pro wrestling for bisexuals: No, this isn't porn.

Andrew "Test" Martin passes away

2009-03-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

Andrew Martin, who wrestled for World Wrestling Entertainment as Test, was found dead in his condo in Tampa, Florida earlier today. The cause of death is currently unknown. Martin was 33 years old. He was perhaps best known for an on-screen romantic storyline with Stephanie McMahon in the former WWF. Martin also competed for TNA, the new ECW, and Japan during his wrestling career. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Candice leaving WWE? Hogan/Goldberg II?

2009-03-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

It was announced in the Tokyo Fishwrap that Japan international bankers have decided to open yet another Japanese wrestling promotion: Falcon #1 Professional Wrestling.

Falcon #1 Wrestling will have its first pay-per-view on July 19, 2009. The main event will pit Hulk Hogan against Bill Goldberg in what the event promoters have dubbed "The Rematch Of The Century." Banker Felix Yoshihima has also promised to bring in other big-name stars from the "old WWF and WCW" for the show. Current names being tossed around the rumor mill include UFC's Brock Lesnar, Bob Sapp, Kimbo Slice, Kurt Angle, and/or Kevin Nash.

More details to come as they become available.

Candice Michelle's WWE contract expires this October. Normally the company likes to re-sign talent a year before their current deal is set to expire. Michelle has admitted that she may go into acting or modeling full-time once her deal is through.

Boogeyman released

2009-03-04T17:45:00.000-08:00

World Wrestling Entertainment has released Marty 'The Boogeyman" Wright. The Boogeyman is already available for indy bookings and has already been booked to appear at Signamania IV in full gimmick.

Mr. T refuses WWE invitation

2009-03-03T17:42:00.000-08:00

Mr. T has refused entrance into the WWE Hall Of Fame class of 2009. T told the UK's Mirror that the 2004 induction of fellow celebrity Pete Rose is what soured him on the WWE's Hall.

"WWE asked me to be in the Hall of Fame and I turned it down. You know why? They put Pete Rose in the wrestling Hall of Fame. This guy can't even get into his own Hall of Fame. You don't put Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame before me! I ain’t going to be a part of that. They put him in and he only did one WrestleMania, and he didn't even wrestle."

Mr. T isn't the first person to be angered by Pete Rose's Legend status. Two-time WWF champion Bob Backlund also cited Rose as the reason for his refusal to join the WWE's Hall in 2004.

Pete Rose appeared at three consecutive WrestleMania pay-per-views, taking a beating from Kane each year in non-match scenarios. Mr. T was in the main event of the first WrestleMania with Hulk Hogan, and boxed "Rowdy" Roddy Piper the second year.

To read the entire Mirror article, check out: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/more-sport/2009/03/03/mr-t-exclusive-why-i-rejected-an-invite-from-wwe-to-join-their-hall-of-fame-115875-21168825/

kayfabe exits

2009-03-01T13:38:00.000-08:00

Does it bother anyone when a wrestler leaves a company without any kind of kayfabe explanation behind it?

We all have our favorite wrestlers. We cheer for them. We buy their merchandise. Some of us even write fan fiction about them. The point is, we care about the characters. In fact, an argument could even be made that we care more about wrestling characters than any other characters on any other television shows. After all, no other TV show convinces us to pay money to see the continuing saga of these characters on pay-per-view. We emotionally invest in a character and tune in loyally week in and week out to see them perform.

Then, one week, they're gone.

Wrestling, especially the companies at the national television level, say their product is entertainment. It's a soap opera for men. It's a sitcom. It's a drama. It's everything exciting rolled into one. Well on any other television show when a character leaves, a reason for their future absence is usually given during an episode (Judy Winslow and Chuck Cunningham being the most notable exceptions to the rule). Poochie returned to his home planet. Cody Lambert got a job in Alaska. Rosalind Shays fell down an elevator shaft and died. Etc.

I know in wrestling it can be hard to write someone out of a show. It's wrestling after all. You never know if someone may come back to work for your company one day. In fact, odds are that they probably will. Wrestling history shows us that past problems can be resolved if there's a good chance to make money together. With that in mind, a wrestling promoter wouldn't want to do something as final as, say, a "death" angle to explain a character's exit (on top of a death angle being horribly offensive to begin with of course). However, it's not impossible to do. Wrestling has often utilized the "loser leaves town" match to get rid of a character. Simply stating that a wrestler was fired has also been used in recent years thanks to the growing role of the heel authority figure.

Usually though, a wrestler is simply never mentioned again on the air when he or she leaves, and the viewers never even get a storyline reason for the character's sudden departure. The announcers tell the viewers at home that a talent is gone and quickly move to the next segment, if we're lucky.

Don't the fans who care about these characters deserve something better than their favorite performer simply vanishing into thin air?

Come to think of it, that WOULD be a way to explain the Undertaker's retirement.

WWE suit dismissed; The Rock still not coming back

2009-02-26T19:04:00.000-08:00

New Haven, CT federal judge Peter Dorsey dismissed the lawsuit against World Wrestling Entertainment filed by former wrestlers Scott "Raven" Levy, Chris "Kanyon" Klucsaritis and "Above Average" Mike Sanders.

In the suit, the wrestlers said the level of control exerted over them by WWE qualified them as full-time employees of the company and not independent contractors as their contracts stipulated they were. The contracts dictated compensation, physical training regimens, dates and sites of matches, costumes, and storylines for performers' wrestling personas. WWE also reserved the right to use their images and submitted them to drug screenings. The suit claims WWE avoided withholding federal taxes from the performers' paychecks by not classifying them as full-time employees. The company also didn't pay Social Security or Medicare taxes, nor did it pay for benefits such as health care or vacation time.

The suit was originally filed in July in state Superior Court but was later moved to U.S. District Court of Connecticut. The plaintiffs also sought class-action status. WWE's request for dismissal was granted on Tuesday. Attorney David Golub said the losing wrestlers are considering an appeal.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson turned down an offer to appear at WrestleMania 25 in Houston, Texas. WWE is already allegedly attempting to acquire Johnson's services for WrestleMania 26 in Arizona.

Manu released; PPV name changed

2009-02-23T16:21:00.000-08:00

Manu has been released from World Wrestling Entertainment.

WWE/ECW's "One Night Stand" pay-per-view has been renamed to make it more kid-friendly. The new title of the show will be "Extreme Rules." Originally the event was slated to be called "One Night Only." No word was given on the reason for the second name change.

two WWE releases

2009-02-22T21:36:00.000-08:00

Scotty "Colt Cabana" Goldman and Freddie Prinze, Jr. have left World Wrestling Entertainment. Goldman was released, while Prinze's departure is said to be mutual.

Prinze had been working for the SmackDown creative team since July. He is said to have been responsible for the Jeff Hardy tweener character. Goldman had recently been reduced to an online-exclusive web show, which had previously helped The In Crowd gain popularity. Internally, Prinze's departure from the company is not being seen as much of a surprise. He had attended very few television tapings in recent weeks. He was said to be well-liked by the wrestlers since he is legitimately a fan of the wrestling industry. However, the novelty of being a WWE writer is said to have worn out quickly for Prinze.

Goldman is expected to return to the indy circuit as Colt Cabana, while Prinze will likely re-join Hollywood.

three new WWE books

2009-02-19T21:10:00.000-08:00

World Wrestling Entertainment has announced three new book titles due out in time for Christmas. Rey Mysterio, Degeneration X, and the Iron Sheik will all have autobiographies released between September and November of 2009. Mysterio's book will be the only of the three available in hardcover format. All three books will be ghost-written.

Verne Gagne under investigation

2009-02-19T20:54:00.000-08:00

Wrestling legend Verne Gagne is under investigation in the death of his care facility roommate, Helmut Gutmann.

Gutmann and Gagne were roommates of the Friendship Village hospital's memory loss unit in Bloomington, Minnesota. Gagne allegedly threw Gutmann to the floor on January 26th, breaking his hip and injuring his head. Gutmann was treated for the injuries and later rehospitalized. He died this past Saturday.

Ruth Hennig, Gutmann's daughter, told the Pioneer Press the two men had a previous altercation which ended with Gagne shoving Gutmann. "I know that my father would still be alive today if they hadn't had this altercation. I'm more sad than I am angry," she said. Greg Gagne, Verne Gagne's son, described the incident as an accident and referred all other questions to the Gagne family attorney.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Gutmann family.

John Cena on steroids, movies, and getting married

2009-02-16T12:10:00.000-08:00

Credit: PWTorch.com Newsletter

John Cena continues to insist that he is a steroid-free wrestler. Last week it was revealed that over 100 professional baseball players failed steroid tests in the past few years. The WWE star has very strong opinions about the fate of the violators.

"They should send the guys to jail," Cena said in an interview with Jim Moore of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "I'm not only a guy who will say I'm clean, but I'll beat my chest to the world that I'm clean."

Cena, who is getting married by the end of the year, says that unlike other prominent celebrities, he wants to be a strong leader and role model. "I don't know when it happened, but nowadays it seems like nobody cares (about the lack of role models in society). Our main figures are collapsing around us. People don't seem to know that other people are watching them."

Cena also hopes to spread his reach to the general public through his developmental as an action star. He hopes to fill a void in the movie industry for the next big action hero. "That's a giant void in cinema. Everywhere I go, the question is always: 'Who's the next guy?' I think I'm damn near the closest thing to come around the pike," Cena said.

In the past, Cena has criticized Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson for leaving World Wrestling Entertainment to persue a movie career.

No Way Out results

2009-02-15T21:46:00.000-08:00

Triple H beat Jeff Hardy, Edge, The Undertaker, Kozlov and The Big Show in an Elimination Chamber match to win the WWE title. Triple H is now a thirteen-time World champion.

Randy Orton beat Shane McMahon in a No Holds Barred match.

Jack Swagger beat Finlay to retain the ECW title.

Shawn Michaels beat JBL to "win" all the money he was owed.

Edge (taking the place of an attacked Kofi Kingston) beat John Cena, Kane, Mike Knox, Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho in an Elimination Chamber match to win the World title.

Chris Jericho fan assault update

2009-02-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

Last night following a WWE house show, Chris Jericho punched a group of wrestling fans outside the arena.

Fan reports from the incident suggest Jericho was physically provoked by the first member of the group, who was not stopped by any type of security or police, leaving Jericho no choice but to defend himself against the individual. Reports go on to state that Jericho was then confronted by the friends of the punched fan, most of whom were said to only aggrivate the situation by shoving and attempting to hit the WWE wrestler. Others argue that Jericho stepped over the line. In one instance, he was the first to throw a punch against the female of the fan group. He was also heard threatening to "fucking kill" a member of the party.

Camera phone videos of the incident have made their way across the internet, but the majority of them only show Jericho hitting a fan or two out of context. The fans in question have already pressed charges with police.

Royal Rumble Results

2009-01-25T21:43:00.000-08:00

Jack Swagger beat Matt Hardy to retain the ECW title.

Melina beat Beth Phoenix to win the Women's title.

John Cena beat JBL to retain the World title. Shawn Michaels attacked both men during the match.

Edge beat Jeff Hardy to win the WWE title after Matt Hardy turned on Jeff.

Randy Orton won the Royal Rumble match, last eliminating Triple H.

Royal Rumble Spoiler

2009-01-25T15:22:00.000-08:00

Various Web sites are reporting that Rob Van Dam is backstage at the Royal Rumble in Detroit, Michigan, RVD's hometown. He is expected to be used as a surprise entrant in the Rumble match.

bob holly released

2009-01-17T15:05:00.000-08:00

Bob "Hardcore" Holly has been released by World Wrestling Entertainment.

WWE hirings and firings

2009-01-14T16:30:00.000-08:00

Sgt. Slaughter, Ron Simmons, developmental talent Matt Cappotelli and referee Mickie Henson have been released from World Wrestling Entertainment. They join a growing list of both on-screen and backstage talents released as part of a cost-cutting measure. Other releases this year included Bam Neely, Val Venis, D-Lo Brown, referees Tim White, Keenan Quinn, Mike Kruel and Jimmy Korderas, Gavin Spears, Bruce "Brother Love" Prichard, and Kevin Thorn. Victoria and Tommy Dreamer are also expected to retire soon, and Shawn Michaels is expected to retire next year.

WWE has come to terms with Rey Mysterio on a three-year WWE contract, with an option for another two years after that. Randy Orton has been offered a ten-year deal.

ECW spoilers

2009-01-12T23:51:00.000-08:00

Here are the ECW spoilers for 1/13/09. If you want to be surprised, skip this post.

DJ Gabriel and Alicia Fox beat Paul Burchill and Katie Lea

Tommy Dreamer cuts a promo about wanting to win the ECW Championship.

Boogeyman beats a local talent in a squash match.

Jack Swagger beats Matt Hardy to win the ECW Championship. Following the match, Tommy Dreamer says that if he doesn't win the ECW Championship by June, he'll retire.

Dreamer pitched a similar angle last year through his column on WWE.com, but Ric Flair was in the middle of his own retirement storyline at the time. It looks like WWE will finally pull the trigger on the idea this year, which should result in some great ECW television.

new WWE DVD releases

2009-01-12T16:35:00.000-08:00

Jim Ross noted in his blog at www.JRsBarBQ.com that he was consulting with World Wrestling Entertainment on a planned Greatest Tag Teams DVD project that would be released later this year. WWE is also in the process of editing a DVD set devoted to the "Greatest Stars of the 90s" - a sequel to their 1980s stars DVD. That DVD is set for an April release as of press time.

New Years Greetings review: Iron Sheik - polite heel?

2009-01-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

Wrestling fans from around the world gathered in Carteret, New Jersey last Saturday for K&S Promotions' New Years Greetings, the latest in a growing line of professional wrestling conventions. The WFB staff got our hands on one of the coveted VIP Super Tickets, which allow advanced placement in line to meet and greet the stars for those of you who aren't familiar. We'd like to say it went smoothly, but our head writer Don Bishop's personal review of the event is mixed to say the least. Read on as Don tells the world what he thinks are the pros and cons of the New Years Greetings fanfest, interspersed with his colorful recollection of personal experiences at the show.

PROS:

1. Steve and Ken, the event promoters: Despite a very busy all-day schedule, they were extremely fan-friendly. While running back and forth, both men answered questions from fans (no matter how many times they asked the same thing). Perhaps best of all, Steve and Ken even managed to keep the Super Ticket lines in numerical, single-file order for the majority of the day's events; an accomplishment that isn't easy and didn't occur at the last Legends Of The Ring or Signamania conventions. If Ken and Steve keep this up, they could easily become the next big convention for wrestling autograph hounds.

2. Price gouging? Only with a fork!: Astonishingly, only one of the many talents brought in for New Years Greetings charged extra money at the last minute. Abdulah the Butcher charged $10.00 extra for his trademark "fork to the skull" photo op, but not before informing fans that they had to supply their own fork for the picture! This begs the two-part question: How many always-prepared scouts are wrestling fans, and will they also supply me with cookies? In fairness, it should be noted that Abby's failure to have a fork on him wouldn't have been so bad except that he had been advertised "with fork" beforehand. This left many fans out of luck for their preferred picture. Again, though, this is not a complaint. With the exception of Abdulah, every other wrestler charged what was advertised and everyone else who was advertised as having their gimmick on them for this show did. That, in my book, is a huge pro for the fans attending.

Speaking of gimmicks....

CONS:

1. The Iron Sheik: Yes, the same Iron Sheik that slapped longtime rival and political homophobe B. Brian Blair last October. I considered him a friend of the blog for that. Unfortunately, New Years Greetings may have changed my mind.

Paul Orndorff was one of the stars on hand. He willingly heard me out about conducting a possible interview (which is more than a lot of others did, and I'd like to thank Mister Wonderful for being open-minded whether we hear from him or not). While speaking with Orndorff, the Sheik came over to our table with his camera crew close behind him. He politely but firmly asked me not to "bother" Orndorff with "that gimmick." I could see him thinking this was a "gimmick" if I were a wrestler, but I'm not. I'm a reporter. A reporter writing about any and every aspect of pro wrestling. Did "Iron Sheik" really think in all honesty that I was at this show to prance around in sequenced-pink tights and clock people with a rainbow-colored folding chair for a camera crew to film? Now that would be a gimmick! Not a "good" gimmick, but it'd sure be one hell of a gimmick. Maybe then I'd finally make it into WrestleCrap.

The point is, I was unobtrusively distributing WFB contact information to talent during a time when they weren't with other fans. I was told to leave by someone who wasn't security, a promoter, Paul Orndorff himself, or a direct neighbor of Orndorff's. Rather than push the issue and cause a scene, I chose to respect Sheik's wish and left the area as requested. I didn't want to help Sheiky baby make his next YouTube highlight reel.

Perhaps I'm just bitter. After all, the Iron Sheik's a wrestling legend. He's gotten himself a ton of publicity the last few years and made a ton of money doing it. He made so much, he even generously gave $10.00 of his take from this show to Robbie McAllister after the Highlanders' line slowed down (he could've gotten a fork to the skull picture for that!). I'm not nearly as famous, well-known or rich. I'm just a weak, non-wrestler writer trying to get his name and the name of his group out there. I understand the Sheik not wanting to speak with me or anyone else from WFB, but why the sudden interest in who Paul Orndorff gives an interview to? Coincidentally, this is also right around the time when convention security started watching me very closely. Which brings us to....

2. Convention Security: I've never been reverse-profiled, but according to security, I can't leave my business card with a potential interviewee for an interview that would happen at a later date, not on the convention promoters' dime. When I asked why, the only response given was that the talents have representatives I should go through. When I asked for the name and/or contact information of such a rep in order to go through the so-called proper channels, I was told to "check MySpace."

I could understand security following me around if I was stealing from the vendors or if I was giving the wrestlers raunchy limericks, but I leave the dirty poetry around here to our good friend Lanny Poffo. "Some wrestlers might be offended by the nature of the blog" one could argue. That's a fair point, except that New Years Greetings also featured appearances by Chris Kanyon and Big Vito, who was dressed in drag. If Vito in a dress is less offensive to someone than receiving our contact information, then someone needs to get their homophobic priorities straight.

AMUSING SIDENOTES:

1. Fork you: Abdulah the Butcher conveniently "forgot" to return my acquaintances' prop fork to him until asked to do so several $10.00 poses later. After a brief discussion back at the WFB newsroom, we decided the poor guy probably should have charged Abdulah a rental fee. Or at least presented him with the fork by jabbing it into him wrestling-style and running like hell.

2. Better Class of Losers: Longtime enhancement talent Barry Horowitz revealed to me that he's a fan of Alan Jackson music. Over the years the country star won more awards than Horowitz did matches. Maybe Jackson's song I'll Try inspired Barry that fateful match against Skip?

All in all I had a great time. As you can see, most of my gripes weren't with the event itself or the promoters. I'd highly recommend this convention to everyone next year if K&S Promotions continues to consistently put on such a high-quality show.

-Don Bishop

SmackDown Spoilers

2008-12-31T18:44:00.000-08:00

A small update today as the staff prepares for the new year. Here are the 1/2/09 and 1/9/09 SmackDown spoilers. If you want to be surprised, stop reading now and have a happy new year.

Vickie Guerrero announces that Jeff Hardy will face Edge at the Royal Rumble for the WWE Championship. Triple H comes out and makes fun of Guerrero until she lets him in the Rumble match. Hunter then says Guerrero has nude pictures on EBay.

The Great Khali and Finlay beat Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins

Eve interviews Michelle McCool. She blames Maria for her loss. Eve asks her to apologize and she refuses.

Vickie and Edge talk backstage about Vickie's nude photos. Big Show says he's seem them. Show and Edge get in an argument.

The Brian Kendrick and Ezekiel Jackson beat Jesse and Festus

Vladimir Kozlov beat Hurricane Helms

Jim Ross announces that Triple H, Big Show, Vladimir Kozlov and Shelton Benjamin are in the Royal Rumble. Benjamin comes out and says he should be announced as the winner and that no one compares to him. The Undertaker comes out and chokeslams him.

Michelle McCool apologizes to Maria and Eve. She then attacks Eve with the microphone.

Vickie Guerrero tells Triple H that he's going to compete in a Triple Jeopardy Match on next week's SmackDown: a Table match, a Handicap match and a Last Man Standing match.

Kizarny beat MVP. MVP's losing streak continues. Management is said to be soured on Kizarny already. Ken Kennedy came out after the match and cuts a promo. He makes fun of MVP and talks about Behind Enemy Lines.

Edge cuts a promo saying that Jeff Hardy is an embarrassment as WWE Champion.

WWE Champion Jeff Hardy and ECW Champion Matt Hardy beat Edge and Big Show

01/09/09 spoilers:

Triple H beat John Morrison in a Table Match. The Miz and Chavo Guerrero attacked Hunter after the match and put him through a able anyway.

The Undertaker beat Shelton Benjamin with a Tombstone.

The Bella Twins beat Victoria and Michelle McCool

Triple H beat The Miz and Chavo Guerrero in a Handicap Match

MVP's V.I.P. Lounge is up next with Ken Kennedy as the special guest. Kennedy says it's embarrassing how MVP loses every week. Kennedy says he's trying to inspire MVP to stop losing. The ring crew comes in and takes away MVP's Lounge furniture. Kennedy says that it's being repossessed. The Boogeyman comes out from under the ring and slams MVP. MVP retreats.

Carlito and Primo Colon beat The Brian Kendrick and Ezekiel Jackson to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship

The Big Show beat Triple H in a Last Man Standing Match to end the show.

we're back, and we have a lot to say!

2008-12-28T16:06:00.000-08:00

The Wrestling For Bisexuals staff took a break for the holiday season. Fortunately, the wrestling business we love to write about refused to rest along with us. Needless to say that we on the staff have a lot to talk about now that we've made our triumphant return. As we head into the new year, we're grateful for a lot of things. Among them, all of the following:

WWE and TNA continue to put on quality shows each week. Many argue that the wrestling business isn't as entertaining or as beloved by the mainstream as it was ten years ago, but we're just happy to have wrestling on TV.

Goldust is back on WWE television. Although relegated to a comedy role, Virgil Runnels continues to play the Goldust character well and can still get it done in the ring. Besides, limiting the role to short cameos each week decreases the possibility of the character saying or doing something offensive to our LGBT friends.

Kane is now the crazy stalker of Kelly Kelly. Just like Goldust, Glen Jacobs continues to play his role to a T, and Kelly's acting abilities have somewhat improved along with her in-ring skills. We're curious who her mystery man will eventually be too.

Another Royal Rumble match. Each year without failure, the Royal Rumble continues to be an entertaining WWE staple with an original twist to the concept or a surprise entrant or two. We look forward to the '09 installment.

TNA's continued expansion. Total Nonstop Action continues to grow with a UK tour coming in the new year. Competition is good, and wrestlers having more places to work in tough ecconomic times is even better.

You readers. We can't thank you enough for your continued support. It is through your word of mouth and free promotion that we are able to do what we do. It is because of you that we've achieved so much success this past year, interviewing the likes of Orlando Jordan, Lanny Poffo and RD Reynolds. We have more surprises coming in 2009. Keep on reading!

Chyna hospitalized

2008-12-28T16:02:00.000-08:00

TMZ reports that Chyna was rushed to the hospital early Saturday morning. Friends called paramedics after finding her passed out in her Burbank home with cuts on her arms. Alcohol is said to have played a factor. "All I really want right now is a hamburger and fries right now," Chyna told TMZ. Our thoughts and prayers are with her.

Armageddon results

2008-12-15T15:54:00.000-08:00

Vladimir Kozlov defeated Matt Hardy in a non-title match.

CM Punk defeated Rey Mysterio to become number one contender to the Intercontinental title. Both wrestlers were injured during the match.

Shawn Michaels "sold out" to JBL in an in-ring promo.

Finlay defeated Mark Henry in a Belfast Brawl match.

Batista defeated Randy Orton.

Michelle McCool, Maria, Mickie James and Kelly Kelly defeated Victoria, Natalya, Jillian Hall and Maryse in a Santa's Little Helpers tag team match.

John Cena defeated Chris Jericho to retain the World championship.

Jeff Hardy defeated Edge and Triple H in a Triple Threat match to win the WWE championship.

Miz and Morrison win tag titles

2008-12-13T21:28:00.001-08:00

John Morrison and The Miz captured the WWE Tag Team championships at last night's Raw house show in Hamilton, Ontario defeating Kofi Kingston and CM Punk.

WWE news

2008-12-11T23:17:00.000-08:00

AC/DC has been confirmed as the band for WrestleMania XXV. In a related story, an Undertaker/Shawn Michaels storyline for WrestleMania was recently "leaked" online, allegedly sent to various sites by former WWE writer Bruce Prichard. The script was later confirmed as being false.

Gene Snitsky has been released from WWE.

Former WWE announcer Joey Styles punched out a drunk JBL backstage during WWE's Iraq tour.

Edge has expressed an interest in forming a stable with real-life friends Christian and Kizarny if Christian re-signs with WWE at the end of the year.

Ed Leslie still "The Barber"

2008-12-06T18:53:00.000-08:00

Ed Leslie told F4W online that he and WWE have settled their lawsuit. Leslie is still free to use Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake on indy shows, as well as his WCW monikers The Butcher, The Booty Man and The Zodiac.

Kurt Angle to return to WWE?

2008-12-04T15:03:00.000-08:00

World Wrestling Entertainment has allegedly begun talk of bringing back current TNA star Kurt Angle when Angle's TNA contract expires in September, 2009.

Steve Bradley found dead

2008-12-04T14:50:00.000-08:00

Former WWE developmental wrestler Steve Bradley was found dead this morning in his car in a Manchester, New Hampshire parking lot across the street from where he once operated Top Rope Wrestling Academy. He was 32 years old.

Bradley started wrestling in 1991. After much success on the East Coast he signed a contract with the then-WWF in 1998 and was assigned to their developmental territory Power Pro Wrestling in Memphis, Tennessee. Bradley feuded with a rookie Kurt Angle over the Power Pro Wrestling championship, which was voted "Underrated Feud of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Bradley became the first wrestler to defeat Angle. In 1999, he won the third annual ECWA Super 8 tournament, defeating current TNA wrestler Christopher "Curry Man" Daniels. Bradley was ultimately released by WWE in the summer of 2002 during a talent purge. Following his release from WWE Bradley returned to the New England area and opened his wrestling school, which was shut down within the past six months. Bradley dealt with personal issues over the years and was one of the former talents who took up WWE's offer of getting help within the past year.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

WrestleMania and budget cuts

2008-12-03T21:29:00.000-08:00

WWE has begun taping two SmackDown broadcasts on various Tuesday nights instead of the usual one. This is being done as part of WWE's plan to cut $20 million in expenses from their budget, according to the Wrestling Observer newsletter. That double-taping trend will continue at least until WrestleMania, after which time WWE will evaluate the situation again. ECW shows will continue to be taped on Monday nights along with the live Raw show until February. Eliminating one taping saves WWE almost $700,000 in production expenses. Bruce "Brother Love" Prichard and two developmental talents were released earlier this week due to budget cuts, and more firings are expected. WWE has also cut down on its usage of pyrotechnics to save money, and the referee schedules have been reduced.

Shawn Michaels has pitched the idea of wrestling The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25. Michaels is expected to retire at WrestleMania 26.

More information has been released about the upcoming video game Legends Of WrestleMania. The roster features a total of 40 wrestlers and managers including Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant, Jerry Lawler, The Undertaker, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Mr. Perfect and Ted Dibiase Sr. Yokozuna and The Ultimate Warrior have been rumored as appearing in the game, but that has not yet been confirmed by a reliable source. The cover art for the game also features images of Steve Austin, The Rock, Bobby Heenan and Jimmy Hart. Jimmy Hart is expected to be cut from the roster due to his involvement with CCW. He was already pulled from the non-virtual WrestleMania tour. The game is scheduled for a March, 2009 release.

WrestleMania, Raven, and making out with Mickie James!

2008-11-25T17:12:00.000-08:00

Raven has started a fan club via his Web site. Members can get tickets to wrestling shows featuring Raven, Raven merchandise, questions answered by Raven, etc. Details about the fan club and how to join can be found at: http://www.theraveneffect.com/fanclub/

In her new shoot interview, Allison Danger tells a story about making out with Mickie James. Video of Danger discussing the angle is currently circulating around YouTube.

SPOILER ALERT! Currently scheduled WrestleMania matches are listed below. If you want to be surprised about the WrestleMania card, stop reading here. Thanks.

WWE has scheduled the following matches for WrestleMania next year in Houston, Texas. As always, plans are subject to change.

Steve Austin versus John Cena

Jeff Hardy versus Edge for the WWE championship

Batista versus Randy Orton for the World championship

Triple H versus The Undertaker

Team WWE versus Team NFL

Survivor Series results

2008-11-23T22:22:00.000-08:00

Team Raw (Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Cancie Michelle, Jillian Hall and Beth Phoenix) defeated Team SmackDown (Maria, Maryse, Victoria, Natalya and Michelle McCool) in a Survivor Series match. Beth Phoenix was the sole survivor.

Team Orton (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, William Regal, Mark Henry and Shelton Benjamin) defeated Team Batista (Batista, R-Truth, Kofi Kingston, CM Punk and Matt Hardy) in a Survivor Series match. Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes were the sole survivors.

Team HBK (Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, Cryme Tyme and The Great Khali) defeated Team JBL (JBL, Kane, MVP, The Miz and John Morrison) in a Survivor Series match. Michaels, Mysterio and Khali were the sole survivors.

John Cena defeated Chris Jericho to win the World Heavyweight title.

Edge (replacing Jeff Hardy by orders of Vickie Guerrero) defeated Triple H and Vladimir Kozlov in a Triple Threat match to win the WWE title. Jeff Hardy interfered in the match.

The Undertaker defeated The Big Show in a Casket match.

Jeff Hardy and Ashley news

2008-11-23T12:13:00.000-08:00

Jeff Hardy's stairwell injury reported on WWE.com is most likely a work.

Ashley Massaro's pet recently passed away after running into traffic.

news

2008-11-20T17:14:00.000-08:00

TMZ.com is reporting that "Rowdy" Roddy Piper now has a medical marijuana prescription. Am I the only one who believes this would make for some entertaining television?

Armando Estrada has been officially released from World Wrestling Entertainment. His release is not part of a Wellness violation.

Dustin Rhodes' WWE contract is a standard talent contract and not a Legends deal. Rhodes has canceled all independent bookings as a result, but is still expected to do his scheduled autograph signings.

WWE has apologized for an error on the packaging of their Intercontinental title DVD. Buddy Roberts is present on the package instead of Pat Patterson. Also, WWE.com recently incorrectly listed Tito Santana as Rick Martel's partner at WrestleMania III. The correct partner was Tom Zenk.

matt hardy injured

2008-11-17T14:53:00.001-08:00

Matt Hardy re-injured his knee during the WWE's international tour, but is determined to work through the injury.

Orlando Jordan interview

2008-11-16T18:30:00.000-08:00

Whoever we interview, we do it big. Our series of exclusive interviews continued last weekend when we spoke with former WWE superstar Orlando Jordan from his home in Florida. Jordan is an openly bisexual African-American wrestler, making him a true rarity in the sports-entertainment business. Read on as OJ candidly discusses his WWE run, false rumors, carrying the Warrior, and plans for his future.

The former United States champion refused to emphasize his sexuality when he spoke with us about his career. "I never really came out and said that I was bi. I'm me. I'm happy being who I am." Similarly, Jordan didn't want to stress his race when discussing role models. "[Being a] role model isn't something you choose. When you're in the public eye people find qualities in you."

Jordan was a natural athlete from day one. He competed in gymnastics since age six before becoming a member of the United States Forest Service. After moving to Florida he competed in amateur boxing and wrestling, becoming both a National and All-American champion. However, OJ revealed that the diverse background didn't make it hard to pick a ring style once he went pro. "I think it's who I was. I don't think it was something I chose over the years of training. It just kind of fit for me. I'm a pretty good-sized guy even though every time I meet a fan they always say 'Wow you're bigger than I thought.' I'm 6'4 and about 255 but for doing acrobatic stuff with that it's something that I needed to do. A lot of amateurs don't really make a good transition [to the professional circuit]. Kurt Angle, Brock [Lesnar], Shelton [Benjamin], Charlie Hass and myself have made good. I wanted to get away from that. I wanted to be a pro."

One of Jordan's most memorable feuds during his time with World Wrestling Entertainment was against the late Chris Benoit. When describing his experiences working with the now infamous performer, Jordan said their in-ring chemistry was "like peanut butter and jelly. Benoit was a great person to work with. Once I got the news it hurt my heart to find out what took place. Chris was a good friend to me. I enjoyed working with him. We were able to go out there and connected off the bat from the first time [we wrestled each other]. He's a hard worker and so am I."

Jordan, a member of the Cabinet stable, praised his former leader JBL. "Bradshaw was my partner and mentor." Jordan credited JBL as a locker room leader on the level of the Undertaker. What about the notorious pranks JBL is known for pulling in the locker room? "I was probably right there with him, and if not, instigating. There's tons of them I can tell [but] I can't think of any off the top of my head that won't get me in trouble."

OJ's three-year WWE stint came to an end in 2006. He pulled no punches when shedding light on the reason for his release or the speculation that went along with it. "By now they have all kinds of stuff out and people say a lot of things. Bottom line is that they I think didn't know what to do with me. That's the creative side's fault. Also of course rumors saying stuff about me because I'm bi getting released. I really don't like touching on stuff like that because it feuls bullshit. I think that people read the internet and quickly judge not knowing the truths. I've alwas wanted people to judge me for who I am. What's the difference between gay and bi? I'm bisexual; not gay. If you're going to call me something and stereotype me, do it right. None of the things you read that people put out I can say aren't true."

The former "Chief Of Staff" made headlines earlier this year when he wrestled the Ultimate Warrior in the Warrior's comeback match after a decade's absence from the ring. The Warrior has publicy stated in the past that he is against homosexuality, making one wonder if the two performers would have difficulty working together. "Despite what people might think I had no problem working with him," Jordan told us. "It takes two to wrestle. I think it was a case of not biting the hand feeding you. He was real compliant with me. I didn't have to deal business-wise. He had to trust me and rely on me to get through the match. I think his reputation preceeds him."

OJ's future looks equally bright. He's pursuing modeling and acting opportunities through his own company Wildcat Entertainment while working regularly with European wrestling group New Wrestling Evolution. He's also one of many wrestlers featured in Bloodstained Memoirs, a positive wrestling documentary expected out in 2009. Mostly though "I'm on a break for the holidays."

Orlando closed the conversation by informing us he was willing to grant us a second interview in the future. We're going to hold him to it, so send us your questions now! We encourage our readers to show your support for Orlando by becoming his MySpace friend. You can reach him at myspace.com/wwesuperstaroj.

Three WWE releases and a possible WWE return

2008-11-10T16:26:00.001-08:00

"World Wrestling Entertainment has come to terms on the release of SmackDown Superstar Kenny Dykstra and ECW's Elijah Burke and Lena Yada as of Nov. 10, 2008. WWE wishes them the best in all future endeavors."
-WWE.com

Christian Cage is also rumored to be returning to WWE in the near future. Cage's move is said to be strictly a financial decision.

TNA Turning Point results

2008-11-09T22:26:00.000-08:00

Eric Young beat Jay Lethal, Doug Williams, Tanahashi, Petey Williams, Consequences Creed, Homicide, Jimmy Rave, Sonjay Dutt and Volador in an elimination match to become #1 contender to the X Division title. After the match, Young cut a promo on the Main Event Mafia.

Taylor Wilde and Roxxi beat Awesome Kong and Raisha Saeed.

Rhino beat Sheik Abdul Bashir in a non-title match.

Beer Money Inc. beat The Motor City Machineguns in a Tag Team Championship match.

Booker T beat Christian Cage in a Legends Championship match. As a result, Cage must join the Main Event Mafia.

Kurt Angle beat Abyss in a Falls Count Anywhere match.

Kevin Nash beat Samoa Joe.

Sting beat AJ Styles in a TNA World Championship match.

WWE releases

2008-11-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

Mike Adamle is rumored to be finished with WWE. Both sides believe Adamle is not working out for the company, which is why he was removed from his position as Raw General Manager this week.

In similar news, the releases of Chuck Palumbo, Super Crazy and Paul London have been confirmed by WWE.com. The wrestlers were released as part of a cost-cutting initiative by WWE.

WWE officials are cracking down on marijuana usage in the locker room. Currently a marijuana-positive drug test results in a $1,000 fine, but officials have warned the wrestlers previosuly caught that the punishment is about to become "more severe."

The general feeling within WWE is that they’re looking to a big storyline on the RAW brand with Shane and Stephanie McMahon, possibly against each other, that will eventually see the TV return of Vince McMahon in time for WrestleMania 25.

rumors debunked and other news

2008-11-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

Several rumors were debunked at Ringside Fest '08 this past weekend in New York. Ric Flair confirmed that he's retired from wrestling contrary to reports of him negotiating with Japan. Flair did state, however, that the only thing that may talk him into a one-time comeback is an angle involving his youngest son Reid's pro wrestling career.

Eric Bischoff also debunked the long-standing rumor that he was starting up his own promotion to compete with WWE once again. Bischoff said he had "been there and done that" and that the opportunity would have to be just right for him ever to re-enter the wrestling business in such a capacity.

Lastly, the rumor that WWE has asked announcers to refer to on-screen talent as "entertainers" has now been confirmed as false.

Goldust has been re-signed to WWE. It is currently unknown if his contract is a Legends one or a standard talent deal.

Lanny "The Genius" Poffo

2008-10-30T21:42:00.000-07:00

Wrestling For Bisexuals continued its streak of exclusive interviews this past weekend. Former NWA, ICW and WWF personality "Leaping" Lanny Poffo (a.k.a. "The Genius") took time out of his busy schedule to speak with us about a variety of subjects from his thirty-plus year wrestling career. Our staff would like to thank Lanny Poffo for the following interview. We extend our best wishes to Lanny in all his future endeavors.

Poffo, a member of the WWF's boom period in the 1980's, shared how pleased he was to be able to return to the company following his managerial stint of Curt "Mister Perfect" Hennig. He managed the Beverly Brothers tag team during his second run. While some may consider no longer working with the talented Hennig a step down, "The Genuis" was just happy to be there.

Poffo's career also included a stint with World Championship Wrestling from 1995 until 1999, but wrestling fans wouldn't know it from watching WCW television. Unlike many former WCW employees, Poffo didn't bitterly bury the defunct company when discussing it. "I never understood why they didn't use me. I certainly wanted to be used."

Could modern-day wrestling once again reach the levels of success it attained during the 80's and 90's? Poffo believes that it could, but said such success is dependent on the business "...continuing to give the fans what they want. Nobody ever went broke by underestimating the taste of the public." He added that he feels wrestling is "a young man's game" and therefore not meant for someone about to turn fifty-four years old in December. As a result, Poffo feels it is unlikely he'll ever be back on television for WWE or TNA. "Leaping Lanny" fans need not worry however. Poffo has already appeared at about twenty different pro wrestling conventions and can still be seen in a variety of independent promotions throughout the world. "It makes me feel young!"

Unlike his brother "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Lanny Poffo remains on good terms with World Wrestling Entertainment. Poffo wrote a poem for the "Battle of the Billionaires" on WWE.com last year, but has no idea what the continued heat between his sibling and Vince McMahon is about despite accessibility to both parties. "Since I don't have the guts to ask (Savage) to his face, I'd prefer not to talk behind his back. Suffice it to say, he's not welcome into the Hall of Fame."

Continued imitation suggests "The Genius'" success. The intellectual wrestling heel character has been assigned to ECW's Matt Striker and the WWF's Dean Douglas in recent years, but no ill will was held toward anyone who may have borrowed from the persona because of the revelation that "I based my character off Jack Benny." Likewise, Poffo only had great things to say about his fellow wrestler turned children's book author Mick Foley.

Lanny loves words. He personally wrote all of his on-screen poetry. When questioned about a favorite poem he'd composed, Poffo seemed to believe it was a tie between his poem for his brother's coronoation ceremony and his poem for Mister Perfect's ping-pong match--which he pointed out contained true alliteration. "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. It's not true alliteration because of the word 'of.' In mine, Personal Perfection, it's all starting with P."

Ever the generous guest, Lanny Poffo closed the interview by penning an original poem for our blog and its fans.

"Be humble when victorious
Be noble in defeat
Be there when your neighbor
Doesn't have enough to eat

Try to love your enemies
And always be aware
That in the SuperBowl of life
The tortoise fucks the hare!"

To further immerse yourself in Genius poetry, head over to www.lannypoffo.com. While you're there, you can also order yourself a copy of Lanny's children's books, promotional wrestling photos, and even his Halloween-appropriate Curse Of The Werewolf movie which also contains an appearance from wrestling's Blue Meanie. If nothing else though, you can continue to read more of Lanny's great poetry, such as the following:

"Behold this humble entourage, thier heads are bowed in reverance
At the very slightest whisper of one name
Exhalting in His splendor, which if all together fitting
of all the people in the land from whence he came
False marquees are common place as kingdoms rise & fall
But I The Genius full of Glory & Renoun
Say The Macho Man is everything, that everybody, everywhere
Would ever, ever want to wear a crown.
I say this King deserves a Queen beside him on the throne
And Sherri is the fairest in the land,
No body else is worthy of this monumental honor
And the Regal splendor of His Royal Hand
We witness the dethroning of one Jim The Hacksaw Duggin
Who's crown and robe are in a state of ravage
I now remove my Motor board and place it near my heart
And thus proclaim You Macho King Randy Savage."

Apparently Jim Duggan was a rabbit that night.

This interview was just the beginning of many more surprises we have in store for the reading pleasure of our loyal fans. Remember to check this blog regularly and continue to give us your feedback and suggestions. Likewise, if you work in the professional wrestling field in any capacity, we would love to speak with you. E-mail us at: donaldtbishop@yahoo.com.

Cyber Sunday results and Dale Gagner case decided

2008-10-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

Mickie James won the Divas Halloween costume contest.

The Miz and John Morrison defeated Cryme Tyme.

The Honky Tonk Man defeated Santino Marella by disqualification. Santino retains the Intercontinental title.

Matt Hardy defeated Evan Bourne to retain the ECW championship.

Shelton Benjamin defeated R-Truth to retain the U.S. championship.

Rey Mysterio defeated Kane in a No Holds Barred match.

Batista defeated Chris Jericho to win the World Heavyweight championship. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was the guest referee. Shawn Michaels, JBL and Randy Orton interfered in the match, with Austin fighting off Orton and JBL attacking Michaels and Batista.

The Undertaker defeated The Big Show in a Last Man Standing match.

Triple H defeated Jeff Hardy to retain the WWE Championship.

In other news, WWE won its legal against Dale Gagner, son of Verne Gagne. As a result, Gagner must turn over all rights to his AWA domains to WWE and can no longer use the AWA name for his wrestling promotion.

Scott Hall attempted suicide Friday or Saturday. He is currently hospitalized. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

a thank you, and some news!

2008-10-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

Before we begin this update, we here at the blog would like to thank our loyal fans. While we are constantly encouraging you to purchase our Amazon-related products, we also understand that these are tough financial times for many people. Luckily, there's more than one way to skin a cat. Whatever we lack in financial assistance, we're proud to say our fans more than make up for in enthusiastic word of mouth promotion! You readers have recently been alerting many within the wrestling industry to our presence, including some big-name performers. We cannot thank you enough for your support, regardless of what form it may come in. The importance of you fans cannot be understated or ignored. Thank you for what you do for us. We hope that our presence will only grow heading into 2009. We have several big plans in the works already, but you'll have to keep reading to see what!

Ric Flair will be doing a rare, FREE autograph signing tomorrow in Roanoke, Virginia from 1 to 3 PM. For more information, contact the store at: 3602 Ferncliff Ave , Roanoke VA or call them at 540-366-7246.

Speaking of Flair, the "Nature Boy" recently announced that Japan has been aggressively courting him to come out of retirement. Flair stated he's hesitant to do so because of the tremendous sendoff WWE gave him earlier this year.

Vince McMahon has instructed all WWE announcers to refer to talent as "entertainers." This is being done to further distance the WWE name from anything sports-related such as state athletic commissions, and also to allow the company to further expand into other areas of entertainment.

Cade released, and Legends Of The Ring aftermath

2008-10-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

WWE has come to terms on the release of Lance Cade. No explanation has been given yet for the release, which is oddly timed. Cade was the on-air lackey for World champion Chris Jericho and just recently scored a victory over Shawn Michaels.

The seventh annual Legends Of The Ring pro wrestling convention took place this past weekend in New Jersey. Scott Hall's behavior is the largest news story coming out of the event. Hall assaulted a comedian who made a reference to Owen Hart's life-ending fall at the Iron Sheik roast, and got in trouble later on for inappropriately touching a woman at the hotel bar.

smackdown spoilers

2008-10-15T00:50:00.000-07:00

Below are spoilers for the 10/17 edition of SmackDown.

*Big Show opens SmackDown accompanied by Chavo Guerrero. He talks about Undertaker's chin and says that the Undertaker has lost his mind for interfering with his match against Triple H. Big Show then proceeds to announce the stipulations that fans will be able to vote for in his match against Undertaker at Cyber Sunday. They are:

* Last Man Standing Match
* I Quit Match
* A Knockout Match

Big Show then takes on a jobber in each of the above matches. He dominates them all effortlessly.

* Carlito & Primo Colon b. Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins
- Primo Colon got the win via pinfall following a drop kick off the top rope.

* MVP comes out and cuts a promo and talks about the longest United States Title Reign. He then talks about how he's going to do what Shelton Benjamin can't and beat R-Truth.

* R-Truth b. MVP
- R-Truth entered through the crowd. He got the win with the spinning axe kick.

* Big Show & The Great Khali are in the ring for a promo. Vickie comes out and says she wants Khali to take out Undertaker. Khali doesn't want to be a pawn. Khali and Big Show stare each other down to end the segment.

* Brian Kendrick comes out the the ring. He says due to doctor's orders he can't wrestle against Super Crazy tonight. He says that Ezekiel will wrestle in his place.

* Ezekiel Jackson b. Super Crazy in a squash match.

* Triple H comes out and talks about his upcoming match at Cyber Sunday against either Jeff Hardy, Vladimir Kozlov, or both.

* Undertaker vs. The Great Khali
- The match ends in disqualification when Big Show comes out and choke slams Undertaker. Big Show grabs a chair and wants The Great Khali to hit the Undertaker. Khali chops the chair out of Big Show's hands and leaves the ring.

* Maria b. Victoria, Natalya, Maryse, Brie Bella in a "Las Vegas Poll Match"
- Maria got the win in a quick match. She will now get a title shot against Michelle McCool.

* Triple H vs. Undertaker is announced for next week's edition of SmackDown.

* Jesse & Festus b. Kenny Dykstra & Ryan Braddock
- Festus gets the win via pinfall on Kenny.

* Triple H comes out in street clothes to join Jim Ross and Tazz.

* Vladimir Kozlov b. Jeff Hardy
- Vladimir Kozlov corners Jeff Hardy and hits a big running power slam. Kozlov then locks an arm bar on the mat. Jeff finally gets up and hits two whisper in the winds. He goes to the top and jumps off. He misses. Kozlov regains control and wins with a headbutt.

After the match Triple H gets in the ring and taunts Kozlov with the belt. Kozlov leaves and Triple H helps Hardy. Triple H then raises Hardy's hand, kicks him, and hits a pedigree to send SmackDown off the air.

WFB expands! Plus, wrestling news & more to buy!

2008-10-08T15:33:00.000-07:00

Wrestling For Bisexuals will soon have a MySpace page, allowing for better promotion and more interaction with our loyal readers and people within the professional wrestling industry. In addition, we've secured another interview with independent wrestling referee Jason Harding, and are currently in talks with former WWE superstar Orlando Jordan! This is truly an exciting time to be a WFB reader. We hope that you will all continue to follow our blog as we grow.

Both of The Undertaker's knees are causing him pain. His retirement is looking more and more likely heading into WrestleMania next year.

Former WCW "gay" personality Lenny Lane made a surprise appearance on ECW TV last week. Lane's appearance was for one show only and didn't include Lodi as a part of the deal. Lenny Lane fans shouldn't fret, though. Lane is still available for birthday parties! Check out http://www.wrestlingparties.com to get Lenny Lane for your next celebration!

The Wrestling Observer reports that TNA will soon add another title for mid-card talents to do battle over. Jeff Jarrett has long been opposed to adding an additional title, but feels the roster is now large enough to justify it.

The WWE contracts of Raven, Mike Sanders and Chris Kanyon are now available online. Check out: http://www.ctemploymentlawblog.com/uploads/file/contractwwe1.pdf for more information. Contract one is Raven's contract. Two and three are Sanders' and Kanyon's.

Kevin Nash told the Daytona News-Journal that he hasn't yet re-signed with TNA. Nash claims there is an on-going dispute over merchandising, and that Vince McMahon has also offered Nash a WWE spot if he'll dye his hair.

Signamania III went well for us. We made important contacts and hope to make even more this coming weekend at Legends Of The Ring VII. Keep your eyes on our blog for any future exclusive talent interviews. Unfortunately, traveling to these conventions and promoting ourselves isn't cheap. We need your support in order to keep Wrestling For Bisexuals alive, running and growing! Please use the links below to purchase an item from our good friends at Amazon.com. It helps fund us!

We'll see you in the next update!

wrestling's TV schedule for the week

2008-09-30T17:26:00.000-07:00

This week is a huge one in the pro wrestling business, particularly for WWE fans. Tonight ECW will start airing at its new 9 PM Eastern Standard start time on the Sci-Fi Network. On Thursday sports-entertainment lovers will get to choose between watching TNA Impact on Spike TV or the broadcast TV premiere of WrestleMania XXIV on MyNetwork TV. On Friday SmackDown debuts on MyNetwork TV with what is expected to be a huge show. Saturday The Condemned airs on USA Network at 6:30 PM EST. Finally, WWE presents No Mercy on pay-per-view Sunday night. God help you if you also have an indy show in your area or WWE Classics on your TVs. Those of you wrestling consumers fortunate enough to also own a TIVO, DVR, etc. should be fine, however. Not since the boom period of pro wrestling a decade ago has the business consumed so much television time at once. I love it and I'm sure the rest of you do as well.

WWE news

2008-09-24T16:49:00.000-07:00

Edge is expected back soon from injury.

Ron "R Truth" Killings is expected to get pushed hard by WWE management. WWE officials want to attract more minority viewers and feel Killings has enough personality to draw them in.

Batista is said to be unhappy with his current WWE role. He feels his career has peaked and has expressed an interest in trying Hollywood acting.

wrestling news

2008-09-23T16:28:00.001-07:00

Jim Ross stated in his blog that the Starrcade DVD has not been canceled as previously reported.

Tonight's broadcast of ECW is the last ECW show airing at 10 PM EST. Starting next week, ECW will air at 9 PM/8 Central on Sci-Fi.

Wrestling For Bisexuals will be represented in full force at pro wrestling convention Signamania III this weekend. So far the most popular suggestions for our "What should Brian Blair sign?" contest are a PFLAG shirt or a dildo. Cast your vote now!

Jeff Hardy update

2008-09-18T17:35:00.000-07:00

Rumors have been running rampant about Jeff Hardy the past few days. I wanted to wait to post about the situation until all the facts were in. Here is the up-to-date information.

The Tennessean.com is reporting that Jeff Hardy was denied boarding on a flight because he "appeared intoxicated at Nashville International Airport's Southwest gate" according to Southwest Airlines spokesman Chris Mainz. After his alleged intoxication was reported, Southwest denied his entry on the flight. Hardy was not arrested and instead opted to take a later flight home. He did not cause a scene at the airport. WWE is currently investigating the situation and will "take action if necessary." Jeff Hardy has a history of previous WWE Wellness Policy violations.

WrestleMania ticket prices/changes

2008-09-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

The on-sale date for WrestleMania tickets has been pushed back to October 11th. Also, the ticket prices have been announced as follows: $755, $255, $155, $100, $60 and $40.

Unforgiven results

2008-09-08T14:57:00.000-07:00

World Wrestling Entertainment successfully surprised its audience last night by making Chris Jericho the Raw brand's World Heavyweight champion. Randy Orton "injured" CM Punk earlier in the night, making him unable to defend his title in one of the three scheduled Championship Scramble matches. Jericho took Punk's place and walked out as World Heavyweight Champion, but not before losing his own scheduled match to Shawn Michaels earlier in the night. WWE fans seem split on this decision, but all are talking about it, which arguably already makes the move a success.

In other Unforgiven results, Matt Hardy captured the ECW World Championship in the ECW Scramble match, and Triple H retained his WWE Championship in the SmackDown Scramble. Also, Big Show turned heel by attacking The Undertaker, World Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. defeated Cryme Tyme, and Divas Champion Michelle McCool defeated Maryse.

Raw should be very interesting tonight.

Shark Boy interview! Randy Savage blocked!

2008-09-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

Below is the exclusive interview we conducted earlier today with TNA's Shark Boy. We'd like to thank Shark Boy and TNA for their cooperation.

Wrestling For Bisexuals: For the wrestling fans who may not know you, please explain your character.

Shark Boy: Shark Boy originally began as sort of a hero-type character who would rise from the water to fight the wresting bad guys. More recently he suffered some head trauma in the ring so Shark Boy has had a bit of a personality change and now my mannerisms are very similar to another very popular star.

WFB: Did/Do you have a favorite "gay" wrestling character?

SB: I really enjoyed the Lenny and Lodi stuff in WCW. I thought that was very interesting. There was a whole lot of double entendres and euphamisms all over the place. Ultimately I believe the idea was they were going to turn out to be brothers but it didn’t play out that way for several weeks.

WFB: Are you featured in the upcoming TNA video game?

SB: Yes. I think the graphics on that game really stand out. Last night (on TNA Impact) Robert Roode hit his finisher and they did a split-screen with the real version on the left and the video game version on the right. It’s unreal how similar it is.

WFB: Is your lawsuit against Miramax Films over their movie The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl still pending?.

SB: The case was settled a year ago.

WFB: Was the late John Tenta an influence in your career because of his "Shark" character?

SB: Not really. I honestly didn’t try to rely heavily on anything else shark-related that had already been in the wrestling world. I wanted this character to be original. I remember a lot more about Earthquake like when he feuded with Hulk Hogan and the tag team with Typhoon. (The Shark character) really didn’t last that long and I don't really remember a whole lot of it. I think he was part of a big faction. I actually can’t think of another character who played a shark besides him.

WFB: What to date is your favorite match you've participated in?

SB: Yeah that’s kind of a hard question for me to answer. One that was a recent match that stands out was in March in Norfolk, Virginia. Curry Man and I defeated Team 3D in a Fish Market Street Fight, as strange as it sounds. We literally hit each other with live fish! Real fish!

WFB: What kind of fish?

SB: I don’t know. For a shark I actually know very little about fish. But they were big fish. I got the victory over Devon. YouTube it. There's video out there. That's one of the biggest wins of my career.

WFB: When will we see you in a water-themed gimmick match on TNA television?

SB: That’s what the Fish Market Street Fight was designed to be: Shark Boy’s specialty match. It was so original. So maybe we’ll see that sometime.

WFB: Is there anything you'd like to promote at this time?

SB: I always like to get a plug in for my Web site. If the fans get a chance, check out sharkboy.net. All the projects I’m currently involved in are up there.

We encourage everyone reading this to watch TNA Impact every Thursday night on Spike TV. For more information on the company, check out http://www.tnawrestling.com. Also don't forget to order their upcoming pay-per-view No Surrender on Sunday, September 14th. The show will be available on InDemand, DirecTV, Dish Network, TVN, Viewer's Choice Canada and more, and tickets are still available! The main event features a Four-Way match for the TNA Championship between Samoa Joe, Booker T, Kurt Angle and Christian Cage. Our good friend Shark Boy is also on the card, teaming up with Curry Man and Super Eric to take on The Rock N Rave Infection. The show also features Jay Lethal, Petey Williams, Angelina Love and more! Call your local cable or satellite provider for ordering details.

In other news, "Macho Man" Randy Savage has been blocked by WWE officials from appearing in the upcoming Legends Of WrestleMania video game.

Everone enjoy your weekend.

Kowalski dead; Raw/SmackDown spoilers

2008-09-01T01:30:00.000-07:00

Walter "Killer" Kowalski passed away Saturday at age 81 due to the effects of a heart attack. Kowalski was one of the original wrestling villains in the early days of television and went on to train several modern day stars including Triple H after retiring from the sport. Kowalski has been inducted into two professional wrestling halls of fame, including WWE's (WWF's at the time). He is survived by his children and his wife Theresa. A funeral is scheduled at Weir-MacCuish Golden Rule Funeral Home and burial service is set in St. Joseph's Church on Thursday morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Raw and SmackDown spoilers are posted below. If you want to be surprised, stop reading here.

Raw opens with a Raw vs. SmackDown 2008 promo followed by a memorial video for "Killer" Walter Kowalski.

Randy Orton comes out to open the show. Orton gets on the mic and says that he is still injured. He says that Beth Phoenix, Santino Marella, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase hurt Raw. He also says that CM Punk disgraces the World Heavyweight Championship belt and that he'd like to take the title from him once he's cleared to wrestle. CM Punk hits the ring and says that Orton is jealous of him. Orton leaves the ring. JBL then comes out and tells Punk that he is going to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Unforgiven. Kane comes out and says that Rey Mysterio won't be at Unforgiven because he's still in hell. Batista comes out and clears the ring of everyone.

Kofi Kingston beat Charlie Haas, who came out dressed as John Cena.

Team Priceless confronts Randy Orton backstage. They say Orton should give them respect. Orton asks Cody if he remembers how he smacked his dad, Dusty Rhodes. Cody says yes and receives a slap from Orton.

Backstage, Theodore Long and Mike Adamle say that they have an agreement to do an ECW Battle Royal on Raw tonight.

ECW World champion Mark Henry beats Matt Hardy, Chavo Guerrero, The Miz and Finlay in a five-man Battle Royal.

Chris Jericho signs the legal papers for his match with Shawn Michaels at Unforgiven.

Jamie Noble with Layla beats William Regal.

Candice Michelle, Mickie James and Kelly Kelly beat WWE Women's champion Beth Phoenix, Katie Lea and Jillian Hall when Candice pinned Beth Phoenix. Before the match Beth addressed Randy Orton insulting her.

WWE Intercontinental champion Santino Marella beat D-Lo Brown.

John Morrison and The Miz versus Cryme Tyme ended in a draw when Cryme Tyme was attacked before the match began by Rhodes and DiBiase, who took their Tag Team championship belts back.

Kane beat Batista, CM Punk and JBL in a four-man Battle Royal. Rey Mysterio was supposed to be in the match, but no-showed. Randy Orton did commentary during the match. After the match CM Punk throws water in Randy Orton's face and Rey Mysterio shows up and attacks Kane.

Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels did an in-ring contract signing for their match at Unforgiven. Mike Adamle announces that neither of the two are allowed to make contact during the signing or the match will be called off. They obey that rule until the contract is signed, then brawl. Lance Cade joins in the attack, but Michaels fights them both off.

Shawn Michaels legitimately suffered what is believed to be a triceps tear during the taping.

WWE SmackDown spoilers (airing this Friday)

Triple H opens SmackDown with an Unforgiven promo. Shelton Benjamin interrupts, but is himself interrupted by MVP. Brian Kendrick attacks Hunter from behind. MVP and Benjamin join in the attack until Jeff Hardy comes out for the save.

R-Truth beat Bam Neely. Killings came out through the crowd and was rapping.

The Undertaker cut a promo about Vickie Guerrero.

Shelton Benjamin beat MVP

Maryse beat Maria. Michelle McCool stares down Maryse after the match.

Brian Kendrick beat Jeff Hardy after interference from Ezekiel Jackson.

Super Crazy beat Ryan Braddock. After the match Vladimir Kozlov comes out and attacks Super Crazy. He talks about not having any competition. Big Show comes out to the ring to confront him, but Vickie Guerrero says she will not allow for the match to happen. She demands that Big Show get out of the ring and go home or he will be fined and suspended. She goes on to say that she won't let Undertaker intimidate her.

Brie Bella beat Victoria.

Triple H is confronted backstage by Jeff Hardy. Hardy says that Hunter has a big problem and that problem is him. Hunter pretends he is on the phone and hands it to Jeff, saying it's Doctor Black.

Triple H beat The Great Khali in a Lumberjack match. Jeff Hardy, MVP, Brian Kendrick and Shelton Benjamin were the lumberjacks. Triple H pedigrees the lumberjacks after the match.

Brian Blair contest! Plus, a Shark Boy update, WWE rehirings, and a WWE lawsuit!

2008-08-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

"Killer Bee" and gay rights opposer Brian Blair will be appearing at the upcoming pro wrestling convention Legends Of The Ring on October 11th. Our staff will also be present at the event to further promote our blog and attempt to gain interviews with talent. We thought it would be quite humorous to stop by Mister Blair's booth and secure an autograph on a very pro-gay item.

But what should it be?

E-mail your suggestions to: donaldtbishop@yahoo.com. Put "Blair's Autograph" in the subject line. The entries will be compiled and voted on by our staff. Entries will be judged for humor, ability to obtain the item in question, and most pro-gay, lesbian, bi, etc. The winner will be announced on our blog and will receive a special pro wrestling prize for participating! Deadline for entries is September 7th, 2008.

Scott "Raven" Levy, Chris "Kanyon" Klucsarits and "Above Average" Mike Sanders have filed a lawsuit against World Wrestling Entertainment. The group claims WWE classified them as independent contractors but treated them as full employees. They are suing the company for “unspecified compensatory damages” over benefits they would have received as employees, and hope to extend the claim to every wrestler under contract to WWE from 2002-2008. Wrestlers throughout history have been considered independent contractors, but the three men claim that should not be the case in WWE due to being told when, where and how to wrestle, in addition to being banned from plying their trade for rival promotions. WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt told SunSport “I think the key point to be made here is that every one of these people signed contracts acknowledging they were independent contractors. They contractually agreed that they would take care of their own health benefits and all the rest of that stuff. The only step we’ve taken so far is to remove (the case to a Federal Court). Our next step, at the end of next month, is to file our response to their lawsuit. And we will be moving to dismiss the lawsuit in its entirety."

The independent contractor v employee situation has been raised once before for WWE, when they were sued for sexual harassment by former female wrestler Nicole Bass. Bass was determined to be a WWE employee under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

More information about the lawsuit can be found at: http://www.ctemploymentlawblog.com/uploads/file/wwe.pdf.

Christian Cage's TNA contract is set to expire. He is expected to return to WWE shortly.

Mister Kennedy underwent surgery today for a shoulder injury. He is expected to miss four to six months of wrestling.

Joey Mercury announced last Saturday at a Maryland Championship Wrestling show that he and long-time tag team partner Christian York have signed with WWE.

The winner of the SmackDown Scramble match at Unforgiven is expected to defend the title against The Undertaker later that same night. Current storyline plans are for Vickie Guerrero to offer the title match to Undertaker as a peace offering. The Undertaker is also rumored to face Triple H at WrestleMania XXV next year.

Due to scheduling conflicts Shark Boy was unable to speak with us Monday as planned. We are currently attempting to reschedule the interview. In the meantime we would like to encourage everyone to support Shark Boy as well as TNA wrestling for being so cooperative in their dealings with us up to this point.

However, we here at Wrestling For Bisexuals also need your support. Please purchase at least one of the items below through the links we provide you. Doing so will give us more money which we can put toward improving our blog, giving away more fabulous prizes to our loyal readers, or just better promoting ourselves to the wrestling business. We want the voices of all wrestling fans to be heard.

WWE news

2008-08-25T14:50:00.002-07:00

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin is expected to have a match at WrestleMania XXV in his home state of Texas. His opponent is currently unknown. As previously reported, Austin is being advertised for the upcoming Cyber Sunday pay-per-view. His WrestleMania storyline may begin to take shape there.

WWE has canceled the planned WCW Starrcade DVD.

WWE news, blog news, and SmackDown spoilers

2008-08-22T15:57:00.001-07:00

I will be posting SmackDown spoilers at the end of this entry. Those of you who want to be surprised have been warned. Now, onto the news!

Gail Kim is officially returning to WWE. Sid Eudy (Psycho Sid, Sid Vicious, etc.) is also rumored to soon be signing a contract.

Raw brand General Manager Mike Adamle has begun pro wrestling training. It is currently unknown who his first opponent will be.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin is expected to be a part of WWE's Cyber Sunday pay-per-view.

I am proud to announce that we will be speaking with TNA's SHARK BOY this Monday. It is through the continued support of our loyal fans that we are able to promote ourselves and get granted such interviews. Please continue to spread the word about our blog, and perhaps more importantly, continue to buy items that we link you to. Our good friends at Amazon have great prices, and your support will ultimately help us continue to entertain and inform you.

SMACKDOWN SPOILERS BELOW:

Vickie Guerrero apologizes to the crowd for her affair with Edge. She announces a WWE title Scramble at Unforgiven with two qualifying matches taking place tonight.

Maria defeated Natalya via disqualification after interference from Maryse.

Brian Kendrick won a ten-man Battle Royal to qualify for the WWE Title Scramble at Unforgiven.

Another R-Truth promo aired.

MVP defeated Festus via countout to qualify for the WWE title Scramble at Unforgiven.

Shelton Benjamin defeated Finlay to qualify for the WWE Title Scramble at Unforgiven.

Jeff Hardy defeated The Great Khali to qualify for the WWE Title Scramble at Unforgiven.

Triple H cuts a promo on what he thinks of his opponents at Unforgiven. Kenny Dykstra interrupts and is pedigreed.

La Familia came out and called out The Undertaker. Vickie Guerrero begged for forgiveness. The Undertaker said he came out for their souls. La Familia took out The Undertaker as Vickie left to the back. It ended with Undertaker taking them all out. He posed in the ring afterwards. The taping is believed to end with The Undertaker taking out La Familia.

SummerSlam results

2008-08-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

Undertaker defeated Edge in a Hell in a Cell match.
WWE Champion Triple H defeated The Great Khali.
World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk defeated JBL.
Matt Hardy defeated ECW Champion Mark Henry by disqualification.
Batista defeated John Cena.
Montel Vontavious Porter def. Jeff Hardy.
Chris Jericho interrupted Shawn Michaels' "retirement" announcement
Santino Marella is the new Intercontinental Champion and Beth Phoenix is the new Women’s Champion after defeating Kofi Kingston and Mickie James in a Winners Take All match.

Jeff Hardy suffers questionable injury

2008-08-16T23:49:00.000-07:00

Jeff Hardy was said to have suffered a broken neck Tuesday night when he missed an appearance at Best Buy, but there was no indication of Hardy suffering an injury in his SmackDown match with Shelton Benjamin. Reports say Hardy arrived at the arena Tuesday with fluid in his elbow that wouldn't drain well. He was pulled from weekend house shows but is still scheduled to face MVP at SummerSlam. No announcement was made at the house shows concerning Hardy's inability to appear. Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase Jr. replaced Hardy at the Best Buy appearance.

More WWE releases; changes in booking.

2008-08-15T20:09:00.000-07:00

Here is the full list of WWE's talent releases as of press time:

Ric Flair
Jonathan Coachman
Braden Walker
Shannon Moore
Nick Patrick
Domino
James Curtis
Nunzio
Big Daddy V
Chad Evans
Brad Attitude
Matt O'Neal
Stevie Richards
Wes Adams
Robbie McAllister
Rory McAllister
Cherry
Colin Delaney

WWE's booking team has changed their booking style. They are now going to be building everything around constant swerves. Also, Freddy Prinze Jr will work under Michael Hayes on Smackdown.

Heenan in bad shape; Carlito unhappy (again)

2008-08-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan's health is said to be rapidly deteriorating. The WWE Hall of Famer has been in a Tampa, Florida hospital since December. One source believes Heenan will not live another month. He remains unable to speak and still in need of surgeries after being brought out of a medically-induced coma last January. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Carlito is said to once again be unhappy with WWE management. He has yet to debut on the SmackDown brand since being drafted there several weeks back.

Randy Orton re-injured, Batista unhappy

2008-08-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

Batista admitted to SLAM Wrestling that he is unhappy with his current storyline heading into WWE's SummerSlam. "It's one of those things where, personally I like the long, drawn-out storylines. The buildups to big matches where Triple H and I are the perfect example. We had such a buildup for our match. Cena and I being in such a marquee match, I really wish the buildup had been allowed. I think a match like that deserves the fan's emotional investment. It's way too soon," he said.

Randy Orton has been re-injured in a motorcycle accident. He is now expected back in November. In related news, Orton told Eurogamer that he believes video games should feature more violence. "Violence sells. I want to see more violence in games - the more blood the better... [Some parents who worry about video games] don't know their kids are watching South Park. The violence [in Goodfellas] is against human beings. There's rape in movies - you see all kinds of fucked up shit on film." For the record, Orton owns an XBox 360 and a Nintendo Wii.

Walter "Killer" Kowalski

2008-08-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

Wrestling legend Walter "Killer" Kowalski has suffered a massive heart attack, but recent reports state that his condition has improved at the hospital. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Kennedy update

2008-08-09T07:23:00.000-07:00

Mister Kennedy's injury appears worse than originally reported. Kennedy states on his official site that he could be out with the injury four through six months.

Other wrestling news

2008-08-08T16:44:00.000-07:00

In other wrestling news:

Ric Flair's wife Tiffany has filed for divorce. Flair, who recently parted ways with WWE shortly after his financial company went under, has begun taking independent bookings for $15,000 per appearance. These appearances are all in non-wrestling roles.

Former WWE wrestler Al Snow is being stalked via his MySpace page by a girl named Ania Dalessio. Snow asks that his fans/MySpace Friends report Dalessio should she contact them in an attempt to get to Snow. The Blue Meanie alleges that Dalessio has threatened Snow's fiance and threatened to kill Snow's dog in the past. Dalessio's MySpace page can be found at: http://www.myspace.com/aniadalessio. The official Al Snow MySpace page is: http://www.myspace.com/allelujahsnow.

In Ring Of Honor news, Mark Briscoe's wrist injury is healed. He will compete on the 8/15 ROH show in Cleveland, Ohio. Also, fans can get a 30-35% discount off their next order at ROHWrestling.com during this weekend only. New DVD's will be available for the sale.

WWE releases more talent

2008-08-08T16:40:00.001-07:00

World Wrestling Entertainment has confirmed the releases of several wrestlers. Shannon Moore, referee Nick Patrick, Nunzio, Domino, James Curtis, Big Daddy V and Braden Walker were all released from their contracts. Additionally, Mick Foley has confirmed that he will most likely not be renewing his contract after it expires on Sept. 1st. More WWE releases are expected to be announced shortly.

News

2008-08-06T16:17:00.000-07:00

Mick Foley did not appear at the SmackDown/ECW TV taping last night. Whether he's done with WWE or just selling the injury from last week is yet to be known.

Mister Kennedy injured his shoulder on Raw this week. He's only expected to miss a few weeks of action.

BREAKING NEWS: Two WWE personalities leaving!

2008-08-04T15:38:00.000-07:00

Ric Flair has officially parted ways with World Wrestling Entertainment. Mick Foley's contract is set to expire soon. Unless he re-signs, SummerSlam will likely be his last date with the company.

New Column!

2008-08-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

We are Wrestling For Bisexuals are proud to announce the addition of a new column, which you can read below. Feel free to leave comments for our newest staff member, and everyone enjoy Raw tonight.

TICS FOR TATS
by Morning Starr

It's a dark and stormy night as I cyber-pen my first column. Literally! It's raining buckets of hardcore acid rain outside.

By the way, I'm Morning Starr. I'm not only female, but I'm your new bisexual woman's columnist. Whenever I feel like it, I'll profile a female wrestling personality here on Wrestling For Bisexuals in a way that I hope will be unique from other wrestling Web sites.

Today, I'm extremely happy to share my first column with you about a woman who was born the 12th of January, 1962 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A woman who for many years would be called Gertrude by her family and friends, but the rest of the world got to know this wonderful woman by other names.

We few, proud women dog-tired of seeing overrated, untalented bimbos flaunting thier silicone assets and little else appreciate the 5'6'' beauty's vicious mat techniques and tenacious managerial skills. We have our own name for perfection.

We call her Luna Vachon.

Luna's gravely voice-a feminine homage to her uncle (and favorite wrestler) Mad Dog Vachon-and chiseled body that was better than most males made her a zillion times sexier than if she was bisexual or lesbian. And the fact that she could Luna Bomb anyone, female or male. According to Luna herself, her favorite match ever was a steel cage match versus Stevie Richards in ECW, which of course she won. Most people were shocked that a man would have a steel cage match with her, but I wasn't. I knew she could mop the ring with Stevie's sexily tattered rent-boy jean daisy dukes and that she'd probably do it with a fistful of his Coca-Cola auburn-hued hair. She'd probably be laughing the whole time she did it, too!

Luna was lucky being a wrestling baby. She got to train on the road with her uncle and father. Her family supported her dreams enough to let her spend her formative wrestling years with her aunt, Vivian Vachon, until she garnered the attention of The Fabulous Moolah and got to perform in many matches for her all-women's promotion. Then, sometime in the mid-80's whilst she was in Florida, she hit a heat wave when she became one of the Daughters Of Darkness, tag teaming with (Winona Little Heart) Lock. It was one of Kevin Sullivan's crazier marketing angles that both women sold very well. Wearing harlequin black and white ring attire along with shaving half their heads and pulling thier bi-polar ring attitudes, they really garnered the attention of the fans. That's also when they kicked off thier "Satanic" stable angle, which included Fallen Angel (the late Nancy Sullivan a.k.a. Woman), Kharma (Gene Lewis-Petit), Maha Singh (Bob Roop) and Purple Haze (Mark Lewin).

Luna took a while off when she was in her early 20's, eventually returning for a three-year tour of Japan where she was managed by her father, Butcher Vachon. The next long stint she'd take off from wrestling would be due to the fact that she got married.

In real-life she was married to "The Vampire Warrior" a.k.a. "Gangrel" (David Heath), though she only got to briefly work with him in ECW and the WWF. Becoming a born again Christian and deciding to distance herself from the whole "Satanistic" image that she and her then-husband eschewed would explain why they eventually parted ways, but it doesn't make Luna any less of an inspiration to all of her fans.

Her love of the sport has never faltered, though fan interest in her has ebbed and flowed. Enough so that she was never really a staple in any promotion for a very long time. She was with the WWF on and off, most notably at WrestleMania X where she tag-teamed with on-screen romantic interest Bam Bam Bigelow against Doink and Dink the Clowns. Luna's team won. Later, Luna helped Sable (Rena Mero) through her starter matches. It was one of the only times I remember asking what they'd done to my brave, strong Luna? I was so excited when I realized the WWF was staring up their Woman's division again, then so horribly let down when it dawned on me that it was just another reason for gratuitous T and A. Everyone, no matter their orientation, can appreciate attractive Beef Cake or Cherry Pie. But NOT when you want to see actual WRESTLING matches that you've shelled out hard earned money for. Instead we were forced to see Luna sell and job to Sable. No matter how big of a crush I have on her, I still don't want to see real athletes like Luna, Ivory, Tori and Medusa in any degrading Evening Gown, Lingerie or Swimsuit Matches.

The latter Luna notoriously protested, refusing to take her gown off on the grounds she was extremely unhappy with the marginalization, degradation, objectification and sexualization of the WWF's Woman's division. That was a low time in her life, and for the fans of woman's professional wrestling, to see it turned into a cream-puff side show that was supposed to entice instead of dazzle and excite. Never afraid to say exactly what was on her mind, Luna supposedly managed to get herself into quite a few spots of trouble backstage with management, which usually lead to her untimely suspensions or unfortunate releases from her contract. Her comfort with saying what she thought with ease might explain why she always thought being a heel was more fun. She never necessarily wanted things pitched at her, but she loved seeing the audience participation in response to her actions in and out of the ring. Even if it was a messy compliment, it proved she suceeded in doing a job well done if she could incite a grown man to chuck his expensive mini-barrel of beer at her.

In late 1997, Luna decided to manage the controversial cross-dressing wrestler Goldust, and even helped him through one of his more complicated angles as The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust (which was a satirical poke at the pop music icon Prince). Luna helped Goldust mimick various opponents and cultural icons, which inevitiably meant he just dressed like that person and tacked "-dust" onto the end of the person's name and did outrageous parodies of them. "Sabledust" and "Hunterdust" were particularly amusing.

All in all, it goes without saying that Luna Vachon is a complex athlete that's brought woman's wrestling to new levels just by showing up in the ring and opening her mouth. Not to mention being accomplished enough to actually take home the USWA Woman's title, Florida Woman's Federation title and two Woman's Wrestling Tag Team titles before becoming the first female wrestler to be featured as a playable character in a WWF video game.

Six months after she became the first Great Lakes Championship Wrestling Ladies champion, Luna successfully defended her title in a match versus Traci Brooks and was able to retire the champion the 7th of December back in 2007.

So just what is one supposed to say when they're exposed to a woman this phenomenal?

How about this?

When I say "Eclipse Diving Splash?"

You say "Daughter Of Darkness!"

Show your love for Luna Vachon and our Web site. Purchase an autographed color picture of Luna from Amazon RIGHT NOW!

RUSTY BROOKS INTERVIEW!

2008-07-31T10:16:00.000-07:00

We'd like to thank long-time wrestler Rusty Brooks for granting us this interview. We encourage everyone to support the "School Of Hard Knocks" wrestling school in Florida, and pray for Brooks as he goes through his kidney dialysis.

WFB: Having spent over two decades in the wrestling business, what do you think about the general state of pro wrestling in 2008?

RB: I believe there is too much priority placed on soap opera storylines and not enough on in-ring abilities. Also, I think with WWE they are too concerned with the perfect look in regards to physic and not about talent that can actually work.

WFB: Why did you turn over the day-to-day operations of your "School of Hard Knocks" wrestling school?

RB: I basically pulled out of the school and the wrestling because of health concerns. I am undergoing kidney dialysis treatments and could no longer handle the schedule required to operate the school.

WFB: How do you feel about your induction on WrestleCrap.com?

RB: I am not aware of it.

WFB: What advice would you give to an aspiring wrestler/promoter?

RB: Have fun with it, and always' remember it is a business and conduct it that way. Try to treat the people you work with like you would want to be treated. Don't try to swerve anyone, just do the right thing.

WFB: What was your favorite match to wrestle?

RB: I liked tag team wrestling. I had a number of excellent partners through the years.

WFB: Being a Floridian yourself, what do you think about Florida-based TNA wrestling?

RB: I think it is a good alternative to WWE. Competition always helps bring out the best in rival promotions and it gives the talent more options to work.

WFB: Having seen many of them through the years, do you have a favorite "gay" wrestling character?

RB: There was a Florida Indie character who worked as "Gorgeous" Gary Glitter, who was very
entertaining , and he got "per" with the gimmick.

WFB: What was the deal with the Super Duper Mario character you portrayed?

RB: Promoter Mario Savoldi wanted to cash in on Lou Albano's success playing the Nintendo game character Super Mario. Savoldi ran a successful promoti9on in the Northeast (ICW) and worked for him for a number of years off and on. The Super Duper Mario character was very popular but unfortunately the promotion was shutting down before we could really take off with it.

WFB: You've trained many well-known wrestlers. Do you have any fascinating or humorous stories to tell about any of them?

RB: Nothing off hand, just that I met a ton of great friends and always' had good times and a lot of fun traveling and working with them.

WFB: Is there anything you'd like to promote to our readers at this time?

RB: No, nothing comes to mind, just thanks for the support from the fans and best wishes to all.

News

2008-07-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

Before we get into this entry, I'd first like to let my loyal readers know some blog-related news.

I will be attending Ring Of Honor this Friday night. If anyone from ROH would like to grant us an interview, feel free to contact me.

We sent off YOUR questions for Rusty Brooks. That interview should be up shortly.

The new female column I promised you a while back will also be debuting soon.

Now onto wrestling news...

Freddie Prinze Jr. (yes, that Freddie Prinze Jr.) officially joined WWE's creative team this week.

A woman from Rolla, MO is suing WWE and the University of Missouri over injuries she suffered at a SmackDown house show in Rolla in May last year - she fell from the bleachers after a railing gave way. WWE and the university claim the injury was her fault. The full story can be read at http://www.kspr.com/news/local/26115444.html.

Ashley Massaro stated that the meds for her sick daughter finally started working. She hopes to be back on TV soon, but didn't state in what role or for what company.

The Rock

2008-07-26T10:04:00.001-07:00

Wrestling journalist Tommy Fierro recently wrote in a column that he believes wrestling stars from the 1980's are more well-known and fondly remembered by the general public than wrestling's modern performers. Fierro said that in his opinion the reason for this is because the wrestlers in the 1980's WWF had character, which is something he believes the WWE lacks in 2008. Looking at The Rock's new DVD, I can't help but agree with him.

The Rock was one of the biggest things in wrestling (and mainstream pop culture) only a few short years ago. We all wore the t-shirts and shouted the catch-phrases. Now Dwayne Johnson is out in Hollywood not entertaining sold out arenas, and I know I'm not the only fan who wishes The Rock could (finally) come back to Raw. Sure I still enjoy many wrestlers on the current WWE roster, but none of them are very memorable from one week to the next. None of them leap through the screen and grab your attention the way The Rock did. These days, WWE wrestlers all follow a very precise script. If you've been watching wrestling for any length of time you can more or less guess what will happen the next time you see your favorite WWE superstar.

Dwayne Johnson followed a script too. In fact his emergence in popularity started right around the same time that the WWF writers started scripting their TV shows down to the very last minuscule detail. So why is an overly-scripted Rock so popular while modern stars fail to connect as strongly with the audience?

Answer: The Character.

John Cena isn't the white rapper anymore, which is what made his character popular in the first place. Now, without that aspect to his character, he continues to get booed in arenas across the country. C.M. Punk has a character, but it isn't emphasized in any of his angles. Compare that to Chris Jericho, who is currently a heel with a legitimate point to his anger. When Jericho announced that the "good guys" had won in reference to injuring Shawn Michaels, a portion of the crowd cheered and the entire audience had some kind of a reaction. There's a reason for that.

The Rock's new DVD The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man In Sports-Entertainment is loaded with Rock promos and matches that will make you long for the Attitude Era of WWF/WWE wrestling. It's not just Rocky that will entertain you though. It's the people he's wrestling. Mick Foley, DX, Kurt Angle, Steve Austin, The Hurricane, Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Guys who were characters! I encourage all my readers to pick up this DVD and re-live some classic wrestling moments that remind us all why we're fans in the first place. Or, if you've never seen The Rock in a pro wrestling context, do yourself a favor and get this DVD immediately! The Rock's new DVD only costs $18.99 (around $13.00 if you get it used) from our good friends over at Amazon AND it's eligible for free shpping! WWE wants you to pay $19.62 plus shipping (more if you get a combo deal). Tell those WWE shop guys to take their overpriced package deal, turn that sumbitch sideways, and stick it straight up their candy asses! Help support this Web site and click the link below to purchase The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man In Sports-Entertainment from Amazon.

That is, if you smell what The Rock is cooking. Otherwise...Well, I guess you could always go watch some TNA or something.

Warrior in hot water (again), and ROH expanding

2008-07-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

The Ultimate Warrior's New York autograph signing, which drew about 130 people this past Sunday, angered World Wrestling Entertainment.

Raw brand road agent Bruno Lauer, better known to wrestling fans as Harvey Wippleman, arrived at the signing's venue without notice and hung up a WWE cease and desist letter for everyone in line to read. To summarize the papers: Warrior and WWE have no connection to each other, and the Warrior was supposedly just using the attention and name of the WWE brand to attract fans into his signing. The papers also made mention of the Intercontinental title belt, which the Warrior's Web site advertised he would be posing with. The letter said the title was intellectual property of WWE's, therefore the Warrior could not pose or even market himself posing with it.

ROHmedia.com is reporting that Ring of Honor is going to be making "major roster changes" in the near future. Graduates of the ROH wrestling School will be showing up soon, in addition to the roster gaining more full-time talent. Specifically, Roh is working on booking Kota Ibushi for upcoming shows.

The Ultimate Prostitute and the Sandman. No relation.

2008-07-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

The Sandman was arrested last night at a restaurant in Yonkers, NY for throwing glasses at restaurant employees, and then later at the police attempting to arrest him. The cops even had to pull a gun on Sandman during the arrest.

"The TV show "Hard Copy" is working on doing a story on Ultimate Warrior similar to the one in "The Globe" last week where it said Jim Hellwig used to be a homosexual prostitute before his wrestling days. The only WWF reaction I heard to the story was just to try and ignore it and hope it goes away, which is probably the best reaction. Thus far there haven't been any reports of Warrior getting negative reactions at the house shows, even though the Globe story has been the talk inside the wrestling business."
-The Wrestling Observer; May 27, 1991 edition

Google has various search results related to the Warrior story as well. Does whoring make the world work?

Remember to send in your questions for Rusty Brooks!

PPV results and news

2008-07-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

Here are the short results for the WWE Great American Bash pay-per-view.

Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder won a Fatal Four Way Match against John Morrison and The Miz, Finlay and Hornswoggle and Jesse and Festus to win the WWE Tag Team Championships.

Shelton Benjamin won the United States championship against Matt Hardy.

Mark Henry beat Tommy Dreamer to retain the ECW title when Colin Delaney turned on Dreamer.

Chris Jericho beat Shawn Michaels when the referee deemed Michaels physically unable to continue wrestling.

Michelle McCool beat Natalya to win the Divas championship. More on this later.

CM Punk and Dave Batista wrestled to a double disqualification when Kane interfered. CM Punk retained the World title.

JBL beat John Cena in a Parking Lot match.

Triple H beat Edge to retain the WWE championship.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Bob Holly was sent home due to an undisclosed incident recently that may have also put his job in jeopardy with WWE. There are also unconfirmed online reports that personal issues may be the cause.

Rey Mysterio and WWE are still unable to come to terms on a new contract. Despite what some may consider to be a "promotion" to the Raw brand recently, Mysterio feels he is being underpaid in comparison to other top performers in the company. He is reportedly seeking significantly more money than WWE officials are willing to pay.

Dakota Darsow, the son of former WWF and WCW wrestler Barry Darsow, is getting a one-week tryout in Florida Championship Wrestling.

William Regal's suspension came to an end this past Friday, so he should be reappearing on TV soon.

Mickie James posted a blog entry on WWE Fan Nation talking about MySpace imposters, John Cena, Trish Stratus, and a same-sex kiss! To read the entry, go here:
http://fans.wwe.com/mickiejames/blog/2008/07/20/my_first_blog

Randy Orton is ranked number one in this year's Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500, which ranks the top 500 wrestlers in the world.

In the lighter side of wrestling news, WWE (or "WWF" according to the article) fans got in trouble at the Great Americzn Bash for trying to steal chairs. You can read the full article at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/nassau/ny-liwwe0722,0,3718307.story

The person in charge of the WWE Divas (the person teaching them to wrestle the WWE style and how to handle their matters) is Michelle McCool. This is due to her relationship with The Undertaker, who has pushed for her to be in charge of the divison. The other divas don't care for McCool, particularly the ones more experienced at wrestling than herself. This is also why McCool was given the Diva title on SmackDown.

Another interview! Another advertiser! Another update!

2008-07-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

On the heels of our RD Reynolds interview, Wrestling For Bisexuals is proud to announce that we have confirmed a second upcoming interview for our ever-expanding blog. The one and only RUSTY BROOKS will soon be gracing us with his presence.

For those of you who may not remember or may not know him, Rusty Brooks is a wrestling veteran who has competed in the pseudo-sport for over twenty years. Brooks has worked for the World Wrestling Federation, the National Wrestling Alliance, and various other promotions throughout the world. He has wrestled everyone from Steve Brody to Hulk Hogan (literally!). He has been a trainer of stars including Gangrel, Luna Vachon, and Norman Smiley. He has even been inducted into wrestlecrap.com.

If you have any questions for Rusty Brooks, send them my way so he can answer them! You can reach me at: donaldtbishop@yahoo.com.

In other blog-related news, we have signed up Wrestling For Bisexuals with Amazon Associates. The dispute with Google AdSense is still on-going, but the recent success of this blog suggests that we cannot wait to settle the matter before attempting to once again generate ad revenue. Our audience is growing, and we are being acknowledged by respected members of the wrestling business. Now is the time to strike! We will continue to provide wrestling news, interviews, and other fascinating content to our loyal readers with or without advertisements. To be honest though, the ad revenue helps us out.

A lot.

On that note, if anyone would like to donate to us via PayPal, feel free. Once agian, the e-mail address is: donaldtbishop@yahoo.com.

Now stop reading this and e-mail me some Rusty Brook questions!

RD Reynolds Interview

2008-07-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

Hello loyal readers. Unfortunately, computer issues in addition to an on-going dispute with Google AdSense prevented me from updating this blog over the past few days. As promised, I will now finally post the long-awaited RD Reynolds interview. I'd like to thank RD for his cooperation (he even plugged this blog on WrestleCrap Radio!), and I encourage all of you to check out wrestlecrap.com, WrestleCrap Radio, and the new WrestleCrap Book Of Lists.

As if RD needs our help to sell his stuff.

RD REYNOLDS INTERVIEW

WFB: Yourself and WrestleCrap Radio co-host Blade Braxton recently told off former WWF wrestler Damien Demento via a YouTube video. Since it's now clear that you have video technology at WrestleCrap HQ, when are your fans finally going to see a video podcast of WrestleCrap Radio?

RD: Weekly video of myself and the Hobo? A scary thought! I think it’s best that it’s scattered about, that we are rarely seen, like Bigfoot or something. We don’t want to frighten the children.

WFB: You've sung Cher on WrestleCrap Radio in the past. Do you enjoy any other gay-friendly songs or artists?

RD: You know, it’s funny – I don’t view songs or artists as “gay-friendly”. I don’t view people that way either. I’ve had friends come out to me, and they always seem scared. They will say something like, “Well, I’m gay – I hope we can still be friends.” And I just shake my head and said, “Of course we are still friends. Well, unless you, well, uh, think I’m attractive.” And they’ve all said the same thing: “OH MY GOD, NO!” Like I’m the ugliest man on the planet!

Maybe I am related to Bigfoot!

Anyway, I couldn’t tell you who or what is gay-friendly or not. As a rule, though, I like horrible music. If horrible music as a whole is gay-friendly, then the answer is yes. 8)

WFB: Do you personally know anyone in the wrestling business who is a homosexual, bisexual, lesbian, etc.?

RD: Not that I know of, but again, it’s not something that I think about one way or the other, so even if someone told me they were, I would probably just say, “Oh, that’s nice” and then move on with whatever we were talking about.

WFB: Tell us a bit about the selection process at WrestleCrap. When and how is a character or storyline officially deemed worthy of induction into your site?

RD: There’s no hard and fast rule, other than the fact that it should be bad and more importantly, it should be funny. That’s the only rule – I want to write about stuff that will make me laugh. Because if I laugh at it, I think others will as well. That’s the only real rule I’ve had in the 8+ years I’ve been running the site.

WFB: You recently held the first-ever WrestleCrap garage sale. How do you sleep at night knowing you've charged people hard-earned money for such terrible items?

RD: On top of a big pile of money.

Ok, that’s a lie. But here’s the thing with the Garage Sale – it was primarily stuff that was going to wind up in the dumpster. I figured if anyone out there could find humor in an inflatable shelieleigh it would be one of my fellow Crappers.

And besides, it wasn’t all horrible – that pinball machine is freakin’ cool!

WFB: How did you first break into independent wrestling?

RD: I hung out at ringside at a local event and made a total fool of myself. My buddy Casey and I would mock the wrestlers, the promoter, the announcer, everyone. They had a pizza place as a sponsor for the shows, and to mock them, we ordered Domino’s. Had a guy deliver inside the building and everything! The promoter thought we were funny, so he asked me to start doing programs. Did those for a while, then got fired for saying the lead heel was formerly the manager of Orange Julius #837 in Boise, Idaho.

From there, though, there was no stopping me – I felt it was my life’s destination to go out and make a fool of myself, so I morphed into “The Real Deal”, RD Reynolds, with the story being I was Burt Reynolds’ illegitimate nephew. I was a manager, and my men would have the task of taking over promotions so we could in turn take over their buildings, turning them into Burt Reynolds Dinner Theaters.

I always had a lot of fun coming up with stupid stuff like that.

WFB: We know you love the bad things in wrestling, but what about the good things? What are some of your favorite non-WrestleCrap wrestling moments/characters?

RD: Rock. The Rock. Dwayne Johnson. Did I mention the Rock yet?

Man he was great. Wrestling just hasn’t been the same since he left. But I am so happy for him, as he seemed like way too good a guy to be stuck in this stupid business.

WFB: Blade Braxton frequently mentions a love of all things female on your radio show (even Linda Hogan!). Do you think he's just a closeted homosexual in denial?

RD: Without question. And everytime he says he’s “all about the clam”, I think he is saying, he’s “all about the crabs.”

I have no doubt he is a homosexual.

With lots of STD’s.

WFB: Will WrestleCrap.com ever induct more moments/characters from independent wrestling?

I try not to, because independent wrestlers and promotions don’t have the budget a lot of times to do the things they are trying to do. I’ve been on the indy scene and know how hard it is, so I try to cut them a break.

WFB: Will you please, please plug our site on Wrestlecrap and/or WrestleCrap Radio?

RD: Sure, we’ll have Blade plug you on WCR.

Wow, that sounded really wrong.

WFB: According to Kane's fictionalized, unauthorized autobiography, he had a grandmother. Do you think she was the old woman in See No Evil?

RD: I’d say who I think she was, but that would just give Vince ideas.

And he really doesn’t need any more excuses to bring Mae Young out of the mothballs.

WFB: Did you ever get rid of that damn Dusty Rhodes book?

RD: TRUE STORY: It was going to be in the Garage Sale. I was finally going to get rid of it. But then Blade was like, “Dude, I WANT THAT!” Now keep in mind he’s been to WrestleCrap HQ like 10 times since I had it, and never once said he wanted it. My guess is the next time he’s here, he’ll say something like, “I don’t know what you’re talking about” and then I’ll be stuck with it again.

Ah well, we’re planning on making the Garage Sale an annual event...I’ll get rid of it somehow.

Thanks!

RD

No, thank you, RD!

I hope you all enjoy the rest of the weekend. I'm going to go catch up on wrestling news and listen to WrestleCrap Radio!

News

2008-07-08T16:10:00.001-07:00

WWE's Raw brand finished a major tour of South America last week. As previously mentioned on this blog promoters in Peru were upset about the draft because they'd built all of their advertising around Triple H and Jeff Hardy before they got moved to SmackDown. As expected, WWE sent both men to Lima. There were still complaints that neither man, nor the advertised but currently injured Randy Orton, were in Chile. The biggest show of the tour drew about 28,000 in a 45,574-seat stadium. It was still the biggest crowd in the history of wrestling in South America.

In top matches: Jeff Hardy beat JBL, Shawn Michaels beat Chris Jericho, and Triple H beat John Cena. There was a moment where the fans chanted "CENA SUCKS!" non-stop for five literal minutes, which has to be some sort of record.

The tour was front page new in Lima all last week.

Trevor Murdoch was mysteriously released on July 3rd. No one seems to know why since he was purposely drafted to SmackDown on the recommendation of Michael Hayes. It was likely for disciplinary reasons, but no one seems to be commenting.

A Jim Cornette interview is included in the new Ric Flair DVD. Ricky Steamboat is nowhere to be found.

Jeff Hardy told WWE Magazine: "I made a mistake, and I paid for it. I missed Wrestlemania. That was a huge, huge punishment. I was involved in such a big match going in, and I missed it. But, I think the fans respect the fact that I've confessed to what I did wrong. Throughout my suspension, they tested me two or three times each week. No joke. The testing is very thorough, which is good. You literally have to pull your shirt up to your chest, and drop your pants. Then some guy squats next to you, so he can watch you piss".

Vince McMahon was said to be very tough on Michael Cole's announcing work during and after Raw.

CM Punk accidentally broke Gene Snitsky's nose during their match last night on Raw when he hit him with the G.T.S.

Remember to send in your questions for "The Real Deal" RD Reynolds. Yes, the RD Reynolds! Send questions to: donaldtbishop@yahoo.com

RD REYNOLDS INTERVIEW SCHEDULED!

2008-07-08T16:01:00.000-07:00

Today I spoke to "The Real Deal" RD Reynolds from wrestlecrap.com. To my joy and surprise, he agreed to sit down with me and do an interview for this blog! If you have a question for the king of crap, send it to: donaldtbishop@yahoo.com ASAP!

Naked Vickie, The Rock, and buying my old crap!

2008-07-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

It's a pretty slow day for wrestling news, but I've come across a few tidbits I couldn't help but share.

There's a rather frightening rumor going around about Vickie Guerrero posing nude in an upcoming magazine layout. Reports of this are unconfirmed and also most likely untrue. The magazine mentioned was something other than Playboy, who WWE has had a good working relationship with in the past. If Guerrero were to pose for anyone it would likely be them, and even then I highly doubt it's going to happen. Then again, this is the same company who thought lots of people really wanted to see Chyna naked.

Natalya Neidhart told friends that both Vince and Stephanie McMahon requested her to change her hair color because they thought she looked too similar to Beth Phoenix. Neidhart is naturally a brunette.

Former TNA wrestler Ron "The Truth" Killings is scheduled to be called up to the SmackDown roster any week now.

Fans of The Rock may want to think twice before purchasing his new DVD. That is, if you care about old footage not being completely authentic. As usual the WWF logo is blurred out. However, this DVD also has a few other things missing. References to "WWF" are bleeped (which I know has been done on a few other DVDs since the name change, but not all of them), and during many of Rock's promos they have totally muted the announcers' talking.

In personal wrestling news, my bank account is much lower than I remember it being the last time I checked. In an attempt to make this better, I've decided to sell off some of my old wrestling merchandise. Some of the items for sale include:

A talking Diamond Dallas Page Wrestling Buddy plush doll! WWE has released a similar product featuring its stars. Now you can pit them against DDP in a WWF/E versus WCW dream match! It may need new batteries, as its been years since I've actually used the thing.

A 1990 WWF trading card of the late, great Miss Elizabeth. The card has held up well over time and lists Miss Liz as managing Hulk Hogan. Great for collectors or fans of "The First Lady Of Wrestling."

Various wrestling action figures. Some in the box, some not. Okay, most not.

Various wrestling and non-wrestling VHS tapes. The latest in modern technology! Come on guys. I know our technology grows too fast, but I can't be the only one who still converts VHS to DVD or some other current media, can I?

The book "I was a teenage professional wrestler."

Jesse Ventura's book "I Ain't Got Time To Bleed."

Various WWF/WWE and WCW magazines.

If interested in buying any of these items from me, or if you just want to comment privately to me concerning my blog, e-mail me at: donaldtbishop@yahoo.com.

Here's hoping for another great episode of Raw.

Virgil loves America

2008-07-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

I know I found this image a few days too late for the fourth of July holiday, but I still couldn't resist showing it off. Carl Weathers in Rocky IV has nothing on Virgil!

news

2008-07-04T21:43:00.000-07:00

There is said to be legit heat between SmackDown divas Michelle McCool and Natalya Neidhart due to a recent incident involving the two. McCool reportedly tried to re-teach Natalya, an eight-year wrestling veteran, how to wrestle the "WWE style." This supposedly included showing her how to properly lock up.

Currently scheduled matches for the Great American Bash pay-per-view are as follows:

CM Punk versus John Cena vesus JBL for the World title.

Mark Henry versus Tommy Dreamer for the ECW title.

Cody Rodes and Ted Dibiase Jr. versus Bob Holly and a partner of his choice (possibly Dusty Rhodes).

Edge versus Triple H for the WWE title.

Rey Mysterio versus Santino Marella.

Shawn Michaels versus Chris Jericho (possibly in a Blindfold match).

Jericho versus Michaels was confirmed on this week's Raw. The other planned matches could still change.

Mister Kennedy isn't expected to get much of a push despite his move to SmackDown.

Firings, midgets, and news!

2008-07-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

Current WWE house show listings suggest that CM Punk may hold his World title for some time, and that at least one major Raw star could soon be turning heel.

A Raw brand house show at the Wildwoods Convention Centers Ocean in Wildwood, New Jersey on Aug. 8th lists CM Punk versus Kane in a World Heavyweight Championship match. On Aug. 23rd at Madison Square Garden, CM Punk is listed as defending the World title against Batista. Kane will also be challenging Kofi Kingston for the Intercontinental championship at that same show. In Paris, France on Sept. 27th, CM Punk versus Chris Jericho is listed as the World title match.

Keep in mind that cards are always subject to changes in wrestling.

WWE.com confirmed the release of Trevor Murdoch earlier today.

The RAW overrun this week did a 4.12 quarter hour rating, suggesting that putting the title on CM Punk increased ratings.

Speaking of CM Punk, his former wrestling home Ring Of Honor is attempting to cash in on their old roster member's recent WWE success. They released the following press release concerning a special on CM Punk DVDs.

CM Punk's Legacy Of Honor
Thursday, July 03, 2008

FIND OUT HOW TO WATCH A FREE CM PUNK VS. HOMICIDE MATCH AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE.

New WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk set the wrestling world on fire with his stunning victories over Edge and JBL on Monday Night Raw. WWE fans might have been surprised, but Ring Of Honor's faithful saw Punk's greatness before everyone else. Now we are giving you an affordable opportunity to witness it all for yourself.

CM Punk was one of the forefathers of ROH. He was one of the pillars that set the standard in ROH with memorable matches, promos and happenings. Now we want all the new Punk fans to witness Punk at his best in ROH. You can't call yourself a CM Punk fan until you've seen his work in ROH.

We have chosen some special DVDs that all CM Punk fans must see. We know money is tight so now these DVDs are on sale for only $12 each at www.ROHwrestling.com for a very limited time. Not affordable enough? You can also save an additional 15-20% on your entire order at ROHwrestling.com. Check the main page of www.ROHwrestling.com for details. Here are the Punk DVDs that you need to see for yourself to know the true CM Punk. Check out these titles for under $12 each for a very limited time:

First of all, If you want a very personal look at CM Punk check out "Straight Shootin' With CM Punk & Samoa Joe" (http://www.rohwrestling.com/shoponline.asppoint=moreinfo&catid=200&id=1220) as these two friends talk about life on the road, their careers and much, much more.

"World Title Classic" (http://www.rohwrestling.com/shoponline.asppoint=moreinfo&catid=161&id=285): ROH was a struggling company at its lowest point. CM Punk stepped forward and put the promotion on his back as he challenged now TNA World Champion and then ROH World Champion Samoa Joe for the ROH Title. The result was a classic that made everyone remember that ROH does pro wrestling best."

"Death Before Dishonor II: Part 1" (http://www.rohwrestling.com/shoponline.asp?point=moreinfo&catid=161&id=1752):
CM Punk & Colt Cabana put the ROH Tag Team Titles on the line against Jay & Mark Briscoe in a 2/3 Falls Match in the main event. Why is this one significant? Not only does it spotlight Punk as one half of the ROH Tag Champs, but Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat called it the best tag match he has ever seen live. Compliments don't get any bigger than that.

"Joe vs. Punk II" (http://www.rohwrestling.com/shoponline.asp?point=moreinfo&catid=161&id=807):
The first Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk battle for the World Title was so great that a rematch had to be signed. This one was given five stars by The Wrestling Observer Newsletter and has gone down in history. The match was so good that Mick Foley watched the entire thing from the crowd and called it one of the best bouts he's ever seen. This is can't miss for all Punk and Joe fans.

"Death Before Dishonor III" (http://www.rohwrestling.com/shoponline.asp?point=moreinfo&catid=161&id=1352):
If you only get one DVD off this list make it this one. It was supposed to be CM Punk's final night in ROH before signing with WWE. Instead, it turned into one of the most surprising situations anywhere in wrestling this decade. This special 2 DVD set was designed to be an ode to Punk with highlights of his entire stay in ROH and a great World Title Match against then Champion Austin Aries. It doesn't get more essential than this double DVD set.

"Redemption" (http://www.rohwrestling.com/shoponline.asp?point=moreinfo&catid=161&id=1450):
No one knows what is going to happen next as CM Punk's ROH World Title reign continues. Punk is faced with three of his toughest enemies when he puts the World Title on the line vs. Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels vs. James Gibson in an epic Elimination Four Way. The end of an era starts here.

"Punk: The Final Chapter" (http://www.rohwrestling.com/shoponline.asp?point=moreinfo&catid=161&id=1451):
CM Punk finally says goodbye to ROH on this emotional farewell show. You'll see exactly how much ROH means to Punk and Punk means to ROH as the tears flow when CM Punk battles long time friend Colt Cabana in a 2/3 Falls Match.

If you are looking for a CM Punk compilation DVD then look no further. You can now get four "Best Of" DVDs at www.ROHwrestling.com focused on CM Punk as part of this special, limited time $12 sale. Don't forget, you can also save 15-20% on your entire order so these DVDs are actually less than $12 each. Check out these titles:

"Best Of CM Punk - Better Than You" (http://www.rohwrestling.com/shoponline.asp?point=moreinfo&catid=161&id=1451):
A young, brash, cocky CM Punk is highlighted on this DVD as he first makes his name in ROH. This DVD focuses on his legendary feud against Raven and also features matches vs. Homicide, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, BJ Whitmer and others.

"Best Of Second City Saints - Chicago's Elite" (http://www.rohwrestling.com/shoponline.asp?point=moreinfo&catid=186&id=947):
CM Punk joined forces with Colt Cabana and Ace Steel to be one of ROH's greatest factions ever. This compilation focuses on tag team wars against a wide variety of opponents.

"Best Of CM Punk Vol. 2 - Straightedge" (http://www.rohwrestling.com/shoponline.asp?point=moreinfo&catid=186&id=1101):
CM Punk's star continues to rise on this DVD. You'll see Punk's memorable feud against the legendary Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and more as he battles Raven inside a Steel Cage, AJ Styles, Bryan Danielson, Doug Williams, Steve Corino and others.

"Best Of CM Punk Vol. 3 - The Legacy Continues" (http://www.rohwrestling.com/shoponline.asp?point=moreinfo&catid=186&id=1906):
Punk has now taken his spot on top of ROH and you'll see how important he is with highlights of his matches vs. Samoa Joe and much more including his bloody feud against Jimmy Rave.

This is only a small sampling of what Punk accomplished in ROH. Ring Of Honor will always have a special place in CM Punk's heart and career. Punk's importance to ROH is immeasurable. Now the world is finding out about CM Punk. In order to truly understand who CM Punk is and what he's done you need to witness this stuff from Ring Of Honor. Don't hesitate because these DVDs will only be $12 each (plus save an additional 15-20%) at www.ROHwrestling.com for a limited time.

NOTE: You can check out a CM Punk vs. TNA Tag Team Champion Homicide match for free at www.ROHvideos.com and on Youtube at:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4Mu6-zuIRM

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYBeQ2XQM-8

-ROHwrestling.com

A strange situation involving Bret Hart took place at the 2008 induction ceremony for the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame in Waterloo, IA. Hart was present to induct his late father, Stu, into the Hall. During his speech Hart began a rant against Greg Oliver, a reporter who during an afternoon ceremony earlier that day had received the James Melby Award for wrestling journalism. Hart eventually gave an ultimatum that he would leave the ceremony if Oliver didn't. When Oliver didn't budge, Hart kept his word and left the scene to a standing ovation from the crowd. Hart has had issues with Oliver dating back five years when Oliver released his book The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians. He ranked Bret Hart number fourteen in a list of the greatest Canadian wrestlers of all-time.

“He remains incensed about ranking only 14th in wrestling historian Greg Oliver’s book...Fair enough. The book is wildly Ontario-centric and Oliver even ranks Sky Low Low above Bret...Bret acknowledges this obsessive, angry side of his personality, but he’s trying to change,” wrote Heath McCoy about Bret Hart in her book Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling. McCoy was also part of a panel writing a book about Chris Benoit along with Greg Oliver.

TNA will be sending A.J. Styles, Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley and either Curry Man or Johnny Devine to the 7/25 Arena Mexico show as part of the exchange that had CMLL wrestlers working the World X Cup. All TNA stars will only be working one date.

On July 1st, Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea appeared on the radio show Bubba the Love Sponge to discuss his ex-wife Linda, and getting pulled over by police a few weeks back on suspicion of an injunction violation. Nobody has currently found any evidence that an injunction exists, despite contrary claims from Linda Bollea. "The Hulkster" said that his daughter Brooke called him on the phone after finding Linda's new lover living at the house, and also driving one of Terry Bollea's Harley Davidson motorcycles, which he said was currently uninsured.

Scott Hall no-showed a wrestling show in Panama.

In an interview with the Poughkeepsie Journal, former WWE writer Chris Bell said he thought Vince McMahon has been responsible in trying to get wrestlers away from heavy drug use. Keep in mind the question was specifically asked of the period following the death of Eddy Guerrero. Bell brought up that Randy Orton and Chris Masters both had their names linked in a drug investigation, but that only one was fired from the company while the other was promoted to the World title level at essentially the same time. Bell then defended McMahon for "always being under the microscope" of the mainstream media, and blamed drug problems in wrestling on poor personal responsibility. He said every major sports organization should have a single doctor responsible for all prescriptions on the road, which WWE has just started doing. Bell closed the interview by suggesting Vickie Guerrero should have a job backstage with WWE, rather than an on-camera role.

The Fight Network is talking about doing a wrestling comedy show tentatively titled "Citizen Pain." Rumors circulating would have Al Snow starring as a wrestling booker and owner of a regional territory (his character would be modeled after Jerry Lawler). Rich Landrum, who announced wrestling in the 70s and early 80s for Crockett Promotions before Tony Schiavone was hired, is rumored to play the TV wrestling announcer role.

Robin Williams attended the Lucha Va Voom show on June 29th in San Francisco that drew an advanced sellout of 1,100 fans. The show also had Dana Gould (Produced of “The Simpsons”) as in-house announcer. Mexican exoticos Pimpinela Escarlata and Cassandro were the stars of the show, which featured music, strippers and a midget wrestler called Lil Chicken doing an 18-foot balcony dive.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! I'll see you all next update.

WWE news

2008-07-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

Brian Kendrick is said to be held in high regard by WWE agents and producers. Observers say he has a better approach and attitude than Paul London, who is considered an inconsistent performer and a "heat magnet" behind the scenes.

Wal-Mart has begun selling WWE DVDs called "Branded Classics." These are the UK's "Tagged Classics" put out for the American market. Some of the available DVDs in the "Branded Classics" series include the 2003 Royal Rumble and 2003 No Way Out, both of which heavily feature Chris Benoit. 2003 Backlash and Judgement Day are also available. Pretty much every WWE pay-per-view up to 1999 has been released as a Tagged Classic in the UK. Theirs have no music edits and no WWF logo blurs, but they are otherwise edited. I don't know if the American DVDs will be given the same treatment.

Ashley Massaro has requested her release from WWE due to her daughter being very ill.

In the wake of CM Punk's title win on Raw, this week's edition of ECW did a 1.4 cable rating, which is rounded up from a 1.38. The previous week's show did a 1.18, up from a 1.0 the week before that.

WWE is considering making SmackDown live once a month, specifically on Friday's before a pay-per-view. WWE hopes that this will freshen up the show and help boost ratings. However, Jim Ross said in his blog that he thinks the Friday before WrestleMania 25 will end up being the only time the live SmackDown idea actually happens. According to him, people who currently read TV spoilers only make up a small percentage of the regular audience. WWE has confirmed that they will be holding a live SmackDown in Houston, Texas the Friday before WrestleMania 25. This means another huge week for wrestling fans. It'll be a SmackDown on Friday night at the Toyota Center, the Hall Of Fame ceremony on Saturday night at the Toyota Center, WrestleMania on Sunday at the Reliant Stadium, and RAW back at the Toyota Center on Monday.

Melina broke her heel when she took a hard fall during an inter-promotional Divas tag team match on Raw. She's expected to be out for five months.

CM Punk, Mr. Perfect, and Mike Austin.

2008-07-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

The biggest post-Raw news item is unquestionably CM Punk's winning of the World title. If WWE's intent behind Punk wearing the big gold belt is to get fans interested in or talking about their product, mission accomplished! I personally didn't once change the channel off Raw after I saw Punk's segment, and this morning at my day job the few other wrestling fans in the building were discussing Raw for the first time in weeks and dropping Punk's name for probably the first time ever. The possibility of JBL capturing the belt the same night also kept me in suspense. At least until the familiar "deck stacked against the champion" cliche snuck its way into the program's writing and gave away the finish of the main event.

Punk's title win was a "too good to be true" moment for wrestling fans who have grown tired of WWE's by-the-numbers writing style. Pulling a WrestleMania IX (only in reverse considering Punk's weight and the face/heel role reversals) seemed like a move WWE would make. A slap back to reality, if you will. With WWE creative starting to think outside of the box, the big question now becomes: Where does CM Punk and WWE go from here?

That answer will likely depend heavily on the result of last night's Raw rating. Meanwhile, the top challengers for Punk's belt are logically JBL, John Cena, Batista, and former champion Edge. Edge is certain to continue his feud with The Undertaker on SmackDown at some point. Batista would have to turn heel for a match against Punk to work, according to one of the first rules of wrestling. The same goes for John Cena. However, Cena and JBL appear to once again be entering into a feud with one another. They don't need the World title to make that feud work, but it's quite possible one of them will get it by the next pay-per-view anyway. Regardless of how long his title reign lasts, hardcore CM Punk fans will surely feel the end came too soon.

A few other things have happened as a result of this move, by the way. The Raw brand once again has a Heavyweight championship, and the Money In The Bank storyline has now been concluded. At least until next year's WrestleMania when the match will more than likely take place again. Also, CM Punk is now the only man to hold the ECW, ROH and WCW/World titles.

Moving on to other wrestling news...

Here is the lineup for the upcoming two-disc Mr. Perfect DVD, courtesy of Silver Vision.

Disc 1:

Perfection
Twin City Origins
Building a Path
AWA
Mr. Perfect
Living up to His Name
Intercontinental Champion
The Prankster
Commentator
WCW
Return to the WWE
A Sudden Tragedy
Hall of Fame
The Perfect Legacy Lives On

Matches:

Curt Hennig vs. Eddie Gilbert
Madison Square Garden (21/11/82)

Curt Hennig and Scott Hall vs. Steve Regal and Jimmy Garvin
AWA Championship Wrestling (26/11/85)

Mr. Perfect Hall of Fame Induction
WWE Hall of Fame (31/03/07)

“Rap is Crap” Music Video

Vignettes:

Billiards October 1, 1988

Golf – Perfect Putt October 1, 1988

Darts October 8, 1988

Bowling October 8, 1988

Chess October 15, 1988

Basketball October 15, 1988

Ping Pong October 28, 1989

Diving November 4, 1989

Golf – Perfect Drive November 4, 1989

Horseshoes November 24, 1989

Baseball with Wade Boggs December 26, 1992

Football – Perfect Passer with Steve Jordan February 13, 1993

Basketball with Felton Spencer February 27, 1993

Hockey with Mike Modano March 13, 1993

Stories:

Curt Loved Karaoke

Disc 2:

60-Minute Time Limit AWA World Heavyweight Championship Match
Curt Hennig vs. Nick Bockwinkel
AWA Championship Wrestling (15/11/86)

Curt Hennig vs. Terry Taylor
Commentary By: Michael Cole and Mick Foley
WrestleFest (31/07/88)

Mr. Perfect vs. Bret Hart
Madison Square Garden (24/04/89)

WWE Championship Match
Mr. Perfect vs. Hulk Hogan
Madison Square Garden (15/01/90)

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match with Special Referee Roddy Piper
Mr. Perfect vs. The Texas Tornado
Madison Square Garden (24/11/90)

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect
SummerSlam (26/08/91)

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Mr. Perfect vs. Shawn Michaels
SummerSlam (30/08/93)

Curt Hennig vs. Bret Hart
Uncensored (15/03/98)

The lineup is rather iffy, in my opinion. The rare AWA matches were a great inclusion, and Hennig's matches against Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels are definite classics. You also can't go wrong with the "Rap Is Crap" video or the sports vignettes. On the downside, there isn't nearly enough WCW footage. Hennig was a member of the NWO and a United States champion there, for crying out loud! WWE is also forgetting about Hennig's brief return to the company in 2002 before his death. They could at least show his final WWE match against Matt Hardy. There are also no matches involving any of Hennig's Intercontinental title wins, or any of his classic matches against Ric Flair. If you're a big enough fan of Mister Perfect's character though, you'll probably still get plenty of enjoyment out of this set.

Promoters in Peru are outraged that Triple H is no longer a part of the upcoming Raw tour, since they built all their advertising around him.

WrestleMania XXV tickets are going on sale September 20th.

WWE has apparently lost a few people in talent relations as well as corporate recently, which could explain the recent lack of communication with talent concerning the brand switches.

Vince McMahon was present at the WrestleMania press conference in Houston, but never appeared before the people because he was still selling his injury angle. A few local area papers in Houston reported that he'd been seriously injured when the scaffold fell on him on Raw.

Batista got several stitches following Raw. He went head-first into Edge. Both wrestlers were otherwise reported to be okay.

The plan to tape ECW before Raw has been pushed back to September.

Indiana wrestler "Even Colder" Mike Austin is still at large after impersonating "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at a Wal-Mart autograph signing. The WCWO promotion Mike Austin performs for claims Austin was sent to Wal-Mart to promote an upcoming indy show, but once there he began charging unsuspecting "Stone Cold" fans $10.00 USD for photos and autographs before fleeing with the fans' cash. An unidentified man acting as the imposter's manager at the signing told police the Wal-Mart knew his accomplice wasn't Steve Austin, but claims they still allowed him to sign autographs. Wal-Mart officials said they suspected something was off when "Steve Austin" showed up to the event with no security or police flanking him. They notified police once they believed the man at the signing wasn't the real deal. Ironically, a few years ago the real "Stone Cold" judged a "Steve Austin look-a-like" contest, which was won by his future doppleganger. Police are continuing to investigate the matter along with help from World Wrestling Entertainment.

SOURCES FOR THIS ENTRY: F4W newsletter

Night Of Champions results

2008-06-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

Here are the quick results for WWE Night Of Champions. The pay-per-view was rated TV-PG, so it appears official that WWE is toning down its programming to be more kid-friendly. It should be mentioned that SmackDown has been TV-PG since 2000. Anyway, onto the results.

Jeff Hardy beat MVP in a dark match.

John Morrison and The Miz beat Finlay and Hornswoggle to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships.

Matt Hardy beat Chavo Guerrero to retain the United States championship.

Mark Henry beat Kane and Big Show to win the ECW championship.

Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes beat Hardcore Holly to win the WWE World Tag Team Championship after Rhodes turned on Holly.

Kofi Kingston beat Chris Jericho to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship after Shawn Michaels interfered.

Mickie James beat Katie Lea Burchill to retain the WWE Womens' title.

Edge beat Batista to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Triple H beat John Cena to retain the WWE Championship. This leaves the Raw brand without a World Champion of any sort.

I found the interview!

2008-06-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/articles/interview-with-bruno-lauer/

If Harvey Whippleman is this entertaining and honest in his book, it's going to be a must-read for wrestling fans.

Updates on the Warrior, Jake Roberts and Joey Styles.

2008-06-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

Ultimate Warrior agent Bernie J. Gernay posted an update regarding the UltimateWarriorTV.com server crashing on Wednesday during the airing of Warrior's return match. According to Gernay, certain individual(s) used a program to send 500,000 users to the site at once, causing it to overload. The site eventually went back up. On a related note, Warrior fans will be able to meet him in person on Sunday, July 20th in Uniondale, New York. He will be appearing in his ring attire autographing items, meeting fans and selling Warrior merchandise. They will also be giving away free cans of a new "Ultimate Warrior Endorsed" Power Drink. The event is scheduled to be held at noon at the Marriott located next door to the Nassau Coliseum, which is also the venue of the Great American Bash later that same day.

Joey Styles' profile has been added back to the ECW roster page of WWE.com. Currently there are talks of giving ECW a three-man commentary team, with Styles joining Tazz and Mike Adamle. This decision was made in an attempt to regain some of the audience that stopped tuning into ECW after Styles' departure to take a webmaster position with WWE.com. Many officials voiced such concerns when Styles was moved, which Vince McMahon dismissed. Last week TNA drew a higher rating than ECW, making it the third highest rated professional wrestling program on television. This prompted Vince to reconsider his opinion of Styles' importance to the ECW brand. Styles could be back in the announce booth as soon as Tuesday.

Jake Roberts told the Baltimore Sun that he doesn't think he'll ever retire from wrestling, and even hopes that he'll die inside the ring. "Going out in front of people always feels good," he said. "It’s sad that in reality, you cannot go out there and do the same things you could do 25 years ago—and neither do I wish to. … I’ll never retire. It’s my passion. I hope to die in that ring." He also said he's interested in working for WWE again, but confessed that he's not sure he'd be able to do so. "I would love to. I just don’t know if that’s possible. I have a tremendous amount to give yet. How I’m going to give it, I don’t know. Because I’m not sure at this stage of my sobriety if I would be strong enough to accept the changes and the enhancements that they would put on what I write." To read the full interview, visit BaltimoreSun.com.

Jell-o wrestler arrested

2008-06-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

Cambridge University student Nadia Witkowski punched a female spectator and assaulted two bouncers after onlookers deemed Witkowski's opponent the winner of a Jell-o wrestling match.

Nadia Witkowski lost her temper last Sunday during a "blazers and bikinis" themed garden party organized by the Wyverns, an all-male Magdalene College drinking society. Witkowski was booed by spectactors, which under the rules of the contest made her the loser. She gave one woman a bloody nose in response to the unfavorable match result before grabbing a bottle of Lambrini. She was stopped at the exit by two bouncers attempting to confiscate the bottle, but she punched one and headbutted the other, forcing them to call the police. Witkowski was taken to a nearby police station shortly thereafter, where she received a caution for common assault.

According to a witness, "Nadia had been a bit aggressive and probably wasn't as attractive as the other girl, so she was booed although she'd probably been the better fighter." A Wyverns spokesman said Witkowski's behavior was "unacceptable" and she would not be admitted to future garden parties. A university spokesman said the venue would not be made available for such parties again. "The college deplores conduct of that kind," he said. Witkowski, who hopes to go into law or investment banking, refused to comment.

WWE news, Warrior's comeback, and Brooke Hogan's butt.

2008-06-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

Several wrestlers are unhappy with WWE management's apparent lack of communication. Rey Mysterio, Matt Hardy, Jim Ross and Batista have all claimed that no one informed them of their moves to other brands before Raw's live airing. Jeff Hardy and Triple H say they were informed ahead of time. Reportedly there was even an argument between Jim Ross and Vince McMahon after Raw went off the air. McMahon allegedly told Ross that he (Vince) risked his life on Raw and ruined his son-in-law's life for the sake of the company. Many WWE talents found that remark amusing, since Triple H's move to SmackDown is actually greatly beneficial to his personal life. Ross reported in his WWE blog that he contemplated quitting the company, but decided against it. Rey Mysterio is particularly unhappy with his brand switch altogether, because he feels the SmackDown brand caters better to the Latino market.

In an interview with Slam Wrestling, Santino Marella said that he's going to be given a new on-screen Canadian girlfriend from one of WWE's developmental territories.

Here is an interesting ratings report for the 6/16 episode of Raw. Take from these figures whatever you'd like. The first Triple H versus Chris Jericho match in several years managed to lose a good portion of television viewers. The match was the main event and lost 205,000 viewers to do a 3.13 overrun. The main event almost never loses viewers, especially a main event that hasn't been repeated in several years. However, the John Cena versus Umaga match-which has been repeated more recently-gained 174,000 viewers. The bikini contest gained 63,000 viewers, which is less than recent TNA Knockout matches have done. Vince McMahon's phone call segment with Hacksaw Jim Duggan lost 16,000 viewers. The events that followed it (Jeff Hardy versus Carlito and part of the Highlight Reel with Chris Jericho and the return of Ric Flair) gained back 95,000 viewers. Flair's backstage segment with Jericho and Triple H, plus the brief Holly and Rhodes versus Cryme Tyme match, lost 174,000 viewers. Paul Burchill and Katie Lea versus Mickie James and Mister Kennedy lost 111,000 viewers.

In a related note, writer Brian Gewirtz has been pressured to devote more screen time to the top stars of Raw due to the show's continually declining ratings. Internally, WWE officials have a pecking order list of the people they consider to be the top five stars in the company. In no particular order, Triple H, Undertaker and John Cena are regarded as the company's three biggest stars. Batista and Shawn Michaels fall in the second tier level right behind them.

The WWE creative team has big plans for Lance Cade. They are having discussions on how to repackage him. They hope to make him a main-event level heel, and his partnership with Chris Jericho is expected to continue.

JBL's in-ring future may be short. His back is reportedly still in pain, and he is frustrated that he cannot wrestle at the level he would like.

Nu Wrestling Evolution's show at the Pavello Olimpoico of Badalona in Spain drew over 14,000 fans (many of them children). The show was headlined by the returning Ultimate Warrior. As expected, Warrior won his match against Orlando Jordan and immediately vacated the NWE title afterward. Perhaps the bigger story though is what didn't happen during the event. An Anti-Warrior group recently surfaced on MySpace, threatening to ruin the Warrior's comeback match by jumping the railing and entering the ring. The Warrior's official Web site provided links to the group's Myspace page as well as their video on Youtube, prompting talk that the group was merely a hoax created to further promote the Warrior's match. Warrior's agent, Bernie J. Gernay, shot down such speculation on UltimateWarriorTV.com. He wrote: "Furthermore, we have received thousands of emails asking if this is some type of a work generated by Ultimate Warrior TV to create hype and continued subscriptions for the Pay-Per-View. This is unequivocally false. It would not only be childish but deceptive. A simple Google search of the individuals name (which he has offered numerous times) who is behind this effort will prove he is a real person that does indeed exist." Gernay later asked Warrior for his take on the situation. Warrior said: "Bring it on. With all of the frustration and mishaps that happened in Spain, that will give me an excuse to kill someone and get away with it." The OJ/Warrior match went off without a hitch. The vacated title will be defended in a future tournament.

Brooke Hogan told USWeekly.com this week that she doesn't understand why the public became so uncomfortable over the pictures that have surfaced of her father, Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea, placing suntan oil on her bottom. Brooke said: "I know I'm a grown woman, but it's like he's touching an old car. He used to change my diaper."

The Online World of Wrestling Web site has an interview up with Bruno Lauer, better known to wrestling fans as Harvey Wippleman. In it, Lauer talks about a number of wrestling talents, his current duties in WWE, his new book, his career, how Giant Gonzalez is doing, why you never see him on TV anymore, and more. Lauer also pulls no punches when discussing the late Rhonda Singh, who portrayed Wippleman's love interest Bertha Faye in the WWF. Lauer stated "The Bertha Faye deal was (Vince Russo's) idea. No, I was not having fun; don't get me wrong, I didn't mind pretending to be in love with a hideous creature-that's business. I minded babysitting a smelly, alcoholic, argumentative, know-it-all person with no appreciation from her for anything."

The Sun has published an interview with Chris Jericho. Jericho talks about working with Shawn Michaels, his recent heel turn, the end of Ric Flair's career, his love for the wrestling industry, up and coming stars like Lance Cade, this weekend's Night of Champions pay-per-view and more. I've provided a link to the full interview below in my list of sources. Sadly, I've yet to find the full Bruno Lauer interview.

WARNING: SMACKDOWN SPOILERS AHEAD! If you haven't yet seen SmackDown and want to be surprised, do NOT read ahead.

SmackDown spoilers:

Tommy Dreamer beat Kevin Thorn in a dark match.

SmackDown opens with Vickie Guerrero talking about Vince McMahon's "accident" on Raw. She wishes Vince well and says she hopes he's not in a wheelchair. She introduces new SmackDown color commentator, Jim Ross.

Triple H comes out to cut a promo. He gets a huge pop. Triple H welcomes Jim Ross, then talks about Night of Champions. Edge comes out to interrupt him. Batista comes out soon after. Hunter pushes Edge and Batista hits him. They both hold the title up while Edge is on the ground.

Big Show and Kane beat MVP and Mark Henry.

Finlay and Hornswoggle beat The Edgeheads-Zack Ryder and Kurt Hawkins. The Miz and John Morrison stand on the entrance ramp with their belts during the match.

Edge beat Matt Hardy.

Maryse, Victoria and Natalya beat Kelly Kelly, Michelle McCool and Cherry.

It is announced that Kennedy won't be on SmackDown until next week.

Vladimir Kozlov beat Domino.

Rey Mysterio comes out wearing street clothes and his mask to make his final SmackDown appearance. He explains to the fans that he has been drafted to Raw and he hopes everyone will tune in weekly to watch him. He goes on to say that hopefully he can fulfill more of his dreams. Batista then comes out and says he will back Rey wherever he goes.

Batista versus Umaga ended in a draw when La Familia interfered, attacking both men. Triple H made the save, helping Batista clear the ring.

SOURCES FOR THIS ENTRY:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/article1345875.ece

http://www.tmz.com/

http://www.usweekly.com/

http://www.ovwrestling.com/shop_ovw.htm

http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/

http://www.wrestlezone.com/

Three-day old news, WWE's clothing line, and an addition to the blog!

2008-06-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

So I'm back from my aforementioned journey to Texas. I've missed a lot of wrestling as a result of the trip, but I can't let this post pass without discussing WWE's 2008 draft. The short results of the draft, including after-show trades and picks, are as follows: The Raw brand gained Batista, CM Punk, Kane, the injured Rey Mysterio, Michael Cole, Kofi Kingston, Chuck Palumbo, Deuce, Jamie Noble, Layla, and Matt Striker. SmackDown got Triple H, Jim Ross, Jeff Hardy, Ken Kennedy, Umaga, Shelton Benjamin, Carlito, Brian Kendrick, Trevor Murdoch, Maria, and DH Smith. Likewise, ECW is now the home of Finlay (and presumably Hornswoggle), Matt Hardy, John Morrison, and Super Crazy.

I have several thoughts about the draft picks themselves. We'll get to them one by one, starting with ECW. First, I have to say that one part of the draft bothered me tremendously. Matches were held to determine which brand received a draft pick. I'll accept that. What I refuse to accept is ECW's almost total lack of involvement. Each match should've featured a member from all three brands, if only to give them the appearance of equality. This didn't happen. ECW got the short end of the stick and it was obvious from the start that they would. If WWE wants us to take this draft as seriously as the draft of any other major sport, they need to make us believe the playing field is even from the start. That being said, I'm happy to see Super Crazy back on the ECW brand. It adds another Original to the roster, and with none of the WWE brands currently featuring a lightweight division of some sort, ECW is likely the best home for Crazy.

DH Smith being a part of SmackDown is also rather interesting. No, seriously! His presence on the blue brand kills the rumor that he'll be revealed as the partner of Ted Dibiase Jr. at Night Of Champions. Many times, the wrestling business won't do what's predictable just because it's so predictable, even if the majority of fans know it's coming and want to see it. Many times, this logic blows up in the faces of the promoters/writers/bookers. For proof of this, see Hornswoggle being revealed as Vince McMahon's son instead of Ken Kennedy. With DH Smith out of the picture on Raw, it should be interesting to see who Ted's new partner is going to be. Only time will tell if it turns out to be a better or worse choice than the Bulldog's kid. Likewise, Carlito is now a part of SmackDown, which is where he began his WWE career. Carlito recently complained about his status in WWE, and has now been "demoted" because of it. Interestingly enough, he remains on the same brand as the man he buried, Triple H. Jeff Hardy, who also recently got in hot water with WWE management, is also now a part of the B show. For Hardy's health if not his career, I hope this serves as a wake-up call.

Does CM Punk's move to the Raw brand suggest a larger push for his character? One would think so. Deserved or not, WWE is currently in the aftermath of a steroid scandal. Considering this, a "straight-edge" smaller wrestler seems like the perfect person to feature on their lead brand. It should also be pointed out that the last time WWE rebounded from a steroid accusation, wrestling saw the rise of smaller wrestlers including Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. That worked out rather well. Furthermore, Punk's Money In The Bank title shot has yet to be cashed in. The storyline says he has between now and next year's WrestleMania to do so. How this will play out, especially with different champions switching brands in the draft, will hopefully make for fascinating TV. Kane re-joining Raw is also a good move in my opinion. He's far more associated with the red brand than with ECW. This move could be used to explain the upcoming working relationship between the Raw and ECW brands. Night Of Champions will now feature Raw versus SmackDown matches for two of the company's Heavyweight titles. How WWE writes themselves out of those corners should be fun to watch. Or just very confusing. Unfortunately, the results of the pay-per-view seem a bit more predictable now that the trades have been made.

In other news, WWE has launched an official t-shirt line similar to the Afflication brand. "WWE Top Rope" shirts will retail for about $45 USD. Normal WWE shirts sell for around $20-$30 USD. It is currently unknown whether the Top Rope shirts are of a better quality. The first two shirts in the Top Rope line are for Shawn Michaels and Triple H. They can be viewed at the links below:

http://www.wweshop.com/Product_detail.asp?cat=cat-shawnmichaels&productId=01-09882

http://www.wweshop.com/Product_detail.asp?cat=cat-tripleh&productId=01-09870

Lastly, I'm happy to announce that this blog will soon feature a female's perspective in addition to my own. A friend of mine who through the years has worked with me on various wrestling-related projects will soon be joining this blog with a regular column. We're still working out the specifics, but I assure you, her work will be worth reading.

Enjoy your weekend, loyal readers.

News, and another interview!

2008-06-18T18:52:00.000-07:00

Chris Jericho completed his heel turn this week on Raw, which was capped off by the return of Ric Flair. Jericho's promo was excellent as usual, although some question if he should truly be getting booked as the bad guy in this feud.

Michael Hayes is back in creative, but he is being required to do a number of different things. He was made to sit down and speak with all black WWE wrestlers, and he is no longer allowed to drink on company time.

Randy Orton's collarbone injury will keep him out of action until at least this fall. However, Rey Mysterio is expected back in early to mid-July.

I will be in Texas over the next few days, so don't expect any updates for about a week. However, before leaving, I put in a request for an interview with Kiley McLean. She's an indy wrestler best-known for playing Rosie O'Donnell on Raw. My request for an interview with Kevin Nash has gone unreturned so far.

See you all in a week!

WWE/ROH news and notes

2008-06-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

This week's Raw was rated TV-PG instead of TV-14. This could signal the official beginning of WWE marketing its TV product toward children. In the early 1990's, children were also the target audience of the then-WWF. SmackDown has always been rated TV-PG, even during the adult-themed Attitude era.

Carlito is said to once again be unhappy with his role in WWE. WWE continues to employ Carlito despite his continued unhappiness, in part because the company covets wrestlers with appeal to Hispanic audiences.

The recently released book Ring of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and the Fall of the Pro Wrestling Industry alleges that Vince McMahon has had a "love affair" with the drug cocaine that may or may not have subsided. "(McMahon) liked to brag with apparent justification that 'I can snort as much of that stuff as anyone can put in front of me and never get hooked.' One WWE employee of recent years told me, "The boys and former office staff use euphemisms when they talk about Vince's 'energy." The inside joke about it is that sixty-something Vince most likely isn't that energetic over multi-day sleepness stretches without help. I've seen him so wired that his eyes looked like they were going to pop,"" the book says.

Production will begin immediately on Ring Of Honor's next pay-per-view "Respect Is Earned II." It will premiere on IN DEMAND, The DISH Network and TVN cable systems on August 1st and feature a triple main event. The top three matches are: Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black versus Bryan Danielson and Austin Aries, Nigel McGuinness versus Go Shiozaki and Roderick Strong versus Erick Stevens.

In other ROH news, Jerry Lynn is only scheduled for the 6/28 ROH Chicago date. Also, Lance Storm will not be wrestling at the 7/25 and/or 7/26 ROH events, but he will have a role on each show and be available for autographs. Storm has already given advice to several members of the roster after watching their pay-per-view shows. KOCH Vision will release ROH's next two DVDs "Best In The World" and "Greatest Rivalries" into retail stores everywhere on July 8th.

Former WWE writer Seth Mates wrote in his "Steel Cage" column for Newsday that WWE has been sending various news outlets a "money-themed gift basket" as a way of promoting Raw's on-going million dollar giveaway sweepstakes. The problem with this? The gift baskets contain actual money. $4.94 USD to be exact. Technically speaking, does this mean WWE has attempted to pay off members of the press? Seth Mates believes so, stating that he refunded WWE's money for ethical reasons. For the record, I haven't received one of these gift baskets, but they sure sound neat. If any other members of the media find themselves facing this ethical dilemna, I'll gladly take Vince McMahon's gift basket off your hands.

SOURCES FOR THIS ENTRY: http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/specialevent/wrestling/

What's the best lesbian angle in wrestling?

2008-06-11T12:10:00.001-07:00

Gay characters have been a staple in pro wrestling ever since Gorgeous George and the black and white television era, but lesbians have only recently become a part of the show. For about the last twelve years the largest wrestling companies in North America have emphasized storylines and characters aimed at adult audiences. As part of that push, promoters introduced lesbians onto their unique programming. It was a no-brainer.

Today I'd like to ask my readers which lesbian-themed storyline they believe is the greatest in wrestling's history. Usually "greatest" lists can be debated all night and day, however, the wrestling business only has a few storylines of this nature to choose from. Unlike gay villains and other wrestling cliches, lesbian characters and angles remain scarce within the industry. That fact could either make the selection process easier, or just much more difficult. I've detailed each memorable same-sex angle below, along with some pros and cons to consider when putting in your two cents. If I've forgotten an angle or simply weren't aware of one, let me know about it!

THE ANGLE: Beulah and Kimona, ECW's only lesbian storyline (and also it's only bisexual one). Shane Douglas promised to drop a bombshell on his opponent, Raven, the night they faced off for the ECW championship. Raven had replaced Beulah with Kimona after Beulah left Raven for his long-time nemesis Tommy Dreamer, claiming she was pregnant with Dreamer's baby. Kimona dumped Raven soon after herself and threw her support behind Douglas for the upcoming title match. Before the match took place, Douglas announced that Beulah wasn't really pregnant, and that she'd been cheating on BOTH Raven and Tommy Dreamer the entire time. It turned out she was cheating with Kimona! The girls kissed mid-ring to prove this. Luckily, Dreamer was "hardcore" enough to handle them both. He escorted the ladies back to the locker room, and was co-managed until Kimona left ECW.

PRO: The angle was timed perfectly. It took place during the height of shows such as Jerry Springer, where similar stories could be found on daytime TV. Also, the lesbian storyline wrote out Beulah's baby in a way that didn't involve a cliche miscarriage.

CON: The angle, which pretty much went nowhere after the kiss, got ECW kicked off of some TV networks. It doesn't seem worth it, all things considered.

THE ANGLE: Trish and Mickie, WWE's lesbian stalker. Mickie James jumped the railing and made the save for Trish Stratus a few times on WWE television before introducing herself to Stratus backstage. Trish identified Mickie as the girl who continuously wrote her letters and such. Her "number one fan" as it were. The two bonded and Mickie "learned to wrestle" from Trish. Slowly but surely Mickie James became increasingly obsessed with Trish Stratus, and even jealous when Trish announced she had a boyfriend. Stratus knew James was a bit psychotic, but didn't have the heart to tell her to buzz off. Finally, after a lengthy buildup that included a Christmas kiss under the missletoe, Stratus worked up the nerve to tell off James. This allowed James to turn on Stratus heading into WrestleMania, and produced an exciting feud for the Women's title that hasn't been duplicated since.

PRO: WWE women's wrestling was given a decent storyline and a good amount of airtime, while continuing to produce excellent matches between the ropes.

CON: Mickie James had nowhere to go but down. This feud got her over with the crowd, even to the point that they were cheering her during the WrestleMania match. Unfortunately, James has since been reduced to just another Diva.

THE ANGLE: Dawn and Torrie, a wedding and a funeral. Dawn Marie began to make eyes at Torrie Wilson's father, Al. It turned out Al felt the same way. Torrie wasn't a fan of this at all considering the age gap, and because she knew what a heel Dawn Marie was. Eventually Dawn and Al Wilson were engaged to be married, but Marie told Torrie she'd break off the engagement if Torrie agreed to sleep with her. Torrie agreed, but Marie went ahead with the ceremony anyway because she was evil! To make matters worse, she killed Al Wison the night of the honeymoon via marathon sex. The girls brawled at Al's SmackDown funeral, and had a blowoff match on pay-per-view.

PRO: The Al Wilson angle is now infamous, earning its place in history at wrestlecrap.com. It also served a purpose for WWE at the time: Producing event-driven television. Weddings, funerals, graduations, etc. Every show has them, and WWE wanted more of them at this point in time. They managed to get TWO events out of ONE storyline. Also, just like Trish and Mickie, the angle gave women's wrestling more airtime.

CON: Everything else! Torrie Wilson was pseudo-raped. The payoff match to the storyline lacked any kind of intensity or seriousness. The angle bored many viewers along the way. Oh, and Al Wilson's lack of both acting and wrestling abilities didn't help matters.

THE ANGLE: HLA, a sexy hate crime. The SmackDown wedding ceremony of Billy and Chuck was gaining WWE a lot of positive publicity. At the time, the Raw and SmackDown brands were also feuding with one another. To counter the mainstream coverage of SmackDown's gay wedding, Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff decided to have lesbians on his program. The lesbians weren't getting married however. They were simply making out and removing one another's clothes for no apparent reason. Three Minute Warning interrupted the in-ring lovefest by attacking both girls before too much skin could get revealed.

PRO: It furthered a storyline, and continued to build Three Minute Warning as heels.

CON: Women getting beaten up for being lesbians, even by bad guys, sends a terrible message. The fact that this angle took place during a time when WWE was getting praised for gay-friendly TV makes it an even more questionable decision.

THE ANGLE: Marlena and Sable, the lesbian angle that lacked contact. The Goldust character had been "playing mind games" with male opponents since his debut in the WWF, but information about his valet Marlena was relatively unknown. When Goldust began a feud with Marc Mero, the valets became the reason for the fighting. Mero implied during an interview that Marlena sexually harrassed Sable in a parking lot. Innuendo continued to lace the promos between the two, leading to a forgettable blowoff match.

PRO: The angle developed the Marlena character, and created a nice mid-card storyline for a brief while.

CON: Possibly due to TV restrictions at the time, the two valets never actually interacted physically during the angle. All the talk of unwanted sexual advances that the viewer never got to see took away a lot of interest in the storyline.

I look forward to seeing how everyone votes, and here's hoping we have more gay angles to select from in the future.

sequels

2008-06-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

This update should thrill fans of John Cena and women's wrestling.

Big Vision Entertainment has launched www.MySpace.com/glowrestling and are currently casting for a new roster of GLOW girls. They currently distribute Best Of DVDs of the former GLOW promotion run by David McLane. The all-female promotion ran nationally via syndication in the late 1980s out of Las Vegas.

WWE Films will be releasing a sequel to John Cena's debut movie The Marine. The movie grossed less than $20 million. However, it was successful on DVD and is WWE's most successful film project to date. The sequel will most likely be released directly on DVD.

Orlando Jordan's bisexual angle

2008-06-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

In an interview starting to make the rounds on YouTube, former WWE wrestler Orlando Jordan partially discusses the much-talked about bisexual angle he was supposed to be involved in before his release from the company. I decided to post Orlando's side of the story because it obviously fits the nature of this blog. WWE has yet to comment on matters concerning Orlando Jordan, beyond making his release known on WWE.com at the time it happened.

According to Jordan, the storyline was going to start out with Orlando being told he was one of the best-dressed guys in the company. After that, he would start coming to the ring with an entourage while wearing a robe. The valet of the group (who was supposed to be played by Trinity of TNA and OVW fame) would disrobe Orlando and the bell would ring, but Jordan's crew would remain on the ring apron. OJ would give his valet a kiss, and then would also kiss the male counterpart. Everyone would act shocked by this, except Jordan and his group. Jordan would use the shock to his advantage and score a quick victory. Jordan would then be questioned about the kiss backstage, but would ignore the question and only discuss his victory and victories to come, etc. Jordan also claims the character was originally going to be a part of the ECW brand. He said the gimmick was considered too risque for network television, but ECW was on a cable network where the envelope could be pushed further. OJ claims Tommy Dreamer came up with a lot of the character, and that Dreamer also wanted to put it on ECW to better differentiate the brand from other WWE programs. Jordan says Vince McMahon supported the character and even saw big money in it. He claims McMahon viewed the character as "the ultimate player" who could get anyone he went after.

Following his release from WWE, rumors began that Jordan was traveling to shows each week (across different state lines) with a sixteen-year-old male. This was believed to be the main reason for the firing. Jordan claims the story got exaggerated by someone who didn't feel comfortable with his sexuality. Jordan claims many people were uncomfortable with him and the bisexual storyline, and so he was released from the company before problems could occur.

The bi storyline has yet to be done with another performer. Also, the ECW brand wasn't officially brought back to regular television until June of 2006.

spoilers and news

2008-06-06T16:46:00.000-07:00

Today's entry will just be a bit of wrestling news as we head into the weekend.

More celebrities have agreed to participate in Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling, which begins airing this fall in the United States on Country Music Television. Ed Leslie and Brian Knobbs will train celebrities to wrestle, while Hulk Hogan, Jimmy Hart and Eric Bischoff will act as judges. The only people involved with the show who have any past in-ring experience are Dustin Diamond, Butterbean, Dennis Rodman and Danny Bonaduce. The celebs will compete in various challenges, with one eventually being named the "Celebrity All-Star Wrestling Champion."

The Undertaker isn't actually retired from wrestling, nor did he violate WWE's Wellness Policy. It should actually be interesting to see how they bring him back to television, since it was stated he couldn't be drafted to another show and that he was banished from the entire company if he lost. Teddy Long is now the General Manager of the ECW brand, so any chance of him taking power back from Vickie Guererro and reinstating the Undertaker to SmackDown is also impossible.

Despite WWE pulling him from appearing at the event, the NWA will still induct Ric Flair into its Hall Of Fame tomorrow night in Atlanta, GA. I believe this makes Flair the only man inducted into both the NWA and WWE Hall Of Fame. Dusty Rhodes and Gordon Solie were previously inducted into both the WWE and WCW Halls Of Fame, however.

D-Lo Brown has re-signed with WWE.

Randy Orton's injury at One Night Stand was in fact legit. He suffered a broken collarbone. Details are still sketchy concerning a return date.

WWE Heat, which for the last few years had been airing only in WWE's international markets and on WWE.com, will soon be going off the air completely.

Nick Bollea (AKA Hulk Hogan's son) has been moved to a communal jail facility. He was hoping for home arrest.

Mick Foley recently took a shot at Bill Goldberg on SmackDown, claiming he was a waste of Vince McMahon's money. Goldberg hasn't responded yet.

Scott Hall is once again taking independent bookings. You can find out more on his official Web site TheScottHall.com.

Bret Hart, Gangrel (AKA The Vampire Warrior), Eugene (now also sometimes going by U-Gene), Scott "Scotty 2 Hotty" Taylor and Tatanka will be touring Ireland with No Limit Wrestling this fall. Here are the dates and locations:

October 23rd, 2008 - Neptune Stadium in Cork
October 24th, 2008 - University Concert Hall in Limerick
October 25th, 2008 - Travellers' Friend Hotel in Castlebar
October 26th, 2008 - Basketball Arena in Tallaght
October 27th, 2008 - Leisure Centre in Letterkenny
October 29th, 2008 - National Event Centre in Killarney
October 30th, 2008 - Dundalk
November 1st, 2008 - White's Hotel in Wexford

Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster. Go to http://www.nolimitwrestling.com for info about NLW and http://www.prowrestlingevents.tk for info about upcoming shows.

The TNA video game is scheduled to be released in September for the PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, and Wii. Go to tnagame.com for more info.

Kevin Thorn has returned to his vampire gimmick in FCW.

Rey Mysterio is being listed for WWE house shows in July. Expect him back on television soon.

TNA recently signed TV distribution deals in Spain and Portugal. Perhaps Aldo Montoya will make an appearance in the Impact Zone.

Jesse Ventura is considering a run for State Senator in Minnesota.

Roughly $10,000 in video equipment was stolen out of one of OVW's vans, forcing the promotion to borrow equipment from a local TV station in order to shoot their latest television taping.

I'm now going to post the 06/06/08 SmackDown spoilers. Some of you in the US may have seen the show already. If you want to be surprised, skip the rest of this entry and I'll see you all sometime next week. For the rest of you, I hope you find the show worth watching when it airs in your area.

SMACKDOWN SPOILERS:

La Familia is in the ring. Vickie introduces Edge, who comes out and dedicates his win over the Undertaker to La Familia. He says that Vickie completes him, and that 'Taker should thank Edge for allowing him to leave with dignity. Edge toasts the Undertaker. The lights go out, teasing an appearance, but it was a joke on the fans by Edge. Vickie announces she and Edge will get married on July 11th. Batista's music hits. Batista asks why he wasn't invited to the party, then congratulates Vickie and Edge. He says he hopes they're happy, then says he doesn't mean it. Batista then challenges Edge for the belt but Vickie says that for Batista to get a shot he must win in an eight man tag tonight, and Vickie will choose his three partners. If Edge wins the match, Batista gets no more title shots.

Finlay defeats Chuck Palumbo in a Belfast Brawl after interference from Hornswoggle.

MVP is shown sitting in the back by himself. He won a dark match earlier in the night and wouldn't be featured on the show beyond this point.

Big Show comes out for a promo. He talks about becoming top contender to the ECW Championship. Mark Henry interrupts and says all Big Show did was get put in a match with sticks to become number-one contender. Henry challenges Show, then leaves.

The Great Khali squashes Deuce & Domino in a handicap match.

Vickie Guerrero is now backstage with the Divas. She brags about having absolute power and compares herself to Fabulous Moolah. Vickie says she's going to crown a Diva Champion on Smackdown soon. Interesting that two out of the three WWE brands will now have a Women's division, unless of course the Raw Women's champion gets drafted to SmackDown. I'm still waiting for the ECW brand to get an independent set of Tag Team titles, personally.

Cousin Sal defeated Santino after interference from Jimmy Kimmel.

John Morrison and Miz are backstage and run in to Hornswoggle. They torment him before Finlay makes the save. Hornswoggle blasts the heels with a super soaker.

Edge pulls Chavo Guererro aside backstage, saying he'll soon be his "Uncle Edge." Edge asks Chavo to be best man at he and Vickie's wedding.

Natalya defeats Cherry, Maryse, Victoria, Layle El, and Michelle McCool to advance to Night of Champions.

Vladimir Kozlov defeats Jimmy Yang. Kozlov continues the assault until Shannon Moore makes the save.

Maria interviews Batista backstage.

Hawkins, Ryder, Chavo & Edge are out for the main event. Vickie introduces Batista's partners: Funaki, Nunzio, and Colin Delaney.

Batista's team defeat La Familia when Batista pins Ryder with the Batista Bomb. Edge will now defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Batista at Night of Champions.

This next part may not make it to the final TV broadcast, but: Vickie Guerrero announces her and Edge versus Batista in a handicap match. Batista low blows Edge and pins him. Match over. Batista then press slams Vickie over the top rope and onto the rest of La Familia. They escape to the back.

Remembering "Buffalo" Jim Barrier

2008-06-03T15:20:00.000-07:00

Today I'd like to tell my readers about a man named Jim Barrier, professionally known as "Buffalo Jim." Today's WWE fans have likely never heard of him. In fact, wrestling fans anywhere outside of Las Vegas have likely never heard of him. That's unfortunate, because Jim Barrier was a great man.

I first made contact with Jim in 1999. I was a punk kid still in school, but I'd managed to land a gig writing columns for a pro wrestling newsletter. I contacted Jim with some writing samples and asked if I could possibly do a spotlight segment on his promotion-the Buffalo Wrestling Federation-for the newsletter's next edition. To my shock, Jim actually replied to my message. To my absolute amazement, he said yes. I wrote my first article about an upcoming BWF show. The rest, as they say, is history. The next thing I knew I was writing about the BWF full-time. My gig basically became writing an unofficial BWF newsletter within another wrestling newsletter. Luckily my boss at the time was so excited to have a connection to an actual pro wrestling company that she didn't mind hyping the BWF every month. Looking back on it now, I can only think of two reasons Jim may have decided to talk to me that day.

The first reason was actually a brilliant move on his part. By agreeing to work with our newsletter Jim gained free publicity for his year-old company, while likely also figuring that we weren't about to bad-mouth a group that was helping us gain credibility within the wrestling business. To be perfectly honest, Jim figured correctly on that one. Our newsletter hyped up the BWF like it was the second coming of Jesus himself despite having never seen one of their shows live up to that point. Jim made all of this happen for his company by simply saying yes to a request. That kind of simplistic long-term thinking is why Jim Barrier was a fantastic promoter. In my opinion though, the second reason Jim probably spoke to me is even more impressive than the first.

Reason number two is...Jim wanted to give a shot to a young, unqualified wrestling fan with a dream. Jim Barrier's heart was truly just as large as his brain, if not ten times bigger. As time went on Jim gave the newsletter access to any information or interviews it needed. One day, Jim finally invited my associates and I to check out a live BWF show. From the front row no less. The show was headlined by Gary Nash, Kevin's "brother." One of the top good guys that evening was a fat, masked rapper who the crowd didn't want to wave their hands along with. Special ring announcer and former wrestling champion Nick Bockwinkle got a bigger reaction than the talents he was introducing. In short, the show sucked, but I wouldn't have missed it for anything in the world. I met a lot of the BWF talent that night, including my first face-to-face meeting with "Buffalo" Jim himself. Then, just when I thought he couldn't treat me any more generously than he already had, Jim invited me to go meet the WWF's Godfather! Godfather was only signing autographs that evening during the show's brief intermission, but because I "knew" Jim, I got to speak to a huge WWF star for close to an hour. Jim gave me my first real break writing about the wrestling business. I'll never be able to thank him enough for it.

Jim was a large part of the Nevada community. He participated in various county events, even winning the title of Las Vegas' most colorful character for 2005 in the Review Journal. Jim entertained wrestling fans years before Eric Bischoff had the idea to relaunch WCW in Las Vegas. He also stood up for the rights of local wrestling fans when an attempt was made to restrict their access to BWF television tapings. More importantly, Jim Barrier stood up for what he believed was right. His court testimony helped convict Rick Rizzolo, owner of the Crazy Horse Too topless bar, which was believed to have a hand in numerous crimes between 1995 and 2001. Sadly, Jim Barrier was taken away from our world on April 6th, 2008. He leaves behind four daughters and numerous friends.

I'm proud to say I was one of them.

RIP "Buffalo" Jim Barrier
(March 22, 1953-April 6, 2008)

SOURCES FOR THIS ENTRY:

http://www.stevemiller4lasvegas.com/ChildrenPicketToplessBar.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Barrier

http://www.kvbc.com/global/story.asp?s=8385555

http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/2548

Raw's giveaway, PPV results & another question for my readers

2008-06-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

Huge update today!

First of all, the Associated Press has released information concerning WWE's recently announced million dollar giveaway. I've been getting a lot of questions about it, so I thought I'd pass along the information available via this blog. As expected, there's a catch or two involved. The full AP article can be found at the following URL: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5indhctjJFAtfOVHroIOX_lG5-_GwD912264G3.

One thing that I find curious is WWE announcing they'll give out the codes at the start of each Raw episode. What would make the casual fan stick around to watch the rest of Raw after getting the code? WWE is doing this promotion to increase ratings, so logically they really shouldn't be telling you when during the broadcast the code will be given out. I suspect the only people who will enter this contest are the wrestling fans who already watch Raw now. Myself included. Hey, a man has to pay for gas, right? The giveaway begins June 9th.

Here are the short results for WWE's One Night Stand pay-per-view:

Jeff Hardy beat Umaga in a Falls Count Anywhere match.

The Big Show beat CM Punk, Tommy Dreamer, John Morrison, Bam Neely, and Chavo Guerrero in a 6 man Singapore Cane match to earn a shot at Kane's ECW championship at the Night Of Champions pay-per-view. Big Show became hurt legit during the match.

John Cena beat JBL in a First Blood match.

Beth Phoenix beat Melina in an I Quit match.

Note: At this point in the show Cena did a backstage skit with Mickie James. Cena said he enjoyed "girl on girl submissions." Cena's character has made both pro-gay and anti-gay statements in the past. I guess this one would fall on the pro side, technically. During this segment ECW's Mike Adamle suggested Cena and James were a couple, so I guess WWE is continuing on with the romance angle between them.

Batista beat Shawn Michaels in a Stretcher Match.

Triple H beat Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match. Orton may or may not have been hurt legit during the match.

Edge beat The Undertaker in a TLC match to win the vacant World title. According to the match stipulation, The Undertaker must now retire from the entire WWE.

Finally, I'd like to once again pose a question to you, my readers. Recently I've been struggling with a question: What's the best way to present this blog's content? On one hand, I want to present the content as professionally and close to journalism as possible. On the other hand, I feel like a little editorializing and personal humor interjected into the entries would add some more flavor to my blog, while also not hurting anyone. You can certainly find a ton of other so-called wrestling journalists who aren't shy about interjecting their own opinions into articles where they may not belong, but does that make it okay for me to do as well, or would I then become just as annoying as they are by stating opinions rather than strictly facts? What do YOU look for in a pro wrestling blog? E-mail me at donaldtbishop@yahoo.com or simply post a reply. I look forward to hearing from you.

was DX gay?

2008-05-29T21:33:00.000-07:00

Did the D-Generation X stable appear homosexual? The guys over at wrestlecrap.com certainly seem to think so.

http://www.wrestlecrap.com/booksample.html