by Alfonso Colasuonno
ECW
I saw William Regal tell Yoshi Tatsu that he hates foreigners yesterday on ECW. Ironic, considering this Englishman said that in Roanoke, Virginia....Still, I think this angle might be becoming developed since Regal's comment to Kofi Kingston about how it'd be better for him to represent the US Title than a Jamaican. Let's hope this racist angle is pulled off better than JBL giving the Nazi salute.
The Abraham Washington Show is definitely must-see-TV. I wonder what kind of competitor he is in the ring. I'd like to see Abey Baby get started in a feud against Tommy Dreamer.
Definitely don't know what ECW is going to do with their women's division with only 3 stars...could we see the Bellas turn on each other, again?
When is DJ Gabriel returning to ECW? I swear he was the second coming of Alex "Berlyn" Wright!
Goldust is as useless as ever. Definitely have to agree that he hasn't been a factor in the WWE since intimidating Razor Ramon.
Is a Vladimir Kozlov feud against Ezekiel Jackson possible? There was a tease of it last night. I personally think the days of Russian mega heels are over. Try Kozlov as a face - if only as an experiment.
Too bad Finlay isn't on ECW anymore. I'd like to see a Finlay-Sheamus feud.
William Regal and Paul Burchill might make a good tag team....
RAW
Raw is once again the flagship of the WWE Universe. There's been a lot of improvement on the show in the last month or so. I really like the idea of guest hosts, as it really alleviates a lot of the problems of depth in the superstar pool that Raw has. That said, ZZ Top on RAW was lame.
Anyone else as excited about the 6 man match for the US Title. First off, Kofi Kingston is a delight to watch in the ring. The Miz is just awesome! Jack Swagger really has the potential to be a great heel for years to come. I like Carlito's heel turn too. However, the Big Show and MVP are sort of floundering. The Big Show is really just used as a tool because of his size to show how amazing your top-of-the-line guys on RAW are by beating him. MVP was also rumored to be challenging Orton for the belt at one point but now is apparently an afterthought.
It's a shame to see Beth Phoenix as a non-entity in the Divas title picture. She really has more talent than most of the other Divas in WWE.
How great would it be if Jericho's tag team partner was Randy Orton at Night of Champions? I think it would clear the way for a feud between Orton and DiBiase and give DiBiase the chance to develop into a star in his own right.
Personally, I think Hornswoggle's matches are painful to watch. When he and Chavo Guerrero are going at it, I just feel like I'd taken some Seraquil.
I like Mark Henry's push. While I don't know how well he'll go over as a face in the long run, I think his dominance of Jericho and Orton is putting him in good position for a title contendership if Orton manages to hold on to the belt.
The Brian Kendrick losing to Lawler (could you believe his dropkick at his age?) is just one more nail in the coffin for Kendrick. What a waste of his talent.
Lastly, for those who've been in the loop for awhile...doesn't Monday Nitro sound a lot like Monday Night Raw if pronounced in a Southern accent?
SMACKDOWN
Where's been Mike Knox on the last few editions of Smackdown? I'd like it if they play us his intellectual proclivities. I don't mean turn him into another Dean Douglas...but it would be nice to see a smart face for a change.
Have you ever seen a champion lose as often as CM Punk has recently? He's been pinned twice by John Morrison, forfeited a match to Edge, and lost via disqualification to Jeff Hardy.
Speaking of Jeff Hardy, his contract is about to run out....I think his mic skills are terrible...I don't think he'd be a big loss to the WWE.
I love the Edge face turn. I think when Edge returns, and with John Morrison, Smackdown has two faces that don't insult fans' intelligence (i.e. Cena, Batista, J.Hardy)
I'm surprised that the Hart Dynasty isn't getting over in their feud against Cryme Time. To think that the son of Davey Boy Smith, the daughter of Jim the Anvil Neidhart, and the last graduate of Stu Hart's famed dungeon is 2-2 against Cryme Time....is disappointing to say the least.
Dolph Ziggler is the likely choice for Jericho's tag team partner; but for once, WWE, surprise me!
Jesse as the eternal wanksta is a gimmick that is going over with me quite well. Who'd have thought the son of one of the Fabulous Freebirds would be more akin to Eminem than the dudes from Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Jim Ross remains the best announcer currently in the business.
When are they going to start using Matt Hardy? I think it's kind of funny how he destroys Jeff Hardy in a brother vs. brother feud, and then gets drafted to RAW and used as a mid-carder while Jeff wins the title.
When will they give Ricky Ortiz the pink slip already...the rally up gimmick is lame!
I don't really get the whole Pretty Ricky gimmick they are giving R. Truth. I also don't get why he hasn't been in contention for the Intercontinental Title yet.
Has there really ever been a worse wrestler (and I use that term loosely) than The Great Khali?
WWE just isn't the same without The Undertaker (or Shawn Michaels)
TNA
It's a low down dirty shame that first Shane Douglas, and now Raven, are gone from TNA. Why even bring them in to tease the fans in the first place if you weren't going to stick by them.
So the Main Event Mafia controls all the (major) belts. Now what? Here's where things can get interesting. I can't wait to see what happens next...
Sheik Abdul Bashir hasn't really been used much lately in TNA. I think he has potential to be a great X-division champion.
Somehow, I don't understand the idea of your most powerful knockout being used as a face in the case of Awesome Kong.
Bobby Lashley signed on to TNA....wonder how they'll use him.
I don't really understand the idea of half-heartedly doing an anti-American faction with the British Invasion, Kiyoshi, and Sheik Abdul Bashir, when Kiyoshi and SAB aren't even used in the fed much.
I really think TNA needs to remold the Legends belt into their secondary title instead of something associated with Legends. I think The Monster Abyss is one of the few TNA originals to really go anywhere lately with the MEM's domination. Maybe he should challenge Nash for the belt.
I think Beer Money, Inc. - if they stick together - could one day be considered one of the great tag teams in line with your Steiners, Road Warriors, and Dudleys.
I really think TNA should get Hulk Hogan. Like Vince said, Kurt Angle just isn't a channel changer.
Taz as Samoa Joe's trainer....whoo....I think that was a pretty good move for TNA.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Heroes of World Class: The Story of the Von Erichs (DVD Review)
By Alfonso Colasuonno
A while ago, for my good friend and contributor to this site, Russell Jaffe's birthday - I bought him a DVD entitled "Heroes of World Class: The Story of the Von Erichs." While browsing through the sports section of Best Buy I knew I had to get something good for Russell - something to catch his eye - as he'd soon be leaving New York City for brighter pastures in Iowa City. I think I hit the nail on the head with this DVD.
Flash forward to two months later, I was stirred to pick up the DVD for myself. Honestly, I was rather ignorant of the Von Erich family. I had known they were a cursed brood in wrestling lore. However, prior to the DVD catching my eye that May day when shopping for Russell, I had never even heard of World Class Championship Wrestling. I was even somewhat ignorant of the extent of the fact that the NWA was a loose confederation of pro wrestling in various territories in the United States - of which WCCW was one of them. The DVD rectified to a large extent my ignorance of this groundbreaking wrestling family and their promotion.
The DVD introduced me to the world of such stars as the Von Erich family, Gino Hernandez, The Fabulous Freebirds (of which I best knew Michael Hayes as Dok Hendrix in the WWE and as a character in the old NES World Championship Wrestling video game), Bruiser Brody and "Gentleman" Chris Adams (of who I'd seen in mid-90s era AWF television programs). The comprehensive and informative look at the history of WCCW - when it was the toast of Texas and the world - syndicated in 25 countries and picked up in 85 world markets - to the downfall after the string of deaths that occurred connected to the promotion of wrestlers gone before their time - starting with David Von Erich tracked the rollercoaster ride of one Texas promotion that could have been where the WWE is today if things had turned out a little differently.
One facet that I found highly interesting was the territorial system of pro wrestling prior to the WWE's explosion and branching out of the NYC market. Wrestling had a definite regional flair to it that made a Ric Flair coming to Texas or a Kerry Von Erich coming to Atlanta a huge draw. In the modern era, we take it for granted that we can view our favorite WWE or TNA stars no matter where we live in the United States (or in many places abroad) but once wrestling promoters held swaths of territory in which their promotion was the only one featured at the time in arenas. I found that to be just one of the startling changes between the modern and previous eras of pro wrestling.
As the DVD nears its end, I was overcome with a profound sense of sadness as the deaths rattled on and hard luck of countless wrestlers involved in the promotion were illustrated. From Bruiser Brody's homicide in Puerto Rico to Gino Hernandez' probable forced overdose of cocaine after hanging out with shady characters - the sense of grief was overwhelming. This voyeuristic documentary played all the strings in this wrestling's fan's heart with its first-hand look at the rise and fall of this promotion. I felt through interviews with stars like Gary Hart and Skandar Akbar that I really got to see the humanity in the wrestling world behind our television heroes and the glitz and glamour.
While the DVD was terribly depressing, it was definitely worth watching in order to enlighten my Yankee mind of the history of this distinctly Southern piece of Texas wrestling and state history. The DVD made me grateful to have most of my loved family and friends alive and mourn those who've passed on. All this from one wrestling video. I just expected to watch a bunch of matches. I came away with much more. The actual wrestling clips were rather minimal - as that was not what was set out to cover in this DVD. Instead, this haunting piece teaches us a lesson in grief. The stirring story of the demise of the Von Erich brood brings us an appreciation of having our loved ones here. Particularly, the fall of David Von Erich, with his special flair - he could have been one of the biggest babyfaces in pro wrestling history - saddens all of us fans of pro wrestling.
Perhaps the most depressing part of the DVD is Kevin Von Erich - the lone survivor - taking us back to the old Sportatorium in Dallas and recounting all his memories at the arena in better times. The Sportatorium, like the ECW Arena after it, truly was a wrestling arena of great majesty, albeit humble in appearance.
Overall, what I took from this most terribly depressing DVD is to be grateful for all that you have around you. I was left touched. Truly a work of great artistry and a compelling addition to any pro wrestling fan's DVD collection.
A while ago, for my good friend and contributor to this site, Russell Jaffe's birthday - I bought him a DVD entitled "Heroes of World Class: The Story of the Von Erichs." While browsing through the sports section of Best Buy I knew I had to get something good for Russell - something to catch his eye - as he'd soon be leaving New York City for brighter pastures in Iowa City. I think I hit the nail on the head with this DVD.
Flash forward to two months later, I was stirred to pick up the DVD for myself. Honestly, I was rather ignorant of the Von Erich family. I had known they were a cursed brood in wrestling lore. However, prior to the DVD catching my eye that May day when shopping for Russell, I had never even heard of World Class Championship Wrestling. I was even somewhat ignorant of the extent of the fact that the NWA was a loose confederation of pro wrestling in various territories in the United States - of which WCCW was one of them. The DVD rectified to a large extent my ignorance of this groundbreaking wrestling family and their promotion.
The DVD introduced me to the world of such stars as the Von Erich family, Gino Hernandez, The Fabulous Freebirds (of which I best knew Michael Hayes as Dok Hendrix in the WWE and as a character in the old NES World Championship Wrestling video game), Bruiser Brody and "Gentleman" Chris Adams (of who I'd seen in mid-90s era AWF television programs). The comprehensive and informative look at the history of WCCW - when it was the toast of Texas and the world - syndicated in 25 countries and picked up in 85 world markets - to the downfall after the string of deaths that occurred connected to the promotion of wrestlers gone before their time - starting with David Von Erich tracked the rollercoaster ride of one Texas promotion that could have been where the WWE is today if things had turned out a little differently.
One facet that I found highly interesting was the territorial system of pro wrestling prior to the WWE's explosion and branching out of the NYC market. Wrestling had a definite regional flair to it that made a Ric Flair coming to Texas or a Kerry Von Erich coming to Atlanta a huge draw. In the modern era, we take it for granted that we can view our favorite WWE or TNA stars no matter where we live in the United States (or in many places abroad) but once wrestling promoters held swaths of territory in which their promotion was the only one featured at the time in arenas. I found that to be just one of the startling changes between the modern and previous eras of pro wrestling.
As the DVD nears its end, I was overcome with a profound sense of sadness as the deaths rattled on and hard luck of countless wrestlers involved in the promotion were illustrated. From Bruiser Brody's homicide in Puerto Rico to Gino Hernandez' probable forced overdose of cocaine after hanging out with shady characters - the sense of grief was overwhelming. This voyeuristic documentary played all the strings in this wrestling's fan's heart with its first-hand look at the rise and fall of this promotion. I felt through interviews with stars like Gary Hart and Skandar Akbar that I really got to see the humanity in the wrestling world behind our television heroes and the glitz and glamour.
While the DVD was terribly depressing, it was definitely worth watching in order to enlighten my Yankee mind of the history of this distinctly Southern piece of Texas wrestling and state history. The DVD made me grateful to have most of my loved family and friends alive and mourn those who've passed on. All this from one wrestling video. I just expected to watch a bunch of matches. I came away with much more. The actual wrestling clips were rather minimal - as that was not what was set out to cover in this DVD. Instead, this haunting piece teaches us a lesson in grief. The stirring story of the demise of the Von Erich brood brings us an appreciation of having our loved ones here. Particularly, the fall of David Von Erich, with his special flair - he could have been one of the biggest babyfaces in pro wrestling history - saddens all of us fans of pro wrestling.
Perhaps the most depressing part of the DVD is Kevin Von Erich - the lone survivor - taking us back to the old Sportatorium in Dallas and recounting all his memories at the arena in better times. The Sportatorium, like the ECW Arena after it, truly was a wrestling arena of great majesty, albeit humble in appearance.
Overall, what I took from this most terribly depressing DVD is to be grateful for all that you have around you. I was left touched. Truly a work of great artistry and a compelling addition to any pro wrestling fan's DVD collection.
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