WWE's RAW is approaching its 1000th episode and they have spent the last two months parading out retired wrestlers to celebrate the show's milestone. The list of available talent has been reduced to the usual suspects (Roddy Piper, DDP, etc), because many of the past superstars who have appeared on RAW, have passed away.
New York Post sportswriter Phil Mushnick has taken aim at WWE and Vince McMahon (yes, I'm just as surprised as you...the Post actually writes about non-gossip issues). He points out the number of past perfomers who have died before the age of 45. In his Sunday column, he says that if "the WWE would present a roll call of past WWE/WWF performers who didn't live past 45", but quips that it would probably take too long.
Do you blame McMahon for the untimely death of so many of his employees? Here is a list of every wrestler, manager, and referee who have died before the age of 45. WWE has taken steps to reverse the trend of their wrestlers dying of abnormal causes. They have instituted a WWE-sponsored rehab program. Any performers who has ever worked for the company can go to rehab on WWE's dime. Scott Hall, Sabu, and Sunny have all recently taken advantage of the program.
Bam Bam Bigelow (Scott Bigelow)
Bertha Faye (Rhonda Sing)
Big Boss Man (Ray Traylor)
Brian Pillman
"British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith
Chris Benoit
Chris Duffy
Crash Holly (Mike Lockwood)
Crush (Brian Adams)
Earthquake/Golda (John Tenta)
Eddie Guerrero
Giant Gonzalez (Jorge Gonzalez)
Joey Marella
Johnny Grunge (Mike Durham)
Kanyon (Chris Klucsarits)
Lance Cade/Garrison Cade (Lance McNaught)
Mariana/Miss Cleavage (Marianna Komlos)
Mike Awesome (Michael Alfonso)
Mr. Perfect (Curt Hennig)
Owen Hart
Rad Radford/Louie Spicolli (Louis Mucciolo Jr.)
Rick Rude (Richard Rood)
Road Warrior Hawk (Michael Hegstrand)
Skip/Chris Candido (Chris Candito)
Test (Andrew Martin)
The Executioner (Terry Gordy)
Umaga/Jamal (Edward Fatu)
Yokozuna (Rodney Anoa'i)
Former WWE wrestlers who have died between the ages of 45 and 50 include: "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, Ludvid Borga, Luna Vachon, Rocco Rock, Sensational Sherri, and Steven Dunn.
Ric Flair is the most famous heel in professional wrestling history, but he's currently out of a job. TNA Wrestling recently parted ways with him.
At 63, his professional wrestling options are limited. WWE and TNA find themselves in the middle of a legal battle and WWE is currently staying away from "The Nature Boy" until that calms down.
In major need of a paycheck, Flair has agreed to appear at the Insane Clown Posse's yearly "Gathering of the Juggalos" from August 8th - 12th in Cave-in-Rock, Illinois.
Flair is an example of a professional wrestler falling from grace. What happened to the WWE Hall of Famer? I'll explain what has happened to Flair over the last decade and why he needs to find a new profession. Before I go deep into the Flair's fall from grace, I need to give props to Shane Ryan at Grantland.com. I haven't been the biggest fan of the site, but his August 2011 piece on Ric Flair is the site's greatest work.
Ryan explains Flair's current financial woes, his failed marriages, and his erratic behavior that could be explained by multiple brain injuries. He is a mess, but he has to keep wrestling in order to pay multiple alimony payments and cover failed real estate deals.
An appearance at the "Gathering of the Juggalos" is a smart move for Flair. A large portion of ICP's fanbase are wrestling fans. The rap duo started Juggalo Championship Wrestling in 1999 and the promotion is still in business. They even had a short runs in ECW, WCW, and WWF at the peak of ICP's popularity.
Flair's current unemployment may only be short-term since WWE plans to launch the WWE Network at the end of the year. It is no secret that Triple H, Vince McMahon's son-in-law, is Flair's close friend. He would be the perfect host for the network's programming, since they will be featuring a lot of classic wrestling matches.WWE will not hire Flair until TNA's lawsuit is settled.
TNA Wrestling is claiming that a former WWE writer they hired leaked information that Flair would soon be released to his former employer. TNA even filed a restraining order against WWE when the rumored 'mole' was made public.
Flair's story is a cautionary tale of the life of an entertainer. Professional wrestling has many of these tales, but now with the big money that professional athletes are receiving, the stories of bankrupt players are becoming more and more common. You can only cash in on your past performance for so long. He is too old to perform in the ring and TNA realized that by letting him go. It was even rumored that Spike TV, the channel that broadcast's TNA programming, banned Flair from making himself bleed and made him wear a shirt while wrestling.
A lot of people will be attending ICP's festival and it isn't as embarrassing as wrestling in a high school gym for $50. I hope he gets an endorsement deal with Faygo out of this appearance.
For those who are not aware of Insane Clown Posse's music, here are the music videos for their songs "Miracles" and "Another Love Song".
I haven't been as excited for an upcoming UFC pay-per-view in a long time. UFC 148 has two marquee rematches with the second fight between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen and a rubber match between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin.
Silva and Sonnen have both been vocal about the punishment they want to give out during their fight. Silva said that he wants to break every bone in Sonnen's body and make him swallow his teeth. Sonnen has been his usual self and quick to make a snarky comeback. The fight is sure to be a bloodbath and possibly 2012's fight of the year.
I preview the the fight card for UFC 148 and the current betting odds for each fight. I'll breakdown which underdogs will impress and which fighters stand no chance of losing. It will be a fun one.
Main Card Pay-Per-View
Anderson Silva (-300) vs. Chael Sonnen (+240) - Middleweight This fight will be ridiculously entertaining. The last fight was decided on a dumb mistake by Sonnen and if he finds himself ahead in the cards by the fourth round, he should probably retreat and stay on his feet...but that isn't Sonnen's style. Sonnen's last five losses have all been via submission. Silva has something to prove and will only be happy if he completely dominates Sonnen. I love Sonnen's style and I would love to see him win, but Silva has the edge in overall skill. A Sonnen win would be great for the UFC, because you have an English-speaking fighter who stirs the pot. If you're betting, a Silva bet doesn't carry much value and a wager on Sonnen has an outside shot of paying off. I would hold off until a few hours before the fight if you were to wager. The sharps may drive the price one way of another. Projected Winner: Anderson Silva
Forrest Griffin (-400) vs. Tito Ortiz (+300) - Light Heavyweight In 2006, the first time these two squared off, it received the 'Fight of the Year' accolade. Ortiz won a controversial decision, but Griffin earned the respect of the hardcore MMA fan. The two faced each other in 2009 when Griffin filled in for an injured Mark Coleman. Griffin evened up the series with a split decision. This third and final meeting between the two will also be Ortiz's final fight in the UFC. He is 1-6-1 in his last eight fights. It should be an entertaining fight, but Griffin's got this one. Projected Winner: Forrest Griffin
Cung Le (+160) vs. Patrick Cote (-200) - Middleweight You have a fight between two guys who haven't had much recent success in the UFC. Le is coming off a loss to Wanderlei Silva and Cote has lost his last three UFC fights (although has won his last four non-UFC MMA fights). Cote should be coming into UFC 148 with his confidence up, but he didn't face elite talent. Le has a better stand-up than Cote and will be able to land some powerful kicks. Le will bounce back and win this contest via TKO...and great value bet. Projected Winner: Cung Le
Dong Hyun Kim (-155) vs. Demian Maia (+125) - Welterweight You have a fighter who is moving down a weight class (Maia) and a fighter whose power at welterweight cannot be overlooked (DHK). Maia will need to focus on submissions if he wants to come out of this fight with a victory. His last eight fights have all went the distance, but he is 4-4 in those contests. He hasn't won via submission since February of 2009. DHK is a powerful fighter and wins with his stand-up. I don't usually like fighters who move down a weight class, but Maia has a tough chin. DHK is an aggressive fighter and that could leave him vulnerable to submissions. I am hoping that Maia's next fight will be the long awaited bout against Michael Bisping. Projected Winner: Demian Maia
Chad Mendes (-625) vs. Cody McKenzie (+425) - Featherweight For those who watch the WWE and are not knowledgeable of the UFC, this will be like Ryback facing a local jobber. Mendes is on a completely different level than McKenzie. I don't mean to completely slight McKenzie, but Mendes' wrestling ability is beyond elite. I don't look for this fight to go past the first round. There isn't much money to be made with this fight, but it will be over in no time. Projected Winner: Chad Mendes
Ivan Menjivar (-115) vs. Mike Easton (-115) - Bantamweight This fight is as unpredictable as they come. I can vision very plausible scenarios where either fighter could dominate if the other makes a small mistake. I love Easton's striking ability and his overall defense is better than Menjivar. Menjivar is 'good' at a lot of things, but Easton's power will be hard to overcome. This will be Easton's first appearance on the UFC PPV main card, he'll be jacked. Projected Winner: Mike Easton
Preliminary Card on FX
Gleison Tibau (-200) vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov (+160) - Lightweight Nurmagomedov comes into this fight with a 17-0 MMA record. The perfect record can be deceiving since most of his fights were in ProFC. He's had only one UFC fight in which he defeated Kamal Shalorus via rear-naked choke in January. Tibau has faced must stiffer competition and is justly favored in this fight. Don't get caught up on Nurmagomedov's perfect record. Projected Winner: Gleison Tibau
Melvin Guillard (-260) vs. Fabricio Camoes (+200) - Lightweight Guillard needs to get his confidence back and a fight against Camoes could be what the doctor ordered. Guillard has lost his last two fights in the first round and Camoes has struggled to stay in the UFC. The UFC needs Guillard to regain his past form. He will maintain his popularity in the lightweight division if he can string a few fights together. He will need to avoid getting caught in a submission, but I see Guillard walking out of UFC 148 with the win. Projected Winner: Melvin Guillard
Constantinos Philippou (-200) vs. Riki Fukuda (+160) - Middleweight This is the lone middleweight fight in the prelims and it's could be a long one. Philippou (boxing) and Fukuda (wrestling) have two different styles. I think this one will go the distance with Fukuda trying to shoot and Philippou trying to keep the fight on their feet. Fukuda seriously injured his knee in a car accident a year ago, but it didn't seem to bother him when he defeated Steve Cantwell earlier this year. It is still a question mark and Philippou will test the knee by making Fukuda fight on his feet. Projected Winner: Constantinos Philippou
Shane Roller (-185) vs. John Alessio (+155) - Lightweight I kind of hate this fight. Roller is on a major losing streak and is looking to put it to rest. I respect Alessio for being in the game for twenty years, but he hasn't impressed me since I've been an MMA fan. The loser could find himself outside of the UFC. This fight will be on the ground and Alessio's experience could pay off. I think it's a coin flip, but I'll take Roller because he doesn't have as many miles on his body. Projected Winner: Shane Roller
Preliminary Card on Facebook
Yoislandy Izquierdo ( -185) vs. Rafaello Oliveira (+155) - Lightweight
This fight can be seen streaming on Facebook (not live streaming video of UFC 148 on an illegal feed...we frown upon that, you guys). You have Oliveira, who has lost his last two fights...versus Izquierdo, who lost to Reza Madadi in his UFC debut earlier this year. Izquierdo is expected to have success in the UFC, but will need to avoid Oliveira's submissions if he wants to win the fight. There's a lot riding on this fight for both fighters, but I'll give the edge to Izquierdo because of his well-rounded offense. Projected Winner: Yoislandy Izquierdo
I'll leave you with an amazing video of some of Chael Sonnen's best quotes of all-time
The betting information was from Sportsbook.com as of 4pm on Thursday, July 5th 2012. The information is for entertainment purposes only.
George 'The Animal' Steele is a former professional wrestler whose career lasted from 1967-1989. He is best known as the wrestler with a blue tongue who ate the stuffing out of the turnbuckle.
Steele was in Rochester, New York for the Collectorfest monthly card show. He had the opportunity to throw out the first pitch at a Rochester Red Wings game. The Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins didn't realize that he would make an epic first pitch.
Steele was handed the ball and he proceeded to eat away at the cover and started eating the inside of the baseball. After he was done eating, he threw the remaining piece as the game's ceremonial first pitch.
I'm done describing it, you have to check it out for yourself. The video is after the jump...
Over the last six months, WWE Entertainment has saturated their television programming with Twitter & Facebook announcements. It has gotten to a point that, as they come to the ring, each wrestler's Twitter account name is listed under their names. They stop the flow of the match to announce when a WWE wrestler, event, or even catch-phrase start to trend. Will these announcement ruin the Wrestlemania experience and date the event in later years? Before I go on an "anti-social media" rant, I like to admit that I regularly use my own Twitter and Facebook accounts. I think that they are extremely useful and can give anyone a platform. Saying all of that, there is a limit to one's announcements and a saturation level has been met at WWE. I have had my Twitter account for nearly four years, but you would think that it is a fresh and new invention.
WWE first started to mention social media when The Rock launched Facebook and Twitter accounts. His accounts exploded and got hundred of thousands of followers with days and now currently stands at a few million. WWE started to become obsessed with social media, especially when a low-card wrestler named Zack Ryder started to get people chanting his name during WWE Raw. He gained an underground following by releasing "Z! True Long Island Story," an hilarious YouTube series of videos. He went from not being on television to wrestling in a match at Wrestlemania 28. He proof that social media can change and make the writers add him into main storylines.
Wrestlemania 28 is this Sunday and will be up against programs like AMC's "Mad Men," but not much else. They will occupy most of the "trending topics" on Twitter and I'm hoping that they will not announce each one. If WWE hopes that this Wrestlemania, which features the highly-publicize match of The Rock vs. John Cena, they will limit the announcements. Twitter will not be the last social media platform to be popular on the internet. If WWE embraced Myspace during their programming back during Wrestlemania 22, it would be unwatchable. You would watch it and start laughing, because no one uses Myspace anymore. It would instantly make that Wrestlemania extremely dated. These matches have the chance to some of the best in recent memory. The Rock vs. John Cena, Triple H vs. The Undertaker, and CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho will all be under an unfortunate cloud of hopping on a current fad.
I hope someone from the WWE understands all of the points that I have made and throws themselves in front of the Twitter bus this weekend. We all know their Twitter handles by now and that WWE has a Twitter account. Let's just focus on what people paid their money for, not for a "self-promoting, sports entertainment machine," but the drama and pageantry of Wrestlemania.
The season is officially over and I have been sitting on something for a few weeks. I have read numerous amounts of tweets on Twitter about how Jayson Werth looks like Edge from the WWE. It got me wondering, has it always looked like that or could this soul-patch, long hair look be something that he has been sporting his entire career. After going a google search, what I found was very, very disturbing. This is a must-see.
Let's start off with some fairly recent pictures of Mr. Werth. Please note the obvious soul-patch or flavor-saver (I've been told that people actually call it that) and shaggy hair. Here are a few to look over.
Now that you see what Jayson Werth looks like now, let's take a gander to just a few years ago when he was an up & coming young prospect in the Baltimore Orioles organization.
Wow, is it me or does it look like a guy who would be rather be at a Comic-con than in a baseball diamond?
We promised you plenty of reviews this week and here is a double dose for your eyes. WWE Entertainment recently provided us with a few DVDs to review and they were great. "Allied Powers: The World's Greatest Tag Teams" DVD set is full of nostalgic and current WWE tag teams. The commentary of the series was done by John Morrison and The Miz, and Bill Simmons was right, there is a lot of unintentional comedy.
The "Allied Powers" set is three-discs long and has so many good matches. You have matches by Degeneration X, The Hart Foundation, The Killer Bees, The Kozlov Brothers, Demolition, The Fabulous Freebirds, The Legion of Doom, The Smoking Gunns, The Dudley Boys, and many more. You have pretty much any notable tag team from AWA, WCW, WWE, ECW, and World Class Wrestling. There are plenty of matches and also a lot of highlights featuring certain tag teams. You can really get lost watching the matches, I wanted to go grab my WWF thumb-wrestlers and re-create a matches with my Hillbilly Jim and Junkyard Dog figures. Okay, not really, but it's a must-buy for any WWE fan that has watched wrestling for any amount of years.
WWE's Summerslam Anthology Vol. 3 & Vol. 4 contains every Summerslam from 1998 to 2007, each volume contains five years of Summerslam Pay-Per-Views. The entire Anthology was released last year, but by breaking it up into volumes, fans can save money and only get certain years without buying the entire 20 year anthology set.
As I stated before, I have watched the WWE since I was old enough to walk. I grew up with Hulk Hogan and Ivan Putski, I think of myself as a critic of the sport as well. The Summerslam series from 1998-2007 has some of the best matches from any Summerslam. Hulk Hogan vs. Shawn Michaels was probably my personal favorite. Summerslam has always been a staple of their Pay-Per-Views, but during 98-07, it became their #2 PPV, just behind Wrestlemania. The matches are great and worth the money by purchasing these volumes, because it also cheaper than buying each PPV on DVD individually.
You can buy these items at WWE Shop Zone or where WWE merchandise is sold.
We have received a good amount of items to review and because of the other news in sports (Vick, Favre, Playoff Race, etc.) we haven't had time to review them. This week we are going to review something every day this week. Things on the agenda are books by Adam Schefter, books about Thurman Munson, Satchel Paige, and old-timey baseball, and items such as sports merchandise and DVDs from the WWE.
Stay Tuned this week, we will be giving the lowdown on all of these items and also maybe a couple of giveaways. Check it out this week for more information.
1996 Olympic gold medal winner and former WWE star and current TNA wrestler, Kurt Angle, was arrested this morning for possession of HGH and violating court-ordered protection in Pittsburgh, PA. He was driving with his girlfriend at the time he was pulled over. He has came out and said that he has a prescription for the drug, but he was still charged with possession.
The HGH drug in question is Hygetropin, which has 191 residues that lay naturally in the body, which is hard to detect in tests. It is used to treat people who have hormone deficiency or people who have taken HGH for years and don't naturally produce enough. It is not surprising that Angle was caught with this, since he has been tied to HGH and steroid busts in the past. He has had trouble with pain-killers and has had some personal problems recently with the recent divorce of his wife, Karen Angle (pictured below). She is currently rumored to be dating fellow TNA star, Jeff Jarrett.
Ouch, Angle has had a rough year!
It is commly believed that many WWE stars go to TNA Wrestling, since there are no drug tests. The WWE has instituted a Wellness Policy a few years ago after the sudden deaths of many of their former and current wrestlers. WWE has made it clear that anyone who violates the policy will be suspended and/or terminated from employment. In addition to the suspension and/or termination, the WWE will issue a press release, so your name will be out there for the public to know. Many wrestlers who have been suspended for Wellness violations have found their way to TNA.
I'm not surprised that Angle got caught with HGH, not one bit. He seems like a guy who has nothing to lose, so what if he gets caught with HGH, he's a glorified actor who relies on his physical abilities to put on a show. He isn't breaking home-run records or scoring touchdowns, he's grabbing men in tights and throwing them around. I love wrestling and have been watching it since I was old enough to remember. I mean no ill-regard to the industry, but Angle is a grown man and a one-man team. If he takes HGH, no one is getting hurt but himself and possibly his family if he faces a future of former wrestlers like Eddie Guerrero, Rick Rude, The British Bulldog, or Mr. Perfect. They all died far too young and I would hate anyone to see the same fate. Clean up your act Kurt Angle, I hope they take your gold medal away.
I have written about Skip Bayless in the past and my opinion of him has not changed. I think he's overly-opinionated, takes stands on issues that is purposely against the minority, and he's a pompous jerk. This week we are "lucky" to have Stephen A. Smith as Skip's opponent on ESPN's 1st and 10. Having Stephen A. and Skip on the same show is like having the Iron Sheik vs. Nikita Koloff going against each other. Sorry to reference an old-school WWF reference to describe the scenario, but it fits. I don't like either of these guys and I really want Skip and Stephen A. end up hitting each other with a steel chair.
Today's episode was insane. Skip screamed for the first 15 minutes and then tagged Stephen A. in and he screamed for the rest of the show. I can't imagine these guys eating dinner with each other, they would have to put them in their own food and give each other riot masks to protect themselves against flying spit. The highlight of the show was when they got in a heated argument against and for Brett Favre in New York. I will DV-R the episodes on Tuesday and Wednesday in hopes of Stephen A. finally pulling out a folding table and sending Skip through it via Powerbomb.
Here is an old clip of the two going at it, I hope it gives you an idea of how insane it is to have both of these guys on the same show. You may need earplugs, the decibels alone could do some ear damage.
