LAWLER LIES....

--Jerry Lawler was on the ch. 13 news in Memphis saying steroid use is rare in wrestling. The King may have never done steroids himself, but saying that only shows he can lie with the best of them. One of the reasons wrestling will always have problems is because so many of the people in wrestling deny even the most obvious problems.

Credit: http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/

----What did you expect him to say; really?? He is just saying the company line on this one and I would not expect him to say anything else but that. Or maybe he could have said, "I have never used steroids, but it would be hard to say other wrestlers have never used steroids." BTW, for a guy that is turning 58 this November, Lawler is probably in the best shape he has ever been in. During my interview with him, he did look his age in the face, but you could tell he works out and keeps fit. He even said "no thanks" to a energy drink from Kenny Valiant because "those things are full of carbs."

----Lawler did make comments about the Sal Corrente on his web site, which were actually posted the Friday morning of the day I interviewed him that night. The post is very similar to what he had said to me that night. An interesting note on the whole Corrente/Lawler situation is that Lawler is suppose to be served papers on 7.20.07 in Tunica, MS at "Sam's Town", but he is scheduled to be at Ohio Valley Wresting for a "Six Flags" show at 7:30 PM that night. If Lawler is advertised for the Memphis Wrestling show, then they are doing a "bait & switch" and doing a big angle revolved around him getting arrested.

M.E.W.A Wrestling in Batesville, AR.

Is Proud to Present

“NO RULES”
No One Will Leave The Same !!!

Saturday, July 7th, 2007
The One Year Anniversary Show
These great matches
Already Signed:

Strap for Strap Match- Casino Kid VS Scottie Graham, for the M.E.W.A. World Heavy Weight Title, in where the fans bring the straps.

Ladder Match-“The Suicide King” Ray Ray will defend his M.E.W.A Light Heavy Title against “Mr. Playboy” Tommy Wayne.

A 20 plus Man Royal Rumble.

Dress Match-{Where the loser has to wear a dress until he win’s} “Crazy” Luke Graham VS Gerry “Chubby” Graham.

A Dog Collar Match.
“The Velvet Lover” Cody Thunder VS ?????

2 More Huge Matches Will Be Revealed Saturday, July 7th, 2007
At The M.E.W.A WRESTLING
One Year Anniversary Show.

Door’s Open at 7:15 P.M

Bell Time 8 P.M
Admission Is FREE !!!

Moondog Nathan Passes Away

----Nathan Brian Randolph, who worked with Spot Moondog at one time as The Moondogs team, was found dead on July 4, 2007 from an apparent heart attack. Nathan wrestled as the second Rex [original one being Randy Colley]. He was also known in the area as Moondog Nathan to workers and friends. Nathan came to surface on this site when he showed up to work as a Moondog team along with a guy named Runt in June of last year. This all sparked a controversy, which lead to a few articles and arguments throughout the summer.

----I talked with Nathan over the phone during this story and he was a nice and polite guy. He stated about using the Moondog gimmick - “I have been doing this since Larry and I broke up.” Booker and Nathan worked in Nashville and Memphis as the Moondogs. Larry moved to Osceola to start his wrestling school and Nathan moved to Athens, AL. He said, “I have always been a Moondog and I always will. Larry did not care that I was a Moondog when he was alive, why do they care now??”

----Nathan will be buried tomorrow with the funeral services at Spry Funeral Home in Athens, Alabama. Services start at 12:30 PM, which will be followed by graveside services. There will be no visitation due to no insurance.

----Our condolences to friends and family of Nathan Brian Randolph.

Credit: Mid-Southern Message Board

Real Pro Wrestling To Debut on August 4, 2007!!!

----This Saturday night will be the last XWO show. Brody Hawk has decided to change the name to differentiate from XOW. The show will be shut down after tomorrow night’s show in Ecru, MS and it will return revamped as Real Pro Wrestling. Their myspace page states the following..

”STARTING SAT. NIGHT AUG. THE 4th 2007; RPW WILL CHANGE THE WAY PRO WRESTLING IS PERCEIVED IN THE MID-SOUTH AREA. WITH A FAST PACE IN YOUR FACE STYLE WHERE PRO WRESTLERS CAN GO OUT AND BE PRO WRESTLERS INSTEAD OF WORRYING ABOUT GETTING FIRED FOR OFFENDING SOMEONE. AT RPW OUR GUYS CAN DO WHAT THEY DO BEST AND THAT'S WRESTLE THEIR FREAKIN ASSES OFF. WE DON'T WORRY ABOUT LANGUAGE OR VIOLENCE OR ANY OF THAT PANSY SHIT. WARDROBE MALFUNCTIONS ARE ENCOURAGED NOT DISCOURAGED. SO IF YOU'RE A TRUE WRESTLING FAN THEN SIT BACK BUCKLE YOUR SEATBELT AND FREAKIN ENJOY!”

----It looks like they will have some new roster members and some mix of the old roster. By the message above it looks like they might be a little more adult oriented. Scott Porteau will be a major part of the promotion backstage helping with booking and such. I will have more details when I get them.

RassleResults: TLCW Ripley, TN 6.30.07

---- “The Posse” [Lil Chris/Simon Reed] was suppose to work Dell Tucker/Chris Lexx for the tag belts, but Tucker/Lexx walked away from the ring and up the ramp – “Genocide” [Albino Rhino/Maxx Corbin] jumped them and beat them up. Lexx got color… Precious beat Alex Fontez…Tatt2 over Shawn Shultz…Bishop beat Shannon Lee…Chris O'Neal over Matt Foley. Stan Lee over Randy in Non-Title Match….Seth Knight over Tommy Redneck… Lexx got color…”The Golden Boy” Greg Anthony vs Derrick King – No Contest.

----Bishop hurt his ACL…Brian Steele threw Redneck a chain, but the ref caught him with it. When he turned around Knight caught him with a RKO. Knight got a good pop as this was his first show back since “Mayhem”…Dustin Starr told Chris O’Neal that if he beat Matt Foley, then he would get him in the ring next week. Starr vs O’Neal last week ended with Starr running away from O’Neal. Man, they are milking this angle big time. Good to see someone take some time to do an angle, instead of rush everything…Dell Tucker/Chris Lexx won the TLCW Tag Team Titles from “Rhythm & Blues” [Brian Steele/Ike Tucker] last week…DK did an interview where he said how could TGB call himself “Best of the Best” when he had not beat DK??...”The Posse” jumped Stan Lee who was at ringside with DK…”Posse” are not full fledge heels yet – it is just a program they are working vs “Hot Topic”…I have been told that Flash Flanagan is taking some time off.

Ratings Are In!!!

----Nothing good can be said about this week’s show. The overall rating of the show was a 1.8 [29,884 viewers] making it the second lowest rating of the year. This was coming off last week’s second highest of the year. This happened pretty much the same earlier this year when they scored a 4.1 and the next week they lost 30,000 viewers. This show did the same. You have to go into producing EVERY show trying to put on the best show possible, so when there are a lot of people watching like last week, then they will return to watch it.

----There are two other bad trends of the show. For the last three weeks, the program has lost over 20,000 in one quarter of the show. All three shows have had over 50,000 people turn it off from start to finish. The last three weeks the show’s highest quarter has been the first quarter. As one vet in the business asked me this week, “Doesn’t show suppose to GROW???” The first quarter being your highest quarter just tells you that you had people tuning in, but they seen it was going to be same crap, so they just turned it off. This would be a death for any other TV show.

----It is really sad because this group had three really good shows in a row and seemed to be on a roll at bringing back the crowd. They must get over all of the talent and keep consentient storylines. Long term planning of angles and shows for weeks in advance. But, we all know that doesn’t happen, when Corey Maclin usually books the shows that morning. I really hope this doesn't get any of the guys heat, but the first thing I would do to revamp the show with Corey being joined by another announcer [like Michael Ward, Brian Thompson or Kimble Winstead] and hire either Derrick King or Bill Dundee as the booker.

- Johnny Dotson vs. Poker Face - The Spellbinder vs. Chris Neal
1st Quarter – 2.9 [48,017 viewers]

-Hollywood Jimmy/Grady Watson angle
-Interview w/ Jerry Lawler
2cnd quarter – 1.5 [25,687 viewers] [-22330 viewers]

-Too Cool Two vs. Tattoo & Dustin Starr
3rd Quarter – 1.3 [20,483 viewers] [-5204 viewers]

-Agent Blue, Agent Green, & Agent Yellow vs. Sam Shaw, Cameron Valentine, Chris Lexx
-Mr. Hughes vs. The Posse (Handicap Match)
4th Quarter 1.5 [24,848 viewers] [+4365 viewers]

12 Week Average – 2.6 – 43,889 viewers
12 Week High – 3.8 = 63,966 – 6.23.07
12 Week Low – 1.6 = 26,862 viewers – 5.05.07
Growth from start to finish [–22,169 viewers]

What was Memphis watching?? Channel 3 News and Saturday Night Live 7.4 [123,735 viewers]

Shows for The Weekend 7.06.07

----"Show of the Weekend" would have to be the one year anniversary show in Battesville, AR this weekend. That is a major accomplishment in this area. It should be a hot show with Ray Ray vs Tommy Wayne and Casino Kid vs Scottie Graham probably stealing the show.

----TONIGHT!!! for LAW in Rector, AR with …Arnez, Christopher O’Neal, Tommy Redneck, Alec Fontez, Psycho “The Golden Boy” Greg Anthony, Erik Hayes, TL Jones, Jon Michael, Christian Jacobs, Slim Pickens and many more.

----TONIGHT!!! The Future of Wrestling has a show at the TFW Arena in Tupelo, MS with Shawn Reed,Josh Matthews, Chris Styles, "Bad Attitude" Tony Dabbs, Special Ed, Cassanova Kid, Chris Kaos, Hittman, T-Byrd, "Southern Thunder" Chris Kilgore, The Freakshow, The Interns, Hunter Montgomery Jackson, and much more.Tickets are $5. Doors open at 6:30 and the show starts at 8:00.

----Saturday night, Golden Triangle Wrestling returns for a show behind Cathy's restaurant, located on Highway 45 in West Point, MS. "The Warrior" Justin Reed, Hittman, Josh Matthews, Chris Styles, Jack Irons, "Southern Thunder" Chris Kilgore, Hunter Montgomery Jackson, and much more. I believe tickets are $5. Doors open at 7:00 and the show starts at 8:00.

----Saturday night New Blood Wrestling @ Country Nights 1901 Saint John Ave - Bell time 8:00 PM in Dyersburg, TN –Tank, “Real Deal” Tim Edwards, Gunner Thompson, J Weezy, Kilo, Jeremy Moore, Slim Pickens, Mark Justice, “Picture Perfect” [Jon Michael/Christian Jacobs] and more.

----Saturday night @ True Force Arena 256 Gill Street Jackson, TN at 7:30 PM with This Saturday Night June 2nd in Jackson Tennessee @ the True Force Arena on Gill Street Ron Rage, Way Cool, PK Ripper ,Highrollers, Steven Rampage, Big Boy BOB, “Black Label Society” [Void and AJ Bradley],The MoonDogs, Lawman Williams, Ravishing Randy, Wildside, Hardknox, Johnny Thunder, Billy Joe Dream, Punisher Dra Black, Azreal.....All taking place this saturday night bell time 7:30 tickets only $5.00 This is a Live TV Taping for channel 17 in Memphis, TN

----Saturday night in XWO in Ecru, MS for Mark Manson, Jay Webster, Shawn Manson, Max Steele, Izzy Rotten, Neil Taylor, Kross, JR Mauler, Cody Hawk, Brody Hawk, Colton Anderson Pappy, Psycho and many more!

----Saturday night in Ripley, TN with TLCW 207 Washington Street Match: Flash Flanagan,TGB Greg Anthony, Stan Lee, Chris O'Neal, Maxx Corbin,Albino Rhino, Tommy Redneck, Rockin' Randy, Erik Hayes, Dell Tucker, ", "Rhythm & Blues" and much more!!!

----Saturday Night in Batesville, Arkansas. Main Event Wrestling located at the Old Miller Gym at 9th and Oak Street. Admission is FREE to the public, sponsored by local businesses and community leaders. 1 Year Anniversary Show - Strap for Strap Match- Casino Kid VS Scottie Graham - for the M.E.W.A. World Heavy Weight Title, in where the fans bring the straps...Ladder Match-“The Suicide King” Ray Ray will defend his M.E.W.A Light Heavy Title against “Mr. Playboy” Tommy Wayne...A 20 plus Man Royal Rumble.... Dress Match-{Where the loser has to wear a dress until he wins} “Crazy” Luke Graham VS Gerry “Chubby” Graham...Dog Collar Match-“The Velvet Lover” Cody Thunder VS. ????????...and much more.

RassleResults: TIWF Jackson, TN 6.30.07

----PK Ripper and Moondog Rex def. The Gathering …"The Punisher" Dre' Black def. Steven Rampage…Wildside def. Spyder…Black Label Society ( Robbie, AJ, Void) def. Johnny Thunder, Billy Joe Dream, Mr. Tiny…Storm def. Wyked…Weasel def. Big Nasty Bob by DQ…Way Cool [pictured]def. Lawman Williams to retain the TIWF Regional Heavyweight Title.

-----67 in the crowd with a gate close to $335…Storm ended up with a broken ankle in the match with Wyked. Wyked hit him with a crutch. I figured these guys would work stiff, but damn!! Storm out for 6 to 8 weeks.

RassleResults: ASWF Jonesboro, AR 7.04.07

----RAy Ray/Tommy Wayne beat "The Posse" [Lil Chris/Simon Reed]..Reno Diamond beat Marcus O’Neil…Handicap Match: The Leprechauns [Lethal & Lucky] beat Loose Cannon with RottnRandy…“TEAM POLSTON” JERRY "THE KING" LAWLER/ "SUPERSTAR" BILL DUNDEE/SARGE O'REILY/X-KALIBER beat “TEAM HOLLWOOD” THE JUICE & SCOTTY GRAHAM ACID & HOLLYWOOD JIMMY…Brandon Baxter over Austin Lane with Nikki Lane in a Street Fight.

----As usual this event draws thousands of people, but it is hard to judge gate and actual number, when they are charging $5 per car load. We did not include this event in the Biggest Gates list last year due to getting actually paid numbers and it looks like it will be the same this year…San Francisco Treat could make it due to a stomach virus. Too much action the night before I guess. [Did I say that out loud?? LOL]…The Leprechauns had good time with Cannon double drop toe holded him into the lake. That had to be funny.

Congrats TGB and Jeanna!!!

----"The Golden Boy" Greg Anthony wrote the following in a myspace bulletin. Congrats!!!

"We went in Tuesday morning at 7am to enduce labor. Well It took forever for Jeanna to dialate. she wasn't 4 cm until after 7pm. So by like 9pm she was 5cm then at 10pm she was still 5cm. So the Doctor said that with her contractions being a good as they are but with no progress in dialation that we should think about C-Section. We decided that was the best thing for her and the baby and went ahead with it, so at 1:31am on July 4th, 2007 Xavier Anthony Hertel was born and we found out the reason she couldn't deliver him naturally.... he was 9lbs and 3ozs!"

Classic Heel Turn by Gene Jackson

As I'm currently writing an article for this site on the "good ol' days" of great tag team wrestling, I was thinking of who was MY favorite tag team and while I was a big fan of the Rock & Roll Express when I was a kid, being an avid Continental fan my favorite was the Nightmares. During the time Eddie Gilbert was booking there they booked a great angle (although heartbreaking for me at the time) where the Nightmares split.

I'm posting two videos of the angle below so be sure and check it out, if it seems familiar to you it was booked almost exactly like Eddie Gilbert's turn on Tommy Rich in Memphis, but it plays out perfect here, I was around 10 years old at the time and I completely fell for the swerve and I was yelling at Ken Wayne through the tv. I don't think hardly anyone of any age feels any real emotional connection to todays stuff like you did back then. Anyways this led to a great series of matches between the two, many I got to see in person in Columbus, MS. One of the matches was great, Ken said Danny Davis couldn't out WRESTLE him so they had a match where the first person to throw a punch lost. So the whole match Wayne is insulting him and doing everything he can to try to get Danny to throw a punch at him til finally after 15 minutes or so, Davis snaps and just starts beating the shit out of him, which is a great finish cause Ken Wayne gets the win, but the crowd popped huge and went home happy seeing Wayne get his ass kicked.......and so it goes on. Anyway, check out the clips below and check back soon for my article on the glory days of tag team wrestling. ENJOY YOUR FOURTH!

Benoit: A Sad Situation - By Brian Thompson

We all have those moments in life where we will never forget where we were when a certain event happened. This is certainly the case with the Chris Benoit tragedy.
I was driving home from work. It was a normal Monday at the Wynne Progress/East Arkansas News-Leader in Wynne, AR. We completed another edition of our weekly East Arkansas News-Leader publication and began initial work on the Wynne Progress.
I left the office around 5 p.m. and began my one-hour drive home to Jonesboro, AR.
On the way, I decided to give Brian Tramel a call to discuss some wrestling tidbits. It’s a call I will never forget.
Tramel answered with his usual “hello” and I gave him my typical line of “Do you want to know what is wrong with the wrestling business today?”
Usually Tramel will at least chuckle or give me grief by saying, “What do you want?” in a humorous tone. There was no humor in his voice on this occasion.
I started the conversation in a good mood which caused Tramel to comment, “You haven’t seen the website have you?”
“No,” I replied. “What’s up?”
He informed me that Chris Benoit and his family were found dead earlier that afternoon. I was floored.
How could this be? What happened?
Then, as the week went by, details of the alleged double murder-suicide came to light. Something went wrong with Chris Benoit. There are all sorts of speculation as to what it was, but I won’t go back into those details. In my opinion, this is just an extreme tragedy all the way around.
My first glimpse of Benoit came in 1993 during his brief tenure with World Championship Wrestling. He teamed with one of my all-time favorites and future friend “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton. The pair had a short feud with the Cole Twins and Tex Slazenger and Shanghi Pierce, who later became the Godwinns in the World Wrestling Federation.
I wouldn’t see Benoit again until early 1995 and his stint in Extreme Championship Wrestling. I followed Benoit from there through his run in WCW from 1995-2000 and eventually WWE stint from 2000 until his death.
Benoit’s biggest career moment came on March 14, 2004 at WrestleMania XX in New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden. He defeated Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a triple threat match to win the WWE World Title. I watched this pay-per-view along with Eaton and his youngest son. We went to a PPV party at a restaurant in Nashville, TN, to view the event after returning from a Saturday evening booking in Portsmouth, OH, the night before.
I did get to meet Benoit once. He was on the card, facing Kurt Angle on a Memphis Championship Wrestling show at Oman Arena in Jackson, TN, in April 2001. I watched as Benoit gave advice to one of the developmental stars who was injured in his match.
Sadly, Benoit will be remembered as “the wrestler who killed his wife and kid.” He should be remembered as one of the greatest to ever compete and certainly tops of his generation. That will not be the case now.
I can never condone what you did Chris, but I do thank you for your contributions to professional wrestling. You were one of the few who tried to keep “wrestling” alive in an era where many want a complete shift to “sports entertainment.”
In our crazy fantasy world of pro wrestling, I wish this were all some stupid storyline we could complain about. Unfortunately, this ordeal is real and is one that I don’t think we can ever truly understand.
I wish we could turn back the clock and maybe find out what led Chris to his terrible decision. Maybe we could have changed his mind. God bless the families of Chris, Nancy and Daniel. You are in all of our thoughts and prayers.

RassleResults: XWO Ecru, MS 6.30.07

JR Mauler defeated Bonscrusher by DQ when Kross interfered...Brian SoFine came out of the back and issued a challenge to anyone in the back. Jay Webster answered the challenge, and was defeated by Brian SoFine... Brody Hawk defeated Kross by DQ when Bonecrusher interfered. Brody Hawk issued a challenge for match later in the show, Brody & JR Mauler vs. Kross & Bonecrusher. Challenge was accepted...Damion Rage came to the ring, along with his manager Dustin Burcham, who was angry about the opponents that had been selected for Rage in past weeks, and had demanded some “real competition.” Out came his opponent for the night, XWO TV Champion Psycho, who promptly demolished both Rage and Burcham to retain the belt....XWO Champion Pappy defeated Chazz Stone to retain...The main event was Kross & Bonecrusher vs. Brody Hawk & JR Mauler. It was a wild match and a very good match, and it was won by Kross & Bonecrusher.

----Around 75 paid with a gate close to $375.

Big Show Tonight!! ASWF In Jonesboro, AR!!

ASWF WRESTLING
PRESENTS LIVE WRESTLING AT THE FOURTH IN THE FOREST
TONIGHT!!
CRAIGHEAD FOREST PARK
JONESBORO AR.
ADMISSION
$5 A CAR LOAD
BELL TIME 7:30PM.

X-TITLE ON THE LINE MARCUS O'NEIL(C) VS RENO DIAMOND

TAG TEAM ACTION THE TREAT CONNECTION -LOOSE CANNON
&
SAN FRANCISCO TREAT
VS
THE LEPRECHAUNS
(LETHAL & LITTLE LUCKY)

SEMI-MAIN EVENT:
8 MAN TAG TEAM MATCH:
TEAM POLSTON
JERRY "THE KING" LAWLER/
"SUPERSTAR" BILL DUNDEE
SARGE O'REILY & X-KALIBER
VS
TEAM HOLLWOOD
THE JUICE & SCOTTY GRAHAM
ACID & HOLLYWOOD JIMMY

MAIN EVENT:
STREETFIGHT
BRANDON BAXTER
VS
AUSTIN LANE
W/ NIKKI LANE

LIGHTS OUT
LADIES BIKINI WATER FIGHT

Happy 4th of July!!!

----Happy 4th of July from the cast and crew of www.rasslinriotonline.com. Hope you have a safe and fun holiday. Please don't stick your head in the bbq grill and don't drink & drive!!

Benoit Coverage: Konnan On Nancy Grace

----These two pieces are with Konnan on Nancy Grace. Konnan is the most honest wrestler here. More honest than 99% of the wrestlers in this business.

Benoit Coverage: More News Items

----This opening part is pretty sad to think that his family were probably dead while Benoit talked to his neighbor.

--The Boston Herald at
www.thetrack.bostonherald.com/moreTrack/view.bg?articleid=1009424&format=text has a story about Holly McFague, Benoit's next door neighbor who actually was the one who found the bodies, hiding out in Boston while the media from around the world is staking out her home. Officers were at first afraid to go to the house because of Benoit's attack dogs, and since she knew the dogs, she actually went in first. She also said she talked to Benoit on Saturday, while his was likely between murders, and he told her in great detail about Nancy and Daniel having food poisoning. McFague actually was surprised at the detail he went into about their illness. She said she liked Nancy but didn't particularly like Chris.

----Don't you just love that?? He denies it? His name will be link to a long list of wrestlers in the WWE before this investigation is over.

Doctor denies prescribing steroids to Benoit

Dr. Phil Astin's lawyer, Manny Arora, claimed his client never prescribed steroids to Chris Benoit during their six-year doctor/patient relationship.The government claimed yesterday that Astin was prescribing ten months worth of steroids to Benoit every three to four weeks over a one-year period.

----No other names were released, but they are checking on all guys that had autographed photos in the doctor's office. I am really starting to wonder about the Fragile X claim also. Maybe Benoit was just shooting his kid up because he was short.

WWE backs off on Fragile X claims; More wrestlers linked to Astin
Fox affiliate in Atlanta today reported that federal investigators have in their possession medical records pf pro wrestlers under the care of Dr. Phil Astin III. They seized records in particular of pro wrestlers who had autographed photos on the walls of his office.It was well known in the Atlanta sports community that Astin was the doctor to several pro and college athletes, hardly limited to wrestling, and had been well known in the WCW days.

Astin was released today on bond and his whereabouts will be electronically monitored.

WWE spokesperson Gary Davis backed off the company's claim that Daniel Benoit had Fragile X syndrome today."A lot of people got caught up in the idea Daniel had Fragile X syndrome," said Davis in an AP article. "We were just as caught up as everyone else."Davis said the company has no information to contradict the claims of Nancy Benoit's parents that Daniel had no such disease."I think we have to go with what the district attorney has said as being the best, up-to-date information available right now," Davis said.Davis said McDevitt was confident from speaking to WWE employees who knew Daniel Benoit.

Credit: http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/

Chris Benoit: My Thoughts

PRELUDE

----Last Tuesday was the first time I had to cover a major death for this site. It was a very sad and crazy day. The details kept unfolding and the story became harder and harder to cover. I never met Chris Benoit, but as being part of wrestling he was part of the brotherhood. I was a big fan of his and will always consider him one of the greatest wrestlers I ever had the chance to watch.

CHRIS BENOIT : MY THOUGHTS

"You always rooted for him, because he was a good guy and he overcame the odds," said Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer, a weekly news letter. "It's like if you watched 'Rocky,' and in the end it comes out that Rocky killed his wife and his son."

----The quote above I took from one of the various random sites I was looking at over the weekend. It really summed up my feelings about the whole Chris Benoit story. When I first heard about this tragedy I was very sad for whole family, but I was really upset that one of my favorite wrestlers had died. Eddy Guerrero’s death almost took me completely away from wrestling. Have ever watched a TV show and when they kill off a character, then that is it?? That is the way felt like when Eddy died.

----I am not blind to the fact of the lifestyles of all the wrestlers. I have seen most of it first hand. Pain pills are a must in most circles. Smoke a little weed is not frowned upon. I have seen guys drinking anything from diet coke to vodka backstage. If you can perform on that given night and you do not hurt yourself or your opponent, then so be it.

----Are the steroids as bad as they were before Eddy died?? I would say yes. They are tested, but tests are made to have ways of getting around them. That was prevalent yesterday when they discovered that Benoit was taking 10 months supply every 3 to 4 week. When looking at a wrestler that you say would make it in the WWE, what do most of think about?? Their body – if it doesn’t look good, then they are not going to make it. No one gains or cuts without using stuff like testosterone, Windrol, Deca, Anadrol or a variety of different steroids along with meal supplements and such. The guys wanting contracts are encouraged to look good and there are very few ways of doing that.

----Is steroids really the problem here?? I think the general wear and tear on the body, the plan rides and the other drugs help a lot also. Have you ever been on a long trip and come back and you are so tired?? These guys are doing it every week. No other sports group, TV crew, movie crew or rock star has a year around schedule like these guys do.

----Can you blame Vince McMahon for all the abuse and the deaths?? Maybe he could make less days a month on the schedule. That would improve things. But, let me tell you the fans want to see the big muscle guys. They don’t want to watch guys that look like the guy next door. That is one of the big reasons that indys in this area only draw around 100 people. The main point that most people don’t realize is no one forces you to take the roids. No one forces you to take the pain pills. No one forces you to become a wrestler. No forces you to be a drug addict. I have heard many of the guys when I mention they are drug addicts, they say, “It’s just steroids!” This is all on the individual – if they want to make it big – they know what they have to do. If not, then get a decent looking body, a real job during the week and wrestle on the weekends.

----I say all of the above because I know Eddy Guerrero was smart enough to know what he was doing. I never blamed Vince McMahon and I never blamed steroids. Eddy lived his dream and knew he had to take certain paths to do it. Those paths may have shortened his life and I miss seeing him wrestle to this day. It was on him.

----Chris Benoit is a different case. You can say it was the road, the roids and the abuse of his body. It could have been all those factors. If they do some research on his brain and find that he did all of this because of concussions, then I will retract what I am about to say. Benoit was a coward. I have spoke to a few people on this during the week saying, “well if it was only his wife, then maybe I could see why..”, because both my ex-wife and I both wanted to kill each other more times than one. Guess what though?? I didn’t. I didn’t take my angry or whatever out on her. I didn’t kill her, and then kill our kids. This man did.

----Study the timeline and the series of events. He killed his wife. He apparently bonded her feet and hands. Her head was busted in the back. She was there for at least a day before he then went into his son’s bedroom and smothered him. And then he did the most coward act of all – he killed himself. He could not face the world after what he had done.

----I really don’t care how many times I cheered him on. I would watch his PPV matches only because I knew they would be good. The fact is - he had a monster living inside of him. A man that actually could take the life of a child is nothing more than the devil himself. Is there forgiveness for something like this?? Yes there is. But, I will never be able to forget this story every time I watch a Chris Benoit match. Will it make his matches worse?? Is he a horrible worker now because he killed his family?? No his skills will forever live in the matches. His legacy will be killing his family – not what it should have been – one of the greatest wrestlers that ever lived.

THE END

----The match below provided from youtube.com is one of the matches that paved the way of me being a big time Benoit mark. I had seen him wrestle on Calgary tapes, but when he stepped in the ring with my other favorite wrestler at the time – Jushin Liger – I totally marked out. At the time, I was watching Japanese wrestling – All Japan/New Japan – on a monthly basis. It was always a treat to see The Pegasus Kid vs Liger.

Benoit Coverage: Benoit Was Getting 10 Months of Steroids

--If the revelation that Chris Benoit was getting ten months worth of steroids every three to four weeks from Dr. Phil Astin is accurate, it is beyond devastating for WWE. U.S. attorney David Nahmias reported that on average, Benoit was getting a ten month supply of steroids every three to four week during a period from May 4, 2006, and May 9, 2007, from Dr. Astin. The April 10, 2007, drug test that Benoit passed was right in the middle of that period, which is why this charge is the most devastating to the company since the deaths themselves.

Whether fair or not, to the public, it is a complete credibility loss when it comes to the drug policy that the company can't afford at this time. And quite frankly, since Benoit was regularly tested during this entire one year period, it is impossible to have confidence in the drug policy with the release of this information. Benoit was off for several months in 2006 and likely not tested during this period, but he should have been tested at least four times minimum during a period it would appear he was taking heavy doses of steroids. As noted in this week's issue, he and his wife were arguing over his increased use of steroids at the same time he was subject to a drug testing policy.

The announcement that Benoit passed his 4/10 steroid test, even if he did, is one that can't hold up to public opinion with the revelation in this indictment, because it covers a period well into the Wellness policy. A key point of this is unlike with Balco, where they were using designer drugs that could beat the tests, Astin was prescribing Benoit regular steroids, so either the testing is incredibly flawed, Benoit had a way to easily beat the tests, or the tests themselves were a sham. I strongly believe the latter is not the case, but I also believe the latter will be the conclusion most will come to. This is the first time when I truly fear that wrestling as we know it not only will be undergoing great changes, but that as bad as Vince McMahon's reputation is in some circles, and even with his history of rebounding from negatives, this will tarnish it to a level that he may never live to fully turn around. There will be a far increased number of cries in the media over the next week, which have already started, to do something about the industry. Between the advertisers, sponsors, and those action figures with the muscular physiques, this is not a story going away soon.

--Astin was indicted on seven federal counts of distributing painkillers in an illegal manner, as in for reasons other than the treatment of disease. The names of people he is accused of doing this with were not released. It is not known whether any of the people named in the sealed indictment are pro wrestlers, but it is known Chris Benoit is not one of them. The raid of Astin's office included looking at medical records to see if he was appropriately prescribing steroids to Benoit. The indictment regarded prescribing drugs like percoset, vidoprofen, xanax, lorcet and adderall to men with initials M.J. and O.G.

--Prosecutor Scott Ballard of Fayette County stated he currently has no plans on filing any charges against anyone involved in the case.

--Even worse for WWE, Ballard said there are reports that contradict the information Daniel Benoit was suffering from Fragile X syndrome. Ballard said a source with access to Daniel's medical records shows no mention of any mental or physical impairment. Reports from his teacher also contradicted the claim, saying he was prepared this year to go into first grade on par with the other students in his class.

--Ballard said they have looked into the possibility of it being a triple murder or anything other than the murder-murder suicide but have found no evidence to suggest it's anything other than what it is believed to be. He said it's irresponsible not to consider anything, but all the evidence leads in the same direction.

http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/

Congrats!!!

----Congrats to Derrick King and his girlfriend Kristy for on the birth of their son – Caleb Princeton Taylor on Saturday June 30, 2007. I just word that they are leaving the hospital today and everyone is doing good.

Lex Luger: Broke, living in a minister's spare bedroom by Gene Jackson

Here's a link to a story from the Atlanta newspaper on Lex Luger who apparently is flat broke and trying to get his life back together. Sad, but hell he's still alive so I guess he's ahead of the curve.


Atlanta Journal Constitution Story on "the Total Package" Lex Luger

Memphis Wrestling TV Report 6.30.07 by MO-VOLS

----Don’t you love modern technology?? LOL Actually I can’t seem to set a timer on a VCR correct anymore. I have only screwed up three times in over a year, so I guess I am doing ok. This week the report is brought to you by my good friend MO_VOLS. Yea, I know – can you believe his mom named him that?? And to paraphrase my buddy Axeman, the opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Brian Tramel. LOL Thanks MO_VOLS!!!

MEMPHIS TV REPORT

Corey Maclin opened the show up with an interview with Johnny Dotson and showing the footage from last week where Derrick King interfered in a match involving Dotson and shows King giving a low blow to Dotson. Johnny Dotson says during the interview that it has become very personal between him and the champ. Johnny Dotson vs. Pokerface with Rashad. Dotson starts out giving Pokerface a severe beatdown. During the match Corey Maclin says that there is a rumor that Jerry Lawler is already in jail in Tunica County, MS. Maclin also talks about the new ring that the company has gotten for the studio. Back to the match, Dotson goes for a finishing move from the top rop and Rashad pushes Dotson off the top rope and he hits his head against the lights on his way down. Pokerface goes for the pin and Dotson rolls Pokerface up in small package for the victory.

After a commercial break, Rocky the Redbird (Memphis Redbirds) came out and was handing out $10 certificates to the studio fans for fireworks at The King's Fireworks in West Memphis, AR. Also during that time Maclin took time to mention the big show in a few weeks as Memphis Wrestling invades Autozone Park for a televison taping after the Redbirds vs. Fresno Grizzlies baseball game. Corey then shifts to the upcoming show in Tunica, MS at Sam's Town on July 20th. After a promo for the King's fireworks the show resumed with the Spellbinder making an apperance as he was heading to the ring he performed some magic tricks for the crowd. He gave a mask to a little kid in the crowd. Spellbinder vs. Chris Neal --- Typical crush match all Spellbinder. Corey Maclin makes several remarks about the Spellbinder getting special powers from the skull that he brings with him to the ring. (Give me a break) Winner of the match: Spellbinder

Another commercial break, when show resumes Maclin is joined by Grady Watson (time for me to practice my Mississippi speech). Maclin and Watson talk about the trouble that Lawler is in concerning the assault charges. "Hollywood" Jimmy Blaylock comes out and says that he has friends in MS and that he is conducting his on investigation on Lawler and says that the King will go to jail when he comes back to Mississippi. Blaylock says that Lawler will no longer be known as the king of wrestling but the "Queen of the Cell". He also calls Lawler a "jailbird" and he will be the new mascot for Memphis Wrestling. Hollywood Jimmy uses several jail props during the interview. I thought it was very entertaining and it saved me from listening to Grady Watson mumble about something he didn't know anything about. Next up was a phone interview with the man himself Jerry "The King" Lawler, he assured Corey Maclin and the fans that he was not in jail already but in Niagra Falls, NY for a sports memorabilia show and would be back in Memphis Sunday afternoon. He stated that Hollywood Jimmy should get arrested for impersonating a wrestling manager. Lawler gave some pops to his firework stand in West Memphis and that he would be making appearances there next week.

Yet another commercial break and then interview with the Southern Tag Champs. Tim and Flex come out and Tim officially gives Flex a huge welcome back after Flex has been out the last couple weeks from injury to his knee. Flex dances a little bit and shows that he is injury-free. Tim then talks about having to wrestle Tatt2 and Dustin Starr and that they shouldn't even be in the same ring as the champs. Too Kool 2 vs. Tatt2 & Dustin Starr-non title match. Best match of the show, Tatt2 is truly a high-flyer but is limited to what he can truly do because of studio space. Dustin Starr and Tim are in the ring at the end and Starr goes for pin and Flex hits Starr with belt for a DQ. Still the champs Too Kool 2.

After a commercial break, Mr. White w/special agents and Kevin White come out for interview. Mr. White states that they are there to cure Kevin's "magic phobia", Kevin says that he was going to perform a magic trick. The trick involved him pouring milk into a hat and making it disappear. Mr. White and Kevin both told Corey that it had work and Mr. White put the hat on to show that it had worked but he poured milk all over his head. Very funny interview and pretty good idea on using the props. Kevin White stayed out and joined Corey Maclin for commentary during the next match. White's Special Agents vs. Sam Shaw, Kevin Valentine, & Chris Lexx--6 man tag match. Nothing major to report during this match other then Kevin officially named the agents BLUE< YELLOW< & GREEN. WTF. Anyways Kevin says that the reason the magic trick didn't work earlier was because of the Spellbinder. He said that he would get the skullhead from Spellbinder and take his powers away. Well alrighty, winners of the match soundly : White's Special Agents.

Once again another promo for Lawler's Fireworks. Interview with Mr. Hughes, finally he comes out and says the same thing as he says week end and week out, "Blah, Blah, Blah, and Blah". Mr. Hughes is involved in a handicap match against The Posse. The Posse started out double teaming Hughes but the tides quickly turned and it was all Mr. Hughes. Hughes does sidewalk slam on little Chris. Winner of Match: Mr. Hughes.

As the show was winding down Corey throwed a shout out to Mr. Guy Coffey who was back in studio after several months out. Quick reminders about the upcoming Sam's Town Show and tickets sales.

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE SHOW: I wish they would make up their minds on whether to use Grady Watson or not. (PREFERRABLY NOT)…The storyline between Johnny Dotson and Derrick King could get very interesting before all is said and done… The tag team champs needs a feud with someone. The promoter needs to book a team that will be on TV week after week instead of bringing a team in just for Sam's Town… Spellbinder and Kevin White is going to turn into a "magical" showdown instead of wrestling. Special Agents, please don't wrestle on TV. Ya'll are boring and not very entertaining…Mr. Hughes, they will find someone to give you a good run for your money…And finally to Corey Maclin, please get you some help in commentating. You will do a lot better if you had someone to take some pressure off of you or maybe that would talk so you didn't have too. Memphis Wrestling has the talent in the locker room to put on a good show every single week but the PROMOTER has got to start using it wisely.

The Jimmy Blaylock Show- IWF by Gene Jackson

Here's another segment from the 1999 Jimmy Blaylock Show Wrestling Special. This one features one of the earlier incarnations of the IWF in Tupelo, MS. I have a ton of southern indy show footage from past and present and I plan to post at least one or two matches on here each week, if you have a match (of your own or from your promotion) you would like to have featured, email me at genejackson@charter.net to I can have you send it to me to be posted. Also, if you would like to send me a dvd of your show to be reviewed here on the site, you can contact me about that at that email as well.

RassleResults: ICW in Mathison, MS 6.30.07

Promoter Ronnie Watkins comes out and make the announcement of a mini-tournament of 4 top contenders to determine a new US Champion and he was making the match -ups himself and he thought it would be great to see the two members of DOA go against each other. Orion and Dirty Sanchez went to a double count-out against each other in this first match of the mini-tournament for the vacant US title (last held by Tony Dabbs who has left the promotion)....second match of the tournament was a battle of babyfaces, Trainwreck and Scorpion, which was a good clean wrestling match until DOA hit the ring on both men causing a double disqualification.Frustrated by both outcome, promoter/matchmaker Ronnie Watkins ruled that ALL ICW wrestlers would be in a battle royal later for the US championship.

ICW champion "Outlaw" J.D. McKay came out and made light of the fact that his opponent was not there and was too chicken to show up. Watkins said Bill Dundee had called citing a family emergency in Memphis. Well, J.D. says he has nobody to face, but recently turned good guy "The Convict" came out and challenged J.D. to a "Handcuffs" match. Watkins asked the fans if they wanted to see this match and they yelled for it. and it was on.

Next up was a "I Quit" Match between Aries and Dylan Hunt. The action spill onto the arena floor several times but in the end, Hunt was able to make Aries submit after about 18 minutes. This match really had the fans going with several of them making mention how great of match it was.

After a break, J.D. (who the fans call "Barney" since he wears a purple suit) same out saying he ain't doing a "Handcuffs" match with "Paris Hilton's roommate". That got a laugh but that was the last laugh as Watkins told him he had to do it or be stripped of the belt. Both men were handcuffed to a short 2-ffot shackle and then handcuffed at the wrist, which didn't let Outlaw JD anywhere to run. The finish saw the Convict swing McKay into the ref who took a wicked bump that drew a gasp from the crowd. The Convict then took out brass knuckles and KOed McKay with them and planted them in McKay's tights. But the ref was out so long from the collision that McKay was able to low-blow The Convict and beat the ref's 10-count at the 9 count mark. The ref raises McKay's hand only to see the brass knux in his tights. The ref reversed his decision and awarded the match to The Convict by DQ and fans went wild - they loved seeing McKay get his here.

Then came the Battle Royale with Dirty Sanchez, Orion, Trainwreck, Scorpion, Aries, Dylan Hunt, J.D. McKay, and The Convict all in it but in the end, it came back down to Trainwreck and Scorpion. They went all out again but this time, Trainwreck was able to hit a "Stone Cold Stunner" for the pin on his friend The Scorpion. Afterwards, they even shook hands. This battle royal went on for some around 30 minutes as well.All the matches were good, although the last two may have been too long, but the fans were into everything every wrestler did. It was one of the best shows that ICW has ever put on, with a really good responsive crowd.

----About 90 in the crowd with a gate close to $450…Next week, "the Bullet" Bob Armstrong is booked to be The Scorpion's partner to go up against ICW tag champions Disciples of Anarchy (Orion and Sanchez) as well J.D. McKay has to face the new #1contender and US Champion Trainwreck. the promotion is expecting a good crowd on the heels of this great show, but has to contend with the WWE being in Tupelo the same night.

RassleResults: MEWA Batesville, AR 6.30.07

The Opening Match was “Hot Rod” John Ellison being challenged by “The Southern Submission Machine” Wild Bill. Shortly in the match the bottom rope Snapped sending Wild Bill flying to the floor. Ellison used the broken rope to his advantage in the match choking and hanging Bill from the knee during the match, but in the end, “Hot Rod” John Ellison was able to the win in a time of 14:41 with a Super Kick.

The Second Match of the night was a 3 Way Match with “Dangerous” Dave Cox VS “The Velvet Lover” Cody Thunder VS Big Al. Both Cox and Al took turns at first beating on the weakened back of Cody Thunder which is still having a lot of trouble since the Top Rope Snapped last week. Cox head-butted both Al and Cody in the knee’s and which helped him to win, as he continued to beat on Al’s leg. Cox got the win in 9:29 with a Russian Leg Sweep. Cox beat Al’s left leg so bad he had to be carried to the back to get medical attention.

3rd Match of the evening was for the M.E.W.A Light Heavy Title Match, “The Suicide King” Ray Ray was being challenged by Johnny Harper. Ray tried to hit a over the top slash on Harper, but Harper moved and Ray hit the floor for the first of many times during the match. Harper used a Fireman’s Carry to throw Ray over the top rope to the floor. Ray Ray being the sneaking one he is, he used the title belt behind the Ref. back on Harper to get the victory in 11:36 and retain in his M.E.W.A Light Heavy Title.

The Semi-Main Event was “Crazy” Luke Graham Jr. taking on “Mr. Playboy” Tommy Wayne. Graham used a Choke Slam, even poked Wayne and the Ref. in the eyes during the match. Luke was up to his old tricks during the match using a foreign object to his advantage, while keeping it hidden from the Ref. in his trunks. Tommy tried to use a flying body press to get the win, but Graham reversed it and scores the win in 16:09.

The Main Event was a rematch from last week with Kid Nickels facing Casino Kid{Casino came to the ring with a leather strap in hand like the ones that will be used next week in the Strap for a Strap Match}. This was the match of the night with both men beating the HELL out of each other here. Nickels tried to use the hit and run strategy against Casino, but Casino being the Pro he is put an end to it. At one point Nickels used the Strap to Choke Casino with it. Kid Nickels pinned Casino Kid with a Roll-Up for the win in 16:09, but Nickels attacked Casino after the bell and continued to beat him, so the Ref. reversed his decision and awarded the match to Casino Kid.

The crowd was up this with 241 in attendance.

Next week is the One Year Anniversary show with 4 Huge Match’s already signed:

Strap for Strap Match- Casino Kid VS Scottie, for the M.E.W.A. World Heavy Weight Title, in where the fans bring the straps.

Ladder Match-“The Suicide King” Ray Ray will defend his M.E.W.A Light Heavy Title against “Mr. Playboy” Tommy Wayne.

A 20 plus Man Royal Rumble.

Just added tonight a Dress Match-{Where the loser has to wear a dress until he wins} “Crazy” Luke Graham VS Gerry “Chubby” Graham.

Also just added is Dog Collar Match-
“The Velvet Lover” Cody Thunder VS. ????????

There will be 2 more huge match added to the card next week.

DO NOT MISS THE 1YR. ANNIVERSARY SHOW, IT WILL BE THE BIGGEST NIGHT OF WRESTLING BATESVILE, AR. HAS EVER SEEN!!!

RASSLINRIOTONLINE.COM REACHES 700,000 HITS!!

----I would like to thank everyone that either reads or contributes to this web site. Sometime on Thursday this site surpassed the 700,000 mark. After looking over the stats, this site averaged over 100,000 hits a month in May and June. Thank You!!!

Benoit Coverage: E-mails From Benoit

By GREG OLIVER - Producer, SLAM! Wrestling

Over the years, I was able to interview Chris Benoit on numerous occasions, the first time being a lengthy question-and-answer session in 1997. Out of the blue he emailed me in 2005 to say hello.

He wanted to say thanks for that 1997 Q&A, and marveled at how far he'd come since then, and what trials and tribulations he'd been through.

Benoit's subsequent emails were revealing and offer a deeper look into a troubled man, especially after the death of Eddie Guerrero, on November 13, 2005.

Guerrero was Benoit's best friend, and I sent a note to Chris offering my condolences. His response on November 25th offers a remarkable insight into the trials of the road, the pain of the loss of his moral compass in Eddie, and his attempts to deal with the agony.

Hi Greg, thank you for your e-mail. I know that he has left us but I still feel like I'm going to see him on the road next week. I do not know if I will ever have as good a friend as I did in Eddie. I was able to talk to him about anything in my life, and he was always able to make sense of things or change my perspective. Whatever I was going through or whatever issue I had, Eddie would never point his finger at me. He would use situations that he had been through in his own life, times when he had hit rock bottom, and could not immediately change the problem, but how he brought about inner change which helped him accept the situation and better cope. I believe in God and I do pray, but I could not quote any of the scriptures off the top of my head. We would be on 250 mile drives and Eddie would have his bible open quoting scriptures and talking about different passages. Anyone else and I would jam on the brakes wherever we are and they would be walking. But Eddie had such a way of applying them to whatever we were talking about and make so much sense of everything.

He was somewhat of a spiritual guide for me. I do not know if you read the Bible at all, or what your beliefs are, and I will respect you for whatever your beliefs are. But if you ever get the opportunity to read about Job, it reminds me so much of Eddie. All these tragedies happened to him. He at one point after coming out of rehab had nothing but the clothes on his back. He had physically, mentally emotionally and monetarily hit rock bottom. He lost his family, his wife and children had left. But he never lost his faith and through it was able to overcome the odds.

Instead of Eddie becoming bitter, Eddie became better. In our business it is really difficult to understand why we do what we do and why we think what we think unless you are in it, unless you have a passion for it, it is so demanding physically, mentally and emotionally in every possible way, but when you love it as did Eddie, as do myself, you have a better understanding of why we do what we do. I do not believe that I will ever find someone that I will bond with and be able to understand and be understood as I was with Eddie. I'm not looking forward to going back on the road, not that I ever did, I hate the road, but I looked forward to Eddie's company and camaraderie. Both of us hated the road, being away from our families, but both of us lived for that in ring bell to bell time.

My wife Nancy bought me a diary and I have started to write letter's to Eddie, it may sound crazy but that is how I'm coping. I'm sorry if some of this e-mail does not make any sense either but it helps me cope. Thank you Greg.


Having written about professional wrestling now for more than 22 years -- as long as Benoit wrestled -- I know about the pain wrestlers go through, both physically and emotionally. Yet there is a unique desire in each of them to perform for a crowd, to test their body's capabilities, and to soldier on no matter the consequences. The pressure to keep performing is immense, and so is the pressure to keep themselves in shape, no matter the cost. Professional wrestlers, for the most part, are contracted help. They have no exit plan, no pension plan, no medical plan, and often no end in sight.

What else did Benoit have besides pro wrestling?

In mid-2006, Benoit's name came up during my research and writing of my book, The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels. I fired off an e-mail, wondering his thoughts on who the greatest bad guy of all time was.

His response -- Ric Flair -- wasn't a surprise.

"There are so many interesting books when it comes to the professional wrestling industry, I wish that I would have had access to as much information when I was a fan. But then again I might have missed the mystic of the regional territory feel. I grew up a firm believer of The Hart Mafia vs. J.R. Foley's Army! Now it seems that you can find out just about anything online," he wrote, referring to the battles of the late 1970s and early 1980s between the heroic Hart family and John Foley's bad guys in Calgary's Stampede Wrestling promotion.

Benoit also talked about how life on the road had changed in World Wrestling Entertainment.

"We were even warned about our conduct when we are out having a few beers. Sometimes we can get a little rowdy especially when we are overseas. Apparently someone video taped a few of the guys acting up on they're cell phone and posted it on the internet. So much for privacy."

With an offer to contact him anytime, via cell phone or e-mail, he said goodbye.

Benoit would talk to SLAM! Wrestling a few more times after that last email was sent in July 2006, but never with me.

The last email I sent to Chris went out on Saturday. I'd e-mailed him best wishes, as I'd heard someone in his family was ill, and that he wouldn't be appearing at the WWE Vengeance pay-per-view. I also wanted his thoughts on his old tag team partner Shayne Bower, a.k.a. Biff Wellington, who had just died at age 44, down and out in Calgary, after years of painkiller abuse.

Needless to say, I didn't hear back from Chris, and now I never will.

Greg Oliver founded SLAM! Wrestling with John Powell way back in 1996, and has been writing about pro wrestling since 1985. His third book The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels (with Steven Johnson) has just come out from ECW Press, complimenting The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams (also with Johnson) and The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians. Order them all from the SLAM! Wrestling Store. He can be emailed at goliver@canoemail.com.

RassleTube: Memphis Wrestling 6.23.07

I was going to just put up the complete shows, but after seeing this show with about 20 minutes of crap..LOL..I had to edit it. so, here is "best of" from 6.23.07

RassleResults: GTW West Point, MS 6.30.07 - Worse. Show. Ever. Booker Continues Putting Himself Over!

---Jake Prentiss d. OMEGA...El Hijo del Dooma d. Devon Raynes w/ Chris Styles after Styles' interference backfired, and he hit Devon Raynes with a bat...LSD d. Chris Styles clean but Styles immediately got his heat back...Chris Chaos d. Tony Dabbs, Justin Reed, and Chris Styles to become the new #1 contender for the GTW Heavyweight Title...Josh Matthews d. Shawn Reed by DQ after Chris Styles interfered in the match...

---Crowd was about 50 with a gate of $200...Although the WWE is having a house show in Tupelo, MS next Saturday night, they still plan to run a show. I'm not sure how many workers or fans will even come as I'm sure a lot of people will be going to that.

RassleResults: TFW Tupelo, MS 6.29.07 - Two New Champions

---LSD d. Devon Raynes and Dirty Sanchez to win the TFW LightHeavyweight Title...Cassanova Kid d. Chris Chaos...Special Ed d. Chazz Stone...Attitude Inc. [Tony Dabbs & Chris Styles] d. the Kings of Wrestling [Shawn Reed & Josh Matthews]...Max Steele d. Nick Grymes...Testosterone [Fusion & Brett Michaels] d. Chop Top the Clown & Josh Holley to win the TFW Tag Team Titles...Bless d. D.C. to retain his TFW Heavyweight Title

---Crowd was about 100 with a gate of $500...Chris Chaos had the breath knocked out of him after a frog splash from Cassanova Kid. It took him a few minutes to get out the ring...Chazz Stone had the major injury on the show. He felt his neck pop during his match and couldn't feel his left arm afterward.

RassleResults: NBW, Dyersburg TN, 6.30.07 - NBW THROWDOWN TV TAPING

This is the first taping of NBW's weekly tv show entitled, NBW:THROWDOWN which airs Thursdays at 4:00pm on local Cable One in Dyersburg and surrounding areas starting this Thursday July 5th.

The show started with a 10 bell salute to the fallen wrestlers from the last couple of weeks.

Hardcore Scramble Match for the NBW Hardcore Title
Jerry Weezy defeated The Sicilian Kid, Kid Krazy, Lil' Tim Alfonzo, Crazy Train and various other workers that came out during the course of the match. 24/7 rules applied here so almost the entire locker room made an appearance bumping somebody before fighting back to the locker room. Weezy won after a "Hollywood Bomb"(gory bomb) on Alfonzo on thumbtacks and a "Widows Peak" on The Sicilian Kid to win the title.

"Real Deal" Tim Edwards defeated Slim "the Bulldog" Pickens after a "REDRUM".

Streetfight
"Pretty Sexy" Gaylon Ray defeated "2nd Generation" Eric Hayes after a coast to coast "VanTerminator". after the match Ray & Mark Justice beat on Hayes promoting Jon Michael to make the save. Michael challenged Ray to an impromptu match.

"Trendsetter" Jon Michael defeated "Pretty Sexy" Gaylon Ray with a spear.
Justice went after Michael after the match before Kilo made the save bumping Justice out of the ring. Ray fed back up for a double super kick from Kilo & Michael

Tank interview.
Tank talked about how everyone that has come into NBW has tried to take him out because he is the biggest around, but he is still standing. Tank talked about how he was the rightful #1 contender for the heavyweight title and put over the fact that NBW was in the latest issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated and they even listed him as #1 contender, but he could still not get a title match. Tank stated that Tim Edwards was supposed to be climbing the ladder for a title match as well and he has went thru everyone back there except for him.

Team X (Gryffon X & Phoenix X) defeated Loose Cannon & San Fransisco Treat.
after the match Cannon & Treat beat down Team X with their version of the "Death Sentence" before Tank, Anton Leveigh & Slim Pickens made the save.

"Upset Kid" Jeremy Moore defeated "Playboy" Tommy Love after an "RKO" to retain the High Risk Title.

NBW Heavyweight Champion "Southern Outlaw" Kilo defeated Chris "Fabulous" Rocker & "The Enforcer" Mark Justice in a triple threat match by DQ when Tim Edwards interfered.
Mark Justice for shoot blew out his knee during the first 5 minutes of the match and had to be taken to the locker room leaving Rocker vs Kilo.
Edwards got the mic stating that the commissioner has given him his title shot and told Kilo to hold on to the belt real tight for a couple of more weeks because it will soon be his, the Edwards gave Kilo the "REDRUM" on the title belt.


98 paying with a gate of around $600. 120 people in the building.
Hardcore Scramble was by far the best match of the night just because of everyone involved and the spots that was given. The Sicilian Kid got his nose broke during that match and several people got hardways.
Anton LeVeigh was backstage but didnt work. He is expected back to work next week.
NBW are building Slim Pickens as the character that never gives up and never stays down.
"Van Terminator" spot during the Streetfight was vicious.
Main Event had a lot of heat from Kilo's turn last week and Kilo & Rocker worked a very good baby/baby match.
Reports are saying that Mark Justice may have a torn ACL and this may have well put him out of the sport. Our prayers are with him.