As a commentator for a local Pittsburgh promotion, I get the chance to call matches for a lot of talented people and there are some that have a chance to go further than just wrestling in front of a few hundred fans on the independent scene. A few of these competitors that immediately come to mind are Storm Academy graduates, Jack Pollock and Bryan Bowers, both whom make my work easier with their always solid in ring work. While Bowers is relatively new to the game, Pollock is one of the most underrated talents in the Pittsburgh area and I would recommend anyone unfamiliar to find some of his work online because he has the talent to make it to a bigger stage. Still, the independents have a draw to them and specifically the Pittsburgh area brings the blue collar atmosphere of the region to its wrestling. The storied history of Bruno Sammartino, Shane Douglas, Kurt Angle, and others have inspired competitors from the area to chase the dream of professional wrestling fame. Earlier this year, I was discussing the format of the TV tapings for that night's event when I saw and unfamiliar name listed on the run sheet, Mike Young. At first I thought it sounded like an 80s jobber, but when I actually talked to him to get his background prior to the show, it was interesting to hear that he trained under the tutelage of WWE Hall Of Famers, Scott Hall and Larry Zybyskso. I had never heard of or saw him wrestle before and in some cases, if you haven't heard of a competitor, it's possible you're going to witness a train wreck, as rookies are still in the learning process. However, Young showed poise and skills beyond his years, delivering a solid performance for his promotion debut.
I was surprised and impressed with his ability, especially for being roughly two years into his career so, what was the foundation for this rookie prodigy? The story starts not too long ago in 2002 when at age 7, Mike became fascinated with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and it led to him ordering the Summer Slam pay-per-view that year without knowing exactly who all the participants were on the card. The Lesnar-Rock bout had a profound effect on him and he searched for more notable contests. He found footage of a series of Kurt Angle matches, which he considers some of his favorite bouts. Soon, he discovered Youtube and watched as much wrestling as he possibly could, spending hours watching classic ECW footage, as well as seeking independent wrestling through Ring Of Honor during one of its peaks in 2006.
Mike became a die hard fans of the industry, but soon began dreaming of a career inside the ring ropes after he finished high school. Initially, Young planned to start the training process in his hometown, but when a job opportunity led to his family moving to Florida, he followed with his sights set on the WWE Performance Center.
"As far as my training in Florida, I had planned to train at the PWX
academy since I was in high school. I planned on starting
right after I graduated. However, during my senior year of high school
my father was offered a job in the Orlando area. This was right
around the time WWE had announced that the performance center was being
built in Orlando so the naive 18 year old version of me thought that
wrestling in that area would increase my chances of being signed. I
chose the Scott Hall and Larry Zbysko endorsed Team Vision Dojo that was
within a mile of the performance center," he said.
The Team Vision Dojo brought a variety of trainers into the facility, including Lince Dorado, Chasyn Rance, and Aaron Epic. There were also frequent visits from former WWE stars Ricardo Rodriguez and Alex Porteau for training sessions, which Young considered a valuable experience. After five months at the dojo, Mike Young made his pro wrestling debut in front of a small crowd in 2013 and he impressed his trainers, as he applied many of the dojo lessons in front of the live audience. During his time in Florida, he wrestled a few matches for notable independent Full Impact Pro, but he wanted to compete in his hometown, just as some of the legends that inspired him to purse a career inside the ropes.
Ironically, it was another Pittsburgh native and WWE Hall Of Famer, Larry Zbysko that was pivotal to Mike's return to Pittsburgh and Young said, The most important talk I had with Larry Z was the week
before Wrestlemania 30. He was going to Wrestlemania access and I drove him to the
airport. I told him about how I loved wrestling in Florida, but how I
missed PA and felt like I wasn't finished there. He told me that I had a
good look and potential and to not give it up, but to go back to PA to go to college.That was all I had to hear. I moved back
on my own to PA a month later." Aside from Zbysko's advice, Mike spoke on his interaction with Scott Hall saying, "I didn't get to talk to Hall as much as Larry, but there were a few
instances at practice where Hall complimented me and I remember feeling
ecstatic about having Razor Ramon compliment me."
After returning to Pittsburgh in 2014, Mike transformed to "MV Young" as a representation of the progress he made in his career and continues to wrestle regularly for a variety of promotions. When asked about his goals, MV said, "Living on my own paying my own bills, it really gives you
extra motivation to "make it". I want to be a top indie guy and
ultimately be In the WWE." MV Young also plans to study Sports Entertainment management as a college major next fall as another potential career besides wrestling. If MV Young becomes a superstar in pro wrestling remains to be seen, but it's certainly commendable that he's chasing the dream of pro wrestling stardom.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Friday, October 23, 2015
The WWE/ESPN deal
This past Tuesday, John Cena was featured on the launch of a weekly WWE segment on Sports Center as part of the WWE/ESPN deal that was previously announced. Essentially, a weekly WWE segment will bring viewers from outside the typical ESPN demographic to watch their network and wrestling related topics proved to be successful, as the WWE content featured on ESPN has always done strong ratings. Speaking of ratings, both networks have reportedly hit some what of a slump and co-promotion could spark things or at least provide a fresh dynamic. For the WWE, they are competing with some of their toughest competition of the year with the MLB playoffs and Monday Night Football opposite of Raw. Despite loading the show with Stone Cold, The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar etc. this past week drew 3.35 million viewers, which is one of the lowest ratings of the year, but not necessarily uncommon during the playoffs. That said, it still has to be somewhat concerning to WWE brass that they put nearly every possible major star they could on TV, but it just didn't garner the viewers. In my opinion, it probably indicates the lack of emotional investment in many of the current characters on the roster and the lack of investment could be a direct result of the business being over exposed. It's more difficult to get the main stream audience to buy into a character when they are repeatedly reminded that the performer is just a character. Granted, you can't insult the viewers and try to convince them that everything is real, but you don't have to blatantly expose it either. Technically, it actually opens the door to rejuvenate the believability of the product if the fans assume they know everything because if a character is presented with enough realism, you can get the crowd to question the line between reality and storyline, which Bray Wyatt did to some degree during his initial push. Brock Lesnar, arguably the WWE's top draw in the past few years, is another prime example of how a legitimate presentation can draw money. When Lesnar throws a car door literally into the second row, it's vastly different than the majority of the over scripted promos that are usually featured on WWE TV.
That being said, the ESPN deal gives the WWE more main stream publicity and can be a way to give fans a review of the angles from Raw if they didn't tune into the show, potentially generating some buzz for them to watch the following week. ESPN had a dip in ratings recently, mostly because many sports fans will look toward local coverage for their local teams, as it provided more detailed analysis. It should also be considered that while football and basketball have a national draw, baseball and hockey are more regional in popularity, which is another reason some fans will follow local coverage. Similar to WWE, the ESPN network has a lot of competition within its respective field and it makes sense for them to build towards a more diverse demographic.
Despite the initial outrage of scripted WWE TV invading the legitimate sports landscape, it should be mentioned that this is a win-win situation. More specifically, the die hard sports fans that think carny pro wrestling is staining real sports should realize that ANYTHING on main stream television is entertainment designed to generate ratings and thus, ad revenue, which is very similar to the WWE's objective for Raw. There's a reason there are such boastful and diverse pairs of hosts on ESPN, ratings. Even some of the more traditionally formatted ESPN content, such as Mike and Mike, which avoids some of the more overtly ratings driven tactics because of its time slot, still has Greeny as the somewhat timid analyst and Golic for the brute that brings the former player aspect. A prime example of the "entertainment first" aspect of ESPN is the "First Take" show that features debates between professional troll, Skip Bayless and passionate sports reporter, Stephen A. Smith. Bayless takes to the defense of some of the more polarizing figures, such as Tim Tebow, Tom Brady, and Johny Manziel while Stephen A. argues the more logical points. The point being, the usual ESPN viewers aren't going to tune out because of a weekly WWE segment and if anything it gets non typical viewers to watch Sports Center so there's no real harm done to either brand. Would it be somewhat goofy to see an outlandish wrestling angle follow NHL highlights? Probably, but again, its about the ratings and a weekly segment isn't going to jeopardize the credibility of ESPN.
The bottom line is, the WWE is a global product and ESPN is still a media power house so it's a good deal for everyone. Plus, if it's packaged right, the WWE spot could be seen as an entertaining variety aspect of Sports Center. Some sports fans might complain about staged wrestling appearing along with the legitimate competition of other sports, but if they are still watching, does it matter? Keep in mind, ESPN or any other network are as much about entertainment and ratings than anything else, which is exactly the point of the WWE/ESPN deal.
That being said, the ESPN deal gives the WWE more main stream publicity and can be a way to give fans a review of the angles from Raw if they didn't tune into the show, potentially generating some buzz for them to watch the following week. ESPN had a dip in ratings recently, mostly because many sports fans will look toward local coverage for their local teams, as it provided more detailed analysis. It should also be considered that while football and basketball have a national draw, baseball and hockey are more regional in popularity, which is another reason some fans will follow local coverage. Similar to WWE, the ESPN network has a lot of competition within its respective field and it makes sense for them to build towards a more diverse demographic.
Despite the initial outrage of scripted WWE TV invading the legitimate sports landscape, it should be mentioned that this is a win-win situation. More specifically, the die hard sports fans that think carny pro wrestling is staining real sports should realize that ANYTHING on main stream television is entertainment designed to generate ratings and thus, ad revenue, which is very similar to the WWE's objective for Raw. There's a reason there are such boastful and diverse pairs of hosts on ESPN, ratings. Even some of the more traditionally formatted ESPN content, such as Mike and Mike, which avoids some of the more overtly ratings driven tactics because of its time slot, still has Greeny as the somewhat timid analyst and Golic for the brute that brings the former player aspect. A prime example of the "entertainment first" aspect of ESPN is the "First Take" show that features debates between professional troll, Skip Bayless and passionate sports reporter, Stephen A. Smith. Bayless takes to the defense of some of the more polarizing figures, such as Tim Tebow, Tom Brady, and Johny Manziel while Stephen A. argues the more logical points. The point being, the usual ESPN viewers aren't going to tune out because of a weekly WWE segment and if anything it gets non typical viewers to watch Sports Center so there's no real harm done to either brand. Would it be somewhat goofy to see an outlandish wrestling angle follow NHL highlights? Probably, but again, its about the ratings and a weekly segment isn't going to jeopardize the credibility of ESPN.
The bottom line is, the WWE is a global product and ESPN is still a media power house so it's a good deal for everyone. Plus, if it's packaged right, the WWE spot could be seen as an entertaining variety aspect of Sports Center. Some sports fans might complain about staged wrestling appearing along with the legitimate competition of other sports, but if they are still watching, does it matter? Keep in mind, ESPN or any other network are as much about entertainment and ratings than anything else, which is exactly the point of the WWE/ESPN deal.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
The Journey of Jordynne Grace
At 15, most young ladies are listening to pop groups that won't be relevant the following year or deciding if they are "Team Edward" or "Team Jacob," but that certainly wasn't the case for independent women's wrestler, Jordynne Grace. For her, the age of 15 meant an introduction into the world of professional wrestling as an in ring trainee and it started her journey to wrestling in several different states, as well as other countries in just a few short years. Growing up, the Texas native watched the WWE product often, but it was the live experience of attending independent shows in her early years that prompted her to purse a career in the squared circle. In 2010, she found a wrestling school in Texas, but faced a unique situation when her family planned to relocate. "The only issue was I lived in the city and
my mother wanted to move to the country. I had a job at 15 so I asked to move
out and go to school/continue wrestling. My mom, of course, didn’t like that
but she knew I really wanted to wrestle and stay in Austin, so she let me. My
family has always been extremely supportive of my career path." she said.
Living close to the Mexican boarder, Jordynne was given the opportunity to train with the women's group, Lucha Libre Femenil south of the boarder, but the rookie experienced a sense of culture shock when she entered the country. She spoke no Spanish, wasn't initially familiar with the intricacies of the lucha style, and was leery of some of the more notorious urban sections of the country. When asked about her time learning her craft in Mexico she said, "The main thing I learned was how to protect myself extremely well, because the women over there wrestle really stiff, verging on dangerous. So I learned pretty quickly how to prevent injury." At the age of just 16, Jordynne made her debut in Mexico and has even returned since then for a few extended tours with the promotion.
When she returned to the United States, she continued training at the AAPW school where she started and worked extensively in Texas. A bright student, Grace was able to graduate at 16 and wanted to compete as much as possible so she relocated to St. Louis as apart of a group that wanted to further their wrestling skills. While wrestling in St. Louis she met and bonded with independent stand out, Johnathan Gresham and relocated to Atlanta before eventually settling in eastern Pennsylvania. In 2014, she began to make a name for herself using an athletic and strength based style, and since that time has been afford opportunities with some of the more well known independent groups. Combat Zone Wrestling, IWA Mid South, Beyond Wrestling, and dozens of others have all been added to her resume, as she has become one of the rising talents on the independent scene. However, competing on such a regular and diverse schedule doesn't come without it's share of traveling, which can be as challenging as in ring competition. Jordynne estimates that she has wrestled in nearly two dozen states and spoke about the travel saying, "After being in so many cars, planes, and buses and traveling to states that I’m not in more than eight hours before leaving again it’s pretty tiring at this point." It speaks volumes to the versatility that she brings to the table, considering that each time Grace began working in a different part of the country, she had to prove her skills to a whole new audience and received positive reviews for her work.
When she turned 18, Jordynne's athletic background from wrestling prompted her to pursue a certification in personal training so she studied it and passed the test to become a certified personal trainer a few months later. She currently works for Planet Fitness and Gold's Gym while wrestling a full schedule, which is another sign of her dedication to the industry.
The cities of Chicago, Monterrey, Philadelphia and many others decorate Jordynne Grace's wrestling resume, but perhaps the most impressive aspect of her career is her determination to be successful. While still in school, she decided to wanted to become a professional wrestler and five years later, she has worked for dozens of promotions. At 19, the prime of her career is still ahead of her, but Grace already has plans for the future, potentially opening her own gym after her wrestling career. It's somewhat ironic that Jordynne has made a career of traveling a variety of places because it could come full circle for her with a return to Texas being one of her goals saying, "To move back to Texas and be with my family while being flown to shows around the United States." One thing is for sure, Jordynne Grace is an athletic young prospect that has wrestled in many states and internationally in just a few years, and she certainly has the determination to be successful on a major stage.
Living close to the Mexican boarder, Jordynne was given the opportunity to train with the women's group, Lucha Libre Femenil south of the boarder, but the rookie experienced a sense of culture shock when she entered the country. She spoke no Spanish, wasn't initially familiar with the intricacies of the lucha style, and was leery of some of the more notorious urban sections of the country. When asked about her time learning her craft in Mexico she said, "The main thing I learned was how to protect myself extremely well, because the women over there wrestle really stiff, verging on dangerous. So I learned pretty quickly how to prevent injury." At the age of just 16, Jordynne made her debut in Mexico and has even returned since then for a few extended tours with the promotion.
When she returned to the United States, she continued training at the AAPW school where she started and worked extensively in Texas. A bright student, Grace was able to graduate at 16 and wanted to compete as much as possible so she relocated to St. Louis as apart of a group that wanted to further their wrestling skills. While wrestling in St. Louis she met and bonded with independent stand out, Johnathan Gresham and relocated to Atlanta before eventually settling in eastern Pennsylvania. In 2014, she began to make a name for herself using an athletic and strength based style, and since that time has been afford opportunities with some of the more well known independent groups. Combat Zone Wrestling, IWA Mid South, Beyond Wrestling, and dozens of others have all been added to her resume, as she has become one of the rising talents on the independent scene. However, competing on such a regular and diverse schedule doesn't come without it's share of traveling, which can be as challenging as in ring competition. Jordynne estimates that she has wrestled in nearly two dozen states and spoke about the travel saying, "After being in so many cars, planes, and buses and traveling to states that I’m not in more than eight hours before leaving again it’s pretty tiring at this point." It speaks volumes to the versatility that she brings to the table, considering that each time Grace began working in a different part of the country, she had to prove her skills to a whole new audience and received positive reviews for her work.
When she turned 18, Jordynne's athletic background from wrestling prompted her to pursue a certification in personal training so she studied it and passed the test to become a certified personal trainer a few months later. She currently works for Planet Fitness and Gold's Gym while wrestling a full schedule, which is another sign of her dedication to the industry.
The cities of Chicago, Monterrey, Philadelphia and many others decorate Jordynne Grace's wrestling resume, but perhaps the most impressive aspect of her career is her determination to be successful. While still in school, she decided to wanted to become a professional wrestler and five years later, she has worked for dozens of promotions. At 19, the prime of her career is still ahead of her, but Grace already has plans for the future, potentially opening her own gym after her wrestling career. It's somewhat ironic that Jordynne has made a career of traveling a variety of places because it could come full circle for her with a return to Texas being one of her goals saying, "To move back to Texas and be with my family while being flown to shows around the United States." One thing is for sure, Jordynne Grace is an athletic young prospect that has wrestled in many states and internationally in just a few years, and she certainly has the determination to be successful on a major stage.
Friday, October 9, 2015
James Storm signed for NXT
Less than 24 hours after the stellar NXT special on the WWE Network, it was revealed at the next set of tapings that former TNA star, James Storm was signed to compete for the brand. First, it should be mentioned that it's great to see Storm land a job in the WWE after an abrupt exit from TNA and the continued uncertainty that surrounds the Nashville based promotion. Storm, one of many that was completely underutilized in TNA, has the talent to work on a main stage and it's another solid veteran signing for NXT.
A nearly two decade veteran of the business, James Storm initially gained notoriety in the early days of TNA, where he worked from the inaugural show until his departure this past July. Originally, a member of America's Most Wanted, Storm and Chris Harris had a good run as one of the top tag teams, and had memorable matches during the "Asylum era" of the company. In 2006, America's Most Wanted concluded and it was generally thought that Chris Harris would have the better run going forward, but that wasn't the case. Storm continued to evolve into a well rounded performer, while Chis Harris had a cup of coffee in the WWE as Braden Walker and faded into obscurity. Despite a lack of any real direction booking wise, Storm had a solid series of matches during the next few years and eventually joined Bobby Roode to form Beer Money. During their time as a team, Beer Money was the top team in the promotion and one of the organization's most entertaining acts.
In 2011, James Storm was introduced to the TNA World Heavyweight title picture and ironically, it was the start of TNA underutilizing him. Storm was becoming one of the promotion's top stars and his blue collar character was extremely over with the audience. There were some similarities to Stone Cold Steve Austin, who praised Storm's work, but he did enough to make the persona his own in TNA. After the Bound For Glory series, Storm defeated Kurt Angle to win the title, but dropped the belt to Bobby Roode a week later. Keep in mind, Roode won the Bound For Glory series that year to get a title shot, but was defeated by Angle. As I said at the time, if Roode was going to eventually win the title anyway, why not book him to defeat Angle in the finals? Wouldn't it have made Roode look stronger if he won the title in the finals? Instead, the booking made Storm look weak because he only had the title for a short run and it made Roode look secondary to a former WWE star when he didn't defeat Angle for the championship. Roode is a great talent and had a decent run with the belt, but if TNA was going to book Storm as the champion, they should have at least given him a decent run, especially considering how over he was with the crowd.
From there, Storm eventually returned to the tag division and while he had another run as a tag champion, it was more of a throw together team with Gunner and not nearly as popular as his previous tag team run. In 2014, Storm was booked in a cult leader angle and despite random members being added, Storm made it work with some great mic skills and even without too many major angles to work, it provided some entertaining TV. As mentioned, Storm left TNA in July after working for the company during its entire existence and there was some speculation he could sign to work for Global Force Wrestling.
Ultimately, Storm was underutilized in TNA and they missed the boat on him, but that's nothing new for the company. During his initial push, Storm could have been used to help establish the TNA brand as something other than WWE lite, but it was a missed opportunity and again, that's nothing new for TNA. Storm is a solid in ring competitor and he did the best he could with whatever he was booked to do in TNA, which is why Storm is a great signing for NXT. He's versatile enough to adapt to a new system and it seems like he will do well in the NXT environment. It's a win-win situation because Storm gets a platform to apply his trade and his veteran experience could help the younger talent. It's also great to see that he will retain his name and character for NXT because sometimes a specific formula works for a performer and it would be counter productive to spin it just to be able to put the WWE stamp on it. Samoa Joe is another example of this and he has done well so far in his NXT career. Granted, Storm already has several years of network TV exposure so some WWE fans will know who he is, but I think the reasoning behind certain talent keeping the names they used prior to their WWE career could be simpler. This is just a guess, but the WWE is the top promotion in the United States and if a particular talent would go elsewhere using the same name they used while wrestling in NXT, would it really be any threat to WWE? The point being, James Storm is a solid signing for the WWE and he provides some substance to go along with the sizzle of the NXT brand. The debut of Storm allows NXT to remain strong even if certain competitors get transferred to the main roster and assuming he has a decent contact, Storm could make a WWE career out of his work at NXT, which would further establish it as another WWE brand instead of just a developmental system. The bottom line is, James Storm deserves the opportunity and he will probably have a solid run in NXT.
A nearly two decade veteran of the business, James Storm initially gained notoriety in the early days of TNA, where he worked from the inaugural show until his departure this past July. Originally, a member of America's Most Wanted, Storm and Chris Harris had a good run as one of the top tag teams, and had memorable matches during the "Asylum era" of the company. In 2006, America's Most Wanted concluded and it was generally thought that Chris Harris would have the better run going forward, but that wasn't the case. Storm continued to evolve into a well rounded performer, while Chis Harris had a cup of coffee in the WWE as Braden Walker and faded into obscurity. Despite a lack of any real direction booking wise, Storm had a solid series of matches during the next few years and eventually joined Bobby Roode to form Beer Money. During their time as a team, Beer Money was the top team in the promotion and one of the organization's most entertaining acts.
In 2011, James Storm was introduced to the TNA World Heavyweight title picture and ironically, it was the start of TNA underutilizing him. Storm was becoming one of the promotion's top stars and his blue collar character was extremely over with the audience. There were some similarities to Stone Cold Steve Austin, who praised Storm's work, but he did enough to make the persona his own in TNA. After the Bound For Glory series, Storm defeated Kurt Angle to win the title, but dropped the belt to Bobby Roode a week later. Keep in mind, Roode won the Bound For Glory series that year to get a title shot, but was defeated by Angle. As I said at the time, if Roode was going to eventually win the title anyway, why not book him to defeat Angle in the finals? Wouldn't it have made Roode look stronger if he won the title in the finals? Instead, the booking made Storm look weak because he only had the title for a short run and it made Roode look secondary to a former WWE star when he didn't defeat Angle for the championship. Roode is a great talent and had a decent run with the belt, but if TNA was going to book Storm as the champion, they should have at least given him a decent run, especially considering how over he was with the crowd.
From there, Storm eventually returned to the tag division and while he had another run as a tag champion, it was more of a throw together team with Gunner and not nearly as popular as his previous tag team run. In 2014, Storm was booked in a cult leader angle and despite random members being added, Storm made it work with some great mic skills and even without too many major angles to work, it provided some entertaining TV. As mentioned, Storm left TNA in July after working for the company during its entire existence and there was some speculation he could sign to work for Global Force Wrestling.
Ultimately, Storm was underutilized in TNA and they missed the boat on him, but that's nothing new for the company. During his initial push, Storm could have been used to help establish the TNA brand as something other than WWE lite, but it was a missed opportunity and again, that's nothing new for TNA. Storm is a solid in ring competitor and he did the best he could with whatever he was booked to do in TNA, which is why Storm is a great signing for NXT. He's versatile enough to adapt to a new system and it seems like he will do well in the NXT environment. It's a win-win situation because Storm gets a platform to apply his trade and his veteran experience could help the younger talent. It's also great to see that he will retain his name and character for NXT because sometimes a specific formula works for a performer and it would be counter productive to spin it just to be able to put the WWE stamp on it. Samoa Joe is another example of this and he has done well so far in his NXT career. Granted, Storm already has several years of network TV exposure so some WWE fans will know who he is, but I think the reasoning behind certain talent keeping the names they used prior to their WWE career could be simpler. This is just a guess, but the WWE is the top promotion in the United States and if a particular talent would go elsewhere using the same name they used while wrestling in NXT, would it really be any threat to WWE? The point being, James Storm is a solid signing for the WWE and he provides some substance to go along with the sizzle of the NXT brand. The debut of Storm allows NXT to remain strong even if certain competitors get transferred to the main roster and assuming he has a decent contact, Storm could make a WWE career out of his work at NXT, which would further establish it as another WWE brand instead of just a developmental system. The bottom line is, James Storm deserves the opportunity and he will probably have a solid run in NXT.
Monday, October 5, 2015
The career of Brian Pillman
October 5, 1997 marked the passing of Brian Pillman, who competed the
night before at a WWF house show and was scheduled to appear at that
night's pay-per-view event. The broadcast of "Bad Blood" opened with WWF
owner Vince McMahon informing the viewing audience that Pillman was
found dead in his hotel room at the age of 35 and a 10 bell salute
followed the next night on Raw. Nearly two decades later, Brian Pillman
is still remembered, specifically through a DVD release on his life in
2006 and the accessibility to classic footage through the WWE Network,
but the true impact of his career might not be realized to many fans.
Fighting to survive from the start of his life, Brian Pillman underwent dozens of throat surgeries to remove cancerous polyps and as a result of the procedures, he developed his trademark raspy voice. Pillman continued to defy the odds, as he played football in college, but went undrafted so he decided to try out for his hometown team, the Cincinnati Bengals. Many thought Pillman's statue would prevent him from landing a spot on an NFL team, but he was signed to the Bengals in 1984. While Pillman weighed only 225 LBS during most of his career, his determination allowed him to gain notoriety on the field, which prompted his teammates to vote that he receive the Ed Block Courage Award. After his time with the Bengals, Pillman played briefly for the Buffalo Bills before going to Canada to play in the CFL, which opened the door for his pro wrestling career. While in Canada, Pillman began training in the legendary Hart dungeon and debuted for Stampede Wrestling in 1986.
Within just a few years, Brian Pillman's aerial skills got him noticed in America and he signed a contract with WCW in 1989. During his nearly seven year run in the Turner organization, Brian Pillman was a true innovator in many different aspect of the sport. More specifically, his matches with Japanese legend, Jushin "Thunder" Liger in the early 90s put a foundation and blue print in place for the cruiser weight division that would become one of the highlights of WCW programming a few years later. Pillman was actually the first WCW Light Heavyweight champion, which was a short lived belt, but it was essentially the predecessor to the cruiser weight title. Pillman brought a style that was rarely seen on TV in the United States and was a pioneer of the American cruiser weight style. His career continued to evolve when the Hollywood Blondes were formed in 1993, and they had a great series of matches with Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas. "Stunning" Steve Austin and "Flying" Brian Pillman were poised to become the top team in WCW, but the political climate within the organization saw the conclusion of the duo less than a year after their rise within the ranks. In my opinion, if the Holly Woods Blondes had remained a team for a few more years, they would have probably been mentioned on the same tier as many of the top tag teams in history, but they just didn't get the chance to truly establish themselves as a team.
As his WCW career progressed, Pillman resumed his classic series of matches with Jushin Liger, including the first match in the history of Monday Nitro when the show debuted in 1995. During a brief stint as a member of the four horsemen, he began to evolve his character to an unpredictable and unstable competitor. Pillman took it a step further and didn't break character even when he was backstage, leading to speculation among insiders in the business that he might be legitimately crazy. In reality, Brian Pillman was an incredibly smart businessman, as only his closest friends in the sport knew he was just trying to make his new "loose cannon" persona as believable as possible and in the process, he became a priority for all three major companies to sign just months before his WCW deal was set to expire. Basically, Pillman was maximizing his earning potential and his PPV bout with Kevin Sullivan enhanced it. Originally booked as a "respect match," Pillman grabbed the mic after a brief scuffle with Sullivan in the ring and said, "I respect you, booker man!" before he exited the ring during the live show. His reference to Kevin Sullivan's work behind the scenes as the booker of WCW became the talk of the industry and being one of the smartest minds in the industry, Sullivan knew the worked shoot would increase Pillman's value before his deal with WCW concluded. At the time, many WCW officials were unaware of the plan that Pillman and Sullivan had prior to the match, and they thought Pillman legitimately left during the pay-per-view.
Following his departure from WCW, Brian Pillman made a surprise debut at the ECW arena that would launch of series of "shoot promos," which continued to enhance his loose cannon character. At the time, he was expected to sign a contract with the WWF, but in April 1996 he was involved in a very serious car accident. Pillman was in a coma for a week, his ankle was shattered, and his wrestling career was in doubt. However, he showed the same tenacity he displayed his entire life when he recovered enough to return to the wrestling spotlight, even returning to ECW on crutches to continue his tirade toward WCW on the mic. Keep in mind, Pillman was cutting "shoot promos" before the business was completely exposed as entertainment and in many respects, the loose cannon persona was revolutionary. A few month later while he was still recovering from ankle fusion surgery, Brian Pillman signed with the WWF and worked as a commentator until he returned to the ring. Sadly, Pillman was never the same after the car accident and his close friend, the legendary Jim Ross speculated on the Pillman DVD release that he died from the sadness of not being able to perform in the squared circle the way he had previously. However, when Pillman started wrestling again, he joined the Hart Foundation, using his history with the Hart family for the storyline. It's interesting to note that Brian Pillman is the only competitor to be a member of the Four Horsemen and the Hart Foundation, two of the most legendary stables in the history of pro wrestling. He was also involved in the infamous gun angle on Raw that many viewers thought was real because of how it was portrayed and it's a segment that's still talked about today. Prior to his death, Pillman had a memorable feud with Goldust and it was the last major storyline of his career. Despite the initial speculation of an accidental overdose from the medication for his ankle injury, an autopsy later revealed that an diagnosed heart condition caused a heart attack.
Brian Pillman defied the odds and endured many surgeries to combat polyps during his early years. He had the determination to play pro football and won the admiration of his teammates through the Ed Block award. He started in the wrestling business when light heavyweight wrestling was rarely seen and he was offered a contact with a major organization within just a few years. His athletic and aerial style helped solidify the foundation of much of the high flying wrestling that is seen today. Before CM Punk dropped a pipe bomb, Brain Pillman was cutting a promo on the booker man that even had those in the business guessing as to the reality of the situation and there wouldn't be a "lunatic fringe" without the loose cannon. Pillman was ahead of his time in many aspects and sadly, he probably won't be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame because of the circumstances of his death, but he's undoubtedly an under rated legend.
Fighting to survive from the start of his life, Brian Pillman underwent dozens of throat surgeries to remove cancerous polyps and as a result of the procedures, he developed his trademark raspy voice. Pillman continued to defy the odds, as he played football in college, but went undrafted so he decided to try out for his hometown team, the Cincinnati Bengals. Many thought Pillman's statue would prevent him from landing a spot on an NFL team, but he was signed to the Bengals in 1984. While Pillman weighed only 225 LBS during most of his career, his determination allowed him to gain notoriety on the field, which prompted his teammates to vote that he receive the Ed Block Courage Award. After his time with the Bengals, Pillman played briefly for the Buffalo Bills before going to Canada to play in the CFL, which opened the door for his pro wrestling career. While in Canada, Pillman began training in the legendary Hart dungeon and debuted for Stampede Wrestling in 1986.
Within just a few years, Brian Pillman's aerial skills got him noticed in America and he signed a contract with WCW in 1989. During his nearly seven year run in the Turner organization, Brian Pillman was a true innovator in many different aspect of the sport. More specifically, his matches with Japanese legend, Jushin "Thunder" Liger in the early 90s put a foundation and blue print in place for the cruiser weight division that would become one of the highlights of WCW programming a few years later. Pillman was actually the first WCW Light Heavyweight champion, which was a short lived belt, but it was essentially the predecessor to the cruiser weight title. Pillman brought a style that was rarely seen on TV in the United States and was a pioneer of the American cruiser weight style. His career continued to evolve when the Hollywood Blondes were formed in 1993, and they had a great series of matches with Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas. "Stunning" Steve Austin and "Flying" Brian Pillman were poised to become the top team in WCW, but the political climate within the organization saw the conclusion of the duo less than a year after their rise within the ranks. In my opinion, if the Holly Woods Blondes had remained a team for a few more years, they would have probably been mentioned on the same tier as many of the top tag teams in history, but they just didn't get the chance to truly establish themselves as a team.
As his WCW career progressed, Pillman resumed his classic series of matches with Jushin Liger, including the first match in the history of Monday Nitro when the show debuted in 1995. During a brief stint as a member of the four horsemen, he began to evolve his character to an unpredictable and unstable competitor. Pillman took it a step further and didn't break character even when he was backstage, leading to speculation among insiders in the business that he might be legitimately crazy. In reality, Brian Pillman was an incredibly smart businessman, as only his closest friends in the sport knew he was just trying to make his new "loose cannon" persona as believable as possible and in the process, he became a priority for all three major companies to sign just months before his WCW deal was set to expire. Basically, Pillman was maximizing his earning potential and his PPV bout with Kevin Sullivan enhanced it. Originally booked as a "respect match," Pillman grabbed the mic after a brief scuffle with Sullivan in the ring and said, "I respect you, booker man!" before he exited the ring during the live show. His reference to Kevin Sullivan's work behind the scenes as the booker of WCW became the talk of the industry and being one of the smartest minds in the industry, Sullivan knew the worked shoot would increase Pillman's value before his deal with WCW concluded. At the time, many WCW officials were unaware of the plan that Pillman and Sullivan had prior to the match, and they thought Pillman legitimately left during the pay-per-view.
Following his departure from WCW, Brian Pillman made a surprise debut at the ECW arena that would launch of series of "shoot promos," which continued to enhance his loose cannon character. At the time, he was expected to sign a contract with the WWF, but in April 1996 he was involved in a very serious car accident. Pillman was in a coma for a week, his ankle was shattered, and his wrestling career was in doubt. However, he showed the same tenacity he displayed his entire life when he recovered enough to return to the wrestling spotlight, even returning to ECW on crutches to continue his tirade toward WCW on the mic. Keep in mind, Pillman was cutting "shoot promos" before the business was completely exposed as entertainment and in many respects, the loose cannon persona was revolutionary. A few month later while he was still recovering from ankle fusion surgery, Brian Pillman signed with the WWF and worked as a commentator until he returned to the ring. Sadly, Pillman was never the same after the car accident and his close friend, the legendary Jim Ross speculated on the Pillman DVD release that he died from the sadness of not being able to perform in the squared circle the way he had previously. However, when Pillman started wrestling again, he joined the Hart Foundation, using his history with the Hart family for the storyline. It's interesting to note that Brian Pillman is the only competitor to be a member of the Four Horsemen and the Hart Foundation, two of the most legendary stables in the history of pro wrestling. He was also involved in the infamous gun angle on Raw that many viewers thought was real because of how it was portrayed and it's a segment that's still talked about today. Prior to his death, Pillman had a memorable feud with Goldust and it was the last major storyline of his career. Despite the initial speculation of an accidental overdose from the medication for his ankle injury, an autopsy later revealed that an diagnosed heart condition caused a heart attack.
Brian Pillman defied the odds and endured many surgeries to combat polyps during his early years. He had the determination to play pro football and won the admiration of his teammates through the Ed Block award. He started in the wrestling business when light heavyweight wrestling was rarely seen and he was offered a contact with a major organization within just a few years. His athletic and aerial style helped solidify the foundation of much of the high flying wrestling that is seen today. Before CM Punk dropped a pipe bomb, Brain Pillman was cutting a promo on the booker man that even had those in the business guessing as to the reality of the situation and there wouldn't be a "lunatic fringe" without the loose cannon. Pillman was ahead of his time in many aspects and sadly, he probably won't be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame because of the circumstances of his death, but he's undoubtedly an under rated legend.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Will Jon Jones return to the UFC?
"The saddest thing in life is wasted talent," a memorable line from the 1993 film, "A Bronx's Tale" was delivered by Robert DeNiro, playing the role of the father of a rambunctious youth, as he advises his son that one mistake can be a turning point. This past Tuesday, the decision in a New Mexico court room could be a turning point for Jon Jones, as he avoided potential jail time in exchange for a plea bargain and if he adheres to the terms of the deal, will also avoid a felony on his record. Obviously, Jones has the money to get himself a top notch legal team, which was probably the key to him staying out of jail and presumably getting back toward reestablishing his career.
However, the hit and run incident this past April was only the most serious, not the most recent in a string of controversies that have surrounded the young prodigy since he captured the UFC Light Heavyweight title in 2011. The traffic case that landed the former 205 LBS champion in court alleges that Jones ran a red light and hit another car, which injured a pregnant motorist. She suffered a broken wrist, but thankfully, the pregnancy was unharmed. Jones fled the scene before returning to his car to grab cash and then fled again, which an off duty police officer witnessed, allowing him to identify Jones as the suspect. Documentation identifying Jones and drug paraphernalia were found in the car, which prompted a warrant to be issued for him. Eventually, Jones turned himself into police and was subsequently stripped of the UFC Light Heavyweight title as well as dropped from sponsorship deals.
As I said, the car accident was only the most serious, not the most recent incident for the talented fighter. Less than a month after successfully defending the title against Rashad Evans in 2012, Jones crashed into a pole and was arrested for DUI. Just a few months later, an injury forced Dan Henderson to withdraw from a scheduled title fight and Chael Sonnen was chosen as a last minute replacement, but Jones declined the fight, which prompted the event to be cancelled. It's certainly ironic that Jones declined the fight when it was former champion, Shogun Rua accepting to fight Jones as a late minute replacement that gave him the title shot that led to him winning the championship. "Bones" Jones continued to defend the belt and it seems as though he developed a brash attitude as his accomplishments accumulated. In 2014, he made headlines again when screen shots of an Instagram post surfaced that showed Jones using offensive slurs towards fans, but he claimed his account was hacked. Later that year, during the promotional tour for UFC 178, Jones was involved in a brawl with challenger Daniel Cormier and it resulted in a fine from the Nevada State Athletic commission. Following a successful title defense against Corimer earlier this year, it was announced that Jones tested positive for cocaine during an out of competition test. Since he only failed the out of competition test, there was nothing to prevent him from fighting at UFC 182 and it makes the entire out of competition test seem pointless, but the UFC fined him $25,000 for violating the fighter conduct policy. After the failed test, Jones went to rehab and left the next day so it seems doubtful he got any real help there.
Obviously, there's a pattern here and it seems clear that Jon Jones is a classic case of fame inflating his ego. The once humble prospect has been replaced by an arrogant narcissist that assumes the rules don't apply to him. Jon Jones, the fighter that chased down a purse thief just hours before fighting for the Light Heavyweight title in 2011, fled the scene of an accident that injured someone in 2015. However, before the laundry list of legal problems and the series of events that soured many fans on him, "Bones" was considered by many to be potentially the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world and the heir to the throne as the UFC's next top star, previously held by former Middleweight champion, Anderson Silva. Ultimately, that's the most disappointing aspect of the whole situation, Jon Jones is without question one of the most talented fighters in the history of the sport and instead of proving his dominance as a fighter and setting records, he's spending some of the prime of his career in a court room because of his own dumb decisions. At 21-1, his only loss a DQ on a technicality from elbow strikes, Jones has the ability to build a legacy, but at this point, it could be argued that his mishaps outside of the cage have somewhat overshadowed his accomplishments in the sport. Hopefully, Jon Jones takes the court decision as an opportunity and he puts his athletic ability toward his career as a martial artist because he certainly has the skills to become a legend in the sport. It would be extremely disappointing if Jones doesn't realize the opportunity he has in mixed martial arts because the saddest thing in life really is wasted talent.
However, the hit and run incident this past April was only the most serious, not the most recent in a string of controversies that have surrounded the young prodigy since he captured the UFC Light Heavyweight title in 2011. The traffic case that landed the former 205 LBS champion in court alleges that Jones ran a red light and hit another car, which injured a pregnant motorist. She suffered a broken wrist, but thankfully, the pregnancy was unharmed. Jones fled the scene before returning to his car to grab cash and then fled again, which an off duty police officer witnessed, allowing him to identify Jones as the suspect. Documentation identifying Jones and drug paraphernalia were found in the car, which prompted a warrant to be issued for him. Eventually, Jones turned himself into police and was subsequently stripped of the UFC Light Heavyweight title as well as dropped from sponsorship deals.
As I said, the car accident was only the most serious, not the most recent incident for the talented fighter. Less than a month after successfully defending the title against Rashad Evans in 2012, Jones crashed into a pole and was arrested for DUI. Just a few months later, an injury forced Dan Henderson to withdraw from a scheduled title fight and Chael Sonnen was chosen as a last minute replacement, but Jones declined the fight, which prompted the event to be cancelled. It's certainly ironic that Jones declined the fight when it was former champion, Shogun Rua accepting to fight Jones as a late minute replacement that gave him the title shot that led to him winning the championship. "Bones" Jones continued to defend the belt and it seems as though he developed a brash attitude as his accomplishments accumulated. In 2014, he made headlines again when screen shots of an Instagram post surfaced that showed Jones using offensive slurs towards fans, but he claimed his account was hacked. Later that year, during the promotional tour for UFC 178, Jones was involved in a brawl with challenger Daniel Cormier and it resulted in a fine from the Nevada State Athletic commission. Following a successful title defense against Corimer earlier this year, it was announced that Jones tested positive for cocaine during an out of competition test. Since he only failed the out of competition test, there was nothing to prevent him from fighting at UFC 182 and it makes the entire out of competition test seem pointless, but the UFC fined him $25,000 for violating the fighter conduct policy. After the failed test, Jones went to rehab and left the next day so it seems doubtful he got any real help there.
Obviously, there's a pattern here and it seems clear that Jon Jones is a classic case of fame inflating his ego. The once humble prospect has been replaced by an arrogant narcissist that assumes the rules don't apply to him. Jon Jones, the fighter that chased down a purse thief just hours before fighting for the Light Heavyweight title in 2011, fled the scene of an accident that injured someone in 2015. However, before the laundry list of legal problems and the series of events that soured many fans on him, "Bones" was considered by many to be potentially the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world and the heir to the throne as the UFC's next top star, previously held by former Middleweight champion, Anderson Silva. Ultimately, that's the most disappointing aspect of the whole situation, Jon Jones is without question one of the most talented fighters in the history of the sport and instead of proving his dominance as a fighter and setting records, he's spending some of the prime of his career in a court room because of his own dumb decisions. At 21-1, his only loss a DQ on a technicality from elbow strikes, Jones has the ability to build a legacy, but at this point, it could be argued that his mishaps outside of the cage have somewhat overshadowed his accomplishments in the sport. Hopefully, Jon Jones takes the court decision as an opportunity and he puts his athletic ability toward his career as a martial artist because he certainly has the skills to become a legend in the sport. It would be extremely disappointing if Jones doesn't realize the opportunity he has in mixed martial arts because the saddest thing in life really is wasted talent.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
The Return of Fedor Emelianenko
In 2007, a Yakuza scandal led to the demise of Pride Fighting Championship and thus the end of a decade of influential mixed martial arts events. There were rumblings of organized crime involvement as early as 2003 when the original president of the organization, Naoto Morishita committed suicide, rumored to motivated by his debts. Pride co-founder, Nobuyuki Sakakibara became the president of Dream Stage Entertainment, the promotional company for Pride FC and the organization flourished, setting an attendance record for the "Final Conflict" event later that year. Names such as Fedor, Crocop, Nogueira, and others were involved in epic battles that made them legends in the sport. Just a few years later, Japanese media reports of the Yakuza involvement prompted Pride's television deal to get dropped and the domino effect began towards the collapse of the company. Sakakibara saw the writing on the wall and a deal was in place to sell the organization to owners of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. While it was initially planned to keep Pride open as its own entity, the Zuffa corporation's attempt to expand into Japan on a full time basis was met with political red tape and the Pride FC organization officially folded in October 2007.
Last weekend during the Bellator Dynamite event that featured a co-promoted show with Glory Kick Boxing, similar to the Pride/K1 events, there were certainly reminders of Pride FC throughout the night. The popular Lenne Hardt brought her unique ring announcing style to the show and the legendary Sakuraba was shown in attendance. Amid speculation of some type of announcement about an event in Japan, it just seemed too coincidental and that proved to be the case. Prior to the main event, Sakakibara made an appearance to announce a working agreement with Bellator for a new promotion that he was launching in Japan and the inaugural event would be broadcast live on Spike TV on new year's eve. It was then revealed that the legendary Fedor Emelianenko has signed to fight in the main event of the historic show and there was a buzz among MMA fans about The Last Emperor's return to the sport. A live American broadcast of the Japanese tradition of the new year's eve show is great for the sport of MMA, but several questions still remain about the entire situation.
First, will Sakakibara be able to recreate Pride? The Pride Fighting Championship brand established itself as unique because of the different rules, production, and match ups than the UFC. Arguably, there was a time when Pride was the better organization, in terms of quality fights, but can that type of organization be promoted again in Japan? On the surface, the answer is no because Zuffa acquired the rights to the Pride name and video library when it purchased the company for a reported $60 million eight years ago, but will the draw of a Pride inspired organization get off the ground? In my opinion and this is more of a guess than anything, I would have to say that while the initial event could make a splash, I don't think there will be another resurgence of Pride FC in Japan. The main reason being it would be difficult to recapture the Pride environment because many of the stars that built the promotion are past their prime or retired. Another aspect to consider is, will the Japan public support Sakakibara's company after the Yakuza scandal? While his involvement wasn't ever completely clarified, the stain of the scandal could still be upon him and the downfall of Japan's top mixed martial arts company happened on his watch. Granted, time has passed, but it will be interesting to see the perception of his new venture, specifically on a long term basis. Keep in mind, the Dream promotion was supposed to revive the Pride style, but folded within a few years so success isn't guaranteed for Sakakibara in 2015. Regardless, it should be very interesting to see who is signed to fight for the event and at the very least, it provides a unique broadcast on Spike TV for MMA fans.
Regarded by many as the greatest MMA fighter of all time, Fedor Emelianenko originally announced his intention to return to MMA a few months ago and since then, there was much speculation about where he would sign. Truthfully, I assumed he would fight in Russia for a promotion that most people hadn't heard of against an opponent that less people had heard of so I was surprised when he appeared during the Bellator event. Many MMA fans are assuming the announcement to fight in Japan closes the door on Fedor fighting for the UFC, but I don't think that's necessarily the case. While it hasn't been confirmed, it's rumored that Fedor only signed a 1-2 fight deal with Sakakibara's promotion and if that's the case, a potential UFC deal could still be a possibility. In fact, the Japanese deal could be a way for Fedor to test the waters or be considered a tune up fight to determine if he could still be competitive with the level of UFC competition. That being said, I've always found it to be a conflict that Fedor's manager is also the president of M-1 Global and that if a UFC deal was put in place, Vadim Finkelchtein would essentially sign his top star to the competition. I'm just guessing here, but Fedor doesn't seem to be too concerned with compensation at this point in his career and his humble background probably allows him to security from the money he made during the prime of his career so I think Finkelchtein was more of an obstacle than anything in the Fedor/UFC negotiations from years previously. However, Finkelchtein is no longer Fedor's manager so it at least seems possible that some type of UFC deal could be done before he retires. Regardless of what happens in the future, it's great to see Fedor return to the sport and it will be interesting to see if the return leads to another run in his career.
Last weekend during the Bellator Dynamite event that featured a co-promoted show with Glory Kick Boxing, similar to the Pride/K1 events, there were certainly reminders of Pride FC throughout the night. The popular Lenne Hardt brought her unique ring announcing style to the show and the legendary Sakuraba was shown in attendance. Amid speculation of some type of announcement about an event in Japan, it just seemed too coincidental and that proved to be the case. Prior to the main event, Sakakibara made an appearance to announce a working agreement with Bellator for a new promotion that he was launching in Japan and the inaugural event would be broadcast live on Spike TV on new year's eve. It was then revealed that the legendary Fedor Emelianenko has signed to fight in the main event of the historic show and there was a buzz among MMA fans about The Last Emperor's return to the sport. A live American broadcast of the Japanese tradition of the new year's eve show is great for the sport of MMA, but several questions still remain about the entire situation.
First, will Sakakibara be able to recreate Pride? The Pride Fighting Championship brand established itself as unique because of the different rules, production, and match ups than the UFC. Arguably, there was a time when Pride was the better organization, in terms of quality fights, but can that type of organization be promoted again in Japan? On the surface, the answer is no because Zuffa acquired the rights to the Pride name and video library when it purchased the company for a reported $60 million eight years ago, but will the draw of a Pride inspired organization get off the ground? In my opinion and this is more of a guess than anything, I would have to say that while the initial event could make a splash, I don't think there will be another resurgence of Pride FC in Japan. The main reason being it would be difficult to recapture the Pride environment because many of the stars that built the promotion are past their prime or retired. Another aspect to consider is, will the Japan public support Sakakibara's company after the Yakuza scandal? While his involvement wasn't ever completely clarified, the stain of the scandal could still be upon him and the downfall of Japan's top mixed martial arts company happened on his watch. Granted, time has passed, but it will be interesting to see the perception of his new venture, specifically on a long term basis. Keep in mind, the Dream promotion was supposed to revive the Pride style, but folded within a few years so success isn't guaranteed for Sakakibara in 2015. Regardless, it should be very interesting to see who is signed to fight for the event and at the very least, it provides a unique broadcast on Spike TV for MMA fans.
Regarded by many as the greatest MMA fighter of all time, Fedor Emelianenko originally announced his intention to return to MMA a few months ago and since then, there was much speculation about where he would sign. Truthfully, I assumed he would fight in Russia for a promotion that most people hadn't heard of against an opponent that less people had heard of so I was surprised when he appeared during the Bellator event. Many MMA fans are assuming the announcement to fight in Japan closes the door on Fedor fighting for the UFC, but I don't think that's necessarily the case. While it hasn't been confirmed, it's rumored that Fedor only signed a 1-2 fight deal with Sakakibara's promotion and if that's the case, a potential UFC deal could still be a possibility. In fact, the Japanese deal could be a way for Fedor to test the waters or be considered a tune up fight to determine if he could still be competitive with the level of UFC competition. That being said, I've always found it to be a conflict that Fedor's manager is also the president of M-1 Global and that if a UFC deal was put in place, Vadim Finkelchtein would essentially sign his top star to the competition. I'm just guessing here, but Fedor doesn't seem to be too concerned with compensation at this point in his career and his humble background probably allows him to security from the money he made during the prime of his career so I think Finkelchtein was more of an obstacle than anything in the Fedor/UFC negotiations from years previously. However, Finkelchtein is no longer Fedor's manager so it at least seems possible that some type of UFC deal could be done before he retires. Regardless of what happens in the future, it's great to see Fedor return to the sport and it will be interesting to see if the return leads to another run in his career.
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