Jericho Returning to WWE? Not So Fast...

I know that many wrestling fans are interested in learning of the plans for Chris Jericho in the WWE, so I couldn’t wait to make this post on the Pro Wrestling Pundit.

If the “Save Us” promos are indeed something having to do with the return of Chris Jericho, then we may be seeing them for quite some time.

Last week, Jericho appeared on the Sirius Satellite Radio Channel Howard 101 with Bubba the Love Sponge. On the show, Bubba was grilling him pretty heavily on if and when he would be returning to the WWE. Chris danced around the question quite a bit, but he did say something like, “The only thing I can tell you for sure is that I am promoting my book for the next month.”

In other words, Jericho is probably not going to be making appearance on WWE TV for a while, and when / if he does, he may start out promoting his book, similar to how Mick Foley has done in the past.

Speaking of the book, Jericho highlighted in the interview that following the Chris Benoit tragedy, he had to go back include a foreword to the book. From what Jericho said, throughout the book, he discusses his early career, friendship and other experiences with Chris Benoit, written in a very positive light. He had to go back and indicate that his writings were about the Chris Benoit he knew, or that he thought he knew.

Some other interesting points that were brought up included an altercation Jericho had with Bill Goldberg, regarding how disappointing their feud angle had become. They had words backstage and eventually Goldberg reached out and grabbed Jericho by the throat. Jericho told Bubba that instead of saying something witty or beating Jericho up, all Goldberg did was growl at him. Jericho then said he wasn’t intimidated and due to his experience as a mat wrestler in high school was able to get Goldberg to the ground and leverage him into a submission maneuver that he had seen done in an MMA fight.

Jericho also eluded to the political moves Scott Hall and Kevin Nash tried to pull when the NWO angle was brought to WWE. Solidifying their reputation for poor business skills, Jericho said Scott Hall constantly wanted to cut promos in the ring as opposed to developing angles on TV by wrestling. There was also a time when Hall, Nash, and Hogan had Jericho in a room trying to convince him to do their angle the way they wanted to do it, but Jericho said he refused. He made his points that he felt the way he wanted to do it was best for business, and eventually they all agreed to let it go down the way Jericho wanted. Hogan would later approach him and applauded his standing up for himself and the good business sense that he had.

-NAPALM-

Image Source


More on This Story...

What It Takes To Be A Superstar

For has long as I have been watching professional wrestling, big men with big personalities have dominated sports entertainment.

Occasionally, a unique talent will come through and break the mold. When a man like Dusty Rhodes, Mick Foley, or Rey Mysterio leaves the ring with a World Heavyweight Championship, the fattest, ugliest, and shortest guys find themselves believing that they too could one day realize their wildest dreams.

Now it is undoubtable that Rhodes, Foley, and Mysterio brought their own unique blend of talent and charisma to the ring, and they are all three undoubtedly deserving of their successes. They have shown the world that there is no blueprint to being a professional wrestling World Champion.

Just when we believe that, Vince McMahon puts his foot down and reminds us: professional wrestlers are supposed to be larger than life. In a similar vein to anyone who is a fan of professional wrestling, Vince McMahon views his product and finds certain individuals, which he marks for. In the almost 25 years that McMahon has been in charge of WWE, he seems to have come to a conclusion that the in-ring product itself is not the determining factor in what makes a superstar.

It wasn't always like this however. Superstar Billy Graham, Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger, and others can be credited with the current emphasis on the human body in professional wrestling.

Obviously current WWE superstars feel the pressure, as recently 10 men have been suspended for their association with Signature Pharmacy.

Following the death of Eddie Guerrero, WWE appeared to be taking their Wellness Policy much more seriously.

When Chris Masters arrived on the scene in the WWE, it appeared that the world would be handed to him on a silver platter. The Masterpiece was very reminiscent of Luger in his Narcissist character, and he appeared destined for superstardom based on his tremendous size and serviceable charisma. Masters may indeed have been the future of the business.

That is until the WWE exercised a new Wellness Policy, and Master's push vanished along with his muscles. Masters returned "leaner and meaner," but to folks at home he looked more like a "wiener." WWE had the option of restarting Masters right where he left off. Instead, they gave him a series of losses to Super Crazy. Master's career has been ill fated ever since, as mere technicalities with Ron Simmons and a soldier in Iraq are all that have kept any legitimacy to his "Masterlock Challenge."

Masters became a tool in the building of one of the men that Vince views as a real superstar, Bobby Lashley.

Why do you put anything over for two years to simply toss it aside with no feud, no payoff, nothing. Chris Masters' identity was lost as an accessory of a storyline he is not even involved in.

What does this say to Masters? Well, the answer is apparent, as "The Masterpiece" bulked back up rather quickly. How does this enforce wellness?

At Unforgiven, WWE continued down the path of hypocrisy. Now, I am not trying to insinuate that any of the winners at the most recent PPV are currently on the gas, but it is undeniable that John Cena and Batista are two wrestlers without a lot of technical ability and a whole lot of muscle.

Now the last time that WWE went through a steroid trial, the belt was immediately put on the technically sound, not-so-large Bret "Hitman" Hart. Who in the WWE thinks that Batista is a good figurehead in light of the current scrutiny?

The WWE has no shortage of athletic looking guys. Shelton Benjamin and Elijah Burke are two that uphold the legitimacy of what a pro wrestler should be without carrying an extra 50-100 pounds of unneeded muscle mass. What do they get for it? They get to be jobbers on their respective programs.

Burke got a chance to be a part of the Unforgiven Pay-Per-View, jerking the curtain along with "Straight Edge Superstar" CM Punk. In light of recent goings-on, you'd think these guys would really get a chance to shine. Instead, they are just an afterthought.

Now why aren't agility, technical skill, and charisma elevating these men to the same places that Batista's muscles have taken him? Why isn't a healthy athletic look celebrated, and the body builder look discouraged?

As Batista begins his third title run and Cena begins his second calendar year as WWE champion, it almost makes you wonder where the Ric Flair's and Bret Hart's have gone…

It seems today that only things that Vince cares about are the preservation of sports entertainment, the downplaying of wrestling in his product, and the creation of these beefed-up moneymaking megastars.

The WWE has the ability to do whatever they want at their leisure, until fans show them their decisions are incorrect by tuning out. All of us who disagree with the current product, regardless of the reason, are in Vince McMahon's back pocket.

We are the one's blogging, buying DVDs, and we will be watching "Raw" this Monday and purchasing Pay-Per-View's regardless. Vince is trying to appeal to the ones he hasn't already hooked, and he knows that first and foremost.

As a fan, I believe there is a place for the Undertaker's, John Cena's, Batista's, Big Show's, Hulk Hogan's, Ultimate Warrior's and other larger than life superstars. However, there is room for a great deal more. I am not calling for a drastic change. I would just like to see the wrestling put back into World Wrestling Entertainment.

I touched on WWE's reluctance to push guys who are not extremely large. I suggested how this sends the wrong message, and is a huge contributing factor as to why seemingly can't miss guys like Ken Kennedy, Umaga, John Morrison, King Booker, and others are sitting on the sidelines serving Wellness related suspensions.

Reader Rick Helley wrote in to suggest some other ways WWE could possibly improve the product while ensuring the safety and long-term health of their workers:

"The WWE could become a better alternative to its current incarnation if it banned chair shots, and other sorts of trauma, to the head. I remember Eddie Guerrero's final match, on SmackDown, when he took a wicked chair shot to the head from Mr. Kennedy. Although the cause of Eddie's death was ruled a heart attack, I cannot help but think that that nasty chair shot might have precipitated or hastened his demise.

And now, it's been learned that Chris Benoit, at 40, had brain damage comparable to an 85-year-old man with Alzheimer's disease. I know a great deal about Alzheimer's and dementia; and if Benoit did, in fact, suffer from dementia, then he was in a desperately bad mental condition. Every time I saw Benoit perform his flying head-butt off the top rope -- and plough head-first onto the mat in some cases -- I wondered what all that trauma must have been doing to his brain. And now we know -- as well as the horrible consequences.

I cringe every time I see chair shots and head bumps, and always have, long before the deaths of Guerrero and Benoit. I don't need to see such useless and risky nonsense in order to be entertained.

Some of the most exciting wrestling matches I ever saw were the televised National Wrestling Alliance matches from the San Francisco Cow Palace in the early 1970s, featuring such greats as Ray Stevens, Pat Patterson, Peter Maivia, Rocky Johnson, Pepper Gomez, and Stan Stasiak. These guys put on fantastic matches and exhibited pure professional wrestling skills superior to most of what I see today -- with nary a chair shot or a flying head-butt.

In the wake of the Chris Benoit tragedy, I hope that WWE will come to its senses, and ban chair shots and other moves that induce head trauma -- and tragedy afterwards. In that way, WWE will become a better and more entertaining alternative to itself -- and a safer alternative for its hard-working wrestlers. And maybe, when wrestlers pass away, their obituaries will indicate that they died in their 80s instead of their 30s and 40s."

Thanks for the feedback Rick. Here is a classic match from the 1970's, just for you:


More on This Story...

A Suitable WWE Alternative: The McMahon Plan to Put TNA Out of Business

CM Punk is a World Heavyweight Champion. Regardless of what brand he is a champion of or the circumstances surrounding his win, at the end of the day CM Punk has a World Heavyweight Title around his waist.

Is that enough to satiate the ever-critical Internet Wrestling Community? Likely not.

Is it enough to get more fans watching the ECW brand? Probably still likely not.

Much like Samoa Joe, CM Punk lost the payoff match that would have made his title reign significant. Due to a wellness policy suspension, he is afforded the luxury of keeping the belt warm for the impending return of John Morrison. This makes him a glorified Ronnie Garvin in the annals of wrestling history.

Punk's title win came at a TV taping, and was spoiled on WWE.com before it aired on the poorly rated ECW on Sci-Fi.

The WWECW experiment has been an interesting one to say the least. Beginning with Rob Van Dam's title run, the brand has experienced nothing but issues. It's hard to determine what WWE's actual plans were for the brand, as additions of RVD, Kurt Angle, and the Big Show imply that they expected the brand to draw on it's own.

All three of those aforementioned wrestlers are gone. Bobby Lashley took the ball, but when he ran with it, he often ended up on the Raw brand. Lashley was removed from ECW and stripped of the World title, but fans kept hope with the announcement that Chris Benoit would be putting on fantastic matches with young athletic workers. We obviously all know how that turned out.

Outside of Morrison and Punk, the supporting cast of ECW wrestlers is a veritable who's who of wrestling jobbers as ECW originals Balls Mahoney, Nunzio, and Tommy Dreamer haven't won a match in recent memory. Wrestlers receiving half-pushes like Stevie Richards, Kevin Thorn, The Miz, and Big Daddy V are hardly anything to get excited about.

This leads to the ECW World Heavyweight title having a feeling of being more on par with Raw's Intercontinental title or Smackdown's United States title.

TNA on the other hand has somehow been able to keep the big belt feel around their World Heavyweight Title. Kurt Angle, Sting, Christian Cage, Samoa Joe and others have all been built to be legit title contenders.

Despite the fact that the logic of having Kurt Angle lose clean to Jay Lethal to return and defeat Abyss is seriously flawed, the belt itself only moderately suffers. The main argument of most wrestling fans would be that Lethal should now be considered the number one contender. I agree, but would rather personally not see Angle squash Black Machismo to get his heat back.

Still, TNA has it's own fatal flaw. TNA's purpose in the wrestling game is to provide an alternative to the WWE. When I started watching wrestling in 1989, the NWA/WCW provided a suitable alternative with a different and often superior in-ring product.

Years later, when WCW acquired Hulk Hogan and other former WWE stars and looked, sounded, and felt more like their competitor, Extreme Championship Wrestling stepped up and truly did something unique in the world of wrestling, blending world class grapplers, unique high flyers, and hardcore wrestling.

Since the original ECW folded, many have come and tried to rekindle the magic. XPW and CZW have appealed to a specific type of fan, but they have been unable to capture the imaginations of America the way ECW did. One might suggest that they're overboard tactics and sort of lower class, if not dirty, feel has a lot to do with their lack of mainstream marketability. If ECW was comparable to edgy magazine Playboy, XPW and CZW are BSDM specialty mags.

Undoubtedly, pro wrestling fans have been looking for something new and different. For some fans, this is found in Ring of Honor. To make another analogy, if WWE were beer, ECW is WWE Lite, and TNA is WWE Ultra Lite. Ring of Honor is Natty Light. Cheaper, but at least it tastes a bit different. Fans are looking for a Miller to compete with their Bud, and have been since the dissolution of WCW and the original ECW years ago.

With TNA shoving VKM, Black Reign, Rhino, Team 3D, and various other WWE rejects down the collective throats of their fans, it has appeared at times that they might get rid of the X Division entirely. Obviously the TNA brass doesn't understand what brought them to the dance.

So why doesn't a millionaire-wrestling mogul like Vince McMahon understand that there is a demographic he is not reaching? After all, there is a great deal more money to be made.

Jim Ross has recently stated in his Barbeque Blog that "ECW is still a work in progress and the final form it eventually takes could be termed as ‘still to be determined.' I am not a major fan of a weekly hardcore or extreme rules match because they cease being special if one sees them every week and these matches increase the odds of a wrestlers getting injured. With the overall lack of quality depth available, injuries should be avoided when they can."

While many fans cannot accept this, I am perfectly fine with it. I grew tired of WWE style hardcore matches, and I detested watching bums attempt to recreate and outdo them on the Indy circuit. I don't want anyone to get seriously injured for my dollar. That is not why I am a wrestling fan.

So what can the WWE do to reinvigorate the ECW brand and provide the alternative that TNA is failing to be, essentially shutting them out of the market entirely?

Well, the first step is to get a deal for ECW to move to a different network. ECW is handcuffed by their Sci-Fi affiliation, as characters like The Boogeyman and Kevin Thorn must be there to grab any type of crossover audience from the network itself.

If ECW could score a deal with FSN, FX, or another network with a more general theme and a larger audience, it would benefit them greatly. I personally am unable to watch ECW on the television in my room, because we only get digital cable on one TV in the household.

The second move would be straight to Thursday nights to compete directly with Total Nonstop Action Impact! What is a bigger slap in the face than to send your third and lesser brand into direct competition with your rival? Writers and wrestlers would both be expected to step up their performance.

The next step is to introduce a Women's Championship to Smackdown. This will undoubtedly be the most controversial point. However, Victoria is on the brand, and she is undoubtedly the most talented wrestling diva in the company. She would like to see a belt there, and I would like to be her unconditional love slave. Therefore, what Victoria wants, Victoria gets.

Plus, this opens up the option of taking the Cruiserweight title off of Smackdown and moving it to ECW. Along with the title, any wrestler from any brand who is considered a cruiserweight should be moved as well. This would place Daivari, Santino Marella, Super Crazy, Funaki, Chavo Guerrero, Shannon Moore, and Jamie Noble all on the ECW brand.

Cruiserweight title matches would be contested under a highflying, hard-hitting cruiserweight style. One huge difference between WWE and TNA is TNA lets their X Division separate itself from the rest of the program, while WWE essentially has smaller guys working a heavyweight style for a cruiserweight title.

Other wrestlers who might be considered for movement to the ECW brand depending on their storyline involvement on their respective brands would be the Hardyz, Rey Mysterio, and Kenny Dykstra. These men would be ECW World Title contenders.

The ECW World Heavyweight title would only be contested under extreme rules, which can mean as much or as little as the performers involved want it to mean. There was a great difference between Jerry Lynn/RVD matches and Tommy Dreamer/Raven matches in the old ECW. Still, it gives wrestlers the option of pushing the envelope in matches where it would be worthwhile to do so, i.e. World Heavyweight title matches.

Now that pay-per-views are tri-branded again, the ECW brand would actually be set apart and provide one or two unique and exciting matches for each.

All members of the ECW roster should wrestle with a hardcore mentality. This does not necessarily mean Extreme Rules. Kurt Angle's intensity upon joining the ECW brand, and Big Show's attempt to work a different style and use a new move set while in ECW were fantastic examples of what I mean. Hardcore doesn't necessarily mean going through a table. It's about wrestlers pushing themselves to the limit.

It's likely that a reworked ECW could destroy TNA's market share, as WWE would provide a suitable alternative themselves. If done correctly and given a more legit feel, it may also attract some of the ever-growing MMA audience.

Without a doubt, it would increase ratings, increase merchandise sales, and give fans a reason to once again chant ECW, ECW, ECW!

More on This Story...

PWP Founder Tim Haught Hired By 411Mania.com

On September 1, 2006, I opened this blog with a scathing article that I felt needed to be written about Bret "Hitman" Hart. On September 8, 2007, one year and one week later, I received confirmation from Larry Csonka of 411mania.com that I am their newest staff member.



411mania is a pop-culture website covering movies, television, music, pro-wrestling, politics, sports, video games, MMA, and more. The site dates back to August of 1996 and is independently owned by founder Ashish Pabari.

The site houses a large online forum community with over 10,000 registered members. As of June 2006, 411mania claimed four million unique visitors and nearly 20 million impressions per month.

411mania started as 411wrestling slightly prior to the boom in pro-wrestling interest during the late 1990s. 411wrestling shifted their core focus in 2002 from pro-wrestling only, adding sections for video games and action figures. 411wrestling continued to expand out of the pro-wrestling area and by 2003 had established sections in movies, music, television, video games, action figures, comics, politics, and pro-wrestling. The site also re-launched in 2003 as 411mania.

Pro wrestling remains 411mania's main focus, followed by movies, games, and music.

Notable past readers include WWE wrestler Matt Hardy, who, in 2004, responded to a column by 'Asteroid Boy', in which the author claimed that Hardy's career had suffered due to his relationship with Lita. Writing on his site www.wwemattitude.com, Hardy denigrated Asteroid Boy's column. Hardy's response was removed within 24 hours by WWE. Hardy most recently praised a positive 411 article by Daniel Wilcox on his official MySpace page, in his blog entry titled "The QUEST to be the BEST begins now!"

411mania.com has been mentioned in several mainstream media outlets, including most recently in The Boston Globe, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Chicago Tribune, and the Toronto Star.

Screenshots of 411mania.com's forums and news pages have been seen on CNN, most recently regarding the death of WWE wrestler, Chris Benoit, and his wife and son.

I want to assure all of our PWP readers and staff that this does not mean the end of Pro Wrestling Pundit. I still have big dreams for where I want to steer this vehicle.

I am honored to have an opportunity to be on the 411 staff, and I hope I can do the best for both audiences.

More on This Story...

Well, that's retarded...

Believe it or not, Eugene being released from the WWE may just have been the best thing to happen to his career. Why, you say? Well were was his career prior to this? When was the last time Eugene challenged for a singles title? When was the last time he got a PPV Payday? It's sad because Nick Dinsmore was one of the most talented prospects to come out of OVW. Chris Benoit went down to work a match with him, and after Dinsmore held his own and then some with the Rabid Wolverine, Benoit told Danny Davis he was every bit as good as he said he was. The sky was the limit for him, and he eventually got called up for the opportunity of a lifetime…

As Uncle Eric's retarded nephew…

I questioned the logic of this first. In all fairness, this seemed like a logical choice in the beginning. It was something different. It was something fun. It was something the kids could enjoy just as much as adults. But once the new car scent wore off, what else was there to do with him? He couldn't be a main event player or a serious singles champion under this gimmick. He was cursed with the gimmick of a simpleton with no way out. Many had been in this rough of a spot before and survived, but for him there was no going back. He was stuck with "The Eugene Curse."

What's funny is CM Punk almost suffered the same fate under the "Eugene Curse," as he was slated to debut with a gimmick where he was a deaf wrestler. Had this happened, he most likely would not be your ECW Champion today . He'd be pretty hot for about a month or two, then go from jobbing on heat to getting an honorable mention on WWE.com wishing him the best in his future endeavors.

Ironically enough, I essentially was doing the Eugene gimmick in Pro Wrestling Xpress about 6 months before Eugene showed up on WWE TV. Because I wasn't wrestling on a National stage, it just made me look like a copycat. But the difference was I was acting goofy, picking fights with wet floor signs, and carrying around a Bob The Builder backpack because I took too many chairshots and got a concussion every show. I simply stopped taking so many shots to the head and returned to normal. With Mr Dinsmore, it was genetics.

Sure, the Eugene character has filled us with some unforgettable moments over the years. Who could forget WWE Musical Chairs during his brief tenure as General Manager of RAW? Plus, without him we never would have learned that Matt Stryker loves poop.

Luckily for him, the sky is once again the limit. He's a talented performer with name value. He can make a pretty decent living just working the Indies. I just hope that he's smart about it…

What he should do...

- Get involved in the NWA Title Picture. Since the NWA broke away from TNA, they've gotten their hands on two of the biggest named Independent Contractors in Bryan Danielson and Brent Albright to try to get their World Title some credibility. While I'm sure Adam Pearce is talented and worthy of being the NWA's Top Titleholder (although I'm not familiar with his work at all) I don't think he's exactly the household name you want to be promoting as your World Champion. The NWA World Title needs recognizable names to go along with it. Mr. Dinsmore could be one of them.

- Open up a training school. Why the hell not? He was responsible for training so many of the OVW names that went on to the WWE. While some of them may no longer be employed, he's still responsible for training some talented workers.

Here is what he should not do...

- Sign with TNA. Even if they are getting a second hour for Impact, their roster is already overcrowded with former WWE names who have lashed out against their former employer and burned their bridges. The sad part is though, that half of them pretty much recreated their old WWE gimmicks (Team 3D, Platinumdust or whatever he is called) and it just seems like a cheap parody. The last thing we need is a 2nd rate Eugene gimmick. Then again he could join the other half that shoot on their old gimmicks and try to be themselves. This wouldn't be so bad, but he's just going to get lost in the TNA shuffle.

- Work for Ring of Honor… or any other promotion that runs in the Philly area. Those fans are brutal and will completely boo him out of the building. Remember Jeff Hardy's ROH run? Probably not, and there's a reason why.

Regardless of what happens, Nick Dinsmore is out of gimmick purgatory and has a chance to re-establish himself as a legitimate wrestler. Who knows, maybe we'll see him get resigned in the future and become the major player that he was destined to be…

Or he could go back to being Eugene, showing us all what a retard he truly is... More on This Story...

You F*cked Up! You F*cked Up!

We all remember it. That infamous chant is synonymous with the old ECW. Usually it came from the fans whenever a worker would blow a spot, make a move look bad, etc. It's one of the few things that left that can still be associated with the original ECW (and that's not a good thing) as they certainly have been making some very questionable judgement calls as of late.

Here's the million dollar question… Has WWE missed the boat on giving CM Punk the ECW Title? Yes, and here's why…

The internet loves CM Punk. You know it, I know it. But he's more than just the golden boy for the smart marks. While I don't think he's ready to carry the top belt on Raw or Smackdown, he's very well deserving of being called ECW Champion. Should he have beaten John Morrison for the belt last night at Summerslam. Defenitely, and I think they backed themselves into a corner by not doing so. After 3 consecutive PPV Matches, I think it would be a very bad idea if they revisit Punk vs Morrison yet again next month. While Punk has non-title and tag match victories over him, the PPV Title Matches are the ones that count in the long run. The time now is for Morrison to move onto bigger and better things.

The problem is there are no bigger and better things on the ECW Roster…

ECW never full recouporated from the loss of Chris Benoit. Essentially adding Benoit was to make up for the loss of Bobby Lashley… and Rob VanDam… and Sabu… Because they didn't send another guy to ECW that could work as a legit Main Eventer, they were left with 2 guys to carry the brand… Punk and Morrison. While I questioned putting the belt on Morrison initially, I think he's done a great job of carrying the ball (although his mic skills still leave something to be desired.) Now that Punk is 0-3, who else is left to feud with for the belt? Dreamer and Mahoney have been jobbed out too much to be taken seriously as contenders. Boogeyman hasn't gotten far enough in his feud with Big Daddy V to move on to something else. The Miz? Yeah right. The only legitimate choice they have that actually has some momentum going for him is Stevie Richards. Now thinking about it, he was an ECW Title Contender 10 years ago… that seems to be the direction they've been heading as of late so why not?

What will most likely happen is Nitro will continue to work squash matches against Enhancement Talent. That's not the thing you want to be doing with the guy carrying your top belt, plus when WWE PPVs are only featuring one ECW Match, you can't afford for it not to be featuring your only titleholder. He can feud with someone from Smackdown or Raw for the title like they did with Big Show and Lashley. While that does work to an extent because it adds prestige when your champ is getting clean victories over guys like Ric Flair, Kane, and The Undertaker, it also shows what a weak roster you have because there are no legitemate contenders.

Of course, we already know that by now…

My suggestion to ECW is to build up the roster a bit more. Take 2 guys from each existing roster, one that can help the Midcard, and one that can Main Event. Here are my suggestions:

1. Super Crazy - Why wasn't he part of the revived ECW initially? He's an ECW original, he's Super, he's Crazy, and he can pull out a good series of matches with guys like Miz, Nunzio, Punk, and Burke.

2. Matt Hardy - Everyone thinks Hardy's ready for a World Title Run. I don't see him beating The Great Khali anytime soon, so why not test out how he'd do carrying the ball in the land of Extreme?

3. Jeff Hardy - He's been written off TV on Raw, why not have him make his return in ECW? While he shouldn't be one to carry the belt, he can be taken seriously as a contender against Morrison, and we already know they already chemistry together.

4. Kenny Dykstra - While the Spirit Squad was around, he was touted as being the next big thing and a future World Champion. He struck out with his singles run on Raw and isn't doing much better on Smackdown. I think he would be a nice fit in ECW, and they can build him up to move him to another brand like they're currently planning for BDV.

Is it a perfect solution? Not really? Does it help give WWECW the feel of a Philadephia Bingo Hall? Not by a long shot, but if you're touting your top (and only) belt as a World Title, there's a bit more that needs done to make it feel like one. More on This Story...

Soup Du Jour: SPECIAL War Time Edition

"When you hurt my friends, you hurt my pride! I've got to be a man, I can't let it hide...I am a REAL AMERICAN, fight for the rights of EVERY man"

How true that statement is. First and foremost let me get this out of the way. I do not in any way condone what was done at the Benoit house hold several weeks ago. I also have a firm believe against steroid use and abuse. So however this may sound do not get it misconstrued I am defending the industry and not and individuals freedom of choice.

I've been a a wrestling fan for many years. For the most part of those years I've been subjugated to the jeers from my peers about how wrestling is fake. I would always reply it maybe fake or it may follow a story line but I for one know that you cannot go into a wrestling ring and do a shooting star press, and for that matter body slam a 500 lb man. No normal human being should be able to do that! Pure and simple that's genetics at its best. If you perform either or both of those moves you might be subjected to a drug test.

The thing that pissed me off was when Nancy Grace was speaking on her show recently about wrestlers that have died before their time...(#1 who depicts what is whose time, depending on the way you look at things I believe its either God's decision or the Grim reapers and #2how did this list get compiled)...100 wrestlers she says. Wow I knew there was a lot of O.D.'s but a 100 it couldn't be that's drastic I mean really drastic especially if steroids were probable cause for death. So Nancy rolls this list on the screen while talking to Sable's husband Marc Mero. The list goes and I pull out a pen and paper to write these down and do my own research.

Here are the Names I wrote down:

Louie Spiccoli- who Overdosed on Soma and Wine... Chokes on Vomit in sleep. (no steroids here)

Next...

Owen Hart!?!?! - On May 23, 1999 he fell to his death in Kansas City, Missouri, during the Over the Edge 1999 pay-per-view event. Died from internal bleeding and blunt chest trauma. I remember watching this PPV and since Owen had been a member of almost every stable in the WWE over the past decade I thought it was a gimmick to join the Ministry of Darkness. Wish he did because I really enjoyed watching Owen become better than his brother Brett(my opinion).

Then..

Buzz Sawyer - heart attack

Crash Holly - OD pain killers

Kerry Von Erich - suicide

Chris Candido - blood clot from surgery

Yokozuna - heart attack he was 700 lbs!

Big Dick Dudley - kidney failure

Brian Pillman - - arteriosclerotic heart disease (Heart failure from plaque build up in arteries)

Latino Heat - died as a result of acute heart failure, caused by undiagnosed arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease

Benoit - suicide (roid induced)

British Bulldog - heart attack

Johnny grunge - sleep apnea (swallowed his tongue)

Vivian Vachon - Road accident

Rick Rude - OD GHB and Roids

Miss Elizabeth - OD on medications and vodka

Big Boss Man - heart attack

Mike Awesome - Suicide

and my personal favorite...

Adrian Adonis, who was killed in a car crash. When the driver, Mike Kelly, swerved in order to avoid hitting a moose and then blinded by the setting sun, inadvertently drove into a lake. Kelly survived.

So aside from Benoit, and Rick Rude (direct link to roids in death) everyone else's name was used in speculation as people that died under the age of 50. Benoit and Rude the only two directly linked to steroid use. These were just a list of names I recognized and wrote down. That's 2 out of 19. Come on Nancy do a tab bit more research on this. 1 word Wikipedia. It will tell you how they all died.

Also for the love of GOD please get the people who were screwed by the WWE out of the credible source of info for interviews. Mero didn't have as big of tits as his wife, gone. Debra, well shes a loud mouth, no wonder Stunning Steve Austin drank so much beer. Finally Superstar Billy Graham, the one who should be the responsible one and say hey my fault for mainstreaming this fad to be big and cut. You could stop all arguments by saying hey its my fault for grooming this generation into thinking "I need this to get ahead" instead of faulting the company for not having health benefits for you.

My Daddy always told me that if you have something to say you better stand by it! So Here is your special war time edition of The Soup Du Jour, served only to the bitches and snitches with a heaping load of my spit. ENJOY!



I find it Very interesting that during Mero's interview a fantastic screen sized business card is flashed, just in case you feel that you'd like to do some self improvement to yourself at the Marc Mero's Body Slam Training Institute in the "New Generation of Training".

I personally Like when they go to the Lawyers for their opinion. Especially When the woman says "the teenagers that emulate Benoit and emulate the Grunge". I'll tell you this if anyone ever emulated the Grunge I'll rip my skull open and stick my brain in a meet grinder. More on This Story...

Soup Du Jour

What Monday Night Raw needs to do...Well what can they do, honestly? I'm one on of the many wrestling fans who still has a sour taste in my mouth with the whole Benoit thing. But as much as I'd like to blow off Raw tonight to see an early showing of Transformers the movie (yes I am a nerd, but everyone needs a hobby), in all likely hood I'll be at my house watching Raw and eating a Chicken Palermo Salad (went to the store)!

So Already announced for this evening is Santino Morello Vs. Umaga. Barf! Okay simply put WWE, you brought around Umaga as an undefeatable power, but now you have nothing to do with him. If he wins the title what can he do draw Lashley, Booker T, Orton, or even Jeff Hardy to boost up the I.C. title, well can't do that because then Super Cena will have no one to face (which in MY honest opinion is perfect because he is a safer to bet on than to bet on The Steelers beating the browns). So Easy solution Kill Umaga.

Cena, catch the flu or something so the world knows you are not perfect. Now your WWE Title can be up for grabs for against lets say Randy Orton, Lashley, and HHH (summer slam). Well hold your e-mails and text messages..."what about King Booker T" right? Well here is what needs to happen, King Booker gets pick pocketed by Cryme Time and reverts to hood to get even, and then eventually joins with cryme time with thebrooklyn boys to form The Harlem and Brooklyn Connection, a.k.a. the HBC. HBC then Fueds with The Tag Team Champs (next paragraph) and The WWE Champ John Cena who is accused of being a honkey.

The Tag Team Champs Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch will begin to fued with the Hardys more and then London and Kendrick will join in. The three of these teams I can see being this generations or a poor mans version of the Hardys, Dudleys, Edge and Christian TLC matches. However the fourth team will emerge, Cryme Time, whose different style will catch these tag teams off guard. Boosting the Tag division to an instant fan favorite.

If this happens I'd be greatly supprised. All I want is a little variety in title holders. I don't like to going to pay-per-views and predicting the entire card with out seeing a match. If I had my way we'd see:

#1 a new WWE Champ I prefer Mr. Kennedy(when he can come back)or HHH or Randy Orton
#2 Santino Vs. Shelton Benjiman or Crazy or Davari or Jeff Hardy
#3 World Tag Champs The Rednecks fued with the obvious Racial Difference Controversy = Cash
#4 Hardys Vs. London Kendrick Obviously the world is not ready to see Matt and Jeff like the used to be I.E. London and Kendrick
#5 I want one or 2 stables I wanted a DX / N.W.O Fued so bad last year...But if Booker T drops the accent and joins cryme time that would be enough for me.
#6 Less womens matches as the match before the main event on PPV's

And I'd also like to see the Triumphant Return of the Soup Du Jour! More on This Story...

Mainstream Media Misses the Mark

I have talked a bit about Nancy Grace and Shepard Smith in lieu of the Chris Benoit Tragedy. I have alluded to how WWE superstars are communicating through blogs and websites, while people like Brian Christopher and Lex Luger are brought on national TV in front of the mainstream audience for their opinions. However, the latest mainstream coverage I read astounds me.

Perhaps no one is better at sensationalizing the news than Bill O'Reilly. In the United States, there is certainly a liberal bias in the news. What do conservatives have as their answer to that? Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter, the two most batshit crazy pundits I have ever seen.

Last night on "The O'Reilly Factor", we saw an additional example of the media's irresponsibility, as news networks scramble to somehow link professional wrestling to the murders of Nancy and Daniel Benoit and the suicide of Chris Benoit. Here is a peice of the transcript.

BILL O'REILLY, HOST:* "Impact" segment tonight, Georgia authorities say professional wrestler *Chris Benoit *killed his wife, seven-year-old son,and then hung himself. The 40-year-old Benoit had a history of domestic violence, and cancelled a televised wrestling appearance just last Sunday because of personal reasons. Some suspect drug or steroid use may be involved in this case because *anabolic steroids* were found in his home. Joining us now from Chicago, former pro wrestler, *Jon Stewart*.

Now for as much as I know about professional wrestling, this one had me scratching my head. Jon Stewart? The Daily Show guy? Who the hell is Jon Stewart? I immediately went over to Wikipedia to further expand my wrestling mind, but shockingly even the mighty Wikipedia had no knowledge of him. On the show, Stewart immediately attempts to build credibility by making the following statements: "I've met him a couple times" followed by "I've known of him for 15 years."

Whoopdee crap Mr. Stewart, anyone who watched that international tag team tournament in WCW has more knowledge of him than you. You don't even need to go back to his time in Japan or Canada to outdo this so-called expert. Stewart insists that this is completely out of Benoit's character. You will likely hear that from most wrestlers and most wrestling fans, as legend tells us of how respectable and caring Benoit had been for the duration of his career.

O'Reilly immediately begins blasting him with loaded questions. "OK, but you did know that he was on steroids. And you know, once you get into that world of narcotics, illegal drugs, whatever you want to call them, your personality changes. Correct?"

Stewart's response? Yes.

The question is, was he responding to the first or second question. Well, if you are a 40 year old non-wrestling fan watching the O'Reilly Factor as you do every night, you probably think this is evidence of the evil drug abuser Benoit was. If you are a wrestling fan, you know that this guy has no business even being asked questions. Stewart later clarifies that he has never seen Benoit take steroids. That is likely because he only met Benoit at an autograph signing.

One of the rules of being interviewed is to never take the bait, and O'Reilly has Stewart as his personal wrestling representative puppet for the better part of the interview. O'Reilly speaks in long paragraphs and Stewart responds in one word confirmations. Stewart then cries out that the industry has to do something.

So who the hell is Jon Stewart? Well, we quickly learn of his agenda
of getting airtime in the face of the Benoit tragedy. This guy is the promoter of the new AWA. "at the AWA, if we have any suspected drug issues with any of our talent, they are immediately terminated that day. I don't even bother with a drug test. I don't want to see you around my company."

For those who don't know, the American Wrestling Association was at one point as big as what was then known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) which later turned into WWE. They broke in a lot of the best the business has ever seen, but when Vince Jr. took control of the then World Wrestling Federation (WWF) now World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and expanded nationally with a better TV product, the AWA could not compete and eventually folded in 1991.

In 1996, former AWA workers Dale Gagne (actually Gagner, and not part of the Gagne legacy that actually founded the AWA) and this douchebag, Jonnie Stewart relicensed the AWA name in the state of Minnesota and the AWA opened up as an independent promotion called AWA Superstars of Wrestling. They have taken it upon themselves to rewrite actual AWA history, giving Hulk Hogan not one but two former AWA title victories in order to establish more credibility.

In April 26, 2007 it was revealed that WWE has seeked legal action against Dale Gagne for the use of the AWA name, citing trademark infringement, as WWE owns the AWA tape library, so it's very likely both Stewart and Gagne have as many nice things to say about WWE as Lex Luger.

O'Reilly continues by stating that 60 professional wrestlers aged 45 or younger have died within the last ten years, and Stewart confirms this. This is a completely bullshit statistic. If they are are counting 60 guys since 97, they are certainly not just including active mainstream American wrestlers, and under those circumstances the numbers could be much higher.

There is certainly no data on every independent, Mexican, Japanese, and European wrestler to die in the past ten years. I listed the really significant younger deaths of professional wrestling in the article on my thoughts on the Benoit tragedy. Unfortunately, it was a high number, but it certainly was not 60, and they didn't all come from the past ten years.

Stewart then returns to shilling his product. "My AWA - my woman's champion, 47 years old, Sherri Martel, died last week of an apparent overdose. Bill, it's madness." I wonder if Sherri Martel even knew she was the champ. I seriously doubt Hogan knows he's a former two time AWA champion. Freaking Evan Karagais through down their belt and walked out on the new AWA, and I don't believe that he's the only one.

So there you have it, two nutbags trying to determine how much they can blame WWE for Chris Benoit's actions. That, my friends, is mainstream journalism at its finest. If there is any industry in America that truly needs reformed, look no further than your major news outlets.

More on This Story...

My Thoughts on the Benoit Tragedy

It would seem that a few people are interested in my take on what has unfolded over the past few days in reference to former professional wrestler Chris Benoit. In many circles, I am the "wrestling guy", so I will try to fufill that role and give as much perspective as I possibly can into this almost unbelievable series of events to ever occur in pro wrestling history.

On Monday Night, I signed online looking for my friend Tuna to be on. WWE had scheduled a three hour "Raw" to air, ironically with a theme of a funeral for Vince McMahon based on an angle they had shot two weeks prior. I assumed Tuna and I would watch together.

Immediately when I signed on, Pittsburgh independent wrestler, Kid Cupid instant messaged me to see if I had heard the news. I expected a joke about the girth of his genitals or something.

Simultaneously, I was hitting my standard rotation of wrestling websites to make sure that I was up to date on all that I needed to know in preparation for that night's "Raw". The IM window flashed...Chris Benoit is dead.

I made it to the first wrestling site immediately and it confirmed the news. I was shocked. I was numb. I went to a popular wrestling blog that I frequent and people were already mourning. To non-wrestling fans this may sound stupid, but I thought of Chris Benoit as an entertainer. Anyone can be a bit shaken when one of their
favorite entertainers is taken unexpectedly, especially if that person had been entertaining you for over a decade.

Not knowing any details, I composed the following message in response to someone who was chastizing Vince McMahon for his ficticious death angle:

"This is not about Vince or his angle. This is about the best wrestler that the WWE has ever seen being dead. Rest in Peace Chris...You were an incredible performer. I will miss seeing you do what you do best."

There was a part of me wanted to write a long memorial, but also a part of me felt it was too soon. I read that not only was Chris found dead, but also his wife Nancy and his son Daniel.

It's funny how wrestling fans get in a huff over a fake Vince McMahon death angle, but as soon as they hear about a real death, they pray for it to be a tasteless WWE storyline. We were all praying hard on Monday night that this was the case. If not a storyline, perhaps it was a gas leak. No one wanted to think there was foul play involved.

At the time, I figured it was most likely a domestic dispute, as I had read that Benoit called off a house show and knew he missed a pay-per-view for "personal reasons." I couldn't imagine what was really transpiring.

I received a text message before "Raw" that night from a good friend asking if I thought this was real or just the worst angle ever. I responded:

"Unfortunately real"

I saw groups and sites pop up in great numbers paying homage to a guy who had always been considered a class act in the world of pro wrestling. A traditionalist who gave his 100% every night in the ring. I read as people were ready to throw Nancy's body over the coals if she had done something to kill Chris Benoit. I decided not to comment until I had some details.

Some people suggested that Kevin Sullivan may be to blame. Sullivan, also a wrestler, used to write the storylines for World Championship Wrestling. He paired Nancy (his then wife) together with Benoit in a storyline, and they ended up sparking a true life romance. I was asked if I thought Sullivan was the culprit. I replied, it's been ten years, you'd think he'd be over it by now.

People wanted to believe anything other than that Chris Benoit could be responsible for the deaths. I sat in Tuna's house as we watched the tribute to the former World Champion. Vince McMahon broke character to announce that he was not dead, and it was just a storyline. They then showed some of Benoit's most incredible moments in the business, which admittedly he had no shortage of.

Fans listened as Benoit's peers talked about how much respect Benoit had, how he would always give 100%, and how he was a great family man. It made the events that would later unfold that much more unbelievable.

In hindsight, many people have been critical of WWE's decision to run the tribute show. Well, to all the Monday morning quarterbacks, or in this case Tuesday morning bodyslammers, you have to understand that at the time of the event, WWE had no idea of the details that would soon be unveiled. The live show was cancelled and the tribute emanated from an empty arena because the arena was decorated for McMahon's faux funeral.

It would obviously have been in poor taste to have fans cycle into the arena among those decorations and mention Benoit's real passing. The week before, former WWE valet Sensational Sherri had passed, and WWE received a lot of heat for not giving that enough attention while promoting the McMahon storyline. By all means, for what they knew at the time, they were handling it as best as they could.

By the time "Raw" was over, speculation was very heavy that Benoit was indeed a killer. Fans were making up their own scenarios as to what may have happened. The next morning I wrote:

"I feel as though I know nothing, yet I still know too much. As more details appear, I will force myself to read them, but it seems to be everything I dreaded upon hearing all three were dead is reality. It's just unfathomable to me. If the early reports are indeed confirmed by the investigation, it will be hard for us as wrestling fans to reconcile our feelings on the fantastic performer that Chris was. His in-ring abilities certainly do not go away, but how do you celebrate him? Do you even want to?

This is a PR nightmare for World Wrestling Entertainment, and another hard shot for wrestling fans as this event is likely to shape the mainstream opinion of professional wrestling for years to come. It is just too early, I feel, to really go into my comments or feelings on Chris Benoit.

We are so conditioned now to get our news and information so rapidly and immediately make a statement upon it. However, I think some of us really need to take a step back and wait for some real details to come out before we form our opinions on Chris or Nancy.

I think out of respect for the victims and respect for ourselves, it's best if we stop worrying about immediately pointing fingers, wait for authorities to sort the situation out, and then digest the facts as they come."

The next day I followed the news closely. It wasn't hard as all mainstream media outlets had picked up the story. I was notified that WWE had made a decision to quietly take down all references to Benoit. This was all but confirmation of a wrestling fan's worst nightmare. I wrote:

"I went and visited WWE.com and the site is certainly backing down from the tribute it had up last evening and early this morning. The main article is still obviously in regards to Benoit, as many WWE fans would likely be pissed if they went looking for an update this afternoon and found nothing. The link inside that would have clicked to Benoit's bio now loops you back to the same article. However, if you go through to the ECW section, Benoit's bio is still listed on the Roster page and his tribute stuff can still be found there for now..."

In a matter of four minutes, his superstar page and bio had been removed. I wrote:

"They have taken all his stuff off of WWEshop, and went so far as to take his name out of the description of the WrestleMania 23 winners plaque, despite the fact that he is clearly pictured.

Also, this is a direct quote from the description of the WrestleMania XX DVD, from which Benoit won the title:

'The entire event is here. Seven championships are on the line, featuring Eddie Guerrero VS. Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship & Triple H defends his World Heavyweight Championship against Shawn Michaels.'

If WWE.com was your source for all things wrestling, it is almost as if Benoit never existed."

I sat on google refreshing the news about Benoit, knowing that something big was about to break. The distance that WWE put between themselves and one of their most celebrated performers was a clear signal that it was going to be bad.

Before the AP broke the story, I had already read the details on TMZ.com. I was floored. The whole thing was just terrible.

Some wrestling fans focus shifted to if Benoit really did this, does he deserve to get into the WWE Hall of Fame. I wrote:

"Benoit was arguably the greatest wrestler ever. Still, that doesn't mean he should be unconditionally honored. With more of these reports coming out, it shows that he truly had no honor".

One fan said he didn't know if we should pray for Chris or damn him to hell. I replied:

"I pray for Nancy, Daniel, and the two children left behind.

I also pray for Chris, but it's very different.

I am through celebrating him, but I don't think it's our place to damn anyone. That's just my belief."

I got home just in time for the beginning of the press conference. By dinner time I knew that Benoit had bound his wife, driven her into the floor, and choked her to death with wire. He had waited a number of hours, and smothered his son with a bag. He waited a number of hours again before hanging himself from a weight machine in his basement. He left no suicide note. All the communication he made were text messages suggesting that his dogs were in an enclosed space, his door was open, and his address.

The whole thing was sickening. WWE released a statement saying they were stunned by the details. Anyone who was a fan of professional wrestling can tell you the same. WWE was also "concerned" about the sensational reporting.

I must admit, I was too. Shepard Smith immediately began blaming the encounter on steroids. WWE has gone on record to say that Benoit passed a drug test in April. Plus, the fact that Benoit did this act over the course of three days, bounding his wife, and placing bibles with the victims doesn't support this at all.

Shepard Smith said that 60 well known professional wrestlers under the age of 45 have had steroid related deaths in the past ten years. This is simply not true at all. Owen Hart died from a fall at a pay-per-view when making a superhero like entrance to the ring. Earthquake died from cancer. Mr. Perfect died of acute cocaine intoxication. Miss Elizabeth died from a combination of alcohol and pain killers. Some deaths referenced happened over ten years ago, and still weren't steroid related. Dino Bravo was murdered. Kerry Von Erich shot himself.

Yes, there is an overabundance of dead professional wrestlers: (The British Bulldog, Brian Pillman, Bam Bam Bigelow, The Big Bossman, Ravishing Rick Rude, Chris Candido, Yokozuna, Andre the Giant, Eddie Guerrero, Johnny Grunge, Rocco Rock, Gino Hernandez, Chris Adams, Louie Spicolli, Terry Gordy, Eddie Gilbert, Road Warrior Hawk, Hercules, The Wall, Crash Holly, Pitbull #2, The Renagade, Bad News Brown) But they all died of various causes.

Reporting Benoit's act as though it comes with the territory in the life of a professional wrestler is irresponsible journalism.

Nancy Grace chastized WWE for running a tribute show to a murderer. Well Nancy, that would make sense had WWE known at the time of the tribute he was murderer. Instead, Vince was dealing with a lockeroom who felt as though they had lost a brother, 20 million people who tune into "Raw" on Mondays who would have been outraged if the show went on as normal, and three hours to figure out what to do while being tremendously distraught himself. Get off your high horse. Better hope Anderson Cooper never pulls something like this and lands you in the same position.

I've noticed a lot of fans having trouble with Benoit's actions. It's hard for them to watch their hero being villainized. Many people have no frame of reference for Chris Benoit outside of this incident, and it's almost as if fans want to defend that he wasn't really like this.

Unfortunately, he proved otherwise. Fans want to show the world that they are shocked and never believed anything like this could happen, thus distancing themselves from the fact that they spent years cheering for a would-be murderer. It's similar to when a murder happens in a small town and the mayor consistently wants to reiterate that he never thought anything like that could happen there. You want to defend some semblance of yourself from the judgement of others.

As a child, I was a huge fan of He-Man cartoons. Then one night flipping through the channels, I found Hulk Hogan, who for my four year-old brain was a real live-action He-Man. I was immediately hooked. These were real life superheroes. As I got older, I became more intrigued with the business side of wrestling, and how decisions were made. Being older I learned many things that were dissapointing about my childhood heroes, probably first feeling that impact when I heard Jake "The Snake" Roberts talk about his life on the road.

Someone asked if Jimmy Snuka hadn't also killed his wife. I explained the story of how Jimmy Snuka had been travelling in the very early 80's (before I was born) with a ring rat (wrestling groupie) and they had gotten into an argument on the side of the highway. Snuka shoved her and she had cracked her skull. She died hours later in what was ruled an accidental death, and Vince McMahon did a great deal to help cover up the incident and make sure Snuka never had to serve time.

Telling the story made me exclaim:

"Unfortunately, pro wrestling is full of drug abusers and woman beaters."

The funny thing is, I have known this for at least ten years, but it's probably the first time I have ever said it outloud. I guess I just didn't want to let myself believe it. Professional wrestling was an escape from the real world to me.

So I guess this is my final stance on what happened this weekend:

"I am done celebrating Benoit. I would much rather celebrate his wife Nancy, who portrayed the character 'Woman.' I knew Woman many years before I ever knew of Benoit. Nancy Daus debuted as Robin Greene, the love interest of Rick Steiner. She later turned on Rick and his brother Scott and aligned herself with Butch Reed and Ron Simmons, who were known as Doom.

She was a beautiful woman, and a fantastic wrestling valet in the late 80's early 90's. I was not really familiar with her work in Florida as the Fallen Angel, and I think she was less intriguiging in her later roles in WCW, but she was fantastic in the Steiners/Doom storyline. Wrestling fans seem to be missing the fact that the wrestling world has lost two personalities, not just one.

Now onto Chris Benoit. As I have said, this incident doesn't take away the fact that he is perhaps the best in-ring performer EVER, but to read wrestling fans everywhere defending him makes wrestling fans everywhere look retarded. Just because you drop a few thousand perfect diving headbutts doesn't excuse his actions.

Think of the most vile gangsta rapper you can think of, and Benoit is way worse. They sing about rape and murder. Benoit smothered his 7 year-old son.

It's hard to reconcile as a fan, because all you ever heard was good about Benoit. There are other guys where it would seemingly be more fathomable. Unfortunately though, facts are facts. Benoit murdered Nancy "Woman" Daus Benoit and his son Daniel, and no matter what influenced him, the act was sensless and horrible.

I don't agree that we should condemn him to hell, because it's not our place. I pray for Nancy, Daniel, the two remaining children, and his extended family and friends.

I also pray for Chris, but I do so in a different way.

It's funny because I usually go to wrestling to escape life. Now I am looking to life to escape wrestling. Chris Benoit, the guy who was so passionate about tradition and respect has raped professional wrestling of its innocence and fun. In time, I think things will return to a sense of normalcy, but this is a black eye that professional wrestling will wear for a very long time.

If the reports are true, there is no one to blame but Chris Benoit. He did just about the most reprehensible thing a person can do, and I refuse to make excuses for him just because of his workrate. The thing that pisses me off the most is how ready people were to damn Nancy initially when they assumed it was her doing, but now that she's the victim, people are still looking at Benoit as some type of martyr. If I were not a fan of professional wrestling I would look at these fansites and tributes and barf in their general direction.

Chris Benoit does not deserve to be honored, as he was a man who had no honor. Chris Benoit is not a hero. Period!"

I just read a report on a website in which the author says, "So in spite of all that has happened, I am not afraid to say this: Chris Benoit, you where (sic) my hero and I shall remember you for every good match, for every chop, for every flying headbutt, for every crippler crossface and more importantly, for every tear I dropped at the end of that Wrestlemania. Because for those lasting minutes, wrestling was real."

Well I got news for you Armando, wrestling is not real. The deaths of a lovely 43 year old woman and an innocent 7 year old boy are.

More on This Story...

Former Benoit Tag Partner Dead at 42

With all the coverage on the tragic Chris Benoit story, it seems the death of Shayne Bower has been overlooked. Shayne, who went by the name Biff Wellington, was a former tag partner with Benoit in Stampede Wrestling and WCW.

Bower, despite never really cracking the mainstream in the States, was a wrestling icon in Western Canada and a regular in Japan. Over the past few years he suffered from a variety of health problems including multiple strokes.

He was found dead in his home, of an apparent heart attack, on Sunday June 24th. He was 42 years old.

Despite some internet rumors to the contrary, Bower's death is in no way related to the Benoit tragedy. More on This Story...

My Benoit Blog

If you're a wrestling fan, watch the news, or have internet you have heard the story. Chris Benoit, pro wrestler, killed his wife and son, then himself. It seems now his wife and son were over the weekend and he hung himself yesterday. I'm not going to go into any story or anything like that. I never met him. I was always a fan of his work (in ring not so much promos) and had him in all time top 10 wrestlers in the world.

I have seen on message boards, sites, away messages, myspaces, etc.. with a lot stuff about him. Tributes if you will. I know some who looked up to the man. He was one hell of an in ring performer. He went thru a lot in his career. I do not get those who suddenly have huge tributes and such to him when before, he was an afterthought. I guess its like a bandwagon of sorts. Or maybe its simply showing respect and I'm a bitch about it.

Please keep in mind I am in no way defending what he did. He murdered two people and then took his own life. I've been depressed. I've had suicidal thoughts in my past. I cannot fathom killing a wife and son but depression does funny things to people. However to condem him to hell and forget all he did is a bit strange to me. You do not have to like him or respect what he did during the last 2-3 days of his life Over the course of his life he accomplished a lot in his chosen industry. While yes "predetermined" , it is an accomplishment none the less.

There have been some people insisting people are praising a murderer, a horrible person, drug addict (steroids), and other crazy things. Well I hope those people don't enjoy movies or music. Chances are they are fans of a few addicts. Watch TV for 24 hours and if you pay attention, I'm sure you'll find a lot to hate about celebs. No not just Paris Hilton either. That fucking cunt. Hell search the internet for celeb dirt. Although don't believe everything you read. Moving on from movie and music stars... politics? Bush sent troops to war. In some eyes, he is a murderer. I'll stop there before this blog becomes even longer.

I guess this whole thing comes down to two things. One, if he wasn't such a big deal to you, don't act like you followed his career for years and he was your hero. Its a slap to those who were huge Benoit fans and those who truly considered him an inspiration. Two, if you're running this "oh he's a bad person kick" think this... if one of you're heroes died and you read deragatory things, how great would you feel?

I miss the guy. I wasn't his biggest fan. I think it sucks we won't see him vs. Punk. I was really looking forward to that. No one knows what happens after you die. But no matter where or what, I hope that peace can be found... for all. More on This Story...

It’s All About the Wrestling: But Sometimes it’s Not

Last night I was sitting in my chair working on my laptop and playing with my cable remote, I happened to pass the RAW listing and for some unknown reason I decided to DVR it. I don’t normally watch RAW or any WWE programming but I guess something was telling me that this would be the last chance to see Chris Benoit in a positive light.

I myself did not find out about the tragedy until about 10:30 last night, fellow PWP and Wrestling Inc writer Brady Hicks sent me a text message telling me to turn on RAW at about 8PM but I didn’t catch that until much later. I found out about the tragedy at Wrestling Inc. after posting my latest TNA commentary. I found myself speechless. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how to react. I still don’t know what to say or how to react.

Since the initial reports it has come to light that Chris Benoit very likely murdered his wife and child and then hung himself. Vince McMahon is going to make a statement tonight on ECW apologizing for the tribute show on RAW last night. In retrospect no one can fault Vince for airing what he did last night, he went with his gut reaction to celebrate Benoit’s career, but many people will fault him.

Chris Benoit will not be remembered as the great wrestler he was, instead he will be remembered as a double murder who bound his wife and strangled her and suffocated his young son before killing himself in his basement. It is obvious there were some problems in Benoit’s personal life and as more details about his life are revealed it will more than likely be revealed there were signs that could have been acted upon to prevent this tragedy.

But one man is responsible for this tragedy though and that is Chris Benoit, no one else can be blamed if indeed the initial reports are found to be accurate. This is a terrible tragedy and a public relations nightmare for the WWE (and wrestling in general). The WWE has rightly distanced themselves from Chris and his merchandise and wrestler page have been pulled.

We all sit and enjoy our escape from reality while watching our favorite wrestling programs, it’s easy to forget that these people have real lives and real problems and maybe not everything is great behind the scenes. Chris Benoit may have been a great superstar, he was one of the last of the old school technical wrestlers and one of my favorites but his actions that ended his life speak louder than his actions in the ring and sometimes it’s not all about the wrestling.

As always you can contact me at pwp.chris@gmail.com. More on This Story...

AP: Benoit Strangled Wife, Smothered Son

The following is confirmation from the Associated Press of the horrendous final weekend of the Benoit family. God Bless Nancy and Daniel, as well as the two sons remaining from one of Chris' previous relationships. PWP extends it's sympathies and condolences to all who were touched by this unfortunate series of events

ATLANTA (AP) -- Pro wrestler Chris Benoit strangled his wife and smothered his son before hanging himself in his weight room, a law enforcement official close to the investigation told The Associated Press Tuesday.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Authorities also said they are investigating whether steroids may have been a factor in the deaths of Benoit, his wife and their 7-year-old son who were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide.

Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard said test results may not be back for weeks or even months.

Autopsies were scheduled Tuesday by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in DeKalb County.

Investigators believe Benoit (pronounced ben-WAH) killed his wife, 43-year-old Nancy, and son Daniel during the weekend and then himself Monday. The bodies were found Monday afternoon in three separate rooms of the house, off a gravel road about two miles from the Whitewater Country Club.

Fayette County Coroner C.J. Mowell did not return calls seeking comment. The answering service for his funeral home said he was out of town.

Authorities also declined to say whether drugs or steroids were found inside the house. "We're not releasing any information as far as what was located inside the house," sheriff's Sgt. Keith Whiteside said Tuesday.

Asked about the condition of the interior of the house, Whiteside said investigators found "nothing really out of the ordinary." He said Benoit was found in the home's weight room, his wife in an office and the son in an upstairs bedroom.

Whiteside said toxicology tests could take up to a week or longer to complete.

Neighbors said the Benoits led a low-key lifestyle.

"They were nice," said Lorre Jones, who lives across the street. Her daughter Alaina said: "We would see Chris walking in his yard from time to time. He wasn't rude, but he wasn't really outwardly warm."

Jimmy Baswell, who was Benoit's driver for more than five years, placed a white wreath at the Benoits' gate Tuesday.

"I saw him with his family all the time," said Baswell. "They always seemed like they were the happiest people."

World Wrestling Entertainment said on its Web site that it asked authorities to check on Benoit and his family after being alerted by friends who received "several curious text messages sent by Benoit early Sunday morning."

The WWE, based in Stamford, Conn., said it had been asked by authorities not to release further information on the deaths.

Benoit, born in Montreal, was a former world heavyweight champion, Intercontinental champion and held several tag-team titles. His names in the ring included "The Canadian Crippler."

"WWE extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the Benoit family's relatives and loved ones in this time of tragedy," the company said in a statement on its Web site.

Benoit had maintained a home in metro Atlanta from the time he wrestled for the defunct World Championship Wrestling. The Fayette County Tax Assessors Office lists the value of the house, situated on more than 8.5 acres, at nearly $900,000.

The WWE canceled its live Monday Night RAW card in Corpus Christi, Texas, and USA Network aired a three-hour tribute to Benoit in place of the scheduled wrestling telecast.

Benoit's wife managed several wrestlers and went by the stage name "Woman." They met when her then-husband drew up a script that had them involved in a relationship as part of a story line on World Championship Wrestling, the newspaper said.

Benoit has two other children from a prior relationship.

Benoit became a standout at an early age among wrestling prospects who trained in the dungeon basement of the house where fellow Canadians and professional wrestlers Owen and Bret Hart trained. Owen Hart was killed during a wrestling event in 1999.

"He was like a family member to me, and everyone in my family is taking it real hard," said Bret Hart, a five-time champion with the World Wrestling Federation. The federation has since changed its name to World Wrestling Entertainment. More on This Story...

Wrestling Reporter's Journal - The Benoit Ending

This is just one of many Chris Benoit editorials you are going to read over the next few days, weeks, months, probably even years.

Because one of the most universally recognized and respected wrestlers in wrestling history has seemingly killed himself and his young family.

Anybody who knows anything about Chris Benoit knows he was a quiet man, but that the words that he did choose to speak had a deep impact because they were always carefully selected. No doubt his actions this past weekend also spoke about as loudly as any promo ever could have.

On a personal level, I'm facing a lot of guilt because I used Benoit and his popularity with the fans as a platform eight years ago to get myself over as a heel writer.

I said at the time he wasn't interesting enough to be a top star and wasn't big enough to carry a company. On both counts, I was obviously lying.

WWE, ECW, and the whole wrestling world have lost one of a dying breed. I feel bad for all of them, even more so now because to take several lives before killing yourself makes you a very pathetic person.

If Chris Benoit never drank and never did drugs as I've heard then I suppose he must have had a lot of emotional trauma. And the real shame is when all this goes away, WWE lost another talented guy who could work anywhere between the opening match and the main event, delivering a match of the night.

A post-humous induction into the WWE Hall of Fame is also a very sad affair because he and Nancy deserved better. And as fans, I believe we all deserved a better ending as well.

I'm drained. Feel free to e-mail me at bradyhicks@gmail.com

More on This Story...

Details on the Benoit Tragedy

I signed online at about 7:30 last night when a Pittsburgh Indy Worker asked me if I had heard the news. I was almost waiting for a joke.

As I began clicking ahead to the typical wrestling newsites, he dropped the bomb on me. I was just shocked. Part of me wanted to write a long memorial, and part of me felt it was too soon.

I feel as though I know nothing, yet I still know too much. As more details appear, I will force myself to read them, but it seems to be everything I dreaded upon hearing all three were dead is reality. It's just unfathomable to me.

If the early reports are indeed confirmed by the investigation, it will be hard for us as wrestling fans to reconcile our feelings on the fantastic performer that Chris was. His in-ring abilities certainly do not go away, but how do you celebrate him? Do you even want to?

This is a PR nightmare for World Wrestling Entertainment, and another hard shot for wrestling fans as this event is likely to shape the mainstream opinion of professional wrestling for years to come.

It is just too early, I feel, to really go into my comments or feelings on Benoit, We are so conditioned now to get our news and information so rapidly and immediately make a statement upon it.

I went and visited WWE.com and the site is certainly backing down from the tribute it was last evening and early this morning. The main article is still obviously in regards to Benoit, as many WWE fans would likely be pissed if they went looking for an update this afternoon and found nothing. The link inside that would have clicked to Benoit's bio now loops you back to the same article. In a matter four minutes, his superstar page and bio had been removed.

They have taken all his stuff off of WWEshop, and went so far as to take his name out of the description of the Wrestlemania 23 winners plaque, despite the fact that he is clearly pictured.

Also, this is a direct quote from the description of the Wrestlemania XX DVD, from which Benoit won the title:

"The entire event is here. Seven championships are on the line, featuring Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship & Triple H defends his World Heavyweight Championship against Shawn Michaels."

If WWE.com was your source for all things wrestling, it is almost as if Benoit never existed.

The following report is unconfirmed by authorities, but is currently being reported at popular celebrity scandal site, TMZ.com:

TMZ has learned more about the deaths of WWE wrestling superstar Chris Benoit, his wife and son -- and the information is extremely disturbing.

Several Atlanta-based law enforcement sources have told TMZ Benoit may have strangled his wife on Saturday, then smothered his son in his bed a day later. Investigators refuse to officially comment, pending final confirmation by the coroner on the cause and time of the deaths.

One source told TMZ that Benoit was texting friends during Sunday's WWE "Vengeance" Pay-Per-View program -- possibly watching the show with his son, who may have been alive at the time.

According to sources, Benoit then hanged himself Monday in a weight room inside the family home.

A police investigation is ongoing. More on This Story...

In Memory of Benoit

Chris and family were found dead in their home in Georgia today and the situation is being investigated as a murder-suicide. Please keep the Benoit family in your thoughts and prayers. More on This Story...

Introducing myself and thoughts on Randy Orton

Hello wrestling fans! Before i get started here, i would personally like to thank everyone at Pro Wrestling Pundit for giving me the oppurtunity to be part of their team. I look forward to a long relationship with them.

So now let me give you a little background on me personally. I have been a big wrestling fan for many, many years. As far back as i can remember. I grew up watching wrestling in the old school era of Mid-South Wrestling as well as World Class Wrestling. Those were the days!! Great wrestling action.

Now as you will become to learn about me if you are a repeated visitor of my blogs, I am very straight forward. I say whats on my mind and leave nothing behind. Which brings me to my first topic......Randy Orton.

For those of you that havent heard yet, the WWE has been doing a tour recently of the U.K. And while this is all "brand new" news and we are just getting bits and pieces at a time. It is rumored that Mr. Orton was found in his hotel room passed out and his room was to be estimated at well over $30,000 in damages!! This really sickens me. Now number one, no i have never been in the business, but i still think that there is a way to handle yourself professionally, and Randy Orton has proved over and over again numerous times, that he just cant do it.

How many chances has the WWE gave this young man? Its really a shame. Because he is an outstanding talent! Unlimited talent at that! But what is it that makes this man do the things he does? Is he that arrogant? Can he not handle the pressure of being a WWE Superstar? I, unfortunately, do not have those answers.

What should be done about it you ask? Well if I was Vince McMahon and the WWE, and granted, im not, I would personally send Mr. Orton home!! Just because he is one of your top talents, doesnt mean he gets any different treatment. Wasnt it just a couple of months back when the WWE fired Joey Mercury and sent him home for violating the wellness program? There should be the same consequences for Randy Orton. Maybe its time to shake things up in the WWE. Give those guys who are watering at the mouth, like CM Punk, Mr. Kennedy, and hell for that matter Chris Benoit the ball and let them run with it!

I guess in a round about way, im just more disappointed seeing a great, young talent like Orton throw what could be a great career away. Theres still time Randy. Get yourself together anddo the right thing!

Well everyone, there you have it. My first post here at Pro Wrestling Pundit. I hope you enjoyed it and i look forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback. Until next time, watch out for the "ChairShot"!! More on This Story...

Scorekeeping: Lockdown

Welcome to what I hope to have as a monthly feature here on PWP, entitled Scorekeeping. What Scorekeeping will be is a review of TNA's monthly pay-per-view on a match by match basis. If in the event I happen to see a WWE PPV during that month, Scorekeeping will be head-to-head between TNA and WWE. This month, the inaugural edition of Scorekeeping happens to be one of those special months as April hosted the Granddaddy of Them All Wrestlemania.

WWE's Wrestlemania 23 took place on April 1st and immediately after seeing it I thought it was a poor April Fool's Joke that had cost me $50. It just didn't feel like Wrestlemania to me. TNA's Lockdown took place this past Sunday night, April 15th and was a giant opportunity to out-perform WWE, not in terms of sales but at least in terms of actual quality considering how un-Wrestlemania like Wrestlemania actually was.

So let's get to it. Please not that the matches are not presented in the exact order (although they are pretty close) they appeared on the PPV.

Openers: Money in the Bank vs. X-Division Escape

Money in the Bank is almost always a good time and with performs such as Edge and the Hardy Boyz involved this was the perfect way to start Wrestlemania. The finish was a little off for me but overall it did its job and got everyone into the show. B+

The X-Division is TNA's backbone. They have built a federation using the insane stunts and high powered performances of the X-Division wrestlers. So what isn't to like when you stick five guys in a steel cage and tell them to go at it with the winner gaining or retaining the X-Division Title? It was missing a few things that could have made it better but just like the Money in the Bank match at Wrestlemania, it did its job and got everyone into the show. B

Mid-Card: The Great Khali / Kane vs. Senshi / Austin Starr

Khali and Kane. Two monster behemoths with whom no one wants to play. Despite their size the two put on a decent match, just not Wrestlemania quality. C+

As with all the Lockdown matches, Senshi vs. Austin Starr was in the Six Sides of Steel. I have not been a big fan of Austin Starr but he put on a great performance for this match putting over Senshi. B

Mid-Card: Chris Benoit / MVP vs. Robert Roode / Petey Williams

Benoit is one of the best technical wrestlers still wrestling today, unfortunately he has terrible mic skills and no one has ever really been able to use him well, except maybe when he was part of the Horsemen. MVP looks like a deranged Power Ranger, so I fully expected Benoit to rip him apart. Good match but nothing I will remember. B

Robert Roode's new Million Dollar Man type gimmick is tiring and I have never really liked him in the ring but I really like Petey Williams as an in-ring performer. Surprisingly Roode put on a very good performance and got the win, nothing special but entertaining. B

Mid-Card: Undertaker / Batista vs. Christopher Daniels / Jerry Lynn

The Undertaker has never lost at Wrestlemania so the outcome here was not in question. What was in question was if Batista and Undertaker could put on an entertaining match to get to the ending everyone knew was coming. The answer was yes. B

Christopher Daniels vanished for a couple months before emerging with a new tattoo. While he was gone Jerry Lynn made a case for geriatrics wrestling. Upon his return Daniels singled out Lynn as his first target for cleansing. The storyline going in was trash but with these two performers you were not going to get a stinker. B

Mid-Card: ECW Originals / New Breed vs. Team 3D / LAX

Taking the original stars of the ECW and pitting them against the new "stars", and I use the term loosely, of the ECW seemed like too much roster, not enough space for everyone. It turned out RVD is out of the doghouse though (afraid he might jump ship Vince?) as he gets the win in a short yet entertaining match. B

The Dudley's Legacy against LAX's tag titles. In the culmination of a almost four months of feuding Team 3D met LAX in the "electrified" steel cage. I guess dimming the lights blue and having an annoying hum radiate throughout the arena makes the cage electrified. Whatever. Take out the "electrification" of the match and it actually is pretty good, with some great action in the cage, but the terrible handling of the gimmick brings this down a notch. C+

Super Gimmick: McMahon / Trump vs. The Blindfold Match

When I heard the big gimmick match for Wrestlemania was going to be a hair match involving Vince and the Donald I cringed. On paper it was a disaster. In practice Vince put on the second best performance of the show, even with Trump's terrible punches. Shane hitting the dropkick from the other side of the ring was just icing on the cake. B+

James Storm hits Chris Harris in the face with a beer bottle, supposedly blinding him in one eye. Harris wants revenge and months after America's Most Wanted had broken up the two come face-to-face in a grudge match. To make it even both combatants must wear an execution bag over their head (Hey I thought this was a blindfold match), that hardly ever stays on. Regardless it is the worst match I've seen since returning to wrestling, the crowd hated it, I hated it and I think even Storm and Harris hated it. F

Girls, Girls, Girls: Melina / Ashley vs. Gail Kim / Jackie Moore

The WWE has the women to do it but for some reason cannot put together a decent women's match for Wrestlemania. Instead we get a Lumber Jill match involving Ashley and Melina and the rest of the WWE tramp patrol. At least it was short. D+

TNA does not have the women to have a decent division but they do have two that can put on a hell of a match when given the opportunity. Gail Kim flying off the top of the cage just proves that these ladies are more than able to get the job done. Before they go full steam ahead into women's wrestling though they need to expand to two hours of television time. B

Main Event: John Cena / The Heart Break Kid vs. Lethal Lockdown

I've never liked John Cena. To me he signifies everything that is wrong with Vince's approach to his stars. HBK on the other hand has been a favorite of mine since he was part of The Rockers. I so thought HBK was going to get the win and maybe a nice farewell tour before he retired but instead Cena got the win. Surprisingly though this was actually a very good match, not great but very good. Cena failed to sell his leg injury (did he get a cortisone shot mid match?) but overall he worked real well with Michaels. B

The Lethal Lockdown. Two teams, 10 men, one cage. The build-up to this match was done very well and despite my distaste for Jeff Jarrett this (see Two Words, One Man) match still held my attention. All night, all eyes were on Jarrett to see if he could be trusted and it turns out he can be. Lethal Lockdown is exactly why I like TNA. The top ten stars for the company in an extreme cage match. I wasn't thrilled with the ending, despite being a huge Sting fan, but overall Lethal Lockdown shined as the match of the night. B+

Totals: Using a 4.0 Grade Point Average scale, the WWE's Wrestlemania comes in with a 2.88 GPA while TNA's Lockdown nabs a 2.63 GPA. Considering Wrestlemania is the WWE's flagship PPV, TNA should be proud that they put on an entertaining show that only cost their fans $30 (as compared to Wrestlemania's $50 price tag). TNA still has a good amount to improve on but they are steadily improving and Vince might want to keep watch a little bit more, improving his product along the way.

Check back next month when I will score TNA's Sacrifice PPV and feel free to send your comments and questions to me at pwp.chris@gmail.com

More on This Story...