Saturday, May 23, 2009

A Piece of my Mind May 23rd 2009 by "The Big Cheese" Sal Corrente


When I first started hanging around the WWF I was the new kid on the circuit. I was very lucky to have Mike Davanzo and Domenic Marcello to bridge relationships for me until I was accepted. One of the guys that I met along the way was Victor Quinones. I wasn’t even sure what he did but they told me he was almost like an adopted son to Gorilla Monsoon. He was always around and was clearly more on the inside than we were. I even saw him wrestle Rocky Johnson at TV once in Hamburg, PA.

One day I remember hearing that Victor was being sent by Gorilla down to Puerto Rico to work with Carlos Colon. It was sometime after that I believe that I became a referee and Victor actually brought me down to work shows in Puerto Rico. I had been told crazy stories by Afa “The Wild Samoan” #1 of how the fans were down there. They would throw rocks at you and spark plugs and how they could get very rowdy. In those days I didn’t care. All I knew was a real office was going to use me on some big shows.

I had been down there the previous year for the big anniversary show. I will talk about that show another time. This show was right on the heels of Hurricane Hugo in Sept 1989. The island, of course,satisfie was a mess. We were met by Carlos Colon in the dressing room and told to go home that the show was cancelled. He paid us all two hundred dollars and said they would purchase us new plane tickets if we could come back when the show could be run which was the beginning of October. I believe everyone was able to come back except for Jeff Jarrett who I saw there when I arrived. It was my first time meeting him.

Well when we got back I got a phone call from Victor telling me that Al Perez wasn’t going to make it and he asked what could I do to help out. They needed an opponent for Kevin Von Erich so I got on the phone and called my old buddy Ron Bass. The bad thing about the island was last minute no shows could really be a problem in getting replacements over there. We were lucky that from Tampa we could get Ron over pretty easily. It turns out Ron had never worked the island so he was willing to come over. They got him a ticket from Tampa. He came over and I used him on other stuff over the years. I believe this was my first exposure to Kevin Von Erich we got along well and to this day has always been a good friend. I used him on shows for Rob Russen’s IWA we never had the first problem out of him or Kerry.

The show was huge. It was outdoors and was to be headlined by Carlos Colon vs. El Sadistico Steve Strong in a barbed wire match. This is not the Steve Strong from California (Jesse Ventura’s old tag team partner) who I did get to meet a few years ago at the World Gym in Marina Del Ray, CA. This Steve Strong was (Steve DiSalvo) a very thick intimidating guy that didn’t have a lot of ring experience but that didn’t matter at all. I was to referee this main event. I was the special trouble shooting referee sent in to control Steve Strong. There had been a major program surrounding this match. In it Chicky Starr, the heel manager on the island who had A LOT of heat, was managing Steve Strong. Also Carlos was to have a second a man who was his mentor. I didn’t know all of what was happening but I knew what I had to do. I had been named referee of the year in Puerto Rico that year and was part of the angle. When Carlos came to me with the finish to be honest I was hesitant. There had already been an incident at the beginning of the show with the fans and myself. I talked to Carlos who told me they would use someone else. I thought "no I got in this business to work" so I did it. I explained the finish to Steve Strong who didn’t know what a crucifix was so I said “just stick out your arm after you shoot Carlos in you will figure it out and he did. It was a screw job finish with a match restart brought on by TNT a major baby face on the island stooging off what had really happened. The fans went crazy celebrating for Carlos. Make no mistake Carlos Colon was over in Puerto Rico and in a big way. You really need to think of some of the larger reactions you could get from a crowd and that’s what it was. Think of Jerry Lawler dropping the strap on his comeback or Hulk Hogan hulking up in their glory days that’s what it was when Carlos made a comeback.

This was a crazy night for me. The new heel team on the island, Jerry Morrow and The Cuban Assassin (not David Sierra), were going to screw the baby faces in the first match and take the tag titles. I was referee of the year but in the first match and I already had to be the classic "don’t see anything" referee. It was all part of it as I was to be the hero later in the night. I will always be thankful to Miguelito since I was still young and naïve but he knew what was happening on his island. After the match I was walking to the ring in front of the baby faces after I just caused them to lose the belts. I heard Miguelito say for me to get behind him so I did. Once I got behind him he was hit right in the balls with a rock that was meant for me. The fans there are really wild but I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. If you want to get some idea what the main event was like it is on You Tube in four parts starting with this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjWvgb7M4z4 .

I realize the Puerto Rico territory will always have a lot of cloud over due to the unfortunate incident with Bruiser Brody. I never met Bruiser so I don’t have that huge pain that so many feel who knew him. What I do know is he should be alive today and be headlining shows and conventions etc and probably still feuding with Abdullah the Butcher. With that being said, Puerto Rico was a great opportunity for me and I am thankful to the late Victor Quinones for the chance he gave me. I have to honestly say as well that I was paid well for what I did for the office. I had my best payoffs in the business working for that office. It could be a whirlwind sometimes but when it was all said and done I was paid and paid very well.

I last saw Carlos at the 6:05 reunion that was held in Orlando at the Hard Rock Café. His son Eddie, who has now gone on to fame as Primo Colon in the WWE, worked the show. I hadn’t seen Carlos in about fifteen years but we got a minute or two to remember that night and El Sadistico. It was probably just one night in the life of a legend but for me it was a night to remember.

This picture is me and Mike Davanzo when he first started bringing me around the business. I think we were at the home of Domenic Marcello in Yonkers NY. It was a big deal to have those masks fans didn't have them at the time. You had to get them from wrestling places which there were very few back in the day. Who ever knew I would actually have matches one day. I sure didn't believe me.

Awesome column by Jim Cornette looks at the evolution of "Hardcore Wrestling"

Legendary wrestling star Jim Cornette has an interesting column posted at his new official website - www.jimcornette.com. The article looks at the evolution of "Hardcore Wrestling" and its initial beginnings right here in the Memphis Wrestling area. It is an awesome read.

One comment that really stood out for me at the end as it involves the wrestling business today and the "hardcore style" is this, "Twenty years ago, we PRETENDED to hurt each other, and the fans believed it. Today, we REALLY DO hurt each other, and the fans think it's fake. Who are the marks now??"

Also, the column ironically discusses the September 1981 Tupelo Concession Stand Brawl between the teams of Ricky Morton & Eddie Gilbert and Masa Fuchi & Atsushi Onita, which was shown this morning on Memphis Wrestling TV. This was the third such brawl in the Tupelo arena and Cornette refers to it as a "pivotal point" in the evolution in "Hardcore Wrestling," as the brawl gave Onita the initial ideas that led to his FMW promotion in Japan.

Check out the column at http://www.jimcornette.com/Commentary.html

Big Benefit Show Tomorrow!!

----The show is at the DCW Arena in Dyersburg, TN tomorrow afternoon. A spaghetti lunch from 11 to 2. The wrestling starts at 3 here is a list of matches. Jon Michael vs Tony Gunn Sgt. O'Reily,Team X and Tommy Redneck vs Syn,Stunner,Suicide and Brandon Barbwire Chris Rocker vs Danny B. Goode Picture Perfect vs East Coast Bad Boys also appearing Simon Reed,Jason Reed,The Asylum Hollywood and Btty Little, Motley Cruz,Dustin Starr,Tat2,BRIAN Steele,Devon Day, A.C. Styles Frankie Tucker and many more.

RassleResults: USWO Nashville, TN 5.22.09

61 attended

Dyron Flynn vs Drifter #4 went to a double countout due to brawling on the floor

Psycho Medic & Kevin Dunn b Steve Neely & Ben Jordan via stereo rollups

Lee Cross (w/Nick White) b Lightning Bolt Kid and Spade in a 3-way when he pinned Spade

Kevin Dunn b James Duncan

USWO Jr. Champion Bryan Casey b Jeff Jameson by DQ when ref Boogie found Jameson holding a chain that Josh Crowe had originally handed to Casey

Saint & Jason Xavier b USWO Tag Team Champions Josh Crowe & Damien Payne in a non-title match when Xavier pinned Payne

Mitch Ryder b USWO Champion Manslaughter by DQ when Manslaughter refused to break a chokehold at ref Psycho Medic's five count

Credit: Jimmie Daniel

Memphis Wrestling TV Report 5.16.09

----I am looking for a regular columnist to do the Memphis Wrestling TV report!! Anybody out there want to to DARE to do it?? LOL D-Rock does a good job over at WNC, but like I was, he is slow at putting out the report. Brian Thompson and I have tried doing them, but my interest is mainly in fast forward. Thompson has been taking more dates as an announcer and part of "Midnight Gold", so his time is limited on Saturdays. Please e-mail if you are interested in taking the job of "Memphis Wrestling TV Report Guy".


Corey Maclin welcomed everyone to another week of Memphis Wrestling. Coming up, we'll take a look back at the big feud between "Macho Man" Randy Savage and "The Universal Heartthrob" Austin Idol. Also, a classic battle with The Moondogs taking on The Fabulous Ones and a rare matchup, caught on tape of when "Nature Boy" Ric Flair came into Memphis and squared off against Jerry "The King" Lawler. We'll hear from "The King" and Sam Ware from Payroll Management Group about the upcoming event at the Super K-Mart on Austin Peay Hwy, this Saturday, May 23rd.

Classic footage of The Moondogs with "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart in their corner in a war with The Fabulous Ones from the Mid-South Coliseum. Steve Keirn got hung up in between the ropes, where he dangled, fighting for air as The Moondogs added pressure. Finally, Referee Jerry Calhoun had no choice, but to call for the bell. Stan attacked and chased off The Moondogs with a steel chair. Stan managed to pry Steve's head loose from the ropes. As soon as Steve's head was freed, the ropes popped back into place. This added a special awe factor because it looked as if it snapped Steve's neck before he fell, lifeless, to the concrete floor. This clip was followed by a Fabulous Ones music video.

Corey reminded everyone of the FREE Wrestling show, coming up, this Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, May 23rd in Raleigh-Frayser as part of the special Block Party event. This event will take place at the Super K-Mart, located on Austin Peay Hwy with a 1:00pm bell time. There will be FREE Food, FREE Balloons and FREE T-shirts handed out. Corey will be there along with the television cameras, as well as, Jerry "The King" Lawler, "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart, and many more. Be sure and bring the whole family.

Video of a confrontation between "Grandmasta Sexay" Brian Christopher and "Dangerous" Doug Gilbert that took place at the UPN studio. Brian was asking the fans to bring whatever they had laying around the house because he was going to wrap it around Doug Gilbert's head. Doug walked out and showed Brian a picture of Brian Christopher, "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert, "Wildfire" Tommy Rich, Buddy Landel, and "Dangerous" Doug Gilbert, collectively known as the Memphis Mafia. Doug told Brian that he forgot where he came from and smashed the picture over his head. This left Brian a bloody mess. Current WWE Superstar, R-Truth, ran out to check on the battered Christopher and to see "What's up?"

Corey said they've got some great things in the making that they'll be telling us about very soon that they are putting together, hopefully, by the end of this year. Corey added, "It's going to be a very, very, very special night of Memphis Wrestling to remember."

Here was something special. It was when World Champion "Nature Boy" Ric Flair came into Memphis and took on Jerry "The King" Lawler. This included some great Flair moments on the mic. Flair was scheduled to wrestle Rick McCord, but Lawler told Flair that McCord was inexperienced, so Lawler challenged Flair to a match. Flair accepted the challenge so they were going to have a ten minute non-title match until Lawler convinced Flair into defending the world title. Flair and Lawler went the entire ten minute time limit. Time expired as Flair had Lawler in the figure-four leglock. An irate Flair demanded that they have five more minutes so they restarted the contest. Lawler mounted a comeback and dropped the strap, taking it to Flair. Flair ended up retreating from the ring, grabbing his belt, and leaving. Great footage. I found these on YouTube.


Following the footage, Jerry "The King" Lawler checked in to remind everyone that SmackDown is invading Memphis on Tuesday, June 2. On June 2nd, the WWE Superstars are going to be down at the FedExForum. Jerry said that he is going to be the official guest referee in the big main event between four of the top superstars from SmackDown. Jerry confirmed that the next live event that was scheduled at Minglewood Hall for May 30th has been put on hold and pushed back. Jerry announced, "It looks like the next big show at Minglewood Hall is going to be an extravaganza! It's going to be a 4th of July blowout! There's certainly going to be fireworks at Minglewood Hall on July 4th and you won't want to miss that, but before that SmackDown coming to Memphis on the first Tuesday in June at the FedExForum." Jerry ended by saying, "You better be there because I've got a little surprise in store for those guys from SmackDown." On the television commercials they have been advertising a steel cage tag match, pitting Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio against the team of Chris Jericho and the World Heavyweight Champion, Edge.

Sam Ware from Payroll Management Group dropped by and brought a tape with some classic footage from the Randy Savage/Austin Idol feud.

First clip was from their match at the Mid-South Coliseum. Angelo Poffo threw a chain to Savage. Savage blasted Idol with it and got the pin. After the bell, Idol tied Savage up in the ropes(Andre style) and put Angelo Poffo in the Las Vegas leglock. This was followed by an Austin Idol promo in the studio, in which he talked very, very fast. Then, they went to a fuming Randy Savage, who was by the side of his injured father, Angelo. Good stuff.

Corey and Sam Ware reminded everyone again of the FREE Wrestling show, coming up, this Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, May 23rd in Raleigh-Frayser as part of the special Block Party event. This event will take place at the Super K-Mart, located on Austin Peay Hwy with a 1:00pm bell time. There will be FREE Food, FREE Balloons and FREE T-shirts handed out. Corey will be there along with the television cameras, as well as, Jerry "The King" Lawler, "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart, and many more. Be sure and bring the whole family.

Brett Thompson from Luxury Car Rental of Memphis stopped by and talked about all of his cars that he's bringing for the 23rd. He announced that Corey Maclin, Jerry "The King" Lawler, and "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart will all be signing the free t-shirts that are going to be handed out at the show on Saturday. Corey ended the show by saying he would see everyone next week.

Credit: D-Rock at www.wrestlingnewscenter.com

RassleResults: NBW Newbern, 5.16.09 - Never Say Never - DK Debuts!!


Pre-Show was an emotional 10 bell salute for Tank. Such wrestlers as Bonecrusher, Crazytrain, Phoenix X and the NBW Roster among others were around ringside for this.

R.I.P. Tank
______________________________

Show opened w/ Mark Justice Appreciation Night. Mark came to the ring and was about to get on the mic to say a few words when NBW Official Troy came to ringside and whispered something in NBW Announcer Antonio Anderson's ear. Antonio said Mark had a surprise and the music was cued up. To everyone's surprise Jimmy "Nothing But The Truth" Tidwell came to the ring. Jimmy gave Mark a lifetime achievement award but said 1 thing was wrong, there was no NBW management out to honor the Champion Mark Justice, this made Mark upset and he headed to the dressing room to get them and as he got to the door the lights went down and Jon Michael's music hit! Michael came out and he and Mark brawled a bit and Mark bailed, Jon Michael then declared himself number 1 contender. Tim Davis then came out and got his hands on Auburn Thunder until Jimmy Tidwell came in the ring and broke it up.

"The Upset Kid" Jeremy Moore def. "The Real Deal" Neil Taylor after a quick roll-up in about 5 mins.

Next was Hollywood Jimmy Blaylock's birthday bash! The XOW guys offered Jimmy alot of bogus gifts that really upset Jimmy, things like a 1 year Gym subscription etc... Tim Davis came to the ring and said He also had some surprises for Jimmy, He said alot of old WOWF guys sent in birthday wishes. But there was more, Davis had a present for Blaylock. Davis ordered the big door to be opened and there was a fed-ex truck there. They pulled a huge box out of the back and as Jimmy went to open it, He instead made Jason "The Brain" open it. Out of the box came former WOWF owner Jim Princeton w/ a pie to the face on Jason! Davis said He told Jimmy he would make his life miserable and Princeton was the 1 who knew how to do it.

Norrin Radd/Redman def. Biscuit/Redneck after more miscommunication.

Brandon Barbwire retained the NBW High Risk Title over Ricky Andrews after a cheap win.

Jimmy Tidwell said earlier in the night he had the biggest baddest opponent for Mark and here he is, out comes The Kid.

The Kid def. Mark Justice after Auburn Thunder tossed the belt in the ring and Mark had Kid up for the Hard justice and tripped and face planted and Kid got a quick 3 to a big pop. Kid was celebrating with the title when Tidwell said this match was never made a title match to the disliking of the crowd.

XOW came to the ring for the street fight when suddenly The FOP attacked them from behind and ran them out. Sarge then got on the mic and said XOW is always cheating and he has found an Equalizer, the lights went down and to everyone in the arenas surprise out comes none other than Derrick King! DK got on the mic and said never say never, at which point Jimmy Blaylock said he hated DK and he was the only Memphis Wrestling superstar in NBW!

FOP def. Syn/Stunner to become the new Unified Tag Team Champions! After The match DK delivered a huge Superkick to XOW owner Billy Russ, Sarge then said DK was here to stay and XOW was finished!

Crowd probably around 110 or so. Good show, crowd was into the matches and seemed genuinely surprised to see Derrick King.

Credit: NBWnewsguy

Photo credit: Tia Blaylock @ www.wrestlingnewscenter.com

Friday, May 22, 2009

RassleResults: N.E.W. West Memphis, AR 05.22.2009

New Experience Wrestling (N.E.W.) held another set of TV Tapings for future distribution tonight at the "Nightmare" Ken Wayne School of Professional Wrestling. Below are the results...

- Alan Steele defeated Shawn Reed
- Kid Nikels defeated "Main Attraction" Matt Justyce
- United States Jr. Heavyweight Champion Dustin Ring defeated Justin "The Juice" Smart in a Non-Title match.

RassleNotes: Approximately 25 in the crowd...At the start of the show, "3G" Eric Wayne was in the ring to talk about his recent suspension. He called out his father "Nightmare" Ken Wayne who told him that the suspension would be lifted if he would do the proper thing and shake Dustin Ring's hand, something he did not do at the conclusion of the United States Jr. Heavyweight Title tournament on May 8. At the end of the show, Eric came out and shook Dustin's hand only to kick him with a low blow. He then appeared ready to punt Ring in the head, but the lockerroom emptied and stopped him..."Golden Boy" Greg Anthony was interviewed during the show. Before Anthony could speak, Kid Nikels interrupted the interview. Nikels made an "Al Bundy/Ted Bundy" comparison saying that Golden Boy was more like Al Bundy with his hands down his pants while he (Nikels) is more like Ted Bundy, causing havoc. Interesting analogy. Anthony ended up placing a $1,000 bounty on Nikels' head. Money goes to the first man to beat Nikels, ending his winning streak...Brian Thompson was solo on commentary as John Steele was out due to another eye related surgery...Downtown Bruno and Chuck Poe were both in the house as referees...Al Jones, a sports reporter with SEMOSportsNews.com, was in attendance to cover the show. He was primarily covering Justin Smart's participation as Smart is from Sikeston, MO, which is in Southeast Missouri (SEMO). Ironically, Jones and Brian Thompson worked together in 2004 at the Kennett, MO Daily Dunklin Democrat newspaper...N.E.W. returns to West Memphis next Friday at 8 p.m. at the "Nightmare" Ken Wayne School of Wrestling.

Tank Funeral Expenses: WE CHALLENGE YOU!!!

----The expenses of Tank’s funeral where in the $5,700 range. Tank did not have any insurance and I do know that his family would appreciate any help you can give them!! Crazy Train and I came up with an idea that I hope everyone will join up and help them!! Crazy Train and I both donated $100 to the costs of the funeral. We are both challenging all the workers and the fans in this area to match our donation and send $100 to the address below. If you send a check or money order, just enclose a SASE and the funeral home will send you a receipt. Make sure you enclose a note saying you are helping with Tim Robertson’s funeral expenses. Dig into your pockets and send some money!! WE CHALLENGE YOU!!! And if you can’t afford the $100 and I understand that, just send ANYTHING!! $5, $10, $25, $50, $75 or whatever!! DO IT TODAY!!!!

Tim Roberson Expenses
John W German Funeral Home
208 N 3rd St
Hayti, MO 63851
(573) 359-1400

Memphis Wrestling TV Ratings Wrapup 4.25 and 5.02.09

----I would like to apologize to everyone for taking so long for ratings. I will be post the last two weeks early next week and tomorrow’s show by Friday. I have also added notes on the shows as I got the chance to watch them via TIVO.

4.25.09

----Well, coming out a week where the rating was 0, you could only get better; right?? And they did. It scored a .8 and pretty much stayed that way the whole show. Good news because those that turned it on – they didn’t turn it off. It was also a lot of original programming, so it might give them a hint that people want to see new stuff!! This show still finished 9% lower than the yearly average, but 7% over the Channel 50 average from last year.

Overall .8 [12957 viewers]

1st Quarter
-Veronica Fairchild vs Su Yung
-Yung vs Renee
-Hart big announcement
-Bill Dundee vs Don Bass [start]
.8 [12957 viewers]

2cnd Quarter
-Dundee vs Bass [finish]
-King Cobra vs Derrick King
-Hart interview
.8 [12957 viewers] [nc]

3rd Quarter
-Koko Ware vs Kevin White
-Lawler vs Troy Graham [start]
.8 [12957 viewers] [nc]


4th Quarter
-Lawler vs Graham [finish]
.7 [11338 viewers] [-1619 viewers]

Start to finish [-1619 viewers]

What was Memphis watching?? Strawberry Shortcake/Care Bares 1.9 [30773 viewers]

NOTES

----Fairchild is really green, but has a good look…Renee looked good in wrestling gear…Dundee vs Bass was not good. Hollywood Jimmy had the crowd going at the front though. As noted on the Kayfabe Board, you could hear ref Jerry Calhoun calling spots during this bout and others…Derrick King was using the “Ghost of Don Bass” [heel hiding chain in trunks gimmick – officially make it “Ghost of Don Bass” from this point forth]to wrestle Cobra. RRO Wrestler of the Year – 3 Time in a row – rolled up by LEGEND Cobra for the win. OH ME!!!! I held my head down on that one…White/Ware had the best bout on the show. Just basic stuff with guys in this area that don’t know what basic psychology is – watch that bout. Ware takes a beating and White puts him over in the end…David Walls in the front row…Lawler vs Graham – a good brawl and watch all the heat that Lawler takes!!!

5.02.09

----This show scored big with the second biggest rating of the year and the 4th highest rating of the Channel 50 version of Memphis Wrestling. 2.21.09 scored a 2.1 [33205 viewers], but you would have to go back all the way to 09.13.08 for another show that beat it. This would be another reason for original programming as people tuned in to watch Rich/Gilbert vs Lawler/Christopher – a match they have been building for weeks promoting it for the Minglewood show. Christopher has recently been a ratings winner with his matches. The last three quarters he has appeared have averaged 23,216 viewers. That is 38% over the average of everything else that has aired this year. The show overall finished 40% over the 2009 average and 50% over last year’s Channel 50 ratings.

Overall 1.5 [24,295 viewers]

1st Quarter
-Doug Gilbert/Tommy Rich vs Lawler/Brian C [start]
1.2 [19436 viewers]

2cnd Quarter
-Doug Gilbert/Tommy Rich vs Lawler/Brian C [finish]
-Dundee/Fairchild vs White/Su Yung [start]
1.8 [29,154 viewers] [+9718 viewers]

3rd Quarter
-Dundee/Fairchild vs White/Su Yung [finish]
-Nightmares vs R&R [start]
1.6 [25914 viewers] [-3420 viewers]

4th Quarter
-Nightmare vs R&R [finish]
-Lawler interview
1.4 [22675 viewers] [-3239 viewers]

From start to finish [+3239 viewers]

What was Memphis watching?? Power Rangers RPM/Care Bears 2.0 [31583 viewers]

NOTES

----Doug/Tommy vs Brian C/Lawler was not as bad as I expected. Solid psychology. What would expect from these guys though?? Rich did look..well...but did ok for what they did…Fairchild looked better in the suit she was wearing here…I heard Dundee tell the ref “Get the fuck away!” LOL…Lawler did a good job getting over the fact that Rich might have looked bad, but he did a good job in the ring. Lawler also stated that another show would be May 30th and he has been talking to R&R, Austin Idol, PG-13 and Buddy Landell.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Tank Wins Ric Flair Card!!


As many of you know, Beckett Media recently gave away 15 copies of the first certified autographed card of “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, a Donruss Americana promo card from Panini.

But what you might not know (we didn’t) is that one of the winners was Tim Robertson of Caruthersville, Mo., an independent wrestler also known as “Tank.”

Robertson, a 29-year-old father of two, died last week from an apparent allergic reaction. Here’s what his wife, Helen, wrote in an e-mail to Beckett on Tuesday:

“I would like to say thank you for letting my husband be one of the 15 winners of the Ric Flair trading cards. Ric Flair was and always will be my husband’s favorite wrestler of all time. I’m sorry for having to tell you this, but my husband passed away on Friday, May 15.

“When you sent the message that Tim won, he got so excited that he cried. He has never won anything in his life. He won something of his favorite thing, wrestling, and his No. 1 favorite wrestler Ric Flair. The only thing he was not able to do is meet him in person or watch him in a live wrestling event. You did let him win one out of 15 in the world. That meant a lot to him. Again, I thank you so much from my husband and me.”

Tank wrote briefly about what Flair meant to him with his entry, which was one of the randomly selected winners:

“I am a huge Ric Flair fan and growing up watching wrestling with my dad, so was he. He passed away 16 years ago and left me a ton of Ric Flair merchandise, and I have done nothing but add to it. It would be a great honor if I could win one of these cards for my collection. It the only thing I don’t have so far, is an authentic autograph of the man himself, and I have never gotten to meet him.”

Robertson didn’t mention his profession, one that probably did leave a few bumps and bruises as it always does. He also didn’t mention who he had met working independents — guys you might have seen on television like Jerry “The King” Lawler, Rikishi, Kamala, Percy Pringle and “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant among others.

But it’s obvious that wrestling touched him, and obviously his hero Flair did, too — as tears brought on by a trading card should attest — and that means he probably did the same for some fans here and there even if he wasn’t seen on television.

“Thank you for wanting to publish my husband’s story,” Helen Robertson said in a follow-up message. “I do think it’s a good idea to inspire other people. You do not know how many people were inspired by my husband.”

Chris Olds has collected sports cards and memorabilia since 1987. Before coming to Beckett Media, he wrote about the hobby for the Orlando Sentinel on his blog, SportsStuff, and for the San Antonio Express-News and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Do you have a comment, question or idea? Send e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.

Credit: TheBeckettBlog and Rich @ www.wrestlingnewscenter.com

Site News!!

----We had record numbers this past Saturday with the highest hits for a Saturday since July, 2007. It be contributed to everyone coming to read the news about Tank. Tank would be proud that he was so over. This past Tuesday was also a record number for a Tuesday!! The debut of Downtown Bruno’s column gathered the best hits on Tuesday since September, 2007.

----Tank Bio article will be post late on Saturday night/early Sunday morning. I want to get the finishing touches on it. We also have the most traffic on the site on Sunday and Monday, so I want everyone to have a chance to see it. Also if anyone wants to contribute any last minute quotes, send me an e-mail.

Shows of the Weekend 5.22 to 5.23.09

----CLICK HERE for the regular schedule of shows. The roster may be a little different than posted, but all the shows are run on regular basis. Listed below are three shows I would recommend for the weekend.


Professional Wrestling Alliance
Augusta, AR
Augusta Days Fair
Show Free as part of fair admission
Bell time: 5:30 p.m.

Scheduled to appear: PWA Champion Jamie Jay and Jamie Lee (Team Hollister), PWA Tag Team Champion Johnny Morton, Austin Lane, Brian Thompson, Scott Fury, Ray Ray, Psycho, Tommy Wayne, Dylan Crest and John Cage.

-RWA in Jonesboro, AR - the show is hot right now!! It would be good time to visit.
-NBW in Newbern, TN - Derrick King is back for his second week.

RassleResults: RWA Jonesboro, AR 5.16.09

1st Match Pokerface vs Reno Diamond. Winner Reno Diamond.
2nd Match Cannon vs Acid. Winner Acid.
3rd Match John Allen vs Black Sheep
4th Match Logan Fury vs Soul Train Jones. Winner Logan Fury.
5th Match Battle Royal Ladder Match For the RWA TV Championship. Winner J.D. Kerry.
6th Match Blalok The Blazor vs Lucky. Winner Lucky>
7th Match RWA Tag Team Title Match. Asylum vs Natural Born Playa'z. Winner N.B.P

Main Event. For the RWA TV Title J.D. Kerry vs The Mexican Assassin.

The show started with the ring announcer Biscuit coming out and running down the card for the evening. Biscuit told the fans that Owner Frank Martin wanted to come out and issue an apology. At this time music hit and out came Frank Martin. Martin took the mic and said he was sorry for the construction of the rails around the ring and knew that it was a hindrance for some of the fans. He said he was sorry for taking so long to get a Heavyweight title, sorry for taking so long to get the Tag Team titles, sorry for waiting so long to get a TV title. But most of all he was sorry that he took so long in getting rid of that "Piece of Trash" Rodney Mack.

Martin told the story of how Mack was in the Ohio Valley training with Batista, Randy Orton, John Cena, Shelton Benjamin. How Batista was in the developmental area so long because he was so bad at wrestling. Martin said Batista rode the short bus there and is still on the short bus in the wwe. He went on to say how bad these guys are how fake they are and that the biggest fake of all of them was Rodney Mack. Martin explained to the fans that he told them a year ago when Cameron Cage was running wild in the RWA that it was him and The Pit Bull that took out Handsome Jimmy Valiant in Tuckerman. It was Martin that got rid of Cage, Chazz Wesson, Ali Steven and now Rodney Mack. Martin explained how it was a plan all along, when POB gave the stroller to Mack and then jumped him, at this point Mack's music hit and the place erupted. Mack came to the ring and told Martin that just because he dresses up and thinks he is all that he is not. Mack told him he must have forgot how this all started. How even though he may walk the way he walks and talks the way he talks he is not dumb. Mack reminded him that he was on TV for 5 years and made a lot of money. Mack bought a house for his mother and for him and Jazz in Louisiana. Then he lost his job and fell on hard times. Mack told the fans that Martin called him up and offered him a job with the RWA. Mack and Martin negotiated a deal and Mack got 50% of the RWA so he is not going anywhere! Mack reminded Martin that there is a board of directors that determines the rules and who is fired and who is hired. Then told Martin he had not seen the last of the Dog Pound or Mack. Martin told Mack that's fine but remember he paid the attorneys that drew up the papers that made him 50% and he would see Mack in court. Martin then told Mack to leave the building and remember his boys are in Martin's hands and someone would get hurt tonight...

Pokerface and Reno started the show and what a way to start. It was takedown after takedown. Poker would hit a deep arm drag and Reno would turn and hit one of his own. Arm drag, leg sweep, you name it and these two did it and did it very well. Of course since Reno is a part of the Dynasty, Blalok was at ringside. It would not take long before Reno would use an illegal maneuver and gain the upper hand. Poker made several comebacks to be cut off and keep the match going. Finally Poker got his advantage and was poised to take home the victory when Blalok would inject himself into the match and Reno would roll up Poker and hold onto the tights to get the 1,2,3.

The Loose Cannon and Acid match saw two big guys go at it. Cannon being the veteran kept himself in this match however Acid being half of the Irish Dragon's had Logan in his corner, Logan had his part in the contest and Acid got the victory. Acid has really improved since coming to the RWA and can really move for a big man.

John Allen and Black Sheep was an interesting match since both these guys are really heels. The fans were having a hard time cheering for either one of these guys. Each used several combinations to gain advantage in the match, then Pimp Ricky threw his cane into the ring for Allen to use. Allen was caught between the ref and Pimp Ricky and when he turned around Black Sheep caught him with the cane and got the 3 count. Black Sheep kept up the onslaught and even took one of Pimp Ricky's fake legs off and tried to hit Allen. Black Sheep dropped the leg and Allen grabbed it and gave him one great shot before Black Sheep could get away.

Soul Train Jones vs Logan Fury was a great match, Soul Train came out with a large 60's style afro dancing all around the ring. The fans really liked this and when he got into the ring he gave it to Tim Daniels RWA Senior Ref and Tim went to dancing. But as soon as the bell rang it was all business in the ring. Soul Train displayed his strength and Logan tried to counter with quickness. Somewhere down the line the ref did not see the chain that Acid tossed to Logan and Logan did use it but dropped it when Soul Train kicked out of a pin Fall. Soul Train picked up the chain and the ref told him not to use it several times but the peaceful and Soulful Jones had enough and hit Logan with the chain and knocked him out. Soul Train was DQ’ed but he won the battle but the war is still raging

The Ladder Match for the TV title belt was everything one could hope it would be. Each combatant came to the ring in the order they were eliminated out of the Battle Royal last week. Cannon, Blalok, Logan Fury, Lucky, Gary Diamond, John Allen, Pokerface. Now John Allen was not in the TV Tournament at all but was allowed to be in the match. When people were asked how this happened all that was said was. Pimp Ricky paid Mr. Martin a lot of money to get his boy into it.

The match was crazy so many things happening and not enough eyes to catch all of it. Just about everyone got up to the title before they were brought down hard. Then a frog Splash off the top rope onto Poker who was laying on the ladder and moved gave John Allen a sore stomach and busted the ladder. The ring crew with quick thinking pull out another ladder a big heavy ladder to use. Eventually J.D. Kerry made the climb and got the belt, but wait he did not come down with it - it got hung on the cable that held it above the ring. J.D had to climb the ladder a second time to get the belt down and become the new and first RWA TV Champion.. As J.D. was celebrating his victory The Music the fans had been hearing a lot of came on again. The name of the Song is Money by the Bullet Boys. Out comes Big Money himself Frank Martin. Martin starts congratulating J.D. and started to bring back the memories for J.D. How J.D. Came to the building before the show and asked how he could get trained. Martin was the one who talked to J.D. Explained the does and don'ts in the business, Martin talked with J.D.s mother about how they train the cost and how important it was that J.D stay in school while he learned to wrestle and learned the business. Martin then went on to tell J.D. about how he set the tournament for J.D. to win the belt. Now Martin said all you have to do is do the right thing and listen to the one that got you this far. J.D. told Martin that he fought 7 guys in the ring and he won the belt and that Rodney trained him and that's who he is going to listen to. That's fine J.D. Remember I make the matches around here to you will defend that belt tonight against a person of my choosing in the main event Martin replied

Blalok had a match with Lucky. Most people think of Lucky as being a midget and he is not. Lucky is a great competitor with a big heart and can give anyone all they can handle in any match. So this match showed what he could do, Lucky stayed on Blalok for the most part with each man exchanging big moves and big punches. But just like the match where Blaylok cost Poker his match, so went this match and Lucky came out on the winners side making Blaylok very angry..

Tag action was next and the Natural Born Playa'z came out first and did a mic spill. Right in the middle of the thing some guy crossed the guard rails and got into the ring and hit pimp from behind. Southside took the neighborhood watch sign he carries and with one full swing knock the kid down on the mat and the two proceeded to beat the crap out of this kid. By the time security got to the kid he had a golf ball size knot on his head and his chest and face were raw from the chops and they drug him out of the building. Well in comes the Asylum and what a brutal match this was it ended in a double DQ and it was a big move after a big move the complete time. These two teams do not like each other and it shows. They were hitting some shots that would cause the fans to just go quite. Then the Irish Dragons had to stick their nose in and it really broke down form there. It took 10 min to get everyone separated and back into the dressing rooms.

Martin's music hit again and out came Martin and Mike Austin. Martin took the mic away from the ring announcer and told the fans that he had spared no expense in getting this next superstar to the RWA. He has put more workers out of wrestling than anyone else. He has held titles every where he goes. He has traveled all over the world and fought some of the greatest in the business. Ladies and Gentlmen the Mexican Assassin.

Tejano came out but looked different than before, no sassy smile or smirk just straight intensity and Dominuiqe in behind him with the Mexican flag. J.D. Came out like he always does and hit the ring hard. Got M.A. going and just like that M.A. hit him with a very stiff clothes line and then went to work on J.D. Every kick and every punch was stiff and left a mark. Martin kept yelling at J.D. You should have done the right thing J.D. J.D. started making his come back and hit his frog splash and the ref counted 1 2 and Dominqiue distracted the ref the fans counted to 6 before J.D. got up and gave Dominque a drop kick off the apron. Martin then gave M.A. a chain and as J.D. came over M.A. hit him with it. J.D. managed to kick out and mounted his come back again. J.D. hit another Frog Splash and the ref counted 1 2 and as the hand was coming down Martin jumped up on the apron and told the ref no to make that count. The ref came over to Martin to ask him why? J.D. did the same thing and as they got up to Martin, Martin got down off the ring. When J.D. turned around M.A. hit him with his finisher and got the 3 count and became the New TV Champion. But that was not enough as the fans were going crazy again M.A. started to put the boots to J.D. Along with Mike Austin at this point Rodney Mack and SoulTain came out. Mack threw Austin into the post and out to the outside. Soul Train had M.A, When Mack turned around Martin was standing there. The roof came off the building when Mack grabbed Martin. Mack put Martin up on his shoulders for a Samoan Back Drop. The fans were going crazy and then Rage hit the ring and took down Mack. Martin slipped through the ropes with his life and gathered up his crew and all the belts and left.

Another great crowd with graduations going on and all 200+ in the building and the crowd was hot all night. This week’s main event will be a barbwire match between Gary Diamond and Mike Austin. The ring will be completely enclosed in barbwire so no one can get out.

Credit: RWAreporter

----Frank Martin is very good on the mic and is probably doing a fantastic job getting these angles over. He just needs to not over expose himself. Also it is perfect with Mack ALMOST getting to him. They need to milk that as much as possible. ..”Aslyum” and “Playaz” have been having some good matches around the horn – here and WWCW…I feel sorry for Blalok having to work Lucky…I bet Poker vs Reno was good.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Tank Tribute Video

----Below is video that was originally posted on the Kayfabe Message Board. I thought I would post it here, because I know some of you do not go on the board. I am still working on the Tank Bio article. I hope to have it up by the weekend. I also got an e-mail from Crazy Train yesterday. Friday morning, Train and I will be issuing a special challenge to everyone to help the Robinson family, so make sure to check back then.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Downtown Bruno Column Debut: Mama Says It Beeees That Way Sometimes : “Lineage and Eric “3-G” Wayne”


"3-G" Eric Wayne

As many of you know, I am the senior official and creative consultant for Ken Wayne’s New Experience Wrestling, which holds TV tapings every Friday night at the Ken Wayne School of Professional Wrestling in scenic West Memphis, Arkansas. I would like to invite everybody in the area or anybody who is willing to travel a little ways to come by and attend. The admission is only five bucks and you will see some guys who I can guarantee will be the next generation of top guys in our profession. Guarantee!! Now that’s a big word, but once you check out the talent here in NEW, it’s not a question of IF one or even ALL of these guys are destined for superstardom, but WHEN!!

Let me start out using this space for this week and the next several columns to talk about the 4 NEW regulars who have actually come from the Nightmare Ken Wayne School......Eric Wayne, Kid Nikels, Matt Justyce and Greg King Jr.

Let’s start out this week with Eric "3G"Wayne, son of “Nightmare” Ken Wayne, and move on to the other young stars in the weeks to come. Eric is not only the son of Ken Wayne, but the grandson of Buddy Wayne, a legendary name in our profession. Eric’s Aunt is “Vicious” Vickie of Memphis Wrestling some years ago and step-cousin (or something like that) of myself, Downtown Bruno.

I’ve known Eric basically all of his life and can honestly say that he has paid his dues in the business. I’ve seen the busted fingers, black eyes ,swollen elbows,etc. A lot of promoters in our business have been accused of pushing their sons with little or no talent, just because of who they are. That’s called nepotism, like when Nick Gulas pushed his son George(who sucked). Or when Ivan Putski and Angelo Mosca started parading their shitty sons all over the country trying to get them booked. Those are just 3 of many possible examples of nepotism in the business that only makes it harder for sons who actually have legitimate credentials and talent enough to warrant a push. Remember, for every piece of shit like Jamie Dundee, there’s a Jeff Jarrett, Shane Mcmahon, Cody Rhodes and Teddy Dibiase among many others. I mean..sure..Shane is Vince’s son, but who in their right mind could ever accuse Shane of not giving 110% every time?? When he steps into the ring or flies over it..off of it..or off the titan tron!! He’s deserving of all the attention he gets....not because of his lineage but actually, in spite of it. Hell, if anything, he could be a lazy and do nothing if he wanted to (some would say,although anybody who knows Vince knows that he wouldn’t put up with that),but instead, Shane dives,leaps,bumps,etc A hell of a lot more than I would have ever done, even in my prime. If I ever had one, that is!?!?!

Anyway, my point is that “3-G” Wayne is another example of the "promoter’s son" who gets an unfair shake by some nay-sayers who don’t stop to look at the big picture. The kid works his ass off, takes a lot of punishment without bitching or crying about it and comes back week after week to do it again. He does it for not a hell of a lot of money, but the experience is priceless. The learning is invaluable and the dues are being paid in full - week after week. Look up 3-G and Kid Nikels match on you tube, or better yet, come on down to West Memphis on a Friday night and you can see for yourself! Tell them Downtown Bruno sent you!

----“Downtown” Bruno Lauer is a legend in Memphis Wrestling. He surprised everyone last year winning RRO Referee of the Year 2008 from his work at NEW. He will be appearing with a bi-weekly column. Lauer had his biography published last year “Wrestling with The Truth” and can be purchased a www.crowbarpress.com. Lauer is also currently employed by the WWE.

The Golden Circle "Desperately Seeking Tommy Young" by Greg Anthony

Referees are unsung heroes of professional wrestling. Don't believe me? Then try working a match with a bad ref. In my opinion, Tommy Young is the measuring stick for all refs. Many have donned the stripes but few have had an impact on me like Mr. Young. Today a ref seems to do nothing more than count the 1,2,3 and then get beat up in a frugal attempt to garner some heat for a lackluster heel. That is why I'm Desperately Seeking Tommy Young.

Tommy Young was a perfect complement to any match. His reactions were, for lack of a better term, dead on. When most refs are called upon to make a "mistake" they end up burying themselves. Taking all the heat away from the heel. Any mistake Young made in the fans eyes wasn't his fault, it was that dastardly bad guys doing. Yes, he did all of this and did it without taking any attention away from the ones actually competing in the match.

When Flair and Steamboat were creating consistent classics, Tommy's reactions to their chops, drops and pops were just as important as the athleticism themselves. Most importantly his reactions in no way took away from the match, if anything it added to it. That is a lost art in pro wrestling. Subtly being able to make a great match even better. Today refs are used and abused with no authority. Remember when Flair would push Young and Young would push back? Some say that makes Flair look weak. Well after Tommy would push Flair, Flair would begin to chase him. Tommy would take refuge behind the babyface. Leaving Tommy secure with his authority and putting the focus back where it should be on the babyface.

Now Tommy isn't the only great ref. Marc Curtis was another great man in stripes. Heard Marc was actually a hell of worker before he went to being an official. I would love to see some of his matches. Earl Hebner, Charles Robinson and Tim White are others that have done an excellent job. I'm not a fan of heel refs but Nick Patrick is the blueprint for that role. Not too long ago I saw Scott Armstrong DQ a tag team on live television because they didn't get out of the ring by the five count. Which I'm pretty sure wasn't the finish but I loved it. The bottom line is without authority there's anarchy. Even in pro wrestling I promise and when "The Golden Boy" Greg Anthony makes a promise it’s as good as gold.

----Greg Anthony is a regular on the local area circuit. He won RRO Booker of the Year 2008 and is listed in the top 4 of the RRO Top 10 2008. Greg is currently working as booker of NEW and can be seen tagging with legend Bobby Eaton and Brian Thompson as “Midnight Gold”.

RassleResults: EWE Ripley, TN 5.09 - Dustin Starr vs Stan Lee for Mayhem!!

Dustin "Five" Starr comes out to host yet another edition of the Five Starr Showcase for the close to 150 in attendance. He says week after week, he climbs between the ropes and makes everyone’s night, and that's the reason he has the Elite 8 ticket to take on Stan Lee, the EWE Heavyweight Champion that nobody has seen in weeks because Starr jumped off the ropes and broke Lee’s leg. He says that Stan Lee will not make it to MAYHEM, and that Commissioner Baker needs to hand the championship belt over to him to speed up the process. Flash Flanagan comes out instead, reminding him of the match between the two of them tonight. Starr says that Flanagan wasn't even in the company when he won the ticket, and he's being screwed. Flanagan says that Starr is right, he wasn't with the company when he won it, but he's here now and everyone is looking at the number one contender. Flash says if Starr wants to go for it now, then theres no reason to wait. Starr shruggs Flanagan off and makes his way back to the locker room. Flash makes note of a member of the security team, Jerry's birthday. Everyone sings happy birthday, Jerry gives Flash a hearty handshake, and goes over to the cake that has been made for him. Just as Jerry looks down at the cake, Dustin Starr comes back out and splashes the cake all over Jerry. As Jerry tries to figure out what just happened, Flanagan goes to the back for Starr.

Shawn Reed def. Rockin' Randy via pinfall.

Premiere Brutality def. Shannon Lee and Tommy Jones via pinfall. After the match is over, a video is played from Genocide. The Albino Rhino congratulates the both of them, saying that they have done something that nobody else in the EWE has been able to do, and that's leave them laying in the ring. Rhino says that they sent Maxx Corbin to the hospital, but they didn't kill him. He says that Premiere Brutality was smart because they brought weapons. The brought their little handcuffs. But he goes on to say that Genocide doesn’t need weapons to beat Wayne and Nikels. The video cuts and Premiere Brutality make their way to the locker room.

Ike Tucker def. Wicked via pinfall.

Picture Perfect with Tatt2 def. The Badd Guys with J.R. Manson via pinfall.

Commissioner Dustin Baker comes out to make a couple of announcements, but makes a comment about why his foot is in a cast. Baker says that he was involved in a hit and run accident the other day, but the only injury was a fractured bone in his foot. He then goes on to remind everyone about MAYHEM coming up in two weeks. While explaining some of the festivities that will be going on, Jon Michael makes his way to the ring. He says that he came out to talk about MAYHEM, but he also wants to address something else. He says that he's been attacked, left down on his back, powerbombed over and over again to the point where he could not provide for his family. He says he's sat at his dads house, and his dad asked him if it's worth it, and he began to think to himself if it's worth it. He says that he went to elitewrestlingentertainment.com and watched Scott's words one more time, and when he heard Adams talk about his daughter, he thought to himself that it's worth it. He said that he's going to fight Scott Adams at MAYHEM, but until then, the actions that have already happened will fuel him until MAYHEM. He then asks Commissioner Baker for one more favor. He asks Baker to make the match a No Holds Barred match. He also wants the powerbomb unbanned because he says who knows, he just might powerbomb Scott Adams. Baker says if that's what he wants, then he has his match.

The match between Dustin Starr and Flash Flanagan is next. After the match is underway for a while, Starr goes for Flanagan in the corner, but finds the referee instead, knocking him out. Starr pins Flanagan, but nobody is there to count the pin. Flanagan regains control and pins Starr. Jerry slides into the ring and gives the three count, giving Flash the apparent victory. Krisis comes from the back and attacks Flanagan with his chain, and Starr makes the pin as the referee wakes up, and delivers the three count. The official winner of the match is Dustin "Five" Starr via pinfall. Starr will go on to face Stan Lee for the EWE Heavyweight Championship at MAYHEM.

Full length videos, as well as all the details about MAYHEM are available on EliteWrestlingEntertainment.com.

Credit: Dustin Williams

Monday, May 18, 2009

Tank Reminder

----Visitation will be held today at John W German Funeral Home in Hayti, MO from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM with services following that. Below is the address. If anyone would be interested in making donations towards helping the family pay expenses, please contact the funeral home. Anyone else have any ideas about benefits and such, please contact me. I am willing to help out as much as I can. Tank did not have insurance and this would be a great time for us all to pull together and try to help them out!!

John W German Funeral HOme
208 N 3rd St
Hayti, MO 63851
(573) 359-1400

RassleResults: DCW Dyersburg, TN 5.16.09

1st AJ Ray v/s OZ ( AJ Ray Won)
2nd Big Tim Edwards v/s Gaylon Ray (AJ Ray ran out and Jumped On Big Tim)
3rd Derrick King V/s Wolfie d ( Wolfie D hit DK in the head with his Hubcap and Won)
4th Gunner Thompson v/s Neil Taylor ( Gunner Won)
5th Shannon Lee v/s OZ ( Shannon Lee Won)
6th Bishop and Motley Crews W/MadMoneyMike v/s Chris Rocker and Superman Jason Reed (Motley and Bishop Won)

80 People in the Building

Credit: Spiritof2009

RassleResults: EPW Booneville, MS 5.16.09

Bonecrusher over EPW Champion Mason by count out. Mason was accompanied to the ring by Bonecrusher's wife, who is under some kind of spell that Mason has on her. Bonecrusher was definitely ready, and gave Mason all he could handle. Mason bailed, grabbed a mic, and said he was the champion and did not wrestle in opening matches. He was then counted out by the referee. Bonecrusher then demanded a championship match for the next week, and he demanded a contract be signed for the match. Later in the show it was announced that the match had indeed been signed.

"Dangerous" David Cox defeated Curly Moe w/Dirty Rell Moe.

Tysin Starr & Cassanova Kid defeated Revolution (Cyrus & Chazz).

Buzz Harley was defeated by JR Mauler.

LSD & PCP defeated former EPW Tag Team Champions Pain, Inc. (Izzy Rotten & Brett Michaels) for the third week in a row.

EPW Extreme Champion Jay Webster cheated his way to victory over "Big Daddy" Neno to retain the belt.

EPW Tag Team Champions PHAT Foundation (Justin Rhodes & Chris Fontaine) defeated MIA (Geno Sydal & Dirty Sanchez) to retain.

After the match PHAT Foundation demanded that Wrestling News Center present them with their awards for winning 2008 Tag Team of the Year within one week, or else.

This Saturday night's card at EPW in Booneville will include the championship match between EPW Champion Mason & Bonecrusher. It will be a great show so don't you miss it! It all happens at the EPW Arena (old Dodd's Garage building) on Hwy. 145 in Booneville. Bell time is 8:00 p.m.

Credit: "Axeman" Randall Lewis @ www.wrestlingnewscenter.com

RassleResults: USWO/ATL Nashville, TN 5.16.09

49 attended

Jason Xavier b Lightning Bolt Kid

Otis Bass (w/Ronnie Vegas) b Chic Canyon

LT Falk & Bull Pain b James Duncan & Kevin Dunn when Pain pinned Dunn

Anthony Wayne b Drifter by submission

Josh Crowe & Ty Blade went to a double countout due to brawling outside the ring

Richard Lowe & Chris Norte b Cody Weatherby & LT Falk when James Duncan came out and hit Falk with a chain and put Norte on top for the pin. Post-match Lowe put lipstick on Cody

Mitch Ryder b Damien Payne

Credit: Jimmie Daniel

----Both shows drew about the same number this week...Bull Pain?? Wow there is a name from the past that worked this area.

RassleResults: ASWF Tuckerman, AR 5.16.09

Our show started off with the national anthem followed by a little fun for the kids. Captain Carney would take to ringside and do some juggling acts for the children in the audience.

Our first match was between Mark Wolfe and Regulator. These two would waste no time in taking their aggression out on each other. Mark would come off very strong and maintain control for a good portion of the match. Well, until Regulator would pull out a foreign object and use it blatantly in front of the referee. That would earn Regulator a disqualification and give Mark Wolfe the win.

The second match of the evening was no different from the past three weeks Judgment would take on Mac Daddy in an all out brawl. Judgment would pull out all the dirty tricks to take advantage of Mac Daddy. Judgment would loose the match by DQ but would get a rope from under the ring and toss Mac Daddy over the top rope to try and hang him. Mac Daddy was finally released by Judgment and had to be helped to the back.

Our third match was for the European Championship. Hot Rod John Ellison would take on the Renegade Superstar Christopher Lee. Just when you thought this match could not get anything better, Lee had a surprise for Ellison. Tim Hanson would return to special guest referee this title match. Ellison would try to use a steel chair to cause further pain on Lee but Hanson would step in and take it away from him. Ellison would be DQ’d and Lee would win the match.

Tonight’s fourth match would be a tag team made in……well you get the idea. LSD’s Cody Only and Idol Bane would take on Cason McClain and Josh Cydell. Cody Only would come out as a dominant force in the beginning of the match. Unfortunately for Cody Only, Cydell and McClain would resort to dirty tactics to gain them the control of the match. But it was when Cody landed his finisher the LTO and the tide of the match would change back to LSD’s favor. LSD would get the win.

In our fifth match tonight, Mr. Entertainment Casino would take on Cody Murdoch in a first ever “Nursing Home Match”. Murdoch brought a collection of weapons to use from a keyboard from the nurses station, a walking cane, and baby powder. Casino and Murdoch would not give any ground tonight. Casino would set up two chairs on the outside of the ring and a table on top of the chairs. Fortunately for Murdoch he would not be put through the makeshift table. Murdoch would gain back control and set up to chairs to try to put Casino through. Casino would fight back and knock Murdoch on the outside apron and climb up to the middle turnbuckle. Murdoch and Casino would begin exchanging rights at the same time when Murdoch would fall onto the makeshift table. Casino would fall onto the two side by side chairs and both would be knocked out. The match would result in a no contest.

The sixth match of the evening would be Austin Lane vs Bill Dundee. The Superstar Bill Dundee would be in control for the entire match. Austin would try to make a good comeback but would fail to gain control. Dundee would be ruthless and take home the victory. Lane would challenge Dundee to a match next week and would leave Dundee lying in the aisle after a huge right arm.

After Regulator blatantly cheated in the first match he would have to face Malibu Matt Boyce per the Commissioner. Since Regulator like cheating Boyce said he would take care of Regulators problem. Matt would be a real strong opponent in this fight. However the former X-Division star would pull out all the stops and to the crowds surprise would win via pin fall.

The eighth match of the night would be for the ASWF Tag Team Titles. Demon X and Johnny Harper would face Morgan Williams and X-Kaliber. The former American Degenerates (Williams and X-Kaliber) would stay strong throughout the match. Demon X and Johnny Harper would put on the best fight for the titles we have seen yet, but tonight would just not be enough. Morgan and X-Kaliber would walk away with the titles.

Our semi main event of the night was for the ASWF Heavyweight Title. Tommy Wayne and Johnny Hawk would fight to the finish for the gold. Tommy would fight like an animal that had been caged. He would gain control of the match and the title.

The main event of the night is one that will stick out for a while. Ray Ray vs Justin “The Juice” Smart would go mano y mano for the ASWF X-Division Title. Ray and Justin would use every weapon they could get their hands on, from kendo sticks, chairs, 2X4’s, and metal sheets. Ray and Justin would finally start wearing each other down. Ray would finally be able to take a 2X4 to the arm of Justin Smart and get him in a pin for the win.

Credit: Terrance Ward

----No attendance was given...Dundee booking must have been something done during the week. There was no mention of it last week at the show...Not mentioned here and I forgot to mention it in the Arena Report, but Wayne had put his hair up against Hawk. Not sure if they continued with that, but good to see Wayne with the belt back.

RassleResults: Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling featuring Memphis Legends!!

On 5/15 in front of 1300+ wrestling fans Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling was in Lincolnton, NC at West Lincoln High School. "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair was in attendance to sign autographs. He took the time to meet and greet everyone. Ric Flair also took time for some special olympics kids by taking pictures and signing autographs for these kids. Flair was a class act!! But the night was just beginning with some hot action set to come.

Before the show started Ric Flair came out to address the the crowd. He thanked the crowd for there support all these years and that he loved each and everyone of them.

In the first match former WCW/ECW Superstar Raven beat Former ECW Superstar Chris Hamrick.

In the second match Amber O'Neal beat Jayme Jamison.

Third match was Jeff Justice beat JW Boss.

Fourth match was"The Midnight Express" Beautiful Bobby Eaton beating Donnie Dollar$ to win the MACW Hardcore title.

In the main event match David Flair & "Rock n' Roll Express" Ricky Morton beat MACW Tag Team Champions Buff Bagwell & Rikki Nelson in a non title match.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

A Piece of my Mind May 17th 2009 by "The Big Cheese" Sal Corrente


In our business today, finding and developing real main event talent has become a very perplexing problem. It is clear to the McMahon’s that they have a depth problem both corporately and on the talent side. The best chance that the WWE has is if Vince McMahon turns into Benjamin Button tomorrow.

There are certain business principles that just don’t make sense if your goal is long range success. You can’t “hot shot” a territory and expect it to last forever. You can’t just expect talent to just constantly appear on your doorstep. If you have a rare situation where some mid card player advances up the ladder before your eyes then consider it a bonus not an entitlement.

The WWE is running a training school in Tampa Fl. The men running the school are good men. All are talented in their own right and bring value to the table. They are all deserving of the job but the company should be taking a different approach. You are asking future wrestlers to attend a school that has no formal succession plan in place. You go there, make a minimum of five hundred dollars a week, and hope that “creative” has something for you. The long term prospects are speculative at best. It is a tough world out there and choices have to be made with intelligence and the future in mind. There are few John Cena success stories out there so how can someone bank on a chance in WWE. It’s a business that is kill or be killed.

How can WWE believe they are getting the best prospective future main event stars? I have stated before, and I believe now more than ever, that the best way to develop talent and maximize your dollars spent would be to have the school run shows on a daily basis.

The current system is not productive at all. The money goes out but there is no way to bring money in. The main event stars are not pouring out of the system. The best we are getting is “B” list talent. This is a simple concept to grasp. If you ran shows you could also get some people a break from the A shows that you are running. The company could intertwine some of the talent and give the young talent a chance to work with some veterans.

If you are a real wrestling fan you want the WWE to be something it doesn’t want to be. You are looking for it to be a wrestling company. They don’t have answers at the WWE offices. They are looking for Hollywood writers to script out wrestling shows. That one fact alone is enough to tell you that the WWE will never be what old school wrestling fans want it to be.

The good news is that everything that is wrong with the WWE is totally correctable. It doesn’t take much except some humbleness and a correction in business direction. When you think about real companies they make or attempt to make corrections all the time. The WWE is a very successful company and can operate as is for a long time. The problem is that what you and I see as huge success is not success to the McMahons. They will keep striving to take WWE to the next level. It remains to be seen what will happen but one thing is clear they are looking for the next Rock or "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

I want to be fair and say that the school system did bring Randy Orton to the WWE. I am sure he would have made it there one way or another with a father like “Cowboy” Bob Orton. Even if you give the system a pass on Randy Orton the successes are too few and far between and Hollywood writers can’t write wrestling.

I am sure many people would find this column to be negative but it really isn’t negative. If you are a Yankee fan nothing else will do except for the Yankee’s to be in the World Series every year. This column is more about venting than anything else. We just want Monday nights to be exciting again. The fans want to attend sold out house shows. We want the cheers for the company star to practically shake the foundation of the building.

In this world when you are successful it opens you up to ridicule and criticism. The McMahon family and the WWE are a huge success with top notch production and all the amenities. When people stop criticizing what they do they are really in trouble. The smart money says that the WWE goes on as long as the McMahons want it to. They have brilliantly branded the company. All we want is some writers that understand wrestling. The next thing is why doesn’t someone tell John Cena “ Hey we couldn’t come up with anything go out and talk about Edge for five minutes.

When you hear about the bad that WWE does understand there is probably a random act of kindness that offsets it but gets no publicity. When you are in the positions the McMahons are in you can’t worry about everyone with an opinion. But you do have to watch the numbers closely. That’s what should dictate your decisions. The numbers don’t lie so we shouldn’t lie to ourselves about them. No matter how good business is wouldn’t we all want it to be better?

This picture is a candid shot taken at WrestleReunion 1 in Tampa. From Left to Right it's Virgil, Stan Lane and The Warlord.

This has been a piece of my mind

Tank Bio

----I am in the process of gathering info on writing a bio article on Tank. I know stuff that Tank did working for me and also I have the last three years worth on the site. If anyone out there would like to contribute a short story or say something about him that would be included in the bio, please e-mail it to me.

Cheap Heat: Monday Morning Quarterback by Gene Jackson

First off before I get into the column, I'd just like to say that I really hated hearing the news that Tank passed away. While I've never met the guy, a guy dying of a heart attack at such a young age leaving a family behind is tragic and I would like to send my condolences to his family and friends. I really hope folks can get together and do some sort of benefit to help them out.
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Ok, so one of the new things I want to start writing is some "fantasy booking" of sorts basically taking workers and situations from area promotions and telling how I would book it if I were the booker.

Our first scenario- The Eric Wayne/Greg King Jr. Situation

So after writing that column the other day and reading more about the Eric Wayne/Greg King Jr. situation I was wondering to myself how would I go about handling the situation if I was the booker for N.E.W.? Now having read this week's results and seeing what they've done so far I thought I'd give my ideas for what I would have done, just for shits and giggles.

Ok, so Ken Wayne has decided to ban kicks to the head due to the recent string of injuries that have resulted from them. So the first thing I'd do is have Eric work on perfecting those kicks to the face to where there's hopefully enough accuracy that no one else gets hurt.

From there at this week's show I would go ahead with Ken's ruling to ban kicks to the face due to Greg King Jr's injury and Scott Fury's previous one. It would be stated that if the referee catches anyone kicking someone in the head during a match they will be disqualified immediatly. However, I would have had Eric come out and lay on a thick speech about how he's sorry that Greg got hurt that he's only there to compete and sometimes his competitive nature gets the best of him and he takes things farther than he should (to not just totally break kayfabe) and that his only reason for ever stepping into the ring is to be the best and that there's so much pressure on him to succeed being a third generation wrestler that someone he gets too intense and he's trying to work on that. He could also talk about his father having held the U.S. Jr. Title and how he wanted to hold that title as well so he may have been a bit over zealous competing in the tournament.

So hopefully that would come across babyfacing Eric a bit with the announcers playing up the fact that Eric seems sincerely upset about the fact Greg was injured and that he will make sure it doesn't happen again, that he's only out there to win matches, not hurt people. Then fast forward to later on that show, Eric has a match, it doesn't matter against who. In the match Eric wrestles a somewhat noticably different style, a little more sportsman like and less intense. Anyway, Eric gets the win with some kind of roll up (small package, bridge, etc). Then after the match after the referee has raised his hand and turns away to tell the ring announcer the official decision, Eric turns around to his opponent who is still getting up off the mat and kicks him square in the face and laughs. Then the referee turns around and sees the guy on the mat writhing in pain holding his face to which Eric just shrugs and gives a "wasn't me" type brush off and leaves the ring as the fans would be irate.



So then from there, more and more in his matches you have Eric sneaking in illegal "overly aggressive" kicks and what not which would make him absolutely hated as he always manages to not get caught by the referee and since the referee has the final say so, he keeps getting wins. So now you've got Eric still "endangering" the other wrestlers, then lying about it and playing 'Mr. Nice Guy' on the mic and to the Ref all while laughing about his illegal actions right in the crowd's face when it's going on.

Now here is where if you really wanted to make Eric the most hated heel in the promotion you could build to this. After weeks of doing this and not getting caught by the referee Eric gets a title shot and manages to cheat behind the referee's back to win the US Jr title. Finally, the owner/Eric's father has enough and calls Eric out on all his B.S., and Eric gives a half hearted apology all while smirking at the crowd when Ken is not looking, however rather than falling for it at the end Ken tells him, he's no dummy he's forgotten more dirty tricks than Eric will ever know and he strips Eric of the US Jr title. This is too much for Eric who ends up attacking his own father and for the crowning blow kicks him square in the face (maybe even busting his nose or something) Then you've got Brian Thompson and them on commentary putting over how heinous this scene was and you've basically turned Eric Wayne into one of the most hated heels in the Mid South.

The following week you have Ken Wayne come out and announce that not only is Eric stripped of the U.S. Jr. Title but he's firing him from the company that N.E.W. is not about that kind of behavior and NO ONE was gonna get away with that, not even his own son. Now I don't know how they'd feel about this but I think it would be fun playing on Eric's '3G' gimmick to have Buddy Wayne show up pleading on his behalf to get Eric back in to which Ken still adamently says "no!" That is untill Greg King Jr. shows back up from his injury looking for revenge on the guy who kicked his face in. He pleads with Ken to rehire Eric so that he can get him in the ring, a match is signed Eric Wayne vs. Greg King Jr. which would have all kinds of interest due to the recent hype of what really happned and the great angle that's been ran in the meantime. You could even have Buddy in Eric's corner and Ken in Greg's corner if you wanted to keep them involved. Greg could say in interviews on the websites that he's planning on giving Eric a receipt for his injury and Eric could promise to "break the rest of his face" this time around.

Again, this is just some of my "fantasy booking" but I think it would work to help make something out of an unfortunate situation and it would help make Eric into an even bigger heel. Now there would be the folks giving grief about pushing Eric too much on this deal but so what, if it's "over" who gives a shit?, it's not like he's George Gulas....or Greg Gagne even.

Again, this is all in fun. Let me know what you think on whether this would work or not. Post your thoughts on the kayfabe board of why it would or wouldn't work, or how it could be improved. Granted they have small crowds but this type of angle could help build up the show. I know it's not exactly what they are going for but regardless of what "style" of show you try to run there's got to be some "heat" to draw money and think this possibly would. I'd love to see more of this type of thing posted on the message board for more of the promotions in the area. Everyone is always griping about this and that is bad, well share some ideas of what you think is good.

Thanks for reading,
Gene

genejackson95@gmail.com