VHS Memoirs Volume 15

Usually, I try to keep a theme around these editions of "The VHS Memoirs," a series designed to review some of the classic events that were either originally viewed or released on VCR format. Ironically, I still have a VHS recording of the original broadcast, a tape that had "The Three Stooges" crossed out with the Summer Slam 1994 label on it instead. I'd like to take this time, some 27 years later, to thank my dad for sacrificing the antics of the legendary trio so that young Jim would have a copy of the WWF pay-per-view. However, I should mention that I bought him the entire Three Stooges Anthology on DVD about a decade ago so I'd say it was a fair deal. As mentioned, I try to keep a theme to these editions, such as around the anniversary of an event since it provides a more natural opportunity to review a show, but with the majority of the content on Peacock still as random as WCW booking in 2000, I decided to select Summer Slam 1994 based on the classic Bret/Owen cage match and the Diesel/Razor Ramon IC title bout. As we know, this was also the event that had the infamous fake Undertaker appearance by Brian Lee, who went on to appear for ECW and return to the WWF in the late-90s, but more on that later.

The show opened with The Headshrinkers vs. Bam Bam Bigelow and IRS of Ted Dibiase's corporation stable. The match was rather brief and ended in a DQ, an aspect of booking that I think rarely works on pay-per-view, but the contest had its moments. Obviously, Fatu, after a few gimmick changes, found his biggest success as Rikishi, but because that run was more successful than the previous stages of his career, it almost seems like the Headshrinkers ability as a team is either often forgotten or just simply overlooked. Fatu and Samu could go bell-to-bell, and the argument could be made that despite the cartoon gimmick of the "New Generation" era, they might've been the best in-ring tag team of the early-90s in the WWF. A side note about Bam Bam, for a performer that was as talented as he was in the ring with the look that he had, it's somewhat puzzling that he didn't have a bigger run around this time frame. It almost seems like the booking of being in a stable minimized some of the skills that he brought to the table since The Corporation as a faction generally had a rather mediocre run. I think it's fair to say that Bam Bam could've had a main event run before he left for ECW a few years later.

Alundra Blayze defeated Bull Nakano in a really good match to retain the WWF Women's title and it's a bout that I would consider a "hidden gem" from a rather cartoonish time period. Watching this bout again, it's almost disappointing to think what type of run Medusa could've had if she worked in a different era. As we know, the WWF, outside of Fabulous Moolah's reign as women's champion for a few decades, did basically nothing with the majority of the division throughout most of the 90s. Medusa had some stellar matches during her WWF career, but they were often one-off bouts with those brought in from Japan. Medusa had notable matches, but there wasn't a regular cast of women wrestlers for her to feud with for the title. Essentially, the WWF had Alundra Blazye, but nobody else to work with her. 

As much as her jump is known for its impact in the Monday Night wars, WCW did even less with the women's division since it was rarely featured on pay-per-view, and her solid matches with Japanese talent again were often lost in the shuffle of Nitro. Despite a different organization, Medusa didn't have a steady group of opponents to work with in WCW.

Razor Ramon won the IC title from Diesel with Walter Payton at ringside, which was really cool. This match was solid, but still probably not the best Razor/Diesel bout you can find from this time frame, simply because they had several matches against each other during this period. One of the main takeaways here is that when Scott Hall was on, he was as good as anyone, and it's unfortunate that his problems outside of the ring overshadowed a very accomplished career

Lex Luger vs. Tatanka and Jeff Jarrett vs. Mabel can be included in the same category since they were both five-minute subpar matches. By 1994, most of the shine from the Lex Express push from the prior year had worn off, and Lex went from a main eventer to a mid-card bout on the pay-per-view in the span of just a year. Granted, Lex was put in a tough spot when management tried to shoehorn him as the next Hulk Hogan, but the fact that the mega push didn't get over left him floundering for the remainder of his WWF tenure. Ironically, this was the contest where Tatanka beat Luger and turned heel to join Ted Dibiase, which was such a tacky stable that it more or less led to the conclusion of Tatanka's original stint in the company. It's still puzzling that after such a strong start in the organization, including a lengthy winning streak, that nothing materialized that could push him to being a bigger star. As far as Jarrett/Mabel, watching this match will make you question the decision to have Mabel win the King of The Ring the following year even more than before. Mabel was agile for someone of his size, but he was very sloppy in the ring and it made for some awkward spots that weren't smooth during the match.

As I said before, the Bret/Owen cage match was the reason I made the selection to watch Summer Slam 1994 for this review, and the bout is really pro wrestling 101 on so many levels. Everything is crisp, everything made sense, and the structure of the match build up the drama. One of the small things from this contest was that at certain points, Owen starts to choke Bret with his own singlet, and I don't recall anyone else using it. It really made Owen stand out as a vicious heel and added another level of heat to the angle. Obviously, the suplex from the top of the cage is an iconic moment in pro wrestling history, but something else to take notice of as the two fell from the ropes or cage at various points in the match is how the canvas really has next to no give upon impact. The WWF rings were notoriously stiff, supposedly based on the visual presentation for Saturday Night's Main event as far back as 1985, but it's puzzling why the canvas remained very stiff for so many years afterwards. From what I've heard in interviews, it was actually Mick Foley's dangerous fall through the ceiling of the cell in 1998 that prompted the company to begin to use rings that had more give when the wrestlers took bumps.

Bret won the bout to retain the title, but was attacked post-match, which I'm guessing is why this match didn't close the show, but it should've been the main event. Granted, I know The Undertaker vs. "The Undertaker" was a major promotional part of the pay-per-view, but even a good match would've been difficult to follow the stellar cage match, not to mention a comically terrible imposter Undertaker angle.

Speaking of the main event, Leslie Nielsen was a part of the broadcast with George Kennedy as they searched for The Undertaker. Unfortunately, the story of the missing Undertaker wasn't quite on the level of the classic Cool Hand Luke. Brian Lee was put in a tough spot because truth be told, nobody can portray the gimmick and make it work the way that Mark Calaway did for over thirty years. Basically, the main event was Brian Lee trying to imitate The Undertaker and the effort was there, but it just didn't translate, especially for the main event of a pay-per-view. Aside from the in-ring work, the actual angle was flimsy at best because while the top-notch WWF production team had a great video package to summarize how the Bret vs. Owen feud progressed from Survivor Series to the Royal Rumble to Wrestlemania and then to Summer Slam, there was no explanation given about where Dibiase found the imposter Undertaker or any background of it. Was this supposed to be another Undertaker that had similar traits to the original or was the storyline that Dibiase just found a random person and put them in the costume to mock the original Undertaker? The match had no pace and there were points in the bout that dragged. Of course, The Undertaker beat the imposter and the show finished with a baby face victory.

Impact Rellion review

Last night's Impact Wrestling Rebellion pay-per-view featured a title vs. title bout, as the AEW world champion Kenny Omega returned to the organization for another main event bout, this time against Impact titleholder, Rich Swann for one of the very rare champion vs. champion matches. As I've often said about pay-per-view in the modern era, it becomes much more difficult to sell a show at the traditional price, which is even more difficult now than in the past because the WWE Network, including PPVs and the expanding library on Peacock, is half of the price it was previously or for some customers included free in their cable package. That along with the fact that there's pro wrestling on television on every week night, there's always a point where most of the audience will only watch a certain amount of sports entertainment content within a specific time period. That said, this event, almost exclusively because of the main event stipulation, probably had the most buzz of an Impact PPV in the Anthem era.

The show opened with a triple threat X-Division title match, and truth be told, this is the same formula used for most Impact pay-per-views, but it definitely works so it was still a good call. The bout was solid and action packed so it got the broadcast started with a lot of momentum. Too often, with the use of streaming services, sports entertainment has more flexibility with its time frame of events, and sometimes things tend to be too long so the show drags at a certain point. Rebellion had a steady pace that translated to a better viewing experience than a four-hour extravaganza that was booked simply to put a long show on pay-per-view.

Josh Alexander won the title, and hopefully, this is just the first step for him toward a bigger role in the organization. It doesn't have to be rushed, especially because of the current status of the main event scene in the promotion, but in my opinion, Alexander has the potential to be a main eventer for Impact. He's solid with everything he does in the ring, he brings a believable intensity to the table, and outside of what he's done so far in Impact, he has a story that could be used to tell an intriguing narrative for a world title bout, including when he thought his career was over because of a neck injury. Ace Austin has done really well in his role in the past few years, and I'm not sure how far up the card he will go because his style doesn't necessarily seem to be too adaptable outside of high spot matches, but he has the talent to always be an asset for the organization. TJP is a puzzling case, and I still don't know why he's on the Impact roster. He's known for being difficult to work with, doesn't do himself any favors on social media, and his in-ring work is a very generic style. Still, this was a good way to start the event, and it will be interesting to see how Alexander progresses within the next few months.

The eight man tag that followed up was fine and got a little clustered, but that's to be expected in these type of bouts. The former Big Cass, known as W. Morrissey, a reference to his real name, made his debut for the company as a replacement for the injured Eric Young. Cass, who left the WWE under turbulent circumstances and made headlines for all the wrong reasons after problems with substance abuse in recent years, looked to be in great shape. The structure of the match itself was designed to showcase Morrissey, who got the pin on Willie Mack for the finish. While it's great to see the former Cass doing better health-wise and in the direction of his life, the reality is that he still has a lot left to prove if he wants to remain on the radar of a crowded wrestling landscape. Again, it's truly good to see someone turn their life around and get a second chance to apply their craft, but as of right now, the only selling point for Morrissey as a performer is that he's a big athletic guy, which is the same thing he had in WWE before he squandered it. The point being is, he will have to show more than a one-off performance in a multi-person match that was booked to feature him if he wants to have any longevity in the current pro wrestling climate.

Another note from this tag match, I'm hoping that Cass' association with the Violent By Design stable was just for the initial introduction because if he's in the faction, it could take away from the presence of Joe Doering, who's another competitor that has legitimate main event potential if management decides to run with him when the main event scene could use another contender. Particularly, Eric Young, who is such a solid performer, as a manager to cut promos, alongside him for a main event angle could be money.

The Matt Cardona/Brian Myers bout was a physical and very entertaining bout. As much as the lack of a live crowd hinders the presentation, the way these two used the outside of the ring with the guard rail spots made the best of the situation. More than anything, this match showed that these two have the talent and how much they weren't allowed to show under the WWE banner. That's not necessarily meant as a criticism toward WWE since every promotion has a mid-card, but more to the point that, if given the chance these two can go in the ring.

I know this might sound petty, but I think one of the only things that hindered this contest is the fact that Cardona and Myers have a very successful podcast and there are clips of them talking as friends on social media literally at the same time as this PPV so it's hard to sell this as a blood feud. Yes, I understand that kayfabe is forgotten 99% of the time, but I think it's just too much of a contrast to have a blood feud on one screen and a podcast crew on another screen at the same time. Myers got the victory so I would guess there's more to be done in this feud.

The Knockouts tag team title match was fine and was something more that you would see on television than PPV, as it went less than 10 minutes for an average match, but that might've been how it was booked to pace the card. That being said, Rachael Ellering is a great addition to the roster and she adds depth to the division.

The Last Man Standing match was sloppy, but fine, considering the stipulation. The Last Man Standing gimmick is a tough one because more often than not, it consist of one wrestler standing around while the referee counts to nine before the other wrestler gets to their feet for the match to continue. Sami worked this one well and kept a pace to the contest. Sami is another talent on the roster that is a solid pro and could be plugged into most scenarios to make it work. In an era where high spots often take priority over heat, Callihan can go in the ring, but still works like a heel. As far as Trey Miguel, I'm not sure there's really anything that sets him a part from another other wrestler that has the X-Division style. Don't get me wrong, he has great athleticism, but so does the rest of the X-Division and a major portion of those that compete on the national stage so Trey seems like just a generic wrestler by comparison.

Fin Juice vs. The Good Brothers was a decent tag match, nothing epic, but nothing terrible either. Aside from the benefit the New Japan name on the broadcast, which helps the perception of Impact as a company, this is really a scenario where everyone wins because it allows Juice Robinson and David Finlay a more featured spot than they would probably have in Japan right now because New Japan has a stacked roster. Juice and Finlay are very talented, but there are only so many spots at any particular time so this stint in Impact gives them more of a platform to showcase their skills. Fin Juice retained, which is probably a good decision since The Good Brothers are busy enough to stay in the spotlight without the belts.

There's not much to say about the KO title match because it was basically just an average match used to pace the card before the main event.

The main event was a really good match and it was the first time in years that an Impact pay-per-view had a "big fight" atmosphere. The in-ring work was a level above the rest of the card, which is a credit to how talented both Kenny Omega and Rich Swann are as performers. The only downside, if there was one, was that there wasn't really a moment where there was any doubt that Omega would be the one to win both championships because it adds to the belt collector gimmick. There wasn't a moment where a near fall for Swann seemed like it could've actually be the finish of the match, which has more to do with the scenario than the in-ring performance.

That said, Omega as a double champion is a very intriguing scenario because it creates questions for both promotions. Theoretically, with Impact's taping schedule with multiple episodes filmed per taping, it would be possible for Omega to appear regularly for the organization and still work the live AEW broadcast. If he doesn't then the Impact title gets reduced to a prop on Dynamite,and Impact might end up being in a lesser position than they could've been without the working agreement. This is where there's a really fine line between how this angle is presentation and how it develops in the next few months. If the focus is on individual rivalries that crossover between companies, it's a way to keep things fresh, but if there's a direct AEW vs. Impact narrative then eventually Impact will lose and look weak in the process so as unconventional as it might sound, I think the company vs. company aspect should actually be avoided in this situation.

The career of Jeff Gorman

The gold standard, a monetary system where a country's currency is directly link to the value of gold.

While the United States was taken off the gold standard, Fort Knox, officially known as the "United States Bullion Depository," is the location of America's largest supply of gold, or at least that's the rumor. For years, speculation has swirled that the vault protected by concrete and steel might not have gold bars stacked to the ceiling as the government claims. Politicians wouldn't lie, would they? Over the years, fiction has blended with reality as to what's left of the original gold standard.

Thankfully, there's another type of gold standard, the figurative standard of excellence, and in another instance of the line of reality blurred, professional wrestling was a vehicle for a top-notch pro to emerge within the field.

In the fall of 1985, viewers might've tuned into NBC with the expectation of Randy Quaid, Joan Cusack, and Robert Downey Jr. in a sketch for Saturday Night Live. Instead, they saw Saturday Night's Main Event, the quarterly special that replaced SNL for the night, bringing sports entertainment more main stream exposure amid Vince McMahon's national expansion when he formed a tag team with the newly-launched MTV the prior year to usher in the "Rock N' Wrestling Connection" that propelled popularity in the 80s. On this particular night, top star Hulk Hogan, with "American Made" printed on his cut-off t-shirt and "Stars and Stripes Forever" blaring in the background, made his way to the ring. Of course, the WWF wanted to be contemporary for any of the new viewers that might stumble across the spectacle so Hogan was challenged by the villainous Nikolai Volkoff for a not-so-subtle nod to the cold war tensions of the era.

Of course, The Hulkster dropped the leg at the conclusion of the bout, and the referee counted three, declaring America the winner. The cold war was settled, at least for one night. 

Among those to stumble across this international sports entertainment showdown was a young Ohio native, Jeff Gorman, who years later emerged as the gold standard of professional wrestling announcers of the independent scene.

"My dad took my brother and I to see Hogan defend the title against Randy Savage at the Richfield Coliseum in 1985. After that, I was hooked," Jeff explained.

A graduate of Northwestern University, an establishment known for its journalism program, just outside of Chicago, Gorman remained a diehard fan, even as he pursued higher education, including when he was in attendance for one of the legendary Flair/Steamboat bouts at the Chi-town Rumble pay-per-view in 1989. After he completed his degree and was back home, he found work on staff at the Mansfield News Journal, where he noticed the city had its own independent wrestling organization, the American States Wrestling Alliance.

"I went to a show and gave one of my baseball tapes to the promoter, Kid Collins. He let me announce his next show on January 28, 1994, and I’ve been doing this ever since," said Gorman.

A lifelong baseball fan with aspirations of calling games since the age of just six years old, Jeff achieved that goal during his time at the previously mentioned NorthWestern, where he called the Big Ten  baseball tournament for radio broadcasts during his tenure there. 

"After graduation, I would sit at the minor-league ballpark,announcing into my tape recorder.," he remarked.

Those recordings of strikes and home runs opened the door to wrestling for him, a path that eventually zigzagged throughout the sports world and ultimately shaped a major part of his life.

Around the time that Jeff landed on the mic for Kid Collins, Norm Connors, widely regarded as the godfather of Pittsburgh independent wrestling, was set to start his career as a promoter, a 15-year stint that brought some of the biggest names through the iron city, a region known almost as much for its wrestling as the steel it once produced. Accordingly, Connors named his first project Steel City Wrestling, and later promoted International Wrestling Cartel cards for nearly a decade. When Norm needed an announcer, Jeff Gorman was already known as a standout voice in the tri-state area.

"I enjoyed a lot of great moments in my ten years of traveling from Ohio to Pittsburgh. Working for Steel City Wrestling, PWX and IWC, I got to work with some amazing wrestlers. It was especially satisfying to see AJ Styles and CM Punk go all the way to the WWE championship. I also worked for a lot of other promotions in Ohio and Pennsylvania, so I got to announce matches with everyone from El Hijo del Santo to Abdullah the Butcher to Fabulous Moolah and Mae Young," Gorman explained.

"Jeff Gorman is incredibly important to Pittsburgh wrestling in the 1990s and 2000s and my own journey therein. He was the lead announcer when I discovered PWX TV in 1997, then migrated to Steel City Wrestling's TV show in 1998. 4 years later, when I began attending shows live, he was the voice of the International Wrestling Cartel and, a year later when I started to get my foot in the door, he became a partner and mentor to me. I don't know that I would have ever had the opportunity to grow and develop without the giving heart and open mind of Jeff to be able to roll with the punches so well in working with someone such as myself that had zero experience at that point. He was great to me, and always great to whatever product he was calling. He treated his job with a professionalism and sports-like approach that a lot of announcers and promotions now could learn from. He has a great heart, loves his family, and I'm thankful for the various ways I've been able to cross paths with him in my life," commented Joe Dombrowski, who worked with Gorman in his early years before he went on to his own path as a successful commentator.

Over the nearly thirty years that Jeff Gorman has been a sports voice among the tri-state area, including stints on television for various organizations, his trademark was a voice that was informative, intelligent, and professional. 

"A good announcer helps the audience to enjoy and understand wrestling. When I’m calling a match, I’m having a great time, and I try to give the audience all the info they need. If I have a partner, I’m giving him or her the chance to do what they do best, whether it’s being a fountain of information or being an apologist for the heels. That hasn't changed as we've moved into the digital age," Gorman said of the fundamental rules to follow on the mic.

"Jeff Gorman was the first guy I ever saw at an indy wrestling show. His energetic ring announcing got my friends and I hyped for the event. His commentary is second to none. He mixes in moves and story as well as just about anyone. There's a reason he's a standard and aspiring commentators should shoot for," said BC Steele, a twenty-year veteran of the Pittsburgh scene who is widely regarded as the best manager of the area.

After nearly nine years on the mic for an alphabet soup of leagues around the independent scene, Gorman landed a break with Ring Of Honor, a company still in its infancy at the time, but had reignited the wrestling scene after the slump caused by the closure of WCW and ECW, in 2002. He considers his stint under the ROH banner a form of validation of his skills as a major league announcer. He spent almost a decade, making road trips to events all around Ohio and the surrounding states most weekends to hone his craft so he knew ROH was a platform that gave its own level of recognition. Jeff was on the call for the famous Samoa Joe vs. Low Ki bout at that year's Glory By Honor event, considered by many as one of the most hard-hitting matches in the United States in the history of the industry. Jeff also ring announced a pair of early ROH shows held in Pittsburgh, as well as one of the historic Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk world title matches that took place in Ohio. Since the company was still young, budget cuts prevented Jeff from landing a full-time spot in ROH, but helped open the door for yet another announcing gig in sports.

"My family moved across the street from Corey Fischer, who promoted MMA. I showed him my tape of ROH Scramble Madness, and he gave me a shot on his TV show, Fightfest. I learned the sport on the fly, and Corey also gave me the chance to announce the Moosin: God of Martial Arts pay-per-view in Boston," Jeff said.

For that 2010 event, Gorman found himself sharing the desk with the legendary Bas Rutten, known for his tremendous skills in the ring and some iconic calls on commentary for Pride Fighting Championship events throughout the 2000s. Aside from calling Ohio pro wrestling shows in the past decade, Jeff expanded his resume to include other MMA events as well.

Still, he considers his biggest accomplishment, regardless of the countless pro wrestling TV shows he did or the mixed martial arts pay-per-view, to be his family. Jeff married Mrs. Gorman in 2002 and they had their daughter the following year, which prompted Jeff to cut down on his travels for wrestling, limiting himself to events that were close to home, but as was the recurring theme throughout his life, that decision provided yet another avenue for him, as he used his writing background to begin the process to write books.

"I am blessed to have a great wife and daughter. We have home-schooled our girl, and we are looking forward to seeing what she does next. My family has been with me at my wrestling shows, MMA fights and baseball games. I am doing my best to support them and help them chase their dreams like they have done for me," he said.

"The best time to write a book when you have a book inside you, and it wants to get out. After a took a break from the road in 2004 to raise our daughter, I wanted to make sure I didn’t forget all of the crazy stories from my first decade as a wrestling announcer. That’s when I wrote This Side of the Mic. I wrote Wrestling Is Real while teaching a home school writing class. Both books are about chasing your dreams," Jeff added.

As far as chasing dreams, Jeff had one left on his list. He announced pro wrestling that he was fascinated by the first time the larger-than-life spectacle beamed through his television screen the night he expected to find SNL, he announced cage fighting with the legendary Bas Rutten at the desk with him, but what about his first love, professional baseball? Talent, skill, and persistence wouldn't be denied, as Jeff took the booth for the Lake County Captains, which is one of the Cleveland Indians’ minor-league teams, 23 years after his NorthWestern graduation, in 2015.

"Getting the chance to announce one wrestling show was a dream come true. Doing it for this long has been a privilege. Getting to Ring of Honor validated me as a major-league announcer. I would love to make it to the top as an announcer of wrestling, MMA and baseball. I’m not going to give up," Gorman said enthusiastically.

Today, instead of making trips to wrestling shows, Jeff and his daughter tour colleges, as she plans to enroll in a university this fall. Still a writer at heart, Jeff works for the Courthouse News Service to cover cases around the country. He's also licensed as a legal notary in the state of Ohio to process a variety of documents. Furthermore, his passion for baseball continues as he's scheduled to take the booth for Lake Erie Crushers post-pandemic, as well as make his pro basketball debut as an announcer with the Burning River Buckets of the American Basketball Association later this year. If that wasn't enough, he's currently writing two books, "King of New York" and "King of Atlanta" based on the WWE and WCW respectively. And, yes, he's still available for announcer gigs.

"My goal is to produce a set of pro wrestling history books that fans can collect and enjoy," he said of his newest writing projects.

Despite celebrating his fiftieth birthday just a few months ago, Jeff remains as passionate, motivated, and as dedicated as ever. Over the course of nearly three decades Gorman has made his mark in pro wrestling, MMA, and baseball. He's as busy as ever while he juggles his passion for sports with his dedication as a successful family man. So, how does Jeff remain such a fixture of sports announcing after almost thirty years? Quite simply, his skills are as good as gold.

UFC 261

This weekend, UFC 261 marks the return of the promotion in front of a live audience, as the pay-per-view will be broadcast from Jacksonville, Florida with an arena at full capacity of 15,000 fans. Regardless of some of the criticism of the decision to run a full-fledged event, tickets for the pay-per-view card sold out in minutes, providing proof that despite any potential health risks, there's undoubtedly demand for the card that features three championship bouts.

 In the first of the title contests, Valentina Shevchenko puts her Flyweight belt on the line against former Straweight champion, Jessica Andrade. Aside from the championship experience that both of these athletes bring to the table, this bout has much more depth to it than just what's on paper ahead of the opening bell. Most sports books put Shevchenko as the 4-to-1 favorite, implying that she will dominate the competition in the octagon. Don't get me wrong, Shevchenko has put together a resume that will put her among the best female fighters of all-time when she decides to hang up the gloves, and some of her dominance almost seems to be overlooked on occasion, only because Amanda Nunes is in the midst of a legendary run that made an argument for her to be considered the top female fighter in the history of the sport. To put it in perspective, Valentina, with a record of 20-3, has only been defeated twice in the past decade. Both of those decision losses were to Nunes in 2016 and 2017 respectively with the latter being a razor-close split decision on the score cards. The only other loss was a doctor stoppage early in her career. No opponent has been able to KO or submit her. The bottom line is, only the best female fighter in the sport today was able to defeat Shevchenko in the past ten years.

Not surprisingly, the 125 LBS champion is very well-rounded with no major flaws in her skills. Her extensive striking background in kickboxing and Muy Thai give her the ability to land punches and the movement to bring top notch defense to the octagon. As far as grappling, her judo skills have allowed her to remain a threat toward opponents in any aspect of the fight. Among her twenty victories, she has almost an equality amount of wins with strikes, submissions, and decisions on the cards, which proves that she has the skills and the cardio to win in any fashion.

Still, 4-to-1 odds might be more of a way for the sports books to generate some wagers on the contest than anything else.

With a record of 21-8, Andrade might seem like an average competitor on paper, but she proved to always be dangerous throughout her career. Nothing personified that more than her shocking win over Rose Namajunas to claim the Strawweight belt in 2019 after she slammed "Thug" Rose on her head for the knockout. Essentially, Andrade isn't as dominate as some of her peers in the organization, but she's always competitive and in the conversation because similar to Valentina, she brings an equality amount of striking, submission, and decision wins in the octagon so there's not one particular weakness that Shevchenko could look to exploit to get the advantage in the contest.

That said, instead of an aspect being completely one-sided, I would guess that Valentina will simply outclass Andrade throughout the bout to get a unanimous decision. Andrade is gritty and will remain competitive, but I think Shevchenko will use her stellar striking skills to win on points for the five rounds.

Speaking of well-rounded athletes and bouts on the card that will be very competitive, Zhang Weili defends her 125 LBS title against former champion, the previously mentioned Rose Namajunas, who had her stint as champion after her surprising defeat of the incredibly talented Joanna Jędrzejczyk in 2017. As mentioned, Andrade KO'ed thug Rose with a slam a few years later, but "Thug" Rose, very similar to Andrade is always in the championship conversation, even if she has defeats on her record.

Zhang, who had arguably the greatest fight in women's MMA history against Joanna for the belt just over a year ago, winning a split decision, brings a lot of momentum into this bout. The Chinese kick boxer lost in her pro MMA debut in 2013, but has racked up 20 consecutive wins without a defeat in the past seven and a half years. A practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Weili is well-rounded with the ability to punch as well as grapple, a common theme among the champions on this pay-per-view.

After a pair of wins against Joanna, Namajunas dropped the Strawweight title to Andrade, but avenged that loss in her last fight in July of 2020. The record of 9-4 represents the level of competition Namajunas has competed against rather than a subpar skill set. The odds for this contest have Zhang at a 1.5 favorite, which is probably the most realistic odds for the title bouts because "Thug" Rose could definitely find a way to land a KO punch against Zhang, particularly in the early rounds. That said, I have to pick Weili to retain the title, mostly because she continues to be tremendously solid in the octagon without any obvious flaws that would allow an opponent to formula an effective strategy. One of the questions that might be a determining factor for the contest could be,will Namajunas have any ring rust inside the octagon since she's had nearly a year between each of her last four UFC fights?

A side note, Namajunas made news recently for some controversial comments she made about communism in association with Zhang because the champion is from China. If someone disagrees with the Chinese government, it's certainly their right to express their opinion, the same way there are critics of capitalism in the United States, but to even attempt to equate Zhang Weili as a fighter to the grievances toward the Chinese government simply because Zhang is a native of the country is absolute nonsense. Did anyone criticize Namajunas' career based on the US tax plan?

In the main event, it's a grudge rematch of Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal for the Welterweight championship.Usman, who brings a 17-fight win streak into the octagon, beat Masvidal via unanimous decision when the challenger was a last-minute replacement for Gilbert Burns, who tested positive for COVID and was replaced on the card at UFC 251. Just two months ago, Usman beat Burns via TKO, as he outclassed him in nearly every aspect of the fight, despite a solid effort from Burns in the octagon.

Masvidal has a chance to properly prepare for the 170 LBS kingpin, but I'm not sure that will ultimately make a difference in the result.

The 36-year-old journeyman propelled to stardom when he KO'ed Ben Askren with a highlight reel flying knee in just five seconds in 2019. Since that time, Masvidal was smart enough to take that spotlight and talk his way into some big money fights, including the BMF belt later that year in a main event against Nate Diaz, with The Rock in attendance to present him the title. Masvidal as the BMF titleholder is a good gimmick because it sells his fights to the general public, even if his skills aren't necessarily on par with the legitimate champions in the organization. Don't get me wrong, I don't blame him at all for taking the opportunity to make as much money as possible, that's capitalism, but the reality is that while he has a puncher's chance, most of Masvidal's rise in popularity the past few years has been more sizzle than substance.

The sports books put Usman at nearly a 4-to-1 favorite, but similar to the Flyweight title fight, I would suggest that those odds are more to try to generate some betting action on Masvidal. That being said, I would pick Usman to win again in the same fashion that he did in the original bout, a unanimous decision win on the score cards.

The Triller pay-per-view

I said in an article earlier this week that the Triller pay-per-view of Youtube star, Jake Paul vs. former MMA fighter, Ben Askren was a sideshow fight that was all sizzle and no substance. I was correct, depending on your definition of sizzle. It remains to be seen, but if this circus actually drew a number then traditional boxing might find itself referred to as a sport of the past, almost the same point it reached around 2010 when the UFC spent the previous five years carving a piece of the pay-per-view pie that the politics of boxing left on the table.

More importantly, if Triller will become the known example of "boxing" in the United States, the sport might be better off known as something of the past.

Attempting to explain every detail of this train wreck would be impossible and a crime against humanity. However, there are important points to be made because as mentioned, the effectiveness or lack thereof could have a major impact on the marketability of boxing.

As far as the broad strokes, the fact that the broadcast had four fights in four hours tells you this show had a lot of stalling, and more often than not, it appeared that the director of the production might've spent some time with Snoop Dogg before the show went on-air. There were random camera cuts away from the action, unexplained video packages, and backstage segments that could've been written by Vince Russo. The announce team, which consisted of a rotating group of individuals, based on who happened to wandering toward the desk, would start conversations with others off-screen so the viewing audience would occasional hear one side of a conversation that had nothing to do with the event.

The viewing experience for this show was like a car wreck in Doc Brown's DeLorean that destroyed the space time continuum.

About 45 minutes into the pay-per-view Joe Fournier, a businessman from England that has actually pursued a career in boxing that brought a record of 8-0 into the bout, ended the opening contest after two rounds when Reykon, a music artist, couldn't answer the bell. Yes, a 38-year-old novice beat a singer with no fight experience to start the event.

After that, there was a musical performance that had more lip syncing than Milli Vanilli. A dozen dancers twerking couldn't save this segment. Next, somehow, Ric Flair was in attendance to officiate a slap fight, which is the literal explanation of what happened, not figurative. I have to be honest, as much as I'm a fan of Ric Flair, and it's nice that he finally got some pop culture recognition in recent years, someone of Flair's status involved with two yokels slapping each other is just embarrassing. I hope "The Nature Boy" got a good payday for this appearance because it's well-documented that he had many financial problems, but still, signing autographs at Big Bob's card shop would've been a better option.

Former UFC heavyweight champion, Frank Mir made his pro boxing debut in a six-round contest. Antonio Tarver, who hasn't fought in nearly six years, was originally scheduled for the fight, but wasn't cleared by the athletic commission so he was replaced by Steve Cunningham, who hadn't competed in four years. The 41-year-old Mir went on a four-fight skid in Bellator before he concluded his tenure with a victory over Roy Nelson in October 2019. I'm guessing his limited options in MMA are what led him to boxing. Cunningham was a decent boxer, but not necessarily a threat to KO Mir, who outweighed his opponent by 70 pounds for the fight. Cunningham won a one-sided decision that didn't have much action.

However, during the bout, former champion Oscar De La Hoya, who is scheduled to make a comeback under the Triller banner in July, was at the commentary desk. Oscar, who has well-known substance abuse problems and went to rehab more than once, appeared to be extremely intoxicated on camera. The 1992 gold medalist has admitted to problems with alcohol and cocaine in the years since his retirement. Obviously, in more recent years, a lot more is known about the medical use of marijuana, and clearly, Snoop Dogg smoking on live pay-per-view isn't a problem for him. However, anyone with a substance problem of any kind probably shouldn't be around an environment with marijuana and alcohol readily available, the same way someone that has a problem with alcohol probably shouldn't be at a bar. It's not a matter of morality because while Snoop Dogg can smoke without incident, Oscar is just a different person with a different reaction. Without a doubt, Oscar was intoxicated and the fact that a camera was put on him and shown on picture-in-picture during the fight, it seemed very exploitative by the organization. Oscar shouldn't have been on camera, and the way more attention was drawn to his slurred words and inebriated appearance was a way for Triller to get some "red meat" to get attention on social media. The only thing for sure from the entire segment is Oscar De La Hoya shouldn't be anywhere near competition, despite the plans for a return.

In the only bout on the card that featured two legitimate boxers, Regis Prograis beat Ivan Redkach via stoppage in the sixth round under completely illegitimate circumstances. Redkach was behind on the score cards and feigned a low blow when it was actually just a body shot. Lex Luger did a better job selling in his second WCW run than Redkach trying to find a way to avoid the fight. Several replays showed that the punch was nowhere near a low blow, but he stayed with the act, rolling around on the canvas under a stretcher was brought to ringside. It was one of the most bizarre incidents I've seen at a boxing event, and it was a phony finish on an already gimmick pay-per-view.

After four hours of horrendous production value, Pete Davidson material that got rejected at Saturday Night Live, uninspiring music acts, Oscar De La Hoya about as coherent as The Sandman during peak ECW, and a phony finish to the previous fight, it was time for the main event.

Ben Askren entered the ring after it appeared he followed the Homer Simpson training program to prepare for it. It was clear that Askren was just there for the payday when he looked very doughy compared to his last UFC appearance just a year and a half ago. Askren was never known as a striker during his MMA career, but barely attempted to throw an actual punch before he was hit with one clean shot that immediately sent him crashing to the canvas. The referee stopped the bout in less than two minutes into the first round. Jake Paul celebrated like he won the Super Bowl, even though he dropped a guy that was more concerned with dough nuts than dodging punches. The quick finish prompted many on social media to speculate that the fix was in and that Askren took a dive. I don't think that was the case, I would guess that Askren's plan was legitimately to just try to coast through the fight without taking any damage, and he didn't care if he lost a decision to a Youtuber. When Askren actually got caught with a punch, he just didn't want to try to continue and put in minimal effort to try to answer the referee. But, I don't think there was some plan for Askren to take a punch and have a worked finish.

At this point, I'm sure you can tell that I think this was a total disaster and a completely train wreck. It was sad to see that Askren, who was considered one of the top contenders in MMA during his prime, reduced to a doughy shell of himself for a payday. Oscar De La Hoya is inaudible on live television, and a fictitious low blow ends a fight. Jake Paul isn't a rising boxing, he just fought gimmick fights without legitimate competition, but if it sells then there's money to be made from it. If this lowest common denominator of crash TV becomes what the public thinks the sport is supposed to be, what happens to legitimate boxing? Have the political games that prevents marquee bouts from getting signed tarnished boxing to the point that the general public is willing to accept this sideshow as an example of boxing? This circus should be a notice to boxing promoters, get the major fights in the ring before the perception of the sport is completely tainted. The Canelo-Triple G and Fury-Wilder trilogy bouts should be signed as soon as possible because this Triller venture was an embarrassment to fight industry.

WWE releases

Social media stirred yesterday, as very similar to April of last year, a slew of WWE performers were released from their contracts. As of this writing, a total of ten competitors were let go from the organization. Some of these departures were surprising, while others were more than expected, especially when it always looks good on the next conference call that the publicly traded organization keeps the budget in mind. Granted, the company could've kept everyone employed during the pandemic and still had record-setting profit based on its TV contracts, but the corporate world is about protecting the bottom line. Some fans might take this as an opportunity to criticize WWE, but the vast majority of these releases were for talent that weren't used on the shows anyway. Obviously, what they could do next and the potential to flourish somewhere else is a different story, but it wasn't like anyone was campaigning for Tucker to main event Wrestlemania.

Mojo Rawley, a former football player that had the biggest moments of his career based on the fact he was friends with Rob Gronkowski, was the latest release, and in truth, I don't think he continues in the industry. I could be wrong, but Mojo is one of those guys that was trained within the WWE system from scratch and I'm not sure his skill set, as limited as it might've been during his WWE tenure will translate elsewhere. Sure, Impact Wrestling could sign him to try to use his name from football to get some buzz, but with almost a dozen potential signees on the market, is Mojo the best investment to make from that batch of talent? If Mojo's heel turn should've been given more of a chance is a different matter, the point is, he played football and started in the WWE, does he really want to work for a smaller organization or the indies after that? If I had to guess, I'd say there are better odds that Mojo launches a sports podcast than continues a pro wrestling career.

I thought Bo Dallas was very entertaining, and it was disappointing that he got typecast for the majority of his time in WWE. That said, he hasn't wrestled in over a year and a half so there wasn't much of a reason for the company to keep him on the roster if he wasn't going to be booked for TV. At just 30, Bo Dallas still have a career ahead of him, and I think he will be one of the talents that had to get away from the WWE system to reinvent himself before he returns as an even better performer. For example, Drew McIntyre was a main eventer for the past year, but he had to be released to be able to prove that he was more than just a comedy act. A run outside of the WWE will actually be an opportunity for Bo Dallas to prove to the office that he's a more capable performer than they gave him credit for, and I wouldn't be surprised if he eventually returns to the organization for a fresh start. Considering that AEW already has a packed roster, New Japan Pro Wrestling or even the NJPW Strong spinoff might be the best place for his post-WWE stint.

It's unfortunate that Chelsea Green suffered a broken wrist during her debut on Smackdown late last year and that seems to be what led to the end of her WWE tenure. Green isn't necessarily the most polished in-ring wrestler, but she definitely made her segments memorable and maximized her minutes on television, with the prime example being her run in TNA prior to when she signed a WWE deal in 2018. She actually had a broken wrist once before during one of her initial matches in NXT so prehaps, management views her an injury prone. Either way, she will probably return to Impact since Matt Cardona already works there, and she will probably have a good run under the Impact banner again.

 Kalisto is a very talented athlete that got completely pigeon-holed into the role of a gloried jobber within the WWE. The Lucha House Party was more about a low brow reason for Hispanic wrestlers to take a pinata to the ring than anything that showcased their skills or the lucha style. He will undoubtedly have many options to continue his career, as he worked in Mexico prior to when he inked a WWE deal. Ring Of Honor, with its emphasis on lucha libre could be a realistic option. New Japan would probably schedule him for its Super Jr. tournament, and even AEW could be on the table. If anything, the biggest hurdle for him might be attempting to change the perception of his character after he was booked like an enhancement talent for the vast majority of his WWE run. The problem is,  Kalisto has very minimal star power because of the way he was presented on Raw for the better part of a decade.

Speaking of star power, Tucker was released and has almost zero star power to build on in his next venture. That's not a jab against him, but rather the status of his character. The office went with Otis, and basically, Tucker became the "Marty" of the team. After Heavy Machinery disbanded, management seemingly had no plans for him so it doesn't make sense to keep him on the roster. Tucker might have potential, but it remains to be seen, simply because he rarely had the chance to do much outside of the Heavy Machinery gimmick that was designed to feature Otis more than anything else. That said, I don't see him landing in one of the major promotions because similar to Mojo Rawley, with the list of talent that was just released, is Tucker really going to be a priority?

Much of the same can be said for Wesley Blake, he essentially got lost in the shuffle and wasn't used for anything worthwhile so there's no reason to keep him under contract. Maybe he has the potential to flourish in another organization, but it's doubtful that he's at the top of the list to be offered another contract since he has almost zero star power, despite the WWE TV exposure.

The Iconics being released was a surprised, merely because Billie Kay had a notable amount of TV time recently. However, I have to be honest, I wasn't a fan of their work and couldn't name a decent Iconics match so regardless of the "outrage" on social media, particularly for Billie  Kay's release, I don't think it was a mistake by the company. The team will probably be reunited somewhere, though.

As far as releases I disagree with, Mickie James should still be under contract, and in my opinion, she was completely underutilized during her more recent WWE tenure. I'm not sure why she was scheduled for television so sparsely during the pandemic era, but Mickie is a polished pro that would be an asset to any roster. As an accomplished veteran, she would probably be a very good addition to the AEW women's division to work with some of the younger talent.

Obviously, the most surprising release was Samoa Joe, specifically because he just did commentary for Wrestlemania less than a week ago. I might be wrong, but I have to think that there's more to this story than the office just didn't have anything for him. Joe, who was on the shelf with a concussion in recent months, did a really good job as an announcer, and it would've been great if he stayed in that role. As much as I enjoy his stellar in-ring work, considering the injuries and his age, a transition to the announce desk might've been the best way to utilize his skills at this point in his career. It goes without saying that Samoa Joe is one of the best of his generation, and the fact that he didn't get a main event run will be another glaring example of when WWE brass missed the boat on a tremendous talent. Sure, Joe worked for the company during Brock Lesnar's major push, but I would argue that Joe as champion for at least a few months would've done more for the ratings than Brock's sporadic appearances. Still, I'm wondering if the concussion had something to do with the release or if the company wouldn't clear him to return to the ring. Make no mistake about it, assuming he's cleared to wrestle, Samoa Joe will be able to work wherever he wants and the offers will be there. At 42, Samoa Joe's best option might be a few key matches in AEW and New Japan instead of a full-time schedule.

Askren makes boxing debut

This weekend, Youtube star, Jake Paul will step into the boxing ring for his third professional bout against former MMA fighter, Ben Askren, who retired from the octagon with a 19-2-1 record after a pair of losses in late-2019. Undefeated prior to his arrival in the UFC the same year, Askren became known to a main stream audience for all the wrong reasons when he was KO'ed in just five seconds with a flying knee from Jorge Masvidal, who used the highlight reel moment to propel himself to a level of stardom.

The boxing contest will air this Saturday under the Triller banner, the same social media and video app that was involved with the distribution of the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones exhibition last year. Paul, a social media star, appeared on the under card of that broadcast and KO'ed former basketball player, Nate Robinson. The event, a spectacle that was built on the in-ring return of Tyson, featured music performances and commentary from Snoop Dogg, who was assigned a producer role as well. Nobody was sure what to expect from the 54-year-old "Iron" Mike, as he retired from competition 15 years previously.

The exhibition bout was declared a draw, and the show was considered very successful, generating an estimated 1.6 million pay-per-view buys to put it among one of the highest-grossing PPV events of the year. Sure, it was a novelty act, but ultimately the fight business is about the money, and Triller had a show that sold, even if based purely on entertainment rather than sports competition.

However, what does this "entertainment first" formula say about the state of boxing?

Now, I must say, while I wasn't around to see Tyson win the heavyweight belt in 1986, I've been a boxing fan almost my entire life, watching the near weekly HBO cards with my dad in the late-90s when I was in elementary school. With the advancement of technology, I really enjoy finding classic bouts on Youtube that I had only seen on a random re-airing on ESPN 2 back in the day. While I'm technically in the demographic that Youtube stardom would market toward, I guess I'm just an old soul because I see absolutely no reason why more than 20 million subscribers find it worth their time to watch Jake Paul go shopping for a hat or buy an overpriced coffee. I only knew his name peripherally before his contest on the under card of the Tyson-Jones event. The most I knew about Jake Paul was that he was some goofy ball online that had been involved in some controversies that I didn't care to read about.

When boxing is the topic of conversation, I will cite the thrilling bouts and drama from its history. The in-ring brutality of the Ali-Frazier trilogy, the aura of a prime Mike Tyson, Barrera-Morales, Gatti-Ward round 9, and the slick style of Evander Holyfield. More modern, I would tell you about the brilliance of Saul "Canelo" Alvarez or the remarkable comeback story of Tyson Fury. I would also rant about how the politics and greed in boxing, particularly in the past two decades almost destroyed the sport at one point. Truthfully, it wasn't until more recent years that the sweet science was back on the radar of the general public with the Premier Boxing Championship series on Fox, and the fact that ESPN started to host cards to attempt to retain its audience when options for sports coverage continued to expand to a myriad of platforms.

But, does traditional boxing still hold its position among the sports public?

Make no mistake about it, a big time prize fight is still a massive draw, a look at even recent boxing PPV buyrates will prove that, but the previously mentioned political games that often prevent major bouts from getting in the ring makes the occasions those major prize fights occur very sparse. That said, as I said prior to this, the fight business is ultimately the entertainment business and if there's a market for it, someone will take the money on the table to distribute it. Again, I'm not the right person to gauge any interest in a Jake Paul bout against an accomplished UFC fighter that still isn't a main stream name. On the surface, I would say that there's no way that this $50 broadcast will generate anything close to the Tyson/Jones number, but I could be wrong. I don't think Jake Paul has the type of main stream draw that Mike Tyson brings to the table, but again, I'm not the target audience. When I'm looking for something on Youtube, it's usually Neil Young songs, a classic wrestling promo, or a clip of Omar on The Wire.

The problem with these sideshow type fights that are based on the novelty is that by nature, it's all sizzle and no substances so there's no longevity with it. Tyson and Jones did enough in their exhibition to entertain the people, but if the bout was lackluster, there's nothing to draw the audience for another Tyson exhibition. Essentially, skills and ability create the thrilling moments that boxing is based on and prompts the public to order Tyson Fury or Canelo events. When there's just the sideshow aspect of "Youtuber vs. former UFC fighter" there's much more of a risk that the contest falls flat. If fans pay $50 this weekend to watch visual benadryl during Paul's fight, what are the chances of repeat business on pay-per-view?

As entertaining as Snoop Dogg was during the Tyson/Jones event, I think a spectacle like that should be a one-off that rarely ever happens so that the concept doesn't become overused or stale. The concern for the sport of boxing is that if these sideshow broadcasts of Youtube stars begin to draw more interest from the current generation of sports fans, it could be a major problem for the sport to attempt to maintain its ability to draw the major numbers mentioned with Canelo or Fury. If traditional boxing events seem "too plain" for the current sports fan base, what does that say for the future of boxing?

The biggest takeaway kingpin promoters Bob Arum and Al Haymon should take from these celebrity boxing shows is that if they continue to play politics to protect these respectively golden geese then they could eventually leave more money on the table than they would've made otherwise. There's big money to be made from the fight game and those from the outside of finally getting a pie of the pie, albeit in an unconventional way. How boxing as a sport response to these entertainment-based ventures remains to be seen, but it's definitely not a scenario that should be disregarded.

As far as the fight, the Youtube star actually has the advantage because Askren's entire career was based on his grappling ability, which isn't a factor at all in a boxing match. I will pick Askren to win just for the prosperity of combat sports. If nothing else, it will be interesting to see if this fight draws numbers and if these type of events remain on the pay-per-view schedule in the next few months.

Ryse at Ringside 7

I've often wondered why professional wrestling has such a history of carny figures and a seedy side, but the more I thought about it, I'd say it was less an indication about sports entertainment and more about the entertainment business in general. The reasons for that are numerous, with slight variations depending on what field of entertainment you choose to examine, but if I had to guess, I think the main reason is anything that is a cash-based venture has the potential to draw some shady characters. Thankfully, Ryse Wrestling is the opposite of all of these things, which is why it's my favorite promotion that I've worked for in the time I've been involved in the industry.

However, the story for this edition of "Ryse At Ringside" goes back to almost the start of my journey into this crazy business, a tale that fits into the category of "only in pro wrestling." Historians of the business will cite that the grappling arts can be traced back to the carnival days, which makes sense because the conclusion of this story was definitely a circus.

In early 2009, I was in my second year of college at Penn State Greater Allegheny for the Communications degree that I completed a few years later. Since the field of study was based in media, one of the advisors, a very nice lady, Ms. Garwood that worked with some of the disabled students on schedules and other various resources, suggested that some portfolio material would be helpful to show diversity within different media platforms. I took her advice and arranged to be a photography for the now-defunct Pro Wrestling Express organization that held events just a few minutes from the university, which I've mentioned in this column before as how I got a start in wrestling. With a background in Communications and after a year of consistency as a photographer, it was mentioned that if a spot opened up at PWX for commentary, I should try to throw my name in the discussion. The problem was, I didn't have a sample of any of my work yet so it wasn't an automatic process.

However, back to 2009, I saw online that the "Extreme Wrestling Alliance" was set to run its debut show on March 7th in Butler, PA, the same location where Sterling James Kennan's family ran their Far North Wrestling shows regularly at the time. Around the same time I started taking photos at PWX shows, I was invited to FNW events and did what I could to help out because I appreciated that I was welcomed there. Sure, I didn't have the balance to hoist a ring post, but I took tickets at the door, sold merchandise, and generally tried to stay out of the way. A few years later I announced a few of the FNW shows and had the chance to work with the great Jon Burton, the notable sportscaster with a history in Pittsburgh before he relocated to work in television in Nashville, TN. But before that, as mentioned, I just did whatever I could to help out and saw that Far North established a solid fan base in the area.

Some local yokel noticed, too. By early 2009, this ham-and-egger assumed that if wrestling fans in his hometown went to FNW show then he could also get those same fans to buy tickets to his "professional" wrestling show. I'm sure you can see where this is going, but take this ride because it's definitely a trip. With the advice of portfolio material in mind, I sent an e mail to the organization and explained that I was in college for Communications and wanted to get as much broadcasting experience as I could so I wanted to inquire about being an announcer for the event. I received a reply that requested I send a mock sample of commentary so I found an ECW fan cam match, a segment filmed from a live event without any original commentary, and did voice over commentary of a Rhino vs. Kid Kash match from 2000. I'm aware these are oddly specific details and I'm not sure why I remember them, but prehaps my amateur call of the gore made this story possible.

I sent the sample along and didn't expect anything, but got a call from the "promoter" a few days later. As soon as I heard the guy, I knew he had to be on Neptune, and when I heard the amount of money he offered, which was way more than a new announcer should get, his brain might've been as far away as Pluto. Now, I won't to point out, I didn't try to exploit the guy for too much money, I never said a price, I just simply accepted the money he offered, was I supposed to counter with a lower number? That said, if he was willing to over pay me, what in the wide world of sports did he offer some of the known talent scheduled for this show? More on that later.

When the phone call with the now infamous Joe Rogers concluded, I immediately knew he was in way over his head and had no idea how the economics of independent wrestling worked. As you can tell by the name of his promotion, this guy was a big fan of ECW so of course, he wanted to play promoter and bring in talent known from the promotion for his own "extreme" project. The late Balls Mahoney and Justin Credible were scheduled for this show. Being the longtime veterans that they were, the pair saw an opportunity to hustle a naive fan that should've never tried to play Vince McMahon. Don't get me wrong, I don't blame either of the former ECW stars because Rogers was dumb enough to agree to it. Despite being from New Jersey, a distance that was drivable for Mahoney when he did shows in Pittsburgh prior to his stint in the failed ECW relaunch, both Mahoney and Credible wanted plane tickets for their EWA appearance. I found out later that the pair requested three times their usual booking fee, and because Joe Rogers was so star-struck, he had no idea that he was being hustled. He agreed to pay their fee because he assumed he would draw hundreds of fans.

Prior to the event, I knew this fiasco would be a one-and-done, but hey, it would be fun to actually do commentary for a show, right? Keep in mind, I had only been a photographer up until March of 2009 so this extreme debacle would be my first show as an announcer. Thankfully, BC Steele, the current leader of Golden Chic International, was going to be at the show to do commentary. I had known Ben the previous year through being a photographer at PWX so I was looking forward to working with him, even for this one-off show.

I can't recall the name of the venue where the show was held, but it was a really cool building with a small balcony where the commentary set up was located.  A few days earlier, Rogers called me and asked if I could bring some friends to help staff the event, and since I was fairly sure this was a one-time venture, I invited my wrestling pals, Joe Folino and Johanson along with the thought that at least it would be a fun night to hang out. When we arrived, my suspicions of shadiness were confirmed, as nothing seemed to be organized, and Joe Rogers looked like he was more concerned with standing next to ECW guys he saw on TV than actually running the show. All respect intended to the deceased, but Mahoney looked to be in rough shape, as this was around the time that his appearance drastically changed. He looked gaunt and sickly, which I'm guessing was from a combination of his risks inside and outside of the ring.

In retrospect, the visual of nearly 500 chairs set up in several rows was almost comical because the vast majority of them looked as empty before the doors opened as they did during the show. I knew things were going off the rails when twenty minutes before bell time, I didn't have a run sheet of the matches and when I asked Ben where it was, he told me that it was still being written. Eventually, the show got started and we called four matches before intermission, including Mahoney's match that involved a table.

During intermission, the ECW stars were in the ring to take polaroids with the dozens of fans that had bought tickets to this extravaganza. That finished up rather quickly and then the ring were awkwardly empty for almost 15 minutes. I knew something was up so I went down to the main level of the building and saw Balls Mahoney, still bleeding from the prior match, leaving a voice mail with a myriad of vulgar threats. Not shockingly, when Joe Rogers didn't draw enough fans to pay the inflated fees, he took the money from the gate and ran, leaving the roster, the staff, and the building unpaid. Somehow, some of the remaining wrestlers organized a few matches for the rest of the event so that the fans didn't get ripped off, but since the DVD release was never going to see the light of day, I didn't stay for the second half of the event. Instead, Johanson and I were to the nearest Buffalo Wild Wings and watched the UFC pay-per-view that night. So, yes, on my first official booking where I would get paid to be an announcer, nobody got paid.

Not only had Rogers skipped out on paying anyone, he left Mahoney and Credible stranded at the venue since he picked them up from the airport earlier in the day. Joe Folino, being the nice guy that he is, didn't want to see anyone stuck so he offered to drive the extreme duo to the airport. Mahoney, as goofy as he might've been, still insisted on covering fuel expenses for Joe as a way to say thank you. The former ECW stars got to the airport and made their flight the next day, but had to spend the night in the terminal, as the hotel accommodations they had been promised by Rogers weren't booked.

I was surprised when the story made headlines on the internet because  I didn't think anyone would notice a random one-off indy show that went wrong. There was a now-deleted Youtube video that was posted online of most of the incident and that sparked discussion of the story. After Mahoney's raging voice mail, I didn't think it was necessary to try to contact the knucklehead promoter so I didn't expect to hear from him again. Amazingly, a few days later, I got an AIM message from him online, and even more amazingly, roughly six months later he sent me a money order of all things to pay me for the show.

Lesson learned, right? Of course not, as Rogers has tried to promote and failed with shows under several different company names during the past decade. Instead of running a show and then running away if not enough tickets are sold, he simply cancelled shows that didn't sell enough advanced tickets. When he burned too many bridges, he would use a new company name with a new roster and repeat the process. At this point, Joe Rogers has promoted almost half a dozen "companies" since the infamous EWA debacle. And yes, Rogers still attempts to promote events in West Virginia today. This business really is a circus.

Wrestlemania Night Two review

After the sentimental conclusion to night one, the second event of Wrestlemania actually had two heels in the main event. As I wrote yesterday, night one had its share of hits and misses, particularly the pacing of the show because despite the nearly 40-minute delay to get a match in the ring, all the extensive video packages were used as scheduled. On paper, I thought night two would be the stronger show, but how did the event compare live on pay-per-view?

The Fiend/Randy Orton match that started the show was the goofy and lame presentation that we thought it would be. It didn't make sense, there's still no indication of who the baby face or the heel is, and the finish was something from the Vince Russo playbook. Aside from just about everything, the main problem with the portray of the entire angle is that the gimmick spots were presented in the open since the company didn't have as many safety precautions to take into consideration with no  fans in the building. It was much easier for the company to burn a mannequin in the ring when it's in a more controlled environment. That's where the huge gap in logic is in this storyline compared to similar angles of the past. It wasn't implied that The Fiend was burned and thus leaves the door open for some type of return because there's at least the possibility that he somehow escaped or avoided the fire. Instead, the storyline is that "The Fiend" was completely burned live on camera. There's no room for interpretation or stretching the limits of logic. 

For a comparison, when Kane put The Undertaker in a casket at the Royal Rumble in 1998 and set it on fire, it was later revealed that it was empty after the fire was extinguished. Sure, it stretches the limits of logic, but it's pro wrestling. The point is, the audience never actually saw The Undertaker on fire so there are ways to book his return. In a similar fashion, if Criss Angel made a tank disappear, the audience knows it's an illusion, but they don't know and can't explain how it was done so there's a level of mystic around it. The angle with The Fiend went to the other end of the spectrum, the audience saw "The Fiend" burned and melted in the middle of the ring so how exactly is there any logical explanation for how he survived? I understand this is sports entertainment, but the narrative is based in reality, Edge didn't bring a ray gun to the main event to try to defeat Roman Reigns for the championship because the event is within the limits of sports competition.

As far as the heel and the baby face, a dynamic that is key for any great angle, is The Fiend the heel for tormenting Randy Orton or is Orton the villain for trying to commit homicide on live television? Furthermore, if management was going to use the costume that makes The Fiend look like a toasted marshmallow, at least it sold the fact that he was on fire, something the entire viewing audience saw when he was lit on fire in the ring on live pay-per-view. Doesn't the fact that Bray Wyatt emerged from ringside prior to this match in his usually outfit make this whole thing exponentially more ridiculous? The story is, he was burned and he had a costume that looked like he was burned. The small fact that he shouldn't have survived melting in the ring is ignored. How exactly did he completely heal all the previous damage? There's more logic in an episode of the Twilight Zone because there's a consistent narrative throughout the episode. The finish with Alex Bliss and the Papa Shango ooze didn't make any sense either. Orton got the win and let's hope this angle is never mentioned again.

The women's tag title match was fine, but I had very low expectations for it. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler retained the titles. Natalya and Tamina have made a good team, and maybe it would've been a better decision for them to win the belts. I could be wrong, but I think Shayna could be used for much more than a mid-card tag team role on the show. In my opinion, Shayna should be in the women's title picture on one of the brands.

Kevin Owens beat Sami Zayn in a very good match, and it proved just how talented these two are, even if they aren't featured as often as they should be on Smackdown. Granted, Owens worked a program with Reigns before this and the matches were solid, but that was basically just a way to keep Roman busy until the storyline to set up the Wrestlemania match. I have to be honest, as good as this match was, I think it's in the same category of the Cesaro/Rollins bout from the night before, it was arguably the best in-ring match on the show, but that won't make a difference in the grand scheme of things. Throughout his WWE run, for whatever reason, Sami is pushed sporadically and then occasionally almost forgotten about on Smackdown. These two have such an extensive history so it was an easy booking decision to get a quality match on the card, but again, I don't think the performance will boost their status on the brand. I have no idea why Logan Paul was there or what purpose he was supposed to have, but at least his involvement was minimal.

Sheamus vs. Riddle was a physical and entertaining contest. The biggest takeaway here is that Matt Riddle could be money if management didn't saddle him with a gimmick designed to make him look foolish and sound annoying. There were online reports that Vince McMahon enjoys Riddle's clueless character so Vince is probably the only one entertained with the goofy backstage segments. That said, Riddle can go in the ring and a performance of this level on the stage of Wrestlemania should theoretically improve his stock on Raw. It should also be noted that Sheamus, despite the booking not doing him any favors at various points throughout his WWE career, can go bell-to-bell in the ring. The really good match with Drew McIntyre last month and this bout against Riddle prove that Sheamus can still deliver quality performances. Sheamus won the US title, but I would say that these two should have a rematch since it will probably be another solid match.

The Big E vs. Apollo Crew IC title match was brief, but also physical based on the weapons used around ringside. It went only about five match before Dabba Kato attacked Big E to help Apollo win the belt so there's not much to say about it. Apparently, Dabba Kato was used for some of the Raw Underground segments last year, but thankfully, I can't recall every detail of Raw Underground. Hopefully, Big E dropping the title is a way for him to move to the Universal title picture because he has all the skills to be a main event star.

It took the office a year, but they finally got it right when Rhea Ripley defeated Asuka for the Raw Women's championship. This was a really good back and fourth bout that built well as the advantage tilted to each competitor before the conclusion. I don't think losing the title does anything to affect Asuka because she was undoubtedly the MVP of the pandemic era. She was one of the most consistent performers on the roster and she made her promos work in an empty building. That said, Ripley should have an extended title run with meaningful angles for the title. She has the star quality and management has the task of booking scenarios that can maximize her potential to become a major star.

The main event was good and was structured very well, especially considering that triple threat matches can be difficult to book with a continuous level of action. While it was entertaining, the finish wasn't really in doubt and even during the near falls, it didn't really have a moment where the audience thought that the title could switch. Granted, it was the right call to have Roman retain the belt since he's doing the best work of his career, but there wasn't necessarily much drama around the results. Overall, I would say that night two was the better show, but as a whole, Wrestlemania 37 was an entertaining event and it will be interesting to see the direction of the product in the next few months.

Larry Sweeney tribute

With as much fanfare as the past week had with the slew of independent shows in the Tampa area, as well as Wrestlemania with fans in the building for the first time in over a year, there's finally a sense of optimism around the industry that was very affected by the restrictions of the pandemic. So much of the visual presentation and even something as intangible as the energy of a show is based on those in attendance. The crowd jumping for joy during Bianca's emotional title win last night just added an extra level to the moment.

Unfortunately, there's a somber note mixed in with all the entertainment spectacle, as today is the tenth anniversary of the death of Larry Sweeney, a charismatic and entertaining grappler that many thought was destined for a bright future in the industry. His star shined too bright as he strutted to the ring, attired in outlandish pink and purple outfits, for him not to be scooped up by a national promotion. 

 Tragically, that bright star extinguished suddenly and abruptly when Larry Sweeney took his own life at the age of just 30 after a long battle with bipolar disorder.

Even ten years later, I still remember exactly where I was when I received a text from one of my wrestling pals, Joe Folino, and completely shocked, I looked online to see if there was any confirmation of this terrible news. I didn't even set up a Twitter page until the following year, but saw that Chris Hero, a friend of Sweeney, confirmed the news on social media. Alex Whybrow was a name I hadn't heard before, but it was one that fans would hear numerous times as tributes from his peers poured in via social media in the aftermath of his passing.

Aside from how entertaining he was in the ring, his death hit me particularly hard because I had met him several times during the prior years through his work with Norm Connors' International Wrestling Cartel. I was still in high school most of the times that I had talked to him, and he took my purchase of a $5 photo as something he was thankful for. I mean, sure professional wrestling has its reputation as a carny industry, but I can tell you that Larry Sweeney genuinely appreciated that I bought an 8X10. In fact, a few months afterwards, when I bought a second picture, he asked, "did you e bay the other one?!" with his trademark smirk. I informed him that I hadn't taken his autograph to an online auction, but rather it had gotten smeared during the action of the show when I had purchased it so I was getting a new one. Sweeney insisted, despite my polite decline, to give me another autographed picture to replace it at no additional charge. Since he refused to take another $5 for the photo, I instead bought a trading card from him that he also signed.

Again, the genuine side of Larry Sweeney was too obvious not to notice. Despite the story of the origin of the phrase "$12 large, brother" during an intermission standing next to Tom Brandi, Larry simply didn't try to scrounge every dollar, which is rare for independent wrestling. After I had met him and he continued to work for IWC, he often noticed my friends and I prior to bell time at the show. Once during an intermission, I went to buy an extremely overpriced mountain dew and a pretzel when the multi-time ICW/ICWA  Texarkana Television Championship went jivin' through the hallway. I didn't want to bother him outside of the time fans usually had a chance to interact with the wrestlers at intermission so I didn't say anything. Larry stopped and said "how ya doin', pal?! Did that picture make it safe?" I was shocked he would've remembered or even taken the time to ask, but I told him that it was safely put in a plastic cover with the rest of my collection.

The day he passed, even as I was still shocked, I wrote a post for a college blog, an online class that was rather useless and used an antiquated program that was discontinued a few years later to build the site, but the rants about unnecessary classes to pad the tuition bill is another discussion for another time. The point being, I typed it in a quiet computer lab with a profound sense of sadness. How a performer that was so talented and a person that was so kind could pass away at such a young age under those circumstances just didn't make any sense.

Today, through older eyes I can write this remembrance of the leader of Sweet N' Sour International with less sadness and more of an appreciation for the performer that he was, as well as what could ultimately be learned through his passing. There will probably always be a stigma surrounding mental health, a very narrow-minded view point that completely misses the mark on so many levels. That said, in the time since Sweeney's passing, the topic of mental health is much more discussed than in the past, even within the pro wrestling industry. Nobody wants to see another talented performer leave too early so some of the previously taboo topics are discussed with more awareness through social media.

Over the years, there has occasionally been a few fundraisers with Sweeney t-shirt with the proceeds donated to mental health organizations so his legacy has helped those in need of mental health services.

It goes without say that had he recovered from his mental health issues that Larry Sweeney would be on national television today. I'm not sure it would even be considered a "what if" scenario, simply because the almost unanimous consensus is that he was tailor made for national television.

When I wrote the original blog post in college, I typed it with total sadness, but I write this article ten years later with a smile because I think of the genuinely nice person and tremendously entertaining performer that Larry Sweeney was in the ring. The legacy of Larry Sweeney isn't that his life was cut short, but rather a career build upon the ability to entertain. A legacy of entertainment seems very fitting for such a stellar perform that impacted many people throughout his career.

Wrestlemania 37 Night One review

After one year, one month, one day, and...thirty minutes, live professional wrestling was back in front of thousands of fans at Raymond James Stadium. As tacky as it might sound, it was refreshing and provided some semblance of optimism just to see the visual of a big crowd at a sports entertainment spectacle. Sure, there will be those that cite the health risks involved and they absolutely have a point, the pandemic isn't over. But, for a brief moment, it was nice to get lost in the traditional pro wrestling environment. Speaking of which, for all of his naysayers and critics, there's something about a Vince McMahon introduction to Wrestlemania that still has its mystic. That said, as I had wings in front of me and the Peacock app launched, the news that the show would be delayed because of the weather, while totally understandable, was disheartening. I would say that it did have an effect on the pace of the show since it was roughly 40 minutes until a match got into the ring.

Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley for the WWE championship opened the show and it was a very solid match that built well. I had written after Lashley won the title from The Miz that if management wanted Lashley as champion, especially after he was one of the most protected talents of the prior year that prehaps they should consider giving him an extended run with the title to utilize the careful booking to its fullest. Lashley was made to look strong the entire year ahead of his title victory, and if he dropped the belt in a month, what does that say about his tenure as a main event level talent? At the same time, the office invested a lot of TV time into Drew to attempt to solidify him as a top guy. The mishandling of Drew as champion is something I've discussed before so to avoid being repetitive, i will simply say that losing the title twice didn't do him any favors. That's where the intrigue was for this bout because either management was going to try to give Drew a more legitimate Wrestlemania moment with the live crowd reaction, something that makes sense with the previously mentioned investment of TV time during the pandemic era or the status of Lashley as a main eventer would conclude after a one month title reign.

I have to say, I was very surprised that Lashley got the win, but I think they made the right call. It's completely unfair to Drew that he finally got a major push at a time when the entire world was shut down, and to his credit, he probably did the best he could under the circumstances, but the point line is, there was never a way to truly gauge how over he was in the role since there wasn't the live reaction for some feedback. Some might cite the ratings as an indication that Drew couldn't retain viewers, but I disagree, I think the sluggish ratings have more to do with the overall presentation of the product than any individual star. I understand why they went with the finish where the match was stopped and McIntyre didn't tap out, but regardless, I'm not sure the writing team could rebuild him as a title contender anytime soon. Again, Drew was put in an unprecedented spot with the attempt to be the top star during a pandemic, but if Lashley is the choice then management should focus on his presentation as champion. I'm really not sure what Drew can do next since the story was the journey to the title, and if there was a time to give him the moment to try to fully establish him as the top star on the brand then Wrestlemania would've been the stage for it. A side note, the fact that The Hurt Business was disbanded and Lashley retained the title is one of the booking decisions that hinder the product. The stable was an over act on the show and Lashley was the center piece of the faction so how did the split benefit anyone?

The women's tag team turmoil match was more or less just an excuse to shoehorn as many wrestlers on the card as possible. Natalya and Tamina won and will challenge for the titles tonight. Next...

It was no surprise that Cesaro and Seth Rollins stole the show with an absolutely tremendous match. It showed just how good Rollins can be when he's not dragged down with lame scripts and a stale persona. Cesaro proved again that he has all the skills to be a world champion, and more importantly, that the office continues to miss the boat with him. As I said in an article a few weeks ago, the match will be great and then it won't matter. Cesaro's skills have been well-known for years, but if management hasn't realized his potential by now then it's doubtful that it will suddenly occur to them that he should get more to do than just a mid-carder on the show. That was the only downside of this bout, it was great, but it's disappointing to know that it won't lead anywhere because three weeks from now Cesaro will probably be in the same spot he was before Wrestlemania, an underutilized talent on the mid-card of Smackdown. If nothing else, it was nice to see Cesaro get the victory and at least the moment of recognition for his skills.

AJ Styles and Omos won the Raw tag team titles after a mostly one-sided match against The New Day. You can see the inexperience, but Omos has a look and a presence that has the potential to be money for the company. Obviously, things were kept basic, which was a smart decision, and the other three in the match really worked to showcase the debuting athlete. There are certain guys in wrestling that will get a brief moment of the spotlight based solely on their giant statue, and without the ability to work a decent match, it essentially limits their time on the card. Giant Gonzalez, God bless him, was a very nice guy from mentions of him on podcasts, but he wasn't exactly Lou Thez inside the ring ropes. He had the fact that he was a giant and outside of that visual, he just didn't have the skills to have any longevity as a star. That's why his run in the WWF was less than a year because after fans saw him on the screen, there wasn't anything else he could bring to the table. There's a reason that specific performers had better runs than other giants. Clearly, the best example is that Andre wasn't just a giant, he had the aura and the presence that made him a top draw with audiences around the globe. How far Omos can go, and if it's possible to effectively book a giant in an era where there are countless hours of TV remains to be seen, but this was definitely a solid debut.

Psychology-wise, the Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon cage match was fine. There's no reason that Shane should be able to go toe-to-toe with Braun so the heels jumping him before the match and Shane's use of the chair allowed for the heel to get the advantage without anything too ridiculous planned in the match. Shane getting the sheet metal from the top of the cage was another way to make sure Braun didn't have to oversell something as simple as punches for the heel to continue to get the advantage. The bump Shane took from the top of the cage was very risky, but at this point I think the "dangerous Shane spots" have become rather stable. Braun won a decent match. The major problem here is that the entire angle and the build up to it were completely horrendous so the majority of the viewing audience couldn't care less about the match. Braun continues to be made to look silly after he was one of the most over stars on the roster five years ago. The swamp fight, the angle with Shane, and probably whatever Strowman is booked for next will make the audience shake their head more than anything else.

The Bad Bunny and Damien Priest vs. The  Miz and John Morrison match was fun. Some purists might scoff at a celebrity getting the advantage in the ring, but truth be told, The Miz is the perfect choice for this type of contest. The Miz is as over as he's going to be and his status within the promotion is going to stay the same regardless of if he wins or loses every match for the rest of his career. That's not meant as a jab against him, but rather that he has a level of consistency that even a defeat from a rapper in his first match won't have a major impact on the level of his career. It was reported before the event that Bad Bunny had spent several weeks training at the Performance Center and it showed in this match. Similar to the Omos situation, the other three involved worked to help showcase Bad Bunny and minimize his inexperience. Bad Bunny did well on the moves he performed and he didn't take any moves that would've exposed any possible weaknesses. The selling was basic and it was mission accomplished. The structure of the match worked well because Bad Bunny got a chance to shine early, he was beat down to build some heat so that Damien Priest could get the hot tag with the spotlight on him. Bad Bunny and Damien Priest got the win. I'm not sure how far Priest could go on Raw, but he looked like a star at Wrestlemania.

The main event was very good, and after over a year of doom and gloom for almost everything in the world, it was really nice to have a happy moment with the baby face celebrating to close the show. Some cynics might try to claim that Sasha and Bianca were given the main event spot so the company can try to score "woke" point or something, but that's nonsense. Sasha is an extremely talented heel that has the star quality, and Belair is a sentimental baby face that has to potential to become a major star. The only color that matters in that formula is green because that scenario is money. The back and fourth action built well toward the drama of the finish of the match, and it definitely was a main event quality performance. Overall, the card was fine, but the amount of video packages after the extended rain delay made the show drag at some point. Don't get me wrong, one of the reasons WWE is as successful as it is, is based on the incredible production value of the shows, but nobody had to watch five minute videos packages prior to most of the matches. It will be interesting to see how night two is booked and how it compares to this event.