Today I'm going to my first Indy show

Even though I'm a big wrestling fan, recently I was told that I'm not. I'm a WWE fan. I haven't been to an independent wrestling show. I don't watch TNA, ROH, Lucha Underground. And while I look at it differently, I can see their point. So I'm changing that.

Today (weather permitting) I'm attending my first independent wrestling show. It's Northeast Wrestling. It's not a full show. They are coming to the local fair in town with four matches. Afterwards there will be a meet and greet with one of the wrestlers. They announced four of the names on the card, and I guess because I'm only a WWE fan, I really only know two of the names. One I have seen wrestle, because she used to be in the WWE.

The two names I know are Mickie James and ROH champion Matt Taven. I'm looking forward to expending my horizons a bit as I become a more well rounded WRESTLING fan. I'm planning on going early so I can get front row seats!

I will let you know how it goes. It's raining now, but hopefully it doesn't last!

Pieces of my childhood are dying edition

Just like Terry Funk, every time it looks like Inside The Wrestling Ring has retired it keeps coming back for more! 

So much has happened in the world of professional wrestling since my last blog but there are four things I want to focus on right now. More and more I'm losing bits of my childhood and quite frankly I don't want to stand for it anymore! We lost two of the greats of my youth and then were rocked by two more scandals. We will discuss this all starting right now.

First the death of Dusty Rhodes on June 11th rocked the wrestling world. I admit that I was not a big fan of Dusty the wrestler, but he was such a vital part of wrestling when I getting into it that it saddened me. Dusty had such a huge impact on wrestling backstage. There are few people in this world that had the mind that he had. What I most respected about Dusty was that he was never the most in shape guy. He had a lisp so his promos weren't always the best. It didn't matter. He overcame all of it to be one of the best of all time. I have nothing but respect for him, his family and his legacy in the business.

Then we lost the Hot Rod. That was a hard one for me. Growing up my all time favorite was Randy Savage. But Rowdy Roddy Piper was always in my top 5. Again, he was never the most in shape guy.  But I don't know you can find a better talker (especially at that time) than Piper. His promos were just amazing. So much so that they had to give him his own talk show, Piper's Pit. Piper's Pit had so many great memories over the years. From the coconut over Snuka's head to his encounter with shock talk show host Morton Downey Jr to countless others. Every time he picked a microphone, there was magic. We will never see another Piper.

Now it's time to take out that number 2 pencil. Turned it around and starts erasing! I do not agree with the WWE's system of "erasing" people from history. It can't be done. Sorry to be the one to bring that to people's attention. Whether we agree with what Hulk Hogan said on tape seven years ago or not, he can't be erased from history. We know what he did. We know about his epic battles with Andre The Giant, Randy Savage, Rowdy Roddy Piper, etc. We know to eat our vitamins and say our prayers. We know about the red and the yellow or the black and the white. Was what he said right? Nope. Not at all. I don't condone using that word one bit. But to delete him from the history books is not right either. 

However he's not the only person being erased from history. Hogan's tape was from 7 years ago, but we have to go much further back to erase Jimmy Superfly Snuka.  I had heard many times over the years he was a suspect in the death of his girlfriend at the time. Nancy Argentino died 32 years ago under a suspect situation. What I don't understand is what took the authorities 32 years to make this arrest? He was the only suspect in what looked like abuse. Regardless if you go to the WWE Network and type in Snuka, you will get a result. Tamina Snuka, his daughter. Clearly this is a much different situation than Hogan. But again, if this is something that has been 32 years in the making than maybe WWE should have been more prepared for this as a possibility.

Regardless it's a shame to watch pieces of my childhood get erased or know that I won't ever see them again on my screen. 

I have had enough Edition

No banners today. No greeting. I am stepping right into my thoughts last night on the Royal Rumble. Or more like my thoughts on the people bitching about the Royal Rumble.

I understand having your favorite superstar and getting upset over him not winning a big match like the Royal Rumble but come on people. #CancelWWENetwork was trending last night on Twitter for hours because people are belly aching.

And it all seems to stem from the fact that Daniel Bryan didn't win last night. There are reports that Mr. McMahon was asked to put him in the main event of Wrestlemania 31 and he said no. GOOD! I like Daniel Bryan. I do. But you know what? Storylines were re-written for him last year. He has had his Wrestlemania moment.

It is a shame he got injured last year. But injuries are a part of professional wrestling. We all know it. There is not a single wrestler who has never had to take time off due to an injury.

It just bothers me that so called fans have done nothing but bitch and moan. Maybe Roman Reigns isn't the best on microphone. I personally don't think Randy Orton is, but no one seems to mind his long boring promos. Reigns is good. But he is green. I admit that. But there is no way better to learn then trial by fire.

How many times in the last few months have we seen Cena vs Rollins in one form or another? Usos vs Miz/Mizdow? How many times over the past few years have we had Cena vs Orton? The number one complaint I have heard is they aren't pushing anyone new. Guess what? They are pushing someone new. And still people complain.

Here's the other thing to consider. Daniel Bryan went out early in the Rumble. What if he was the last one eliminated? Would that have stopped people from complaining? I think it personally would have made it worse.

Daniel Bryan will be just fine at Wrestlemania. He will not get left off the card. Sure, it's not the confetti falling from the roof moment people want. You want that? Watch Wrestlemania XXX when he overcame every odds stacked against him. Like he was some kind of super hero.... like John Cena. But we boo Cena when he does it.

I think Mark Henry put it best.... Y'all a bunch of puppets.

37

Predicting Team Cena vs Team Authority Edition

Welcome back to another episode of Inside the Wrestling Ring!

Last week on Raw it was announced that be Team Cena vs Team Authority in a traditional Survivor Series. And tonight on Raw, Mr. McMahon announced that if Team Cena wins, the Authority will no longer be in control.

But who will represent each team? That is a very good question and that is exactly what we are here to discuss.

Team Authority is guaranteed to have both Kane and Seth Rollins. But who else should join? Should it be Triple H? In a perfect world, yes. Especially with the new stipulation. But I don't see it happening, unfortunately.

I think that Mark Henry will join Team Authority. He is just getting a renewed push after his heel turn. He is the World's Strongest Man. If you were part of the Authority, wouldn't you want someone with that moniker on your side?

I would like to put the Brothers' Dust on the team to finish off the team, but I am hoping for a Tag Title match at the PPV so I will hold off on them. Also I think that Rusev would be a good person to have on the team, but it wouldn't make sense to put him on it. I also think that Miz/Mizdow should be on the team, but I have a feeling they will not be again.

I think that Cesaro would make an excellent addition as well. I keep waiting on him to be pushed to the next level. But I think his comments about not wanting to see Orton vs Cena again will keep him out of the main event.

The fifth person on the team will probably be Randy Orton, but he will do more damage to his team than for his team.

For Team Cena, clearly you have John Cena. He has all ready begun campaigning and will most likely get Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler on his team.

If Mark Henry is on Team Authority, then Cena will recruit the World's Largest Athlete the Big Show to his team.

The fourth member of Team Cena will be the returning Ryback. Again, he is in line for a big push and what better way to give it to him then give him a chance in the main event spotlight.

As far as the fifth member of Team Cena, I have a feeling we won't find out who it will be until the event. I think it will either be a brief return for Chris Jericho or someone from NXT. So my final prediction will be that it will be NXT champion Adrian Neville.

What do you think of my picks? Who would you have on either team?

36

The Alberto Del Rio Edition

Welcome back to Inside The Wrestling Ring. Last week we had a very surprising release from the WWE. I find it interesting that he wasn't wished the best in his future endeavors, just flat out released.

A multiple time champion, a Money In The Bank winner, and a Royal Rumble winner, Alberto Del Rio was fired last week for "unprofessional conduct." While nothing has been confirmed yet, a staff member on WWE.com was asked to clean his plate, he turned around and said something along the lines of "I shouldn't have to, that's something for a guy like Del Rio to do," Del Rio didn't take kindly to this. Del Rio confronted the staff member who simply smiled at Del Rio, so Alberto slapped him.

It was a terrible joke that the staff member made. Could it be perceived as a racist joke? Yes, I think it could. But, quite frankly, you can perceive just about anything you want as being racist. Did the staff member, Cody Barbierri, deserve to be slapped? No, I don't think so. I am not saying what he said was right, but Barbierri should have been suspended. We live in a time where Political Correctness is running wild. Barbierri stepped over a line with his comment. Jokingly said or not, there is no reason to make that kind of joke. Not even "just among friends." It was a terribly insensitive of him.

In the same regard though, I don't think that Del Rio should have been fired either. He acted out in defense of his nationality. I believe a suspension would have been better for Del Rio than to be fired. I am sure that his contract with the company was rather large. And with their desperation over the WWE Network and $9.99, some have viewed this as a cost cutting measure as well.

Barbierri is just lucky that Del Rio didn't slap the Cross Arm Breaker on him. He would have definitely been sorry for his not-funny comment then!

I wasn't a fan of Del Rio. I found him to be boring at times. My biggest issue with him is that he got too much too soon. Within his first year in the company he had climbed the top of the ladder. I did enjoy that his move set varied match to match and he would throw out moves that he didn't use every single match. Del Rio was a workhorse for them though. I think it is safe to say his presence will be missed in the company.

After news of the firing was released, former WWE and WCW wrestler Konnan accused the WWE of racism. I know that Barberri's comment was racist, but does that make the entire organization racist? I don't think so. And just to be ironic, Konnan started a hashtag #FreeRey to get Rey Mysterio out of his contract. I guess he didn't have a problem when WCW had an African American wrestler named GI Bro. I mean, clearly, that isn't racist at all. I'm sorry, but to me this seems like Konnan trying to keep his name relevant, when really he hasn't been for a decade. Maybe I am wrong; maybe I am not seeing what Konnan is seeing.

 

Tell me what you think?

Special thanks to my wonderful wife and editor for helping me with my blogs!

35

The 2014 Black Thursday Edition

Welcome to the brand new Inside the Wrestling Ring blog. Inspired by the return of the Peverett Phile, I thought it was time to bring back my blogs as well. I have missed a lot in the world of professional wrestling over the past few months so hopefully I will be able to catch up with all that I missed. 

Before we get started, hopefully everyone likes the new logo!

I know this is very late, but it's been sitting on the shelf for a while.

On Thursday, June 12th was a tough day for several now former WWE superstars. In all 11 superstars were future endeavored.  There has been a lot of speculation as to why. Does it have to do with the WWE Network not being nearly as successful as the company had expected? Does it mean that a huge signing had been made and roster spots had to be cleared? Did it have to do with the great losses of money Vince McMahon had recently had? These are all speculations on the web. I guess really only Mr. McMahon and the a few select other people know the answer.

I thought I would take this opportunity to give my reaction to the recently released. 

Even though she wasn't part of the June 12th releases, the WWE also recently released Emma after a bizarre shoplifting incident at a local Wal-Mart.

Referee Marc Harris was released on June 12th. He had recently been in the news for botching a finish of a match and then reacting kind of badly about it on Twitter. So it wasn't entirely that much of a shock that he was released.

The Funkasaurus Brodus Clay was among the others released that day. This was a little bit of a surprise to me. He had fallen off the main roster following his brief feud with Xavier Woods and the end of his tag team with Tensai. But he was living up to his self made moniker of the Main Event Playa, at least main eventing NXT. He had a series of matches with NXT champion Adrian Neville. Perhaps his release had to do with him knocking out two of Neville's front teeth (My editor and now wife Lori thinks this is the case, and I tend to agree). For a big man he had a good amount of speed and flexibility. I wouldn't be surprised if he caught on somewhere else that needs talent.

Among the others released that day was Evan Bourne. That really came as no surprise to anyone. He hadn't been seen on television since 2011 due to two separate suspensions and a car accident. It's a shame because I think that he was talented but with two strikes against him, the WWE just decided it was time to call it quits with him. I will admit that I had expected him to make a return in say a Royal Rumble, but I guess it was never meant to be.

I interpret this blog with BREAKING NEWS. Emma was just re-instated. Shortest release of all time!

Aksana was also one of the released. When I was told a diva was released, she was my first guess. Nothing against her, but I saw little improvement from her days of NXT. She had a unique look, but she didn't offer anything in the ring or on the microphone. 

Also released was Curt Hawkins. I could not tell you the last time he was on television. But I still think this was bad. I think he could have had a role similar to what Tyson Kidd is doing now in NXT. He is a former tag team champion that just needed a little bit of repackaging and some good luck. Again, I have no doubt he will catch on somewhere else.

Another superstar that seemed to be getting on track down in NXT was Camacho. He had a few matches against Adam Rose and had started a rivalry with him. But I guess WWE thought they had done enough with Camacho as they could.

Yoshi Tatsu was also among the recently released. He started off on fire when he debuted on ECW, but after moves to Raw and Smackdown became more of a comedy talent which turned into an enhancement talent and later seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth. This surprised me a little that he was released since WWE is all about the global performers sometimes. But he was never going to move up in the company, so in the end I guess it made a little sense to release him.

Now hold on, playa. What do you mean they released Tag Team Teddy Long? Sad but true, but former referee/manager/GM Teddy Long was also released. It made sense in the fact that there was too many authority figures. But I think he could have gone back to being a manager. Other then Lana and Paul Heyman, there aren't any managers left. I would have liked that more then flat out releasing him.

And then there is the curious case of JTG. Every year it seemed when cuts were being made, he would survive despite rarely being on TV if at all. There were rumors online that he saved Mr. McMahon's life and that's why he was still on the roster. I think other then the "There was two Ultimate Warriors" rumor this is my favorite. But in the end, the last one to be released on this day was indeed JTG. He just couldn't get on his feet without his former tag team partner Shad. After Shad's release (and previous feud) JTG was left without a storyline. Sadly that happened in 2010. 

But perhaps the biggest surprises of the releases happend to Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre. These are two guys that unlike the previously named wrestlers were on television almost every week, sometimes on both Raw and Smackdown. Granted they lost all the time they were on TV. It makes me very curious why two thirds of 3MB were released. Maybe they have big plans for Heath Slater. I am not sure why they are since he was never referred to as the Chosen One.

In a recent interview, McIntyre stated "It's a matter of when I return to the WWE, not If". I hope that he does, as it is well documented that I was a fan of his. I thought that putting him in 3MB was punishment but after he was out of the dog house good things would happen to him. I hope he is right.

Well that is it for now. I will be back real soon with another new blog. 

34

The Global Force Wrestling Edition

Welcome back to another edition of Inside The Wrestling Ring. This post was originally written in April and sat on the shelf for 3 months, but as you can see it's time for me to step back Inside The Wrestling Ring. There will be some changes made so I hope that you will like. Since this is technically an old blog, it will be the last one with the old logo. New logo to be revealed soon!

It really is an exciting time to be a wrestling fan. Fans all across the world recently celebrated the World Wrestling Entertainment's Wrestlemania XXX. And for the first time since 2001 we are looking at the possibility of having not one, not two, but three major promotions in the United States. I am talking about the new project from Jeff Jarrett called Global Force Wrestling. And, of course, we also have the little engine that could named Impact Wrestling (or Total Non-Stop Action or TNA. Whatever you want to call it).

We don't know when Global Force Wrestling will start. But I have a few suggestions for Jeff Jarrett (and I am available to be a consultant if he is interested!). My biggest suggestion for him is this. Don't try to be WWE. They have been around for over fifty years. Don't try to be Impact Wrestling. Be Global Force Wrestling, whatever that is. Find your identity early and stick to it. Jarrett has a great mind for the business. I think he has a chance to make GFW the second biggest wrestling company in the US.

One of my biggest problems with TNA when they started was their reliance on WWE's former talent that was well beyond their years. It's only now that TNA is starting to push their own home-grown talent. But to have people like Hall, Nash, Hogan, Savage, Sting, Booker T, Foley, and Scott Steiner (just to name a few) as prevalent as they were, I think hurt their product. And I say this knowing what WWE has done with their part-timers recently, which I don't agree with.

I think the best thing Jarrett can do with the roster instead of taking past their prime guys, find guys that never reached their full potential in WWE or TNA. I think a roster full of guys like Shelton Benjamin, John Morrison, Chris Masters, and Carlito for example would be a good start. Jarrett didn't reach his full potential under Vince McMahon. I think he could help guide some wrestlers and help them to their limit. There are guys on WWE or TNA that could use a change of scenery. Think how over Zack Ryder is and yet he doesn't get the opportunity. I don't condone poaching off other companies’ rosters. But sometimes a change is a good thing.

The first official man on the roster is David 'The Renegade' Scougall. Fill out the roster with more names that the average fan isn't familiar with. It will help the new talent work with veterans. It will help the older guys work with new wrestlers to broaden their style, and, let's face it, with the last few weeks the free agent pool got a little deeper (more on that to come).

Another thing I would say is for Jarrett to be the face of the company, but admit that his days in the ring are over. Be smart for all the money that you are spending, don't make it just about you. I hope that Jarrett has taken all his experiences from WWE, WCW, TNA, and Mexico into mind. The booker doesn't do well as main talent. Ask Vince Russo about that.

Hire backstage people who know the business and RESPECT the business. Don't bring in someone who will make a mockery of wrestling or allow an actor to hold your world heavyweight title. Don't recycle storylines and if you do, don't make it obvious. Find only the people that want the best for the company. The product will show that.

Like I said, I am available if Jarrett needs me!

Special thanks as always to my wonderful and beautiful editor for making this readable!