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Iv'e been slacking on updating the Blog Splash, but I have a treat for you! ECW Hardcore Legends Jerry Lynn, and Axl Rotten will be a guest on Double B's Wrestlegamer Show! If you would like to be at the show and meet these two legends, just go to www.thewrestlegamershow.com on Wednesday at 7:00pm Central time! But let's get down to some quick business first.

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On Serena Deeb's Firing: The WWE finally announced the firing of Serena this weekend. I watched her on Smackdown! This past Friday, which was her last official time on TV with with the WWE, and I have to say, she didn't appear to be 100% in character. Now I could be just adding even more controversy to this story, but I wouldn't be surprised if Serena already knew she was already heading out the door.

 

The rumors that Serea was fired because the WWE continued to warn he to be more discrete about her night-life, simply makes sick to my stomach! I can't fathom a person trying to stay in character 24/7 365 a year. What kind of social life would that person have?

 

Earlier in the month, WWE Diva, Tiffany was in a domestic dispute with her WWE husband Drew McIntyre. Tiffany's character has been always super clean “baby face”, yet Tiffany who was at the Playboy Mansion with her husband earlier, attacked McIntyre, was arrested, and the WWE only suspended her for her actions. Yet, Serena's “Heel” character is “reformed alcoholic” by CM Punk's Straight Edge Society. Does any of this make any sense? Either Serena was fired for something else, Tiffany being married to Drew saved her ass, or the WWE has such backward-ass policies they don't know their ass from their elbows anymore.

 

On Elberto Del Rio: When I saw his promos week after week, I didn't think I would like this new addition to Smackdown! I Thought he would spend several weeks mowing through jobbers, before he would even catch my eye...let alone my respect. But considering he made Rey Mysterio tap last week with a very nice submission, and then followed up this week by taking him out with the chair against the post, shows he can be viscous as well. Del Rio beating up the jobber last Friday didn't give him any points in my book, but I guess I can see why it was done. At least he took out Rey first. I definitely gave him the GSW Smackdown Star of the Night!

 

On Jerry Lynn and Axl Rotten joining this week's Wrestlegamer Show: All I can say is WOW! Not one but two great hardcore legends! What an honor this will be! As always I'll be honest I don't know these men that well. So I decided to do some homework on them.

 

Thanks to the following info from:http://en.wikipedia.org/

Lynn had worked in the WCW as a masked cruiser-weight from 1995 to 1997, where he worked with several big names. His name was “Mr J.L.” and he would compete against some of the very best in WCW, such as Lex Luger, Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit, Sabu, Eddie Gurrero, and many others. He was released by Erich Bichoff when he was on the injured list.

 

He then went to ECW from 1997 to 2001 where he had his legendary feuds with RVD. In 2000 he won the ECW title from Justin Credible, where he lost it one month later to none other than RVD.

 

Lynn has done many other amazing achievements including some the following:

  • Winning the WWF/WWE Cruiser weight Championship 2001

  • 2 Time Winner of the TNA X Division Championship 2002-2004

     

In 2007, Jerry Lynn won the ECWA(East Coast Wrestling Alliance) Super 8 Tournament.

  • Quarter-Final Match Jerry Lynn defeated Brian Fury

  • Semi-Final Match Jerry Lynn defeated Matt Logan

  • Tournament Final: Jerry Lynn defeated Sonjay Dutt

 

In 2010 he was inducted into the Hardcore Hall of Fame by Jim Cornette.

 

Axl Rotten Joined the ECW in 1993 after a few years working in the indy feds for a few years. Rotten Tags up with his brother Ian under the name “Bit Bulls”, but they continue to blame matches on each other, and the team broke up. Ultimately, the feud ended at Hardcore Heaven on July 1st 1995, which is reported as one of the most bloodiest matches ever. As the two brothers would face each other in a hair vs hair/ barbed wired bat vs barbed wired chair match. The Brothers reconciled for one last match.

 

Throughout the rest of his career in ECW Rotten would tagged with Balls Mahoney, Spike Dudley, New Jack, and The Dudley Boys. He did have a few stints in '96 and '97, But it appeared that Rotten was always a tag team partner in the ECW.

 

On the June 6, 2005 episode of Raw, Rotten debuted in WWE, storming the ring with several other ECW alumni. Rotten went on to appear at the two ECW reunion shows taking place that month. At Hardcore Homecoming on June 10, 2005, the Bad Breed reunited, participating in a wild brawl with The Gangstanators although this was not announced as an official match due to Bad Breed sticking to a stipulation never to team again after losing a feud to the Pit Bulls. At ECW One Night Stand on June 12, 2005, Rotten, Mahoney and Kid Kash attacked the Blue World Order after they interfered in the main event tag team match. Following the events, Rotten and Mahoney wrestled several dark matches for WWE, but were not signed to contracts. At the second Hardcore Homecoming event on November 4, 2005, Axl defeated Ian Rotten in another "Taipei Death match".

 

Rotten was slated to be on the WWE brand of ECW, however Rotten never showed up for the June 5th edition of the show, thus put Rotten's future in serious jeapordy, WWE management was not happy with Rotten no showing at Raw. Furthermore, it was confirmed that Rotten was not backstage at the WWE vs. ECW Head to Head special that aired on USA Network on June 7. Rotten also did appear at the ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view event that was held on June 12, 2005. After that Rotten was released from the ECW website.

 

Credit this to “The O Show”

Rotten stated that he had some personal business rather than take his ECW/WWE contract. There was no personal issues, and he has no regrets on what he did. He had to do, what he had to do.

 

Rotten made a few appearances in Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South in tag team matches, until just recently he appeared at TNA's Hardcore Justice Where he Tagged as Balls Mahoney who for legal rights went under the name “Kahoneys”. They both faced Team 3D in a Philly Street Fight at TNA's Hard Core Justice. Team 3D was victorious, There were rumors that Rotten stated that he wanted nothing to do with Balls after Hardcore Justice. However I listened to several interviews with Axl Rotten, and he for the most part spoke highly of Balls Mahoney. This is an issue I was going to try to avoid during our interview, but now I have to find out for myself.

 

I also heard that he had issues with his former “brother” Ian who is now in the IWA. This will be another issue to talk to him about.

Well Splashers, that's it for now. I can't wait for Wednesday! I hope you all tune in and join us for the show! For those of you who miss it, you can be sure I'll post a recap right here!

 

Until then, See you when I see you! -Rick Starr

 The summer is quickly winding down, the kids will be back in school, and the leaves will turn their beautiful colors and fall. But with all this peace, violence will soon erupt as Smackdown vs Raw 2011 will be released in late October!  Like many years before THQ is promising a unique wrestling game, with a whole new set of features to boot. But the “SvR” series is not alone, as THQ will be releasing “WWE All-Stars” in early 2011.


 A good friend: now DropD suggested that I check out several sites, and give a review on those sites based on the coverage on these two games. I thought it was a great idea. See what happens when you get involved? :)  But First lets go over these two games and see what we do know about them.

WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2011

  The most publicly wide known info about 2011, is the revamping of the tables, ladders and chairs. You can now easily stack tables, and can have as many as 6 tables at one time. Also each table does not break the same way. One might break right in the middle, the legs could just collapse, and so on. Also they revamped the grappling system so if you have your opponent in a suplex or power bomb position, you can maneuver into position so you can drop him/her onto the table. I'm guessing it's like the extreme grappling system, I'll have to actually play it to see how it works.

  The ladders have been re-done all over as well. How their used, including as to how the match is won. First off The ladder itself now eventually breaks into random parts, (not to be used) if used as a weapon too many times. Also you can stack ladders onto the ropes or on the outside to the ropes(as well as other places.) and will be able to perform springboard moves off the ladder. The action does not stop there. Now you can do a selected set of finishers from atop the ladder. The Code Breaker, Choke Slam, and R.K.O have all been seen in the demo, but it's still not clear as to what other finishers can and can't be executed on top of the ladder. If you ask me, I wouldn't hold your breath on executing Create a Finishers on a ladder. Lastly they changed on how you win the ladder matches. Now you have to reach up with the stick, and pull the title down. Not much more is being said, at this time.

  Chairs only had one small change that THQ is releasing so far. Now you can throw chairs at your opponents. No word of any extra hard core moves have been added.

Hell in the Cell:

  This Match has also been touched up as now you can reach under and grab weapons from under the ring. The door has been removed! The ONLY way out is to THROW your opponent through the steel cage wall! Another addition, is you can now do finishing moves off the cell(ex. Last Ride, Sweet Chin Music, ect.) Making this match even more incredible.


New Wrestler Graphics

  For the past 5 years the wrestlers have looked like action figures in motion. Although the graphics have gotten better each year, and they try to make up with facial expressions, they still looked like solid  figures moving about the ring. This year THQ is going to change that as they now graphed in muscle animation. You can now see your “CAW” flex his pecks, his 6-pack, and so-on.

Road to WrestleMania and CAW Info
The Road to WrestleMania was introduced last year.  With the exception of a few, in 2010 in was a pretty much straight forward game. This year they are boasting “increased control” in the destinies in the “Roads to WrestleMania”. Also they are returning to Free Roaming, in the back stages.  It appears that all the single-player modes are somehow wrapped into one. For example, you will interact with other wrestlers, have mini-quests, talk to the general managers of the show your on, and so on. 

  As you go on your Road to WrestleMania, you will achieve “Superstar Points” that you can trade in for Striking Modifiers, Pain Resistance, and so on. Apparently you will need them, as the Road get's tougher and tougher.  

 Also according to IGN.com you no longer even have to earn your CAW attributes? (Kinda like Here Comes the Pain, where they just give you the attributes and you set them to your CAW)


Grappling Holds and Finishers
A few changes has been done with the Strong Grappling Hold. You now have to earn it, by executing a series of quick grapples to make your opponent dizzy, so then you can Strong Grapple him. On the flip side you no longer have to make your opponent dizzy to execute your finisher (This alone is making me nervous).


Roster
  There will be over 70 WWE Superstar and Legends in 2011. The Nexus group is rumored to be apart of the initial roster, but I have yet to see any official sign of them. However for 2011 they have already promised a DLC package later this year.  One legend that allegedly been “confirmed” is Paul Bearer. I say allegedly, because I read it from a forum, and I have not read it anywhere else at the current time.

WWE Universe
  This is another addition to 2011, that shows promise to add intensity to the single player action. Every show, every title, every rank, stable, and rivalry will be alive and breathing inside the WWE Universe. Every card for each show will be based on the above factors. But of course, you will always have the last say as you can change the match and stipulations.

  One last note: Smackdown 2011 will now take a page out of UFC 2010's online plan. New copies of SVR 2011 will ship with a voucher code on the instruction manual that grants free access to online features as well as the first batch of downloadable talent and ring attire. If you rent, borrow it from a friend, it falls from the sky, or whatever, you will have a 1 week trial period for the on-line features. After that you must pay a $10 activation fee. 


Overall Thought's for SvR 2011
  I Have to admit I was originally dazzled by the overall improvements to the game. From the TLC Match, to having “ultimate control”, as well as the new concept: WWE Universe. However I do have some reserves about this game, considering they really didn't touch on the bigger subjects that failed 2010. Targeting, reversing, and pinning were all very quirky in 2010's game. Did 2011 revamp these features? Or were they simply over looked? If So, most of these new off-line features will not help this game, as the majority of the Smackdown vs Raw Universe primarily plays Online.

WWE All Stars(release date 1st quarter 2011)
  This game is much different from the SvR series. Many have called it “The Cousin” of The Legends of WrestleMania. And is a bad omen considering (to many) that Legends was an absolute failure. Only one video has been released, and the game itself still has AT LEAST 6 months till release. If this game is to pick up any positive steam, THQ needs to release some more info. If you ask me, their waiting for SvR2011 to be released so it doesn't kill that steam.

THQ is being very tight lipped about this game no word on roster, game modes, or anything else. A friend did say that All Stars would be on-line and you could create your own wrestler, however no solid web site has reported anything to date. All Stars will most likely be on-line in some fashion, but create a wrestler would be way over the bar of expectations at this point.

  Others have called it the “NBA Jam of Wrestling”, even one of the developers in fact worked on one of the NBA Jams. Unlike SvR, All Stars is designed to have a more basic wrestling engine, with much more over the-the-top graphics. The WWE roster as you know them are hulked up to comic-book sized super-wrestlers, that can slam their opponents harder and throw them farther then the usual wrestler. Although the hulked bodies both look the same in the video, THQ was very detailed of the wrestler's faces(in comic book fashion).In the demo the entrances are shortened, I'm hoping that's just to cut the video time on E3.

  For those who have played the demo, they it's more simplistic that's easy to pick up and play. The controls just have punch, grapple, and strong punch and grapple. You can do a lot of combos in the game, so it does have a “Street Fighter” type feel to the game as Cody Rhodes stated in an interview. The is game primarily is meant to be an alternate for either those who are not happy with the way the “SvR” franchise is going, and for those who just is starting out.

  As you beat your opponent up, bruises will appear across his chest,face, and on his HUD. Blood is possible however unlikely, as the demo never displayed any. The Move set was said to be adding & changing moves,


  In SvR2010 You can change the WWE's roster's clothing to keep up to date with their current look. And there was thousands of different colors and combinations to choose from. This is an early prediction, but I don't expect any more than a few extra outfits, for each character in All-Stars.

  One last issue I'd like to speculate on: the number of players. In SvR there are up to 6 players off-line and 4 players online. Again this just early speculation, but I can't see more than 4 players in this game in any mode. The wrestlers are too big, and the ring is too small.

Overview:
  I do have a few questions about this game: I Understand this will be more like an arcade game rather than a “wrestling simulation” and if done properly that's fine. My biggest question is will the variety factor in this game suffer? Will there be less match types? Will there be less guys in the ring, and of course Create a Wrestler.

  The Gaming world is split down the middle about WWE All Stars. Some are still feeling the bitter sting from WWE Legends and has already assumed WWE All Stars will fall in same steps. Others have forgotten the past and even fewer has overlooked SvR2011 and put their money down on WWE All Stars! Me? I never played Legends, and (for the most part) the SvR series has been my bread and butter for on-line wrestling. However All Stars does look appealing, but I think I'll have to give that one a rent before I sink 60 bucks into it ;)

Site Reviews:
  I've sat on this project for quite sometime, as I wanted to get as much info out on both games before I posted it. I surfed the web picking and digging for any legit info on these two games. I even waited in hopes that new info would be released.

THQ.com:

  This site was a waste of my time! (and it usually is every year, I don't know why I keep going there looking for info.) The site has a cool looking back-drop with buttons. The site shows some images of the games, and the typical videos which every site has. But when you actually try to find information on either game, even the forums are totally useless!

wweallstars.com
  This site was not as useless, but it was pretty close. No direct information, and again, the forums sucked. The one thing that was decent was their library of videos . I saw a couple of interviews with Millionaire: Ted DiBiase and another with Dusty  & Cody Rhodes. They may not have released more info on the game, but gave you more of an idea of a feel for the game. This is a site I will keep my eye on.

IGN.com
   IGN had decent coverage on both games. I got most of my information from them. The site already had links ready for walk-throughs, cheats, and such. However there's nothing on the pages, so jump to dead links. There was several images on the site, as well as it networked with 2 other sites (Gamespy and Gamestats), Neither of the additional sites added additional information as of this writing.

Facebook.com
  If you have a Face book account. Then you really don't want to look any further. First off it's powered by IGN. And if you join up, any new info is sent right to your wall. It's filled with interviews, it's your one-stop information page.

  Well that's it for now Splashers, I'm sorry I couldn't get any more info on WWE All Stars. As the clock winds down to it's release, THQ will release more information. Please feel free to post any comments or questions.

     I'll See you when I see you -Rick Starr

 

The Rick Starr Blog Splash is in Partnership with:

 

 

  

   Welcome back to the Rick Starr Blog Splash! In a few short hours I'll be calling in to Double B's Wrestling Show, where I'll give some daily scoops, then join in and talk about the week in wrestling. If your interested we get together every Wednesday at 8:00pm eastern time at www.thewrestlegamershow.com

 

  On Passing the of Wrestlers: Well one again the WWE has stuck a thorn in my side with the way it has dealt with the passing of certain wrestlers. Roughly 5 days ago Lance Cade had passed away and there were suggestions of a drug overdose. Cade, was in the WWE for almost 9 years, won 3 tag-team titles, and when he passed away the WWE just looked away! Now I am not a Lance Cade fan, on any level, but when someone, who gives that much time to your company dies, he or she is entitled to 10 seconds of your time.

  

  They pulled the same crap with Miss Elizabeth. I watched (or tried to for that matter, the DVD is total crap) The Randy Savage Ultimate Collection, where Matt Stryker and Maria was covering the DVD. When they first brought up Elizabeth’s name they never mentioned she passed away, or refereed to her as “The Late Miss Elizabeth”. They made it out as if she was on some extended vacation to Never-Never Land.

  

   And then there's Chris Benoit. The WWE has been taking a Mr. Clean eraser to their whole library, just to eradicate Benoit from their history. Yes Benoit did a terrible thing, and the debate as to why he did what he did rages on. My opinion stands firm in my blog about Benoit. But hey! At least the WWE did honor him with a special RAW!

  

   Does the WWE believe that if they hide these things from their television programs, that the fans, will just forget about these people? Maybe the HD you see on the Barricade doesn't mean Hi-Def. I Think it's the WWE's real TV Ratings: Hunky Dory. I have one question: If Vincent Kennedy McMahon were to drop dead tomorrow of a drug overdose, should he be swept under the carpet like Cade and Miss Elizabeth? Gives you something to think about.

  

   On SummerSlam: For what was supposed to be “The Biggest Party of the Summer”, I've had bigger parties on my patio with my $50 kettle grille and $20 cooler. The WWE is charging $50 for crap ($60 for Hi-Def crap) I pretty much called most of the matches 2 days before SummerSlam. With the Exception of Daniel Bryan returning, and John Cena getting the win. I'd have to say called it down the middle. On The Ziggler/Kingston No Contest was a disappointment for an ending. I expected Ziggler to keep the title, but not in that fashion. The Sheamus/Orton match was another disappointment. Yes the final ending was nice, but Sheamus DQ'ing is just all too familiar.

 

   On The Whole F'N Show: I know I am a minority when I say this, but there were a couple of matches that were very unsatisfying. One of them was the final match between Beer Money and MCMG. This 2 out of 3 falls, just had to go to the 3rd match. WHY? A better question: this series had to go all the way to the 5th match WHY?! Were the qualities of these matches great? Yes, they kicked ass, but there was no suspense as who was going to win. Every company does these best of 5, best of 7, ect. And the winning team always always, wins by 1 match to keep things "suspensful".  Well thier not! That's why I'm aggravated with this series.

 

 

    Then you have the Stairway to Janice Match: The match itself was excellent, a lot of great spots. There was that one spot where RVD went over the ropes and hit the rail head first, it looked pretty bad. The only thing that didnt make much sense in that match was Bichoff. He didn't do much of anything, maybe a fast count, but certainly no way of extracting revenge.

 

 

    Finally we come to Janice herself: The cheap thrill that never wants to put out. This weapon of choice for Abyss was obviously overkill. TNA knows that it can't be used on anyone, so they reverted to hit & run tactics. I think the best thing they should do is “out-law” Janice, so Abyss has no choice but to get rid of the silly weapon. Because that's exactly what it's making him look: silly..not intimidating.

 

 

    Other than that, I'd have to say the Whole F'N Show wasn't that bad. I did initially give it 2 thumbs down, but I recently re-watched it, and most of the matches were PPV quality. Without getting back on a rant, I do like both the Guns and Beer Money, and some of the matches in their series was entertaining.

 

   Well that's it for now Splashers, as always feel free to post comments. Your 2 cents is always welcome. Also you can catch me over a www.thewrestlegamershow.com where I post daily rumors. And of course my home page is at www.rickstarrblogsplash.zooloo.com

 

                              See You When I See You -Rick Starr

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  The end of the summer is upon us! Back to School sales have already started, and WWE's “biggest night of the summer” better known as SummerSlam is just hours away.

 

   I just got off of Double B's WrestleGamer show, where we, and several others had an opportunity to first listen to Ashley's TNA Hardcore Justice report. From the sound of the report it sounded like it was an ok PPV, but there were many things due to copyright laws they had to change. I'm guessing the PPV had a generic soda taste. One caller did say the PPV sucked outright. After that we got right down to business and broke down SummerSlam, and we all chose for ourselves who would win.

 SummerSlam: Rick's Picks

 

 

 Alicia Fox(c) Vs. Melina:Divas Championship

  If you listened to any of Double B's shows, you will know that He does not think that Alicia Fox should even be in the WWE let alone be champion. And I agree with him on that 100% , but then again, I feel that way towards 90% of the divas. Yes their hot to look at, and athletic, but they can't wrestle worth a damn. The only true female wrestlers the WWE has or had are Trish Stratus, Mickey James, Beth Phoenix, Melina (minus the scream), Gail Kim, and despite her current gimmick, Michelle McCool.

 

  Getting back to my point, with Melina returning, and Fox not getting much heat as a heel, I see Melina taking this one all the way home. Fox would then have a return bout, which would hopefully be done on Smackdown, and of course she would be quickly beaten down again.

Rick's Pick:Melina: New Diva's Champion

 

 

Big Show vs Straight Edge Society:3 on 1

  I think this match probably could go either way. On the show, I was all for the S.E.S., And I have a strong belief that's how it's going to end. The Way the story is going, The Big Show's right hand is broken, but taped up. Last Friday he showed that he could Choke Slam, and punch out people with it, in a 3 jobbers on 1 match.

  Double B predicted that Big Show would get the upper hand, and CM Punk would leave the rest of the S.E.S. “high and dry”. He see's this as the breaking point of the Straight Edge Society. I however think that the WWE likes to drag out their story-lines, so I would not be surprised if the S.E.S. Group continues on, but start to show cracks at SummerSlam.

Rick's Pick: Straight Edge Society

 

 

Dolph Ziggler (c) Vs Kofi Kingston: WWE I.C. Championship

  This is another recycled story-line. Yes I'm reffering to Ziggler and Vikki Guerrero. In 2007-2008 ( I think even in early 2009) Vikki used her power to get her “husband” Edge several World Title reigns. This is a watered down version of the Vikki/Edge relationship, but in a nutshell it's the same thing.

   As for Kofi we're seeing a more violent side of him, which is great for his character. It shows that in the future, he could possibly play a great heel. As for the title, I don't think he's going to win it back at SummerSlam. At this stage Dolph Ziggler needs a title around his waist much more than Kofi, and it will be short time before Kofi see's gold again.

Rick's Pick: Dolph Ziggler (Still I.C. Champion)

 

 

Kane © Vs Rey Mysterio: (World Title Match

  I am so sick an tired of Rey Mysterio! To be honest I won't miss him when he finally retires. This super-underdog, Dudley do right, character just makes me want to puke! When he was wrestling in WCW as a lucha-libre, I LOVED him! He was wrestling wrestlers his size, and kept the suspension of disbelief alive. Sure he wrestled big guys back then, and 90% of the times he got squashed like a bug. He defeated Kevin Nash 1 time, and then the next Monday, Nash Jackknife Power Bombed him in 5 seconds. For Mysterio to beat people like Kane, Big Show, and The Undertaker is not only unbelievable, it's an insult to wrestling fans intelligence.

  There is another matter at hand to talk about, The Undertaker. It is almost certain that the Phenom, will return to the WWE tomorrow night. Weather it will be before or after the match is in no way confirmed. But my guess is one way or another, Kane will win, and will face his brother in a nasty feud for the World Title.

Rick's Pick: Kane

 

 

Team WWE vs The Nexus: 7 man elimination tag team match

  This match as complicated as it looks, is very simple. I see the Nexus winning because they need the push. All current members have held multiple titles, most have held multiple World Titles. Sure this match will not be a one way beating. It will most likely come down to 2 or 3 guys, but Nexus needs this win much more than team WWE does.

   There was rumors that John Cena will turn heel and join Nexus. N N N N N N NO! Nexus asked him to join 3 weeks ago and he didn't want to join then. For him to suddenly join now would be stupid and pointless...yes even for the WWE. Could Cena be a heel again? If done right definitly, but it would require the right time, and I don't think the time is now. I've said it many times before Cena is the “Hulk Hogan” of the 21st century. He is WWE's front man, and he cannot be a heel and a front man at the same time.

   Double A was on the show, and he had a great possible theory for Cena's possible heel gimmick: John Cena would become angry, so he dresses all in solid black, and become a rogue wrestler. Similar to what Sting did in WCW when he took on the “Crow” gimmick. Sting went up in the rafters, Cena would dress in black, remove his logos, and change his music. I think it would be a decent story line, do I think it's gonna happen any time soon? Not likely.

Rick's Pick: Nexus

 

Sheamus © Vs. Randy Orton(WWE Championship)

  This is Easy, I want Randy to win with an RKO. The problem is I'm not sure he will win the title. Now the real question on everyone's mind is will The Miz cash in his Money in the Bank? I highly doubt he will cash in, and make it a triple threat. So if he does, you can bank on The Miz cashing in on the winner after the match.(sorry for the bad pun...just couldn't resist it)

   Some think that The Miz will be the first to loose a Money in the Bank match. I have read the rumors, but The Miz has been on a roll as of late. And for him to be the first ever to loose a Money in The Bank match, would be a huge dent in his career. Is it possible that The Miz will walk out WWE Champion AND WWE United States Champion? I wouldn't put it past the WWE 1 second at this point.

Winner: Rick Starr Flips a coin

  Well that's it Splashers. I hope for those of you who pay the 60 bucks get your money's worth. Please feel free to post your comment's. I'm always looking for some feedback. You can also catch my news posts at www.thewrestlgamerrshow.com.

See you when I see you -Rick Starr

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Hey Splashers, it's been so busy with the “Complete” DVD reviews, that I just haven't taken any time to sit down and talk about show! I thought it was awesome to see the Sandman arrive at the Impact Zone, and what's going on in the wrestling world. Now is a good as time as any I suppose.


On Sandman's Arrival to the Impact Zone
This past week's TNA's Impact was a great he will truly put the icing on tonight's PPV. Despite how big this EV2.0 angle has been for the “ECW” fans,  just hope this PPV really is “The Last Stand”. To leave TNA wrestlers out of it, and to promo a PPV with literally no matches set up, is risky.


On Sting's Return:
When Sting returned bearing the “Wolf Pack” colors, my first thoughts were of the failure of “The Band”.  However a good friend “Drop D” made out a very good point, This is something we have not seen in over 15 years, and probably will never see again. Will  the Wolf Pack be able to capture their original glory? Most likely not. But at least...whenever the time comes, I hope the Wolf Pack will end better then “The Band” did.

On Beer Money vs Machine Guns Best of 5 Series Matches:
  Why do series matches always have to go to the very last match? Yes they were all great matches, with PPV quality. But to have Beer Money win the first 2 matches, and then have the Guns come back and win the next 2... what is there to say aside from I've seen it before. I love how they added a spin on these matches by making them specialty matches, but I told my friend Double B, on his audio show “The WrestleGamer Show” that this series would go all the way to match 5 when it started.

   What's made me a little more sick was the “best two tag teams in the world” speech by Randy Roode of Beer Money. It sounded like the EXCACT same speech 3D gave to them during their feud for the title in late 2009. It felt like someone in the back had taken the speech from 2009, and handed it to Roode to use that night.  I've heard about recycling angles..but recycling speeches?


On LayCool Co-Titles
   This past Friday I truly thought it was going to be the end of one of the worst diva angles I've seen in some time. Teddy Long had put his foot down, and said that one of the Divas could only be woman’s Champion, and one of them had to give up one of their titles.  But just as I thought thing's were about to get much better, (or as better as they can get in the WWE Diva ranks) things got horribly worse. Michelle and Layla fight over the last title, and break in half. The two overgrown teenagers, put the 2 pieces of women title together, like some friendship medallion.

   Tell me..is this supposed to be comical? Cause I don't find it funny. Other say that Laycool are supposed to be making fun of TNA's Beautiful People. In any event I find it down right pathetic. I understand that the WWE has gone TV-PG, and that's their choice, but I've seen TV-G stuff that's much more entertaining that this crap.


C.M. Punk or C.M. Manson?
CM Punk has done an  incredible job playing the role of a  heel. His characters is probably one of the more unique characters we have seen on wrestling in quite some time.  Granted there has been many factions with strong leaders, who control the others. But in the SES. Punk's character  reminds me so much of a Charles Manson type. Where in his case Punk seems to have a much more warped sense of purity, and his members are more disciples. It's kinda creepy in a “gypsy” sorta way.

On Abyss' “Girl”: Janice
  Throughout the years wrestlers have come to the ring with trade mark weapons, in hopes to spark a “pop” from the fans and to “intimidate” their opponent. HHH would bring his sledge hammer, Mick Foley: a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, and of course 3-D would “get the tables!”. However Abyss' new weapon “Janice” has got to be one of the worst weapons to date.

   For those of you who do not watch TNA, Janice is a 2-4, with REAL nails driven through it. It looks intimidating, but the biggest problem is it will never be used..not on a human anyway. This weapon would easily rip through muscle, and puncture something serious. So Knowing that Abyss will never use it, the weapon has no value.

Well that's about it for now.  As always please leave me your comments, your 2 cents or more is welcome. Also be sure to catch me over at www.wrestlegamershow.com  where I post daily wrestling tidbits. See you when I see you!   -Rick Starr

Welcome Back Splashers! This DVD We’re going to cover an older DVD The Self-Destruction Of The Ultimate Warrior.
I was a big fan of the Ultimate Warrior back when I was a kid. I Loved playing as him in the video games, and I had his pull-out’s from WWE magazine on my wall. So why am I reviewing a DVD that basicly steps all over a wrestler I loved? Good question, here’s a few to tide you over.

There has been talk about The Ultimate Warrior(Jim Helwig) being inducted into this year’s WWE Hall of Fame. The Warrior was actually offered for the HOF one time before, but money issues seemed to be the key factor from him being inducted.

For those of you who follow my blogs, You know that I recently covered Jake the Snake’s DVD: Pick Your Poison. There was a segment in his documentary where Jake talked about his feud with The Warrior, and how he acted behind the curtain. Jake actually had to ASK permission to do the feud with the Warrior. The Warrior gave him a quick yes and told him be better do his spots right, and then slammed the door in his face. Jake had been with the WWF for nearly 8 years while the Warrior had only been there for about 4. The rest of this story comes later when The Warrior blackmails Vince.

The Self-Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior

Most WWE DVD’s are 3 discs, but this 2 DVD documentary is packed full with historical matches and extra bonuses. These bonuses mostly tell stories of The Warrior behind the screen, that continued to paint a picture of what The Ultimate Warrior was really like. One of these stories was told by “Millionaire” Ted DiBiase, who was at an autograph signing with The Warrior and his former “Blade Runner” tag-team partner “Sting”. But The Warrior wanted nothing to do with either man, and would only sign autographs if he had a booth set up alone.

Enter the Warrior
In the early 80′s he was known as “Rock” of the Blade Runners. Even back then he wore the same paint face and similar arm and leg bands. He eventually parted ways with Sting, and changed his name to “The Dingo Warrior”. He actually entered the WWE under that name and wrestled a few matches until Vince decided that name wasn’t marketable. Vince eventually came up with The Ultimate Warrior.

Throughout this DVD, people like Jim Ross, Vince McMahon, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, and wrestlers from the present and past all gave their candid thoughts.. They all agree when The Ultimate Warrior first arrived his intensity and drive for success was undeniable. As Jim Ross pointed out: “He was the only wrestler who ran to the ring”. His music and entrance alone captured the audience by storm every time. The fans in the arena and at home loved the Ultimate Warrior.

“Millionaire” Ted DiBiase talked about how The Ultimate Warrior was unable to have a good match on his own. DiBiase said if The Warrior did have a good leader in the ring, then the matches needed to be short. The majority of the Warrior’s career, most of his matches lasted 1-3 minutes. He won his first Intercontinental Championship title in less that 3 Minutes at SummerSlam. He Beat The Honky Tonk Man, who was the longest reigning Champion (15 months)

From Parts Unknown
Jerry “The King” Lawler talked about the concept of being from “Parts Unknown”. Lawler said it humanized that character, The Ultimate Warrior needed to be larger than life. Christian, Edge, and even “Mean” Gene Okerlund joked about the location to “Parts Unknown”.

The Ultimate Warrior was Intercontinental Champion now, and things begin move at even more of a rapid rate. The Warrior is on almost every wrestling magazine, fans are buying Warrior products, and sales are going up. In this DVD The Only time they gave the Warrior any real compliments was as a “product” or his entrance..never as a wrestler. Even Hulk Hogan talked about how his unique character was selling to the fans.

What Did He Say?
Another issue The Ultimate Warrior had that this DVD shows, was his inability of doing an interview. Even in his first Interview with “Mean” Gene Okerlund, he cuts Gene off and starts yelling and babbling on like an idiot. So the WWE just gave him camera time to do his little “Warrior Speeches”, which was always a solo act. This DVD shows several clips of these Warrior Speeches, and I thought they were funny as hell.

Bobby “The Brain” Heenan said “He may have had a great body, great entrance, and great music,but once he hit the ring boy it was over”. Heenan and Steve Lombardi talked about how hard it was to work with him inside the ring. The Warrior would always move way too fast in his matches. Heenan talked about one time when The Ultimate Warrior was fighting Andre the Giant in a series of matches. After 2 nights of the Warrior hitting Andre too hard with the clothesline, Andre Teaches him a lesson on night 3, as the Warrior runs into an unexpected fist. He made it clear in the ring, and around the locker room that the didn’t like The Warrior.

The Ultimate Challenge
Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and “Millionaire” Ted DiBiase also did not care for The Ultimate Warrior. They both said that he had no passion for the business. He had been given everything on a platter but was never appreciative. Then the DVD goes through the highlights of the “Ultimate Challenge Feud”, between Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior.

The “Ultimate Challenge” as you all know, was Hogan’s World Title for The Ultimate Warrior’s I.C. Title at WrestleMania 6. This was the first time in WWF history both titles would be at stake. Another “ first” was having two “ baby-face” wrestlers face each other. Lastly, Ultimate Warrior was very first to beat Hulk Hogan clean. To this day it is one of the most historical feuds in WWF/WWE history.

Many people in the WWE believe when The Ultimate Warrior beat Hulk Hogan, Hogan passed the torch to The Warrior. The Ultimate Warrior’s career’s had peaked, but his ego was about to into overdrive. Vince McMahon expected The Warrior to be the face of the WWE for the next 10 to 12 years, but The Warrior series of events would keep him from that destiny.

True Colors:
The DVD quickly goes over the “Macho King” Randy Savage Vs. Ultimate Warrior feud at WrestleMania 7.The Match is for Ultimate Warrior’s Title over Savage’s Career. It was another big win at WrestleMania.

The Ultimate Warrior next feud was with Sgt Slaughter who was playing a heel this tine round. He a was playing the role of an Iranian deserter type , and had 2 Iranian comrades. Warrior had fought him several times, and it was supposed to end at SummerSlam. Warrior was to team up with Hogan, and Slaughter was teaming up with one of his guys. Right before the match The Warrior Blackmails Vince McMahon for a disclosed amount of money. He Told him if he didn’t pay him right there, right now he would not wrestle. Vince paid The Warrior, but fired him the second he got out back with Vince. Vince even told him why he was firing him.

The Ultimate Warrior was gone. Many thought he would never return to the WWE. However The Warrior returned 1 year later, but he looked much different. His hair was cut short, and it was no longer frosted blonde. Also his muscles wasn’t as cut. He looked completely different. At the time there were several rumors about The real Ultimate Warrior being dead. That was of course just a rumor. As I fast forward over the next few years, The Ultimate Warrior continues to miss random events. The Warrior seemed to be more and more about himself as he kept returning. The WWF would help promote his “Warrior” Magazine, and he even opened up “The Warrior Academy”. He would spend more time plugging his products than entertaining the fans. The last straw was around 7/96 when The Warrior was gone for 10 days because of a family emergency. This would be the last time The Ultimate Warrior would be seen on WWE TV, but “The Warrior” would have one more chapter to write…

O.W.N.:One Warrior Nation
Two years would pass and, during that time Jim Helwig would legally change his name to “The Warrior”. It was another opportunity for his peers to gawk at him and his awkward behavior. During the same time the WWE was in a fierce war with WCW. To this day they are known as “The Monday Night Wars”, and is the biggest battle between two wrestling companies in history. The WCW was stealing every WWE/WWF talent they could get to get ahead in ratings, and eventually crush the WWE. In hopes to push ratings further they signed The Warrior in 1998, because he was still a big fan attraction.

Just like in the WWF, The Warrior had some of the most incredible entrances, with over the top pyro, and even a “Warrior” spotlight. However just like the WWF, once he got in the ring to do a promo it was all over. The Warrior had not learned a single thing from his two year hiatus. On the night he debuted, when he confronted Hulk Hogan who was still leading the N.W.O. With Eric Bichoff, The ratings were expected to go through the roof. However as “Mean” Gene Okerlund pointed out, the ratings sunk. Hulk Hogan and Eric Bichoff also recalled that night, and both agreed The Warrior would just go on, and on, and on.

I remember thinking when The Warrior arrived in WCW “he won’t last”. I thought this at the time only, because he spent the majority of his TV time doing promo’s. He only had 3 matches and none of them were any good. Even his “rematch” with Hulk Hogan at Halloween Havoc was a hack job. Shortly after Halloween Havoc, The Warrior was gone from WCW. According to Eric Bichoff, they were hoping to sign him for a 2-3 year contract, however he was asking for an insane amount of money. Once again, the Warrior fell off the radar, this time there may be no return nor redemption for The
Ultimate Warrior…

Many believe that this DVD is a personal bashing of The Warrior’s character. Jim Helwig(aka The Warrior) is surely for one. I believe you reap what you sew. The bad wrestling, and interviews, is not why The Warrior went up in flames, and his peers “helped” by throwing gas on the fire. The Warrior obviously had no passion for the business called “professional wrestling”. He got the biggest prize handed to him, and treated his peers like crap.

I went to his site, where he post his blogs, where he rambles on about politics and religion. I tried to read some of them but they made about as much sense as some of his promos in the 80′s I think Edge said it perfectly: “I think the tassels on his arm were tied too tight, that it cut off circulation to his brain.”

If you were a fan of The Ultimate Warrior, I’m not sure how to judge this DVD for you. While the bonus matches themselves show some of his most historical (and better) matches Honky Tonk Man for I.C. Title, Rick Rude in a Steel Cage for World Title, Macho Man (Career vs Title), and several others. But the documentary as you have read, shows you another side of a wrestler you have never seen. Despite this DVD, and despite The Warrior’s actions behind the curtain, no one can deny that “The Ultimate Warrior” will be one of the biggest names in wrestling history.

Ad-zooloo-get-started-wide

   Ever since the “ECW Group” now known as “EV 2.0” has set foot in TNA, they have been cheered and scrutinized by fans, bloggers, and wrestlers alike. And as always yours truly has to put in his two-cents on biggest topics.


 

  I'll be honest with you from the start, I was never a true hard-core ECW fan. Back when they started well over a decade ago, I didn't know half the names in the roster. Hell who am I kidding I barely knew ANY of them. Rob Van Dam, Taz, Sandman, and maybe even Dreamer. And of course you can never forget the man with the baseball cap & pony-tail...Paul Heyman. Now even though I may not have watched every hard-core show, I've seen enough, it's been engrained in my memories for the rest of my life.


 

  Now Like many I thought it was a big mistake for the WWE to purchase ECW. Perhaps Heyman hot the better end of the deal financially, considering ECW was going under and couldn't find a stable TV show at the time. Although they did put out a great “One Night Stand” PPV, the WWE eventually turned the ECW into another limp WWE product, and sadly the name of ECW went under, never to be seen for what it was ever again.


 

  So here we are at present day. Some believe that things should have been left alone at One Night Stand. Take former ECW wrestler Lance Storm. He was offered to Wrestle at the TNA PPV, but outright refused. He hung up his boots at One Night Stand, and in his latest statement he has no plans on putting them back on. Another wrestler, former ECW Champion: Mikey Whipwreck said that the only time their “Bingo Hall Company gets called for use is when another business is in the toilet”. This was before the public heard about his MRI scheduled on his neck. I personally think Whipwreck has a case of sour grapes if you ask me.


 

  The majority of bloggers have posted negative thoughts on the reunion of ECW From most of their views, this just is another “last desperate attempt” to get quick ratings. TNA has been “blogger bashed” for bringing in “older/WWE talent” like Scott Hall, Jeff Hardy, Ric Flair, and even Hulk Hogan and Eric Bichoff. I say LAY OFF! Sure some of this stuff won't work, but you need big time names to put over your younger talent. This company is only 8 years old, their going to make mistakes. What's great about TNA is they know when they made a mistake, unlike WWE who just keeps going and going and going.(ex. Raw Guest Host & Mystery G.M.)


 

  As for the fans at ringside, they don't seem to be to upset at ECW reunion. Every night they show up on TNA, the fans go ballistic! Now maybe they are coached into chanting, but they have no problems following along. You could call them sheep, or you could call them hard core ECW & TNA fans. I choose to pick the latter.
 

  As for my thought's on EV2.0: First off the name SUCKS. Sorry guys, but even I could have come up with a better name. The Hardcore Legion, The Hardcore Clan, ect something like that. EV2.0 sounds like a Motorcycle Engine. Anyway. I myself am glad that they did come to TNA. I've always said that TNA is the Attitude Era of the 21st century, and this is where hardcore wrestling belongs. Now do I think that EV2.0 should be a permanent group in TNA? No, for 1 maybe 2 PPV's and then I'd like to see the majority of them leave, with hardcore matches still being done by the rest of the TNA roster.


 

  I can honestly see a second PPV, because “They” have not revealed themselves yet. So it would not surprise me if they squeezed a 2nd ppv out of this PPV reunion. So long as it's done right, I got no complaints.


 

  That's it for this one. As always if you have any comment's (positive or negative) please feel free to post them. For those of you who liked my blogs, please take time out and become a follower of my blog. See you when I see you.                       -Rick Starr

 Welcome slashers! To a special DVD double header that features two of the biggest wrestling names that came out of the WWF in the 1980's: Jake “The Snake” Roberts and “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Both of these DVD's do have some shelf life on them, but I myself have not seen them so with all my DVD's I'm gonna watch em' and tell you what I think!  

  We first start off with Jake “The Snake” Roberts in: Pick Your Poison This is a typical 3 DVD set. The first being a documentary, and the other two being a collection of matches. To be honest I rented both of these on my Nextflix, because I could not find either of these in a local store. Most of these WWE documentaries run between $20.00 and $25.00, and I can easily assume that's what these cost.

  The DVD starts of with “Thieves of Dreams”, A very dark poem written by Jake Roberts about thievery. And this is even before the old global WWF logo starts. This Documentary is nearly 3 hours long (2 hours 41minutes)  

  Jake starts off by talking about the hard times growing up as a child. From being raised by his grandparents, to having a father on the road year round wrestling, and loosing his grandmother at an early age. He did eventually try to move in with his father, and then mother, But a lot of damage had already been done, and the wall was built around him. Jake then went on to talk about the abuse and death of his sister. Jake's first match was a referee down in Baton Rouge. Jake talked about how hard it was to initially get into wrestling because of how big his father (“Grizzly” Smith) was in wrestling at the time. When Jake did decide to go into wrestling his father told him he would not amount to anything in wrestling. That's when Jake decided to shove the business of wrestling up his ass..and he did.     

  During the 70s, Jake wrestled across the country in several organizations like many wrestlers did. He talked about how he created the DDT. His finishing move was a Knee Lift back then, when one night a wrestler screwed up the move, and Jake fell on top of his opponent. He has unwittingly created the DDT.

   Animal of LOD talked about rooming with Jake and all the Jack Daniels he drank. Animal if there was no harder roommate than Jake Roberts. Jake said that he used drugs and alcohol to deal with handling the open road.   

  Robert's Won his first title against Georgia Championship Wrestling Ronny Garvin. It was a TV Title, and it aired on TBS. However his glory was short lived as the WWF was quickly buying up Wrestling companies. Jake was foolish and told the WWF no as he was loyal to the company that started his career. Several months later after matches were hard to find, Jake changed his mind and he was eventually with the WWF. As Jake entered the WWF “The Snake” gimmick was in full force. From the ominous music, to the snake pants, and to of course Damien his python in the bag. Jake's python would get a pop from the fans every time. Another big thing that helped “The Snake” gimmick was “The Snake Pit Talk show.  

   Jake Roberts and several others talked about the historical feuds he had in the WWE. Honky Tonk Man, The late Andre “The Giant”, “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, and the late “Ravishing” Rick Rude. But his greatest feud would still be with drugs and alcohol. Jake would have a heavy night-life, get very little sleep, pop pain killers or “whatever he could get his hands on”, and walk in the door ready to be 110% for the show. But the candle he burned at both ends was quickly becoming ash, as the abuse was getting way out of control.   

  Throughout the interview alone there is some excellent WWF historical moments. From his matches in WrestleMania 3, to when Damien was crushed by Earthquake, and highlights with the Undertaker/Warrior feud. Jake even talks about the issues behind that controversial feud. He also talked about his leaving the WWF for a short run in WCW. How he retired, but the returned to the WWF at the Royal Rumble, as well as other parts of his career.    

  The theme of this documentary was Jake's addiction to drugs and alcohol, as they continue to weave back and fourth into this subject. Overall it was a great documentary, with a lot of top names such as Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon giving candid opinions throughout. If you are a fan of Jake “The Snake” Roberts, then I can honestly say this 3 hour documentary is worth the 20-25 bucks alone. I would but it in a second.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

WWE Macho Madness:The Randy Savage Ultimate Collection 

  What a piece of junk! First of the DVD is hosted by Matt Stryker and Maria who stay in character the whole DVD. I figured they would have had a documentary on the 1st DVD but nope. It's just Stryker and Maria acting like idiots in between matches. The first DVD was 84minutes, I dont think I put up with more than 30 minutes of it.They didn't Mention that Elizabeth had past away. I'm a huge Macho fan, but I wouldn't pay 5 pucks for that...well maybe but I'd have to jump over the Stryker/Maria Ottakes.

That's it for now. See you when I see you -Rick Starr

 

 Welcome back to the Blog Splash. I have two more DVD's later in the week to review. Sort of a “Double Header” if you catch my drift. Well enough games. Lets get on with the review of : The Stranger starring Steve Austin.   

  The movie opened up showing flashbacks of our star living happier memories with friends and family. Then while the credits are still rolling we see a long-haired homeless man, with a beard being gunned down by two men in mask. The bearded bum soon disarms both men, and eventually gets away.  

  Steve Austin's Character Plays an FBI Informant who at sometime before the movie suffered severe amnesia, and cannot remember his own identity, so he continues to make up new ones. He is being hunted by the FBI to get some valuable information he has locked in his brain, The Russian Mob, and a beautiful doctor, who will do anything to gain his trust and help him restore his memory.  

  But Evil Lurk around every corner some just want to kill him, before he unlocks the riddles in his head, and others want to kill him after the door is open. This movie is a rat-race in the dark with bullets flying. And as he comes closer to the truth, he finds himself wondering if he might be happier in the dark. This movie had a lot of obvious turnouts. However for a “straight-to-DVD flick”, I thought it was a great movie, with a lot of action, and cool ending that did leave an opening for a possible better sequel. I love how Austin, is evolving on the screen.  

  His movies are getting better and better, and he always stays true to his character. I caught a glimpse of his next movie: The Expendables: He'll be working with top names such as: Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Former UFC Champion: Randy Coture will even play a role in this star-packed movie along with several others. This movie is set to be released this theaters August 13th. Plays apart of a mercenary crew, and they go out for one last job they were not expected to finish. For a full preview with trailers you can checkout the following link:

http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=50319

That's It's For now! See You When I See You!   -Rick Starr

 

 Since I started posting my blogs over at www.wrestlegamershow.com I haven't posted a news blog here in some time. I am currently working on several different projects over the next few weeks. In the upcoming days I be will do several DVD reviews. The First movie will be Steve Austin's new movie: The Stranger. The next DVD will be “WWE's The Randy Savage Collection”. I got a bigger project that I'm slowly working on, but I'll probably sit on for a few weeks. Well enough promoting, let's jump into the splash!

What a Monday night RAW!

What an exceptional Monday Night RAW! Probably one of the better RAW's I've watched in several months. It's amazing what happens when they don't have a guest host! The opening triple threat #1 contender's match between Jericho, Edge, and Orton was PPV quality! It really set the tone of the night.
 

The Ending was just as great. For weeks there was rumors that Cena was going to join and lead the Nexus. I didn't believe any of the rumors, although towards the end of the show I began to second-guess myself. However When Cena offically made “Team Cena” I knew there was no chance of him jumping ship. There has been rumors that HHH could return as leader of the Nexus. That's much more foreseeable as HHH has lead groups in the past, and makes a much better heel.


 

*TNAWrestlingnews.com is reporting that Christopher Daniels is still on the TNA active roster, and is believed to be only a matter of time before he is returned to television. Daniels was “fired” earlier this year during the “Feast or Fired” PPV when he opened up the “Fired” brief case.
 

*Ed Ferrara was released from TNA. TNA officals are keeping things quiet about the release, and no one at TNA has commented on the matter. Some sites are indicating that money was the reasoning for his release. With Ferrara being fired, many believe that this will increase the work load on Vince Russo.
 

*Former WWE Diva Nora Greenwald (aka Molly Holly) will be getting married soon. You can readd the full details of her incredible story at

http://www.presspubs.com/articles/2010/07/21/white_bear_press/news/doc4c461f5508850811901173.txt

 

The Viper on Twitter

Randy Orton opened up his own twitter page yesterday at http://twitter.com/RealRKOrton . His first tweet has via iphone: “John you got me interested. So here I am.......now what LOL” For those of you who are wondering, yes he is talking about John Cena. Apparently Cena had been pushing Orton to get a twitter page. Cena even posted on his Twitter page: “The Viper lurks [Orton] is seriously considering joining soon!”


 

When Cena retires from the ring, if for some reason the movie scene doesn't work out he could make a killing in sales. No pun intended of course.

 


 

*According to Scott Hall's Twitter page, Scott Hall is now home from rehab and is feeling much better.


 

Dreamer Lets the Cat Out of the Bag?

Tommy Dreamer recently posted this on his Twitter page : @THEREALTOMMYDREAMER: "@reallisamarie I legit thought u were talking about bras. Why r u wearing all black to train? Livin the gimmick Brother I mean sister.". As many of you know reallismarie is Tara's Twitter page. It's greatly believed by many that Tara is returning to TNA, and that she was in fact the mystery woman on the motorcycle. Still It's all just speculation at this time, as nothing is confirmed.


 

Downfall Season 1 Finishes up

Tonight is the season finale of Downfall hosted by Chris Jericho. Downfall was supposed to have 6 show, but they edited to a 5 show season. The show had a bad start, as ratings were lower than expected, and slowly dropped as the season went on.


 

For the record the game show wasn't that bad, I just think they had it on a bad day, and more importantly a bad season(summer). If they had moved the show to Wednesday nights, and waited till the fall to start the series they might have gotten more viewers. Chris Jericho However surprised me as a game show host. I think he did an outstanding job for what he had on the table, and I could see him doing other game shows if the price is right. (sorry for the bad pun)


 

New World Champion: Kane!

I know were going to talk about this tonight on DoubleB's JustinTV Talk show tonight(Wednesday) at 8:00pm EST. But I need to talk about this here and now for myself. WOW! Kane has finally won a Money in the Bank match! More importantly he is now World Champion, and I can honestly say is no one else on the Smackdown roster that I can think who deserves it more than Kane right now. Kane has done so many incredible storylines over the past several years, and was passed over for a world title reign.


 

True they have always given Kane his spots of dominance over the years, but a world title around his waist truly defines that dominance. However giving him that title may have been for a darker purpose. Over the past several weeks during the Undertaker's “vegetative state”, DoubleB has teased the question, could Kane have done that to his brother? I myself though about the idea, but quickly shrugged it off. However know that Kane has the World title, I am starting to second guess the option.


 

This is a possible theory: Undertaker was on his way to Fatal 4 Way, Kane takes him out and puts him in the “Vegetative state”. Kane tries to take his place in the Fatal 4 Way, but Rey Mysterio gets in, and wins the Title. During this time Kane searches high and low for everybody and anybody who doesn't have an alibi, but even the biggest heels come up clean. Money in the Bank: Kane finally wins a Money in the Bank match, and cashes it in on Rey Mysterio...the same person who took The Undertaker's place. My guess is Undertaker will show up at or right before SummerSlam and expose Kane's true colors. Then the two will fight eventually for the World Championship.


 

Well that's it for this edition. Please feel free to post any and all comments. If you have any suggestions on a topic you would like me to blog about, again, please post them in comments.

See you when I see you. -Rick Starr

www.rickstarrblogsplash.zooloo.com

 


 


 

    It will be almost 3 years since Chris Benoit Murdered his wife and son, and then took his own life. Now many feel that this is a touchy subject, but this blog does not just do the nice and easy blogs..it does the hard ones too. I was a huge fan of Chris Benoit for many years, and I still have a WCW 4-Horsemen  T-Shirt which I still wear.  In my opinion one of the greatest moments in WWE history was when Benoit won the WWE title in WrestleManaia 20. However I was mortified when I learned Benoit had done to himself, and more so to his wife and son. Every time I put on that T-Shirt, every time I hear his name I always ask myself: Do I choose to remember the man that gave me so much memories in the ring? Or do I despise the man behind the curtain, that not even his closest friends apparently did not even know?

  I watched several videos on Youtube surrounding Benoit's death. Several wrestlers from the present and the past spoke about the tragedy. From top current like  Chris Jericho and John Cena, to Hall of Fame-rs like Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart. While several only knew him on a professional level only, many had known him personally for decades, but all were in agreement on one thing: Chris Benoit was the last person in the world they would ever have suspected to do something like this. They also agreed that Benoit was a quiet person, who didn't complain about any personal problems. Bret Hart knew him since he trained in “The Dungeon”, and called Benoit a “shut in case” who always “kept his private matters private”.
 

  The Benoit Tragedy was clouded in controversy. Brain damage, steroids, and marital problems were the top three issues. Here I will cover all three, and see which one I believe is the reason this terrible tragedy occurred. Finally, I will talk about the WWE's “blackout” of Chris Benoit, and if I think that's appropriate.

The following info and a lot more on the Chris Benoit Tragedy can be found at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Benoit_double_murder_and_suicide

The Steroid “Roid Rage”  Theory
  Benoit had purchased both steroids and human growth hormones over the internet from two different companies. WWE attorney stated on Larry King Live, that Chris Benoit received frequent drug test, and was clean of steroids up to a week before his death.  Elevated levels of testosterone cypionate were found in his urine, and no artificial steroids were found in his body.

  Also the chain of events that occurred over that fateful weekend, did not show any sign of  “rage”. It was a span of two days to kill his wife and then his son. In between he called WWE superstar Eddie Guerrero, and told him he was going to be late, because he overslept. Guerrero was  concerned about Benoit's “tone and demeanor", but that was the last time he would ever hear from Benoit again. Benoit made one other call to change flight plans. Lastly he put one bible each by his wife and son before taking his own life.

  Benoit snapped, no doubt about it.  I doubt “roid rage” had anything to do with this. Was the initial act out of rage or anger? Absolutely, but I think after that first act in his mind, there was no turning back.


Brain Damage
  Chris Benoit's family is trying to make sense of this senseless act. Julian Bailes of the Sports Legacy Institute, showed that Benoit's brain was severely damaged, and resembled that of an 85 year Alzheimer patient. Bailes and his research team say that the damage to Benoit's brain is from years of head concussions, while wrestling.  Bales and his team suggest that repeated  trauma can cause dementia, which causes severe behavior problems problems.  Bailes  stated: "There is a constant theme in the failure of their personal lives, their business lives, depression and then ultimately suicide."

  As I said before, all of Benoit's peer's, and closest friends had stated that they never would have expected this from Benoit. Chris Jericho, a long time friend of Benoit stated that if you put Chris in a line with a bunch of other guys, he would be the last one you you would pick. He also said that he knew if he was ever in a clinch where he needed someone to watch his kids, again he could depend on Benoit.

  I watched Chris Benoit's last televised match on WWE's ECW on Tuesday Nights. He was fighting Elijah Burke in the  ECW Championship semi-finals to go onto Vengeance:Night of Champions. I watched that match several times from beginning to end several times, and he was the Chris Benoit in the ring that I have always loved. He won that match, the ECW Title was in his grasp.  I do not doubt Julian Bales findings. However Benoit was obviously able to keep things together on a professional level, so I doubt it was brain damage.

Marital Problems
    The family argued over their son's alleged Fragile Syndrome X. When his son Daniel's body was brought in, they discovered needle marks in his arm.. It is believed that someone in the family was giving him the growth hormones. However, they were unable to test for the drug, as there was no urine in his body. While everyone has assumed it is Chris Benoit that was allegedly giving his child the drugs, it is to this date not proven as to who might have administered the drugs. However with Benoit ordering the drugs, and with the double murder/suicide no one is looking further than Chris Benoit.

    In 2003 Benoit's wife filed for divorce and sought protection for domestic abuse. Details of the abuse are sketchy, there was some reports that Benoit was verbally abusive, and he would also tend to break furniture. The restraining order was eventually dropped, and things were quiet for four years.

   Fayette County Sheriff's Office released papers that Nancy was considering leaving Chris Benoit in late June of 2007. Apparently she suspected Benoit of having an affair with one of the WWE divas. Pamela Hildebrand Clark, a close friend of Nancy Benoit testified in an affidavit:  "She told me to promise her that if anything ever happened to her, make sure that Chris was investigated. She said she had a bad feeling that something was going to happen, and she just couldn't shake it."

  There was obviously major problems within the marriage. Out of the three theories, this is the only one that comes close to making any sense of the madness.  A Father wants to say it's Brain Damage and blame the WWE for all the head trauma. The media immediately pointed to “roid rage” as its always a hot topic in sports.  And the WWE quickly erased almost every memory of Chris Benoit in the WWE. 

WWE Blackout of Chris Benoit
   Out of all the issues surrounding this terrible tragedy, this issue is one of the biggest debates amongst all wrestling fans alike. Many believe that despite his actions outside the ring, he should be honored and remembered for what he did inside the ring. Some would even go as far as to say he should be entered in the WWE Hall of Fame. I have to admit for a long time,  was one of those people who just wanted to forget what Benoit did with the petty excuses of brain damage, and just remember him as the “Rabid Wolverine” in the ring that I loved. But as I took this journey and looked deeper into this case, I saw the other side of Chris Benoit I didn't want to see.

   After I covered the info for this blog, I went back to watch some of Chris Benoit's greatest matches in WCW and the WWE.  I wanted to know if I could watch those matches with fond memories. To my surprise I found that I could, but once the matches were over, I reverted back to remembering what he done. So Do I think Benoit should be entered in the Hall of Fame? No, what he did is inexcusable, and he doesn't deserved to be honored for that. Do I think the WWE should have done a “blackout” like the way they have. No,  I think by doing that, they only caused more controversy, and it's the fans choice to choose weather they want to remember him for what he did or not.

   But it's not like Benoit's matches are hard to find. As I said I watched several hours of his best and rarest matches. I even watched the classic “Best of 7 Series” against Booker T in WCW for the TV Title. Benoit Definitely could have been a Hall of Famer. On a performance level, I put him right up there with the likes of Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Micheals, and The Undertaker. Even on his last match, Taz called Chris Benoit “A Future  Hall of Famer”.  I just wish that Benoit and his family got the help they needed so we could see him get get it.

                                     http://rickstarrblogsplash.com            -Rick Starr    

 

 
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rickstarrblogsplash.zooloo.com
Ive been a wrestling fan since I was about 10. I can remeber watching my first WrestleManania (In Closed Circit Television) at the Boston Gardens and I had a blast! thats right I had to PAY to go to an arena to watch WrestleManaia on a large screen. Thank god for cable!
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