Ultimate Warrior Autograph Signing
June 30, 2008
If there are any Ultimate Warrior fans eading this then today might be your lucky day!
On Sunday July 20th The Ultimate Warior will be appearing at an autograph signing at the Skylight Room at the Uniondale Marriott in New York (next door to the Nassau Coliseum) and it is going to be a special moment because he will be appearing at the signing in full Warrior costume!
For more information visit signingshotline.com.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Umaga To Talk, Flair & Anderson Not Friends & More
June 30, 2008
- WWE want Umaga to tone down the ‘jungle savage’ character and start cutting his own promos.
- Apparently Jeff Hardy was scheduled to be Chris Jericho’s mystery opponent at last night’s PPV but due to his draft move Kofi Kingston was given the spot at very shot notice.
- Apparently Ric Flair’s divorce has put a big strain on his friendship with Arn Anderson and they are not as good buddies as they used to be.
Anderson’s wife and Flair’s ex-wife are very good friends and this is thought to be a major part of the problem.
Partial Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Popularity: 5% [?]
WWE Scared Of UFC?
June 30, 2008
Although WWE have publicly stated that they do not look upon the UFC as direct competition they have started informing arenas that they do not want MMA shows booked 30 days before or after a WWE event.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Bret Hart Walks Out Of Hall Of Fame Event
June 30, 2008
Bret Hart walked out of the Dan Gable hall of fame event over the weekend.
He was there to induct his father, Stu Hart, and was giving a speech when he spotted Slam Wrestling journalist Greg Oliver and demanded that either Greg leave or he would leave, Greg refused so Bret walked out.
According to Dave Meltzer the problem sparks back to Hart not being happy with a book review that Greg did of his autobiography, and naming him a lowly 14th in his book about Canadian champions!
Popularity: 5% [?]
WEW ‘Payback’ Results
June 30, 2008
Quick results of WEW’s “Payback” show from The New Alhambra Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Lucy Furr def. “Pryme Time” Amy Lee & Bobcat in a 3-Way Bridesmaid Gown Match w/ Special Referee: “The Queen of Extreme” Francine
Amber O’ Neal def. Melissa Coates
Mercedes Martinez def. Angel Orsini to become the No.1 Contender for WEW World Title.
Christi Ricci def. Cindy Rogers
April Hunter & Annie Social (USA) def. Danyah & Cat Powers (CANADA) in a “USA vs Canada” Match
Simply Luscious def. Mercedes Martinez to retain the WEW World TItle
Annie Cruz def. Trina Micheals in a “Adult Superstars” Match
Lucy Furr def. Amber O’ Neal
“Rockstar” Roni Jonah & Bobcat def. “The Blonde Mafia” (Kristin Flake & Brandi Richardson) to retain the WEW Tag Team Titles
Angel Orsini def. Christi Ricci
Klondyke (TNA’s Sirelda) (CANADA) def. “Pryme Time” Amy Lee (USA) in a “USA vs Canada” Match
Popularity: 7% [?]
TNA Wrestlers Appearing For CMLL
June 30, 2008
According to CMLL’s blog (yes they actually have one, although it is not in English) TNA will be sending over the following six wrestlers for their July 25th Arena Mexico show.
AJ Styles
Alex Shelley
Chris Sabin
Jay Lethal
Johnny Divine
Sonjay Dutt
Popularity: 5% [?]
Official Raw Preview - 30/06/08
June 30, 2008
Championship shift
On Monday night, absolutely everything changed. Not only did some of sports-entertainment’s biggest stars like WWE Champion Triple H, Batista and ECW Champion Kane switch brands, but Mr. McMahon was the victim of an exploding set, which collapsed on the WWE Chairman during the final moments of Raw. Though Superstars and medical personnel alike rushed to Mr. McMahon’s aide, was it enough to prevent permanent damage to the Chairman, who was pinned underneath multiple stage lights and scaffolding?
Prior to Mr. McMahon’s injury, the biggest story of the night was easily WWE Champion Triple H being drafted to SmackDown. As announced earlier in the night, champions retain their titles when moving to other brands, which means that SmackDown is now the home of both the WWE Champion and the World Heavyweight Champion Edge. However, the Raw roster contains both of those men’s Night of Champions challengers: No. 1 contender for the WWE Title John Cena, and new Raw draftee Batista, who will face Edge for the World Heavyweight Title. Will Cena and Batista come away from Night of Champions victorious, bringing two titles home to Monday nights, or might SmackDown remain the home of both prestigious championships? (Get Batista’s Unleashed Animal shirt)
Monday night also saw ECW Champion Kane, Mr. Money in the Bank CM Punk, and Rey Mysterio drafted to Raw. Kane brings the ECW Championship with him, but must still defend it against Big Show at Night of Champions. Punk doesn’t have a championship title, but the former ECW Champion carries a briefcase that allows him to challenge any titleholder at a time of his choosing. With these two powerful ECW Superstars joining Raw, what titles can we expect to see change hands? And when will Rey Mysterio’s arm be fully healed, allowing him to make his in-ring debut as a Raw Superstar? (Get Mysterio’s Shield shirt)
A title that currently remains on Raw is Chris Jericho’s Intercontinental Championship. In the midst of the WWE Draft, Monday night saw Y2J continue his verbal tirade against Shawn Michaels. When the injured HBK came down to the ring to confront Jericho, the two fought with Y2J further damaging Michaels’ eye. Every title, including the Intercontinental Championship, is to be defended at Night of Champions, but who will step forward to compete against Chris Jericho?
The Intercontinental Title Match is not the only Night of Champions contest with a question mark in it. World Tag Team Champions Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes will face Ted DiBiase, but his mystery partner will not be revealed until Sunday night. Who does DiBiase have in the wings that makes him so confident, and will it be enough to unseat Holly & Rhodes as champions?
Popularity: 4% [?]
Shimmer Volume 15 DVDV Review
June 30, 2008
SHIMMER DVD Reviews by Brad Dykens
October 13th, 2007 - - - Berwyn, Illinois
SHIMMER Women Athlete’s Volume #15
http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/information/dvds/shimmer/volume15/
MATCH
Amber O’Neal vs. “Jezebel” Eden Black I have slowly but surely become a huge fan of Amber O’Neal over the past two years. Eden Black, on the other hand, instantly became one of my favorites after my initial exposure to her talents. I have never seen anybody else make this comparison, but she reminds me of a mini Lita, with that spicy attitude and fiery red hair. The announcers continue to burn O’Neal for caring too much about her own looks instead of concentrating on getting victories in SHIMMER. I hope they are going somewhere with those comments and not just burying the poor girl. Amber tried to use some dirty tactics on the Jezebel, pulling on her long red hair, but Eden Black made the blond bitch tap out to the Garden of Eden - a very electrifying submission hold.
TAG TEAM MATCH
Portia Perez & Nicole Matthews (debut) vs. Lorelei Lee & Ashley Lane (debut) : A tag team match featuring a whole bunch of youngsters. The fans noticed the obvious youth being highlighted in the ring, and chanted “past your bed time!” I’ve personally been looking forward to seeing Nicole Matthews in SHIMMER competition. Nicole was known as “Nikki Matthews” in British Columbia’s ECCW, but the name “Nikki” is already taken by somebody else in SHIMMER - somebody who Roxx. I’m also glad to see Ashley Lane (formerly Lexi Lane - again, that name was taken) getting an opportunity with SHIMMER. It’s always good to see fresh new faces. Lorelei Lee, who has been around off and on since Volume 2, has some new ring gear and has gotten into even better shape than before. Portia Perez finds herself in the unfamiliar roll of being the ring general. Young Portia has unbelievable experience and skill for a wrestler her age. Portia and Nicole proved to be just too “Frickin’ Awesome” for Lee and Lane in this short tag team match. I remember suggesting to Dave Prazak that he should call the Perez/Matthews team the “Mother Canuckers” but he seemed set on calling them “Team Frickin’ Awesome.” Well they ARE Frickin’ Awesome.
MATCH
Jetta (debut) vs. Serena Deeb: The United Kingdom’s answer to “Lacey” is a young loud-mouthed British wrestler named Jetta, and Jetta has finally come to SHIMMER to debut in a match against the increasingly beautiful Serena Deeb. God bless Dave Prazak for bringing in such entertaining international talent. Jetta used a brutal Stranglehold Lung-blower followed up by a Stranglehold Camel-clutch for the impressive submission victory.
IN THE RING
Becky Bayless & Allison Danger: The nerdy-hot Becky Bayless introduced SHIMMER ambassador Allison Danger, who came out wearing that creepy Oriental white mask again. Bayless asked Danger about her recent losses to Cindy Rogers, who Allison referred to as the zit on the rear end of society. Cindy Rogers came out clearly not approving of Danger’s jealous insults. Rogers attacked Danger and a referee appeared out of thin air to begin an impromptu match
GRUDGE MATCH
Allison Danger defeated Cindy Rogers: Allison Danger used the Old School Expulsion for the finish and finally put Cindy Rogers behind her. By my count, Rogers still owns Danger with a 3-2 record in direct one-on-one SHIMMER competition.
BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW
Becky Bayless & Alexa Thatcher: Alexa Thatcher’s foot is all healed up, and she is on the hunt to extract revenge on Alicia for attacking and further injuring it several months ago.
TAG TEAM MATCH
The Minnesota Home-wrecking Crew (Rain & Lacey) vs. Ariel & Josie: As much as I like Ariel & Josie, I knew this match was going to drag on way too long with the clearly superior Home-wreckers selling too many moves for these two life-time Mid-card girls. After some back-and-forth, the Home-wreckers did their best to make their opponents look half-way decent before scoring the predictable victory.
MATCH
Cheerleader Melissa vs. Alexa Thatcher: This match could have been, and probably should have been, a total squash in favor of Cheerleader Melissa. Alexa Thatcher, however, has a tendency to surprise a lot of people with her great performances. Melissa was uncharacteristically happy and flashing her best babyface smile during her entrance to the ring. Melissa finished off Thatcher with a Kudo-driver, which was performed safely and perfectly, but announcer Allison Danger sold it as if Alexa’s head popped off and landed in her lap. Melissa is on cruise control, driving head-on into a future shot at the SHIMMER championship.
TAG TEAM MATCH
The Experience (Lexie Fyfe & Malia Hosaka) vs. The Scream Queens (Mschif & Daffney): On the last SHIMMER DVD, Daffney made her in-ring debut against Lexie Fyfe, but unfortunately injured her knee in the process. That was three months beforehand, so I guess either the injury was a work, or she healed up in time for this tag team match. I think the Scream Queens are hilarious. Daffney is GOOFY scary, but MsChif is SCARY scary! The Experience prevailed in this match, but I think the Scream Queens will have their day of reckoning some day.
MATCH
Daizee Haze vs. “Dark Angel” Sarah Stock: Oh my goodness, if you haven’t seen Sarah Stock yet, then what in the heck are you waiting for! This girl is over-flowing with the most incredible natural talent and unbelievably superior skills. Plus she is in phenomenal physical condition and looks extraordinarily hot! Please excuse me for a minute while I put my thesaurus away. Stock and Haze were the two wrestlers who didn’t make it past the Semi-finals of the recent SHIMMER championship tournament. Now they were fighting for the right to challenge for the SHIMMER title on the next DVD, volume 16 of the series. This great match between two very skilled wrestlers ended with Sarah Stock becoming the new number one contender. The Dark Angel will face SHIMMER champion (winner of the Del Rey vs. Kong match), on Volume 16 and that should be an epic confrontation of astronomical proportions!
SHIMMER TITLE MATCH
“American Angel” Sara Del Rey vs. Amazing Kong: This challenger for the SHIMMER championship is one of very few women wrestlers who won’t be intimidated by Sara Del Rey’s dominant approach to combat. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it with my very own eyes, but Sara Del Rey actually managed to execute the Royal Butterfly on the massive Amazing Kong! Del Rey went for a pinfall, but Kong smacked her almost out cold with a Back-fist. The referee began counting both women down, and Del Rey struggled to get to her feet in time but Kong failed. Sara Del Rey retains the SHIMMER championship over a VERY irate Amazing Kong!
If you would like to purchase this or any other SHIMMER DVD, please check out ROHwrestling.com - and also be sure to show your support by checking out www.SHIMMERwrestling.com - Thank you!
Popularity: 5% [?]
Kevin Sullivan Interview Recap
June 30, 2008
Courtesy: www.MondayNightMayhem.com
Former WCW & ECW World Tag Team Champion, Kevin Sullivan, was a special guest on a recent edition of Monday Night Mayhem (presented by Sweet Sunshine Sauces) — which can be heard in streaming audio every week (hosted by The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL), and heard LIVE at 8PM ET/7PM CT every Monday night) exclusively on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network (, www.525.com, www.OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com, & www.ITunes.com).
Kevin’s first-ever Mayhem appearance, is now available for FREE in Windows Streaming Media, or via podcast/the MNM On ITunes.
Kevin Sullivan/Monday Night Mayhem Interview (Windows Streaming Media):
www.mondaynightmayhem.com/waxfiles/060908.wax
&
www.mondaynightmayhem.com/shows/sullivan.mp3
Kevin Sullivan/Monday Night Mayhem Interview (Podcast/MNM On ITunes):
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/mondaynightmayhem/~3/308852295/060908.mp3
Also, check out the official MNM Podcast Page (featuring Kevin’s exclusive interview, in addition to more than 95+ archived editions of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio”). You are able to download your favorite editions of The Mayhem…and listen to them at your own leisure. Another exciting feature for you, our loyal listeners — brought to you by “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio.”
Here are some of the highlights from Kevin’s interview on the show, provided by The Mayhem’s senior show correspondent, Darren “DFL” Szalanski & The Mayhem’s co-host, John “The Big Mosh” Masiulionis.
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For the first time in The Mayhem’s six+ year history, former WCW/ECW World Tag Team Champion & the former head booker of World Championship Wrestling, Kevin Sullivan joined the program. You can head on over to www.KayfabeCommentaries.com to check out Kevin’s two spectacular DVD releases: “Kevin Sullivan & The End Of WCW” & “Guest Booker: Re-Booking The Year 1984 In The WWE.” Two of the finest DVD’s to purchase this summer from one of professional-wrestling & sports-entertainment’s best minds ever.
Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL welcomed Kevin to the program. Kevin said that he has been enjoying retirement so far, spending his time both in Florida (on the keys), as well as traveling to Seattle a few times per month. Despite being so accustomed to being in the Pacific Northwest, he is a huge Boston Red Sox fan, and he goes to almost every game the Mariners & Red Sox play against one another.
Kevin is proud to also be involved in a new wrestling documentary that is in the works, entitled “Card Subject To Change.” Sullivan strongly believes that this project will take the fans into a whole new outlook of the world of professional wrestling, and it will show “how a wrestler is born, matures, & dies in the business.” He also feels that it will take the viewing audience into a world in which most people never have the opportunities to see: behind-the-scenes. For more info on the upcoming project, please visit www.IronRiverFilms.com/cstc. And click here for a special trailer of the film on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cve08prb9w&eurl=http://www.ironriverfilms.com/cstc.
The topic of how the business changed since the “Death Of WCW” was brought up by Mosh, and Kevin said that he always believed that the “sport” of pro wrestling could never die, but since the birth of the MMA & UFC, he feels that those two powerhouses have had a huge impact on the television ratings tumbling & the business crumbling to an extent. “If everyone is cut from the same cookie cutter, business will suffer.” Kevin did wish to go on record, saying that he feels that there is enough independent talent out there that have not been exposed yet to keep the business going & make it flourish into the future years ahead.
Blade then asked Kevin what the business needs to do to make “The Next Big Thing” (with all due respect to Brock Lesnar’s WWE nickname of course). Sullivan said since he was a kid, “he knew that wrestling was all fake,” and that the only wrestlers that were “real” are Bruno Sammartino & The Original Sheik. Kevin brings up how he was responsible for Goldberg, and how the company thought he was “real”. Kevin said that the only way that the next break out star is someone who is not exposed as much and someone whom has that “X-Factor.”
As many people have gone on record previously & in the past, Kevin 100% believes that the AOL/Time Warner merger was the key lynchpin in the death of WCW. He said that once the merger came, that “the corporate people” came into the company, and did not know what the hell they were doing when it came to wrestling & its form of entertainment. “They wanted to play in their sandbox because it was their new toy.” AOL/Time Warner was everyone’s collective backs so-to-speak, and Kevin also feels that World Championship Wrestling could have continued in some fashion had they not taken over the reigns of the company the way they did. Despite the downfall of WCW, he does not look back, saying he would not really change anything if given the opportunity to fix any part of WCW. Kevin said that no one, not even himself, could have prevented the demise of the company after certain things happened when they did.
Kevin was very outspoken on the subject of two of the greatest talents to ever compete not only in WCW, but in professional wrestling history & their likely in-ring retirements happening in the same year: “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair & Sting. Mosh asked Kevin if he thinks that Sting’s career has reached its end in TNA, and for his thoughts on Flair’s WM XXIV sendoff: “I would like to think so.” There is only one Ric Flair & one Sting. There will be a huge gap when both leave the wrestling business. No one goes on forever.”
A lot of fans would love to see Kevin behind-the-scenes for either the WWE or TNA as a road agent, but Kevin wished to go on record again saying that he has not been approached by either company. He does believe that those individuals in the road agent position should have expertise & wrestling experience. Based on these all-important qualities, Kevin added “that certainly would not hurt,” from a business scene.
The media has taken to task the Hogan family over the past few months, since the tragedy of last summer’s car accident that severely injured the friend of Nick Hogan, John Graziano. Kevin, agreed with The Mayhem Crew, that any way you cut the cake, it truly is a sad story. He did wish to add that the jailhouse tapes between Nick & his father, Hulk Hogan, should have not been released, but that Hulk did chose bad judgment in trying to bolster his son’s ego. He cannot speak further on the situation, mainly because he cannot speak from experience having a son or daughter in jail. Kevin also added that with today’s media being on 24/7, that the majority of what they report is indeed “doom & gloom,” and that most people never see any positive things coming from the news media at all whatsoever.
Kevin wished to conclude his appearance on The Mayhem with his comments on the one-year anniversary of the Benoit family tragedy & to the media’s coverage of the events over the past year:
“Enough of it…Let the dead lie…Their parents have gone through enough…Benoit’s children have gone through enough….Three people are gone…If we keep bringing this up, it opens up soars, not for them, but for the people that live on…the scabs are opened up…If we keep on re-doing it, these people cannot get on with their lives….Three people died for no apparent reason….It isn’t up to us to judge…It’s only for the Lord to judge what happened…The less that is said about this & the less brought up about this, the better off their families are going to be.”
In this 30+ minute interview, Kevin also gives his uncensored thoughts & opinions on the subject of certain fans feeling it was his fault in letting The Radicalz (Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, & Perry Saturn) leave for World Wrestling Entertainment (and why he actually decided to override his bosses in giving Benoit the WCW World Championship), why the television audience in the mid-late ’90’s were grabbed by WCW instead of the WWE, whether or not he regrets not working for Vince McMahon & the WWE after the buyout of WCW, his fond memories of working with Raven in TNA (and the reasons as to why he classifies Raven as “one of the best minds in the history of the business & why he never got the perfect opportunity to show what he truly could have done if given that right opportunity), & why he tries to not criticize anyone in the wrestling business.
Kevin encourages all of his fans around the world to check out his official website @ www.TaskmasterSullivan.com.
*In case you missed The Mayhem’s LIVE 2008 WWE Draft Night Special, then you are in for some very good luck!
www.mondaynightmayhem.com/waxfiles/062308.wax (WWE Draft Night Special Streaming Audio)
Popularity: 4% [?]
The Rant Of The Week: They Plan This Stuff, Right?
June 30, 2008
Greetings conversationalists all across the fruited plain it is I your personal Harvester of Sorrow the one and only Phantom Lord and this is the all mighty Rant Of The Week. As always I am coming to you from my bunker in the urban hell hole that is Brooklyn, New York and for the most part we survived the heat wave that baked the city this week. The weather is really screwy in general if you think about it. Right now the Midwest is getting more rain and water then they can ever handle. Just more proof that Mother Nature is really ticked off with us.
Well this week the column is chock full of news and opinion from the world that is wrestling.
But before I get to that, I must say I just got Fire Pro Wrestling Returns and despite it’s grappling and fighting system that I am loving the depth of this game. I wish I had the time and patience to go really in depth like some people do with the game, but for now its real fun as is. I enjoy the Gruesome Fighting mode which is basically an MMA match in an Octagon. I’m not too big on real MMA, but being able to do an MMA match between say Dory Funk Jr. and Abdullah The Butcher is all kinds of fun. But like I said I’m still getting a fix on the whole grappling system of the game. Once I finally get it down right I’ll be having fun with the barbwire, landmine, and steel cage matches.
The funny thing is, as infuriating as the grappling system is in FPWR it’s still light years better then the one for Smackdown vs. RAW 2008.
So yeah if you don’t have Fire Pro, go get it. You can’t go wrong with a game like this and it’s only like $20 in most stores.
Moving along, I have a lot to get to with the draft as it was the most confusing and hilarious thing I’ve seen the WWE do in ages. The looks of disgust, confusion, and out right anger were great to watch. But with the Million Dollar Mania thing not working, desperate times called for desperate measures.
According to the old WWE Creative threat level chart, we are at threat level orange right now. It would have been red, but the ratings were way up this week so that brought it down a notch. We were at yellow when they started the Million Dollar Mania give away, but now after the events of Monday night where a giant billboard fell on top of Vince McMahon at the end of RAW, we’re at Orange.
Now don’t get me wrong, I actually thought it was pulled off rather well. I mean to be honest I was shocked while watching it just because I didn’t know what the hell was going on (well going on in the sense of what were they thinking).
See when it came to this draft, I’m convinced they just were throwing darts at a huge cork board and who ever it landed on is where they went. So obviously considering how random the draft picks were they needed something to keep people talking. Vince blew himself up once again. Of course unlike last year he’s seemingly only paralyzed and not presumed dead.
There’s a lot of discussion on the interweb about this as people are divided over it being offensive to it being stupid. The offensive part was they just happened to do all of this on the anniversary of the whole Benoit thing. There are also those who feel the WWE took a shot of sorts at TNA by doing this a mere two weeks after a TNA Crew member died in a tragic scaffold collapse. While both camps have valid points about the timing of all of this, I’m in the camp where I thought it was pretty funny in its randomness. I mean the only reason it was done was so they could have an out to the Million Dollar Mania contest.
It should be interesting to see how this goes as we try to find out who was responsible.
Was it Vince’s long lost son that they forgot about?
Was it the Ghost of Chris Benoit?
Was it The Macho Man Randy Savage because once again he was shafted for the Hall Of Fame (I’d mark out for that personally)?
In the end it will probably be something lame like Rikishi being the one who ran over Stone Cold. It will be months and months of who dun it only to find out it was Paul London doing it for the cruiserweights who can’t do flippy moves. But as long as we get crazy Vince in a wheel chair I at least can look past any lack of direction or conclusion it might have.
I will hand it to the WWE’s crew though. They always go all out with the special effects for an insane stunt. But if you want a good laugh, watch the original video of the whole segment and keep an eye on the bottom of the billboard. You’ll see the hinges holding it up release a second before it tips over. I didn’t notice it at first, but when I saw the replay I cracked up for some reason. I still can’t figure out how Vince is supposed to be crippled though. Perhaps if the stage wasn’t there, I’d buy it falling onto him and paralyzing him. But since the stage was holding the sign up and he was clearly out of the danger zone when he ducked as it fell it makes you wonder.
Ah well like I said if we get crazy Vince in a wheelchair I’ll be happy. If he were still bald he could totally pull off an evil Professor Xavier gimmick.
Before all of this happened, there was the draft and as I said it’s pretty clear they didn’t put much thought into who went to what show (well except for Triple H). The draft always has been and always will be who can benefit RAW and the scraps go to those other shows.
For those of you who don’t know the full results, here they are (this includes the Wednesday Supplemental leftover’s draft)
To Raw:
Rey Mysterio (from Smackdown)
Batista (from Smackdown)
Kane (from ECW)
CM Punk (from ECW)
Michael Cole (from Smackdown)
Jamie Noble (from Smackdown)
Deuce (from Smackdown)
Chuck Palumbo (from Smackdown)
Matt Striker (from ECW)
Layla (from ECW)
Kofi Kingston (from ECW)
To Smackdown:
Jeff Hardy (from Raw)
Umaga (from Raw)
Triple H (from Raw)
Mr. Kennedy (from Raw)
Jim Ross (from Raw)
Trevor Murdoch (from Raw)
Big Daddy V (from ECW)
DH Smith (from Raw)
Brian Kendrick (from Raw)
Maria (from Raw)
Shelton Benjamin (from ECW)
Carlito (from Raw)
To ECW:
Matt Hardy (from Smackdown)
Mark Henry (from Smackdown)
Hornswoggle (from Smackdown)
Super Crazy (from Raw)
Finlay (from Smackdown)
ECW got raped and pillaged in the draft losing two of their biggest draws in Kane and CM Punk and their biggest future star in Kofi Kingston. They gained Matt Hardy and the US Title but still it was pretty bad. ECW’s ratings are all ready down the crapper so it should be fun to see how bad they are come this Tuesday now that their two biggest stars are gone. Honestly after CM Punk was draft I was like they just blew the back of ECW’s collective head off. Kane being sent to RAW was basically another shot just to add insult to injury. Sort of like from Goodfellas where they shoot Tommy in the face so his mother couldn’t have an open casket at the wake and funeral.
Smackdown obviously made out much better then ECW as evident by their draft picks. The big story here is with Smackdown moving to My Network TV (pretty much every old UPN station) there is talk that it needs star power for the ratings.
When it comes to My Network TV, the vast majority of those stations are on UHF frequencies. So really the only thing competing with it is snow, Fox, and a local low budget channel.
The biggest draft surprises for Smackdown were Jim Ross and Triple H. Only one of them knew of his impending move and it wasn’t the man in the black resistol hat.
The decision to move Triple H to Smackdown was not recently made. With Smackdown moving to MyNetwork, the decision was made to feature The Undertaker and Triple H as the show’s top stars. Triple H cut a promo for Smackdown in late April spitting water and saying, “You’re watching Friday Night Smackdown right here on MyNetwork TV.”
Credit: Wrestling Observer
I find it funny that Triple H was the only one told where he was going. You had guys like Batista, Rey Mysterio, The Hardy’s, Kane, and CM Punk all in the dark. I don’t know if it’s just because of the rampant paranoia that is in Titan Tower or what but the least you can do for your some what big name stars is at least tell them where they will be going so they have some time to change schedules and stuff.
The funniest part about Triple H’s move to Smackdown is when Vince was screaming PAUL…PAUL…MY LEGS I CAN’T FEEL THEM, when he and JR had the big fight after the show he said he jeopardized Triple H’s career by sending him to Smackdown. The truth of the matter is, Smackdown will actually be beneficial for Triple H as he’ll have more time to spend with his now growing family.
One move to Smackdown I did find funny though was Carlito going to Smackdown. I must be in the extreme minority, but I think there’s so much potential for him but for what ever reason (either his own or incompetent people in the WWE) he has not reached it. But after his tirade at a press conference where he went off on Triple H, I find it funny they are both on the same show again.
My friend Ed a.k.a. IWC legend Dumass had this to say about the whole matter over on Lethal Wrestling’s message board.
I find it it funny that, with all the heat I’ve been reading about Carlito and HHH, they’re both going to Smackdown.
Triple H is just moving that glass ceiling from one office to another.
Truer words have never been spoken as its all ready started with him cleaning house at the end of Smackdown the other night and retaining his WWE Championship last night at Night Of Champions.
I’d really wish I could be in one of those meetings. I’d love to see the reasoning they had to keep the WWE Championship on Triple H and Smackdown. I mean if there were ever a time for him to you know lose it, it would be at this Night of Champions PPV.
There was a rumor going around that CM Punk would cash in his MITB case and take the World Title to RAW but that didn’t happen. I’m pretty sure if that rumor was true then you know Triple H did his darndest to make sure he wasn’t the one losing his belt.
Now RAW as mentioned before made out like bandits because as I said the real goal of the draft is to keep RAW fresh above everything else. But it makes you wonder what the hell they are going to do with no World or WWE champion on the show at the moment.
Right now the only singles champion is Kofi Kingston who won the Intercontinental Championship in an upset when HBK interfered in his match against Chris Jericho. I would assume that on RAW that something would happen. Maybe a rematch with Cena and Triple H with run in’s galore this way Triple H can drop the title with out looking weak in the process.
Honestly as I said I think its just more proof that they didn’t plan any of this out. If they did plan any of this out then they should all be fired if this is the absolute best they could come up with. I know the “who blew up Vince” angle will be top priority, but my God how can you do such a random draft and then a week later have a PPV where your top show is left with out a top champion. It’s almost WCWesq in it’s level of stupidity.
Finally we come to ECW and well as of right now, ECW is dead to me.
I along with the other long suffering ECW fans have put up with a lot. We’ve dealt with “Vince’s vision” and Paul Heyman being run out of the WWE, and the originals being hired and fired one by one. But after tonight I am done. It doesn’t matter what they do because ECW is dead to me.
Now you ask what could have made me reach my breaking point as a fan?
I said on the WWE Fan Nation message board if he won that ECW was dead to me and well he won so ECW now dead to me.
There isn’t enough Nexium to even begin to deal with this one. I have a theory as to why Mark Henry is now ECW World Champion…(oh there goes the ulcer).
We all know about the Michael Hayes incident. Well I think (and I’m not the only one) that the only reason Mark Henry is getting yet another push and now this title run is because it’s the WWE’s way of making nice with him over what Hayes did.
Now we know no one would ever publicly admit to something like that, but what other reason is there. The made the stupid decision to put Kane back on RAW and thus back themselves into a corner. Of course having a razor thin roster to begin with doesn’t leave you many options when one is in this situation. All I know is, with ratings tanking and the show becoming a joke with each passing week Mark Henry is not the man you want carrying the ball.
But hey what do I know. I’m just a lowly fan after all.
The only thing that I feel bad about in having ECW dead to me and all is I feel sorry for Tommy Dreamer. Tommy has always been one of my favorites and it pains me greatly to see him essentially be a jobber. Tommy can do so much good still and I think if anyone on that razor slim roster deserves a push it’s him.
Personally I’m still pissed from last year when he won the mini tournament for a shot at the ECW Title only to be fucked over a minute later when they decided to give it to Big Daddy V instead (and look how well that worked out for them). Much like Mark Henry, how the hell has Mabel of all people managed to stay employed with the WWE for so long? I hope when he comes back they are least have him put a shirt back on. A man that sized lathered up in baby oil is not exactly a pleasant site.
But back to Tommy, in his An Original Thought column on the WWE fan site he said in two weeks he’s gonna lay it all on the line and tell it like it is when it comes to ECW and it’s current state.
Tommy I hope what ever you say is the gospel’s truth. But as long as Mark Henry is champion, ECW is dead to me.
Before I go it just wouldn’t be a column unless I got in a few jabs at TNA. Aside from the fact that they have managed to make Samoa Joe look completely weak and inept as World Champion, things haven’t been toooo bad with them lately. Oh it’s still got plenty of Russorific stuff, but the entire AJ Styles/Kurt Angle feud and saga has been excellently done.
But where there is good there is always bad and we come to the case of Moose a.k.a Mickie Knuckles. Mickie is by far one of the toughest (or dumbest depending on your POV) women in wrestling. She can take a hell of a beating and dish one back. So when TNA decided to bring her in of course they decided to strip away anything her character had and had her named Moose.
On this past Impact they had her in a Bimbo Brawl against ODB (who btw TNA missed the fucking boat on) and I know her who thing is she’s not glamorous, but I swear to God when she came out Mickie looked like she had just stepped right out of a meth den.
But the wild hair and I’m going to Wal Mart at 3AM for so some smokes look aside, a couple days before at one of IWA Mid South’s Queen of the Death Match tournaments in front of 20 people for the hell of it deals she got stiffed by some in experienced guy who thought he was hot shit.
The ensuing beating from Mickie and others in the locker room is now being called Mass Transit 08 and is actually going to be a selling point for the dvd of the event when it comes out. I just have to wonder with Mickie now under TNA contract how much longer will she be allowed to do these stupid death matches.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching death matches. But after a while they get boring especially when they are for the hell of it. Mickie is someone new and fresh that can add more depth to the Knockouts division so I can’t see TNA allowing her to take light tube bumps anymore unless Ian Rotten was able to sweet talk his way into letting her keep do that stuff.
Maybe Ian can work out a deal with them and give TNA the number of the guy he gets his weapons from for his gimmick matches. If you saw Impact and the Glass table spot with Christian and Team 3D then you know they need to find someone better then the prop guy at Universal with a router saw and some candy glass. Words of advice though, next time don’t have the medic come out with a towel with fake blood on it all ready. That was quite a funny moment when TNA’s crack production team let that one slip by into the show.
On that note I am done for this week. I hope to be back next week but at this rate who the hell knows anymore. This column should be called “The Rant of once in a blue moon” more then of the week.
Here in the States the 4th of July is this week. In the words of the Indian clerk on The Simpsons who sold Homer the massive M-380 “Celebrate the birth of your country by blowing up a small part of it”.
I don’t mean that literally. Basically lets all enjoy the up coming 4th and hope it’s a good one.
Until next time remember someone has to give you this information and it DAMN well has got to be me.
You can click here to send me any and all feedback at phantomlordnyc@yahoo.com or leave me some feedback in my Live Journal at phantomlord-lop.livejournal.com
And now the Plugs
Click here to visit LethalWrestling.com…The website Vince Russo looks to for inspiration
If your bored bug me on that Myspace thing at Myspace.com/phantomlordlop
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Linda’s Thoughts - Predictions For Night Of Champions
June 30, 2008
Again I forgot about tonight’s pay per view. Boy talk about being forgetful? I had planned on today’s column being all about Smackdown, but of course that’s not going to happen because I can’t wait to share my picks for Night of Champions with you. What I would like to do is just mention what I liked about Friday’s show and then go right into my predictions. And I will tell you this; I’m totally changing my mind on The WWE title winner. I’m going with someone totally different to win the WWE title, and that’s because of the way the draft turned out. Of course you’ll see what I mean in a little bit. But as I said let me share some Smackdown thoughts with you and then on to my predictions.
Just like last week there were parts of the show that bored me, but Smackdown’s opening, the Matt Hardy vs. Edge match, The Women’s tag team match, the main event, the end of the main event and the announce team made this show a hit with me. What a cool change it was to have Triple H come out and get things going. He got a great fan reaction, he seemed genuinely happy being a part of Smackdown and it was nice having him put over Mick Foley and JR. And speaking of JR, Vickie gave JR a hell of a welcome when the show first got started and Hunter just kept it all going. I especially loved the instant chemistry between Edge and Triple H. This was definitely a feel good segment. And it was a total blast listening to JR call the matches. You know what? As disgusting as it was that Vince didn’t tell JR he was moving to Smackdown, JR is just what Smackdown needs and he proved that last night.
I also thought Edge vs. Matt Hardy was an excellent match. But let’s face it for years these two guys always complimented the other and always put on 5 star matches. Another match that came off surprisingly well was the tag team match with Kelly Kelly, Michelle McCool and Cherry vs. Natalya, Victoria and Maryse. This was such a good match and I was totally shocked by how well Kelly Kelly did. And Michelle McCool really upped her game in this match Friday night. I would say that the diva’s put on one of my favorites of the night. And finally the main event with Umaga vs. Batista came off well and much better than their Wrestlemania match. This was a nice final Smackdown match for Batista, and the ending with Triple H coming out to help Batista fight off La Familia played out very well. These were the highlights of the show and next week with Raw, ECW and Smackdown starting things off with some new roster members I’m really expecting some very cool shows to take place. And now let me get right to tonight’s pay per view predictions.
Mickie James vs. Katie Lea – Women’s Title
Maybe just maybe two weeks ago I could have seen Katie taking this from Mickie. But Katie wasn’t on Monday night, which makes me KNOW that Mickie will continue as Raw’s Women’s champion. I like Katie’s look and I think this girl has it when it comes to wrestling and we know Mickie sure can bring it so this might be one hot match. And hopefully these two will be given plenty of time to show us just how good they are.
Winner: Mickie James
John Morrison and the Miz vs. Finlay and Hornswoggle for the Tag Team Titles
I have to stick with Morrison and Miz to continue to hold on to the titles. I don’t doubt that this will come off well, but I really would hate to see dad and son win this one. I want the heel Finlay back, the guy that would do anything and I mean anything to win. And as much as I would love Morrison to go solo I still think that Miz and Morrison have so much more to give as the tag team champions. As I said I’m sure this will be a terrific and fun match.
Winners: Miz and Morrison
Bob Holly and Cody Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase Jr. and? – World Tag Team Titles
I really thought D.H. Smith would team up with DiBiase, but that isn’t going to happen since Smith was drafted to Smackdown so we don’t know who will team up with Ted DiBiase Jr.or do we? Could DiBiase’s partner be none other than Deuce from Deuce and Domino? That’s whom I’m betting on. I see Deuce and DiBiase becoming the new tag team champions. I cannot wait to see if DiBiase wrestles as well as he talks.
Winner: Ted DiBiase and Deuce?
Matt Hardy vs. Chavo – U.S. Title
Now that Matt is the big cheese on ECW, is it really necessary for him to keep that U.S. title? See that’s my dilemma. Will they have Matt go right for that ECW title OR wait it out a little bit more and have him defend his U.S. title just a little longer? And does Chavo really have that much going for him like he used too. I like Chavo very much but Chavo just doesn’t seem to be what he was maybe a year ago. I don’t know if creative needs to change his character but something definitely is lacking. I would say if Chavo had the “it” factor definitely let him beat Hardy, but is it better to keep that title on the fan favorite, Hardy? I’m going against my better judgment and sticking with a Matt Hardy win. I do know this, I think we will see some pretty good wrestling in this match and with Hardy in there his fans will definitely add to the excitement.
Winner: Matt Hardy
Kane vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry
To me this is a no brainer. They need to keep this belt on ECW, Kane is on Raw, Big Show is on Smackdown and Henry is now an ECW regular. So Mark Henry wins and honestly I think this is the match that I really have no interest in.
Winner: Mark Henry
Chris Jericho vs. Someone – IC Title
I am guessing that Shawn Michaels will not be in this match. I think there’s a chance we will see him either during this match or maybe Jericho’s opponent will be getting the crap beaten out of him and Michaels will come in for the save. I have read that Jeff Hardy could be going against Jericho but that’s just a rumor. I have no idea what to expect but with Y2J in here I think we are going to have a good time with this one.
Winner: Chris Jericho
Edge vs. Batista - World Heavyweight Title
This is Batista’s final SmackDown pay per view match and I’m looking forward to watching this one. I think we are in store for a very good match. I like seeing these two go against each other. Okay when the draft hit I figured Dave would beat Edge and take that belt to Raw. But I am not thinking that way now. I think Edge will win not cleanly but he will get the victory and remain champion for at least a little longer. As I said this should be one hell of a match.
Winner: Edge
Triple H vs. Cena – WWE Title
I also thought that Hunter would win, Dave would beat Edge and Cena would be chasing Batista for the title. But again I’ve changed my mind. Unfortunately Hunter will lose tomorrow night to Cena and Raw will now be the Cena show again. I won’t get into that here but Cena holding the title really doesn’t sit well with me. Hopefully this will turn out well, which I think it will.
Winner: John Cena
I am ordering the show, and looking forward to watching it. Since Wrestlemania, we have seen some pretty solid pay per views so hopefully the streak will continue tonight. I will be back with my thoughts on NOC and Raw Tuesday and don’t forget keep your predictions coming in, there’s still plenty of time. Also I will leave you with one big rumor. Okay supposedly the wedding planner Alicia will turn out to be Edge’s hottie and they will turn on Vickie. Remember this is just a rumor but it sounds like what was planned months ago with Krystal and Edge turning on Theodore Long. I’ve been waiting for Edge to dump Vickie so if this turns out to be true, I am all for it.
Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com
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Big Phil’s Ramblings- I Think I’m In Love Again
June 30, 2008
Ladies and gentlemen.
Big Phil is happy again.
This probably doesn’t mean much to most of you, but for the select few that care (again, thanks mum,) then I’ll let you in on the reason.
Last night, unlike last year, SmackDown didn’t get raped.
Ok, ECW did, but that’s the point of it, it’s there to help younger superstars develop, before moving on to greater things.
So now, I’m going to do my job, (even though it’s not TECHNICALLY a job, I don’t get paid *hint hint webmasters,*)
This will be a slightly shorter than usual column, and my last for three weeks, as I’m off on a cruise =)
First of all, I didn’t bother predicting the draft. I sat here for an hour deliberating over who to pick for moving. I ended up with about 3 names, all of which were completely and utterly wrong.
A few quick words about the actual show, I honestly, honestly enjoyed it. First Raw in ages I have.
My highlights:
Jericho’s promo.
Hardyz vs. Miz and Morrisson.
But now, the draft, and onto whether or not I think it is the correct decision.
So, draft pick number 1.
“The flying monkey the wicked witch forgot“, Rey Mysterio to Raw!
This both surprised me, and at the same time, didn’t. I’d been thinking for a while before his injury, Rey needs a change. This was the perfect time to do it. He’s out with injury, so his return pop is still going to be huge, and he gets a completely fresh start on raw, rather than coming off the back of something on
smackdown. He’s also the perfect replacement for Jeff Hardy, I’m sensing a feud with Jericho.
Draft pick number 2.
“Suicide in a bottle” Jeff Hardy to Smackdown.
Originially, I thought good move. Now, not so sure. It appears that SmackDown may end up with the same problem as Raw last year, too many world title contenders. And let’s face it, smackdown isn’t keeping both…
Draft Pick Number 3.
CM Punk to Raw.
Great move. Really, he was SO ready to move on from ECW, he was becoming stale and stagnant. Now, with a fresh brand and fresh rivalries, and a chance to use that MITB for a reason.
Draft Pick 4-
Matt Hardy to ECW.
This surprised the hell out of me, although it made more sense to me when Kane left. Matt is the new vet on ECW. It’s unfortunate though, I was hoping the Hardyz would be like The Brothers of Destruction, meaning phenomenal singles success with the odd team up. Apparently not.
Draft Picks 5 and 6.
Jim Ross and Michael Cole.
This was a very dirty swerve in my opinion. I think vince has been planning to put Cole on SmackDown for when J.R retires for a while, so decided to play it safe and do it now, while he could get away with it in terms of angles. J.R looked seriously shocked and, for want of a better phrase, pissed off.
I don’t blame him, because at that time, SmackDown was very much the B show, I think the draft has certainly buoyed it though.
Draft Pick Number 7.
Batista to Raw.
Now this is one I did see coming. He’s gotten boring on SmackDown, and needs a change of styles, Edge (and now triple H) is smackdown’s present, Kennedy and MVP are it’s future, therefore, he needed somewhere to go and be on top. I can see him being inserted into the Jericho HBK angle if he doesn’t beat Edge at NOC.
Draft Pick Number 8.
Umanga to Smackdown.
Can’t really see much happening with this one….. I could, but then Triple H and Kennedy happened…
Draft Pick Number 9
Kane To Raw.
The Big Red Machine is back home! So happy this happened, let’s see what he does with himself after losing to Big Show at NOC.
Draft Pick 10
Mr KennedyKennedy to Smackdown.
I predicted this. Honestly. I’m gutted about it though. I wanted him to go because he was floundering on Raw, but then he had his program with Burchall, which was really, really good. I’m just looking forward to seeing how he does on SmackDown, but, I think he’s going to struggle again, because SmackDown now has Raw’s old problem. Too many main eveners. Not enough time.
Draft Pick 11
Triple H to smackdown.
They said it wouldn’t happen.
They said it was impossible.
Triple H, Mr big “I’m only “A” Show.” Has been drafted to SmackDown. The “B” show. (or is it? That’s the topic for my next column when I come back from holiday.)
I’ve gotta say, I didn’t see it coming. I’m very very very happy though, because I have SmackDown tickets for November.
All in all, SmackDown did seriously well for itself, unlike last year, where it was raped and pillaged.
No my friend, it was ECW’s turn to be raped this year. But, in fairness, that’s its job. Develop the talent then send them on when ready, ala Punk.
Well, all in all, a damn good show, enough to get me excited about WWE again. At last the Million Dollar Mania looks to be over, and my best wishes to Melina and her ankle injury, hopefully she’ll be okay.
Also, a quick favour to ask all my readers.
If you could please use the following banner to sign up for mywwesearch.com. Basically, it’s powered by google, so you get the same results. You use it like you would use google, searching for what you need to know, only with this, every so often, you could win swag bucks. These can be saved up and traded in for free wwe merch, or even an iPhone, a PS3, a Wii, an Xbox! Everytime you win one, I win one too, so please, help a brother out.
Thanks!
Until next time.
I am Big Phil, Be Jealous.
You can contact me at bigdaddyphil92@hotmail.com with any feedback whatsoever, opinions, rantings, or applications to be a columnist on my official site, http://www.wrestlingramblings.tk.
Popularity: 8% [?]
The Wait Is Almost Over
June 29, 2008
It may have been a bit of a wait but the wait is almost over as starting tomorrow (Monday) The Wrestling Gazette will go live once again.
Via The Wrestling Gazette you will be able to find the following:
News – The latest & up-to-the-minute news from not only WWE & TNA but also promotions from all over the world.
Columns – Regular columns from some of the internet’s most respected writers ….. and me, Dean Saliba. 
Results – Show results from promotions based all over the world.
Reviews – Reviews of the latest wrestling related products.
Interviews – Interviews from some of the big (and small) names in the business.
Information – You will be able to find lists of various information such as newsletters, efed, wrestling radio shows and even more.
The above is just a tip of what you can expect from The Wrestling Gazette.
Popularity: 5% [?]
DirectTV NFL Sunday Ticket
June 23, 2008
If you live in America then the chances are that you are a huge fan of American Football (not football, that is soccer!), and why shouldn’t you? It is a great game, it reminds me of football and rugby…
If you are a fan then you might be interested to know that cable giant DirectTV have launched the NFL Sunday Ticket - a channel where you can watch over 200 games per season, this works out to about 12-14 games per weekend!
Not only do they offer you a huge amount of games, so you can follow your favourite team, but they also offer extra features such as Player Tracker, Enhanced Games, Highlights-on-Demand, and NFL SUNDAY SNAP, Pregame Coaches’ Shows, NFL Europe League, 25 Channels of NFL Action and so much more!
With all that stuffed into the package you could be forgiven for expecting the price to be sky high, but you would be wrong. The full price is only $269.00, which can be split into five manageable chunks of $53.80 spread over the season.
Popularity: 11% [?]
Cheap Way To Promote Wrestling
June 17, 2008
Are you looking to create a good amount of interest for your company? Advertising is slowly becoming very expensive these days and honestly the ratio of people seeing your advert is very low.
But there are other ways that will not only improve the ratio of who will see your advert but also improves the amount of people who will click on your links and go to your web site.
On avenue is called blog review.
The premise is very simple. An advertiser pays a blogger a set amount of money to write a blog post in their blog about whatever they are looking to promote and that post will contain links to the web site.
The post will stay up on the internet for years to follow (some times even longer) plus the links will help you with PR and the search engines will happily include the reviews on their lists.
One blog review company to use is called http://www.bloggersreview.com.
They may be new on the market but they are just perfect for companies who wish to advertise on budget.
Popularity: 13% [?]
!BANG! TV Report - International 8 Man Tag Team Action
June 4, 2008
Now on !BANG! TV 8 Man Tag Team Action as Flyin’r Ryan “Air” Mitchell with Sandii Skye, Johnny Magnum, Osamu Nishimura and Dory Funk Jr. team up to face Antonio Thomas, Elvis Sharp, Shane Chung and Blain Rage.
Also on !BANG! TV, in a #1 Contenders match for the Women’s Championship held by Gail Kim, “The Claw,” Claudia Reiff vs Lexie Fyfe (Hillary Clinton on WWE)
Both matches are now on !BANG! TV at http://www.dory-funk.com.
More of “Support the Troops 27,” is coming to !BANG! TV soon.
Support the Troops 27 “International Fight” was dedicated to Will Power, Funking Conservatory wrestler suffering a crushed foot in an industrial accident earlier in the week. Will Power’s wife, Jessica accepted the Fighting Heart Award for her Husband.
Coming soon to !BANG! wrestling highlights of Will Power in action.
For more information on training schedules, All Japan Pro Wrestling Tryouts, Call 352-895-4658.
Funking Conservatory - The Official American Training Facility for All Japan Pro Wrestling. www.dory-funk.com
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