TWA Remembers Mitsuharu Misawa

Mitsuharu Misawa passed away on June 13, 2009, in Hiroshima, Japan when he lost consciousness after taking a backdrop in a tag team match. Misawa never came around and was pronounced dead at the hospital at 10:10 p.m. JST that night. Days later, his death was attributed to spinal damage caused by the move. He was 46.
Mitsuharu Misawa started his career as a promising amateur wrestler, placing fifth in his age group at the 1980 freestyle World Championships. Shortly after, due to his dislike of amateur wrestling, he pursued a career in professional wrestling, a growing sport in Japan. In 1978, he had visited Jumbo Tsuruta, a Japanese wrestling star, at the All Japan Pro Wrestling offices who told him to finish high school before joining the pro wrestling circuit. In 1981, he was trained by puroresu (name for pro wrestling in Japan) legend and All Japan Pro Wrestling owner Shohei "Giant" Baba and gaijin stars (foreign wrestlers in Japan) "The Destroyer" Dick Beyer and Dory Funk Jr. On August 21, 1981, he made his in-ring debut in Urawa, Japan, against Shiro Koshinaka. Then in 1984, he was awarded the Puroresu Award for Rookie of the Year. He continued to work on the Japanese circuit waiting for his break when he and Koshinaka were sent by AJPW to EMLL, the leading lucha libre in Mexico where he competed as Kamikaze Misawa on a tag team with Koshinaka who competed as Samurai Shiro. Later that year, he returned to All Japan where he was given a new gimmick, Tiger Mask II. The original Tiger Mask had left pro wrestling and Misawa was chosen as his predecessor when AJPW bought the rights to the character from rival promotion New Japan Pro Wrestling. The following year, he was moved to the heavyweight division by AJPW management, a move disapproved by many.
In 1990, top AJPW Genichiro Tenryu had decided to leave the company and left a void in the main event. With that Misawa had the opportunity of a lifetime. On May 14, 1990, he teamed with Toshiaki Kawada to face Yoshiaki Yatsu and Hiromichi Fuyuki. During the match he commanded his partner Kawada to unmask him, thus abandoning the Tiger Mask gimmick. Then a month later on June 8, he got his first major singles victory since his unmasking by pinning the Tsuruta, a top AJPW star. This was also the first match in which Misawa wore green, in tribute to one of his idols, the late German wrestler Horst Hoffman. In 1992, Tsuruta fell ill with severe liver problems caused by a Hepatitis B infection, and his career was virtually over, making Misawa the main star in All Japan. On August 22, 1992, he became the AJPW Triple Crown Champion, the company's highest honor, for the first tim when he defeated Stan Hansen in Tokyo, Japan.
Also during Misawa's rise to fame, he had formed a tag team with Toshiaki Kawada that resulted in several titles and accolaids, such as winning the World's Strongest Tag Team League. By 1993, though, the group had broken up. Their breaking-up and ineveitable feud lead to one of the biggest power struggles in puroresu's history. The feud would come to be between the Shitenno Puroresu, or Four Heavenly Kings of Pro Wrestling. Misawa, Kawada, Akira Taue, and Kenta Kobashi would take their feud all over Japan for many years. No one outside the Kings would hold the Triple Crown Misawa's second reign in 1995 until Vader's victory four years later. From 1994 to 2000, Misawa would win the Triple Crown five times for a total 1,799 days, a thousand days more than Kawada who has held it second most for 743 days.
On January 31, 1999, Giant Baba, owner, founder, and booker of AJPW, passed away and left Misawa the role of head booker. However, tensions began to arise that year between Misawa and Baba's widow Motoko. The struggle reached its climax with Misawa's decision to leave the company in April 2000 (every April, all AJPW contracts were up for negotiation). His decision to depart from the promotion was followed by his decision to open up his very own company. Once Misawa decided to leave All Japan, he was followed by all AJPW natives excluding Masanobu Fuchi and Kawada. His promotion Pro Wrestling NOAH, named for the wrestlers' exodus, debuted on August 5, 2000.
Since 2000, NOAH has grown to become one of the two biggest promotions in Japan along with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Misawa held the Global Honored Crown Heavyweight Title (NOAH's top singles honor) three times and the GHC Tag Team Titles twice with Yoshinari Ogawa. In 2007, Misawa made two appearances for Ring of Honor Wrestling in 2007. Earlier this year, Misawa, along with partner Go Shiozaki, won the Global Tag League in NOAH.
Misawa's death comes as a complete shock to the entire wrestling industry. With over twenty-eight years experience, he was still at the top of his game, competing for NOAH's top honors. In his journey through pro wrestling, Mitsuharu Misawa left a large mark on the business. His influence has been felt by wrestlers of all paths, espeacially those in puroresu, a sport he helped keep alive during its slow period in the 1990's. His impact will also be felt by anyone who recognizes the Pro Wrestling NOAH logo. He isn't known as the Standard Bearer of Future Generations for no reason. Rest in peace Mitsuharu Misawa. フレッシュな運命を楽しんでください.

News + Notes (4/4-4/10)

- After losing his Intercontinental Championship at Wrestlemania 25, JBL announced on Monday that he has wrestled his final match. It had been a rumor for weeks that JBL would be hanging up the boots. Also, John Layfield revealed that since his final match couldn't be against the late Eddie Guerrero, that he wanted to retire to Eddie's good friend Rey Mysterio Jr, the man who beat JBL for the IC Title on Sunday.
- When asked by the Baltimore Sun on if she would join TNA, Torrie Wilson responded, "No. Nothing against TNA, but WWE is where you would want to be in that industry." On her possible return: "...You know, I get anxiety going to visit my mom on a plane now because I was just traveling so much before [laughs.] So the thought of being gone even one day a week doesn't sound like something I'd want to do."
- TNA star Kevin Nash is reportedly angered over Eric Bischoff calling him "Big Lazy" in a recent interview.
- Ayako Hamada, Japanese female star and daughter of legend Gran Hamada, has signed on with TNA to join the Knockouts division. Hamada, a former protege of Joshi legend Aja Kong, has ARISON, AAA, the Ito Dojo, and briefly WWE. Her last match on the Japenese circuit is scheduled for April 19th.
- The death of Andrew "Test" Martin, former WWE and TNA star, has been ruled an accidental oxycodone overdose.
- Beginning tonight, Jim Ross will assume the color commentary role on Friday night Smackdown. This is ocurring becuase of Tazz's decision to not re-sign with WWE last week. On Tuesday, Josh Matthews took the play-by-play role on ECW which moves his predecessor Todd Grisham to play-by-play on Smackdown, the job JR had taken. These assignments could change after the draft on Monday. Nothing is official.
- Yesterday, Hulk Hogan returned to the courtroom. His plea was to ban his estranged wife Linda's boyfriend Charlie Hill from driving his vehicles. With evidence from a previous employer, Hogan cites the reason as Hill being drunk and stoned frequently. No verdict was reached.
- Sylvan Grenier is opening a wrestling school in Montreal.
- Although DirecTV lists him as the announcer for the new WWE program Superstars, former WWE employee Kevin Kelly denies involvement.
- TNA, as of last night, has started teasing the arrival of a former World Champion who has previously appeared in another company. I speculate it is either Tazz or Rob Van Dam.
- Ric Flair's reason for his recent ROH work as been confirmed as a deed of solidifying a spot for his son Reid in the promotion.
- It is now being reported top ROH draw Bryan Danielson will not be signing another contract with the company.
- Ratings:
4/2 Impact: 1.3 rating
4/3 Smackdown: 1.9 rating
4/6 Monday Night Raw: 3.9 rating, 5.9 million viewers
4/7 ECW: 1.26 rating
Hall of Fame Ceremony: 1.8 rating

ROH Report for April 9

- Tonight, Ring of Honor will tape another episode for their show Ring of Honor Wrestling which airs Saturday nights on HDNet. The show debuted on March 21, 2009, and this weekend's episode will be the fourth of the series. Matches slated for the show are Austin Aries Vs. Roderick Strong, Bryan Danielson Vs. Tyler Black, and Kevin Steen/El Generico Vs. Kenny King/Rhett Titus. The biggest event, though, will be Ric Flair's appearance, which will be his first in the company and at The Arena, tonight's taping site which is widely known as the ECW Arena. It has been rumored hat this is one of many scheduled ROH appearances for the "Nature Boy." Tomorrow night, tapings will continue when two more episodes will be filmed. Matches planned are ROH Tag Team Champions Steen/Generico against The American Wolves (Eddie Edwards/Davey Richards), The Age of the Fall (Jimmy Jacobs/Brodie Lee) vs. Necro Butcher/Delirious, and Chris Hero Vs. Eddie Kingston. Other than the wrestlers listed previously, also said to appear will be ROH World Champion Jerry Lynn, Nigel McGuinness, Jay Briscoe, Brent Albright, Colt Cabana, Claudio Castagnoli, Kenny Omega, and the Dark City Fight Club.
- This Saturday night on Ring of Honor Wrestling:
Austin Aries Vs. Kenny Omega, Delirious Vs. Ernie Osiris, a SHIMMER tag team match, and Jerry Lynn Vs. Brodie Lee in the main event.
- As reported by the Wrestling Observer, Bryan Danielson's contract with Ring of Honor ends in May. Once his contract does expire, he plans to travel to Thailand for extensive training. Recently, he has been training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas several hours a day.
- After taunting ROH Tag Champs Steen and Generico for weeks on the Canadian sports station RDS, Sylvan Grenier has confirmed the American Wolves as his partners to combat the Champions and their partner selection Bryan Danielson when ROH returns to Montreal on April 17th.
- ROH's "Buy 3, Get 1 Free" DVD sale continues on rohwrestling.com until Friday morning.
- Mike Quackenbush returns to ROH on May 8th in Boston and on May 9th in Edison.
- ROH will be in Dayton on April 24th. Matches include Chris Hero, and his "loaded elbow", versus Colt Cabana and ROH World Champion Jerry Lynn defending his belt against Roderick Strong. Also, just added, Claudio Castagnoli, Brent Albright, Matt Cross, and Rasche Brown will compete in a Four Corner Survival match.
- ROH returns to Chicago on April 25th. Matches include a three-way pitting Claudio Castagnoli, Jimmy Jacobs, and Roderick Strong against each other and another World Title defense when Colt Cabana, the hometown favorite, tries to dethrone Champion Jerry Lynn.
- Visit www.myspace.com/larrysweeney for ROH manager Larry Sweeney's repsonse to recent claims of his disappearance due to depression.
- For more news click on the ROH logo located in the sidebar.

ECW Review for April 7

Review:
-Show begins with Matt Striker and Josh Matthews who is returning to live broadcasts after Tazz left quietly last week. Apparently, Todd Grisham is temporarily on Smackdown with "Good Ole JR."
- ECW General Manager Theodore Long comes out (*Note: He should bring back his old catchphrase,"That's tabernacle" because well.....that's tabernacle!) He addresses Vickie Guerrero's decision to stay on RAW and the void as General Manager she leaves on Smackdown. As could be expected, he then said he was moving to Smackdown with his assistant GM Tiffany taking over the reigns on ECW. Out comes the new GM Tiffany followed by ECW Champion Jack Swagger. He basically says 'don't mess with me.' She says that he might not be here after the draft (how could she possibly know that), and that he should be worried about the next challenger for his ECW strap. Tiffany furthered by saying that an "elimination chase" would be conducted to determine his challenger at Backlash (*Note: the "chase" consists of a four way, three way, and one-on-one matches, each occuring in consecutive weeks with the loser getting eliminated, the winner of the final match is the challenger.) The "chase" compeitors are as follows: Finlay, Tommy Dreamer, Mark Henry, and Christian.
- The Colons (Carlito and Primo) and Evan Bourne def. Tyson Kidd, The Miz, and John Morrison in 14 minutes. Bourne hit the "Shooting Star Press" on Kidd for the win. It was a solid match and Bourne/Kidd is a nice match that you would actually expect to take place in ROH not WWE. Unified Tag Champs The Colons edged out Miz & Morrison for the third straight time.
- Main Event: "Elimination Chase": In around 10 minutes, Mark Henry was eliminated from the chase by Finlay who advances along with Christian and Dreamer. Finaly decked Henry with the shillelagh to get the pin. Decent match that served its purpose. A three-way will be the main event next week.
Reaction: Overall a nice, round show. Matthews' return on live vocals was quite good. They've got him with Striker who fits him much better than Bill DeMott did on Velocity years ago. ECW has some really nice talent, young and old. Everybody is treated like a main-eventer and rightfully so because there are very few rough spots on the roster, other than the new GM. Tiffany as GM isn't that bad, though as ECW General Manager is essentially an obsolete position. On a last note, it was good that they booked only the two matches which allowed them to run their due time. However, if the Wrestlemania recaps would've been nixed, another match could've fit easily. Their talent was really streched last night, though. The only stars not used were DJ Gabriel, Paul Birchall, and Ricky Ortiz.
Rating: As according to ECW standards, 3.5 out of 5.

RAW Review from April 6

Review:
- The show began, as expected, with a promo. However, it was not by Triple H as I would have guessed. Randy Orton was the one who began the show and started to argue that Triple H couldn't have beaten him without the sledgehammer. He added he would love to get his hands on another McMahon, maybe even Linda, Aurora Rose, or Murphy Claire. Soon enough, Vince McMahon interrupted and informed Randy that at Backlash, he would team up with his son Shane and son-in-law HHH to combat Orton and Legacy. Eventually, RAW's main event was set with Mr. McMahon squaring off against Orton himself.
- The Colons (Carlito and Primo) def. John Morrison and the Miz in over nine minutes to retain their unified WWE World Tag Team Titles (?). It was once again a nice lumberjack match. Both teams pretty much get over well. Would have been nice for the match to have been on the Wrestlemania card instead of on the DVD-exclusive pre-show. Expect Miz and Morrison to split at next week's Draft.
- Shane McMahon fought his Dad backstage over the Orton fight later on.
- Melina, Layla, Mickie James, Jillian Hall, and Kelly Kelly def. Natalya, Maryse, Maria, Gail Kim, and Eve Torres in five minutes. Pretty lame match. Seems to me they end up doing a brand feud every year with the divas for no reason at all. No one really cares. Natalya should be at the top of the Women's division.
- Shane tries to convince Triple H backstage to talk to Vince.
- Ricky Steamboat, Rey Mysterio Jr, John Cena, CM Punk, and Jeff Hardy def. Chris Jericho, Kane, Big Show, Matt Hardy, and Edge in about 16 minutes. Steamboat proved for the second night in a row that he is much younger than his actual age. He hit the most exciting spots of the match and took a monstrous slap from Show that left a giant handprint on his chest. Mysterio got the winning fall after he and Steamboat hit Jericho and Kane with aerial attacks (The Dragon hit his trademark Crossbody.) Rey is dropping some muscle which is great. Hopefully he'll get back to his natural weight as he was in WCW and won't be as sluggish in the ring. Punk stared at Cena as if he was going to cash in his Money in the Bank. Good match overall. It might be the end for Steamboat. Any real wrestling fan knows he still has it and should hope that wasn't his ultimate sendoff.
- Hunter and Vince had a brief bit backstage. Each boosting the other's ego.
- Vickie Guerrero, in a wheelchair, announced that, with the draft next week, she will remain as RAW General Manager permanently and placed Edge in a Last Man Standing match against Cena at Backlash for the title. She added a stipulation to the six-man tag at 'Lash already announced, too. Whoever's team wins, the WWE Title will go to the captain (HHH or Randy.)
- A Superstars ad, its debut: next Thursday on WGN.
- "Santina" started to talk when her "brother's" girlfriend Beth Phoenix came out. Eventually, a match was agreed to between them. After the commercial break, Santina def. Beth Phoenix in a little over a minute. Relatively funny comedy bit. Next week should be the last hurrah for "Santina."
- Main Event: Randy Orton def. Vince McMahon by DQ in 5 minutes. When Randy was going to win, Shane interrupted the pin. Legacy (Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr.) came out soon thereafter, followed by Hunter Hearst-Helmsley. The brawl went on with the heels gaining the upper hand. Meanwhile, the crowd sounded as if they would have more interested with just about anything else, until.......Batista returned! Excuse the excitement. I'm not a big Batista fan, but anything would have got the fans going at that point. The feud was becoming quite boring. Dave is a new factor in the whole thing. Anyway, the faces chased out Legacy with Batista's aid. Vince, quite exhausted, then announced Batista would be taking his place at Backlash. Boring segment until the comeback.
Reaction: Better than average edition of RAW. The 10-man tag and Tag Title matches were nice. Can't say the same for the 10-Diva match or Main Event however. The "Santina"/Beth debacle was entertaining and provides for a short angle. Hopefully, Beth won't turn on Santino who would be the face. That would be akward. The announced 6-man tag is pretty useless. Seems like something Double J and Vince Russo would write as the main event at Slammiversary (*Note: TNA has used this angle once with Sting and AJ Styles.) The other Backlash match, Edge/Cena, should be good.
Rating: In RAW terms and what is expected, 3 out of 5.

Wrestlemania XXV: The Good, The Bad, and The Tweeners

The Good
- Undertaker def. Shawn Michaels to advance streak to 17-0. Neither 'Taker or HBK have never had a bad Wrestlemania performance, when facing formidable opponents at least. The countless near falls kept the fans on the edges of their seats and their hearts at the top of their throats. The ending was also a hit as many 'Taker endings (how many ways can Undertaker reverse into a Tombstone!) Anyway, this match should have been booked as the main event; however, Triple H got himself in the main event instead, wonder how that happened? Five-star match. Bottom line.
- Chris Jericho def. Jimmy Snuka, Roddy Piper, and Ricky Steamboat, gets knockout punch from Mickey Rourke. Wow, a 56-year old Steamboat is better than most 26-year olds. "The Dragon" was the best performer in the match despite not having wrestled in an actual contest in over a decade. At his age, he was doing an effecient top rope "Crossbody" and taking leaps over the top rope to the outside. With J.R. on commentary and Ricky being a star of the show, you would think it was 1989 not 2009. I believe WWE fans or just wrestling fans for that matter should draft a movement for Steamboat to give it one last run before hanging up the boots (*Note: Steamboat never officially had a retirement match, he never returned from an injury in 1994.) Piper was better than expected to, espeacially when shouting obscenties at the beginning of the match. Snuka was 64. That pretty much sums it up, 64 isn't really a mobile age unless you're one of the Funks. Jericho took the knock-out punch from Mickey Rourke, a former boxer, after the match yo seal the deal. Flair, too!
- Jim Ross. He was on fire last night. Taking jabs at Cole, cursing, having a good time...the whole nine yards! When is JR ever bad?
The Tweeners
- Money in the Bank won by CM Punk. Punk claims the briefcase for the second consecutive year. The ending wasn't all that expected and not very accepted by the fans. There were a lot of boos for CM; it seems as the fans' fondess is starting to wear off as they've stuck Punk as a constant heel. Christian very easily should have won it. All in all, everyone got their spots, even Hornswoggle. On personal performances: Kofi Kingston- very athletic, Kane- too big for comfort in the match, Shelton Benjamin- energetic as always, Christian- very agile and on the top of his game, Finlay- spry for a 52-year old mat expert, CM Punk- good but not winner material, MVP- hidden most of the match, and Mark Henry- powerful.
- Extreme Rules: Matt Hardy defeats brother Jeff. I'm glad Matt won, this lets the feud progress. Do I really want that though? They didn't do a very good job in build for this bout. Too much of spot-to-spot to be good. Not bad enough to be bad. It was just there.
- John Cena defeats Edge and Big Show for the World Title. Average match. They shouldn't try to match the Wrestlemania triple threat that happened five years ago when Chris Benoit def. HHH and HBK. Big Show was pretty much obselete through the match's majority. He got tied up in the ropes and almost never got out. The match was only average. Hard to say where they will go with Cena as Champ, probably another Orton feud. John's leaving to shoot a film in a couple of months. Who knows? Plus it followed Taker-HBK which is a hard task.
The Bad
- 25 Diva Battle Royal. The most uncoordinated match ever booked. They completely skipped entrances of returning stars and came out during Kid Rock's performance of "So Hott." Returning stars like Sunny, Molly Holly, Torrie Wilson, and Victoria were basically cast aside in favor of 15+ minutes of a pointless mini-Kid Rock concert. Santina ended up winning, Santino dressed as his twin sister. He last eliminated girlfriend Beth Phoenix. Just plan sloppy. Next time WWE tries to bring back former stars maybe they should make the fans aware that they're even there. Plain wierd.
- JBL loses his IC Title in 21 seconds to Rey Mysterio, Jr. 21 seconds?! In apparently JBL's last WWE match and possibly his grand hurrah in pro wrestling, he gets made a fool of. It seems as though they'd give a bit more to someone who's stayed loyal to the company for over 10 years. Also, Mysterio couldn't have looked more ridiculous as he was poorly dressed as Heath Ledger's adaptation as the Joker. More poor booking. (*Note: JBL said if he couldn't retire to the late Eddie Guerrero, that he wanted to retire to his good friend Rey Jr.)
- Triple H def. Randy Orton to retain WWE Title. The ending sucked, the booking sucked, Triple H sucked. Not a Wrestlemainia main event. In Triple H's attempt to steal the show, the fans couldn't have been less excited. There were no run-ins even though Orton's Legacy and HHH's family, the now beloved McMahons, were just as crucial to the storyline. The ending was out-of-nowhere but it wasn't one of those unexpected endings that leave you completly shocked. It was one of those endings where the fans just sat on their fans and stared at each other saying, "That can't be it....That can't be it!!" Yes, Trips could have won if there would have also been a big angle such as Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley turning on her husband. Randy wasn't a showstopper, but Triple H wasn't either even though he thought he was. Maybe one of the worst Wrestlemania main events ever. Just bad booking by none other than....HHH and Stephanie.
OVERALL: Poorly booked show. It had its highspots though. Quick mention about "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's beer bash during the Hall of Fame inductees' intros. Good to see the ATV back. You can tell Steve and the fans are dying for one more match. Could have been better (WM 20) or worse (WM 11.)

WWE Releases

Early Friday, Linda McMahon announced several cutbacks would be made due to the struggling economy. One would be the release of many employees which she said would save the company $8 million for the quarter. These cuts and others will be made to save World Wrestling Entertainment $20 million in the year's first three months. The first set of cuts was announced Friday afternoon. Those cuts were developmental talent Kevin Keenan, Bam Neely, and newly returned veteran D'Lo Brown. Then, later on in the evening came a shocking release. After being with the company over a decade, Val Venis, who was injured much of 2008, was fired despite years of reported loyalty and respect for the company. Many times has his name been rumored for release, but he mainly stayed with WWE because of his long run there and good work ethic. Not long after that, Kevin Fertig, the man behind Mordecai and Kevin Thorn, was let go after a long hiatus from ECW. His release was followed by the firing of young ECW referee Mike Posey and veteran ref Jimmy Korderas, ending a 22-year run with the company. The most shocking release of the bunch followed when Tim White, a very respected former referee who has been recently working as road agent, was released from his job. White began his WWE tenure by aiding Andre the Giant on the road during the '80s. His most recent fame were the ill-fated and crticized WWE.com segments entitled "Lunch-time Suicide" which featured Tim White trying to take his life out of depression of not being able to referee anymore because of a career-ending injury in 2002. The last releases came with the firings of developmental talents Mike Kruel and Gavin Spears, who has been competing on ECW. WWE wishes the best to everyone who lost their jobs this release cycle. No word if more releases are coming.

My Exclusive Interview with Claudio Castagnoli

The following is a brief, but meaningful, interview I conducted with independent superstar and former WWE employee Claudio Castagnoli.
Q: When you arrived in Chikara, you received some training from wrestling experts Mike Quackenbush and Skayde. How beneficiary was it for you and what did you learn?
A: It was very beneficiary since that style was new to me.
Q: I have also read that you received training from the legendary Honky Tonk Man. When exactly did this occur and how?
A: It occured in 2002 or 2003 in Switzerland. My memory is not that good on dates. He was wrestling for a promotion in Switzerland and had a trainings camp before the show.
Q: Last year you won a torneo cibernetico while competing in Chikara. How interesting was it competing in that epic match?
A: It was great! Just a great feeling and I'm proud to have pulled off the victory.
Q: Finally, Chikara is known for its clashing of three styles, Puroresu, Lucha Libre, and American pro wrestling. Do you consider yourself strictly one style or several?
A: I consider myself the best all around wrestler!

Who's Who: Demolition

Career:
In the mid-to-late eighties, the Road Warriors, or the Legion of Doom, were a widely successful tag team across the country. Before the Warriors' WWF run began in 1990, Vince McMahon sensed a void in the tag team division. He examined teams like The Killer Bees and The Strike Force and came to the conclusion that he was missing a brutal, dominating force in the division. In January of 1987, Bill Eadie, who had competed in the World Wrestling Federation as Super Machine earlier in the decade, returned to the company and was quickly placed in a tag team with Randy Colley, a.k.a Moondog Rex at the time. McMahon and his crew quickly developed a gimmick for them that directly resembled the Road Warriors. The two were put under face paint and clothed in entrance attire adorned with spikes, resembling the Warriors. Next, they were given a hard rock entrance theme and an intimidating name in Demolition. On January 17, 1987, Eadie and Colley, now known as Ax and Smash, respectively, defeated Salvatore Bellomo and Mario Mancini in their Federation and, moreover, wrestling debut. Within a few more matches, Colley became engaged in a contractual dispute (later on, Eadie claimed that he feared fans would recognize Colley) with the WWF and was soon released, leaving Ax the only member of Demolition. Barry Darsow, who was competing in the NWA as Krusher Kruschev, was hired and named the new Demolition Smash. Within the next year, they would overcome nearly every face tag team on the WWF roster. While beginning domination, the two enlisted the conniving Mr. Fuji as their manager. Another year later, Demolition would start their first WWF Tag Team Championship reign after defeating the Strike Force in their Wrestlemania debut. During the reign, a new team, displaying as much raw power as them, entered the business. The Powers of Pain, consisting of the Warlord and the Barbarian, immediately challenged Demolition, leading Fuji to turn on his charges in favor of the Powers. The feud entered a climax when the now babyface Champions Demolition defeated the Powers of Pain at Wrestlemania V to retain their gold. Two months later, they dropped their belts to the Brainbusters, Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson, on the July 18th edition of Saturday's Night Main Event, bringing an end to the longest title reign in WWF history (478 days, the record still stands.) Over half a year later in November, the team of Ax and Smash achieved revenge after defeating Anderson and Blanchard to regain their WWF Titles. Only a month later, the Colossal Connection, which featured two members of the Heenan Family in Andre the Giant and Haku, took the belts from Demolition. Then, for the third year in a row, Demolition won a Wrestlemania bout that had the Tag Titles at risk by defeating the Connection to become Champions for the third and final time. During the first half of 1990, Crush, a.k.a the late Brian Adams, became a member of the born again heel tag team after Bill Eadie was sidelined from a severe allergic reaction to shellfish. For the next 6 months, the newly formed trio defended the titles using the "Freebird rule" (three or more group members alternating for defense in separate matches.) At SummerSlam in 1990, the Hart Foundation unseated Demolition for the gold. Thereafter, the trio's success began declining. With WWF's acquisition of the Road Warriors, rechristened the Legion of Doom, Demolition began to dissolve. Demolition Ax (Eadie) left the company sometime after November 1990 to rejoin the independent scene. Then at Wrestlemania VII, Demolition, now comprised of only Crush and Smash, lost their final match to Koji Kitao and Genechiro Tenryu. Following the breakup of the group, Crush and Smash remained with the World Wrestling Federation. Smash was redirected as the Repo Man, literally a repo man, before leaving for WCW under his real name. Crush kept his name and transitioned back-and-forth from heel to face. Crush left the company sometime in the late 1990's before retiring in 2002. Sadly, Brian Adams passed away on August 13, 2007, at the young age of 44. Since the 1991 demise of Demolition, the duo has reunited multiple times beginning on April 17, 2007, including several appearances in Philadelphia's Chikara Pro Wrestling.
Perspective:
While Demolition may be remembered as a blatant rip-off, there was much more to the team. Demolition served as the elevation of both Barry Darsow and Brian Adams' careers and the successful ending of Bill Eadie's storied career. So, to close, Demolition can be fairly judged as a dominant, sometimes mechanical, but very talented group.

ROH Respect is Earned II

- The show began with announcers Dave Prazak and Lenny Leonard introducing the show followed by clips from exciting ROH action. Next the tag team scene since the last PPV was recapped.
- Kevin Steen and El Generico def. The Vulture Squad (Jigsaw and Ruckus) in 9:00 when Generico pinned Jigsaw after a "Top Rope Splash". The match was very well worked. Steen and Generico are a very polished tag team which compliments Steen's ability to be a ring general. (Match rating: ***)
- A video featuring the Briscoe Brothers aired before more ring action.
- Claudio Castagnoli def. Davey Richards in 9:00 with a huge "European Uppercut." Castagnoli is remarkably athletic and talented. The announcers thankfully reminded us that Claudio is 3-0 on pay-per-view. Nice mid-card bout with likable commentary by ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness. (***)
- Next, Larry Sweeney, with Sweet 'n' Sour, Inc., cut a stunning promo that solidified him as a world class manager. The promo became full circle when Sweeney sent group member Bobby Dempsey away in disgust as usual. After this a promo was cut by Brent Albright who introduced his army to fight S 'n' S, Inc. Solid promos by both men.
- Brent Albright, Delirious, and Pelle Primeau (w/ Daizee Haze) def. Sweet 'n' Sour, Inc. (Eddie Edwards, Chris Hero, and Adam Pearce w/ Larry Sweeney, Shane Hagadorn, Bobby Dempsey, and Sara Del Rey) in 10:00 when Albright KO'd Edwards. A nicely built match that furthered Albright's feud with Larry Sweeney. After the match, Pearce hit Albright with a suitcase that Sweeney was hiding the contents of. When revealed, the NWA belt, then held by Pearce, was showcased and hyped by Sweeney to be more prestigious than the ROH strap. (***)
- After a video of their feud, Roderick Strong def. Erick Stevens in a ladder match in 23:00. Strong match with awesome spots and nice build. The bout was fairly intense and enjoyable. (****)
- ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness def. Go Shiozaki in 17:00 with the "Jawbreaker Lariat" to retain the belt. The match was a little less than expected but still very watchable. McGuinness is a great talent and Shiozaki is only one of many severely gifted Japanese wrestlers that works for ROH. Nigel's finisher is also gold. After the match, Bryan Danielson came out and officially challenged Nigel for the title. (***1/4)
- A recap of the Aries-Jacobs feud over Lacey aired.
- ROH World Tag Team Champions The Age of the Fall (Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs) def. Austin Aries and Bryan Danielson in 27:00 to retain. High-impact match-up with remarkable intensity. Black has enormous potential, Jacobs is a believable sneaky heel, Aries oozes charisma, and Danielson is a wrestling machine. The ending was perfect with Black pinning Danielson after Aries and Jacobs brawled towards the locker room. Everything was nearly perfect in this bout. (Match of the night, ****1/2)
Hits: Everything, no misses
Overall Rating: Four Stars

Raw Review (August 4)

- To open the show, we get the new Raw General Manager Mike Adamle standing on the ramp. First he tells that he is comparable to Ronald Reagan because they both failed at the first jobs: announcer and actor, respectively. But he then assured us that, like Ronald Reagan as the US President, he will succeed at his current role. He then pleaded the fans for a chance as GM because he would like to be a part of the "Land of Opportunity". That's why he placed Michael Cole in a Tag Team Title match with Jerry Lawler last week. He half-apologized to both men. Adamle then announced three Title matches, one of which was World Tag Champs Rhodes and DiBiase against John Cena and Batista. Eventually, JBL came out and levied for a JBL-Punk World Title bout at SummerSlam until he was interrupted by Chris Jericho who also argued for a shot at the belt. Soon enough, we got an "Adamle Original" from the new Raw GM! It would be Jericho and JBL Vs. Punk in a handicap match. Whoever pins or defeats Punk will get the World Title shot at SummerSlam, but if neither are successful, neither one get the shot. Adamle wished them luck and sent us to commercials.
- Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston def. Paul Burchill in 4:00 with a "Trouble in Paradise" to retain. The match was a short and dull but purpose-serving. After the bout, Kofi and Burchill battled to the outside leaving Katie Lea in the ring alone. Mickie James ran in after Katie to set up the Women's Title match which is up after the break. (Match rating: *)
- Women's Champion Mickie James def. Katie Lea Burchill in 5:00 with a "DDT" to keep the strap. The match was a tad better than the IC Title bout, but this match was still way too short. After the match, Beth Phoenix, with Santino Marella, attacked Mickie then walked up the ramp where she and Santino exchange taps on the rear end. Now commercials. (* 1/2)
- Back from the break, Adamle is in his office and on his cell phone talking to Stephanie McMahon and congratulating her on the birth of her second child (Murphy Claire Helmsley-McMahon). Eventually Santino and Beth come in and want their respective title shots at Kofi and Mickie. Admale comes up with another "Adamle Original" that puts Beth and Santino in a tag bout against IC Champ Kofi Kingston and Women's Champ Mickie James for both titles at SummerSlam. Next we get a John Cena video and a solid promo by Batista before the commercials.
- Back from commercials, Layla is "dancing" in the ring and soon after a clip of her and Jamie Noble talking backstage from earlier in the day is aired. During the clip, Layla turns down Jamie's offer to go to the Waffle House because she is not going to "associate herself with a loser." After the clip, William Regal interrupts Layla in the ring and is soon encountered by Jamie Noble. The two have a brief brawl before being broken up by security. This could be Regal's punishment loss for being suspended last month. We'll see next week. Now a commercial.
- JBL and Chris Jericho def. CM Punk in 9:59 when JBL pinned Punk to gain a title shot. Before the match, Adamle reminded everyone that the match must be decided in 10:00 or both men will compete in a Triple Threat for the title at SummerSlam. However the match ended in time when Chris Jericho clotheslined JBL on the top rope when time was running out and JBL landed on Punk for the win with one second to spare. The bout was fairly good with a shocking outcome. Nice handicap match. (Match of the Night **3/4)
- Back from break, we get the return of Shawn Michaels who is live via satellite from his San Antonio home. Jerry Lawler conducts an interview with him, and Michaels says that he isn't for sure if he will return or retire. Ultimately he rules that he will follow the doctor's orders following his appointment on the 15th. Michaels was stern, serious, and intense as always. Nice interview. Next was a short "class" by the "teacher" Matt Striker. Eventually Kane interrupted and squashed Striker. Kane def. Matt Striker in 1:00 with a "Chokelsam". After the match, Kane grabbed the burlap sac and assured us "he" was dead. Anyway, it was just a squash. (1/2*) After the Smackdown Review, John Cena delivered a serious, solid promo to hype SummerSlam. This lead to a commercial.
- Back from the break, Kelly Kelly shows up for no good reason to congratulate Mike Adamle who promises another "Adamle Original" by finding what's inside Kane's bag. Now for the main event which was interrupted by commercials. John Cena and Batista def. World Tag Champs Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. in 14:00 to win the belts. The match wasn't all that, but the outcome is just awful. It looked as if WWE was going to actually put faith in the tag team division, but this destroys everything. Cena and Batista become tag team champions for no reason. Simply ridiculous. After the match, Cena and Batista pose with their titles to the crowd's approval to end the show. (*1/2, good match, awful ending)

Hits: Mike Adamle, the Handicap Match, Santino and Beth, the Continued IC and Women's feuds, Shawn Michaels Interview
Misses: The Main Event's Outcome, the Burial of Matt Striker
Tweeners: William Regal and Jamie Noble, Kane
Overall Rating: **1/2 (Overall good except for ending)

Viva Lucha: Who's the Real La Parka?

In WCW, La Parka was one of a large group of luchadors that worked for the company. Called the "Chairman of WCW" for his use of steel chairs, he was one of the crowd's favorite high flyers to cheer and boo. In early 2000, he left the company and went back to Mexico where he had competed as La Parka four years prior to his 1996 WCW debut. The main reason for his departure was a dispute over his name in Mexico. When Adolfo Ibarra, the man under the mask, left AAA in Mexico with the gimmick, Antonio Pena, AAA's promoter, was left without one of his top draws. To solve the problem, he created AAA' s version of La Parka, commonly called La Parka Jr. Soon, controversy over the name ensued. Ibarra returned to his native country to compete for AAA's rival, CMLL, leaving Pena to make a crucial decision. Pena decided to trademark the name and look of La Parka, banning Adolfo from appearing in Mexico as La Parka. Due to Pena's ownership of the gimmick, Ibarra was forced to compete in Mexico as L.A. Park, technically meaning La Autentica Park which translates to the Authentic Parka. Today, Adolfo is allowed to wrestle in the United States as La Parka but competes in Mexico under the aliases L.A. Park and La Par-K. So to clear up any confusion if you're a fan of lucha libre, the La Parka competing in AAA debuted in 1996 as WCW's La Parka started the gimmick in 1992. (visit luchawiki.org for more lucha libre). Viva Lucha!

Left: The Original, Right: AAA's Current Version

ECW Review (July 29)

1. To start the show we were introduced to the new play-by-play man for ECW since Mike Adamle left....Todd Grisham. Oh god, ECW is turning into Heat! Anyway Grisham's first act as the voice of ECW was to clear all confusion up on whether Tazz, his broadcast counterpart, was to be appropriately called "Tazz" or "the Tazz". Then Tazz said not to use the latter and stared at Grisham as if was going to ingest all 120 lbs of him. To start the real show Matt Hardy came out to address his gaining of a title shot at Summerslam. After some banter, ECW Champion Mark Henry came out with his manager Tony Atlas. Atlas started talking about Summerslam (I think, Tony tends to get lost in translation.) Eventually, Mark Henry bent a metal bar and said that was going to be Hardy at Summerslam. Then Matt Hardy says he Henry can break his bones but not his spirit (imagine the Wrestlemania marquee, Mark Henry Vs. Matt Hardy's spirit. This led to a commercial. (Segment Rating: 1.5 out of 5)

2. Back from break, "The Latin Assassin" Ricky Ortiz def. Chavo Guerrero Jr. in 5:00 by DQ when Bam Neely was caught cheating for Chavo. Nothing special, Ortiz has potential. After the match, Chavo and Bam attacked Ortiz when Evan Bourne eventually came down and saved him. "Bourne has been a thorn [in Chavo's side]," said Grisham, in Adamlesque fashion. Backstage, Henry and Atlas were approached by Colin Delaney who they abandoned last week during his match and loss to Tommy Dreamer. They said that Colin can stick around with them if he "softens up" Matt Hardy for Henry tonight. (Seg. Rating: 2)

3. Back from commercial, John Morrison and the Miz def. Finlay and Hornswoggle in 12:00 when Morrison gave Hornswoggle a "Sitout Facebuster". The match ended prematurely when Hornswoggle tagged himself in when Finlay was about to seal the deal. Hopefully, this is Finlay turning on his "son" for two reasons: one- Finlay is an awesome heel, two- Hornswoggle can't be on TV forever. Anyway, after the loss, Mike Knox came out of the crowd and brutalized Finlay a tad to take the show to commercials. (Seg. Rating: 2.5)

4. Backstage, Mike Knox was interviewed concerning the ambush. He claimed Finlay had gone soft. Knox then "took his shot". Nice tidbit of a promo. Then after a SNME plug, Chris Harris, whoops, Braden Walker was backstage telling Matt Hardy was in his corner for no apparent reason. The whole Hardy-Walker bit came off as if they were a closet couple. (Seg. Rating: 1)

5. Matt Hardy def. Colin Delaney in 4:00 with a "Twist of Fate" after the commercial break. Nothing altogether shocking or important until after the match. Henry and Atlas entered the ring. Immediately, Henry gave Delaney a huge "Gorilla Press" out of the ring. Then Matt Hardy got into fighting stance. Henry and Atlas proceeded to leave. And as they walked up the ramp, Henry shouted several things at Hardy including, "Constantly wasting my time." Mark is classic. Anticlimactic end to say the least. (Seg. Rating: 2.5)

Hits: Mike Knox, Mark Henry, Tag team match including the end, Miz and Morrison
Misses: Chavo Vs. Ortiz, Delaney in limbo, Braden Walker's awkward speech
Tweeners: Matt Hardy, Todd Grisham (I mean who doesn't enjoy an awful announcer here and there. Adamle is definitely entertaining amongst the constant lack of knowledge and stupidity. The best bad announcer has to be Bruno Sammartino from Herb Abrams' UWF. Bruno constantly said, "Oh, what an Albow Smash!" Verne and Greg Gagne are also contenders).
Overall ECW Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Raw Review (July 28)

1. John Cena came out to settle things with Batista, who he punched in a main event brawl last week. Eventually after being invited by Cena, Batista, the hometown boy, came out to set things straight. Then for a couple of minutes they argued on who should get the next title shot against CM Punk, but during the debate John Cena ended up challenging Batista for a battle tonight. This brought Shane McMahon out, and after he did his signature dance, he had a lot of announcements. First, he confirmed that he and sister, Stephanie, had appointed a new General Manager to be shown later. Second, the match between CM Punk and the "hottest free agent in our business today" (apparently not a title match) was set. After that, a huge tag team bout was booked with JBL and Kane challenging Batista and John Cena, bringing an end to segment one. (Segment Rating: 2 out of 5)

2. Segment two started with a recap of the Santino-Beth kissing scene aired last week followed by an interaction backstage between the two. This brought us to the tag team match. Santino and Beth Phoenix def. D-Lo Brown and Kelly Kelly in 2:00 when Santino rolled up Kelly Kelly. The match was short, but after the bout we got a duplicate of Beth and Santino's performance from last week. Once again, both counterparts found each other in a lip-lock. (Seg. Rating: 3.5)

3. Coming back from commercial break, JBL was found in new GM's locker room arguing with Shane McMahon over his status in the World Title mix-up. Shane finally ended the debate when he told Bradshaw to take it up with the GM when he arrives. Next, we went to the ring for a World Tag Team Title match pitting Champions Rhodes and DiBiase against veterans Jerry Lawler and Jim Duggan who have been in a struggle over respect with the Champions for two weeks. However, the new GM had changed the match. No longer would Hacksaw Jim Duggan be in action, but Jerry Lawler's partner would be Michael Cole!!! (Seg. Rating: 0, too short to register)

4. Back from commercial, Champions Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. def. Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole in 2:00 when Rhodes clotheslined Cole to retain the titles. The match served its purpose, and I liked the fact that WWE took a risk and left the match without announcers. It is also great to see Jerry Lawler work a better match then some main-eventers at age 58. Commercial. (Seg. Rating: 3)

5. Back from the break, Mike Adamle joins Jerry Lawler at the announcer's desk due to Cole's injury. After a the introduction of announcers and Mike Adamle being clueless of why he was there, Jamie Noble challenged Kofi Kingston, who he called "Coffee Kingston", to a Intercontinental Title match. IC Champ Kofi Kingston def. Jamie Noble in 2:00 with a spinning heel kick to retain. (Seg. Rating: 2.5)

6. JBL joined the Adamle and Lawler at the desk when we came back from the break to announce Punk's match. So who is this free agent? WILLIAM REGAL. World Champion CM Punk def. William Regal in 4:00 with a "Go 2 Sleep" in a non-title match. It is great to see Regal back. The match wasn't half bad, it should be fun to see the development of Regal. When the match ended, JBL confronted Punk in the ring when Kane interfered in the confrontation. The three traded some blows that eventually led to a Punk on his back and a staredown between Kane and Layfield leading to commercials. (Seg. Rating: 3)

7. Chris Jericho came out with Lance Cade for the advertised final Highlight Reel. His promo started off on the subject of the fans not accepting his new character and how he wanted to abandon his old "party" host persona. He then gave us a video compilation of the Reel's greatest moments. Then, Y2J promised the fans that they will never see Shawn Michaels again after he injured his eye at the Great American Bash. After cutting on Michaels a bit more, he handed the mic to Lance Cade who thanked and honored Chris. After telling Shawn to stay home and raise his children, Jericho threw his hat into the challenge for the World Title followed by a commercial break. Another great promo from Jericho and a great way to end the last Highlight Reel. (Seg. Rating: 3.5)

8. Jim Ross joined Lawler and Adamle at the desk after the break, and as Adamle was, JR was shocked to be on Raw. Apparently, both were told to come to D.C. for the show. Now to ring action. Women's Champion Mickie James def. Jillian Hall in 3:00 with a "DDT" in a non-title match. Katie Lea attacked James, whose father was in the front row, on the outside after the match. She then told the new GM to observe the next IC and Women's Champions, Paul and Katie Lea Burchill. Then a Smackdown recap aired followed by Todd Grisham asking Shane O'Mac for some insight on the new GM, but realizing Grisham is nobody, Shane ignored him. Commercial break. (Seg. Rating: 2.5)

9. Summerslam plug, Saturday Night's Main Event plug, Batista and Cena backstage banter (Seg. Rating: 0, too short to register)

10. Back from break, it was announced that Shawn Michaels would return next week on Raw. Now it's main event time. Batista and John Cena def. Kane and John Bradshaw Layfield in 12:00 when Cena pinned Kane following a "FU". After the match, Shane McMahon came out and announced the new GM......MIKE ADAMLE???!!! Could he be a quality heel GM? I can see that. As his first on-camera act as General Manager, Adamle booked Cena Vs. Batista for Summerslam to end the show. (Seg. Rating: 3.5)

Hits: Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix, Jerry Lawler's skills at 58, Cole getting clotheslined and sidelined, the return of William Regal, Jericho and the final Highlight Reel, main event and No. 1 Contendership race, Katie Lea
Misses: the burial of CM Punk, constant SNME plugging
Tweeners: Adamle as GM (could be a future hit or miss)
Misfires: Jamie Noble, Kofi Kingston
Overall Raw Rating: 2.5 out of 5

ECW Hits and Misses for July 22

Hits
- The Opening Segment: GM Teddy Long presented ECW Champion Mark Henry with the newly crafted belt that was quite a looker. Also, Colin Delaney officially sided with Henry and Tony Atlas. Pretty nice promos by all personalities.
- The Continued Development of Young Talent: First, Evan Bourne defeated James Curtis, and later on, Ricky "The Latin Assassin" Ortiz appeared and had a discussion with Teddy Long. Bourne, who is also know as Matt Sydal, was nice in the aerial department and hopefully Curtis will gain a spot on the roster. In addition, Ortiz is polished on the mic.
- The Main Event: On Tuesday, Finlay, John Morrison, The Miz, and Finlay competed in a fatal four way for an ECW Title shot. Even though it was almost for sure Hardy was going to win, the match was excellent with amazing high spots and thoughtful ring psychology. Hardy pinned Miz and will face Mark Henry for the title at Summerslam. All four men deserve a bonus from WWE for this match. I also find it stunning that Finlay, 49, is still quite agile.
Misses
- Dreamer Vs. Delaney: The match was somewhere around 3 minutes when it easily could have been a main event on ECW sometime in the future. Also, Tommy Dreamer pinned Colin Delaney who just turned heel, halting all of his heat.

Raw Hits and Misses for July 21

Hits
- Chris Jericho and Lance Cade: Cade brings a new development to the Jericho-HBK feud which has been fueled by stellar promos by both men. On Monday, Cade defeated Paul London who sold very well and Y2J excelled on the mic.
- D-Lo Brown's Return: After working several dark matches, D-Lo defeated Santino Marella on Monday during Santino's open challenge. D-Lo returns to the company after 5 years in Japan and TNA as an agent. He has still kept the "Frogsplash (Low Down)" sharp. I hope he gains a worthy position on Raw such as an IC Title challenger.
- IC Title Feud: A mixed tag on Monday, IC Champ Kofi Kingston and Women's Champ Mickie James versus Paul and Katie Lea Burchill, furthered both title feuds. The Burchills are developing well and Kofi and Mickie still have the fans on their sides.
- Duggan and Lawler Versus Rhodes and DiBiase: After being humiliated by the Tag Champs a week earlier, Hacksaw Jim Duggan was announcing his retirement Monday when Jerry Lawler told him to ignore Rhodes and DiBiase, second and third generations prodigies respectively. Duggan is actually enjoyable on the mic as well as the young but ready World Tag Champs. This could be a solid feud considering Jim and Jerry's decision to stay in shape.
- Santino and Beth Phoenix: Two weeks ago on Raw Santino was defeated by Beth Phoenix, the taker of his open challenge. This week, Beth came to ringside during Santino's challenge with D-Lo Brown. After the match, Beth and Santino reluctantly caught themselves in a kiss that sparked the crowd's immediate interest. This skit was nice comedic relief for Raw compared to John Cena's "JBL is poopy." bit two weeks ago.
Misses
- John Cena Pins DiBiase in Six Man Tag: For the past couple of months, WWE has made it a goal to make the tag division seem important. All was almost lost on Raw Monday when John Cena, teamed with Cryme Tyme, pinned one of the Tag Team Champs Ted DiBiase Jr, teamed with his partner Cody Rhodes and JBL. This might signal that WWE is back to their old ways of jobbing out the Tag Champs who are more than worthy of victories.
- The Topsy Turvy Main Event: With Batista and John Cena tangling, it looks like CM Punk's next PPV opponent for the World Title will be JBL, maybe. Its also unknown where Kane will end up by Summerslam, and it isn't even certain that Batista and Cena will face off. Also, Punk really hasn't defeated a huge star. With decisions over only JBL and Snitsky, it is beginning to look as if WWE doesn't trust CM as World Champion. More importantly on Raw, Batista and Punk fought to another no decision. Why couldn't Punk have gotten the win?

TWA 101

In celebration of 101 posts, I have compiled a list of notables to form a 101 class concerning the Wrestling Archive.
Dates:
September 13, 2007: Post number one The History of Professional Wrestling was created.
December 20, 2007: The first comment was received (located on the Break It Down post).
Sometime in January of 2008: The TWA Hall of Fame blog is created and the TWA format changes.
March 29, 2008: The TWA Hall of Fame blog shuts down and both inductions are merged into the Wrestling Archive blog.
April 12, 2008: The Wrestling Archive goes on hiatus due to lack of support.
April 24, 2008: The affiliated blogs Mat Stats and World's Worst Wrestling and their 11 combined posts are merged with the Wrestling Archive.
June 23, 2008: The Wrestling Archive returns with the creation of Ring Reels (originally Video of the Day). Ring Reels is the incorporation of videos from wrestling of today and yesterday.
June 24, 2008: The Voice of Wrestling is posted and becomes the first worded post after the hiatus.
July 5, 2008: TWA announces the return of the TWA Hall of Fame.
July 6, 2008: The Wrestling Archive Hall of Fame officially re-opens and Gorgeous George is announced as the next inductee. Also, TWA Remembers, perspective of careers of those who have passed, becomes part of the TWA blog in looking at Adrian Adonis' career.
July 11, 2008: The first News + Notes post is added.
July 14, 2008: The first installment of TWA Remembers ends with Adonis' biography.
July 16, 2008: TWA Remebers returns with TWA Remembers and Investigates Bruiser Brody. Three days later, that particular installment goes on hiatus and may return soon.
July 19, 2008: TWA Honors, a look at the careers of living legends, is created and becomes part of the blog with the examination of the career of Abdullah the Butcher.
July 22, 2008: The 100th post is created.
Numbers:
Posts: 101
Comments: 5 (Come on people)
Ring Reels: 28
Layouts: Too many to count
Current Dedication:
As of now, I can say that this blog isn't going away anytime soon. To completely convince me, I need more comments. Then, TWA will flourish. Currently, I am in the process of syndicating this blog on WWE Fan Nation and Myspace. Feedback would definitely be welcomed. Look forward to more of the Wrestling Archive to come!

Post 100: Happy Birthday Cap!

Recently, legendary manager and wrestling personality Lou Albano turned 75 years old. The Captain was celebrated at La Lanterna restaurant on Sunday. One of the invitees was Jim Fullington, known in the wrestling world as the Sandman. Fullington is (maybe was) a longtime friend of the Captain's. The party started quietly with Lou surrounded by family and his closest wrestling peers from his almost 40-year career. Sandman delivered a touching toast concerning his friend around 5:00 p.m. Chaos broke lose as the gang of around 150 entered the restaurant located in Yonkers, New York City. All of the sudden Fullington emerged as the Sandman we all know from ECW. He began swatting at lights and being loud. The owner of the restaurant, TJ Tarone, wasn't pleased and ran after Sandman. That's when Gary "Pitbull" Wolfe and Tim "The Zombie" Roberts, wrestling peers, consoled Sandman outside the Yonkers eatery. Then, as several witnesses claim, Tarone forcefully hit Sandman with a beer bottle, drawing blood. Soon after Tarone was the subject of a high speed chase to the back of the restaurant by Sandman. While hurling dishes at the owner, Sandman was approached by armed cops who had just arrived. After throwing bottles at cops, Sandman was arrested and charged with several misdemeanors and second degree assault, a felony. Sandman, showing a bruised face from the previous night awoke in a Westchester jail Monday. What a birthday gift for Captain Lou Albano! Also in celebration, you are reading the 100th post of the Wrestling Archive!

Ring Reels: Abdullah the Butcher Vs. Dusty Rhodes Vs. Terry Funk (3PW - Part 2)

Ring Reels: Abdullah the Butcher Vs. Dusty Rhodes Vs. Terry Funk (3PW - Part 1)