The Life & Death Of Owen Hart

Here's a pretty dope documentary on Owen Hart's life, which was released for the 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition of Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows. Check it out after the jump...

WWE HOF Rumor: Ron Simmons

The rumor mill has Ron Simmons headed to the WWE Hall of Fame in a month:

As noted earlier, former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ron Simmons's name has been discussed for induction into this year's WWE Hall of Fame class. He worked what was billed as his retirement match in Cedartown, Georgia two weeks ago. The standout collegiate athlete was also inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame on Feb. 20. Expect more WWE Hall of Fame names to be announced each week on RAW leading into WrestleMania. The rumored name for next week is the headliner for this year - Stu Hart.

Undertaker Confronts HBK (RAW, 2/22/2010)

This was intense:



So what will it be? Will Taker have his streak tarnished or is HBK hanging up his boots? I have a feeling HBK is done - something about the fact that he hasn't really had a singles match since returning last year bothers me. Tales of Taker being hurt up are plentiful, but he's been beasting. That's my early Mania 26 pick: HBK calls it quits.

The Ultimate Dreamer

The jacket is vintage (no Michael Cole), but those action figures? DAAAAAAAAMN!

Via @THETOMMYDREAMER.

TNA Backstage With Dixie Carter & Hulk Hogan

It looks like these were done right after their "big announcement":

Dixie Carter


Hulk Hogan

WWE Elimination Chamber 2010 Notes

Just some morning-after notes on last night's PPV as I peep the all-day replay:

• I remember joking with the MBW heads about Taker's entrance - he ripped his coat off and was walking to the ring, seemingly determined (and for good reason). The announcers even sold it that way. Come to find out, there was a pyro problem and he actually got burned by his pyrotechnics. Chest burn, apparently, hence the ripping off of the coat. Word is refs were handing him bottles of water to douse his arm with. How many of today's stars would've continued? Proper veteran; here's some video:
  
  
  
  
• Joey Styles has flipped his twitter name to just @JoeyStyles, no WWE. His tweets are definitely his own, so its about time.
• Rumor has it that the Maryse/Gail Kim title match is going down on tonight's episode of RAW. I guess they figured they'd delay a more important five-minute Divas match during a PPV for a more confusing, unimportant five-minute Divas tag-team match.
• I did think it was cool that they let the Miz/MVP match contiune with the blood, but felt it was silly looking to have a medic rush in AFTER the match. I've not seen anything saying it wasn't a legit cut, so why go nutzo when the match is done?
  
• Last night's dark match was Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson; Zeke didn't have the ECW title, but word is it's been retired. After the PPV went off the air, HBK just stood over Taker, until they met eyes. HBK dipped and Taker left, no posing.
• So, going forward, the Mania PPV card looks the same as it ever would, although without a title, I'm not sure what a Triple H/Sheamus match would be based on - they've hardly met in the ring, no real animosity. We'll see, I guess.

What are your thoughts on the PPV?

WWE Elimination Chamber 2010

And for tonight's card:

WWE Championship - Elimination Chamber
- Sheamus (c) vs. John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Triple H vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Ted DiBiase.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Elimination Chamber
- The Undertaker (c) vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk vs. John Morrison vs. R-Truth.

WWE Intercontinental Championship
- Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Kane.

WWE Divas Championship
- Maryse vs. Gail Kim.

I'm calling for either Triple H to win the title or Sheamus to retain, and Jericho to win the World Title. McIntyre should retain, and Maryse should win (her streak is as hot as her body is). I'll post streams when they're up.

EDIT You know what it is: #1 \ #2 \ #3

EDIT OK here are the results:

Cena wins the WWE Title, but then gets screwed by Vince and has an immediate match with Batista who owns him pretty quickly. Drew McIntyre defeated Kane, but I only know this b/c I read the results after doing the dishes. The Maryse/Gail Kim match was postponed, and made a tag match with Maryse/Kim facing "Simply Flawless" (aka the lovely Layla El & Michelle McCool); McCool & El win, and Maryse owns Kim with the French Kiss. The Miz and MVP have an impromptu US Title match (didn't they JUST do this at the Rumble?!?!), and put on a great match - Miz wins after Big Show interferes with a nasty knockout punch. In the World title Chamber (which was the better of the two), Jericho wins the title after HBK comes out of the cage floor and hits Taker with the Sweet Chin Music.

Mediocre PPV at best; if it wasn't for the US title and World Title matches, this would've been some TNA-caliber shit. The screwjob of Cena not only throws Batista onto RAW (where the heat for the McMahon/Bret Hart/Cena/Batista angle will get all the way turnt up), but throws an odd state of flux onto the WWE title, considering that no one knows what's to come of Sheamus' run, and where will Triple H end up for 'Mania? Jericho's win was expected, and with Edge announcing that he'll be giving his decision on tomorrow night's RAW, one can only assume he will be going for Jericho. I'm not sure what's up with the Divas title, but with the small window of time they get for that title (hell, at least the Smackdown Divas get non-wrestling portions of the show), no one cares. McIntyre might be a great wrestler, but I have 0 desire to watch him work, even less when he's paired with Kane. Some portions of the PPV were ultra-random - I was waiting for Santino to just pop out for no particular reason. But the good parts of the show were great, very great. Jericho running and hiding in the pod was hilarious, as well was CM Punk cutting promos in the interim.

The Road to Mania just picked up.

PS The funniest tweet of the night goes to Jim Ross. So true - Striker needs to bounce!

Vince Threw A Nigga A Bone

Why yes, yes I did see Ezekiel Jackson get thrown a bone and become the final ECW Champion, as well as having the shortest reign (just a hair short of three minutes). The questionw as, WHY? Wrestling Inc. reports that Vince wanted Zeke to have some momentum going into a Smackdown run, but the thing is - the ECW title hasn't meant shit for a few years now. WWE hardly gave a shit about the title, so what makes you think that a random fan will get psyched because some mumblemouth nigga held the belt for 3 minutes? Fuck outta here!

RIP ECW. Check out The Bleacher Report's, um, report.

EDIT Now, in terms of the title, one would love to believe that the belt won't go away, that it'd be siphoned for another purpose (other championships in the past have been reimagined, ala the "World Heavyweight Championship" previously being WCW's World Title), and with four weekly shows, I'd LOVE to see a "WWE TV Champion", but that won't happen... will it?

And you gotta love that Vince stuck it to ECW one more time - having the brand end like that, like he did with the WCW years back, is the ultimate burial of his enemies.

WWE NXT Details

With tonight's episode being the last episode of ECW, ever, Variety Magazine dropped some juicy bits on NXT, the show that will be taking over ECW's spot on SyFy next week. Check it out:

After struggling in the ratings, "ECW" will end its run on Syfy today with World Wrestling Entertainment replacing the series with a reality show that revolves around the company's newest roster of grapplers.

The new hour-long show, appropriately titled "NXT," bows Feb. 23, and will pair up eight of WWE's current stars with rookies that come from Florida Championship Wrestling, the company's talent development camp in Tampa, Florida.

As of late last week, McMahon had narrowed down the teams to 12, but wouldn't disclose names. Eight will ultimately be chosen for the first season. The series had also yet to start filming.

"NXT" will be a first for WWE, essentially lifting the veil of how the company operates.

WWE has long kept that a secret from fans, opting to produce shows that turn its athletes into colorful characters involved in over-the-top storylines.

But "NXT" will have pros mentoring rookies, with egos often getting in the way, as they learn the ropes of competing in the ring in front of live audiences, creating characters and speaking on camera.

"This is an opportunity to show another side you've never seen," Vince McMahon, WWE's colorful chairman and CEO told Daily Variety.

Given that WWE's shows air 52-weeks of the year, "NXT" will be broken up into two or three seasons, where talent graduates to one of WWE's other series. The reality show concept will also enable the pairs of mentors and rookies to crossover to WWE's top shows, "Monday Night Raw" on USA Network and "Friday Night SmackDown" on MyNetworkTV.

"These kids crash and burn a lot," McMahon said. "By putting them into this environment we'll find out if they can make it. There's no better way to develop skills than being in front of an audience. And that makes for good television."

"NXT" won't be WWE's first reality show, however. The company produced three seasons of "Tough Enough" with MTV from 2001-2004. But that show was more of a competition that ended with one wrestler being recruited to join the WWE.

WWE needed to come up with a replacement for "ECW."

"'ECW' feels old, it feels tired," McMahon said. "Sometimes our brands need freshening up. You have to continue to reinvent yourself.

The show has been struggling to catch on with audiences lately. Its format of matches between an exclusive lineup of wrestlers each week was considered too similar to WWE's two stronger shows, but with lesser-known athletes.

WWE bought the "ECW" brand, which stands for "Extreme Championship Wrestling," and its video library in 2003, and after finding success with pay-per-view fights and merchandise, launched the series with 13 episodes on Sci-Fi in 2006. At the time, the show generated a 2.79 rating, but it's currently generating a little more than a 1 rating.

In the past, "ECW" had been able to stand out with edgier bouts like barbed-wire matches and fans throwing chairs into the ring for wrestlers to use on their opponents. But now that WWE has gone PG, that kind of action doesn't fit in well with its lineup of series.

"As we introduce this brand new franchise exclusively on Syfy, 'NXT'

will have a completely different look and feel from our other WWE television programming," McMahon said.

Syfy didn't object to the change. The network has been reinventing itself with a new name, tagline and lineup of shows to boost ratings.

"Syfy is excited to continue our partnership with WWE, Vince and his team with this innovative live event-reality show," said Syfy president Dave Howe. "The 'NXT' rookies take the challenge of our new tagline 'Imagine Greater' to heart as they embark on their ultimate dream quest to be the next generation of revered heroes and champions in the fantastic arena of the WWE."

Hopefully this is head and shoulders above Tough Enough; it will be interesting to see the FCW heads, who have turned out a number of today's stars (from John Cena to Sheamus), really get some exposure. Many of us have been screaming for new blood, and this could be a great opportunity for that to play out before our eyes. I'll be watching.

EDIT Here's the full line-up, per the last episode of ECW:

* Chris Jericho will be mentoring Wade Barrett
* Matt Hardy will be mentoring Justin Gabriel
* MVP will be mentoring Skip Sheffield
* Carlito will be mentoring Michael Tarver
* The Miz will be mentoring Daniel Bryan
* Christian will be mentoring Heath Slater
* CM Punk will be mentoring Darren Young
* R-Truth will be mentoring David Otunga

Otunga is married to Jennifer Hudson, and was on that I Love NY show. I doubt he is a Miz, and I cannot take him seriously. At all.

TNA's Announcement (2/15/2010) Live-Blog

It's President's Day, I don't have much to do, so why not live-blog this conference TNA will be holding, which we're told will officially announce moving TNA iMPACT to Mondays starting March 8th. Watch along with me, and I'll be dropping my thoughts below...

2:20PM: Remember their last press conference? It went from Hogan announcing things about his book to announcing his signing with TNA. You think we're in store for something like that?

2:24PM: What'd you think about Against All Odds last night? The Nasty Boys/Team 3D match (and the majority of the event) ws awful. Nasty Boy Knobbs was looking super-winded - did you count how many timeouts he was taking?

2:27PM: Well, to be honest, the only bright spots were Mr. Anderson and D'Angelo Dinero, both former WWE stars who work great on the mic and in the ring. I have a feeling neither of them will be holding the title anytime soon. Why? I don't know... something doesn't sit right with me INRE TNA right now...

2:28PM: Also, I guess it was due to now selling streams of their PPVs for $15 (and annoying paying customers with bad streams), but an abnormal amount of bootleg streams got merked last night. I mean, it's illegal, but it was hard to find a halfway decent stream last night. Just saying.

2:32PM: Maybe this is all a work. The TNA stream isn't online. I haven't heard anything being announced yet, but what the hell. Stay failing, why don't ya!

2:35PM: If this isn't working period, this is an example of their steady failing. Bring something good in, but then hinder it for Lord knows what reason. TNA in 2010 = WCW Thunder.

2:38PM: Well this awesome graphic is at least going.

2:40PM: OK so 10 minutes into the established time and the lagging stream is just a TNA graphic; looks like I'm not the only one confused.

2:45PM: So now Dixie is randomly thrown up, mid-sentence, giving us stats on the January 4th show. Yeah, we know you guys did well.

2:47PM: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome the Pop-Icon, Hulk Hogan" (cue pseudo-nWo music).

2:48PM: They keep looking around, how many people are actually there?

2:49PM: I guess I missed Dixie announcing their move to Monday nights at 9PM starting March 8th. Do we need all of this?

2:51PM: Dixie says she sees iMPACT!'s move will be an on-going thing. Credits the fans for following them throughout the years with their timeslot moves. Makes sense.

2:52PM: Hogan says, as a wrestler, he'd rather go head-to-head with the competition (i.e. WWE). Let the fans decide, which is true. But if you compare RAW's content (which isn't A+ quality all the time) to iMPACT!, there's STILL no contest - TNA loses again.

2:55PM: OK so it looks like there are 7 reporters total in the room. This is awkward. And Dixie talks about additional programming outside of this being a possibility.

2:56PM: Hogan expects WWE will say or do nothing about this announcement, which makes sense. The talk of there being an option for fans is brought up, which I 100% agree with.

2:59PM: Gotta love how he talks about people being happy, with all of the dust being kicked up over how much money that the Knockouts receive...

3:00PM: So I've just lost another half hour of my life. Thanks, TNA!

EDIT To make this all worth your while, here's shots of WWE Diva Tiffany (aka Taryn Terell) from Playboy - yes, these are NSFW.

EDIT And here's the official press release.

FINAL EDIT Here's the full 18 minute announcement:

TNA Against All Odds 2010

Here's the card for Sunday's PPV, as per Wrestling Inc:

* Tournament for a shot at the TNA World Title, featuring the following thus far: Desmond Wolfe, Kurt Angle, Hernandez, and Mr. Anderson.
* Team 3D vs. The Nasty Boys
* TNA World Title Match: AJ Styles © vs. Samoa Joe

EDIT Stream 1 (pw: rage) \Stream 2 \ Stream 3

Batista's Best Promo Ever (2/12/2010)

The mountain man-denim ensemble should clue you in... Batista gives his best... promo... EVER!:



I would've had him walk off completely after the first mic drop, but you know.

RIP Survivor Series

Remember when the Survivor Series mattered? When you had an event that paired up the biggest stars of the WWF/E in 5 on 5 matches? It was well fun, and a great break-up (like the Royal Rumble) to the normal match ideas. Well, word from Vince McMahnon is that the Survivor Series is "obsolete". Speculation is that it might be a title change, like how "No Way Out" is now "Elimination Chamber", but over the last few years, the elimination matches have been pointless. Oddly enough, I participated in a survey where WWE asked about different events, like a Legends event, or a Money In The Bank tournament, where wrestlers would battle to win spots in the last match of the night, which would be a Money In The Bank ladder match. Who knows what the future holds...

Silvamore Funnies: The Rumble

Silvamore passes these hilarious pics to me from time to time, figured I'd post some of these up; here's the first, showing Hurricane Helms attending the Royal Rumble...

Roddy Piper On The Adam Carolla Podcast

I just got into peeping Adam Carolla's podcast, and added it to my RSS feed. Going through the burn, I see Rowdy Roddy Piper recently sat down with him. I'm literally downloading it as I type, but judging from the pictures in the post, they probably go in on old school ish, and I have no doubt that Piper will speak his mind on any topic, be it wrestling or otherwise.

EDIT He spoke on some old school stuff; if you read his book, you should be familiar with the Wrestlemania stuff, and how he got into the business.

Jay Lethal's Future In Question

Via Wrestling Inc:

Jay Lethal's future with TNA is in doubt as the company still haven't decided what to do with him creatively. When Hogan and Bischoff came in they had no plan to continue his Black Machismo legends storyline, and seem to have overlooked him ever since.

Things worsened for the young star this week when the Nasty Boys of all people reportedly mocked him backstage in a tone that suggested he was tarnishing Randy Savage's legacy. Saggs openly pondered how long the company would keep him around.

On the Bubba The Love Sponge show Hogan showed little interest in the Machismo character, flippantly commenting that "maybe we should bring Savage in to manage him".

Now, seeing as a nigga like me hardly fucked with TNA as much as I do today, it's ridiculous to think they'd have NOTHING for this character, or Lethal in general. A few years ago, when I didn't pay one stitch of attention to TNA, it was Lethal's "Black Machismo" character that had me checking it out. You've gotta love how Hogan has more than enough time for the fucking Nasty Boys (how long before they hold the tag straps?) and other washed-up has-beens, but a bright young star who can run circles around Knobbs gets the shaft because you're not creative enough? That's depressing, and another reason why TNA will stay losing.

Vince McMahon Announces The End Of ECW

That shit was wack anyway.. They should have let Paul Heyman run it.. Then maybe, it would have been dope.. The only reason I watched it was for Christian, Regal, and Shelton Benjamin. WWE NXT is the new "revolutionary" show replacing it in a couple of weeks.

The Pope defeats AJ Styles

This came from left field, great win albeit it was non-tile. Arguably, this is the biggest win in Elijah Burke's wrestling career thus far. This entire segment which included Ric Flair as Styles' manager and Samoa Joe coming in for the save was great rasslin'. Before this lost, AJ was 16-0.

Animal Writes A Book

Via Wrestleview:

“PRECIOUS” PAUL ELLERING TO WRITE FOREWORD FOR THE ROAD WARRIORS: DANGER, DEATH, AND THE RUSH OF WRESTLING!

St. Charles, Illinois—January 22, 2010—Medallion Press Inc. is extremely excited to announce that legendary pro wrestling manager “Precious” Paul Ellering will write the foreword for The Road Warriors: Danger, Death, and the Rush of Wrestling (formerly Road Warrior: My Life as Animal and a Regular “Joe”), by Joe “Animal” Laurinaitis with Andrew William Wright (March 2011). Ellering managed The Road Warriors during their rise to fame from the AWA to the WWE and is one of the most respected figures in wrestling history.

About The Road Warriors: Danger, Death, and the Rush of Wrestling:

They snacked on danger, dined on death, and lived life on the edge.

The Road Warriors: Danger, Death, and the Rush of Wrestling is the captivating true story of The Legion of Doom: The Road Warriors, presented by Joe “Animal” Laurinaitis. Alongside Mike “Hawk” Hegstrand, Laurinaitis stormed onto the wrestling scene. With a monstrous style and image like no other, the Road Warriors went on to become two of the most influential and celebrated wrestlers the world has ever known.

In his first book ever, Laurinaitis shares his perspective of the dangers of being in the ring, the death of his lifelong friend and tag team partner, “Hawk,” and the rush of leaving a legacy in tag team wrestling that is unmatched to this day.

Joe takes readers behind the scenes of their most famous matches, including what it was like to be twenty feet in the air on the scaffold at Starrcade ’86 as it nearly fell apart underneath, to legitimately injure J.J. Dillon during the first War Games at The Great American Bash in 1987, and to witness Hawk so inebriated during SummerSlam ’92 that it was miraculous he could even walk. From Hawk’s many backstage fights to Vince McMahon’s making them use the “Legion of Doom” moniker because of the Ultimate Warrior, Joe tells it all.

The Road Warriors: Danger, Death, and the Rush of Wrestling is the story wrestling fans have been waiting for!

The Road Warriors: Danger, Death, and the Rush of Wrestling (March 2011) Nonfiction Biography Hardcover ISBN 9781605421421 Price: $25.95 U.S. 27.95 CDN

Booksellers order through IPG www.ipgbook.com or H.B. Fenn www.hbfenn.com.

About Joe “Animal” Laurinaitis:

Recognized as the greatest tag team in professional wrestling history, The Road Warriors are well-known as innovators. Animal & Hawk were the first wrestlers to popularize the use of face paint and were arguably the best at using their massive physiques and power moves to win over audiences. Whether entering the ring on motorcycle or at full sprint, they came at their opponents like a pair of pistons. Each night, The Road Warriors tore apart their opponents with thousands of rabid fans behind them. The unique look and persona of The Road Warriors made them one of the greatest merchandising machines in professional wrestling history. But behind the paint, Joe “Road Warrior Animal” Laurinaitis was a bigger star at home with his wife and kids. Because of the untimely passing of Joe’s partner, Mike “Road Warrior Hawk” Hegstrand, Joe alone is left to tell their extraordinary story.

About Andrew William Wright:

Andrew William Wright is a New Jersey-based writer, video producer, and longtime professional wrestling enthusiast. Andrew has written for several New Jersey newspapers, including the Asbury Park Press, and also produced the video series The Hardy Show (featuring Matt and Jeff Hardy) and RVD TV (with Rob Van Dam). Contact Andrew at andrewwilliamwright@gmx.com.

About Medallion Press, Inc.:

Medallion Press Inc., is a genre fiction and nonfiction publisher dedicated to creating the highest quality product, both inside and out.

For more information, visit www.medallionpress.com.

Hulk Hogan On RVD Radio (2/3/2010)

Hulk Hogan called RVD to speak on bringing him into TNA; RVD was recording his radio show, and figured he'd put Hogan on live. They talk TNA like crazy, and some other points. Download now.

RIP Jack Brisco

Damn:

WWE Hall of Famer and former NWA World Champion Jack Brisco passed away Monday morning at the age of 68.

Perhaps best known for his feud with Dory Funk Jr., he was also a multi-time tag team champion with his brother Gerald Brisco, who still works with WWE.

Jack retired from in ring action in the early 1980’s and opened the famed Brisco Brothers’ Body Shop in Florida.

He and his brother were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008 in Orlando, Florida.

Brisco had been suffering from a number of medical ailments in the time leading up to his passing, although it is unclear at this point exactly what the cause of death was.

He underwent triple bypass surgery on his heart several weeks ago according to Mike Johnson of PWInsider and had been in a rehabilitation center.

Our deepest condolences to his family, friends and fans