Booker T Calls Hulk Hogan the N Word

On the June 24, 1996 Nitro, Harlem Heat defeated Lex Luger and Sting to capture their fifth WCW World Tag Team Championship. Prior to defeating Luger for the title, Booker got carried away during a televised interview, calling out Luger as well as World Champion Hulk Hogan.

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CMLL Pays For Overexposure of Mistico

The scenario sounds familiar. In fact, it has happened a number of times to a number of different wrestling companies. Now, it is happening again. Although the landscape is different, very different in fact, one of the most talent rich wrestling promotions in the world could be on the verge of a serious collapse. Tough times could be ahead.

In 1996, WCW hit the jackpot with the NWO. The promotion that brought together the stars of the 1980s, the top WWF stars of the 1990s, plus some of the best young wrestlers in the US, Mexico and Japan helped ignite the wrestling business to another “boom period”. The spark that started the fire was the NWO. In fact, WCW’s take on the UWF-New Japan wars of the early 1990s got over so much that they expanded it to the point that nearly everything in the promotion revolved around the NWO. WCW’s big draw was the NWO, but when it came time to start pushing the next big thing to prevent the product from becoming stale, they balked. Instead, they stayed with the NOW as their ace in the hole, thinking that having those three letters on top would keep them the number one promotion in the US forever. Instead, the company’s business went down the tubes.

At the same time the NWO was hot and drawing huge money for WCW, the WWF was getting murdered. However, they also had something people were drawn to almost as much as the NWO - Steve Austin. Eventually the WWF did the same thing as WCW, and their promotion became centered on Austin and his war with Vince McMahon. However, in contrast to WCW, the WWF also found a way to build up Foley, HHH, the Rock and others, so that when Austin was put on the shelf and the focus of the promotion was forced to change, the WWF was able to surge and show staying power.

There are books and websites and tons of material discussing at what point WCW actually started their demise. I always thought the point where WCW screwed up was the debacle of Starrcade 97. Although WCW did good business after that, they were never full able to recover from the matchmaking and promotional blunders that took place on that card – a card with the highest buyrate ever at that point in time.

The same thing is currently happening in CMLL. Right now. Instead of the promotion being built around a hot group like the NWO, it is built around Mistico. The story behind Mistico is that he was a poor orphan living on the streets of Mexico City, who was taken into an orphanage, where it was somehow discovered that he had an amazing ability for wrestling. The famous wrestling priest Fray Tormenta, whom the movie “Nacho Libre” was loosely inspired by, took Mistico under his wing and trained him to be a great wrestler.

Mistico was special not only because he was a wholesome religious lad, but because he his amazing athletic ability was the work of God himself – who personally guided Mistico to victory after victory. Mistico debuted in the CMLL midcard and started getting pins over guys more experienced and higher on the card than him – thanks to God. It was almost like Goldberg in WCW.

The thing was, Mistico appealed to everyone that attended shows in CMLL’s arenas. He was like a taller leaner Rey Misterio Jr. in the ring. Before too long, everything in CMLL was revolving around Mistico. Rudos were lining up to challenge him, since it was guaranteed to be a sell out man event facing off with Mistico in a singles match. Helping him greatly was the fact that two of the most popular wrestlers in Mexico, Hijo del Santo and Dr. Wagner Jr. took Mistico under their wing and teamed with him on a regular basis against said rudos.

Much like the NWO in WCW however, CMLL had so thoroughly integrated Mistico into their cards, their matchmaking, and their promotion, he soon became overexposed. And, since God was helping Mistico win all of his matches, the “smart” fans in Arena Mexico started to turn on the company’s biggest star.

The first hint of this was when Black Warrior turned on Mistico - people cheered him because they were tired of Mistico. “Rudo Fans”, which are a group made up of mostly men who attend CMLL shows, backed Warrior as they understood why he turned on the glory hound Mistico.

Kids and women continued to cheer “El Principe de Plata y Oro” however. Warrior was an impressive veteran rudo who took full advantage of the spotlight a feud with Mistco provided; Warrior exposed the chink in the Mistico armor. Mistico’s rivals should have then been exploiting that, and promoted as on the same par as Mistico. Instead, Warrior was downplayed, and for most of the summer of 2007, he was not even booked on major CMLL cards.

Dr. Wagner Jr., a rudo-style wrestler, became one of the most popular fan favorites in all of Mexico after the passing of his legendary father a few years ago. In 2005, Wagner was the fan favorite all the rudos were lining up to wrestle, because that was where the money was. In fact, CMLL still attempted to promote and push Wagner as a rudo against other popular fan favorites such as Atlantis and LA Park, only to have fans turn against them and side with Wagner.

During this past summer, Wagner was once again put in this position by CMLL – only this time against Mistico. Anyone with half a brain could see what CMLL was thinking here – Wagner is a rudo in style, and him as a rudo against Mistico would do huge business. In reality, many fans were already lukewarm towards Mistico, who was being shoved down their throats to no end. Sure, he still had his fans amongst children and women, but most of the men populating Arena Mexico were going to cheer anyone facing off with Mistico. Anyone with half a brain could see that Wagner facing off with Mistico was only going to take more away from Mistico’s fanbase.

Wagner befriended his enemies and did what he had to do to get matches against Mistico – just to prove that he was the better wrestler. Finally the match was made, and when the two faced off last July in their first ever one-on-one encounter in Arena Mexico, it was one of the biggest matches of the year.

However, this match could possibly have been CMLL’s version of Starrcade 97. Wagner had Mistico defeated, powerbombing him on the hard wooden floor outside the ring. Then, that rudo that Wagner befriended, Ultimo Guerrero, interfered and laid out Wagner. Mistico slid back into the ring and got the pinfall, at which point a full scale riot ensued. 18000 fans in Arena Mexico came to see Wagner win. Wagner should have won. What they did not want to see was Mistico get a bullshit win over Wagner that he didn’t deserve.

The situation still could have been salvaged however. After the match, Wagner and Guerrero were laying out challenges as fans littered the ring with trash; it made sense that CMLL would heavily push a feud between Wagner and Guerrero which should have made a lot of money, afterall, it was the number one fan favorite against the top rudo. Instead, CMLL deemphasized Wagner, and a public battle began that saw Wagner leave the company.

You can’t shove a something down the throat of people if they do not want it - but CMLL has nothing else. If the feud progressed to that point, Wagner vs. Guerrero for masks could be the type of match that draws and does the type of business that Atlantis vs. Villano III did for CMLL in 2000. Maybe even Rayo de Jalisco Jr. vs. Cien Caras type money. The big feud that followed the Wagner debacle was Blue Panther and Lizmark Jr. – and attendance quickly dropped as Mistico sat on the sidelines healing up injuries. Just as how WCW could not part with the NWO, CMLL won’t halt Mistico's push, because they have nothing to follow it. Mistico working semi-main events or lower on the card doesn’t seem like an option to CMLL - for whatever reason.

The boos and the trash pelting the ring showed that the fans are behind Wagner – just as the WCW fans were behind Sting. Just like Sting in 97, Wagner was screwed out of his place atop the hottest wrestling company in the world. There is nothing wrong with the guy that was your top draw being put on the back burner. That is how you keep a guy fresh for when the next moneymaking program comes along.

The only thing to point the blame at is CMLL’s matchmakers and promoters. Mistico is their Hulk Hogan. While Hogan was always a draw when he had a top-notch opponent that was a threat to him, when he had no Piper or Andre, or Sting, or Savage, he was not the same draw. Plus, when Hogan was on top of the WWF and even WCW, there were other draws in the company. Warriors, Rude, Luger, Flair, etc. With the talent roster CMLL has, they should be having spectacular cards and making fistfuls of cash with Mistico anywhere on the card – even at the top. However, Mistico is the only guy that CMLL pushes as a star. In the mind of the fans, that makes everyone else second-class.

Perrito Aguayo is a star that should be pushed as an equal to Mistico. But, no one is allowed to expose those chinks in the armor, because that might hurt the draw. Will little kids come to cheer for their hero if he is left battered and bloody by the Guerreros every week?

Wrestlers like Averno, Mephisto, Volador Jr., Stuka Jr, Sombre, Valiente Jr. – are the future of CMLL. None of these guys get to face Mistico, because they might outshine him. Perrito, Guerrero, Wagner, Warrior, and a handful of others should be promoted as Mistico’s equals or more – not as guys a half step behind. There is no reason Mistico needs to hold four of CMLL’s championships at once. CMLL is guilty of a lot of dumb decisions recently.

CMLL brought back the well past their prime and out of shape Villanos. Supposedly the Villaos are close to retirement, and are looking for a hot feud to put up their masks before they wind their carriers down. Villano IV however, blew out his knee shortly after debuting. After the injury, CMLL kept III & V around – and they had a series of terrible matches they seemed to be randomly thrown in that didn’t draw a lick.

In smart circles, it is known that Mistico is under a long-term contract to CMLL, which underpays him. Recently CMLL and Hijo del Santo had a very negative falling out (similar to Wagner) due to CMLL not wanting to pay Santo what he was getting from other promoters around Mexico and the US. While it is never a good idea to screw up your entire roster's payroll for one guy, CMLL no longer can bring in Santo to spike attendance like they used to do.

In Mexico, heavyweights are not generally the focus of the company as they are in the US. A legitimate heavyweight that they use regularly is Marco Corleone, aka Mark Jindrak. Instead of pushing him as a huge gringo threat to the heavyweight title, he is booked as a babyface pretty boy… in a group with Shocker, who no shows more often than not. Corleone is by no means straight out of the 1990's All Japan, but he could bring something to a heavyweight division if they booked one. Instead he is just a big pretty American they have on cards.

A great tag team in Perrito Aguayo and Hector Garza is not even used as such. Instead, Perrito is mildly pushed as a singles wrestler (getting pushed against Mistico in main events on occasion), and Garza works the second tier arenas. And their group, the Perros del mal, is a huge draw for the ladies. A feud with Negro Casas & Mistico over the CMLL Tag Titles would probably draw money.

The wildly popular Mascarita Sagrada II jumped from AAA to CMLL, and was promptly remarketed as Mascarita Dorido, and booked to debut outside of Arena Mexico on a secondary show to no fanfare. This was after CMLL made a huge deal about signing him away from AAA.

Finally, Wagner leaving CMLL. Wagner not only was a ridiculously popular wrestler who drew money, but he also booked big independent shows, and trained a lot of CMLL talent. While supposedly Santo is looking to start his own promotion, Wagner has enough talent and venues to actually start a group that could have some success, if he desired.Wagner has said repeatedly he has no interest in going to AAA.

So, time will tell. CMLL will never go out of business, as they own their own arenas and are on solid financial ground – after all they have been around 75 years. The wrestling business has been hot in Mexico for about five years now – as hot as it was in the US at the height of the Monday Night Wars. AAA is still doing great business – although with a smaller roster and less shows. Will CMLL continue to do less than 10000 fans at Arena Mexico for big shows with the way they are booking, or will things get even worse?

Much like the demise of WCW, only time will tell how it all will unfold. More on This Story...

Booker T's WWE Debut

With King Booker officially released from the WWE, I figured I'd take a look back at his first match ever in the WWE. I remember thinking that Buff Bagwell would be a huge star in the WWE. He had the look and the "attitude." Well, this match got Buff Bagwell fired, but I never understood why. The reason? I never got to see this match. A very close friend of mine from high school had just returned from being gone for a month. I asked her to be my girlfriend on this night and she said yes. I can recall making out with her on the couch in the basement of her aunt's house and sneaking glimpses at the television as WCW and Booker T made their WWE debuts...

Some interesting side notes:
Scott Hudson and Arn Anderson are the commentary team
Stacy Keibler is the ring announcer
Anderson calls this the most historic night of wrestling ever
Anderson calls Booker T the greatest WCW champion of all time
Hudson calls the WCW title the WWF title
Booker T calls this his worst match EVER!!! More on This Story...

Back When...

Back when a guy who didn't take steroids could make just about anyone into a star... More on This Story...

Please Excuse Our Mess...

Pro Wrestling Pundit is currently Under Construction as we upgrade from the old blogger template to the new layout. We will be adding plenty of new features, a happy 1 year anniversary gift to ourselves. Please bear with us. More on This Story...

R.I.P. Brian Adams, A.K.A. Crush

According to the WWE.com website, "World Wrestling Entertainment has learned that Brian Adams, also known to our fans as Crush, has been found dead today."

Read more on the WWE site.

-NAPALM- More on This Story...

Book Review - Controversy Creates Cash

I recently took a much needed vacation from work and for the first time went to Disney World. While this time of enjoyment was a refreshing experience, it was also an eye-opening one. To my surprise, I realized that Disney World is a place where adults can have just as much fun as the kids, and that essentially everything I thought I knew about Eric Bischoff was wrong.

You probably are wondering how Eric Bischoff would have anything to do with my vacation to Disney. Well, I normally don’t read much, but I figured that I might as well take a book with me to read on the flights and while waiting at the airports, and the book I chose was “Controversy Creates Cash” the autobiography of Eric Bischoff, co-written by Jeremy Roberts.

I had received this book as a Christmas present, and really had no expectations of ever reading it. After all, I thought I knew the whole story on Eric Bischoff and his role in WCW from watching the DVD “The Monday Night Wars.” I was surely in for a surprise.



I would never consider myself a wrestling insider by any means. I have never read dirt sheets and I don’t have the time to surf websites for behind-the-scenes information. But I do have a good memory as far as what happened on tv. As a teenager, I watched every single wrestling broadcast that I could. I rarely missed an episode of the then WWF shows like Raw and Mania, and the WCW shows like WCW Saturday Night. I could remember most of the on-air matches, feuds, and developments that were covered in the book. Being able to read about the details of what was going on behind the curtain during that era in WCW was a delight.

Of course, the claim to fame of this book is the coverage of the Monday Night Wars and the Fall of WCW.

During the implosion of WCW over the course of 2000 and 2001, I was in my Senior year of college and only took the time to follow WWE storylines. But, again, I thought I knew what really happened during that time period from watching “The Monday Night Wars.” To read about it the way Eric Bischoff lived it is an eye-opening experience. I think Vince McMahon and the rest of the Gerry Briscos and Sgt. Slaughters that made statements on the “Monday Night Wars” DVD should publicly recognize that there was much more to the descent of WCW than what was exposed on the disk.

I think Bischoff’s book, “Controversy Creates Cash” is an excellent read, and I think that anyone who is a die-hard fan of wrestling should read this book, especially if they lived through the period of time in the wrestling business know as the Monday Night Wars. I think it will serve as a balance that will even out the depictions of that epoch. I know I feel I have more well-rounded understanding of the dynamics of that time.

I might add that, as a member of management in a large corporation, and as an on-line business owner, I was also able to take some things from this book that I will use in my day-to-day work strategies, and my on-line marketing campaigns. Not only is Bischoff an excellent story-teller, he is also a savvy businessman and leader.

-NAPALM- More on This Story...

My Uncle, The Wrestler...

Life can be very cool sometimes. For instance, when I was about 6 years old, I went to school and a daycare, and there I made a best friend. A few months later, he moved into an apartment two houses down from mine. I thought it was just about the coolest thing that could happen, until...

My girlfriend loves me, but hates wrestling. It's an interesting dynamic, considering just how big a part of my life the faux-sport is. Years ago I attempted to take her to see the WWE and some indy shows, and while she made the most of those events, she never really got into the product. I don't hold it against her.

One day, she came up to me rather excited. She informed me that her Aunt had been dating someone. Forgive me, but this news didn't exactly make or break my day. That was until I heard the kicker. She wasn't dating just any man. She was dating former NWA/WCW professional wrestler the Italian Stallion. God Bless America!

Immediately, the gears in my brain began to grind. Was I going to get the chance to talk about the wrestling business with a guy who had worked with Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Sting, and so many other greats? Was I going to be able to call him "Unkie Stallion?" Was the jacket pictured above in this article lying in a basement somewhere unwanted, so that one day it could become the property of me?

When I learned that I would finally be meeting the Stallion, I sorta marked out. I went through some of my old PWI magazines and my old tapes. I found a few PWI 500's and year end issues from when he ran the old PWF with George South. I found matches of him wrestling Arn Anderson and the Midnight Express on my VHS tapes. This was indeed sweet.

The Stallion had some stuff for me. Upon meeting him, he had brought a great deal of magazines of his own, admittedly from a bit before my time, but cool as hell. Magazines from Japan and various Apter mags that kept me from socializing and had me parked at the dining room table for hours.

The more I got to know the former World's Spaghetti Eating Champion (which I always thought was a rib, but now know that Gary actually ate a whole pound of spaghetti in like 12 seconds or something ridiculous like that), the better our relationship became. At first he was a bit reserved when it came to talking about the wrestling business. I don't blame him. He probably thought that I was some no-nothing shmuck who thinks Goldberg is the greatest wrestler ever. Once I gained a bit of credibility, I was getting to hear stories about "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin piloting a Cessna while high, and taking a few chops every time we said goodbye (Thank you Daron Smythe for conditioning me to this).

If you are a true wrestling fan, there is something about having a wrestler marry into your extended family that makes you act like an 8 year old who's dad is a trucker. Haha, that is a quote among quotes, but let me explain it. When he comes around, the first thing you do is run up to him excitedly, and wonder if he brought you anything. Make sense?

Well, Gary has brought me some doozys (Is that how you spell doozys?) I think he felt out my pension for appreciation by bringing me an 8x10 picture of Luna Vachon while we were eating at the nicest Italian restuarant perhaps in the whole state of West Virginia. Once he saw how freaking sweet I thought that was, he sent up a goodie bag which contained the following:

- A photograph of the Barbarian putting on his facepaint that I am guessing is from WCW circa 1991, but I could be mistaken.
- A promotional photograph of "Hands of Stone" "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin during his brief reign as NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
- Two black and white photographs of the Italian Stallion in action.
- An autographed picture of the "Greatest Intercontinental Champion of All Time" The Honky Tonk Man

and...

wait for it...

- An autographed 8x10 of the Eighth Wonder of the World, the one and only Andre the Giant, totally suitable for framing, and likely to cause fights between me and my girlfriend when I want it displayed appropriately in the living room next to pictures of the children.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Stallion, let me tell you, he is an incredibly charismatic personality. His best days in the business probably came around 1985 or so. I didn't start watching until 88 or 89 (give me a break, I was born in 83). At that point, the Stallion's main purpose was to make other people into stars.

The Stallion had runs in all the major wrestling companies, including the WWE. While co-running the PWF, he was instrumental in giving current Smackdown superstar and US title contender Matt Hardy his break.

Most recently he can be seen on the WWE DVD release "Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen", teaming with Pez Whatley and Rocky King to meet Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, and Ole Anderson.

His thoughts on the Chris Benoit tragedy have been published in People Magazine. You can find more information on that issue here: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20044655,00.html

For your entertainment, straight from YouTube, here is the the Italian Stallion taking former All Japan Triple Crown Champion, WCW and NWA Tag Team Champion, and UWF Heavyweight Champion, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams to the limit. (How sweet was the Varsity Club?)

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:


(Yes, that was Tony Schiavone and Lex Luger interviewing a very young Jason Hervey a.k.a. Wayne from the Wonder Years) 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.

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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...

PWI Reporter's Notebook

Each week, Pro Wrestling Illustrated senior writer Brady Hicks provides his insights into the world of professional wrestling for you to study. He can be reached by e-mail at bradyhicks@gmail.com. ***

I still have an hour of Raw to watch, an hour of ECW to watch, and last week's entire SmackDown on tape waiting for me. And I really need to get those done before iMPACT tomorrow night, otherwise I'm going to be running out of room on my three VHS tapes. Thank god there's no more Wrestling Society X, right? No - I mean seriously.

Such is the lonely life of a PWI reporter.

It's still not as bad as back in the day when I had 16-1/2 hours to contend with between WWF, WCW, ECW, and local programming that took up hours on end. I mean, have you ever in your entire life HAD to sit through an entire three hour taping of Thunder just in the event that WCW might be planning something original, different, or - at the very least - worthy of writing about?

Didn't think so.

You wrestling fans today have it easy. You complain because you don't like John Cena (the most important champion since The Rock or Steve Austin). You complain because you don't like the particular creative direction that this week's watered down ECW show has taken or you aren't happy that Snitsky is now a monster or you don't even care if Batista learned a new move this week. And does it matter the slightest?

No.

Because Triple-H is no longer raping Katie Vick. Because we don't have to sit through two years of Sting dressing up like the Crow and doing nothing week after week only to come back and appear to conspire with Bret Hart to screw Hulk Hogan out of the title. You don't have the Bushwackers. You don't have preliminary wrestlers main eventing your Saturday Morning Superstars. You don't have Sean Mooney to bitch about.

I think you should all be kissing Vince McMahon's ass for keeping wrestling from returning to what it used to be. I'd take MVP any day of the week over Earthquake's Damian pancakes.

***

To the mailbag Batman:

Tim writes: WWE needs to protect this guy [Lashley] from the wrath of the smarks, cause he's on his way down Batista Boulevard to John Cena Drive.

Dear Tim: And would that be such a bad thing? I hope for Lashley's sake he is one-sixteenth as successful as John Cena or Batista. That would automatically make him more important than Chris Benoit. Wait a minute. He might be more important as we stand now! More on This Story...

Who Krazier than Kanyon? Nobody!

Right before my last post, the self-proclaimed "King of Kontroversy" Chris Kanyon was part of an exclusive interview that was supposed to be all the rage. Funny how many people are throwing around the word controversy, nowadays. How is this for some controversy: The Rise and Fall of Kanyon!

Chris Kanyon first caught my eye as a part of the Men at Work tag team, wrestling frequently with partner Mark Starr on WCW Saturday Night. He would go on to portray the Ultra-Sweet Mortis, and the Much Less Sweet Positively Kanyon. He managed to be one of the more entertaining aspects of an abysmal WCW invasion of the WWE years later, but interspersed with every bit of Kanyon goodness (Being an offensive innovator, his triad team with Dallas Page and Bam Bam Bigelow)was a moment that overshadowed it (The Villano IV Incident, Being thrown off the triple cage).< br />
Much like I said about Bret Hart when I wrote the article titled "Bret Screwed Bret" for this site in September, I will let the history books decide Chris Kanyon's legacy in professional wrestling. In his interview, Kanyon supposedly "dropped a bombshell" that Bret was in on it the whole time. This should be major wrestling news, right?

Well, perhaps it could have been. Unfortunately Kanyon was taking a downward spiral. Now, Kanyon is arguably 3rd on the list for craziest wrestler behind Ultimate "Warrior Warrior" Warrior and my favorite wrestler of all time, "Macho Man" Randy Savage. I mean, Kanyon said himself that reporters didn't believe he'd really be on Stern. Why didn't they believe it? Cause Kanyon went Krazy!

Over this past summer Kanyon has come out to the wrestling community, both as a character and as a person. Hey, I'm cool. I have no problem with gay people. Kanyon then accused WWE of firing him based on his sexual preference. Ric Flair and others have publicly disputed the claim, which Kanyon blows off as them just toeing the company line. However, with the WWE having Sylvan still under contract, and having had Pat Patterson in a position of great power in the company, these accusations are a bit hard to believe.

I am not sure what Kanyon is thinking when he shows up at a WWE House show to rebel rouse. Kanyon drew the ire of Triple H amongst others, and drew scrutiny from a great number of WWE fans as he stormed to the ring. Just when you thought the guy was loopy as hell, he breaks the news that Bret was in on the Montreal Screwjob, and some have the audacity to say, "Don't believe it, listen to the interview!"

Well I am sorry, but regardless of whether it is true or not, one of the biggest wrestling controversies ever will not rest with me on Chris Kanyon's word alone. Was Bret working Kanyon? Was Kanyon working us? Who knows?

It seems that for a few months at the end of the summer, Kanyon would do or say anything to get a job with the WWE. I think that the Mortis gimmick could still make some money, and Kanyon's in ring work could still be greatly appreciated by today's fans. Unfortunately, I think Kanyon pretty much made sure we'll never see it in the WWE. I wish Kanyon all the best. Hopefully when I remember the wrestler, I won't worry about any of this B.S. publicity, and just remember him as a true talent.

More on This Story...

A Timely Defense of John Cena

It's been a while. In fact, it's been so long, that Marty "Boogeyman" Wright has been both fired and rehired since the last time you heard from me. Maybe even more impressive than that, Mike "Corporal" Kirshner died, then came back to life! That doesn't mean that the Pro-Wrestling Pundit hasn't had his share of opinions.

Say what you will about John Cena, and other wrestling sites have about said it all ad nauseaum, but this dude draws crowds, sells merchandise, stays over, and makes for damn good TV. While I understand the mentality of those who oppose him, and while I detest the way he has been taken out of his entertaining rap character and made Steve Austin/Rock light, I can't think of anyone who has been more interesting since Summer.


Some smark sites cheered as Edge pulled Cena's "Punk Card." That's simply not what Edge's job is. Edge's job is to be the most hated heel in wrestling, while helping Cena's babyface crowd reaction. Regardless of all that, they were easily the most interesting World title program in months, possibly years. Unfortunately Edge is now in a very boring go nowhere storyline with Randy Orton and Degeneration X. While HBK and HHH are constantly making me groan, Cena has managed to entertain me with the likes of Johnny Nitro, Kevin Federline, Big Show, King Booker, and Umaga.

John Cena is a hard working man, and he is money in Vince's bank. It's as Ric Flair would say back in the day, "If you don't like it, learn to love it, cause it's the best thing going today." While Batista fizzled, Cena sizzled. John Cena deserves respect!

There was an article on a website about how Cena disrespected the NWA TNA X Division Title. While Cena made an appearance on Cold Pizza, Chicago White Sock A.J. Pfftmylastnameishardtospell comes out with his TNA X Division title. I can't even begin to imagine what would have happened 10 years ago in a similar situation. It was said that Cena stupidly and ignorantly commented that he saw the same belt in the gumball machine outside. I think you meant to say Cena cleverly and humorously commented.

What the hell do you think Steve Austin would have done in the attitude era had Karl Malone or David Arquette came out during his appearance with the WCW title. What about if Cyndi Lauper showed up next to Ric Flair with the WWF title during the Rock N' Wrestling Era. Cena handled himself like a champ by letting people get their pictures of him next to what is easily the ugliest belt in professional wrestling (Cena's may be a close second).

One columnist then went on to say that the X Division belt had gained more respect that the lunk of shit Cena carries. That lunk of shit is the WWE Championship smark, and it's the reason you are writing for a pro-wrestling blog. Criticizing Cena for not being a mark for TNA and the X Division is ludicrous. He is the biggest wrestling superstar in the world right now. Luckily the readers were quick to jump out and exclaim that while the X Division may be exciting, the majority of matches have little to no psychology, tell no story, and are spot on top of spot. While Cena is the bad guy for making one comment in jest, TNA is cutting promos and making angles based on WWE stuff: Rhyno, Angle, and the James Gang being the most outstanding examples. 20 years ago, a professional wrestler would have slapped a major league baseball player in the mouth for pulling a stunt like that.
More on This Story...

Game Over: At Whose Expense?

The road to the top for Triple H was a long one. Under the downright abysmal pun name of Terra Ryzing, he made his way from the independent scene into World Championship Wrestling. After a fairly unforgettable run wrestling on WCW Saturday Night, he was lucky enough to find a spot on the WWE roster.

The Greenwich Snob, Hunter Hearst Helmsley certainly didn't have an easy climb to the top, but he eventually made it there, and upon his arrival he unleashed a reign of "Terra" that has prevented more than one superstar from "Ryzing." His latest victim however, baffles the mind.
Triple H effectively destroyed the credibility of Rob Van Dam, Kane, and Booker T in 2002. Time heals all wounds, however, and Rob Van Dam and Booker T both have been positioned into World Heavyweight Championship roles in 2006. Possibly Kane will get a chance to run with the ball for more than a day as well.

However, the latest victim of the Cerebral Assassin might not be so lucky. On the August 28th edition of WWE RAW, Triple H and Shawn Michaels were slated to face mystery opponents. A little over a week removed from overcoming five members of the Spirit Squad, Ken Kennedy, William Regal, Fit Finlay, ECW World Champion The Big Show, Umaga, and both McMahon's at Summerslam, DX was unreasonably on top of the world.

Despite the fact that the McMahon/DX angle had more than run it's course, and most agree that the reunion of Degeneration X reunion has largely been unable to recapture the group's past magic due to religious beliefs amongst other things (like the fact that no one wants to see two 40 year old guys acting like high school sophomores), we are still in the middle of a McMahon vs. DX feud.

Smackdown's number one prospect, Ken Kennedy, and their two strongest mid-card heels, Finlay and Regal, showed up on RAW to gain a measure of revenge in a handicapped match against Degeneration X. All three men, and the Smackdown brand itself took a huge blow as Triple H pinned Regal for the victory.

After the match had concluded, Shane brought ECW World Heavyweight Champion, The Big Show, out for his vengeance. I breathed a sigh of relief as together with the three defeated Smackdown superstars, Big Show was finally getting the advantage.

Both Michaels and Triple H were worked over with Finlay's Shillelagh. Both Michaels and Triple H were chokeslammed. Michaels laid in the ring and played dead. Triple H on the other hand was showing signs of life.

Out comes Vince McMahon. Now, Vince McMahon is not a wrestler, but we've all seen that he's no normal man either. He's built, and there is some credibility to the idea that Vince can hold his own. Add to the equation, Vince is carrying a lead pipe.

Michaels took his beating and laid prone on the mat as expected. Triple H, however, does not stay down so easily. Between Vince and Shane, Triple H had to have taken approximately 20 blunt strikes to the head the aforementioned lead pipe.

Now, I am certainly not built like Vince McMahon, but if I were to hit you in the head with a lead pipe once, I am pretty sure I could muster up the amount of lethal force required to kill you in one or two blows. Since you are an O Show reader however, I'll not test my theory...

Shane hit both men with running lead pipe strikes right in the head. At no point did Triple H ever simply lay down and act as though he was unconcious like his stablemate. Triple H, after 20 or so blows to the head with a "lead pipe" continues to crawl around the mat, as if somehow he was going to get up and exact a measure of revenge.

Only days after what should be considered a deadly assault, Triple H and Shawn Michaels announced that they would be back in action that Tuesday on ECW against the Big Show. Wait, wha?

Maybe it's my fault. Maybe, I underestimated the amount of pain that Triple H can withstand. I didn't forget about the time that Steve Austin operated a crane and lifted Triple H and his car 50 feet in the air and pulled the release. Triple H not only lived, but wrestled the next week on Raw as Jim Ross explained it as a "miracle."

This is in stark contrast to the wrestling world I grew up watching. Hulk Hogan, wrestling's equivalent of Superman, took three Earthquake splashes from Earthquake and was out of action for months. If a wrestler was hit with a chair or piledriven outside of the ring, you could expect him to be out of action for some duration of time. A table or the ring bell? That was months off TV. Many major stars spent time at home selling injury angles. Very few had ever incurred anything nearly as serious as being struck in the head with a lead pipe.

Somehow, we had moved from there to a place in wrestling where the only credible weapons used by wrestlers are the baseball bat, lead pipe, and sledgehammer. Thanks to the Cerebral Assassin's resistance to lay down, we can now cross another off that list.

What has happened to injury angles in professional wrestling? Can the lead pipe be rebuilt as a credible wrestling weapon? Is there anything in this world capable of stopping Triple H?

Indeed the Game is Over, but his book fails to mention that talent and traditions that have been completely destroyed while "Making the Game."

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