Are You Pleased With The Ring of Honor Shift From HDNet To Sinclair?

*From PWI*

When it was announced that Sinclair Broadcasting had purchased Ring of Honor in 2011, reaction was varied. Some of the fans expected major changes with the television network investing in the company to help improve production values and promotion. Others were cautiously optimistic, hoping that Sinclair wouldn't meddle with the promotion or make drastic creative changes. Almost a year into the Sinclair agreement, wrestling fans are split as to whether the move from HDNet to Sinclair has been beneficial to the company.

Some say they are grateful for the opportunity to see ROH programming for the first time, while others do not have access to Sinclair. The Sinclair format dedicates more time to fewer competitors, allowing more time for storylines to build and for matches to be more meaningful.

The company still has sub-par lighting, erratic camera work and uneven audio, which at times gives the show a slightly low-rent feel.

What is your opinion? Post your comments and opinions.

Blast From The Past: Savage/Strike Force vs. Honky/Harts (Cage Match)

Ah, the good ol' days of pro wrestling. Here is a rare match that took place at the Boston Garden in 1988. Macho Man Randy Savage teams up with Strike Force (Tito Santana and Rick Martel) to take on the team of HonkyTonk Mam and The Hart Foundation! Not only do we have old school six-man tag team action, but these legends are trapped in the confines of a flesh eating steel cage! This could be a main event anywhere in the world folks!

Here are some nice little factoids about the match:

The Boston Garden is the site of where Randy Savage cheated to steal the Intercontinental title from Tito Santana. At the time, it was awkward to see them team together after having such a bitter feud in 1986. Almost as if they had forgotten about history or went to therapy to learn how to deal with forgiveness.

At this time, the WWE wasn't using mesh cages too often. After the Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy match at Wrestlemania 2, WWE adopted the big blue bar cage. It was rare to see them break out the mesh cages but you would see it from time to time at house shows.

Unlike cage matches today, there were no pinfalls or submissions inside the cage. Anything goes - the way it should be. And the only way to decide a victor was to have all three teammates escape the cage.

It's these small things that made that era so effective and the simple things that could help today's product.

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Blast From The Past: Flair Arrives In WWE and Confronts Hogan

I remember being a kid and hearing all the stories about Ric Flair. I grew up in Brooklyn, and didn't get NWA programming. So I heard of the legend through the pages of Pro Wrestling Illustrated. I always dreamed of a match between Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair - and in 1991, my dream came true.

When there was talk of Ric Flair coming tot he WWE, I didn't know what to think. I was baffled that NWA/WCW would let go of their top guy. After all, how I feel if the roles were reversed and Hulk Hogan walked away from the WWE (not like that almost didn't happen a handful of times). When Bobby Hennan was seen backstage at SummerSlam 1991 holding the NWA title - I knew this was going to be huge and I wondered how the WWE would build this epic clash of the titans. Eventually, the ball was dropped - and Hogan vs. Flair was only seen at house shows. I'll never understand why the match at Wrestlemania 8 was switched - but it all led to a huge disappointment for wrestling fans around the world. Fortunately, I was able to see a couple of Flair vs. Hogan matches live at Madison Square Garden during their run in the 90's - and truth be told, those matches were probably better than anything they could have worked up leading into Wrestlemania. It was MSG. It was Hogan vs. Flair. It was a house show and it was raw before RAW was raw.

One thing I'll never forget as a wrestling fan was the anticipation for these two legendary worlds to collide. And this one moment when they locked eyes face to face on WWE TV. Relive it here and leave your comments!

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Is Brock Channeling Dolph Lundgren?

I think it's hysterical how WWE is obsessed with getting Brock Lesnar over as he is a killing machine, when in reality, he's almost a frail shell of the man he once was.

Yes, I know he has a blood disease and I take nothing away from his accomplishments. The same way Ric Flair is too old to being the ring but still one of the greatest of all times - Brock Lesnar is still a beast, but not what he was during his last run with the WWE 8 years ago. What's amusing is how they are turning him into this wrecking machine, almost in the same fashion as Ivan Drago was built up in the movie Rocky IV.

After making Cena's arm go numb and then "breaking" Triple H's arm on RAW, I was waiting for Brock to look into the camera and say, "I must break you!" Better yet, while they are carrying out Triple H and sending him to the emergency room, Michael Cole could have interviewed him and asked about his arm breaking motives, to which Brock could have simply responded, "If he dies, he dies!'

Okay, maybe I'm being over nostalgic to 1985 and my childhood action hero Sylvester Stallone (role played by John Cena in Extreme Rules). My personal opinion is the WWE creative completely dropped the ball with the return of Brock Lesnar. They needed to build up to Cena, not prematurely rush into it like a teenager on prom night.

Triple H is the ideal opponent for Brock. With Trips' corporate position, he could have made the announcement of the acquisition and Lesnar sign his return contract they day after Wrestlemania. But before he signed, there would be a few demands that would need to be amended tot he contract. When Trips refused and then reneged the offer to return, that's when the beast goes banana flavored ape shit. I understand Triple H couldn't make an appearance the day after wrestling Undertaker at Wrestlemania, but in theory, Triple H has nothing to lose. He's at the twilight of his career and in a power position, so a loss only solidifies his role in the suit. triple H is not as valuable in the ring as John Cena is right now. Luckily, they were smart enough not to have Cena job to the shell of Brock, but what was really the point of rushing it?

Maybe Vince McMahon and WWE creative need to watch Rocky IV again. See how the soviet beast was built up. Sable can even return for the role played by Brigette Nielsen. We should Brock training and shaking the ring rust off. We should see him sparring with jobbers to give the perception that he is larger than life. We should see John Laurinaitis stabbing him in the shoulder with steroids. Brock Lesnar needs to be booked better. For a bunch of pencil pushing sitcom writers, I can't believe they I have to guide them in stealing ideas from Hollywood.

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Shane Douglas's Extreme Disaster

I'm sure you've all heard the horror stories about this past weekend's ECW Reunion show that was promoted by Shane Douglas. So there is no reason to rehash it. If you didn't, just do a search online and I'm sure you'll come up with TONS of reports from disappointed and angry fans, stiffed for pay wrestlers, and internet critics who have never done a fucking thing in this business. There is an in-depth recap by ECW mark Mike Johnson that gets to the root of the story, but i wouldn't recommend tracking it down unless you have an account with the Best Buy Geek Squad, because the PW Insider website will ruin your computer with TONS of spyware.

Back to the point of the post, I think it's time to finally say goodbye to ECW. Vince McMahon and the WWE did ZERO justice in their ill-fated reincarnation. Dixie Carter amazingly matched Vince's flub in one night with Hardcore Justice, The difference between the two - talent actually got paid in WWE. But for ECW original Shane Douglas, to attempt to promote on an indy level and fail to deliver in a manner that dug up the ECW legacy, performed necrophilia and then dumped it back into the grave, it's pretty safe to say that we have forever seen the last of Extreme Championship Wrestling.

If there was any possibility of ECW making a comeback in 2012, don't you think Paul Heyman would have had a part in it? If the market called for hardcore wrestling, don't you think he would have done it? If there were the slightest possibility to reignite the flame and reboot the franchise (no pun intended to Douglas), don't you think Heyman would have done it already? His absence and distance from anything ECW related speaks volumes.

What's even more disturbing than Shane Douglas working at Target, is the condition most of the ECW alumni are currently in. In a business where traditionalist and purists complain that there is no more "protecting the industry" from kayfabe, the art of perception, and each other - it's disturbing that the brotherhood would piss on each other by exploiting the harsh reality of their colleagues through social media with photos of a drugged out Justin Credible and a n unconscious Sabu.

Part of the love for this business comes from the admiration you have for your heroes. The other part of the love comes from those fortunate enough to work in it and protect the sanctuary of the brotherhood. These photos are a betrayal of that code. It pushes the industry into the vile and corrupt world of reality television. Sure, it make a great story. But this is the lasting image, and one that will haunt memories. I was a big Jake "The Snake" Roberts fan growing up, and when I saw him smoke crack in Beyond The Mat, my admiration for him died.

Luckily for Jake, he's a alive and well. Still kicking and doing his thing. But ever wonder why the illustrious WWE Hall of Fame has passed on him numerous times? Could it do with something about inducting the first crack head into the Hall?

There are quite a few ECW originals who also deserve their spot in the Hall of Fame. They revolutionized the industry in the 90's. But that was 20 years ago, and the reunion shows do nothing to nourish the legacy of the cult following. it's an exploitation of what happens when you don't get the call up from Vince. These are the guys who burned the bridges and had nothing to fall back on. This is the other side of pro wrestling, when you're broke with one foot in the grave, trying to hold on to the thin thread of name recognition you have left. This is the horror show. This is the extreme disaster. This is the official death of an overdosed ECW whose bloated body was found three days later in a rat infested apartment. It's proof that every story doesn't end with a "happily ever after".

**UPDATED** Shane Douglas has issued an official video statement concerning the Extreme Reunion event:


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Hogan Has Answer To TNA Problems

I'd love to know what kind of doobies Hulk Hogan is smoking. In a recent interview, he briefly discussed how Bobby Roode as TNA Champion is "working backwards":

"If you wanted a quick fix, right now, you would put the belt on Jeff Hardy. That would fix a bunch of stuff right now, but that is not working backwards from where we need to be. Right now, to work to that point, the belt needs to stay with Bobby Roode. He's a guy who we are bringing up and is a constant. As we build him up it's like a volcano that ready to explode."

I don't get it. How is Bobby Roode as champion considered "working backwards"? If anything, the way Bobby Roode has been booked since winning the world title is completely ass backwards. But then to top it off, The Hulkster goes on public record to say that the answer to fixing the disastrous problems in TNA Wrestling is to put the title on Jeff Hardy?

I don't know Jeff Hardy personally. But we all know the Hardy's reputation. We all saw what happened when Jeff's demons got the best of him during a live PPV where he was forced out of the ring during his much anticipated match against Sting. He comes, he goes, he's on hiatus, he's clean himself up...and you call that reliable? You call that the answer to fixing problems? Since when did inconsistency qualify as a good trait? Would you seriously put the weight of TNA's wrestling world on the shoulders of a guy who whose legs can't carry his own weight down to the ring?

Jeff Hardy is a name remembered for some fascinating memories that he gave the industry over 10 years ago. His style is wacked out and sells merchandise. I get it. But not only is he not the same performers he was, he's not even the same individual. His demons have gotten the best of him and his days of being a company's top guy and figurehead are far behind him. When was the last time you saw Jeff Hardy contribute to the business, the company or the fans like John Cena has done?

On the flip side of the coin, Bobby Roode gets buried again. Hogan didn't blatantly get caught with the shovel in his hand like he did last time, but reading between the lines, he's admitting he has no faith in Bobby Roode. He's saying that if it were his choice, Roode would be doing the job for his drug mule, Jeff Hardy. But clearly, it's not Hogan's choice. At least, not anymore. Aside from those on their knees tongue kissing Hogan's red and yellow asshole, the majority of the locker room has been rubbed the wrong way by Mr. Nanny. And to prevent an all out riot, it's a laot easier to keep the toy prop around Roode's waist... for now.

Can you imagine that in 2012, Hogan is ruining the ONLY legitimate competition to Vince McMahon? Can you imagine that there has been a second main stream organization for 10 years, and Vince McMahon has yet to lose a wink of sleep over it? Can you believe that there is another mainstream organization that Vince McMahon has ZERO interest in any of the talent on their roster to steal away? You wanna know why? Because TNA doesn't draw, so what use are they to the WWE?

But Hogan thinks the quick fix to TNA's problem is the coked out enigma, Jeff Hardy. It hurts me to see TNA diagnosed with this terminal cancer.

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This Is Your Career On Virgil

I get asked a lot of the same questions from wrestling fans. Some of the most popular are: What is this wrestler like?; What ever happened to this wrestler?; How much do these guys really make?; Did you have sex with Tammy Sytch? ... Well, let's just stick to the where are they nows and how much do they make.

About a year ago, I wrote a short post entitled Mike "Virgil" Jones - The $3,500 Slave which talked about my run-in with former WWE star best known as the lackey bodyguard of the Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase in the 80's. I was absolutely amazed at what a douchebag to everyone and the exuberant amount of money he was trying to hustle from promoters for an appearance fee.

The other day, a fan sends me an email with a photo attachment. The fan had read my post and was following up on one of the most expensive non-drawing jabrones in the business. Apparently, I was wrong. And now there is picture proof!

I didn't know that self proclaimed $3,500 valued talent was taking gigs signing autographs in parking lot flea markets. This is obviously a pit stop before the Hall of Fame. Look at the turn out in this place. Fans are trampling each other just to get close to him. The money is literally jumping out of their pockets and into his hands. The line was so long, fans had to be turned away. The world heard the sound of thousands of children crying because they couldn't get their life's fulfillment of being next to the what some may consider the second coming of Christ.

I understand that some fans flew half way across the world from Japan, Australia, Iceland, and Newark, NJ. The Pope doesn't even get turn outs like this. This is that moment fans have always dreamed of and will tell this tale to their grandchildren where it will become legend. I'll my grand children he was a legend...a legendary failure!

I've seen some pretty desperate things in this business and this is definitely in the top five. Do you think the promoter of the flea market had to pay $3,500 for his top draw? because if you were to ask me, I think Virgil actually paid the promoter $35 for the table. I'm not here to take a big wet shit all over Virgil...ok, yes I am - because he's a total douche -, but how sad is it that this guy is sitting in a parking lot telling people he sold out Madison Square Garden. Then again, there may be some truth to it. Maybe he didn't sell out every seat in the arena at The Garden - but there is a good chance he sold out of his promo pictures in the MSG parking lot!

On a serious note, it's sad to see the grim reality of what life after wrestling can be like. So for any aspiring wrestler out there, I won't be the one to tell you that your dreams will never come true. But I will tell you there is a chance you can become the next Virgil. Hopefully this scares the shit out of you enough to have a good back up plan. And to Mike Jones... HA HA HAHAHAHAHA HA HA HA HA!!!

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