, I do appreciate that) and now the AGNG title is officially recognized. But was that the right thing to do?

Caving in to—well let’s call it what it was—your terroristic threats was a huge mistake on their part. They’ve set a horrible precedent that undermines every ethic the company stands for.

As for me, anytime I’m asked to appear at a ceremony, I’m going to have to request bodyguards at my side in case some wrestler feels they can have their way with the magazine’s editorial policy through me. Believe me, Ms. Orsini and anybody else who might have a similar idea, PWI cares more about its journalistic principles than they do me. And that’s not a joke.

I’ve already let the WSU front office know I have no interest in pressing legal action against you or the promotion itself. I don’t see any reason to put both our companies through the anguish of a drawn-out court battle. Besides, after taking one of your hits personally, I have no doubt it will only be a short matter of time before someone much tougher comes along to put you in your place.

With that all said, Ms. Orsini, congratulations on having WSU recognize your championship belt. I hope you had fun displaying it around backstage on Saturday night while I was being cared for by medical personnel. But I want you to know something: While I may not be the final word in recognizing titles, I certainly have a very big vote. And as long as I am here, I will do everything in my power to make sure that hunk of metal you call a championship belt never gets recognized by the PWI family of magazines.

To me, Ms. Orsini, you will always be the kid down the street who cut some lawns over the summer, saved up some cash, bought a belt, and started calling herself a champion. And believe me, that takes absolutely no guts, and even less honor.

Jeff Ruoss
Managing Editor
Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Linda 2010: Wrestling's Biggest Botched Move

2010-11-03T13:07:00.006-04:00

Forget Evan Bourne, John Morrison, or Tyson Kidd. This election season, the highest risk maneuver was executed by the McMahon family itself.

Indeed WWE attempted the biggest high spot of all—the equivalent of a shooting star press onto a ringside table from the top rung of a ladder while it was balanced on the ropes. They had their longtime CEO run for U.S. Senate.

And, like in wrestling, the wisdom of that maneuver was ultimately judged by its success. Hit that moonsault flush, and you look like a hero. Miss it, and you look like a fool. But, alas, Linda McMahon last night connected with nothing but an empty mat. And so the McMahon family’s decision to run for Senate can now officially be looked at as not much more than a colossal miscalculation.

And this is not a case of 20/20 hindsight. Most anybody who has closely followed Vince and Linda McMahon over the 30 years that they’ve run WWE realized how ludicrous it was to have Linda run for public office with a track record of doing not much more than being chief executive officer of a corporation that most Americans consider silly or sleazy or both.

And, yet, somehow the McMahons seem to be taken off-guard by how poorly their political gamble turned out. And what an expensive gamble it was. Linda McMahon reportedly spent $50-million of her own money—that is to say money the McMahon family has earned running WWE—to finance her election. For that huge sum, WWE bought itself some of the worst publicity it has ever received, and that’s saying a lot.

Fair or unfair, the mainstream media typically ignores the pro wrestling industry, unless a big celebrity makes a crossover appearance or a high-profile wrestler drops dead. And while the McMahons may have over the years resented the fact that the “elitist” media’s neglect has meant that some of WWE’s impressive accomplishments have gone ignored by the general public (dominant cable ratings, live attendance records, recognition from charitable groups), they should count their blessings that many of the negative stories coming from WWE have also gone under reported.

But that all changes when you have one of your top executives run for national office. As would be expected, Linda McMahon’s candidacy led to both reporters and political adversaries trying to turn over every stone to uncover the dirt on her. And they didn’t have to look too far.

Appalling WWE storylines involving misogyny, incest, and even necrophilia gained a national spotlight. New attention was drawn to the spate of premature deaths among ex-WWE wrestlers, and the drug abuse behind many of those deaths. Connecticut authorities even began looking into the questionable classification of WWE performers as independent contractors. Skeleton after skeleton after skeleton was unearthed from the McMahons' family closet.

The McMahons may have thought the kind of scrutiny they received was unfair—and maybe some of it was—but they should have expected it. The truth is that neither Richard Blumenthal’s operatives nor the mainstream media scratched the surface of the myriad bad calls that WWE made while Linda McMahon was at the helm. (I saw no mention anywhere of the single most tasteless WWE angle I ever witnessed—Muhammad Hassan’s simulated terrorist beheading of The Undertaker, which aired on TV on the same day as the 2005 London train bombings.)

But, instead, the McMahons appeared shocked—and even indignant—over the criticism they were receiving in the mainstream media. WWE responded by launching another potentially expensive media campaign, this one drawing attention to all the good work WWE does and casting anyone who questions WWE’s benevolence as a mean bully.

It’s worth noting that WWE really does do a lot of good things. Although I could do without all the self-aggrandizing, I’ve never doubted WWE’s motives in visiting American troops or granting the wishes of sick children. They are selfless and honorable deeds, and WWE won’t let you forget them. Beyond that, it’s true that WWE generally brings a lot of happiness to the lives of its fans, and that many a family comes together to enjoy WWE entertainment.

But as much as it has tried to reinvent itself and hide from that dirty “wrestling” label, in the end, WWE should be well aware of its bad reputation, and not put itself in a situation to make many more people aware of it.

Even while trying to discredit their detractors, the McMahons only gave them ammunition in recent weeks with some of the most embarrassing antics they’ve ever attempted: A heavy-handed “Stand Up For WWE” campaign. A lawsuit against the state for not allowing voters to wear John Cena T-Shirts. A vow to give away free WWE merchandise outside polling locations. A “fan appreciation night” in Connecticut four days before the election in which WWE deeply discounted tickets in a thinly veiled attempt to buy votes. Another WWE event in a Connecticut arena on Election Day itself.

And then there was that disgrace of a segment on this past Monday’s Raw featuring WWE Chairman Vince McMahon presumably moving his bowels on a Blumenthal campaign sign. How dare anyone question the tactfulness of WWE!

And so, after the last vote was counted, Linda and Vince McMahon's baby, World Wrestling Entertainment, is left with an even worse mainstream reputation than it had before the race. And Vince and Linda themselves are $50-million poorer.

And so maybe the McMahons are finally ready to return their focus to running the family business. With pay-per-view buy rates and TV ratings the lowest they’ve been in years, it couldn’t come too soon.

All that said, there is a silver lining in the fiasco that was “Linda 2010.” The fact is that WWE may have inadvertently benefited from McMahon’s campaign in ways it may not realize today.

Even while defending themselves from the various criticisms they have faced over the last several months, the previously oblivious McMahons must have had their eyes opened to their company’s perception outside the bubble of the WWE Universe. The reality is that the fun, fantasy world of WWE has a lot of real world problems to address.

Only good things can come from that kind of self-awareness—and some already have. The issue of whether WWE superstars should be classified as employees, and therefore receive benefits including health insurance, is being given more consideration than it ever has. During the campaign, WWE banned any use of the lethal prescription drug Soma, took further measures to protect performers from dangerous concussions—including by banning unprotected chair shots to the head—and toned down some of the needless gore and salaciousness in its TV product.

While the motives in making those moves may have been less than pure, they nevertheless got done.

And maybe, along the way, you even got some cheap WWE tickets as well.

Al Castle

Pro Wrestling Illustrated Senior Writer

TNA Knockouts: Monsters Of The Mid-Card

2010-11-01T09:44:00.000-04:00

For all the wailing and gnashing of teeth about the current state of women’s wrestling in WWE, it’s easy to overlook the fact that there are a number of smaller organizations who seem to have the right idea when it comes to the treatment and promotion of female grapplers. TNA, for one, still has a good thing going with its Knockouts Division. Despite the loss of top-notch performers like Awesome Kong and ODB, along with the backlash from Lacey Von Erich’s ill-timed and ill-conceived push, the organization makes ample use of its star-studded roster of lady gladiators.

The October 28 installment of Impact provided a terrific example of TNA’s commitment to women’s wrestling. A vicious brawl between old foes Tara and Mickie James set the stage for an explosive tag match in which Madison Rayne, Tara, and Sarita squared off against Angelina Love, Velvet Sky, and Mickie James. That’s a talented sextet, for sure. In fact, all of the aforementioned grapplers placed in the top half of this year’s PWI “Female 50.” Their ensuing contest was a mid-card bonanza of solid, hard-hitting action. Incorporating a broad range of talent and experience into a simple, quasi-coherent storyline seems challenging enough to those who call the shots for the WWE Divas, but TNA appears to be developing a multifaceted series of Knockout-related angles that will hopefully serve to hold the collective attention of those who appreciate women’s wrestling.

Madison Rayne (who, incidentally, garnered my vote for the number-one slot in the “Female 50) continues to grow into her role as TNA’s dictatorial über-villainess, as she leads a tentatively allied faction of like-minded ladies into battle against her former “BFFs,” The Beautiful People. Rayne’s “frenemy” Tara, having recently surrendered the KO strap to Rayne in fulfillment of a personal debt of sorts, is embroiled in a new phase of her longstanding feud with Mickie James that is set to culminate in a battle at Turning Point. James won’t back down from that challenge, or any other, and she’s made it eminently clear that her ultimate goal is to capture the TNA Knockouts title. When the dust settles, James might well realize her dream of becoming the most decorated women’s champion in pro wrestling history.

The drama of TNA’s Knockouts division isn’t limited to rivalries and cliques. TNA continues to develop a fledgling women’s tag division and the belts are currently held by Japanese superstar Hamada and former Knockout champion Taylor Wilde. Granted, the women’s roster could benefit from a few more tag pairings to make the chase for the KO tag belts a bit more intriguing, but the sustained effort to keep a diverse range of women’s action in the front and center of TNA programming is noteworthy.

Despite the fact that WWE remains the biggest of big leagues in the world of pro wrestling, there is an apparent gender gap when it comes to how the company presents its female talent. For today’s women of WWE, they might well consider themselves lucky to land in the lower-card, cast in a handful of one-dimensional feuds and rivalries before relegation to a supporting role as arm candy for a rising male star or a guest host.

This is not to say that there is an absence of top-quality female talent in the ranks of WWE. Michelle McCool, Melina, and Natalya are prime examples of women who strive to make the most of their time in WWE. In many respects, though, WWE appears to have given up on presenting a women’s division based on work ethic and physicality. In a post on this blog several weeks ago, PWI Editor-in-Chief Frank Krewda used the phrase “looks vs. ability” in his discussion of WWE’s ongoing identity crisis vis-à-vis women’s wrestling. Time and again, “looks” wins the day.

TNA effectively bucks this trend by nurturing developing talent and providing new opportunities to seasoned veterans. The Knockouts aren’t afraid to incorporate a smattering of gratuitous “cheesecake” moments into their respective repertoires now and again, but it’s clear from week to week that the women of TNA have greater purpose and potential than simple sex appeal.

Indeed, the profound difference between the Knockouts and the Divas lies in TNA’s willingness to let their talent work, both on the mike and in the ring.

Mike Bessler

PWI Contributing Writer

Hang In There, Kane

2010-10-28T10:28:00.004-04:00

As journalists, we're not supposed to take sides nor have a rooting interest in any way. I have to admit something right here, however. We at PWI have been rooting seriously for Kane lately. No, we haven't lost our moral compass; it's all about business.

You see, Kane is featured on the cover of our annual "PWI Presents: The Greats Of The Game" issue, which works out great for us as long as he's still in possession of the World title. If he loses, well, he's no less interesting to read about, but, truth be told, the issue will sell better if he's still on top.

So ... Go Kane!

By the way, the issue also features Jeff Hardy, Jeff Jarrett, Rob Van Dam, Bret Hart, and Christian. There are 24 pages devoted to each star, including a look at their current careers as well as an all-inclusive career bio that includes color pinups of their entire careers. Finally, we've selected from our archives what the editors believe to be each wrestler's career-defining story and reproduced it in this issue.

I urge you to pick one up at the newsstand beginning November 9 or pre-order below.

Stu Saks
Publisher

The End Of An Era

2010-10-20T18:13:00.004-04:00

As the dust settled and the smoke cleared in the wake of Night of Champions and Bound for Glory, an unfortunate scenario was unfolding in Ring of Honor, as ROH original and two-time former champion Austin Aries parted ways with the company.

There haven’t been any press releases or emotionally charged statements from either “A-Double” or ROH management since the fracture. Rather, Aries' sudden departure from the company occurred in a strangely quiet way. It seems the relationship and communication between Aries and some members of the ROH brass had dwindled to a point where he had started seeking answers about his future with the promotion. According to Aries, those answers were hard to get until a few days after his last ROH On HDNet taping, when the company got word to Aries that it would be best if he took some time off.

Losing a two-time champion who is as identifiable with the brand as anybody and who draws such intense heat from fans obviously isn't a situation ROH can’t be happy about … and Aries can’t be happy about the manner in which his departure was handled … or mishandled … or not handled at all.

Unlike former ROH stalwarts Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness, who were afforded farewell tours and matches (even Tyler Black was given a ballyhooed send-off on September 11 before joining WWE), Aries was simply left to fade away. He wasn’t even written out the Ring Of Honor On HDNet script.

Without intimate knowledge of ROH’s fiscal condition or long-term plans, I can’t and won’t criticize ROH for letting Aries slip through the cracks, but I will criticize them for not doing anything to honor his substantial contribution to the company.

—Frank Krewda

Editor-In-Chief

We're Not Just About Wrestling

2010-10-15T12:57:00.000-04:00

As the Philadelphia Phillies make their annual drive to the World Series, your friends at PWI are gearing up to produce a World Series commemorative magazine--to be published only if the Phillies go all the way.

Last year, we simultaneously put together both Yankees and Phillies specials and printed only one (the Yankees, of course). This year we're going to take it a little easier, producing only one. Of course, the Phillies have to do their part or we'll end up doing a lot of work for nothing.

By the way, if any of you would like to order last year's Yankees special, drop me a note at pwi@kappapublishing.com and I'll tell you how you can order one. We also might have some copies left of the Red Sox (2004) and White Sox (2005).

Stu Saks
Wrestling & Baseball Publisher

BTW: Here are my ALCS and NLCS predictions: Rangers over the Yankees in 7, Phillies over the Giants in 6.