The Wrestling Press February 2011 - Bret Hart Interview by Greg Kelly

THE WRESTLING PRESS ISSuE 12

Message from the Editor

February 2011

irstly, thank you for downloading the new issue of The Wrestling Press Magazine, whether you are a regular reader or this is your first time checking out the publication I hope you find it an interesting and enjoyable read.

FRONT COVER Bret Hart by Tony Knox EDITOR Darren Wood dtwooduk@hotmail.com ONLINE EDITOR David Schmida dschmida@hotmail.com DESIGN AND LAYOuT Greg Johnson ed@thewrestlingpress.com CONTRIBuTORS Phil Austin Andrew Sharp Dusty Wolfe Jamie Kennedy Ari Berenstein David Bridson Matt Singh Justin LaBar Rob Sivell Jeremy Graves John Milner The CYNIC David Schmida Dark Kitty PHOTOGRAPHERS Tony Knox Sarah Barraclough David Seto Kieran Lefort John Smolek ADVERTISING Darren Wood dtwooduk@hotmail.com The Wrestling Press is an independent publication and is in no way endorsed by WWE, TNA or UFC. The views expressed by the writers does not necessarily represent the views of The Wrestling Press. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher.

Over the past couple of months there have been many changes here at the virtual offices of TWP, seeing owner Greg Johnson step down from his previous role as magazine editor. It is without doubt that since the inception of TWP (formerly Pro Wrestling Press) in 2001, Greg has put his heart and soul into providing readers with the very best articles, interviews and reviews in professional wrestling. It was Greg who gave me and many other writers down the years, the great opportunity of writing for TWP and I am very grateful for his support and confidence in me since I joined TWP back in November 2009. When it was announced that he would be stepping down as editor, I was honoured to be given the chance to lead the publication and I hope that I can continue the great work that Greg has done over the years. I hope that you join me in trying to make TWP better than ever and continue to make this the best online wrestling magazine that is currently available. As this is my first issue in the editorial hot seat I do acknowledge that I will need time to grow into the pretty big shoes left for me by Greg and over the next few issues I hope to introduce more diverse content. I will be aiming to increase the publication’s international appeal to wrestling fans the world over and to also remain unbiased when it comes to reporting on different promotions. It is my aim to listen to you the reader, if there is something in TWP that you would like included or have any opinions of the articles featured then I would love to hear your comments. Also, if you enjoy the mag why don’t you tell your friends about us? After all without you there would be no TWP. Don’t be afraid to ever get in touch and tell me what you think of The Wrestling Press. DARREN WOOD (Magazine Editor) – dtwooduk@hotmail.com

Message from former Editor

COMPETITIONS

My decision to step down as Editor has already proven to be the right choice when you witness the diverse content of this issue under Darren’s guidance. With David in control of the website content, and Darren in charge of the magazine - I’m certain both mediums will flourish with their dedication. I’ll still be working on the magazine and other admin roles, and would like to take this opportunity to thank TWP’s great photographers and writers, without them this magazine wouldn’t exist. Best of luck to Darren and David, I’m excited to see how TWP develops over the next few months! GREG

Austin dvd’s

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Winners: James Shaw, Michael Cole, Euan Mackie and Abdul Wajid Moulv

FOLEY BOOK Winner: Euan Mackie

CONTENTS

Feb 2011

4 tHE WREstLinG scOOP

42 JAcQuEs ROuGEAu

News from around the world

Profile on the former ‘Mountie’

7 BREt HARt intERviEW

46 tHE WORLd cHAnts ‘OLE!’ FOR EL GEnERicO

Darren Wood & Andrew Sharp talk to the wrestling legend

14 is it timE tO End tHE dRAFt? Has the WWE divide run its course?

18 tHE FOundAtiOns OF tHE FEdERAtiOn

Web

Hot streak for indy darling

Too much of a good thing?

24 tnA-uK Backstage pass at TNA’s Impact Tour

26 tHE immORtAL PROmisE Has TNA progressed to the next level?

30 WHEn i WAnt YOuR AdvicE, i’LL GivE it tO YOu Love him or hate him – John Cena, Marmite Man

33 tHE stORY OF mid-cARd BELts Once a symbol of the future but now dirty laundry...

36 tHE WREstLinG PRiEst Wrestling fans get blessed

38 cHAmPiOnsHiPs in JAPAn

49 sAnJAY BAGGA intERviEW LDN promoter talks business

52 A FAmiLY AFFAiR One to one with Britani Knight

The reverence of titles in the far east

56 AdAm cOLE intERviEW CZW World Jr Champ is heading to the UK

60 AXEL diEtER JR German Heir Apparent

66 Just tHE tOnic... Dark Kitty visits sick children

68 uFc 129 PREviEW Looking ahead to UFC’s mammoth event

11 REviEWs WWE Bobby Heenan Ring of Honor: Glory by Honor IX CZW Cage of Death XII ICW Fear and Loathing Three UFC 116: Lesnar vs Carwin UFC 117: Silva vs Sonnen Knucklehead Rumble Road

11 tHE WOLFE Pit The Miz is NOT awesome!

WitH dAvid scHmidA

The Guard has changed… and it happened in favour of you, the readers of The Wrestling Press.

Mid-carders get their just deserts

22 tHE PROs And cOns OF A tHREE HOuR RAW

update

As an ideal supplement to the monthly magazine, TWP Online offers regular recaps of wrestling’s leading TV shows such as WWE’s RAW and SmackDown, TNA’s iMPACT!, Mixed Martial Arts as well as previews and reviews of the respective PPVs and DVDs. As we strive to be the global source for pro wrestling, TWP Online also covers the different worldwide wrestling scenes with more regular columns, revealing interviews, previews and videos with and about the people that play significant roles in the different regions of the wrestling world. A lot has happened since the new year started and a lot will happen in the future here at TheWrestlingPress.com So, make sure to stop by and get your daily dose of TWP Online.

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The Wrestling Scoop n

with Mike Aldren Courtesy of THE WRESTLING GLOBE Newsletter

Tough Enough is slated to start shooting soon at a secret house in Simi Valley, CA. In addition to Steve Austin as host, Booker T was also signed as a trainer. Each week a different wrestler will visit the house to introduce a challenge. The show premieres on 4/4 at 11pm following Raw, and will then move to a regular timeslot of 8pm each Monday night thereafter. Beth Phoenix says she's looking forward to working with Awesome Kong. "There's been a lot of chatter around about her being signed by WWE. I think a lot of people, their first inclination is to think that it would be quite a clash to see us in the ring together. If we get that opportunity, it will be amazing. I look forward to it. She and I have never wrestled each other, not even on the independent scene or anything. I think it will be quite the spectacle to have Awesome Kong and Beth Phoenix in the same ring at the same time. Hopefully we'll get to see that in the near future." Former WWE writer Dave Lagana blogged at www.iwantwrestling.com about the company's attempts to sign Sting several years ago to work with Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania 18. Good read. Dixie Carter at www.tnawrestling.com answered several fan questions. She said she would love to tape Impact or a PPV in the UK but would require the company's TV partner over there to help facilitate that. When asked about her biggest mistake, she noted going live on Monday nights against Raw. "Even the ratings of the Thursday replay (which did not force viewers to watch on Monday), were as high or higher than the debut telecast." On Sting potentially signing with WWE: "I have read these reports. I would really hate to see that happen." She also teased a tour of Australia in the near future, as well as a TNA Hall of Fame. 4

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Jesse Ventura is releasing a fourth book in April on government secrets. Jentura said through a press release: "I’ve put together this book in the same spirit as the WikiLeaks - disclosures to reveal the truth... It’s become crystal clear that our democracy has been undermined from within and it’s been going on for a long time." The book, 63 Documents The Government Doesn't Want You To Read, is actual government data; written examples of criminal activity that Ventura hopes will inspire or infuriate readers to "wake up and start demanding accountability." Kevin Nash on ESPN Radio Milwaukee said he expects to sign a legends merchandise deal following talks with WWE management on Wednesday. He said nothing has been discussed creatively but he’s open for a run at Wrestlemania if that’s what the company wants. He was complimentary when asked about his time with TNA saying that underlying financial issues hurt his relationship with Dixie Carter towards the end but wishes everyone in that company the best. “I had four good years with those guys,” he said. “I have nothing but respect for them. I wish them all the success in the world.” While we were told there were no serious injuries in Europe, according to one of his best friends, Ric Flair tore his rotator cuff during his match with Doug Williams in London on 29th Jan. It’s believed the injury occurred during his trademark spot where he’s tossed from the top rope. He’s not expected to miss much television time but won’t be wrestling again for several months. Christopher Daniels has been working as Suicide at the TNA TV tapings but is still under contract to ROH. The deal is ROH allowing him to take TNA

dates but only if he works under a mask, meaning the revival of the Suicide and Curry Man characters. TNA Newcomer Divina Fly has been renamed Rosita, and will be introduced soon as the cousin of Sarita. Mistico of CMLL, the biggest drawing card in modern day Lucha Libre, is said to be close to signing with WWE. Contracts are yet to exchange hands but WWE sources says it’s a done deal, while CMLL is completely denying the story, saying that Mistico is under contract to them. WWE has been negotiating dating back to 2007 based on recommendations from Rey Mysterio and Dean Malenko, but in the past when money came into play neither side could agree terms. The signing of Mistico would be a huge coup who’s name value usually equates to big business in Mexico. Shane McMahon has been attending recent premier league soccer games in the UK. There is speculation that Shane on behalf of an investment company that he consults for in Abu Dhabi are monitoring UK sports teams as potential investment opportunities. Former WWE writer John Piermarini wrote a blog about his previous work with the company and sitting in on creative meetings with Vince McMahon. Piermarini served on the creative team until recently. The blog has since disappeared so it appears WWE made him pull it down. He wrote that the current

storyline with Daniel Bryan and the Bellas was something originally pitched for Evan Bourne by the Bellas, but went to Bryan when Bourne got injured. Vince doesn’t view Bryan as an “ass kicker” but can beat bigger guys because he can capitalise on their mistakes. Piermarini also wrote that Vince isn’t too high on John Morrison because he doesn’t think Morrison can’t kick anyone’s ass in a real fight–therefore cannot be a top babyface. As crazy as this seems, this goes back several years to when Dave Bautista was messing around with Melina on the road, and because Morrison didn’t do anything about it, lost a ton of credibility in Vince’s eyes. Another interesting note is that Vince has tapped Skip Sheffield as a future headliner, and believes that he can eventually be as popular as John Cena. TNA IN THE uK Dixie Carter has announced that all TNA programming in the UK will be broadcast on Challenge on Sky, Virgin Media, and Freeview from February. The channel currently airs repeats of syndicated game shows so on the surface this would seem to be a strange place to position a wrestling program. However, there are rumblings that the channel will be rebranded soon into a network geared towards males 18-30. The provisional timeslot given to Impact is Tuesday’s at 10pm–five days after the show first airs in the US and online at TNADemand.com. Pay-per-view will also air free on tape delay.

WREstLE REuniOn The recent Wrestle Reunion in Las Vegas at the LAX Hilton drew more than 1,000 fans from around the country. The highlight of the convention was said to be the PWG show on Saturday night, which ran nearly fivehours, and included the retirement match of Jake Roberts as well as a showstealing confrontation between Roddy Piper and Terry Funk, who were the final two participants in a legends battle royal. A funny note from backstage, and bear in mind this was a smart crowd, was Low-Ki refusing to job for Davey Richards citing that he needed to look strong following on from his recent WWE run. Edge even showed up for a spell to hang out with friends for a couple of hours before he caught a flight to Boston for the Royal Rumble. He had been in town shooting retakes for his upcoming movie. Paul Orndorff and Billy Graham, who are both dealing with serious health issues, made the trip and had a great time talking to young wrestlers and meeting fans… The next Wrestle Reunion event will be on the morning of 2nd April in Atlanta, which is Wrestlemania day. There is also talk that next years event will take place in Los Angeles.

To receive all the latest professional wrestling news and gossip direct to your mailbox send an email to wrestlingglobe-subscribe@topica.com

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RREN WOOD Interview by DA SHARP EW DR and AN

T R A H T BRE iew interv

Photos TONY

KNOX 7

t was one of the most remarkable returns in wrestling history and a moment that will live long in the memory of any professional wrestling fan. On January 4th 2010, 13 years after his WWE departure following 1997’s Survivor Series, Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart stepped foot once again into a WWE ring. It was a spectacle that many were sure they would never see again. Now one year on from that incredible scene, TWP managed to grab an hour long interview with Bret Hart. In which he talked in depth about his tell all book “My life in the cartoon world of wrestling”, his true feelings regarding the return and his thoughts on this year and being back with WWE. How did your creative thought process change once you started writing the book? I had already about half of the stampede wrestling section done and I showed the book to a professional writer who told me to just keep going, he said I had a really good book on my hands and he thought it was fascinating. So for a real writer to tell me that was great and gave me motivation to keep going. When I had my stroke it made me even that much more determined to finish and not let anything stop me? Were you disappointed when you found out your book was being cut down from the original length? Not really, in hindsight they took out a lot of the same kind of stories. When I read it the way it is now nothing strikes me as I wish they didn’t change that part or take that bit out. There is only so many beer guzzling stories that can be put in the book, and for the average reader there is plenty of that in there.

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Was the aim for this book to be to towards average readers as well as wrestling fans? I knew that wrestling fans would like it and read it but I wanted to reach out to the audience that doesn’t watch wrestling. I feel I did that. I would like to think that there will be a second book. I would love to write a book about the greatest wrestlers of all time, the greatest wrestlers I ever had the privelege of working with, or writing about the history of what wrestling was like in the 40’s 50’s, etc and look at it as a research project. There’s always potential for a book about my return but I’m not sure if it has been interesting enough with fans, it certainly has been interesting for me. Did you receive any reaction from anyone in WWE when you released the book? Not from anybody in management. Jim Ross liked my book but I never had any feedback from Vince McMahon. I spoke with Vince a few months after Chris Benoit’s death and he actually called me up out of the blue to thank me for the things I had said about Chris and how I handled myself and that I did him proud. I mentioned to him then that my book was out in a few months and that I didn’t want to start a war up again but I would be as honest as I could. He cut me off and said write anything you want. Don’t ever worry about that, you are entitled to your opinion and voice it as you wish. Was it fun to look back and remember the road stories? I had to write the first part of my book based on my memory about Stampede wrestling and my childhood. I had some strong memories on how good and how fun it was. That was really quite a process trying to detail that and get it as good as I could remember. In the meantime I took transcripts that I started in about 1985 and also at that time I started making the audio tapes as well. Once I had all of them all transcribed I remember having mountains of paper.

“THE MORE BOOKS THAT CAME OuT THE MORE I REALISED MOST OF THEM WERE BuLLSHIT ”

You have previously stated that you started doing audio tapes back in 1985, was the ultimate aim always to do this book? No never, I just did them so I could know what I was thinking at that time. This would be like my diary, just like other people have a diary. It wasn’t until I knocked out Vince and there was talk they were going to sue me. I thought to myself that if they are going to sue me then I can go back to my tapes and I can explain what happened and can defend myself. I started the book just before Owen died and then after he died it motivated me even more to tell my story. Were there any other wrestling books that gave you inspiration to what you wanted your book to be like? No, if anything I cringed at them. I love Mick Foley, he’s a good friend of mine, and I remember when his book came out and got all of this acclaim. I read it and thought he beat me to the punch, that was the book I wanted to write. I loved his book and the only wrestling

book I would read again. Soon though I realised that it wasn’t my book and that nobody has the story I have to tell. The more books that came out the more I realised most of them were bullshit and written by WWE and didn’t neccesarily tell the truth. When coming back to the WWE were you worried that you wouldn’t do your legacy or your fans any justice? Very much so, I thought maybe when I came back that I would look at it and think I should have left it, why did I do it? For example if Shawn had been pompous to me or had blew me off then it would have bothered me a lot and then it could have ended up with a round number 2. But Shawn was really sincere and very grateful for being able to bury the hatchet with me. For me that was real and Vince was real to me too, and I think in the end [my return] turned out to be a better idea than we thought it would be. I never had much in the way of regret. WWE

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didnt have to hire me if they didnt like what I worte about them in the book, but they accepted that I was honest and true. I always thought that the only thing stopping me from going back was my pride, and the main reason why I did return was that I needed a goal and to do something different. I like to think I am pretty secure in my life and my savings so that was never a deciding factor. It’s been great rubbing shoulders with the likes of Randy Orton and all of these young guys. I didn’t want to ride off into the sunset as an angry, bitter, damn you all to hell kind of guy, which I thought I was coming accross as. In hindsight now that it is done I have said what I have said and we should all move on. I dont hate the company, I don’t hate Vince McMahon, I dont blame him for Owen’s death, none of it. I wanted to take a negative and turn it into a positive and peace is always better than war. Did you fear people would feel sorry for you at all on your return to WWE? I always thought that fans of mine would absolutely love watching me go back, I think a lot of people have always wanted me to come back. Upon my return I said to Vince I would love to have some interaction with someone from my career, like in the ring with Stone Cold or Undertaker just give the fans a real nostalgia moment. We wouldn’t have to neccesarily do anything but just be in the ring together. I knew the deal with me and Shawn would be a moment for the ages. But for whatever reason that didn’t happen. You have said before that there are limitations to what you can do, your head in particular you have said is delicate, was there any worries in your mind going into the match with Vince that he could have made your head more vulnerable, or done any more damage to it? I would be lying if I said I was never concerned, because I was. I’ve always felt that the WWE has always been on side with me and totally

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aware of my condition and supportive. I have always had final say on how I’m portrayed, from walking down the ramp to getting in the ring. There is no room for mistakes, but I never felt like I have been in jeapordy or that somebody who I have been with in the ring won’t protect me. Did vince say anything to you about the match after it happened? No but Linda did, I bumped into her and said something like I beat him pretty bad and she replied with “Dont worry, he deserves it”. [laughs] It must have been hard to go back and trust Vince McMahon, what is the relationship like between the two of you now? The whole company, especially Vince, has bent over backwards to make me not feel like that. My relationship with the company and Vince is great, I dont have any issues at all. They have been straight with me and are very considerate of my situation, they have been flexible and very approachable in any given situation. What do you think has been the fan reaction to you coming back to WWE, I believe that surely this is a message to each of them to forgive and try and move on with life? I can’t say it better, in the end it’s simply said – you must forgive and forget. Owen’s widow is very unhappy that I went back but I don’t know what she expects. What does she want me to do, sit around and be angry until I’m dead? I think there is a lot to be said for making peace and I want to set an example for other people in other situations. It’s great to meet fans who’ve said my return meant so much to them and I know it has meant a lot to the Hart Dynasty, its been an amazing year really. It’s been a pretty sweet ride, I don’t know many 53 year olds that are winning the United States title and being in one of the main events at Wrestlemania with my limitations.

“I DIDN’T WANT TO RI OFF INTO THE SuNS DE ET AS AN ANGRY, BITT ER, DAMN YOu ALL TO HELL KIND OF GuY. ..” www.thewrestlingpress.com

What has you being back in the WWE done to the Hart family? Has it sparked interest in wrestling again? If my mother, father, Owen and Davey were still here they would be so happy with that moment at Wrestlemania to see the whole family together. They would all also be so happy to see how well the Hart Dynasty are doing. I think they would be proud that the family is getting closer again and members are pursuing careers in wrestling. How did you feel about the decision to put the U.S Title on you and being inserted into the Summerslam main event? I dont think anybody expected me to win the U.S title, let alone me. It was a bit of a shocker. When I first went to WWE I talked to Vince about some ideas I had. I said I could work something with someone at Wrestlemania, try to do something with Shawn at Wrestlemania or do something with the Hart Dynasty or even win a title from somewhere. They were all just ideas that I bounced out there and low and behold I won the United States title. Handing the Hart Dynasty the tag titles was more of a special moment. Kind of like a dream come true, the handing of the belts and raising their hands was great, I remember when they were little kids and to see them as Tag Champions was a very special moment for me. Summerslam was always my favourite Pay Per View and the fact that they included me on that was an honour, it was great to be a part of wrestlers like John Cena, Orton and Sheamus’ storylines, that was fun. You have stated that you went to WWE, they did not come to you, in regards to you coming back. That must have been a daunting experience, was it hard to approach them at all? I reconciled with myself first, I realised when writing the book that I had made my point and the way it looked now that I would be riding off into the sunset as an angry, bitter guy. I don’t

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feel that way. I did have a bit of bad blood with them and it was over my archive and I was mad that for a long time all I ever saw was pictures in magazines of Shawn having me in the sharpshooter or Steve Austin has me in it and I saw that it was always me on the receiving end. I was annoyed that on a Wrestlemania Greatest matches tape they put my match with Bob Backlund on it, which was the only stinkeroo match I ever had. I felt they were never going to give me my due, they would always put my worst matches on or show me getting beat and over time that would be how they would remember me. They were originally going to call my DVD ‘Screwed’ and paint it in a negative light, but when I came on board Vince said I could do what I liked with it. Doing this DVD really took the sting out of my anger, I just didn’t want to be erased from their history, I didn’t want all my great moments buried in a vault somewhere and that a hundred years from now all anybody ever sees from me is my match with Bob Backlund.

MPLETELY “ THEY ARE CO E DIFFERENT, TH TODAY. F O S WRESTLER NOW IF I I DON’T EVEN K OuND R COuLD HAND A Y ARE SO E WITH THEM TH BORING ” At your hall of fame speech you said “I’ll never forget what the WWE took away from me. I also want to say I’ll never forget all the great things they gave to me”. Did you ever think at that point in time you would be back in the WWE? No, never ever, I was still feeling distrustful. The truth of it is I hated that Hall of Fame speech, I wasn’t ready and Vince put a lot of pressure on me to be there because of the DVD. I wasn’t quite there yet, I wish that he had asked me the following year but without knowing it I think I

Do you feel that this new generation are learning from the mistakes of yesteryear? Yeah definitely, I commend all of them for being the straightlaced, dedicated athletes that train hard and put so much into every day on the road and every match. They are very career driven, more focused and dedicated and commited to the wrestling business, I admire them all but it is not the same... On November 13th it marked the fifth year of Eddie Guerrero passing, what are your thoughts five years after?

Axl Rage (XWA Best of the North West Champion) inducts Bret Hart into the British Hall of Fame, Sunday 21st November 2010, NEC Arena. The award was in honour of Bret’s classic Summerslam 1992 match at Wembley Stadium against the late British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith.

was getting closer to where I wanted to be with them, but at that moment I just wasn’t quite ready yet. Emotionally I wasn’t there for it yet, I was nervous and I wish I could erase it and do it all over again. What are the contrasts between the locker room when you started out in the WWE to what the locker room is like now? They are completely different, the wrestlers of today. I don’t even know if I could hang around with them they are so boring. They are like a bunch from a choir, they play video games and listen to their headphones, drink energy drinks and keep themselves to themselves. There is no beer drinking, no hell raising at all.

I don’t think anybody has come any closer to finding out what killed Eddie, no one knows for sure – it has never been documented. It may have just been Eddie’s time, Eddie may have been one of the only wrestlers that died because it was his time. Look at others like Test and Crush (Brian Adams), there is no reason why those guys aren’t walking around today. With Eddie I have let go, but I miss him and I love him but maybe it was just his time. Since Guerrero’s death WWE has done well to enforce the wellness policy, what are your thoughts on the situation? I don’t really know what it entails but it seems like a step in the right direction. I think that the biggest reason behind deaths in wrestling is the depression wrestlers suffer when their career is over. Maybe it is a love of what they did and the fact that they will never get it back, I dont know. I know that the wellness programme would have annoyed me, to pee in a cup as much as they have to do today, but it is a worthwhile objective, to save lives. With Wrestlemania coming up many are speculating on who will be inducted into the Hall of fame this year, who would you like to see inducted? I would like to see Owen, the sooner the better. I wouldn’t mind seeing Dynamite Kid inducted as there is no such thing as a hall of fame without him in it.

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IS IT TIME TO

Words: ANDREW SHARP

n March 18th 2002 the entire WWE landscape experienced a drastic change when it was announced by Linda McMahon that a draft lottery would take place, meaning half the roster would be contracted to Raw and the other half would appear exclusively on Smackdown. Both drafts would be leaded by general managers who would be in control of each brand respectively Only the Champions had the privilege of appearing on both shows. Tag Teams and Stables were pulled apart and the opinion of wrestling fans was divided as to how this would turn out. Turning the clock back to look at the talent that the WWE Roster boasted back in 2002 it seemed stupid not to start a draft. With WWE acquiring WCW in early 2001, the roster was full to the brim with talent from top to bottom and with names like The Rock, Undertaker, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Hulk Hogan, Chris Jericho, Brock Lesnar and Booker T to name a few all under the WWE umbrella, Vince McMahon had a lot on his plate. If the company were to continue with one roster, McMahon knew angles and storylines would be rushed and a lot of workers would be lost in the shuffle.

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Photos: JOHN SMOLEK

Something needed to be done, in order to really get the best out of all this talent a draft seemed like the way to go.

“

With WCW disappearing practically overnight, a lot of casual fans started to lose interest, quite drastically.

At first of course, having former WCW talent mix with WWE guys, was every fans dream come true but there were many aspects of this era that added frustration in the eyes of the fans. The beloved Stone Cold turned heel, The Rock was off making movies and Championships seemed to be changing hands every week.

At first Ric Flair (who came back to WWE to become “co-owner” of the company in 2001) was RAW general manager and Vince McMahon was Smackdown general manager. While entertaining, the rivalry wasn’t really in effect between RAW and Smackdown, it wasn’t until July 15th 2002 that the draft split rivalry between the two brands really intensified. The previously aforementioned date will go down as one of the most shocking moments in WWE history as the man who nearly put WWE out of business showed up to become RAW General Manager. Eric Bischoff was introduced and from that moment on the brand split was in full-swing and here to stay. Since then it has provided us with many high points but also many irritating, low points. In McMahon’s eyes it’s always been about doing what’s best for

WWE and what’s best for business, so with that in mind, are we still benefiting from a divided WWE? Of course the draft has provided many timeless memories and by keeping talent apart for so long on separate brands, the WWE soon created dream matches. Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle, The Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle, Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar, and the most obvious being Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker. The re-emergence of ECW (although a spit in the face to the hardcore ECW fans) provided one of the best pay-per-views of the decade with One Night Stand and a third brand which was a great platform for younger talent like Sheamus and Evan Bourne. Even before ECW returned the split already provided us with the bonus of seeing great, young, well-deserving talent

burst through into stardom (it can be argued that at the same time a lot of deserving talent has been squashed and sacrificed in aid of the already established stars). It’s been great to see guys like Randy Orton evolve into the characters they are today and to think that John Cena was almost a nobody only 8 years ago. Rey Mysterio has achieved what he never thought was possible in winning the World Heavyweight Championship. The introduction of guys like The Miz, who without the draft, might have been totally over-looked. With more air-time to shine on a single show during the WWE week talent like the above has naturally been able to cease opportunities like never before. However, lack of star power on either show can sometimes be a shot in the foot, there’s

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the WWE. Sure, new concept pay-per-views like Bragging Rights have been created in aid of the brand rivalry but this doesn’t stop talent appearing on their opposing show week after week. This really waters down the brand split and casual fans are left wondering exactly what shows certain superstars are supposed to be signed to. WWE have backed themselves into a corner now, and it’s painfully obvious, even Michael Cole is appearing on both shows now. As we’ve seen in 2010 all it takes is for one or two guys to retire and another two or three to get injured and management is left with white knuckles.

been a few failed pushes along the way to say the least. Anyone remember Bubba Ray Dudley’s attempt at the World Heavyweight Title in 2002?… No? Didn’t think so. Consistency should always be the key, and as always in the world of wrestling it is nowhere to be found. Back when Bischoff was GM of Raw and Stephanie

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McMahon was GM of Smackdown, some great storylines were produced which really got fans into the spirit of brand vs. brand. They would compete against each other to sign free agents, steal each others talent and capture titles off each other. You compare that to 2011 and you’ve got Teddy Long vs. a Laptop for supremacy of

You can’t blame them for being stubborn though, in their conquest to take over not only the wrestling world but other areas of the media, WWE has come this far with the brand split so why not continue? Say for instance they scrap the split but then in five years time they once again find themselves with an overwhelming amount of talent on their roster? Hell, all the talent they need is already there right now, they just need to harness it a little bit more.

In my estimation, you could still push the younger guys quite easily without the split in today’s product. Certain people could appear in more segments on say a Smackdown than they do a Raw and with added shows like Superstars it seems the air-time can be shared out quite easily. By doing this it could force WWE to produce less time-wasting segments and also apply a bit more pressure where it’s needed. As it has been seen in the past WWE always produce well when pressured to do so.

“ © John Smolek

Championships have perhaps been the biggest casualty of the draft split. With two World Champions, WWE have never given us a clear message as to which Champion we’re supposed to take more legitimately. Titles have jumped from brand to brand, the Intercontinental Championship was unified into the World Heavyweight title in 2002 only to return in 2003. A separate pair of Tag Titles was created for Smackdown in 2002 only to be unified once again just eight years later. The Cruiserweight title also mysteriously just disappeared, but then again with a Champion like Hornswoggle it really had zero credibility left anyway. Maybe an end to the draft is already in WWE’s long term plans. We’ve recently seen the unification of the Women’s and Divas Titles and as already mentioned the Tag Team Titles.

All in all it seems like the WWE draft can’t last forever, things never do in this business. How many more draft lotteries can fans see over the next few years without becoming completely bored with it?

If the same routine is played out year after year how can any aspect of a lottery be meaningful anymore when throughout the year people jump ship anyway?

WWE like to sound big, and with the illusion of two separate brands to cater for their audience they will always sound bigger than any other wrestling product out there. Draft or no draft, WWE will continue to have dominance over the bulk of prowrestling for the long-term foreseeable future, so they might as well do themselves and their fans a favour by slowly bringing everything together again. It’s obviously not a process to be done over night but by the time the ten year anniversary of the first draft rolls around; could we have one WWE World Heavyweight Champion in 2012? It definitely sounds good to me. n Contact Andy at a_sharp2001@hotmail.com

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THE

Words PHIL AUSTIN Photos JOHN SMOLEK

restling is remembered for its biggest stars. The guys that the fans pay to see, the guys who sell the t-shirts, the guys who will consistently be remembered for main eventing the biggest shows of the year. But the backbone of a good promotion are the guys just below the top tier. I’ve recently started watching WWE Superstars, and that show has ‘lesser name’ guys such as JTG, Trent Barretta and Yoshi Tatsu all putting on outstanding performances. These are the guys who not only fill out a show, but can provide exciting action for the fans so that, by the time a John Cena or Randy Orton steps through the curtain, the audience is pumped up for the main event having been thoroughly entertained for two or more hours. But who are these men (and women), what are the qualities they have that make them such an important part of the promotion, and what do they bring to the shows? To find out, we’ll first have to meet just a few of the cast:

THE CRuISERWEIGHTS When you first think of an exciting undercard, you immediately think of the cruiserweight division in WCW. From the luchadores (some of which even made it 18

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to main event status eventually) to perennial undercard talent such as Lash Leroux, Shane Helms or Shannon Moore, these are the guys who put on some of the most exciting undercard matches there have ever been. The cruiserweights revolutionised the undercard. No more were fans merely anticipating the main event, many fans were every bit as much of a fan of these highfliers as they were the main event superstars, often times even more so. After all, these cruiserweights gave them more bang for their buck than the likes of Hogan, Savage or Piper. The cruiserweight division was all action, and it really got the crowd psyched up for the main show.

THE 1980S Going back even further than the era of the cruiserweights, the real boom period of the 1980s saw real mainstream success for the WWF with Hulkamania, while Ric Flair and co were making a big impression on NWA audiences. But there was a huge level of support for them.

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Guys that never made it to the top tier in the WWF and WCW are real household names these days. Jake Roberts, the Warlord, Barbarian, Tito Santana, Rick Martel, Steve Williams, Terry Gordy. All of these guys found main event success elsewhere, but in the ‘big two’ they were always the bridesmaid and never the bride.

But their roles were incredibly important to the promotion. Tito Santana and Rick Martel are a prime example. Two guys who never got beyond IC title level, and certainly never had a main event feud with the Hulk Hogan brigade, yet two guys who had tremendous fan appeal. Santana and Martel also provided a very different style to that of Hogan and Savage in the main event. While Santana and Martel never had the main event personas of their contemporaries, both had a terrific skill level that could put on exciting undercard matches and provide something different to the main event ‘big man’ matches of

the time. In fact, if you look at the whole IC title division at the time of guys like Mr Perfect, Martel, Santana and Bret Hart, it was built around providing exciting technical matches for the audience that liked that, while still having enough personality driven storylines in order to appeal to the fans of Hogan, the Warrior etc Of course, the 1980s also had a bunch of guys who weren’t technical wrestlers, but who were every bit as important to the product. Guys such as Hacksaw Jim Duggan, the Barbarian, Haku and the British Bulldogs were mainstays in the 1980s, and approaching the 1990s. What these guys provided were a backbone of characters that could go on the road to flesh out a card, enabling the ‘big stars’ to not have to attend every show.

ON THE ROAD This is a major key factor when looking back at the undercards of the past. Unlike today, where TNA will send all their guys to house shows, or where WWE has a Smackdown crew and a Raw crew to send to different venues on simultaneous touring schedules, the old style of house show scheduling was that you didn’t send all your guys on the road, and tended to save the big stars for TV (usually where some of their limitations could be less exposed in carefully constructed matches). Obviously these big stars would go to shows, but it would be guys like Koko B Ware, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Tito Santana or Davey Boy Smith that would tend to be the ‘stars’ on many of these tours. This was especially true when the WWF was operating ‘A-show’ tours and ‘B-show’ tours. They would send the biggest stars on the A shows (to the bigger venues) while the B show would be headlined by Duggan, Santana, or one of the other guys who were at the ‘second tier’ of stardom (a nice term for ‘midcard’). The talent depth was such that a guy like Santana or Duggan was still concerned a significant enough name that they would draw a decent enough crowd to the venue, but you would never be seeing them main eventing a WWF PPV.

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Yoshi THE CuRRENT CROP Today, with the main event pretty much dominated by half a dozen or so names in the WWE, the undercard of the promotion is just as important. The likes of a Santino, John Morrison (who is just starting to get pushed towards main events as this is gets published), Trent Barretta or Kofi Kingston, are vital to the depth of the promotion. With the need to produce 5 hours of TV a week (6 if you include NXT), WWE needs this talent to fill all of its shows. © John Smolek

More than this though, the WWE prides itself on having something for everyone (rightly or wrongly). So even if you can’t stand 90% of their TV show, you may find yourself enjoying a William Regal v Daniel Bryan undercard match, a comedic angle with Santino and Koslov, or a highflying match with Evan Bourne or Tyson Kidd. And this has always been the real brilliance of the undercards on shows. Whether it’s WWE, TNA, WCW, ROH or anywhere else, a good undercard has provide a smorgasbord of different styles that can complement, or give an alternative, to the main eventers on the programme.

THE NEED FOR DEPTH So what would happen if you didn’t have these backbones of the promotions? What if it was all main events? First of all, you’d get a pretty dull product. Either, you’d get what TNA has been accused of, where everyone gets pushed, yet no one really gets over above everyone else, and therefore no one seems special. Or alternatively, you’d get what the WWF had in the very early 80s,

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Tatsu which is a solid main event accompanied by some pretty horrendous undercard matches that didn’t provide your audience with their money’s worth. Secondly, you have a promotion where the main eventers become overworked and overused. Not only does this wear them down, but it wears the patience of the audience with them as they become overexposed and tired. Look at how many Orton v Cena matches we’ve had, and how they already seem old. Now imagine what that would be like if that was all you had to look forward to on a WWE show every single month!

“

Thirdly, and most importantly, the undercard provides a way for new stars to arise. An undercard guy, such as a Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels or Steve Austin, will gradually get over with your audience if they have star presence, and will gradually build towards becoming a new star...

Also the stars of the future can be put in ‘squash’ matches with undercard guys to effectively get them over as being tough or unbeatable. This is a major problem promotions are facing these days. With a lack of new stars on the horizon, it has lead to both companies focusing on their undercard to try and develop new stars (see the Nexus experiment), and to build the future of their company. And that is the real key. The company’s future relies on it having a solid undercard. Main eventers sell tickets, but undercard guys are the real backbone of the company, and they are where the future main eventers will come from. Just ask Shawn Michaels… or Bret Hart… or Steve Austin… or the Rock… or Triple H… or Chris Jericho…. .or Goldberg... or Kurt Angle… or Jeff Hardy… or AJ Styles… hell, ask any of the current main eventer whether they remember being the undercard guy, and chances are they will all remember a time when they were the real backbone of the promotion. n Contact Phil at PhilUK1@aol.com

www.thewrestlingpress.com © John Smolek

The Pros and Cons of a

Three Hour Raw TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING? Words JOHN M. MILNER

“Another three hour Raw?” came the groan. This particular groan came from a work friend of mine, with whom I regularly discuss wrestling with. The 2010 Slammies were set to air that evening, meaning the WWE (and USA Network) was expanding Raw’s timeslot by an extra hour. I will admit to initially being slightly puzzled by my friend’s reaction. After all, what self-professed wrestling fan wouldn’t all but salivate at the idea of an additional hour of the product? As it turns out, the answer is many. In Canada, a three-hour Raw means the final fade to commercial won’t come until well after midnight – and later in the Western provinces, but in discussing the notion of three hours of Raw with some of my fellow wrestling fans, few mentioned that as a contributing factor to their displeasure. “It’s too long!” said one. “And it’s not like they’ve increased the wrestling content.” While the increased length of the programs might turn some fans off, it’s really the second part of the argument that the WWE may want to address. After all, some movies, considered classics are near that length. The Godfather is 175 minutes and the Return of the King is 200 minutes. And who hasn’t held a movie marathon, watching three or four movies in an afternoon/evening? Heck, for that matter, modern wrestling pay-per-views clock in at three hours (and more, in the case of Wrestlemania).

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At least Raw provides frequent commercial breaks to break things up and allow the viewer to answer the call of nature, refill on snacks and beverages, or even (gasp!) change channels to catch up on other sporting events or check the weather. But, as stated, perhaps it’s not the length or scheduling of these three-hour Raws that has turned some fans off. Instead, it may be just what the WWE is using to fill this extra hour. Since the height of the Attitude Era back in the mid-1990s, wrestling fans have come to expect less wrestling in wrestling and more backstage skits and promos. A third hour of Raw, one might fear, would include more appearances by Josh Matthews and more comedy bits (if entertaining ones at that) by Santino Marella. Of course, the Slammy broadcast couldn’t help but be rather promo or non-wrestling segment heavy. After all, what awards show, wrestling or otherwise, isn’t just a series of promos, first about the award by the presenter and then about how much the award means, by the recipient? At least on Raw, there were a few matches in between, even if one did include former WCW World Champion David Arquette, who teamed with Alex Riley to take on Randy Orton. To be fair, there have been some three-hour Raws which have been more wrestling-oriented than the Slammies. Take the King of the Ring tournament for example. The three-hour Raw devoted to a one-night tournament certainly provided a fair amount of wrestling, including the seven tournament matches (eventually won by

Sheamus), a tag match, a Six Divas Tag Match and WWE Champion the Miz in action against Jerry Lawler. And perhaps the best use of the three hour format was the Old School Raw, held in November. That particular three-hour Raw was certainly entertaining, even if campy at times. Wade Barrett mingled with Mean Gene Okerlund and Bob Orton. Dusty Rhodes shared a segment with Cody Rhodes and Goldust. Sgt. Slaughter battled Alberto Del Rio and Roddy Piper hosted an emotional Piper’s Pit featuring John Cena and Randy Orton. But what the WWE did right in presenting Old School Raw is that, even as it drew Old School fans in with the nostalgia, that never overshadowed what should be the aim of every WWE broadcast: building up to the next pay-perview. The WWE played a very dangerous game in presenting such a product as Raw’s “GoHome” show for the Survivor Series. By parading out stars of the past like Piper, Slaughter, and the Iron Shiek and Nikolai Volkoff just days before a major pay-per-view, they ran the risk that fans would be more interested in the nostalgia aspect than caring about modern-day matches, like Orton vs. Barrett at the Survivor Series.

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Instead, the writers with WWE, so often maligned for their work, skillfully crafted a three-hour show that managed, in so many cases, to work the Legends’ appearances into a cunning tool to help hype the upcoming pay-per-view.

Take the aforementioned Piper’s Pit Segment. While a throwback to the popular and infamous interview segment of the 1980s, this particular Piper’s Pit helped further interest in one of the key matches of the Survivor Series: Wade Barrett challenging Randy Orton for the WWE Championship, with Nexus member John Cena as the special guest referee. During the segment, Piper implored Cena to do the right thing. Cena promised to call the match right down the middle, only to be reminded by Barrett that, should Orton retain, Cena would be fired. On this particular night, and in this particular segment, it was a

matter of the WWE using a 1980s interview segment to put over a 2010 storyline. Certainly, if the WWE has received scorn from fans who believe their three hour Raws are too long, at the very least the argument could be made that, thus far, they are limiting these events to special occasions, such as the Slammies, Old School Raw, the King of the Ring and the annual Draft Lotteries. But what would happen if the WWE could convince the USA Network to expand Raw’s time slot to three hours on a consistent basis? Certainly, the idea of a three-hour wrestling program on Monday nights isn’t something revolutionary in the history of sports entertainment. One needs only to recall the Monday Night Wars when, beginning in January 1998, WCW’s Monday Nitro went from two hours to three every week for about a year. However, rather than help WCW in its “war” against Raw or even aid in calming backstage turmoil, the third hour of Nitro simply meant WCW could give the then-tired nWo storyline more screen time. Meanwhile, the workhorses of WCW including Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit and Perry Saturn were so frustrated with their status, they left the company for WWE. Fans meanwhile became just as bored with three hours of WCW as they threaten to with three hours of WWE in 2010-11. It would serve WWE well to remember the mistakes of their former foe. Just because they have the ability to expand to three hours does not mean they should do so just because they can. If they can pull off an episode like Old School Raw or better yet, allow for longer, then more power to them. And if they can deliver longer, higher quality matches and maybe give someone normally regulated to dark matches or Superstars a chance to shine, even more power to them. However, if they use the three hour format just to give the same superstars more promo time or fill space with backstage skits, they’ll be doing exactly what opponents of the three-hour format fear. n Contact John at jmilnerresume@gmail.com

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To read TWP’s report from the Manchester, UK show visit thewrestlingpress.com

Exclusive photos from TNA’s Maximum Impact Tour, 29th Jan, London. Courtesy of Tony Knox

Leroy Kincaid with TNA management & Tony Simpson

“IT WAS THE BEST LIVE EVENT I’VE EVER BEEN TO!” ian, uK wrestling fan

Jeff Jarrett vs Johnny Moss

The Immortal Promise” Words JAMIE KENNEDY

n October 2009, TNA wrestling could not have been more excited to announce their latest signing and undoubtedly one of the biggest names in the history of professional wrestling – Hulk Hogan. Almost every segment on the Orlando-based groups flagship TV show, “iMPACT!”, brought

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mention to the fact that the “Hulkster” had agreed to become a part of the TNA family. The thought process (certainly at the time) was that Hogan would bring a star power which had never before been seen in the company and help herald in a new era, surely firing TNA straight to the top of the pro wrestling world. This was not only the way of thinking amongst the promotions backstage and creative staff, but also many of the wrestlers and boys in the back. “Every company Hogan has worked for has been the company. He’s the biggest star this business has ever seen.”, said Ric Flair – himself one of the biggest names and most colourful characters in the history of this industry. So, more than one year on since his debut with the company, just how well a job has Hogan done at taking TNA to the next level?

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My fans have been asking me to return to the business for many years on a full time basis, but the timing or the opportunity has never been right until now. TNA Wrestling is a great company with an already excellent fan base, business and broadcast partner. I firmly believe now is the time for some change at TNA as they are positioned to jump to the next level in their development and I’m here to work with Dixie to help make that a reality.” Hulk Hogan, Oct 2009

It’s no secret that buyrates for wrestling events continued to plummet in 2010. It’s not only TNA who have suffered from this, but also larger and more profitable companies such as Vince McMahon’s WWE. The MMA-boom seems set to continue into the New Year, seemingly taking a large portion of the pro wrestling fan base in the meantime. With that said, there is simply nowhere to hide for Hulk Hogan and his business partner, Eric Bischoff. TNA have remained a promotion who draw embarrassingly low numbers for their Pay-Per-View events, unable to convince the more than 1 million weekly viewers of iMPACT! that these monthly shows are worth paying for. This has been blamed on everything from the downturn in the economy, to

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“

We’ve seen a real drive by TNA to feature as much profanity, half-naked women and blood on their programming as possible.

wrestling fans now watching events together in groups. The hard facts state, however, that the company can’t get its sizeable fan base to part with their hard-earned cash. A CAUSE OF MUCH DESTITUTION WITHIN TNA WILL BE THEIR FAILURE AT TROUBLING THE RATINGS FOR RIVAL SHOW “MONDAY NIGHT RAW” during the ill-fated live run on Monday nights for iMPACT! (this was from January-March 2010). So much talk was put into how TNA could pull as high a rating as the WWE’s main broadcast, thus making the TNA brand a competitor to the McMahon’s, that Hogan and Bischoff appeared to lose sight of why they were there in the first place. Namely, solidifying their own companies’ business model and concentrating on slowly expanding their audience through careful planning. This is something both men should have known; due to how well they crafted WCW as an alternative and eventual successor to WWE, at least for a while. There has seemed to be an air of desperation surrounding the entire TNA/Hogan saga. Vince McMahon has built up a loyal following, constructed through years of giving his fans exactly what they want and entertaining millions. His promotion are now at the

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stage where they can continue to sell thousands of tickets and make a ton of money from PayPer-View, simply off their brand recognition alone. This is something TNA do not yet have, but should aspire to. The sheer amount of ex-WWE stars who have been immediately featured on TNA programming, at the expense of homegrown roster members, really is astounding. This only serves to let the viewer know that the only performers worth caring about are those who have been employed at Titan Towers and allows them to perceive loyal TNA stars as unimportant. For a company who should be focusing hard on creating household names out of their talented roster, this is unforgivable. TNA WOULD BE BETTER SERVED TO CONCENTRATE ON WHAT MAKES THEIR PRODUCT DIFFERENT FROM ANYONE ELSE. Instead, what we see on a typical episode of iMPACT! is a thinly-veiled homage to the WWE “Attitude” era of the late 1990’s/early 2000’s. Since their rivals have switched to a PG-format, we’ve seen a real drive by TNA to feature as much profanity, half-naked women and blood on their programming as possible. There’s a distinct lack of purpose in most of this, leaving many viewers feeling numb and wondering exactly what is going on. Needless to say, this is not the way to hook potential onlookers and help mould them into fans.

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Looking at the positives, Hogan by himself brings a lot of media attention to anything he is involved with. The man has a fiercely allegiant troop of fans who follow his every move and love everything their ‘hero’ is involved with. This was proven by the sheer buzz created on the internet by Hogan’s connection to TNA. Love him or loathe him, Hulk is undeniably a household name who has at times transcended the pro wrestling business.

The drama created by linking your company with a name such as Hogan can often times translate itself into dollars. It’s impossible to

tune into an episode of TNA television without seeing some merchandise item relating to the big man himself. From t-shirts, posters, specially made signs, bandanna’s and even false moustaches. The evidence of money surrounding the Hogan name is there.

So where does TNA go from here under the direction of Hogan and Bischoff? With their promises to the wrestling world and Dixie Carter unfulfilled, there doesn’t appear to be anything on the horizon. No number of bigname wrestling stars seems to be able to turn those low numbers into ones which can conceivably take TNA to that “next level”. Perhaps all that’s left to try is consolidate within fans minds that if they want excellent in-ring action, TNA is the place to turn.

If the promotion can convince fans that performers such as The Motor City Machine Guns, AJ Styles and Jay Lethal are on the level of a Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair or Jeff Hardy, they may just be onto something. Putting the spotlight on the wonderful abilities of the aforementioned younger wrestlers inside a wrestling ring and highlighting things they can do that their predecessors couldn’t may be a step in the right direction. Certainly, for a company losing money, TNA cannot continue to tread water for the next 12 months. Otherwise, the hallowed dreamland of competing with WWE may turn out to be nothing but a nightmare. n Contact Jamie at jamiekennedy@live.com

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L A C I N Y C MIND HE CY with T

WHEN I WANT YOUR ADVICE, I’LL GIVE IT TO YOU

ome of you reading this will be recently unemployed. I know it hurts, but it’s for the best. You, and your family’s future, have been sacrificed for the good of the country. George Osborne knows best. We need to cut the deficit now and we need to cut it deep. Why, we don’t quite know, and I suspect George doesn’t either, except it‘s a knee-jerk slashandburnIdon’tusetheseservicesanyway Tory thought. (Don’t let him and the robot made out of ham fool you.) So you’ll have no job, if you get sick you can’t get seen because the NHS is starved of funds, the VAT rise will make things more expensive and those Private Sector jobs that are supposed to plug the unemployment gap? They relied on the Public Sector and that’s just been eviscerated, so... It’s a perfect storm. Of stupidity.

CENA IS STILL GETTING THAT RIDE TO THE MOON. AND WE HATE HIM. AND LOVE HIM. But we’re all in this together. Say the millionaires in the cabinet. And most of them are. They know what’s best for you and even if you don’t like it, that’s what is going to happen. They are forcing it on you like the 30

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NIC

attentions of a fat-bellied fiddler and you’d better get used to it. Of course, this can happen with people who are out of touch. And, after much deviation, we come to John Cena. Taker might be the franchise player in WWE, but Cena is still getting that ride to the moon. And we hate him. And love him. Why the dichotomy? (break it down into syllables...ok, break it down into bits...di...chot..omy. It means difference. Write that down, children.) It comes because there is a schism (break it down...oh God, I can’t be bothered) in wrestling fans. Some like grappling. Some want a big foam hand. Yes, some actually study the sport; the moves, the psychology, the workers. And some like the razzmatazz, the characters, the event. For whatever Vincent K does with him; Marine, hard worker, film star, winking eyed cheat, he has a massive contingent of detractors. Why? Isn’t it obvious he’s a star? Of course he is, BIg Daddy V tells us, so it must be true. Respect the Genetic Jackhammer, dammit! Well Vinnie, you may be rich, you may be famous, but you’re also rather lazy. Put down that “Getting Over With Hulk Hogan” book; we can tell a company man when we see one and many of us despise them. Hogan’s push came at the end of the 80’s. We knew he couldn’t really wrestle. McMahon made a feature of his limited move set; this is what the “Hulk Up” was all about. And opponents were brought in to lie down for him; Bundy, Zeus (he’s got

the madness in his eye, apparently) and even much more talented Randy Cabbage all served him. But this was during a much simpler, Reagan, “aw shucks” cartoon politics and people needed the brightly coloured distraction/enjoyed the sight of conspicuous consumption. But Vince is supposed to be savvy. Things are different now. I know the view from his ivory tower is fabulous, but he has an example to look at - Steve Austin. Yes, Vince nicked the envelope-pushing, crotch-chopping attitude from ECW, but Steve Austin, the erstwhile Ringmaster, ran with his new attitude and broke through. Then Vinnie made a decision. A gamechanging decision. A decision which coaxed the genie out of the bottle; he put himself over as owner in the game. Back in the late 80’s, those who knew he was pushing the Hulkster could ignore it because he kept quiet. Now they know who he is and can’t ignore it because he loves the limelight so much he can’t be without its warming glow. And so we know. The ones who study the sport know. We know he is trying to push the man, just as he did before. It’s clumsy.

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Cena has nothing of his own. He is a puppet. Whatever the boss says is fine by him. And therein lies the disconnect; he doesn’t have any link to the fans.

Sure, some will adore him, but they are the ones who will just love the spectacle, unquestioningly. Those who actually like wrestling are another matter. And now, once more with feeling. This gives us an insight into Vince’s mind. He wants Cena to be a breakout star. To facilitate this, he will guide and shape his career just like he did with T.Bollea Esq. The fans, the ones who’ve seen behind the curtain, the reason for the base product, won’t like it, won’t buy him, yet he keeps on pushing him. Why? Because those others, the casual fans, the families, the filmgoers and merch buyers, do. And they build profit.

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vagaries of that marketplace. He will rely on the core fans soon enough. When that time comes, I say shock him. Don’t tune in, don’t turn up, do drop out. For only when the Baby Trump sees it in his profit and loss forecast, will he change his thinking. His vainglory, his absurd popinjay-with-apompadour act is real. He doesn’t need to connect with the little people. But when he let’s go and allows his wrestlers us to form their own opinions, that’s when those breakout stars happen. Look at Austin. Even better, look at the Rock; hated and booed as the Vince-approved smiling Rocky Maivia, adored as the more natural, ultra-talker the Rock, someone who might say stuff that we hadn’t heard before, someone who wasn’t directly controlled by the Brass. Of course, we knew he was following orders, but he was enjoying being himself, and we loved him for it.

At the risk of repeating my glorious self, like a wayward son drawing up at his parents terraced house in a Bentley, Vince has forgotten where his roots are. Wrestling has the tang of the circus about it, or even (yikes!) the South and doesn’t play well on Wall Street. This is not grappling any more, it’s a brand. And so he leaves real fans behind. On purpose. But he’ll need us. When those fair weather ticket buyers turn away through boredom, empty pockets or just something shinier, he’ll come cap in hand to us. And those who are not already committed to UFC need to make a decision. Do we just come running back to him? Do we accept him, warts and all? Do we swallow the insipid, samey product and plug his financial gap? We shouldn’t. What we should do is take the power back. Vince is a Capitalist. He’s supposed to believe in open markets (except when he can secure a monopoly, of course) and so must suffer the

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“

Vince needs to let go. Let his wrestlers be themselves. But he needs to be financially shocked to do that.

The time is coming when we can take back what we helped to build, when the WWE will need our help. And we need to prepare the way. We need to start threads in forums, pages on Facebook, Twitter feeds about real wrestling. We need to turn away from WWE PPV’s and turn onto ROH instead. We need to stay away from those arenas. For two reasons: 1. Because it was my idea and I need an ego boost. 2. Because it plays Vince at his own game. Like wrestling? Be proactive and win the WWE back. But don’t expect Cena to be the one to carry it forward; he’s no Pinocchio. Oh, and look out for me behind Ed Miliband on one of his upcoming community speeches. I’ll be the one wearing the Hulk Hogan War Bonnet.

n Contact The Cynic at hearditallbefore@hotmail.com

ONCE A SYMBOL OF THE FUTURE BUT NOW DIRTY LAUNDRY:

The Story Of Mid-Card Belts Words JUSTIN LABAR

>> The WWE Intercontinental Championship; a belt in North America that represent a wrestler being 18-24 months away from being world champion. >> The United States Championship; a belt that signified you were on your final feud of proving you could be a major money draw before being elevated as a top champion.

Believe it or not, the Intercontinental title match was the final match for one of the biggest shows in wrestling history. Now do I have your attention? The Intercontinental (IC) title match was the top draw of the night at SummerSlam 1992. 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium in London, England to watch the British Bulldog take on his real life brother in-law, Bret Hart.

If you started watching professional wrestling after the year 2004 than you are either confused or disagree with my statement, and you should.

It was and still is one of the largest audiences ever to attend a wrestling event in the world. One of the best stories told in and out of the ring came to a head in this half hour match. It was the final contest on a stacked card that saw the WWF world title and tag titles defended earlier in the night.

Since 2004, WWE have made it clear that their World title belt(s) is what matters when a “title match” is promoted. I would like you all to grab your paper and pen, because it wasn’t always that way.

This was the final big IC title battle for Hart as he lost the belt to Bulldog. Hart had been fighting in the IC title mix for 12 months prior to this classic. He defeated Mr. Perfect for his first IC title at SummerSlam 1991.

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IC CHAMPION

DATE

Pat Patterson Ken Patera Pedro Morales Don Muraco Pedro Morales Don Muraco Tito Santana Greg Valentine Tito Santana Randy Savage Ricky Steamboat Honky Tonk Man Ultimate Warrior Rick Rude Ultimate Warrior Mr. Perfect Texas Tornado Mr. Perfect Bret Hart The Mountie Roddy Piper Bret Hart British Bulldog Shawn Michaels Marty Jannetty Shawn Michaels Razor Ramon Diesel Razor Ramon Jeff Jarrett Jeff Jarrett Razor Ramon Jeff Jarrett Shawn Michaels Dean Douglas Razor Ramon Goldust Goldust Ahmed Johnson Marc Mero Hunter H Helmsley Rocky Maivia Owen Hart Stone Cold Owen Hart Stone Cold The Rock Triple H Ken Shamrock Val Venis Road Dogg Goldust The Godfather Jeff Jarrett Edge Jeff Jarrett D-Lo Brown Jeff Jarrett Chyna Chris Jericho Chris Jericho Kurt Angle Chris Benoit Chris Jericho Chris Benoit

09/01/79 04-21-80 12/08/80 06-20-81 11-23-81 01-22-83 02/11/84 09-24-84 07/06/85 02/08/86 03-29-87 06/02/87 08-29-88 04/02/89 08-28-89 04-23-90 08-27-90 11-19-90 08-26-91 01-17-92 01-19-92 04/05/92 08-29-92 10-27-92 05-17-93 06/06/93 09-27-93 04-13-94 08-29-94 01-22-95 04-26-95 05-19-95 05-22-95 07-23-95 10-22-95 10-22-95 01-21-96 04/01/96 06-23-96 09-23-96 10-21-96 02-13-97 04-28-97 08/03/97 10/05/97 11/09/97 12/08/97 08-30-98 10/12/98 02-14-99 03-15-99 03-29-99 04/12/99 05-31-99 07-24-99 07-25-99 07-26-99 08-22-99 10-17-99 12/12/99 01-23-00 02-27-00 04/02/00 05/04/00 05/08/00

The IC title run was the perfect springboard for Hart, as in October of 1992; he won the WWF world title at a nontelevised event. This was a short title run as Hart’s first big length title run would take place in the spring of 1994. Shawn Michaels had his famous IC title ladder matches with Razor Ramon in 1994. Spring of 1996 he would win his first world title. Stone Cold Steve Austin is in the IC title hunt from 1996 in to 1997 and goes on to win his first world title in the spring of 1998. The Rock as Rocky Miavia got his first IC title in February of 1997, and would get his first world title in late 1998. Triple H won his first IC title in 1997 and then captured his first world title win in 1999.

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All of the guys I just listed have had an enormous amount of success. The success was not only because of the individual talents they possessed but because they came up the right way.

They spent time putting on great matches and selling their characters and feuds with the IC title in the mix. When HBK was fighting Razor Ramon for the IC title, it was a passionate, memorable promos and matches that at times were equal if not better than the current world title picture at the time.

The same can be said for Austin battling The Rock in 1997, Triple H battling The Rock in 1998 and many others. These guys learned to work together in the ring and earned their respect fighting over the IC title and then made a lot of money together fighting against each other in the main event at WrestleMania for the world title The trend continues but slowly starts to fall off with course as Chris Jericho and Edge being two of the last great examples in 1999 getting the IC title and progressing into the early 2000’s of being in the world title picture. While not as stable of a trend as the IC title, the United States (US) title was the last big set of feuds you had to go through to prove you could draw money before being elevated into the world title picture. The US title was apart of the NWA, which was much larger and more spread out than the McMahon’s WWF and their IC title. One of the most accomplished names ever in the NWA, Ric Flair, won the US title in 1977 and then captured his first NWA world title in 1981. The 4 years in between title runs versus the common 2 years that WWF stars commonly faced is understandable as the NWA was booked by so many different promoters in different regions and title wins were voted on by committee. Lex Luger, Sting, DDP and Goldberg are all guys who won the US title and that success led them into their respective world title pictures.

So why is it not like this anymore? Answer 1 is that both of these historic belts are in the same company. The WWE contains around 50 guys on their roster and only 30 are getting consistent television time between the two prime time cable shows. For those 30 guys that are being consistent with television, there are 2 world title belts that are of higher priority and booking significance before we even mention the IC or US titles. Over recent years those belts have had lengthy runs over not being defended at WWE’s biggest show WrestleMania or even on weekly television. Answer 2 is a continuation of the answer 1, there are too many belts. When the IC or US title used to be the 2nd biggest belt and, it is now the 4th biggest Championship depending on the current stories and feuds. All belts don’t have the importance they use to have. The world titles are subject to this as well. Times have changed. Ric Flair being a 16 time world champion is an amazing accomplishment. At one time people would have said that will never be touched. As I write this, Triple H and Edge both are in the double digits of title runs approaching Flair’s 16. This doesn’t mean Triple H and Edge aren’t great for their time, it just means that shorter title runs and frequent title changes is what happens in today’s wrestling booking.

Is there ever any going back to the way it used to be? Answer 1 It will never fully be like it used to be. Wrestling was a different spectacle and sport during the 80‘s and 90’s. Answer 2 is that we can bring some significance back. Unify the titles. Unify the world titles and have one world champion. Unify the IC and US titles and make it one mid-card championship. The legacies of the IC and US titles will always be there. You can never erase that. Today you need one world title strap for the main event picture guys to fight over and one strap for those who are trying to break through. The IC and US title used to be a trampoline that guys could bounce on a few times before gaining enough momentum and height to get to the top of the world title picture. The IC and US titles are now more like laundry. Throw a load of guys in the washer so they have something to do and hit the spin and repeat cycle. When the buzzer on that load goes off, hang them out to dry while you put a new load in the washer. Hit the spin and repeat cycle. You can watch Justin LaBar on the Chair Shot Reality video show only on Wrestlezone.com Please follow Justin at Twitter.com/JustinLaBar

IC CHAMPION

DATE

Rikishi Val Venis Chyna Eddie Guerrero Billy Gunn Chris Benoit Chris Jericho Triple H Jeff Hardy Triple H Kane Albert Lance Storm Edge Christian Edge Test Edge William Regal Rob Van Dam Eddie Guerrero Rob Van Dam Chris Benoit Rob Van Dam Chris Jericho Kane Triple H Christian Booker T Christian Rob Van Dam Rob Van Dam Chris Jericho Randy Orton Edge Chris Jericho Shelton Benjamin Carlito Ric Flair Shelton Benjamin Rob Van Dam Shelton Benjamin Johnny Nitro Jeff Hardy Johnny Nitro Jeff Hardy Umaga Santino Marella Umaga Jeff Hardy Chris Jericho Kofi Kingston Santino Marella William Regal CM Punk JBL Rey Mysterio Chris Jericho Rey Mysterio John Morrison Drew McIntyre Kofi Kingston Dolph Ziggler Kofi Kingston

06-22-00 07/06/00 08-27-00 09/03/00 11-23-00 12/10/00 01-21-01 04/05/01 04/12/01 04-16-01 05-20-01 06-28-01 07-23-01 08-19-01 09-23-01 10-21-01 11/05/01 11-18-01 01-20-02 03-17-02 04-21-02 05-27-02 07-29-02 08-25-02 09-16-02 09-30-02 10-20-02 05-18-03 07/07/03 08/10/03 09-29-03 10-27-03 10-27-03 12-14-03 07/11/04 09/12/04 10-19-04 06-21-05 09-19-05 02-20-06 04-30-06 05-15-06 06-25-06 10/02/06 11/06/06 11-13-06 02-19-07 04-16-07 07/02/07 09/03/07 03/10/08 06-29-08 08-17-08 11/10/08 01-19-09 03/09/09 04/05/09 06/07/09 06-28-09 09/04/09 12-13-09 05-23-10 08/06/10 01/07/11

ver the past year we’ve given some blessings to very worthy individuals. From those who bring their best in the ring to those who put on some fine shows, we have given them all praise. As we enter 2011, we want to heap blessings on a particular group of people, many of whom will be reading this....

the wrestling fans

2011 has not been an easy time to be a wrestling fan. TNA and WWE have both dished up large helpings of ridiculous storylines and bad booking, the ‘moments’ have been few and far between, and for those of us brought up on a diet of Stone cold Steve Austin or the Four Horsemen, the wrestling product has offered little to keep our interest. However, wrestling fans are resourceful and can always find something to maintain their dedication to the business. Those who have stuck with the WWE have passionately supported Daniel Bryan or the talented Wade Barrett alongside other young stars that have shone in 2010 such as Dolph Ziggler. While

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those who have endured TNA have revelled in the battles that the Motor City Machine Guns and Beer Money have had. Still others have ventured onto HDNet to support Ring of Honor’s product, while the likes of PWG, IPW:UK, the FWA, Chikara and Shimmer have fans passionately waving the flag for them. Then there is Japan. A dedicated section of the wrestling fan base has spent time finding solace in the action provided by those from (as Gorilla Monsoon would say) ‘the Orient’. Whether it’s All Japan, New Japan, NOAH or Dragon Gate (or one of the numerous smaller promotions such as DDT, Ice Ribbon or Osaka Pro), passionate puro fans have supported them, and have even gone so far as to travel to Japan to witness them live.

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Retro has also been a key to enjoyment in 2011. Many fans have continued to feed their passion through watching ‘old school’ wrestling. The guys at the Death Valley Driver forums have been celebrating the 1980s in grand

style, watching vast sets of 80s wrestling together and voting on their favourite bouts, while sets celebrating the Best of Nitro, 1970s Wrestling or the cream of a particular performer have become big hits across the internet community when they have surfaced on sites. Even the WWE has found retro wrestling to be a huge key in maintaining the interest of a disenfranchised demographic. Classics on Demand has been a major hit, and DVDs on the

careers of Bobby Heenan, the best of Starrcade, or the top stars of the 80s and 90s have been flying off the shelves faster than WWE can produce them! So what keeps these fans passionate? Wrestling is a love of so many that, even in times like these when its appeal is not so great, fans will find something to enjoy within it. These fans are so dedicated that they will actively seek out what they like rather than walk away forever. And it is these fans that we celebrate today. Where many have walked away, these fans stay on to fly the flag and maintain a following that will keep the wrestling industry alive regardless of how much it tries to self destruct. Wrestling needs these fans. While the majority of fans may have given up on wrestling, these fans stick with the various products available, and actively seek to maintain their love of the sport. It’s these fans we need, and it’s for this reason that I award wrestling fans their much deserved blessings.

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n a p a J in

hen it comes to American wrestling (well, specifically WWE and TNA in this case) one thing that is abundantly clear is that the content they are both presenting their championships are nowhere near as important as they once were. When you look at TNA’s product, not one viewer genuinely feels that their World Title is an important prize worth chasing. In WWE there are two heavyweight champions which automatically waters down the idea of ‘the champion’ being the best in the company. However everything I have mentioned is almost the polar opposite in Japan.

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Words JEREMY GRAVES

One half of NO LIMIT, Tetsuya Naito © Kieran Lefort

For a very long time in Japanese promotions, the heavyweight title has remained the overall goal for every member of the roster.

Contenders are not just handed a title shot after having their name drawn out of a hat or cheating to win a battle royal. They are worked up through the ranks of the promotion to get the fans acquainted to them over a prolonged period of time and when the time is right, they are granted the opportunity to have a shot at becoming the figurehead of the company. The audience at this point believes the challenger is a worthy contender because they have seen the development and evolution of this wrestler In turn this forms a unique bond with the audience that cannot be created overnight.

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Another interesting aspect of some wrestlers that become top contenders (generally competitors in the heavyweight division in this case) is the fact they have ‘graduated’ from junior heavyweight (the under 100kg weight class) to the heavyweight class. This can occur when a wrestler has proven themselves or even accomplished all they can

do and wants to test the waters of the heavyweight division. A fairly recent example being the tag team of NO LIMIT (Yujiro Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito) who left Japan in early 2008 to wrestle with TNA, then ventured down to the Mexican based promotion CMLL for the remainder of the year.

Tetsuya’s tag partner, Yujiro Takahashi © Kieran Lefort

During this time, they became big name stars and even lost their locks, losing a highly anticipated hair vs. hair match. They then returned to Japan in late December, 2008 and revealed they were going up to Heavyweight class following their excursion to CMLL. Just a few weeks later at the Tokyo Dome they became Tag Team Champions of IGWP (International Wresting Grand Prix, the title name recognised by New Japan Pro Wrestling), to fully establish themselves CONTENDORS ARE NOT JuST HANDED A TITLE AFTER in the heavyweight division. Fans were shown all the proof needed to demonstrate why they graduated from Junior heavyweight status upon returning. Obviously there are exceptions to the statement ‘the championship is the most important goal’. There always will be. There are some promotions (like Dragon Gate for example) that have a comedy title (comedy known as ‘Owari‘ in Japanese) and then there are others where titles are specifically utilized for the purpose of giving a popular

HAVING THEIR NAME DRAWN OuT OF A HAT . . . .

up and comer an opportunity with a championship. This endeavor acts as a building block for not only being a future heavyweight title contender but also attempting to establish another key element required that being a connection with the audience. A recent prime example of this audience connection with a wrestler is the Irish born Fergal ‘Prince’ Devitt, who has battled his way through numerous injuries over the years.

He is currently the biggest star of New Japan’s junior heavyweight division and has been teaming with Ryusuke Taguchi (collectively known as ‘Apollo 55’) with the two becoming the Junior Heavyweight Tag team champions on multiple occasions. This no doubt was an initial building block for the connection between the New Japan fans and Devitt to be established. Devitt has been one of the most unique international wrestlers that the audience has always had a good connection with, because of the way he presents himself in the ring. The last year in particular has undoubtedly been a standout for him. In December 2009, Devitt got to the final of the annual TenkaIchi tournament (a junior heavyweight tournament held over a few days by the Zero1 promotion) this helped propel his popularity further just a week or so before the Super J cup. This two day single elimination tournament is held by New Japan Pro Wrestling and is used to determine the next challenger for the Junior Heavyweight Championship. The tournament featured eight New Japan wrestlers and eight ‘outsiders’ (as they are sometimes referred to) from various promotions around Japan. Devitt was one of the favourites because of his outing for Zero1

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but also because of the consistent high quality of his matches. He was able to reach the final where he lost to Naomichi Marufuji (representing Pro Wrestling Noah). Naomichi Marufuji in action © Kieran Lefort

In many ways there was even more pressure on Devitt to get the win this time. This time it was not only for the championship but Devitt was also being touted as the man who everyone believed could bring the title home from the hands of Pro Wrestling Noah. In a match on par if not surpassing the first encounter only months earlier, Devitt fought his heart out and the audience recognised that fact, but still he wasn’t able to beat unquestionably, one of the best junior heavyweight wrestlers of all time. In the wake of this defeat, Devitt continued to make it clear he wanted to be the champion and he knew he could beat Marufuji. This lead to ‘The Best of the Super Junior’s tournament’ (BOTSJ for short.) A block based tournament where 16 or so wrestlers would be split into two groups and the participants of the two groups would all face each other accumulating points based on the results.

This match became a sort of ‘all or nothing’ encounter as it was up to Devitt to make sure that New Japan won this very prestigious tournament. Devitt lost, but put up so much of a fight in front of the capacity crowd at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo that in the eyes of the fans that got behind him so passionately that day, Prince Devitt was the number one Junior Heavyweight wrestler in New Japan Pro Wrestling. No one could deny that fact despite Tiger Mask being the reigning champion at the time; it was only a matter of time before Devitt would become champion.

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Fast forward a few months, Marufuji was now the junior heavyweight champion after dethroning Tiger Mask at the annual Tokyo Dome event ‘Wrestle Kingdom’. This led to a rematch of Marufuji vs. Devitt this time for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title.

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Devitt was able to qualify for final day and reached the final itself, squaring off against a man who he fought earlier in the tournament, Kota Ibushi, one of the most spectacular junior heavyweight wrestlers in the world. This was to be a dream match of epic proportions and it didn’t disappoint. Devitt managed to come out the victor and became the number one contender for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, once again leading to the third (and what would be final) encounter between him and Marufuji. By this point (including the match against Devitt) Marufuji had defended the title 5 times against the likes of Koji Kanemoto and Devitt’s tag team partner Ryusuke Taguchi. On June 19th 2010, the champion was dethroned as Prince Devitt finally became the IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion for the first time. The New Japan faithful finally saw their man capture the title that had eluded him for so long. Looking back, the main goal of this entire story was based on the importance of becoming the

Junior Heavyweight champion of New Japan Pro Wrestling. Because the titles have never been portrayed as the least important aspect of a top feud, people actually care about them.

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The Devitt, Marufuji story highlights this case working so well and in turn elevated one of New Japan’s best young wrestlers to new heights. This story perfectly encapsulates the importance of titles in Japan.

When I look at WWE and TNA I see no evidence of anything like this taking place. The closest representation I can find is in Ring of Honor with Davey Richards’ quest to become champion. He may have lost his second opportunity at ‘Final Battle’ recently but based on everything mentioned above, there is no doubt it is still possible for him to become champion. The fans will still care (and maybe more) that he will finally become the number one man in

the company down the line. Yes Davey Richards is a fantastic wrestler but, at the end of the day, the reason the fans care as much as they do is because the title he is gunning for has never been tainted. It has never been picked out at random from a selection of 4 boxes or even been found in the rubbish. The credibility of that title is important and the fans know that, which is why they care about it. I’d like to think this mentality will cross over to the WWE and TNA at some point. I believe Steve Corino stated he was once told that Japanese wrestling is generally thought to be five years ahead of American wrestling. It will be interesting to see is this thought turns out to be true. n Contact Jeremy at dkrjeremy@googlemail.com Catch Jeremy’s audio broadcast live every Sunday night at www.DropKickRadio.com

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ROuGEAu Jacques By JOHN M. MILNER

e became infamous as “The Mountie”, gained no small amount of notoriety as one half of the Quebecers and is one of the very few men to hold a pinfall victory over Hulk Hogan. On June 13th, 1960, Jacques Rougeau, Jr. was born into a wrestling family in SaintSulpice, Quebec. His father, Jacques, Sr. wrestled for 30 years and held several titles, including the International Wrestling Association and National Wrestling Federation Heavyweight and Tag Team titles. His uncle, Jean (or Johnny Rougeau as he was better known in the ring) was a wrestler and one of the top promoters in Quebec. Sister Joanne worked for WWE and promoted in Canada and brother Armand was a top wrestler in the area before a neck injury curtailed his career. When Jacques, Jr. decided to follow his family’s footsteps into the squared circle, he was trained by his father and older brother, Raymond. Raymond had been wrestling since 1971, first in Quebec and later for the NWA in Georgia.

As with many Canadian wrestlers, Jacque Jr. began his career in Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling territory in Calgary in 1977. After about three years, he made his way to the U.S., wrestling in Alabama and Tennessee. In Alabama, he battled the late Jos Leduc, another Quebec native over the Southeastern title and in Tennessee, he engaged in a major feud with Terry Taylor.

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After returning to Quebec, Jacques began teaming with his brother Raymond and the Rougeaus feuded with another “brother team” in Ronnie and Jim Garvin. In 1985, the Rougeaus were signed by the then- then-World Wrestling Federation. Initially, they worked for the WWF in Quebec before heading out on a WWF tour of Australia in 1986. They began working against teams such as the Funk Brothers, the Moondogs and the Hart Foundation before entering into a feud with the Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake). The Rougeaus and the Dream Team would face off at the WWF’s Big Event at the CNE in August 1986 (with the Rougeaus winning) and again at Wrestlemania III in March 1987 (with the Dream Team winning, but then splitting up). In subsequent matches, the Rougeaus teamed with Beefcake against Greg Valentine, manager Johnny V and fellow Quebec native Dino Bravo.

Following Wrestlemania IV, the Rougeaus began to turn heel. Coming to the ring waving tiny American flags and obviously pandering to the crowd these former fan favourites soon earned the ire of the crowds. Of course it didn’t help matters when they took on Jimmy Hart as their manager and feuded with a newly-face turned Hart Foundation. The heel Rougeaus also feuded with the Bushwackers and the Rockers before departing the World Wrestling Federation in early 1990. But while Raymond retired, Jacques would return as the Mountie. Dressed as a member of the famed Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Mountie (managed by Jimmy Hart) made his debut at the 1991 Royal Rumble, defeating Koko B. Ware. He would feud with the WWF’s other law-

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Left to right: Raymond, Armand, Jacques Sr., Jacques Jr. Courtesy the Rougeau family

enforcement officer, the Big Boss Man until losing a Jailhouse Match at SummerSlam 1991. Legal action from the real RCMP would prohibit Jacques Rougeau from portraying the Mountie in Canada. When the WWF held events in Canada, Jacques would wrestle under his own name. By 1992, the Mountie was considered a contender to the Intercontinental Championship. At an untelevised house show just days before the Royal Rumble, the Mountie defeated Bret Hart for the title. However, at the Royal Rumble itself, Roddy Piper would claim the title. After the loss, the Mountie would begin his descent down the card before departing the World Wrestling Federation in October. But he would return, once again, in 1993, teaming with Carl “Pierre” Ouellet, who Jacques had met in Puerto Rico. Together they became the Quebecers and, managed by Johnny Polo (Scott Levy, today better known as Raven), held the WWF Tag Team Championships on three occasions. The Quebecers faced teams like Men on a Mission, the Steiner Brothers, the Headshrinkers and Owen and Bret Hart. At the Montreal Forum on June 25th, 1994, Ouellet and Polo turned on Jacque after a loss

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to the Headshrinkers. Raymond made the save and Jacques challenged Ouellet in what would be billed Jacques’s retirement match in October. But while Jacques won the match, he neither retired nor quit teaming with Ouellet. The Quebecers would become known as the Amazing French Canadians in WCW in late 1996. They would also return to the WWF in 1998 and join Lance Storm’s Team Canada in WCW in 2000. During a singles match at a WCW card at Montreal’s Molson Centre in 1997, Jacques cleanly pinned Hulk Hogan. Hogan agreed to the finish because of his respect for the Rougeau family. It would be Jacques last match, but not the end of his involvement in the wrestling business. In addition to working extensively in the community, Jacques Rougeau, Jr. continues to promote and train wrestlers in Quebec and oversees the careers of three of his sons. n Contact John at jmilnerresume@gmail.com Thanks to Greg Oliver of Slam! Wrestling for supplying the photos.

Words ARI BERENSTEIN

n December 18th, 2010, there was one common and unison sound that could be heard walking down the seven flights of stairs out of the Grand Ballroom at Manhattan Center in New York City. The Ring of Honor Final Battle 2010 internet Pay Per View had just concluded and as a throng of over onethousand fans began pouring out onto the city streets, the clarion call they all sang was “Ole´!” El Generico had just exorcised the demons of the past year in Ring of Honor and his blood feud against former tag team partner Kevin Steen. The fans were blissfully happy and satisfied by all of the carnage they had just witnessed in the name of ending the feud where El Generico’s mask was put on the line against Kevin Steen’s tenure in ROH. The masked luchador had defeated his enemy and the fans were reveling in the moment by singing that famed soccer chant, all the way down 34th street and 8th avenue. Any strangers looking on would have no clue that this celebration was all in the name of one of professional wrestling’s true underdogs – a man who has to be considered one of independent wrestling’s most popular acts entering 2011. El Generico is on a hot streak for sure – having just completed the aforementioned year-long feud against Kevin Steen in ROH as well as holding the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Tag Team Championship with Paul London (wrestling as the cleverly named “Peligro Abejas!”, or “Danger Bees!”) ever since the DDT 4 tournament on May 9th, 2010. There is no better proof of the ascension of the generic one than the aftermath of the year-long feud between Generico and Kevin Steen in Ring of Honor. Generico received a tryout match with TNA the month after the end of the high profile feud. In addition, he has wrestled in major title matches on back-to-back nights at the Ring

of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla showcase events during the WrestleReunion V convention in Los Angeles, California that took place at the end of January. The importance of El Generico to both ROH and PWG has never been clearer than at this moment. El Generico has been the heart and soul of Pro Wrestling Guerilla for many years now. His endearing character is perfect for the tone and style of that promotion, which blends a quirky and humorous style with a fast-paced and action-oriented in-ring action. PWG is where he first gained extra notice and popularity among American independent wrestling fans. While his initial run in ROH in 2005 did not work out so well, at the same time Generico was only building momentum on PWG shows. He won the PWG Championship in 2007 by defeating Human Tornado, his own tag team partner. Generico became a huge face in the advertising of the promotion during that time, in which he was a fighting champion taking on all comers. Then, when Generico returned to ROH, his timely pairing with Kevin Steen clicked, leading to a near-three year run as a tandem and resulting in the pair becoming one of the promotion’s most popular fanfavorite acts. When he teamed up with Steen, they became the backbone of the Ring of Honor tag team division, ultimately realizing their potential as with their sixmonth run at the top as ROH World Tag Team Championships. They defeated the likes of The Age of the Fall, The Briscoes and The American Wolves (eventually losing the belts to them on an early episode of ROH on HDNet). What has always been remarkable among El Generico, but especially so in the past year is how he became so popular with the fans even with the limitations of the character (in that he has only ever spoken on interviews in either broken English or

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broken Spanish). He can demonstrate such a broad palette of emotions, from happiness and joy to anger, frustration or desperation, with just a few simple movements of the body (a lowered head, a fierce look in his eyes, or running around the ring like a human airplane). The fans who attend the PWG and ROH shows have bought into Generico’s character. They believe in him and over the years have become invested in his successes and failures in the ring. A wrestler being able to suspend the disbelief of the audience is perhaps the best indicator of one’s talent and ability, especially so in these “smarter” times where there is more fan awareness and internet exposure than ever before. That Generico can inspire the fans to cheer for him so vigorously and chant “Ole!” repeatedly during his matches speaks to that ability, honed and perfected through the interplay against such terrific antagonists as Steen and Corino in ROH and the likes of Chuck Taylor and The Young Bucks (a.k.a. Generation Me) in PWG. It seems clear that there is no limit to what El Generico can accomplish at this point in his independent wrestling career. El Generico is now a legitimate possibility to win the ROH World Title for the first time in his career. The year-long feud against Kevin Steen and Steve Corino did a lot to strengthen the perception of Generico as a main event player in the promotion. Actually, It is realistic that he can challenge for any promotions’ title and actually win and it would not be strange or a miscast role. The Generico and Steen split gave both the opportunity to shine in a singles role, most frequently against each other. Before that feud, Generico was a great

underdog character and someone who could help to provide a deeper undercard. El Generico had several opportunities to wrestle for the ROH World Title back in 2008, mostly against Nigel McGuinness (a.k.a. TNA’s Desmond Wolfe). These title opportunities were mostly in service of supporting the larger Steen-McGuinness feud that played out in the spring and summer of that year. However, Generico was able to inspire great crowd reaction to his efforts even when it was common sense that Generico was not winning the title during these title matches. Still, during several moments, he had fans believing that it was possible. Splitting the two wrestlers at the end of 2009 would serve to expand and develop what the fans saw in each of their personalities. El Generico’s year-long journey was to struggle with and ultimately to rebound from the betrayal, while Kevin Steen progressed further and further into the abyss. Fans witnessed many displays of El Generico’s heroism during that feud. He found the courage within himself to fight back against his former long-time tag team partner. He saved Colt Cabana from being bound and tortured during the Double Chain match at Glory By Honor IX. He made it through the embarrassment of being unmasked after that match. All of those displays of bravery galvanized the fans in support of him. They lived and die with him in that ring. It is that ability to inspire the people that Generico will brings to the fore throughout 2011.He is going to continue to make people believe that he can win against larger and more dominant opponents when all common sense dictates otherwise. El Generico is going to have the fans rocking in whatever promotions he appears in, evoking responses of cheers, joy, and a rousing round of “Ole´!” n Contact Ari at ariberenstein@gmail.com

intERviEW

SANJAY BAGGA IN A SOCIETY WHERE THE ECONOMY IS DWINDLING, ONE BRITISH WRESTLING PROMOTION IS THRIVING. LDN WRESTLING IS BRINGING ITS SHOW TO LOTS OF NEW VENUES IN 2011 AND HITS FOR ITS INTERNET SHOW, LONDON EYE, ARE INCREASING.

Sanjay (right) with Jon Ritchie and Gyles Brandreth

People can continue to expect a family product they enjoy. We won’t let the standards slip. How important is the promotion’s internet presence going to be in terms of development for the company? People want to see what’s happening and keep up to date. Our London Eye [internet TV show] is very important; it helped confirm our product as family entertainment for all ages. You have to keep up to date with modern times or you fall behind.

TWP’s David Bridson recently had the chance to talk LDN Wrestling’s owner Sanjay Bagga about the growth of the company and the future of the promotion in 2011. Sanjay, 2010 was a great year for LDN Wrestling, how happy are you with the growth of the company? It’s going really well; we now have 100 to 150 shows a year. I believe in building a business up brick by brick, it’s going exactly how I wanted it to. I have a dedicated team of wrestlers, you won’t see my set of wrestlers anywhere else in the country, What can LDN Wrestling fans expect in 2011? The quality of the shows is always going to improve. There will be a lot of high drama.

SPONSORSHIP The Wrestling Press recently stamped their mark on LDN Wrestling with a logo imprint on the official LDN ring turnbuckles

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You helped bring LDN Capital TV to the now defunct Wrestling Channel. Though its demise hasn’t harmed LDN, would you like to see that station return? There were shows on there that were 30 to 40 years old still outdrawing the likes of TNA. It benefitted British wrestling; it did my business the world of good. Wrestling has been in your blood since an early age. You watched World of Sport and the then World Wrestling Federation shows as a youngster and attended WWF Summerslam 1992 at Wembley, how important is the wrestling business to you personally? I love the wrestling business. Wrestling is my full time income. I’m proud to say I’m involved in the wrestling business. You got your start in the industry in 2002 as a regional promoter for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance, are there any elements of British Wrestling that you would like to change? If I could change one thing in British wrestling I would get rid of the conmen and fictitious wrestling councils not run by governing bodies. They come up with different things to con young people. Several years ago, you started attending the annual British Wrestling Reunions. Last year you won an award for making the most impact on British wrestling. How did that feel to you?

It’s very, very important for me to go to the reunions. Frank Rimer and Jon Ritchie told me to attend. I didn’t know what to expect, I learned a lot there. There has been a generation gap in British wrestling. There needs to be that link between the old and the new.

I want to be having 200 to 250 shows a year. It would be great to be hosting the most shows in Europe. All Star Wrestling has been going really well, Brian Dixon has the Butlins holiday camps but if you took those away we’re neck and neck.

You are proud to have two LDN academies at Totteridge and Romford. Wrestlers like Adam Lee Travis and Hakan, who began training with LDN four years ago, are now stars with name value. This must help the reputation of LDN Wrestling immensely? It’s nice and warming to see young adults coming and developing. People have developed into such fine athletes.

What do you think the future holds for yourself and for LDN Wrestling? We’re continuing to put on more shows and have continued to work hard. We have a tour coming up in May, the dates for that will be released on our website.

n Contact David at davebrid@hotmail.com

Used with permission from LDNwrestling.com

So do you think LDN Wrestling can continue and maybe add new shows in the next few years?

You can keep up to date with LDN Wrestling at ldnwrestling.com or visit their youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/LDNWrestling to watch the latest London eye show.

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Words DARREN WOOD Photos SARAH BARRACLOUGH

BRITANI

A FAMILY AFFAIR Thoughout the history of professional wrestling there have been many great wrestling families from the Harts to the Von Erich’s, these families have left a lasting legacy on the wrestling business.... In British wrestling there is no doubt that one family has had a lasting impact for many decades and that imprint on on British wrestling history looks set to continue as 18 year old Britani Knight is whipping up a storm both here in the UK and throughout Europe.

WAW has proven to be one of the longestrunning and most respected of UK wrestling companies and has been a training ground for the likes of Knight’s own sons The Zebra Kid and Zak Zodiac plus one of the most impressive workers in the UK, Sam Slam.

Used with permission from EVEwrestling.com

Knight, 18 is the sister of UK mainstay the Zebra Kid and Zak Zodiac, she is also the daughter of “Rowdy” Ricky Knight and his wife

Sweet Saraya, and in 1993 they both formed their own promotion, World Association of Wrestling (WAW).

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Britani and Saraya in action against the likes of Babylove, Jetta and Amazon.

Knight, who hails from Norwich and is known as “The Norfolk Doll” has been involved in wrestling since she started training with her father at just 13. She has already been wrestling for more than 5 five years and gained a lot of experience since making what she describes as a reluctant debut into wrestling. “I didn’t want to wrestle at all”, states Knight. “The only reason I got into it was because my father was short of a girl in a girls match. I had a tiny bit of experience because my brother would show me a few things in lunch break at training schools. “To be honest I probably wouldn’t have gotten into wrestling if I hadn’t been born into a wrestling family, I wouldn’t have been brought up watching wrestling. But I was lucky enough to be born in the world of wrestling and I couldn’t imagine it any other way.”

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Looking back at her first match, Knight recalls her feelings heading into her first contest at the tender age of 13. “I was so nervous. My Adrenaline was pumping so much and I was scared but kind of excited. You don’t need drugs when becoming a wrestler, walking out those curtains gave me the biggest high ever. “After that match I was hooked, I was proud of myself, because it takes allot of guts to do what we do. From that moment I never missed training, never missed a show.” Knight acknowledges that there was a lot of pressure on her to succeed when she started training. She states that the biggest piece of advice her mother and father gave her was to keep her feet firmly on the ground because the business can make you or break you.

“

“My parents have always been very supportive of me, they would support me in any profession but they were damn supportive of me starting wrestling.

“They were happy their little girl was doing what they loved. My parents pushed me harder than any other trainee because they wanted the best outcome for me.”

“Rowdy” Ricky Knight put her and a fellow trainee wrestler Melodi together to form the Norfolk Dolls tag team. Knight saw the two become inseparable while they were both training to be wrestlers and he thought the two would look good together, The Dolls showed promise until Melodi retired from in ring action.

“I thought it went really good, got awesome feedback but thats all Im gonna say. “I have learned a lot in the past 5 years since my debut, you never stop learning. I’ve gone abroad wrestling a lot so I’ve learned different styles over the years. I’ve become more confident. More independent and It’s made me a better person. “I would love to make it to America and hopefully one day I will.” n Contact: Darren at dtwooduk@hotmail.com n Photos: Sarah Barraclough www.britishwrestlingpictures.com

“It felt right tagging with her because we both had different styles in how we wrestle and combined it just made us an unbeatable tag team. We were also best friends so we knew exactly what each other’s thinking and so it worked. “When she retired I thought that was my career over too, without her I thought nobody was going to want me because they had only ever seen me with Melodi. “After I got into the swing of being a singles wrestler, her retiring was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. “I came out of my shell, I learnt more, I travelled more and now I can’t even imagine having a tag partner. She’s made her return now, but I think we better off separate.” In November 2010, Knight received a WWE try out match in London; she was scouted by someone from WWE during a Real Deal Wrestling event. “I just got told there was a chance and even then I thought I was gonna pee myself. When I got the call to be there I wanted to scream the place down. Was very excited and very nervous, especially driving up to the arena, you know its the make or break decision.

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TO COMING HAMP IS

THE UK

Adam

C CZW JR

e l o C intERviEW

Words ANDREW DIXON Photo © czwrestling.com

www.t

ombat Zone Wrestling star Adam Cole has been on the rise ever since winning his CZW World Jr Heavyweight Championship on May 8th 2010 at CZW Fist Fight in a compelling three way dance against Sabian and Ruckus on iPPV. He has been on an unstoppable path since then, defeating every opponent put in front of him. This month at 1PW – The New Dawn, he’ll be defending his title against the uK’s own Joey Hayes. Adam was kind enough to speak with TWP about his upcoming defence!

HELLO ADAM, THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO TALK WITH US. 4 In February, you will be in the UK defending your coveted CZW World Jr Heavyweight Championship, will this be your first time in the UK?

who inspired you to become who you are today? Well I got into wrestling when I was 10 years old. I got a copy of WrestleMania 15 and watched Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock do battle in Philadelphia, and I have been a life-long fan ever since. But what really made me want to be a wrestler, was actually Rock v Austin 2 at WrestleMania 17 in Houston. Lots of people talk about how they get goosebumps listening to music or watching a great scene in a movie, well I never had that, but when I watched Austin make his entrance into the Houston Astrodome, it hit me, 67,000 people came unglued, I got goosebumps all over my body. At that very moment, I knew that I NEEDED to do this for the rest of my life.

Used with permission from czwrestling.com

This will be my very first time wrestling in the UK, and I am very excited for it. To be honest, a lot of guys talk about Japan as their big place to go and as much as I would like to go there and pretty much anywhere else where I can learn and better myself, England has always been at the top of the list for me. Just the amount of history there, and all the guys who have done tours across the pond and the amount of talent that is currently there has me very excited for the tour.

4What got you hooked into the business and

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RELATED LINKS: WWW.ONEPROWRESTLING.COM / WWW.CZWRESTLING.COM

As far as inspirations go, Steve Austin is obviously in my list of guys who inspired me to want to become a wrestler. Kurt Angle is another guy who made me fall in love with the business too. Just the guys conditioning and athleticism had me mesmerised, and still does to this day. Shawn Michaels though is probably my biggest inspiration, and the guy that I do try to emulate at times. He’s just the best ever.

4Let’s talk about One Pro Wrestling (1PW), What have you seen from 1PW? What do you think of them as a promotion? I’ve heard a lot of things about 1PW, and they have all been good. They are no doubt one of the premier promotions in the UK, so it was natural for me to want to work for them. They have such a good reputation, and I’m very excited that they’re having me over. Hopefully this isn’t the last time!

4Your opponent, Joey Hayes, is not going to be a pushover. He’s consistently been ranked in the top 10 UK wrestlers by fans over here for the past 3 years and his dangerous Teenage Kick has finished many an opponent. Have you studied him at all and do you have any words for him ahead of your title defence? I’ve studied Joey Hayes quite a bit and the guy is extremely talented from what I have seen and heard. Funny thing is, his Teenage Kick and my Corona Kick are very similar in their execution, so that is an interesting dynamic. He has put many away with his kick, and I’ve put many away with mine. I really look forward to the match, as he clearly is a worthy competitor. However, if Joey thinks for one second that he’s going to take away MY CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship, he is dead wrong. My 8 month reign as champion is just getting started, and I will not be up-staged in my UK debut. I have beaten countless stars in the US, I’ve successfully defended my title in Germany against Zack Sabre Jr and no-one has managed to stop me. Joey Hayes will be another guy added to my list, and I will continue my reign as WORLD Junior Champion for the Combat Zone. 58

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4Aside from Joey, which guys from the 1PW roster would you like to compete against and why? The entire roster at 1PW is the best of the best in the UK, so I would love to face all of them. To be honest, anyone at all who wants a shot at my championship can get it, because I love the challenge. But everyone better realise that my grip on this beautiful title isn’t being loosened any time soon.

4Due to your impressive run in CZW and your time in ROH so far, you’ve gained many fans not just in America, but also worldwide. Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans here in the UK? The support of my fans means a lot to me. When you do something that you love and have people that support you, it really is priceless. For those that come check me out when I’m on tour, I can promise you that I will give you my absolute best, and your continued support is just another reason why I love to do what I do.

4For fans who haven’t seen you in the ring, how about you describe yourself and explain what fans can expect to see from you? I’m a guy that does a little bit of everything. I can fly, I can wrestle on the mat, I can brawl, and I will do whatever I can to win. What I can promise is that there is no second gear with me. I always push myself to the limit. The UK fans want to see great wrestling, and they deserve that. So that is exactly what they will get when you pay money to watch me wrestle.

4Finally, I’d like to ask, what does the future hold for Adam Cole? Where do you see yourself 12 months from now? I have always set my goals very high when it comes to pro wrestling. I want to be the best at what I do, as do many that compete in the world of pro wrestling. I see myself expanding more overseas, and just continuing to learn and grow as a wrestler. I’m enjoying the journey that I’m on, and I hope the fans of pro wrestling take the ride with me. n Contact Andrew at andrew.dixon_1990@yahoo.co.uk

his interview was originally conducted in the German language by Markus Eisenkolb for www.wrestlingfever.de and translated for TWP by David Schmida. Introduction by David Schmida

He is twenty years old and the son of Axel Dieter, known as the most successful German pro wrestler after the Second World War. Axel Dieter Jr., born as Marcel Barthel, is about to finish his third year as a pro wrestler and has high hopes resting on his shoulders. Hello Marcel, great that you’re taking the time for www.wrestlingfever.de. How are you? Hello Markus, thank you, I’m well and I’m looking forward to doing the interview. You probably took on your father’s name to honor him. Today’s fans don’t necessarily know him so tell us a little bit about him. My father was a pro wrestler for 33 years and fought all over the globe. He wrestled against

many of the big names of the past like Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart or Dynamite Kid just to name a few. He is known as the most successful German pro wrestler after the Second World War, and to this day, with 76 years of age, he trains every day. He always had one priority in his life, one thing that was more important than anything else. It explains his five marriages for example. This one thing, as he would say, is pro wrestling. He can look back at a great life already, although he still has a lot to come. He can say that he was able to fulfill his dreams through pro wrestling. If anyone asked me what I wanted to reach, I’d answer that that’s the exact thing I would want to do: to fulfill my dreams through pro wrestling. This is one of the reasons why I have all the respect in the world for my father.

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How obvious was it for you to step in the ring yourself and when did you discover your love for the sport? Of course it was always quite obvious. When I was four or five years old I watched my father’s tapes. My TV hero of that time was Hulk Hogan and whenever I could get tapes or if wrestling was on TV I watched it. It was somehow obvious that I’d become a wrestler myself. Absolute highlights where the times my father took me with him to the events and backstage, where I could talk to all the other wrestlers. Years later, on detours, I got to take actual wrestling training. It is what I always wanted to do, also because of my father. That’s why I admire people who love the sport although they have no background in the family or elsewhere. There’s no feeling that can be compared to being in the ring. When I was a child, I imagined that one day I would stand in that ring. Although it was a child’s dream at that time, that’s what happened and I’m thankful for that. I’m going to do it as long as I can.

was great and among other things I was able to become Northern German Champion. But it wasn’t what I really wanted to do. I always liked to wrestle. My father taught me several amateur wrestling holds and we used to train on a regular basis. At the age of fifteen I joined an amateur wrestling club and trained there for two and a half years until I was allowed to participate in pro wrestling training. I’m very thankful for the fact that I could train a couple of months with Christian “Ecki” Eckstein. At some point I had plans to move to Hamburg so I visited Karsten Kretschmer’s Nordisch Fightclub (NFC) and trained there for another year. I had my debut against Da Mack at the NFC. Of course my father taught me new holds and techniques as well. The training was very hard. Especially in the beginning, of course, because you strain body parts which are not naturally prepared to take bumps and strokes. Among other parts, the neck and the back have Axel and Da Mack in action as the high flying tag team ‘Hot & Spicy’ © gsw-wrestling.de

You have been wrestling as a pro since 2008 and you are only twenty years old. However, you have been training much longer. If I’m informed correctly you started at the age of thirteen. When I was nine I started boxing, which I continued doing until I was fourteen. Boxing

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“

As a team Da Mack and I harmonize perfectly. We have good chemistry and our styles are complementary.

to be trained. Also in the gym I still have so much to do, but I’m working on it and I’m getting ahead. Do get compared with your father? Are there similarities? There are certainly a few things. Of course the love for wrestling is our biggest similarity. That’s what pushes me to get better. It’s like Michael Kovac, one of the best wrestlers in Europe, says it: “Wrestling is a lifestyle“. It’s true and it’s the reason why this big similarity is part of both of our lives. My father is very ambitious. Of course there are always people who say that wrestling is not what you are going to do: “Wrestler? You won’t make it anyway“. That’s why I’d say that I have the ambition from my father although I’ve only just begun. We also have skinny thighs in common. (laughs) Were there any prejudices against you since your father

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was such a legend in the ring? How do you manage to deal with the fact that you’re being compared and confronted with that? Of course, I really thought about it a lot. My goal is not to be better than my father, which I think is not possible anyway. I’ll have a different career in a different time of wrestling. Although I wish that some of the things would return. I’m very proud of my father but I’m also another person who has his own style and his own opinions, I’m not Axel Dieter

II. I’m Axel Dieter Jr., who would like to follow in his father’s footsteps with his own style. And I was pretty successful in doing that for the last two and half years. When someone compares me to my father though it makes very proud of course and I’m honored to carry on his name. Meanwhile you already work as Karsten Kretschmer’s

(Axel Dieter Jr’s trainer) co-trainer. How much do you enjoy the trust of your trainer? I train the kids in amateur wrestling, which is a lot of fun. It’s great to see how strong some of them already are. Besides, there are fewer and fewer amateur wrestling clubs today. Amateur wrestling is great for the kids. Many move on to the advanced groups, where Karsten Kretschmer teaches them the first pro wrestling holds and techniques. Besides, it’s good to refresh your repertoire of holds time and time again. Of course the kids follow all the events as well but they have to learn everything from zero. Is it true that your father visits the NFC sometimes and that even today he gives tips to Karsten Kretschmer who subsequently follows them? He visits the events and checks how the “new ones” are doing. He also approaches the ring to give tips and pieces of

advice. He told me a lot about the history of wrestling, the legends and memories. For him it’s great too, to be at the events and have a chat with colleagues, older fans or the students. If you stepped in the ring around the globe for such a long time you could never let go. Wrestling is like a drug, but it’s a good one. What’s the difference between Karsten Kretschmer and Christian Eckstein regarding their training? They are very different persons, not only in the ring. Both are very tough when it comes to coaching, since the two have been influenced by the traditional school. Both of them are great wrestlers. It’s hard to point out the differences, I enjoyed being trained by both of them and I learned very much from both of them. But I also had to endure a lot, which is simply part of the whole process if you want to get in the ring. On a personal level I had more to do with Karsten because he helped me especially in the beginning – not only in the ring but also in my private life. © gsw-wrestling.de

Before you started to wrestle professionally, you acted as a referee. Was that your entry into pro wrestling and who trained you on that? I was allowed to referee a few bouts. Christian Eckstein made that possible. Of course, at that time it was amazing. Christian was very fair and gave me the chance to be in the ring with absolute veterans. I even got paid, which I didn’t expect. The time with Christian was great. At that time Leon van Gasteren (established wrestler) visited and trained with us. As a child you watch these

guys at the parade and in the match for years and years and suddenly you stand in the ring with them. It was a tremendous experience. Already then I was able get an insight into the wrestling business. Besides in Germany, you also wrestled, for instance, in Denmark. Are there other countries where you’d like to wrestle, an opponent you would really like to face or promoters you would like to work for? There are several. I want to visit as many countries as possible. I really want to go to England. I’m a big fan of the British wrestling style. Of course going to countries like Japan or America is a dream which every wrestler wants to come true. There are also many dream opponents of course. Kurt Angle for example is, in my opinion, still one of the best. I watched many of his matches and I have all the respect in the world for him. But there are also many great wrestlers in Europe with whom I’ve never stepped in the ring with, such as Michael Kovac, Robbie Brookside and many more. I hope I can get in the ring with those guys as soon as possible. Since you’ve been part of the wrestling business for a few years now you can surely tell some road stories. There are a couple but most of them I can’t tell here. But I remember an event where Karsten Kretschmer faced Damon Brix. The bout was the main event and many watched the fight from backstage. The show took place at a small club www.thewrestlingpress.com

and the ceiling was so low you could barely stand outstretched on the second rope. Anyway, Brix body slammed Kretschmer and jumped up in the air for a leg drop. Even before he jumped you could see that the ring was broken and a good third of the ring wasn’t useable anymore because there was a big hole in it. In addition to that, Brix ripped a plastic casing off the ceiling because he jumped so high. Brix and the plastic casing fell down on Kretschmer and the ring sagged dangerously. The bout was finished without any significant injuries but the ceiling and the ring were heavily damaged.

Used with permission from GSW-wrestling.de

You’ve had many hard fought matches with Da Mack. Nevertheless he and you wrestle most of the time as a tag team. Do you prefer to wrestle as a singles wrestler or as part of a team? How do you like German Stampede

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Wrestling (GSW) now that they’re back promoting? GSW is a great organization and everyone puts a lot of hope and effort into it. Da Mack and I are very happy to be part of it. GSW “Courage” (biweekly internet program) is a good step in the right direction and a strong product. I think it’s important that wrestling attracts public attention again. After all, this way a German wrestling product is available online on a regular basis and can be watched all over the globe. In general I think there are too many promoters who work unprofessionally, put badly trained wrestlers in the ring and therefore damage the already damaged reputation even more. That’s why, besides a couple of other promoters, it’s good that GSW puts together professional events. As a team Da Mack and I harmonize

perfectly. We have good chemistry and our styles are complementary. I’ve known him since I started training at the NFC. I had my first match against him and I had bouts with him as my partner. I know that he’s the only one who loves this as much as I do and who has this dream - to just leave everything behind to wrestle and travel from town to town if the chance arises. I think that’s the goal, not necessarily to wrestle as part of the mainstream in America, although it would be great, but being able to make a good living with wrestling. I admire every wrestler who’s able to do that. Is there anything you would like to try in the ring, a gimmick match or something similar? To be honest, I’m a big fan of traditional wrestling. Of course I watch independent wrestling, but I especially like watching old tapes from the Catch Wrestling Association (CWA), World of Sports or Japan. I think first you should be able to wrestle a really good singles match before wrestling matches involving ladders, tables, cages or other things. Everyone can hit someone with a chair but you should be able to wrestle a very good twenty minute singles match before bothering about those things. If it comes to a gimmick match though, then that’s the way it is. I’m not even three full years in this and have to learn a lot. So I don’t really think about gimmick matches and try to give it all in every match. Are there any other sports you have a talent for, like boxing? What about MMA, do you follow it, do you have favorites? I follow everything a little bit, from boxing to MMA. I’m very interested in shoot wrestling and grappling in general. I catch some UFC here and there and watch every other fight. Personally I like the former amateur wrestlers Tito Ortiz or Randy Couture, the Ortiz vs. Shamrock feud was very interesting. Apart from that they obviously have great athletes like Wanderlei Silva, George St. Pierre etc. but I actually prefer watching wrestling. (laughs) You’ve wrestled against many greats of the European scene like Steve Douglas, Karsten

Kretschmer and more. Do you already have one or more favorite matches? Honestly, there’s no match I’m really satisfied with because there is always a move, hold or something else that needs improvement. And until that favorite match comes, some time will go by. Like I said I still have to learn very much. I think I’m on a good path and I want to continue going it as well as possible. You can’t please everyone and apparently you affect people you know differently than people you don’t know. So far I was fortunate to get in the ring with some very good wrestlers and I hope that many will follow so I can continue progressing. There are so many small but important things that are needed to have a good match. But I have time. You surely follow TNA and/or WWE. Which, in your opinion, is the better product at the moment and do you have favorites? I don’t watch WWE anymore and I only hear a few things here and there. I watched a lot during the Attitude Era but now it’s a product for children. I prefer to watch TNA because they offer better wrestling. TNA has great talents in general. AJ Styles is one of the best all-rounder, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin are one of the best, if not the best, tag team of the world, Kurt Angle is, in my opinion, the best wrestler. I had

the honor to meet Angle at a TNA show in Hannover (Germany), which was a great experience. I always found him very entertaining whether as heel or as face and in the ring he’s top class. Although I haven’t talked to him that long, I bet he’s a wrestling genius. Generally, TNA has many more talented guys and I’m eager to see how the company evolves over the years. Would you like to say something to the fans, the readers? Wrestling fans, keep supporting wrestling, go to the shows and have fun. See you at the next show. n ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF GSW-WRESTLING.DE

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JuST THE TONIC FOR SICK CHILDREN IN MICHOACAN, MEXICO....

n December 4th Dark Kitty of AAA and the independent wrestlers of Michoacan got together to visit the hospitalised children in Hospital General de Zamora. Dark Kitty in the name of AAA presented a small present to each of the hospitalised

children and the wrestlers talked with the patients of the hospital. Joining Dark Kitty were Guerrero Universal, Mini Tauro, Ultimo Legionario, Asesino, and Principe Aereo. The idea of visiting the hospital was to bring the patients a small amount of happiness and to show them that the wrestlers were there to visit and to support them for a rapid recovery. Not only was the visit for the patients but also the wrestlers took the time to visit with worried families at the hospital, attempting to give them a few moments away from all the worriment they were having about their loved

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ones. Just taking a few minutes was enough to bring big smiles to both the patients as well as the families, that is what being a professional is all about. Along with bringing the families a smile the wrestlers continued outside the hospital to talk with people and were more than happy to sign autographs and pose for photographs. Not only did this day make a small difference for the children who were sick, and for their families, it also made the blood pump freely in the wrestlers who dedicated their time to these wonderful children and their families. After the visit to the hospital it was off to Tangancicuaro Michoacan to the opening of the Dark Kitty School of Wrestling which will be a school for beginner wrestlers. Dark Kitty gave the opening statements and presented an online international news article she wrote

about Guerrero Universal in The Wrestling Press. Along with President Polo Chรกvez Arciniega and Regidor of Sports Sr. Cruz Soto assisted in the cutting of the ribbon to officially open the first school of wrestling in Tangancicuaro Michoacan. Dark Kitty explained that wrestling is not a violent sport but is completely opposite; it gives the person more self esteem and self confidence. This school being for beginners as they advance will be directed to larger schools such as the one owned by Guerrero Universal in La Piedad Michoacan and to Gran Apache of Mexico City. Dark Kitty would like to say special thanks to all the people who attended the opening ceremonies as well as C B T V for recording the event. Contact information can be made by visiting the school, email Medianoche@corp.paltalk.com

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UFC 129 preview

Words: MATT SINGH

fter a number of years of being apathetic to running a dome/stadium show, in late 2010 it was confirmed by UFC president Dana White that for the first time in UFC history (both under first owners SEG and Zuffa) that the company will stage a major pay-per-view at a massive stadium.

It wasn’t until early/mid 2010 that the issue of running a huge stadium reared its head, as White seemed as defiant as ever in shutting down any chance of booking a 50,000-plus

UFC 129, will take place at Rogers Stadium (formerly the SkyDome) in Toronto, Ontario Canada, and is set to be headlined by Canadian Georges St Pierre defending his welterweight title against number one contender Jake Shields. While UFC business eclipsed WWE in 2006, UFC president White has been reluctant since that time to book a pay-show in a dome/stadium as he believes, amongst other things, that the Octagon looks tiny in the setting of a huge building. A minor reason, many would say, but that was one of the main issues that prevented fans from witnessing a sight that until now had only been reserved for Pride FC fans. During its peak years, Pride would book the 37000 seat stadium a handful of times a year to stage the companies’ annual Grand Prix events and regularly fill the stadium to capacity. When the UFC overtook Pride as the world’s top MMA company (also in 2006) many assumed a mega-attendance event at a massive building would be a certainty in the immediate future, but everyone was surprised and somewhat disappointed as time passed that Zuffa didn’t make any moves to book a dome/stadium.

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seat venue. So in late 2010, it came as a (pleasant) surprise when it was rumoured and quickly confirmed that the UFC would in fact hold a major pay-event at Rogers Stadium.

tHE FiGHt-BOOKinG sO FAR With MMA being legalised in the province of Ontario in August 2010, it was a natural choice to pick Roger Stadium due to the large MMA fan base in both the Ontario area and Canada in general. It was also a natural and obvious choice to pick Georges St Pierre to headline the show defending his welterweight championship, and with him winning his UFC debut against Martin Kampmann in October, Jake Shields was confirmed as GSP’s opponent and number one welterweight contender.

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Another fight which was set to comain event the show was Cain Velasquez defending the UFC heavyweight title for the time against number one contender Junior Dos Santos. However in December 2010 it emerged that Velasquez has suffered a torn rotator cuff in his title-winning fight with Brock Lesnar, and would therefore be sidelined for around six-to-eight months. With Velasquez/JDS out off the show, the UFC scrambled to book another co-main event, and knew they needed a huge match to compensate for the fact that two title fights wouldn’t be on the show after all.

In last week of 2010, murmurings abounded that UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture would face former champion Lyoto Machida in a light heavyweight comain event tilt. During the UFC 125 post-fight press conference, it was announced by the Lyoto Machida company that © Jim Moon Couture/Machida was in the works, and that while contracts had yet to be signed the fight is essentially a definite for the show. Interestingly, just a number of days before rumblings of Couture versus Machida surfaced; Couture announced his

retirement via Twitter due to the UFC not offering him any interesting fights. That was remedied when the company offered him former light heavyweight champion Machida in the co-main event of the biggest-attendance show in UFC history. Couture has also mentioned the notion of fighting light heavyweight champion Mauricio Rua in a non-title fight, however with Rua defending his title against Rashad Evans in March; the possibility of that happening is very slim indeed. Ironically, the replacement fight of Couture/Machida may very well up end being a bigger draw than Velasquez/JDS, despite the fact that the latter would’ve been for the UFC heavyweight title, as Couture and Machida are probably (slightly) bigger names and draws than Velasquez and JDS. In the first week of 2011, three other rumoured fights surfaced; Canadian Mark Bocek versus former WEC lightweight champion Ben Henderson. In what could very well be a ‘Fight of the Night’ candidate, this fight will likely be on the main card due to Bocek Ben Henderson being a fairly well© Zekerags known Canadian fighter, as well as the UFC wanting to push and establish the former WEC headline guys which Henderson was due to him being a former WEC lightweight title holder. With an MMA record of 12-2, Henderson is coming off only his second MMA loss to Antony Pettis on the final ever WEC show last December. With a similar MMA record of 9-3, Bocek is one of the UFC lightweight division’s mainstays having been with the UFC for three and a half years, with 155lbs division wins over the likes of Alvin Robinson (UFC 91, via rear naked choke tap-out), Joe

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Brammer (Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale, via rear naked choke tap-out) and in his latest fight, Dustin Hazlelett (at UFC 124, via triangle armbar tap-out). With two ‘Submission of the Night’ bonuses in his last three fights, BJJ black belt Bocek is clearly as good on the ground as any in the lightweight division, and will have the advantage in this particular fight as opponent Henderson is a few steps behind in regards to the ground game, having a BJJ brown belt.

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Both are excellent standing due to Bocek being a black belt in Kempo, and Henderson being similarly graded in Taekwondo, so a stand-up war isn’t out of the question. The winner of Bocek/Henderson will doubtless move to the top-five of the UFC lightweight division and may eventually receive a titleelimination/contenders shot sometime later in the year.

Fast-rising light heavyweight prospect Phil Davis has been booked to face one of the most high-profile 205lbs fighters in the UFC, Matt Hamill at UFC 129. Davis is currently undefeated in his career at 8-0 and riding high thanks to four Octagon wins, two via decision (against Brian Stann and Rodney Wallace) and two stoppage wins over Alexander Gustafsson ( via anaconda choke) and most recently over tough and durable Tim Boetsch (via Hammerlock tap-out). 26 year old NCAA Div.1 wrestler Davis has more light heavyweight division than anyone other than Jon Jones, however his opponent at UFC 129 Matt Hamill is also currently surging towards a UFC light heavyweight title shot with five wins on the bounce (including the Jon Jones DQ win, and in his last fight got the biggest win of his career beating former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz via decision on one of the biggest MMA shows of the year, UFC 121, last October. Aside from the wins over Jones and Ortiz, Hamill has recent wins over recognised namefighters like Tim Boetsch and Keith Jardine, and having been with the organisation for over four and a half years, it’s clear the UFC wants to build Deaflympics 2001 freestyle wrestling gold medallist for a light heavyweight title shot. Like Bocek/Henderson, a win for either Hamill or Davis may at least result in a slot further up the card next time out, but more likely a convicting win for Hamill see him get a title-contender fight next, whereas a win for Davis will continue to the hype train and will probably result in him being booked against another big-name 205lbs fighter in his next match.

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In a battle of Canadian versus Brit, Rory MacDonald and James Wilks will fight at UFC 129 in welterweight division. Both MacDonald and Wilks are coming off losses, MacDonald’s to Carlos Condit via TKO from strikes and Wilks’ to another Canadian Claude Patrick via decision at UFC 120, so both fighters will be looking to avoid attaining a two-fight lose-streak which is never good news in the UFC. In what

may or may not turn into a advantage, there is an eleven-year age gap between these fighters, as MacDonald is just 21 years of age whereas Wilks is 32, whether or not that means anything can only be determined in the actual fight itself. Brit Wilks would appear James Wilks to be the more well© Paralympiakos rounded fighter with a black belt in Taekwondo and brown belt in BJJ, however with all of his ten wins coming via either TKO/KO or submission MacDonald has shown an ability to match opponents either standing or on the ground. A win for Wilks is essentially vital, as a loss would take his UFC record to 2-3, whereas a loss would of course be a negative thing for MacDonald, however a loss to Wilks would only take his overall MMA record to 10-2, although even then that would be a bad situation for Canadian MacDonald as his UFC record however would then lay at 1-2. Expect the winner of this one to continue a rise up the UFC light heavyweight division top-ten.

tHE imPLicAtiOns OF A succEssFuLLY dOmE/stAdium sHOW In early January, word spread that the UFC was only going to release around 30,000 seats (and thus tickets) for the event, which would only be around half the capacity of Rogers Center. However that notion was quickly dismissed by many as the UFC ‘playing it safe’ just in case their ability to draw a full 60,000-plus fails.

Additionally, fans will have the chance to enjoy the UFC Fan Expo in the few days before UFC 129, with the Expo taking place at the 20,000 capacity Direct Energy Center. UFC 129 will likely be a smash success for the UFC, and surely after this event it can’t be long before the company books another huge Dome show, with the 65,000-seat Cowboys Stadium in Texas a prime target for the UFC, as the venue has hosted numerous boxing events. Cowboys Stadium is actually being generally talked about/suggested as the next location for a UFC mega-attendance event by people within UFC itself, and most in the company are aware that Cowboys Stadium will likely be the next target. In regards to UFC 125 at Rogers Center, with the probable significant financial success of the show, it will send a message to anyone in the state of New York that’s hostile to the UFC (such as famous/infamous NY assemblyman Bob Reilly) that MMA and the UFC is a huge, new dynamite sport that can command/draw a huge live audience and help boost the local economy. n Contact Matt at mattsingh33@gmail.com

PHOtOGRAPHERs: Do you attend live wrestling & MMA events on a regular basis? If so, we want your photos. If you have a library of high quality event photos and would like your work published in TWP, please get in touch at ed@thewrestlingpress.com

UFC 129 was set to be the first UFC show to feature two title fight on the card, and no doubt without the Velasquez/JDS heavyweight title fight, the atmosphere of the show will probably take a hit, however with something of a dream fight between Couture and Machida replacing it, the show should go untroubled by fandiscontent.

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DVD

WWE – Bobby Heenan Discs: 2 // 4 hrs 39 mins // Region 2 // Release: 14 Feb // £24.99 One of the most anticipated WWE DVD releases in the past year, The Bobby Heenan Collection chronicles the career of one of the greatest managers of all time. Heenan is a Hall of Famer who entertained millions of fans for over thirty years and it’s fair to say that this two disk set had a lot of potential with the wealth of material available in his 30 year career. Unfortunately this title doesn’t quite make the grade. Heenan has had an incredible career. He’s been involved in the business for what seems like forever. This is a man who managed some of the top names in the wrestling business from Nick Bockwinkel to Ric Flair, Heenan managed them all. With the documentary having a run time of just 50 minutes, this feels more like an outline rather than a full-fledged look at the man’s life. It is without a doubt that new fans will get the sense of his significance but they will never truly get to know who the man is. Unfortunately, Heenan’s lack of involvement hurt what could have been one of WWE’s best DVD documentaries. Recent health problems have obviously played a part, which is a shame as it

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would have been good to hear about his career from the man himself. Without a doubt the major positive of the documentary is his interactions with Gorilla Monsoon both in the studio and on commentary. These two just had such chemistry whenever they were put together and their friendship really shone through the screen. There are very few new interviews on the disc and oddly enough Dolph Ziggler is the most prominent current WWE talent that is interviewed. Surely couldn’t other WWE talent talk about Heenan? Due to the short runtime almost everything is glossed over and nothing is explained in great detail. His 6 year WCW stint gets only a 3-4 minute mention which was disappointing. There are quite a few good things in the extras on this 2-Disc DVD. Sadly some are stuff that has already been included on other sets. Disc 1 has various vignettes and interviews with Bobby and his family and includes his Hall of Fame induction ceremony in its entirety. Disc 2 contains a variety of matches he managed a performer in, performed in himself or commentated on. The inclusion of these is great and showcases The Brain’s great comedic genius and it has to be said that the extras on this disc make up for the lacklustre documentary DARREN WOOD

DVD

Ring of Honor: Glory by Honor IX 2 hrs 40 mins // Price: $20 Ring of Honor shows in New York tend to be of a high standard and this iPPV production does not disappoint. The show opens with a slick promo package outlining the main bouts of tonight’s event, which looks great and should definitely be added to every ROH release, to improve their production values. The card kicks off with Kenny King taking on Jay Briscoe. This is a solid start to the event and post-match, King and Titus beat down Jay which then leads to Mark Briscoe taking on Rhett Titus. A solid match which sees the Briscoe brother getting the win, after Jay breaks up the intended interference from King. Up next, it looks set for a brawl as The Embassy team of the Necro Butcher and a lean looking Erick Stevens face off against Grizzly Redwood and ECW alumni Ballz Mahoney. This is probably the weakest match on the card with nothing really shining for it. The tag team action continues as one of the feuds of the year, between Kevin Steen and El Generico rages on in a double chain match, with their respective tag partners Steve Corino and Colt Cabana. Generico wins the coin toss and chooses to be strapped to Steen. The action is aggressive in this bout, with lots of bloodshed but at times this match featured a lot of stalling, which hurt the contest. The World TV Title is up for grabs with Eddie Edwards defending against a Jacked up looking Shawn Daivari. This is a filler match, which was very poor. Two of the cornerstones of ROH go against each other with Austin Aries battling Christopher

Daniels. This is a good match with some great athleticism shown and includes some quite innovative spots and a good finish. The best match up of the night sees The Kings of Wrestling battle Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team in a Dream tag match. Haas and Benjamin look like bonafide stars, with Hero and Claudio demonstrating equally impressive star power in both looks and performance. This match shows great story telling and psychology that is often missing from a lot of matches in the independents. The main event of the evening pitches Tyler Black with his last ROH World title defence before leaving for WWE against ROH mainstay Roderick Strong. After their last battle was riddled with controversy Terry Funk is the Special Enforcer. Strong and Black seem to rush the action in this one with Black hitting his signature moves around the ten minute mark. Good match with a pretty predictable result. The in ring action of Glory by Honor IX is second to none, but the overall production value of the DVD is hugely let down by the worst added commentary I’ve ever heard on a DVD. You could not hear one word that the commentary team said and it just became an annoying hum and noise in the background. It took away from the matches, rather than added to them. In the features section, there is a cringe worthy segment of Tyler Black supposedly taking a call from Vince McMahon and addressing him with a casual ‘boss, it’s all done’. In conclusion Glory by Honor IX is a great event that wrestling fans of all tastes should enjoy, and is only really hampered by the poor audio quality of the commentary, if you put that aside then you have a great two and a half hours of very good wrestling action. ROB SIVELL

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DVD

that the belts are coming to them.

CZW Cage of Death XII

Jon Moxley defended his CZW Heavyweight title against Homicide in a match which had many near falls and a lot of old school brawling similar to the days of the territories.

Discs: 1 // 2 hrs 54 mins // Release: Out now // $20 // Supplier: SmartMark Video Cage of Death XII started with a fantastic 6 man scramble in which the winner would gain entry to the Best of the Best tournament. Akuma, Ruckus, Ryan McBride, Rich Swann, Alex Colon and Jonathan Gresham provided many great moments that had the crowd gasping in a contest that was truly an amazing opening match. The previous match was going to be hard to top, but the #1 contenders match for the CZW World title between Sami Callihan and Robert Anthony did not let anyone down. Bringing the action into the South Philly faithful with a spot which made even this writer wince, Anthony power bombed Callihan into the third row taking out a few fans, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get crowd participation like that anywhere else. Adam Cole had a busy night at CoD defending his Junior Heavyweight title against A.R Fox in a crowd pleaser with the hugely over Fox wowing the crowd with many moves never seen before, however Cole was just as impressive. The final of the Tag Team title tournament saw Phillyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Most Wanted and The Osirian Portal have quite possibly the best tag match in CZW of the year with a combination of great mat wrestling, high flying antics and a dance spot that must be seen to be believed. Also notable was the return of The Briscoe Brothers, who said

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The ultra-violence began with Yuko Miyamoto challenging for the UVU championship against Nick Gage. I will mention that this match suffered from sound issues which detracted from this war, but the action that you see is worthwhile. Gage and Miyamoto brawl around the Asylum Arena, using many weapons to mutilate each other and a sickening moonsault from the ceiling capped off this match and shocked the fans in attendance. In the main event, The Suicide Kings faced Cult Fiction in a 4 v 4 elimination match inside the Cage of Death, with competitors eliminated when their feet hit the floor. Many insane bumps throughout this battle and a great performance by all involved. Not for the faint hearted by any means. Watch out for a particular painful bump for poor little tHURTeen. I enjoyed this DVD a lot. A few problems with audio as I mentioned but it only affects one match. I highly recommend this to not just death match fans, but mat wrestling and high flying fans too. ANDREW DIXON

DVD

ICW Fear and Loathing Three Discs: 2 // Price: £10 // Release: Out Now Supplier: Shining Blizzard

including a frying pan. Although both women stalled a lot early on the match developed in to a fascinating contest. The main event, a Glasgow Street Fight tag team match between Gold Label members Wolfgang and ICW Champion James Scott and BT Gunn and Jack Jester, is top notch. At one point the screen was split in to two as Scott and Jester fought outside on the streets while Wolfgang and Gunn battled in and around the crowd. Lionheart and Chris Renfrew’s Last Man Standing match was a fierce encounter that whipped the crowd in to a frenzy. The bout will be remembered for the extraordinary use of thumbtacks and tables. Tim Wylie and Adam Shame fought in front of a quiet crowd who didn’t seem to care about the match.

From this hard hitting Scottish promotion comes the annual Fear and Loathing event, a show that could best be described as a mixed bag of wrestling action.

The bout followed an exciting, back and forth triple threat match between Joe Coffey, Johnny Starr and Vinnie James, but Wylie and Shame did little to whip up interest in their match.

While several matches from Glasgow’s Apollo 23 arena could well be among the best in British wrestling, others are too quick and are let down by too much stalling and talking.

The tag team match between Fight Club members Kid Fite and Liam Thompson and Davey Blaze and Chris Rampage featured lots of solid exchanges between the teams but had more focus on talk than action at the start as the grapplers often stopped to taunt each other and the crowd.

Weaponry was a key theme throughout the show but chairs, tables and the like were used decisively and never excessively so the matches didn’t feel too similar.

The opening contest between Gold Label member Red Lightning and William Grange wasn’t given enough time to develop in to an entertaining match and was quickly halted by the interfering Wolfgang.

The first ever Zero G Championship match, a four way elimination bout featuring Noam Dar, Andy Wild, Falcon and Rob Cage, was an electric contest that gave the title true value and meaning. Falcon was hurled through the fire exit doors as the quartet fought in and out of the ring.

Prior to the encounter Lightning called the Gold Label “the single best group Scottish wrestling has ever produced” and offered Grange a title shot against Scott if he beat him.

Nikki Storm faced Carmel in an enthralling, action packed Falls Count Anywhere clash that saw both women battle all over the arena with weapons

This was a great show and well worth adding to your collection for some thrilling matches and exciting moments. DAVID BRIDSON

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DVD

UFC 116: Lesnar vs Carwin Discs: 2 // 5 hrs 19 mins Release: Out now // £10.99 // Distributor: Fight DVD While UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar recovered from his illness and was unable to defend the belt, Shane Carwin beat Frank Mir to decide the Interim Heavyweight Champion, because of this the UFC recognised two Heavyweight Champions. This heavyweight clash was one of the most anticipated in UFC history as Carwin was clearly the most formidable opponent yet for the former WWE superstar as up until this fight he had never let a fight go past the first round. In a fantastic main event, Lesnar took a beating in the first round, but Carwin progressively got tired. Carwin knew he was tired and so did Lesnar, his performance in the second round was truly impressive, for the heart he showed coupled with a sidechoke submission for the win. Other stand out contests includes, Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Stephan Bonnar which saw both men have bloody faces very early in the contest. Such brutal back and forth action makes for great viewing and it

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had a strong case for fight of the night and would have won it too if it hadn’t been for Yoshiro Akiyama vs Chris Leben. Leben took the fight two weeks before the event after Wanderlei Silva vs Akiyama was originally scheduled. This was a simply superb contest, with both competitors showing a great respect to each other. Fast action, hard kicks, a chess game on the ground and once they got tired the fight became a slugfest. The ending of the fight is truly dramatic and one that must be seen. The extras on the DVD are superb and are a lot better (with more variety) than you get on most WWE PPV DVD’s nowadays. The second disc is packed full of extras including prelim bouts, weigh ins and pre, post-fight comments. This reviewer isn’t the most devoted UFC fan but after viewing this DVD, I found the event throughout to be thoroughly entertaining and I would definitely watch another one of UFC’s many DVD titles. DARREN WOOD

UFC 117: Silva vs Sonnen Discs: 2 // 5 hrs 3 mins // Price: £10.99 Release: Out Now // Supplier: Fight DVD UFC 117 took place last August 2010, in Oakland, California and the fans were treated to a good fight card. The main card kicks off with the next potential king of the heavyweight mountain; and Brock Lesnar’s next opponent Junior Dos Santos against Roy ‘Big Country’ Nelson. Some great exchanges and Nelson does well to survive some brutal uppercuts and flurries from JDS. Round two is much of the same with JDS on the offensive once again and getting some great shots in, with Nelson equally retaliating. The fight goes into round three with Nelson showing great cardio, for a man of his girth. JDS continues to land effective blows and closes out the fight taking all three rounds. If JDS gets past Lesnar in his next fight then the whole world will be in for a treat for a JDS vs Velasquez title fight. Next up is UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes against Ricardo Almeida. Almeida is out for revenge in this one after Hughes disposed of Renzo

Gracie, which adds a nice little back story to the contest. This bout is over in the first, as Hughes stops a shot from Almeida and clamps on a modified guillotine choke; Hughes clamps his arm onto his own bicep and Almeida has no way of getting out. Hughes demonstrates great strength from this position and Almeida passes out. Matt Hughes is the victor and still looks as though he can make some waves in the welterweight division. The Lightweights are up now with Clay Guida versus Rafael Dos Anjos set to unleash hell on each other. Guida is his usual angry faced self and is off the mark at 100mph, trading with Dos Anjos. Halfway through round one Guida lights up Dos Anjos’ jaw. At the end of round one Dos Anjos is complaining about the strike to the jaw to his corner and he can’t bite down properly. Round two is much of the same with Guida continuing the offense, he gets the takedown and begins some ground and pound. All of sudden Dos Anjos taps out, from Guida applying pressure to the jaw with a crossface forearm. Guida gets the win due to the injury Dos Anjos suffered with the commentators suspecting a broken jaw. A good fight that is ended prematurely. We go back to the welterweight division with Jon Fitch squaring off against Thiago Alves. Alves’ impressive muscle mass makes him look like a monster for the welterweight division, however it does little to help him in this one as Fitch takes all three rounds. Fitch has a good record but can’t seem to finish and relies on his wrestling to keep Alves down on the mat. The main event is a big one with Anderson Silva defending his middleweight crown against the cocky and brash Chael Sonnen. Silva is coming off some uninspiring performances and Sonnen is vowing to retire Silva. This fight starts off well with Silva actually looking motivated to perform, he comes out aggressive but his low hands leave him exposed, and Sonnen lands some flush shots one which stuns Silva. Sonnen takes silva down and begins some ground and pound, the round closes with Sonnen completely dominant. Rounds two, three and four

continue much the same way with Sonnen achieving the takedown and smothering Silva with ground and pound. Sonnen does now sport a deep cut above his eyebrow from a Silva elbow from guard. Sonnen looks on course to take the belt, he’s been dominant for four rounds and now has the crowd firmly behind him. In the opposite corner Silva looks a broken man with no answer for Sonnen’s wrestling. As they come out for the final round Silva picks himself up and comes out trading, but you can’t help but feel his epic win streak has come to an end. Silva lands some good shots, but none do enough damage to trouble Sonnen, who then gets the takedown once again. Sonnen is on course to win with less than three minutes on the clock, he continues to land some more ground and pound, then leaves himself open for a split second and Silva looks in a triangle choke. It’s on tight and the crowd erupts at the shock, Silva is clamping down tight as Sonnen tries to step through to break the hold, Silva grabs Sonnen’s arm and also applies an armbar as Sonnen quickly taps. The referee looks unsure as Silva releases the hold, claiming that Sonnen tapped out. Silva rightly looks pissed as Sonnen protests his innocence at not tapping. It goes to a replay for the decision, which shows Sonnen tap out as the armbar was synched in. Silva produces one of the most surprising come from behind victories, after being dominated for four and a half rounds; a truly shocking ending to a good UFC event. Next up for Silva is another Middleweight title defence against Vitor Belfort, which could be a barnstormer, if Silva turns up to fight, I think this future contest has KO written all over it. Disc two of the DVD contains the prelim fights with tko wins from Stefan Struve and Johny Hendricks and a great performance from Phil Davis being worth a watch. In addition the bonus features of ‘Countdown to UFC 117’, the weigh-ins, a behind the scenes look and fighter interviews round out your purchase. Overall UFC 117 is one of the better shows of 2010 and should definitely be in your collection if you’re a UFC fan. ROB SIVELL

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from the casting list, the acting is the best part of the film. It is without a doubt that The Big Show has a great presence on the screen and shows some very good comedic timing. He has shown these skills before in his previous cameo roles in major films such as The Waterboy and Jingle all the Way. Not only does Big Show have great presence he also portrays the gentle giant persona down to a tee, as a viewer you can’t help but have a strong connection with his character Walter, thus making Big Show a very likeable protagonist. There were a few scenes that honestly are funny and will have you laughing out loud, but these are very few and far between. Two in particular should be mentioned, the bathroom on the bus and the second fight that is featured. However, the rest of the comedy in this film was flat despite some interesting predicaments the characters were put in.

Knucklehead Starring The Big Show Discs: 1 // DVD - £9.99 // Blu Ray - £13.99 // Distributor: Silvervision WWE Studios latest DVD release is Knucklehead starring The Big Show and it is the first comedy that the company has produced. Knucklehead boasts the most star-laden cast that WWE has assembled for one of their films. In addition to the Big Show, the film also features Mark Feuerstein (Royal Pains), Melora Hardin (The Office) and Dennis Farina (Law & Order) plus many others. As you can guess

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However, the biggest problem with this film was with the writing, there were several events that took place that will have you scratching your head because the climactic ending made no sense on multiple levels. If you are anything like me you will have watched the trailer and thought it was going to be quite a good film, therefore I was most disappointed after this film, because I expected it to be better than it was. The award for the best comedy film I have ever seen featuring a professional wrestler goes to Suburban Commando, which wasn’t great in itself. While a decent effort, I wouldn’t recommend watching this movie. Not unless somehow you can see it without spending much money. DARREN WOOD

BOOK

Rumble Road

Untold Stories from Outside the Ring, by Jon Robinson Paperback // 208 pages // Publisher: WWE For the modern day wrestling fan it seems that nowadays the stories that unfold in the ring are no longer satisfying enough and the most intriguing part for a fan is when the cameras stop rolling. Rumble Road follows up from the 2005 release ‘Are we there yet’ and provides the reader with an insight into the hectic lives the wrestlers in WWE lead on the road. Like ‘Are we there yet’ Rumble Road is an enjoyable, easy and leisurely read even for the most casual fan. In comparison to its predecessor though at times it seems a little harder to distinguish which stories are 100% legit and which stories might be slightly exaggerated for the sake of shock value. Some stories also seem like they might be treading into kayfabe territory. For example: Mark Henry effortlessly pulling a car out of a ditch is believable to a point, I wouldn’t want to argue with him about it, but I just felt it was playing to his World’s strongest man character. Some stories seem quite pointless, and perhaps should have been cut; like Beth Phoenix convincing Gail Kim that they had a bikini match – only to reveal at the last minute that in fact they did not. It wasn’t exactly a laugh out loud story.

Annoyingly there seems to be an entire lack of star power in the book. Considering that it’s been five years in the making I was expecting at least one story from Triple H, Shawn Michaels or Batista and most surprisingly there are no stories provided by John Cena. The majority of the stories are from the younger superstars and seem a lot less ‘edgy’ than you’d hear from a veteran. Put simply, if this kind of book was around in the mid-90’s it would probably have superior shock value in comparison to what we get in Rumble Road about iPhones and tanning salons, but that’s besides the point. There also seems to be a lot of repetition in the lives of WWE superstars today, so much so that you end up hearing the same format of stories time and time again. The way the book is laid out in sections depending on what kind of stories is a good point to mention, there are different sections for each story I.E Ribbing, good and bad eats, hotel hell. However, Rumble Road is also shorter than are we there yet and there’s really no reason why it should be. You could read the whole thing in one sitting if you wanted to and it would probably take about three hours. An ideal book for a short trip perhaps but as soon as you’ve read it once it might just take up space on your bookshelf. Overall I enjoyed the book, is it better than ‘Are we there yet’? – I would have to say no, but nonetheless the WWE is always getting new fans, so this is the ideal book for them with the superstars that they are familiar with. ANDY SHARP

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Dusty Wolfe

the Wolfe Pit

stORiEs And OPiniOns FROm An ORiGinAL WREstLinG JOuRnEYmAn

was reminded by the home office in the ivory towers that my monthly instant classic was expected by mid month. Thankfully, our new “M” had been forewarned by the outgoing “M” that I stay in a permanent brain freeze anytime I’m confronted with topic ideas. Just a few years ago, that wasn’t the case, as there were still interesting happenings in wrestling. But living life has somehow replaced wrestling as a priority in my world, and nothing surrounding wrestling remotely inspires any type of reaction. The Miz © David Seto

some charisma. When “M” agreed, I decided a great way to help explain some of my reasons for retiring after 30 years in the wrestling business was using The Miz as my template. If I write one or 1,000,000 more columns, I would never waste my time on a pre-fab no talent like The Miz, except to use him as the poster boy to describe why wrestling is dead and gone. If anyone has asked me just two years ago, I would have told them I will be attached to wrestling until I take that final ride to meet Murdoch and some of my other friends. I know my role in wrestling would have changed, and I had proven I was capable of booking, or as the smart marks would say, creating. Whatever creating actually means. I have sacrificed myself and my family for almost 30 years. And for 20 of those years, I could almost justify all the sacrifices. Most times, I was making a living in a BUSINESS I enjoyed, doing what I had always wanted. I made a living seeing new sights and making great friends, and generally getting to live a life most only dream of(most days, I admit there were a few..).

Ten years ago, the wrestling business officially died. Died deader than Kelseys nuts

LD FOR THE MIZ IS THE POSTER CHI RK THAT MA RT SMA S LES ENT TAL THE EGO CAN BE LED BY THE NOSE AND Once I mentioned The Miz in less than glowing terms to our new “M”, the suggestion was made I write about The Miz. I agreed as long as I could also write about someone with a personality and

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on a freezing February morning. Anywhere a man could make a good living was now a corporate entity using wrestling as the product. The indy scene was already a shambles, headed into the apocalypse stage indys exist as today. And an interesting event happened. Vince McMahon studied the indy scene, and turned the carnage to his advantage. I have warned that wrestling schools would ruin wrestling since I heard of the first school back in the 80’s, and I was correct. Wrestling schools have done more to destroy wrestling than Vince

McMahon, Jim Crockett, Eric Bischoff, cable TV overexposure, and drugs combined. Beyond the obvious problem of oversupply and no demand, trainers that should ticket buyers themselves keep creating “rasslers” with horrible attitudes, bodies worse than my 48 year old walking corpse, no talent, and last but not least, no clue professional = paid.

“

Vince studied this phenomenon of ego and ignorance and created the WWE developmental system. Yes, the trainers are tremendous talents and the students look like athletes, but the bottom line theory is the same....

If a trainer in Red Arse, Oklahoma can convince his students the Red Arse way IS wrestling, what can Vince and the WWE universe convince a young man is truth and not? And that WWE universe has provided us with the worst excuse of a champion I have ever seen, including David Arquette, The Miz. At least Arquette was in on the joke. As more keyboard warriors filled the Indy wrestling scene, life at Rancho Wolfe went from semienjoyable to a complete grind. Vince dropped his pay scale as he realized none of the Indy promoters paid worth a damn, and the Indy promoters just paid less and less as guys believed the lies about paying dues. Vince kept changing his developmental schools until he has created

the first ABSOLUTE no talent, no charisma, change the channel champion ever, The Miz. Which is perfect in the WWE universe, the Miz is so bad; he has to follow a script. Life had become bad enough I was working for a smart mark promoter 99.7% of my shows, risking what little health I have left with guys so many nights that should never be near a ring, now “stars” like The Miz were signing contracts worth less in real dollars than I made as a job guy in 1989. Exactly what was I hanging on for and why?

People, feel free to disagree with me on any of this, but I see The Miz as so bad, I actually turn my TV off whenever he is even mentioned. The man is everything wrong with what was wrestling. The Miz IS the poster child for the talentless smart mark that can be led by the nose and ego. And seeing everything that is wrong with wrestling being rewarded with the top spot in the industry, I knew my decision to go home forever was the right decision. I leave after 30 years burned to a crisp mentally, frustrated that nothing I did ever mattered. And all of that is just fine, because I also leave with some great memories and even better friends. I saw, lived, and experienced a life teaching school or selling cars the last 30 years would have never provided. I also stayed around too long and watched how unfounded egos can destroy what someone loves.

The Miz proves I was right when I decided to go back to college over 25 years after I last left college. I am on schedule to have my masters in American history by Dec 2012. I’m taking that graduate degree, with my friend Brandi Daryl, and getting my PhD, just so all the ex-wives become required to call me DOCTOR.

I am going to be the cool grandfather that daughters in love and hate all at the same time, while grandsons go anywhere ‘paw’ wants to go. I am going to teach American history and never look back at those 30 years in regret. Smart marks like The Miz can never take away my friends and my memories, and I refuse to allow them one small bit of control in my future. This Texan has ridden into the sunset. Thanks and much love to those that know they deserve that love. To the smarts and their champeeen, The Miz…. Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be. n Contact Dusty at dwolfe414@msn.com

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NEXT ISSuE

WRESTLEMANIA SPECIAL The next edition of The Wrestling Press will include lots of Wrestlemania themed articles, as well as interviews with Low Ki and Shinsuke Nakamaru. Out March 2011..... DON’T MISS IT!