It’s been a little more than a week since I boarded on a plane to get to New York for a two-and-a-half day excursion of New York, and I’m still in love with the city. I have a desire to live there because, as my friend Eden once said, “It’s my speed.”

Getting there, I was focused on getting some reading done. I slept on the flight to Denver, before boarding another plane for a long trip to New York, which allowed me to read the comic story that started the Marvel Now universe, Avengers vs. X-Men, on trade paperback. I must say, despite knowing what happens at the end, I was still amazed at how good the story was, and I’m glad I started reading comics again.

But that post is another time, as I will start doing comic reviews here in the near future. I’m blogging about New York and my mini-vacation to experience Wrestlemania live and in person. Now if you’re looking for just my thoughts on the card itself, go ahead and skip this early part since I’ll be talking about my travels around New York before. I made it pretty clear where my thoughts on Wrestlemania came. Just scroll down to the Wrestlemania thoughts section of this blog.

I arrived at my hotel a little before 6 p.m., and called up my buddy Matt Maxson to see what he was up to. Surely enough, I discovered he was just a few blocks away in a San Francisco sports fans bar, where it was packed to the gills of San Francisco Giants fans. Less than 45 minutes in Manhattan, I already discovered a bar I would frequent for 49ers games. We met up and caught a few innings of the Giants game, before we set out to get me to where I needed to be: The Meadowlands Expo Center for Combat Zone Wrestling’s WrestleCon card.

Maxson was polite enough to help me through the subway system and getting me on the New Jersey transit to help me find my way to the Meadowlands Expo Center. Once I got to New Jersey, I looked like an idiot when I couldn’t find the bus I was looking for to take me to the Expo Center, and I was forced to take a cab with a nice Filipino mate, who told me about his two sons and daughter who was studying to be a nurse in the Philippines. He was kind enough to give me some advice on what I should do when the card ends.

Once I got the expo center, the card was a little late, but once it started, it was pretty much what I expected. Solid workers taking bumps that were solely intended to draw pops from the card. Two matches stuck out in my mind. The first was a comedy match featuring Greg Excellent and Colt Cabana, whose podcast I love, and the second was the main event with the “Crazy Monkey” and Japanese hardcore wrestling legend Jun Kasai taking on Texas-born, Japanese trained brawler MASADA.

Let’s just say, the match between MASADA and Jun Kasai isn’t for the weak of heart. There were panes of glass that shattered. There were barbed wire boards, and a LOT of blood. I’ve never seen a person bleed so much in a wrestling match since, well, The Great Muta, but Jun Kasai took the cake with this blade job. The ending saw MASADA retain his CZW World title after sticking some bamboo skewers into Jun Kasai’s off-eye.

Once the card let out, I was given the task of getting back to New York. Luckily, I met a nice made name, Wade, from North Dakota, who offered to split a cab with me. We got into the cab, and met some nice fellows from Scotland, including a developer of a iPhone wrestling management game, Wrestling Manager. I suggest trying the game out, it has a steep learning curve, and I plan on reviewing it when I get a full grasp of things.

Unfortunately, before I was able to give Wade my share of the cab, he didn’t have change for a $20, so he let me off with a free cab ride. To make up for getting a free cab ride, I donated my share to homeless people I felt needed my cash (Don’t ask what the criteria was, I just gave people randomly). Odds are you’ll never see this blog, but thanks for the cab ride and paying it forward. After a few train rides and exploring the New York subway system, I got back to my hotel at 2:30 a.m. for a few hours of rest before getting out the next day for another round of adventures.

Saturday was a little less, wrestling oriented. I met up with Maxson and his fiancee, Ashley, for brunch at Fred’s Restaurant before Maxson and I set out for a day of cruising around the city.

Oddly enough, my first stop was a comic store in Manhattan called Manhattan Comics. I must say I spent a good 30 minutes in that place, just looking at what they had on hand. I left with a few comics, adding to my collection. The next place we went was a nice little walk called The Highline. That was an awesome walk with some great views of the city. I’m going to cut this portion short because it really was just us walking past Madison Square Garden, the Empire State Building, Universe Comics, Radio City Music Hall and a look at Time Square where we saw the WWE Title on display in a Toys ‘R Us.

After taking a short subway ride back to Uptown New York, we met up with Ashley again and had Shake Shack, a fine New York establishment that puts to shame many burgers. After dinner, we grabbed ice cream and went our separate ways, as I planned on watching the Final Four in my hotel room.

The next day was Wrestlemania. The atmosphere in that stadium was insane. The parking lot was full of wrestling days of all kinds, dressed up as characters and tailgating. The event was four hours, and we got home by midnight. I stayed with Maxson and Ashley for about four hours before I got up  and hitched a ride back to LaGuardia airport and found myself home and back to reality.

WRESTLEMANIA THOUGHTS

When Maxson and I got to Wrestlemania about four hours early with no beer in tow (we couldn’t find any), we walked around the parking lot a few times catching a glimpse of the type of people in the parking lot. We were applauded for the shirts were wearing. I was wearing a CM Punk shirt, while Maxson was wearing a “I’m a Paul Heyman Guy” one. There were a lot of fans who knew who Colt Cabana was, thanks to my headband.

I quickly discovered how cold it was, and opted to wear my sweater once inside the stadium. We caught a glimpse of Ric Flair getting into the building, as we walked toward our gate. Once the gate opened, we quickly got up to our seats and saw that our view wasn’t terrible at all. We could see the action in the ring pretty clearly, but having the binoculars helped. We ate, drank beer. Cheered our favorites, booed who didn’t like. Met a cool fan in the row in front of me, who won a dollar from me because he knew what was Dean Ambrose’s name prior to signing with the WWE (Jon Moxley).

It was an experience I have to say all wrestling fans must have. It can make up for a predictable card because the energy in the stadium was insane. Even when John Cena won the belt, there was still a sense of energy, and I want to go to Wrestlemania 30.

Some thoughts on the card itself:

• I’m glad The Shield went over. No way, does a hodgepodge team of two faces and a thrown-in heel should beat a squad that already beat the three top faces of the company.
• Fandango vs. Jericho was a tolerable match, until the ending which seemed force and didn’t flow right. I want to give Fandango a chance, and maybe the New Jersey fans on RAW gave his character more life than it really had.
• It’s probably for the best the tag team titles stayed with Team Hell No. Dolph and Big E winning the belts would have done nothing to boost their status and the longer Team Hell No holds onto the belts, the bigger the deal when they lose them and the team blows up.
• Mark Henry vs. Ryback was awful. Probably the worst match of the show. The match went eight minutes, and even that felt too long. The part I didn’t get was why we got our visual, Ryback hitting his finisher on Mark Henry well after the match had ended. Wouldn’t have it been better had he just hit it in match and won?
• I wish I could tell you that I cared about the Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger match, but I didn’t. They burned an awesome entrance by Swagger, coming out in a little golf cart, and the match never got off the ground. Truthfully, I’m glad they took the belt off Del Rio and gave it to Dolph Ziggler, who the fans wanted to win the belt more than anything.
• CM Punk and the Undertaker put on arguably the best match of the night. Does it rank in the top 10 of all time like some people are saying? No, but the match was filled with drama and somehow, despite our hearts and minds telling us otherwise, we believed that CM Punk could actually break the streak. That’s a testament to how good Punk is and how good Taker is when he’s motivated. Easily a 4-star match in the Delos ratings.
• I’m probably in the small minority who believed that the Tons of Funk vs. Rhodes Scholars eight-person tag match was definitely needed. The emotional drain that the Punk vs. Taker match took on us was clearly felt, and unfortunately, Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar suffered because of it. Lesnar vs. Triple H was a good match, which suffered from an exhausted crowd who had emotionally invested in the previous bout. Fact, it’s the second time this has happened to Triple H at Wrestlemania. The first was Wrestlemania X-8, when his match with Jericho came after Hogan vs. The Rock.
• The Rock vs. John Cena match never really got going. It’s a shame because I know both of these guys can do great things, but two matches in their history, it’s nothing to write home about. It lacked the drama Rock vs. Hogan had in a sense where you had two limited workers, who put on a dramatic match. There were some good spots, but the ending was just a mess. Cena going into his SuperCena mode kicking out of a bunch of Rock Bottoms and the People’s Elbow, and ultimately beating The Rock with his finisher. Thankfully, it was shorter than their Wrestlemania 28 bout, but I want to say that Rock’s injury had something to do with the match’s slow middle and really boring ending.
• Overall, I give this card a 7.5 out of 10, after looking back on it. The card itself flowed and capped off storylines, but it can’t be any greater because of how predictable the entire card was. I wonder how Wrestlemania 30 will shape up. Either way, if I get to go, it will be an awesome experience.

One video game later, WWF No Mercy of course, and I was hooked. I watched religiously until graduation, even listening to Raw on scrambled cable like it was porn (Oddly enough, I never thought of watching actual scrambled porn). I never watched again until CM Punk’s infamous promo last summer caused enough buzz to pull me in once more.

For better or worse, I can’t shut off my brain and just enjoy a thing. I need to know everything. So, in addition to WWE, I began watching Ring of Honor, a company that stresses the “wrestling” above the “entertainment,” Chikara Pro, an American company with high-flying, lucha libre influences, and Dragon Gate USA, a Japanese promotion in the United States influenced by both lucha and pouresu, a Japanese style that uses heavy striking.

After a year and a half, I’m coming out of the wrestling closet.

********************

I won’t go so far as to say it’s still real to me, but I will say that it’s beyond a guilty pleasure. I’m a music guy first and foremost. Professional wrestling my next favorite art form.

Do you like acting? Then watch Dolph Ziggler sell his opponent’s moves like they are death incarnate.

Do you like Cirque du Soleil or choreographed dance? Then check out El Generico, Kota Ibushi, Jigsaw, and Malachi Jackson have at it (Jump to 5:10). Little of a professional wrestling match is scripted ahead of time. Most is choreographed on the fly.

How about sports or incredible feats of athleticism? Then here, watch Adrian Neville’s Corkscrew Shooting Star Press. Or Ricochet’s double-rotation moonsault.

Comedy? How about a match stoppage for some photos? Or arrogant intellectuals Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes taking the New Age Outlaws’ introduction and adding some much needed “taste” and “decency.” Or a spontaneous Space Jam reenactment.

Do you like good storytelling? If so, you’d have loved the feud between The Briscoe Brothers and Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team in Ring of Honor. Here’s what I wrote about it back in February:

This feud, of love of brother and hatred of enemy, was storytelling perfection.

The Briscoes were the clear heels leading into this match. They attacked Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team after they won the ROH Tag Team Championship. They cheated to beat The All Night Express. They attacked Shelton Benjamin and “broke” his ribs. Charlie Haas delivered an angry promo calling Benjamin his brother (all the more powerful when you remember Haas’ real brother died a decade ago) and promising revenge.

This match became about two pairs of brothers, one fueled by envy, one by revenge. In the end, this story transcended face vs. heel. It was art.

Or how about UltraMantis Black’s journey through Chikara’s 2012 King of Trios? Despite being one of the original, best, and most popular wrestlers on the Chikara roster, UltraMantis had no titles or other tangible accomplishments to show for his efforts. At least until King of Trios, when he and his team plowed through arch-rivals The Batiri, Chikara heel stalwarts FIST, and Team Ring of Honor, featuring the current tag team champions, to win the tournament.

In 2007, Vince McMahon attempted to end the storied career of 16-time world champion Ric Flair. The next time Flair lost a match, he would be forced to retire. After stringing together a string of impossible victories over the next several months, Flair challenged his friend Shawn Michaels to a match at Wrestlemania XXIV. At the end of a 25 minute battle, Michaels finally put down the aging Flair, but not before telling him he loved him and that he was sorry.

Whatever you think of professional wrestling, these are powerful stories with powerful themes that have been featured in print and film for ages.

********************

Wrestling is a medium. It’s a method of storytelling, just like television, theater, film, or music. Through professional wrestling, I’ve seen acting, choreography, athleticism, storytelling, comedy, and audience interactivity on levels I haven’t seen anywhere else.

Sadly, I’ve also seen it used for sexism, racism, jingoism, and pandering to the lowest common denominator. If it’s racist or ignorant or sexist or homophobic, it’s only because we don’t demand better. It’s time to stop accepting trash just because “it’s wrestling.” Wrestling doesn’t need to be that way. I know. I’ve seen it in all its glory in Chikara and I’ve seen glimpses in ROH and WWE.

I am a wrestling fan.

I demand art.

You’re Welcome.

“I would like to personally thank all the TX Cheerleaders for all the support. Ill b holding private dance lessons in Houston in May. #hugs”

Regarding internal reaction to Fandango’s popularity this week, Vince McMahon and other officials are very happy with the way things have turned out. Fandango has been a “pet project” for Vince McMahon.

No one cares if its rigged and predetermined

“We want to be entertained.”

They say,

“Get out of here with that nonsense.”
“You think too much.”
“You need to chill”

Easy to do on those cool Autumn nights
after the pleasant mid day breezes.

Nothing fishy at all about that night in L.A. many years ago
or the Patriots’ improbable run just months after that
emotionally charged national tragedy.

Tagliabue, Selig and Stern couldn’t be anything like Vince McMahon
and his World Wide Federation of Entertainment.
It’s merely sheer coincidence and speculation
and one rogue official.

Not sure when the line was crossed but I’m here now
nothing makes sense but anything is in my realm of possibility.
The paranoid and the crazy seem less so
and the normal people seem looney tunes

Nice to finally meet ya Mr. Jones, Mr. Bell, Mr. Noorey
Who am I to believe at this point?

My philosophy is I have no philosophy

I only know that the
Vikings have arrived in disguised
and we laid down our guard
without much of a fight
they didn’t need to use force
we volunteered to burn our
national treasures
willingly removed our monuments
and replaced them with new memorials
lest we never forget
to remember what happened before.

Where does the difference lie between businessman
and bum,
extinction and submission,
civilization and sterilization?

What else can we merge
sublimate
assimilate
eating our host
nothing left to conquer but ourselves.

Pure Fiction
washed
tidied and neatly bundled.
They made the lie comfortable
and it got got good ratings.

A pyramid scheme
Annuit Coepts
Novs Ordus Seclorum

All in the game.
That we can’t refuse to play
because we apart of the game
the most invaluable piece.

For we are the sheep
we are the lemmings
we are the hamsters
we are the ostrich
We are the hypocrites
without us there’d be no point in playing.

“Keep ‘em laughing
Keep ‘em dancing
Keep ‘em drinking
keep ‘em dying

But don’t let them think
For that is what you pay us to do”

If my behavior seems erratic
or bizarre
then you must ask yourself
“What is normal
and what is it about normal
that makes this man so uncomfortable?”

We are sitting at the table
and we eat
and we drink
and we make merry
but eventually
one of us
or all of us
has to pay this massive bill.

~Edward Austin Robertson

We are just 5 days removed from the most predictable WrestleMania in years and probably the best Monday Night Raw in it’s 20 year history and a TON of things to talk about!!  This week has been good to Vince McMahon and the WWE.  WrestleMania 29 broke the record for the highest grossing entertainment event held in MetLife Stadium and the follow-up Monday Night Raw was BY FAR the most interactive and lively crowd the WWE has seen in years.  The two nights are amazing in that they were both put on by the same company and the results were so different.  If the WWE was looking to amazing at WrestleMania they failed.  However, if WWE was looking to make up for the fact that WrestleMania was so bland by having a great follow-up Raw they succeeded, but only because the crowd in the IZOD center let them, with that said here are my thoughts on the two events that may have changed the direction of the WWE for years to come.  Enjoy!!

*  Why the I.C. Championship match didn’t make the card is beyond me but it should have!!  I was really glad to see a good match and having The Miz win was a good direction for that title.  Or so I thought until Monday Night.

*  Why did the WWE think that having The Miz beat Wade Barrett on the WM pre-show and then having him lose the title the following night on Raw was a good idea?  That is bad booking and I have no idea how that helps either wrestler.

*  Speaking of a title that was not on the WM card, the U.S. Title should have been defended at WrestleMania.  Antonio Cesaro has been great with that title and deserved a spot on the show.

*  The Shield looked strong in their match with Big Show, Randy Orton, and Sheamus which I was glad to see because I think that the WWE was tempted to have The Shield lose.  The Shield has great momentum and needs to continue to win and even become a little more aggressive in their attacks.  It was be good to have some frustrated mid-carders join the group and for them to “hurt” a big named star that would get them more over.

*  I was hoping for a Randy Orton heel turn but instead we got another Big Show “angry giant” thing.  That was the WWE playing it safe.

*  The Ryback/Mark Henry match was rough.  clothesline, tackles, and body slams.

*  I’m pretty sure Ryback botched his main move when Mark Henry fell on him.  It didn’t look like that was supposed to happen.

*  I hated the fact that Henry won and then Ryback got the better of him after the match.  It was really kind of pointless to have Henry win if they were going to go that route.

*  I was totally expecting Ziggler and Big E to walk out of WrestleMania with the Tag titles.  I have mixed feelings on it because I love Team Hell No but it would have been awesome to have Ziggler holding 2 titles at one time.

*  Fun match nonetheless but I would have liked to see Ziggler and Big E walk out champions.

*  It was nice to see Big E get over on Raw but did anyone else catch him accidentally punch AJ on his way to the ring?  The look on his face is priceless.

*  The commercials during the show were really annoying and took away from having other matches on the card.

*  Why the WWE needs to remind us of what just happened in a match or repeatedly tell us what happened in the show and what’s to come is really annoying!!

*  Remember when the WWE was all about letting the stars and matches tell the stories? Who needs all these mini documentaries?

*  The Monday night before WrestleMania fans were chanting “You can’t wrestle,” and while the Fandango/Chris Jericho match was not the best on the card something happened to Fandango in the eyes of the fans in attendance and he has seriously gotten over!!

*  Fandango’s rise to the big time continued the next night on Raw as the fans were singing his theme song throughout the night and it has developed into a fad called Fandangoing!!  Here is the Houston Texans Cheerleaders doing it:

*  The WrestleMania match was not either wrestlers best and there were some serious misses, but overall I think Jericho went into the match to get Fandango over and he did that.

*  I like Alberto Del Rio but I think the WWE needs to package him in his element.  It feels like they are trying to hard with him.

*  I am NOT a Jack Swagger fan.

*  This match was good but my heart wasn’t really in it.  I (along with everyone in the room) were really waiting to see Dolph Ziggler cash in and that is what kept our attention.

*  The crowd at the Raw show went INSANE when Ziggler showed up to cash in on Del Rio after the his rematch with Swagger.  I will be honest I got excited too!!

*  So it looks like The Shield will be getting involved with the Undertaker and Team Hell No in some way.  Not sure how that will play out but I don’t doubt a tag title win by The Shield in the near future.

*  Speaking of the Undertaker.  His match with CM Punk was the best on the card at WrestleMania!!  Hands down Punk carried the match and overall it looked great!!

*  I’m glad the WWE keep the streak going.  I don’t think it should ever be beaten.

*  I think it’s good to have Punk rest for a month or so because he can be healed up and ready to go when he comes back.

*  I was glad to see Rhodes Scholar and Brodus Clay and Sweet T get their match that was bumped from WrestleMania.

*  Both of these teams are entertaining and could really push the tag division to the next level if the WWE would spend some time working the division.

*  The Triple H/Brock Lesnar match was what I expected.  Nothing fancy, just to guys beating the crap out of each other.  However I wish they would have gone to the next level.  There should have been more blood, more moves should have been used, and the pace of the match should have been a little better.

*  A good match overall but a bit slow and simple.

*  I was actually expecting Shawn Michaels to cost Triple H the match accidentally.

*  Paul Heyman should have been involved more.

*  Rock/John Cena was just like last years match.  The Rock is just not the wrestler he was 10 years ago!!

*  There were several times during the match you could see Cena calling the moves.  I just found that interesting.

*  The match was entertaining because I was with a great group of wrestling fans that made it so.  Overall I was bored with the match.  Everyone knew Cena was going over the question was just whether or not he would turn heel.

*  Speaking of turning heel, Cena’s promo the next night on Raw was epic for it’s mention of a “heel turn.”  Here it is if you missed it (he mentions it 3:22 into the promo:

*  Did The Rock really injure himself at WrestleMania?

*  From the reports I have heard he left and no one knew where he was until he decided to tweet about his injury.

*  I honestly think something happened and he was pissed about something.

*  However, I am not ruling out the possibility that The Rock was hurt, I just wonder like Carlito, if The Rock has been juicing lately because he has been injured several times since his WWE “return” and he hasn’t really done that much to warrant the injuries.

*  The WrestleMania match was good but predictable.

*  It was cool to see Ryback turn on Cena but I don’t think Ryback is the man that needs to feud with Cena.

*  Ryback has lost most (if not all) of his ppv matches since his big push.

*  I would love to see Cena in a feud with Big E, Damien Sandow, Chris Jericho, Dean Ambrose, Darren Young (The Black John Cena), Randy Orton, Sheamus, Roman Reigns, or Daniel Bryan.

Overall the crowd at Raw was WAY BETTER than the one at Mania but the show was better too so I can’t blame them for being into it.  I am really looking forward to seeing how the WWE moves forward as several stars have gotten over in the last week that could really change the completion of the WWE.

That’s all for now.

Until next time.

Much love,

Shawn

p.s. I apologize for lack of post.  Work has been crazy.  Also we will be announcing this years Hall of Fame class in the coming days.

THE BUSINESS

WWE is an integrated media and entertainment company. We have been involved in the sports entertainment business for over 30 years, and have developed WWE into one of the most popular brands in global entertainment today. We develop unique and creative content centered around our talent and present it via television, online and at our live events. At the heart of our success are the athletic and entertainment skills and appeal of our Superstars and our consistently innovative and multi-faceted storylines across our brands. Anchored by these brands, we are able to leverage our content and talent across virtually all media outlets. Our live and televised events, consumer products, digital media and feature film outlets provide significant cross-promotion and marketing opportunities that reinforce our brands while effectively reaching our fans.

• Earnings increased 27% reflecting the increased monetization of television and digital content, marketing that lifted our pay-per-view business and the strengthening of our film operations.

However, as we invested in our creative development and production capabilities and laid the foundation for future growth, our stock price fell 15% resulting in a total shareholder return that was below other diversified entertainment peers and key market benchmarks.

• Our programs, such as Raw and SmackDown, are available to more than 600 million homes worldwide.
• In the U.S., our domestic content now reaches over 13 million viewers per week.

Among our consumer products, WWE maintained its position with the second highest selling action figure property in the U.S., while our WWE video game franchise surpassed sales-to-date of 51 million units, ranking it among the top-selling franchises of all time.

Further, our consumer research indicates that approximately 34% of digital multi-channel TV households in the U.S. have an affinity for WWE content (i.e., 31 million homes), of which approximately one quarter, or 8 million homes, are characterized as very passionate fan households.

• 16 million homes include lapsed fans that we have the potential to re-engage with our content.

Through our initiative with “Be a STAR,” over 25,000 people from across the U.S. and 91 countries have taken the pledge to end bullying.

In order to achieve this growth, it is critical that we invest in several important areas: building our production capacity and creative capabilities, enhancing our digital and social media platforms, extending the range of our talent, and strengthening the perception of our brands.

• We produced 248 live events throughout North America, entertaining approximately 1,500,000 fans at an average ticket price of $45.39
• We produced 66 live events internationally, reaching approximately 395,000 fans at an average ticket price of $74.15.

Each year, more than 8,000 hours of WWE’s television programming can be seen in more than 145 countries and 30 languages around the world

Revenues generated from international sources accounted for 24% of total revenues generated in 2012, 28% in 2011 and 28% in 2010.

Smackdown opens with a short slideshow of photos from Wrestlemania and audio from the event.  We see shots from CM Punk vs The Undertaker, Triple H vs Brock Lesnar, and The Shield vs Orton, Big Show, and Sheamus.

Back in the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, pyro explodes and the fans are screaming as the show kicks off!

**cue Peter Bursuker – No Chance in Hell**

Vince McMahon emerges to a thunderous applause and he power-struts his way down to the ring with a huge smirk on his face.  The Chairman lauds the competitiveness of the matches at Wrestlemania and promises it will carry over to tonight on Smackdown.  First, he announces a Wrestlemania rematch for tonight, with The Miz defending his newly acquired Intercontinental title against it’s former owner, Wade Barrett.  The crowd cheers and Vince declares that that’s not all he has in store.

Since Booker T left his position on Smackdown to take the open GM position on Raw, Vince says that Smackdown needs a new general manager.  He says it takes someone with a certain attitude to run a show like Smackdown and Vince invites his candidates to come out to the stage.

First to emerge is Brad Maddox, who is met with a smattering of boos.  As he smiles and waves to the crowd, a familiar voice booms over the speaker system.  “EXCUSE ME!”  Vickie Guerrero makes her way onto the stage to a chorus of loud boos.  She carries a microphone with her and begins to tell Vince how much she appreciates the opportunity before screaming for the fans to excuse her once again.  She declares how much of an honor it would be to once again be the general manager of Smackdown but she is interrupted by the voice of Paul Heyman.

Heyman waddles onto the stage to the most amount of boos yet and he says that it would be his honor to once again be the GM of Smackdown.  The Chairman interrupts and says that they can all cut the crap.  This gets a pop from the crowd.  He says that in the effort of brand equality, he wants to make Smackdown more social media active.  Vince declares that fans will have all week to vote via Twitter and Tout to pick who they want as the new general manager of Smackdown and that he will be on hand next week to announce the winner.

Heyman’s jaw drops, Vickie tries to keep her composure but is visibly nervous, and Maddox continues beaming.  Vince’s music hits and he walks back up the ramp.  Maddox offers a handshake to the Chairman and Vince looks around at the crowd and gives Maddox the old fake handshake hair slick move to a huge pop.

Michael Cole reminds us about the Intercontinental title match and he mentions a tag-team match for after the break as a graphic pops up showing the Prime Time Players and Team Cobro.

-BREAK #1-

The tail end of Jim Johnston’s “La Vittoria è Mia” blares and we see Santino Marella and Zack Ryder high five in the ring and turn to look toward the entrance way.

**cue Sugar Tongue Slim – Making Moves**

The Prime Time Players emerge to a mixed reaction and make their way toward the ring.  As the head down, a quick video plays recapping the end of a match between the Prime Time Players and the Usos on Main Event.  The clip shows Darren Young pull one of the Usos off of the ring apron as Titus O’Neil hits the other with the Clash of the Titus for the three count.

The Prime Time Players are in the ring and Titus taunts Santino as JBL puts them over on commentary as a hard-working and harmonious tag-team.

Match #1: Tag-Team Match – The Prime Time Players v. Santino Marella and Zack Ryder

As soon as the bell rings, Santino goes to work on Darren Young but Young tries to fight back.  He bounces off the ropes but Santino hits him with his signature split evasion and hip toss.  Santino goes for his headbutt drop but Titus pulls Darren out of the ring and Santino lands head first.

Titus rolls Darren back into the ring and, with both men reeling, Ryder and O’Neil are both calling for the tag.  We get a double hot tag and Ryder ducks a clothesline, bounces off the ropes, and nails Titus with a flying forearm smash.  Both men get up and Ryder whips Titus into the corner.  Ryder nails him with a corner elbow strike and Titus falls down into a seated position.

Ryder signals for the Broski Boot with the entire arena chanting “woo, woo, woo” but Darren pulls Titus out of the way from the outside.  With Ryder hung up in the ropes and the ref yelling at Darren, Titus delivers a neck breaker to Zack Ryder and howls out his signature bark.  He tags in Darren and they hit Ryder with the Ghetto Blaster.  Young goes for the pin but Santino hits the ring to break it up.  Titus intervenes and lays Santino out with the Clash of the Titus.  The ref counts three and the Prime Time Players celebrate to a mixed reaction.

Next, we head backstage and see Vince McMahon in his office talking with Brad Maddox.  Maddox is still trying to kiss up to Vince but the Chairman sees right through him and tells him to come back when he’s got something that can impress.

Maddox exits and Heyman enters, eyeing the weasel-like youngster with disdain.  Heyman thanks Vince for thinking of him when picking candidates but cuts right to the chase and declares that he thinks it’s a bad idea to leave it up to a fan vote.  He mentions that the WWE Universe is extremely biased and that a fair and just man like Vincent K. McMahon should want unbiased decisions being made within his company.

Vince says that his mind is made up but that he appreciates Heyman’s sense of initiative.  He says that Heyman has never been the best business man but that he is a bit of a mad genius when it comes to booking matches.  The Chairman tells Heyman that he’ll give him an opportunity to impress the WWE Universe by booking tonight’s main event.

Heyman says that he can’t go wrong putting two ring generals like Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler up against each other but he proclaims that that’s too small for a big main event.  He toys with the notion of Kane vs Big E Langston but claims that even that is too small.  Vince mentions that you can’t get much bigger than a rematch of Wrestlemania’s behemoth showdown between Ryback and Mark Henry but Heyman says he can do one better and books a huge six-man tag match for the main event.  It’s gonna be Dolph Ziggler, Big E Langston, and Mark Henry vs Team Hell No and Ryback.  The crowd pops huge for that announcement.  Vince smiles and admits he’s impressed.

As we go to commercial, we see a graphic for The Miz vs Wade Barrett for the Intercontinental title and Cole tells us that it will be next.

-BREAK #2-

We come back from the break and The Miz and Wade Barrett are already in the ring ready to go.  A clip plays showing the ending of their Wrestlemania match and we cut back to the ring and see a smiling Miz pointing at the TitanTron and a surly looking Barrett poised for battle.

Match #2 – Intercontinental Championship Match – The Miz vs Wade Barrett

The bell rings and they lock up, Miz getting Barrett in an early waist lock.  Miz pushes him forward and Barrett hooks the ropes, sending The Miz tumbling on his suplex attempt.

They trade offense back and forth and Miz eventually whips Barrett into a corner.  Miz hits him with the Awesome Clothesline and smiles into the camera.  He gets off the ropes and a dazed Barrett falls to the mat before rolling onto his back.  The Miz circles around to the feet of the supine Barrett and grabs his feet.  The crowd begins to “Woo!”

Miz locks in the Figure Four on Barrett but he manages to reverse the hold.  Miz climbs to the ropes and the ref yells for Barrett to break it.  He breaks the hold at 4 and stands and taunts The Miz who staggers to his feet.  Miz offers a punch drunk swing but Barrett ducks and lifts Miz into the air in a Fireman’s Carry.  Wasteland.  1!  2!  And he kicks out and 2 and a half.  Barrett is shocked and pounds his fists onto the mat as we go to commercial.

-BREAK #3-

We’re back from the commercial and The Miz ducks a clothesline and reverses an Irish Whip attempt sending Barrett into the corner.  Miz tries for another Awesome Clothesline but Barrett steps out and catches him, moves forward and spins around dropping him with the Winds of Change.  The crowd comes alive for the excellent reversal.

“I’ve never seen anything like that, Michael!” - JBL

Barrett gazes into the crowd and appears to nod toward a group of people in the front row.  He slides out of the ring and grabs a chair as the ref begins counting him out.  A fan then hops the barrier and runs into the ring with what appears to be brass knuckles.  The fan tries to punch The Miz, but Miz shoves him into the ref, knocking them both over.  Barrett slides into the ring and tries to hit The Miz with a chair but Miz kicks him in the gut and steals the chair.  He hits the fan with the chair and the fan rolls out of the ring.

Miz throws the chair out of the ring and hits the Snap DDT on Barrett.  He goes for the pin but the ref is still down on the ground.  Miz shakes the ref and grabs Barrett, setting him up for the Skull-Crushing Finale but the fan intervenes, hitting Miz in the gut with a chair.  Barrett reverses Miz’s loosened Full Nelson hold, grabs his hand, and spins him outward before forcefully pulling him back right into a vicious Bullhammer.  Miz drops like a fly.

The ref, finally on his feet, turns around to see Barrett hook the pin and he counts it, 1, 2, 3.  And we’ve got a new Intercontinental Champion!  The crowd boos as Barrett clutches his reclaimed title belt and the mysterious fan disappears into the crowd again.

Cut backstage to Josh Mathews standing with his microphone.  “Ladies and gentlemen… Randy Orton.”  Orton steps into the shot and flanks Mathews as the high-pitched screams of the Orton contingent show their pride.  Mathews asks what Orton’s thoughts are after what transpired at Wrestlemania in his match with The Shield.  Orton calmly says that he doesn’t blame Big Show for what he did and, in fact, he respects it.  He understands the lone wolf mentality but that’s not going to save Big Show from the biggest beating of his life.  Randy says he’s started hearing voices in his head again.  They tell him to reawaken the viper inside of him.  They want him to become more violent and he says he’s inclined to trust his instincts.

As we go to break a graphic of The Undertaker is shown and Cole tells us that he’ll be up next.

-BREAK #4-

Back from the break and the lights shut off completely.

**cue Jim Johnston – Rest In Peace**

The Undertaker makes his way to the ring with his bone-chilling entrance.  Lightning strikes and we see that the urn is on a pedestal in the middle of the ring.  Taker removes his hood and takes a microphone.  He declares that his victory over CM Punk at Wrestlemania is dedicated to the memory of the great Paul Bearer, but before he can say another word…

**cue Jim Johnston – Special Op**

Smackdown’s Hounds of Justice begin making their way to the ring through the crowd, Ambrose leading the bunch and Reigns with a snarl on his face.  Rollins flips over the barrier and somersaults to his feet as The Shield surround the ring.  The Undertaker slowly spins in a circle, surveying the young superstars as they hop up onto the apron.

Ambrose sticks one leg between the ropes and into the ring and slowly climbs in.  Rollins and Reigns follow and they surround The Undertaker.  Taker throws up his fists as The Shield slowly close in on him.  He jumps at Reigns but they all pounce on him and begin hammering the Deadman with fists and boots.

Ambrose works viciously on The Undertaker’s legs and Rollins barrages him with fists to the head.  Reigns lets out a gutteral battle cry and Ambrose calls for them to lift him up.  Rollins and Ambrose pull the dazed Deadman to his feet and grab him on either side to lift him up.

Pyro explodes!

The arena glows red and Kane and Daniel Bryan fly down the ramp and hit the ring.  The Shield drops Taker and they slide out of the ring and hop the barrier back out into the crowd.

Kane stares them down as Bryan checks on The Undertaker.  The Shield glare back at them.  They help Taker to his feet but he is visibly hurt and hobbled.  He drops back down to one knee and Kane holds his arm up to try and help him up but Taker shrugs him off.  He looks down before throwing his head back, revealing rolled back eyes and a protruding tongue as he goes into his signature pose.  The Shield continues staring and Ambrose contorts his face into a sadistic smirk.

We go backstage and see Vickie pacing back and forth until Heyman enters the picture.  He asks her what she thinks of this whole deal and she says she’s nervous because the fans can’t stand her.  Heyman says it’s unfair that she was removed as managing supervisor of Raw and not granted a guaranteed position somewhere.  She agrees and Heyman tells her that she should take up her gripes with Vince, citing the Chairman’s appreciation of Heyman’s own “initiative” by allowing him to book the main event.  Vickie smiles and says that that’s a great idea and she runs off.

At the interview area, Renee Young is with Big Show.  She asks what he was thinking when he allowed The Shield to pin Orton at Wrestlemania and Show says he was thinking that he was done worrying about anyone but himself.  He admits he got soft for a minute but now he’s going to go back to being the same old destructive, 500lb. World’s Largest Athlete and if anyone, including Orton, gets in his way, he’ll knock them out.

As we go to commercial, we are reminded about the six-man tag match in tonight’s main event.

-BREAK #5-

Vickie barges into Vince’s office and he’s on the phone.  She keeps trying to interrupt but Vince waves her off each time.  He finally hangs up and she declares that it’s not fair that she got removed from her position and has to compete in a fan vote popularity contest to get another job.  Vince says she makes a good case but he doesn’t want to disappoint the WWE Universe.  He offers her the same deal as Heyman and she books Orton vs Big Show in a No DQ match and Vince tells us it’s next and sends Vickie on her way.

She leaves his office smiling but her expression drops as she realizes she didn’t get what she wanted.  Vickie walks away and passes Damian Sandow and Cody Rhodes.

They lament over their loss on Raw but Sandow proclaims that the next time the Rhodes Scholars meet in the same ring, they will be world champions.  Cody agrees and they shake hands before hugging.  Sandow walks off and Rhodes bumps into Brad Maddox.

Cody initially scoffs at Maddox but, recalling his position, brushes him off and asks if he has the clout to get him a match tonight.  Maddox says he’s on his way to talk to Mr. McMahon right now and he’ll hook him up… but Rhodes owes him one.  They shake hands and walk off in opposite directions.

**cue Brand New Sin – Crank It Up**

**cue Rev Theory – Voices**

Match #3 – No DQ Match – Randy Orton vs Big Show

Lillian Garcia announces that it’s a no disqualification match and the bell rings.  Orton and Show walk up to each other and have a face off.  Show shoves Orton and Randy kicks him square in the groin, dropping him to one knee.  Orton hits him with a DDT and slides out of the ring.  He grabs a chair, folds it up, and climbs back into the ring with bad intentions.

Orton smashes Show in the gut with the chair and blasts his massive back with it.  He tosses the chair and proceeds to barrage Big Show with the Garvin Stomp to a big pop from the diehard contingent.  He turns away from Big Show and grabs the ropes as he looks into the crowd before spinning back and dropping to his forearms and knees.  The crowd roars.

“The Viper is coiled!” – Michael Cole

Show climbs to his feet and Orton flattens him with a huge RKO and gets the early three count.  After the match, Orton doesn’t even allow his arm to be raised by the ref.  He goes straight out of the ring and grabs the chair he tossed and brings it back in.

Orton opens up the chair and slides Big Show’s leg into it.  He holds onto the ropes and looks up with a sick smile on his face, tongue draped down over his chin.  Show screams in agony as Orton stomps away at the chair.  Officials hit the ring and finally are able to pry Orton away from Show.  He backs out of the ring and up the ramp with the same sick smile on his face as the officials tend to Big Show.

-BREAK #6-

We’re back and we see a replay of the post-match beatdown of Big Show followed by video of Show being helped to the back by several officials.  Cole, speaking somberly, informs us that doctors are checking on Show and expect that he may have a broken leg.

Cut to the back and we see Maddox lurking around.  He runs into Cody Rhodes and tells Rhodes that he hooked him up with a big opportunity.  Rhodes thanks him and they walk off.

Next, we see clips from Ryback vs Mark Henry at Wrestlemania.

Josh Mathews is now in the interview area with Mark Henry.  Henry says he respects Ryback for being able to lift him but proclaims that he still won the fight.  He says Ryback can’t beat him and he won’t beat him tonight regardless of who else is in the match.  Henry declares that he’s not just the strongest man in the world, but the baddest man in the world as well and he’s gonna prove it again tonight.

**cue Jim Johnston – Smoke and Mirrors (V2)**

**cue Jim Johnston – Realeza 2013**

As Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo make their way to the ring, we see a video package replaying the ending of Del Rio’s Wrestlemania title defense against Jack Swagger.

Match #4 – Singles Match – Cody Rhodes vs Alberto Del Rio

The bell rings and they lock up.  It’s a good, back and forth match with each man controlling the pace for a bit before Rhodes goes for the Disaster Kick.  Del Rio ducks and Rhodes lands.  He spins around and Del Rio blasts him with an enzuigiri.

Del Rio begins slapping his forearm and the arena erupts into chants of “Si!”.  Del Rio screams “Destiny!” as he grabs Rhodes’ arm and spins around it but Rhodes forces him off.  Cody lands a Disaster Kick and sets Del Rio up for the Cross Rhodes.

Rhodes screams “Destiny!” but Del Rio grabs Cody’s arm, spins out of the hold, and flips Rhodes into the Cross Armbreaker.  Cody taps and the crowd cheers as Ricardo Rodriguez carries Del Rio’s World Heavyweight Championship into the ring.  They celebrate as Rhodes makes his way up the ramp, dejected.

Del Rio grabs the mic and thanks the fans for their support at Wrestlemania.  He says he’s looking forward to walking into Wrestlemania XXX still holding the World Heavyweight Championship.

-BREAK #7-

Backstage, Vince has the three potential GMs in his office.  He admits that he expected to be highly disappointed but that they all delivered surprisingly solid performances.  He says he’s excited for the main event and Heyman begins gushing at the star power in the match.

A video package airs recapping the tag-team title match at Wrestlemania.

**cue Downstait – Here To Show The World**

Ziggler, Big E, and AJ march down to the ring, Ziggler carrying his coveted Money in the Bank briefcase.  He climbs into the ring and grabs a mic before proclaiming that while they didn’t win the tag titles, he’s not concerned because he’s still the next World Heavyweight Champion.  AJ says that soon they’ll have all the gold and that Kane and Daniel are going to get what’s coming to them.  Big E guarantees that they’re going to make an impact tonight.

**cue Three Six Mafia – Somebodies Gonna Get It**

The World’s Strongest Man makes his way to the ring.

-BREAK #8-

Kane and Daniel Bryan are standing outside of the ring with Ziggler, Big E, and Henry waiting inside.

**cue Jim Johnston – Meat on the Table**

Ryback marches out and the whole crowd chants “Feed Me More!”  He and his partners hit the ring and get sorted and the bell rings.

Match #5 – Six-Man Tag Match – Dolph Ziggler, Big E Langston, and Mark Henry vs Team Hell No and Ryback

Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan are up first.  They grapple back and forth before Ziggler whips Bryan into the corner and runs after him.  Bryan runs up the turnbuckles and backflips over Ziggler but Dolph mule kicks him in the gut.  He bounces off the ropes and lands a Famouser on Bryan.

Dolph tags in Mark Henry who begins slowly working on Daniel Bryan.  He gets him in a bear hug and squeezes tightly.  Bryan begins to fade but shakes himself awake and starts to hammer Henry on the head to a chorus of “Yes!” chants from the crowd.  Henry loosens his grip and Bryan bounces off the ropes and front missile dropkicks him onto the ground.  Bryan goes for the No Lock but Henry throws him off back toward his own corner.  Henry climbs to his feet and Bryan tags in Ryback.

Ryback stretches his jaw and begins pounding his chest but Mark Henry tags out and Big E steps in.  The two heavies come face to face in the center of the ring and trade blows back and forth.  Big E goes for a running body block but Ryback doesn’t fall.  Ryback runs off the ropes and goes for a clothesline but Big E doesn’t budge.  They both bounce off of opposing ropes and slam into each other in the center of the ring but neither falls.

Big E smacks his chest and Ryback flexes his jaw again and goes for another clothesline but Big E ducks.  Ryback bounces off the ropes and Big E lifts and body slams him off the rebound.  He walks toward the ropes and yells out to the crowd but Ryback hops right back up behind him.  Big E turns around and Ryback calls him stupid.

E rushes at Ryback who lifts him up and delivers an earth-shattering spinebuster.  He lifts Big E up and drills him with the Boulder Holder.

-BREAK #9-

Back from the break and Kane is working on Ziggler.  He hits him with a few throat thrusts before nailing a sidewalk slam.  He signals for the chokeslam and the crowd roars but we see that it is because The Shield is making their way through the arena and down to the ring.

Kane walks to the corner and begins shouting at The Shield.  They hop the barrier and Reigns begins walking up the steel steps.  Ziggler goes for a surprise Zig Zag but Kane holds onto the ropes and shrugs him off.  He turns around and hits Ziggler with a thunderous chokeslam.

Bryan runs across the apron and hits Rollins with a diving knee but Ambrose immediately begins pounding on him.  The ref calls for the bell and Big E hops down off the apron.  He pulls Ziggler out and they escape up the ramp with AJ.

Reigns hits the ring and begins assaulting Kane but Kane clotheslines him out of the ring, taking himself with him.  Ryback enters the ring and Mark Henry steps in as well.  The two behemoths stand face to face as The Shield brawls with Team Hell No outside.

They begin jaw-jacking and then they start exchanging blows before, finally, Ryback lifts Henry up for Shellshocked.  Ryback struggles to hold him up and Henry slips down off of his back.  Henry lifts Ryback up and drives him to the mat with a World’s Strongest Slam.

The Shield continues their assault on Team Hell No as Mark Henry lifts Ryback up off the mat and drills him with another World’s Strongest Slam.  The Shield retreats into the crowd as Henry stands with his foot on Ryback’s chest, imitating his “Feed Me More” pose as the crowd boos.

At Wrestlemania 29, John Cena defeated The Rock in a rematch from last year, and in the process, won the WWE title, making him an 11-time WWE Champion and a 13-time World Champion overall. To say that the result of the match was expected would be a complete understatement, especially when you consider that The Rock is only a part-time wrestler and was only expected to be around for another month or so for a match with Brock Lesnar, before returning to filming movies.

Now that Cena is the champion once again, what is he going to do next? Unfortunately, there is not much more that can be done in regards to a feud that can still be considered fresh for Cena. The man has been on WWE television for 11 years now, and of those 11, he has been headlining for 8. Despite the fact that Cena is still under 40 years old, and thus still relatively young, as a main event star, he is 8 years old in TV years, which is a whole other story. When you consider that WWE has produced a minimum (key word here) of four hours of new television every week for each and everyone of those 8 years, that’s a hell of a lot of exposure. WWE television is different than other shows in that they provide new content each and every week, whereas most other shows run about 15-20 episodes in a season before taking a break. With the kind of time that WWE puts into television shows, it becomes harder and harder to make anything new.

And this is especially true with Cena. In his time with WWE, he has feuded with every major star on the roster, including the active roster today. Those he hasn’t feuded with are either too new to be put in that spot or simply haven’t been built up as a credible threat to a major championship yet. The rest he has already gone through and won the feuds, so what’s the point? Where does he go from here?

Although WWE is trying something somewhat new with Ryback (the two have only had one match, and it was a triple threat also involving CM Punk), it already seems like the result is a foregone conclusion. WWE doesn’t seem to know what they want to do with Ryback, especially since none of the plans for him have ever come to fruition. The only other real option for Cena that could be considered somewhat fresh is Mark Henry, who is still in the midst of his return push. Even then, I have little faith in a feud, as Henry has been on WWE TV even longer than Cena (17 years now), and doesn’t seem to have many years left, career-wise. While WWE might be willing to take another gamble on “The World’s Strongest Man”, it really depends on how well he can hold up physically, as he has had several injury problems over the years, the most recent of which nearly cost him his career.

I realize John Cena is not going away any time soon, thanks not only due to Vince McMahon’s unease in regards to trying things new, as well as Cena’s selfishness in not wanting to step aside for a bit to give someone else a chance to shine (even Punk took a backseat to him during his historic title reign). But unless something drastic is done with him in regards to a feud or a gimmick change, we are going to be subjected to yet another title reign that likely won’t be different than any other one Cena has had as a roster full of hungry guys chomping at the bit just get pushed to the side once more.

The daily feature where we will be showing off the Hottie of the day

Today’s “Driven Darling of the Day”

Stephanie McMahon

Send your votes in to Bayragni@gmail.com to please your vote for your “Driven Darling of the Day”

What?

Starcade?

Scott Keith didn’t like it either? Damn.

Keith is in his own little world (one where stars appear to be in incredibly short supply) so I guess I’ll have to respond to Starcade…

STARCADE: WWE has to fire at least half this roster. AT LEAST.

Why? Cutting talent isn’t going to solve booking problems. Do you honestly think getting rid of (glorious) Otunga is going to make Smackdown an entertaining show?

STARCADE: VKM did say he wanted results or resignations. He hasn’t had the results week to week. The part-timers have saved his ass for three Wrestlemanias now.

The part-timers may have been responsible for high buy-rates (well, the jury is still out on Lesnar), but that’s because they’ve spent an incredible amount of time focusing on these pensioners and coming up with things for them to do…

JERICHO

Dolph and Punk had a short, awkwardly put together feud back in 2012 and fought each other on only one PPV (Royal Rumble). Jericho returned shortly after and started s feud with Punk that would peak at Wrestlemania. Had Ziggler v Punk continued (with Dolph doing everything Jericho did during the feud), they would’ve elevated Ziggler to a level where people would have been willing to take him seriously. Jericho feuded with Ziggler later on in the year, but nobody came out looking good because Jericho had won roughly 2 matches during that comeback.

To sum it up, Jericho’s 2012 return achieved nothing. His 2013 return might be more fruitful, but it’s way too early to tell what’s going happen with Fandango.

BROCK and HHH

Brock Lesnar returned and faced Cena at Extreme Rules. Cena won, so that was a waste of a month, right?

I can see the viewpoint that Cena had been beaten by The Rock and having him lose to Brock would have made him look bad, but this is Cena we’re talking about. Cena, much like Orton, doesn’t need to win every match in order to maintain his fanbase. Having Cena lose twice in a row would’ve actually turned him into the underdog and let to some actual character development, so his fans would’ve been behind him even more.

Lesnar went on to feud with HHH, culminating in a No DQ match at Summerslam. HHH isn’t even a full-time wrestler, so this feud benefited no-one.

Starting the end of January, WWE spent a lot of time on what would become HHH vs Lesnar 2, a match that elevated nothing but Vince’s ego.

Del Rio’s heel run would’ve benefited incredibly from that arm-breaker gimmick. Shit, Angle’s serious beast-run back in the day was all about breaking limbs and it transformed the character so much that he’s still trying to be that guy in TNA.

That’s two part-timers (three, if we count HHH) so far who’ve taken up a lot of time over the past year to the detriment of the entire roster. They might have helped the full-timers get a nice Mania bonus, but they’ve done nothing to make us give a shit about any of the people who actually work house-shows.

THE UNDERTAKER

Punk’s shenanigans with the urn is one of the few memorable things about his run as a  heel. He lost the match and really has nothing left to do now, but it was character development.

Taker might be teaming with Daniel Bryan and Kane at Extreme Rules this year, and either muh boy D-Bry is going to come out of it looking good or The Shield are going to come out of it looking fantastic.

Bonus points for The Undertaker then, even with his ever-decreasing levels of in-ring ability.

ROCKY M.I.A. VIA SATELLITE

The Rock beat Cena, appointed himself #1 contender and fucked off. He returned at Rumble 2013 and ended CM Punk’s 400+ day title run (completely wasting what would’ve been considered a great feat, had anyone else done it). Rock then fucked off for another two months and the people, who he claims to represent, attended house shows that featured no WWE champion.

Twice in a Lifetime (soon to be promoted as Third Time’s a Charm) happened and Cena, who we’ve already established doesn’t need constant wins or a shiny metal prop in order to maintain his fanbase, became an eleven-time WWE Champion.

By my count, that makes 4 part-timers who’ve done nothing but chew scenery over the last 12 months.

I’m not saying these guys didn’t have enjoyable matches, nor that they didn’t bring in an audience that might not have watched without them, but every moment the creative team wasted on those four would’ve been better spent trying to develop the characters of people they already had on the books.

Did you know that WWE was trying to put together a 10-Woman match for Mania that would’ve predominantly featured “Divas” from yesteryear? Contract negotiations fell apart and only The Bellas ended up re-signing, but Vince and friends actually thought it was a better idea than AJ vs Kaitlyn, a feud which had been building for 12 months (and was thrown away on RAW).

STARCADE: This crowd shit all over the product, and probably felt they had the right to do so!

If you prick them, do they not bleed?

STARCADE: The WWE has to start knowing that crowds like this are abjectly shitting all over not only the product, but the entire hierarchy of the WWE.

Exactly, they’re tired of eating the same bland, tasteless sandwich that they’ve eaten every day for the last few years.

STARCADE: For just ONE example, of what use is pushing the Wrestlemania match you bumped off the card to RAW when the match is over in ONE STINKING MINUTE. At this point, I’d almost be for cutting everybody in the match (since they are of no real use), except for possibly Cody, sending him to NXT as Dusty’s son to see if he can get over in Florida.

It has been widely publicized that RAW was re-written and re-shaped at zero hour due to Rock’s departure (and I’ve heard from various places that HHH didn’t want to work in front of that crowd), so I’m guessing Tensai, Funk, The Funkettes, Cody, Lanny Poffo and The Bellas were victims of the re-write. Cody quit Twitter after the Mania match was dropped (even though they were still promoting it that day), so that might have something to do with it as well.

You’re saying that these people should be fired because a part-timer fucked them out of their spot on the Mania (and possibly RAW as well) card. Think about it.

STARCADE: Scott and the like can crap all over RAW – this is the best you’re getting with this crew. Rock and Punk were both out with injuries, probably leaving Brock with nothing to do.

This episode of RAW featured Big E winning his first singles match, Ziggler cashing in and winning the WHC, Miz losing the IC title, Ryback flattening Cena and The Undertaker teaming up with Daniel Bryan. If that’s the best WWE can do, I look forward to seeing their best every week.

STARCADE: You better at least explain how this roster, with these people, is going to put on a palatable product.

Ball’s in your court on that one. This roster has had three years to try.

In 1999, WWE had Roaddog, Billy Gunn, D’Lo Brown, a British Bulldog that couldn’t walk, The Road Warriors, Mark Henry, Dan “The Beast” Severn, Val Venis, Goldust, Blue Meanie, Al Snow, The Headbangers, Steve Blackman, Droz, Bradshaw, Big Boss Man, Test, Mideon, Viscera, Gangrel, Pete Gas, Rodney, Joey Abs, Jeff Jarrett, Brian “Too Sexy” Christopher and Scott “Too Hot” Taylor on the books.

How many of them could have went an hour with Ric Flair?

How many of them wrestled anything above a 3-star match?

They were still memorable characters though. The majority of them had their own look and catchphrases, their own allegiances and whatnot.

If I (and just about everyone else reading this) can tell you more about Jeff Jarrett’s character during 98-99 than I can about Antonio Cesaro from 2012-2013, the talent can’t be the problem.

If they stop hiring people we cared about 10 years ago and actually do something to make us care about the people they have today, the problem will be resolved.

STARCADE: What you saw last night was the culmination of three years of the Universe having had enough with the Raw-to-Raw product.

Tired of the same matches, the same stories, the same conclusions, the same fifteen minute promos…

I’d like to point out something about the Orton vs Fella match that nobody seems to have noticed. I’ve seen a lot of people say “the crowd went into business for themselves” and act like it was a bad thing, but you have to re-watch and take a look at Randy.

Orton has been yearning for a heel turn for well over six months now. He’s been making rude gestures towards the crowd, shouting Steiner-esque dirge at them and, as I noticed during RAW, changing the way he wrestles.

If you’re a face and get boos during a match for performing a sleeper, you try to avoid that move from then onward. Orton worked a slow-paced match with a lot of rest-holds despite the crowd cheering for everything but what was going on in the ring. I’m sure some of it can be attributed to “the main-event style”, but let’s not forget that half of Fella’s repertoire consists of running attacks and power moves. The match had almost grinded to a halt by the time Big Show’s music hit, and the crowd rightfully thanked him for injecting some action into the snooze-fest.

I might have to re-watch some pre-mania Orton stuff now and find out how long he’s been actively trying to get heat, but I thought it was worth pointing out (and it was actually the main reason I wrote this column).

As great a brawler and a hardcore wrestler as he was, Mick Foley was more than just blood and gore, although there was a lot that in his great career. Guys like Mick Foley & John Cena deserve just as much credit for their in-ring work as all-time greats like Bret Hart and Daniel Bryan. When holding a microphone or telling a story, Mick Foley was one of the greatest of all-time.

Mick Foley opens up with an introduction. He speaks about Vader and the Mastodon’s reputation for being a brutal in-ring competitor.

Cactus Jack vs. Big Van Vader (WCW Saturday Night – April 17, 1993) = ***1/2

Jesus. There were some savage shots to the bridge of Foley’s nose by “the man who feels no pain”. Foley absorbed a beating like no one else, and this match made that clear. Sadly, the years of beatings have caught up to Foley and slowed him considerably as he’s gotten older.

In a surprise display of power, Cactus Jack picked up and scoop slammed the man who resides in the White Castle of Fear. Jack followed up with an agile top-rope-flying lariat, followed by a Cactus Clothesline over the guardrail.

The big man busted up Cactus until he resembled Rocky Balboa/Rihanna/Tina Turner, etc. I am implying a black man beat him up, by the way. Jack moved and Vader collided with the barricade. Cactus followed up with a flipping senton off the apron to Vader. Jack got back in the ring to beat the count and get the upset.

Nasty Boys vs. Cactus Jack & Maxx Payne “No Rules, Falls Count Anywhere” (WCW Spring Stampede – April 17, 1994) = ***1/4 

This match was all about throwing out the rulebook. Otherwise, Cactus, Payne, and the Nasty’s would have used it to bludgeon each other to death.

This match featured pool cues, concussive spots, and a table being used in a way that would Onita cringe. Goddamn, this was a violent fight. Was the match a scientific catch-as-catch-can classic? Depends. Do you consider pool sticks and steel shovels to the head technical?

The match was merciless, but it was also awesome. This was barbarism at its finest. The only thing illegal in this match was having all your teeth.

Cactus Jack heads to the land of the extreme, Extreme Championship Wrestling, that is….

Sabu vs. Cactus Jack (ECW Hostile City Showdown - June 24, 1994) = N/A

Not a lot happened in this match, besides weaponry, schmozery, and concussionry. A ton of ECW fans brought skillets, eggs, and oars to wrestling shows. I wonder if a hungry wrestler ever requested breakfast during a match? I would have.

Cactus Jack vs. Chris Candido (Smoky Mountain Wrestling - November 18, 1994) = N/A

 I liked Candido, but this match fell flat. Fun fact: Even the referees dressed like hillbillies in Smoky Mountain.

Cactus Jack vs. The Sandman (Extreme Championship Wrestling - February 4, 1995) = Dud

 This was basically the Sandman’s brain being damaged for 12 minutes or so. Awful! It was almost as bad as Miz’s figure-4.

Cactus Jack & Raven vs. Terry Funk & Tommy Dreamer (ECW November to Remember – November 18, 1995) = ***

There were “We want fire chants”. I just wish someone had set the prick chanting that on fire.

This was a violent, heated, and very punchy bout. First class hardcore. No CZW bullshit. This ECW anything-goes tag may not be my favourite match type, but if you’re going to do a hardcore tag match, this is probably the way to go about it. This one got a little too schmoz-y for me, especially afterwards, but it was still a pretty good fight.

Foley admitted that his favourite career moment happened, not in WWE or certainly not in WCW, but in ECW. It was his last match in Extreme Championship Wrestling…

Cactus Jack vs. Mikey Whipwreck (ECW Big Ass Extreme Bash - March 9, 1996) = ****

Cactus was a hated villain in ECW, but knowing it was his last hurrah the ECW the crowd showered him with love and cheers. Simply put, this is the single greatest thing Mikey Whipwreck was ever a part of. Sure, it was a weapon-filled affair; complete with half-a-dozen potentially career-ending spots, but it was also a magnificent tale of heart, determination, and pain. Plus, the love-fest at the end was phenomenal.

On a side note: Jack’s forearm shots were hard enough to make Masato Tanaka jealous. This match is a classic for several reasons.

Extras:

 Post-Vader match promo

This was a phenomenal promo. Top-shelf stuff. Vader really fucked Cactus up.

“Falls Count Anywhere” Sting vs. Cactus Jack  (WCW Beach Blast – June 20, 1992) = ****

This was one hell of a “Falls Count Anywhere match”.  This was definitely the best use of the stipulation I can remember. It was really classy to include this as an extra. Especially considering how bad some DVD extras are.

There were a few people who could make Sting look better than he really was: Ric Flair, Vader and, Cactus Jack, himself. Some of, or most of, the bumps Jack took were unbelievably rough. While they looked great here, the after effects of this match show even today. Don’t forget the Cactus Clothesline. Amazing move. This could be the best sub-ten minute match of all time. Proof you don’t need 25 or 30 minutes to put on a great match. Did you hear that, Dwayne?

Cactus Jack spits on the WCW Tag Team Title promo

 Talk about putting over an opponent, as well as a match. This is a REAL promo. A Rock promo, this was not. “Bang! Bang!”  This is followed another great promo, this time from Paul Heyman.

 “Cane Dewey” Promo

Mick Foley introduces the “Cane Dewey” promo by quoting Michael “P.S.” Hayes, “The bad guy has to believe he is right,” truer words have never been spoken.

This was an emotionally shaking promo. Mick Foley may be the best ever on the microphone. You can’t help but feel this. I never entirely saw Cactus as the villain. I thought Eric Bischoff was the bad guy.

“Anti-Hardcore” promo:

Is it really surprising this was another great promo by Cactus Jack? I agree with what Jack said about the ECW faithful. Plus, name-dropping Baba & Jumbo was pretty surreal. The way Foley shifts in and out of his sadistic Cactus character is a lost art. Today its all one tone, one look, one direction, either a Superstar is way too quite or they need a mute button. We need more guys like Mick Foley & CM Punk, and a lot less guys like Mike Mizanin & Jack Swagger.

Cactus Jack vs. Sabu Rematch ***1/4

This match was far superior to the other match between these two ‘hardcore icons’ on the DVD. At one point Sabu hit the springboard Asai Moonsault from the apron to the outside, only he overshot Cactus and hit the guardrail on the outside. So in a way, he nailed it, only ‘it’ was a solid steel barricade. Ouch!

Note: The wooden chair. It may not sound bad, but it looked like it hurt a lot worse than your garden-variety steel chair. Foley put over Sabu big in the special commentary. You have to hand it to Sabu he knows no fear.

Note: Foley mentions on the commentary he probably should not have taken all the bumps he took to the back of the head, makes sense after seeing them again. Also note: The bottle Cactus Jack was hit with was very much real. Christ!

ECW Farewell Speech:

 Heartfelt. Beautiful.

“Jack” Foley & Les Thornton vs. The British Bulldogs:

 This was Mick Foley’s WWF debut, long before he was Mankind. Foley was basically fodder in this one. Still, this is historically significant and pretty cool for a job match. There were some cool British spots in this one as well. Foley’s offense, or lack thereof was pretty funny.

WWE Confidential Feature:

Cool stuff. It’s very strange to hear that Mick Foley and Vince McMahon didn’t always get along well. I didn’t know that. Foley talked about his charitable work with “Operation Smile” as well. The man probably has the biggest heart in pro-wrestling. He’s a sweet guy.

Disc 2: Mankind and The World Wrestling Federation

 Initially, Foley was upset about playing Mankind, and he despised the mask. But once he slip into his new alter-egos skin, he got used to it. The next match was what Foley calls, his single greatest performance, and I find it difficult to argue with him.

Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind (In Your House: Mind Games – September 22, 1996) = ****3/4

 The famous druids come out pushing a casket to the ring. As the camera was focused on the box, out popped Mankind, in Undertakeresque fashion. Do you get why they called the show “Mind Games”?

Vince McMahon was about climax when he heard “Sexy Boy”, as he put “The Heartbreak Kid” (Vince voice) over harder than Hulk Hogan puts himself over, brother. Mankind rocked back-and-forth in the corner to the music, I think he’s fond of Michaels’ singing voice.

We saw the Cactus Clothesline make its appearance very early on. The brawl went to the floor when Shawn Michaels surprisingly took over by monkey stomping Foley (who was under the protective mat) and throwing Mankind to the exposed floor headfirst, this was once again to the back of the head.

HBK went for the finish and Sweet Chin Music early on. But Mankind dove out of the ring like he was dodging a grenade (A-Team style), to stop Michaels’ momentum, and it worked. Mankind eventually took HBK’s back and nearly sunk in the dreaded “Mandible Claw” rear-naked style, only for his opponent to escape like a scared child.

Michaels was off his game, due to Mankind’s mind games, but he channeled his frustration and trepidation, and he used them as an offensive weapons. Going to the knee of Mankind.

Foley’s knee was destroyed, as he was suplexed by HBK on the steel steps. Michaels then turned up the aggression and in vicious fashion “the Heartbreak Kid” went on to dissect the knee of Mankind with surgical precision and malicious intent. Foley took control with his cunning and sadistic mind, utilizing a hotshot to Michael’s throat across the top rope. Foley then went to the apron, where he stabbed himself in the knee (Psycho style) with a pen to regain feeling in his injured leg.

The deranged Mankind used his sick imagination to think of new ways to dismantle HBK. This worked, nearly to perfection. But Mankind’s recklessness and lack of sanity would prove work to Michaels’ advantage, as he was able to get out of the way of a charging Mankind several times, leading to a comeback, much to the delight of the Kliq.

Mankind was hanged when leaping towards the ropes at a ducking HBK. Shawn Michaels then went after the fingers of Mankind, out of self-preservation. Attempting to break and maim Mankind’s fingers after he tasted the feared Mandible Claw. Mankind back body dropped HBK over the ropes as a last resort, leading to a tide-turning offensive run by the demented one.

Mankind not only threw the kitchen sink at Shawn Michaels, he threw the bathtub and the dishwasher. When he couldn’t pin Shawn, Mankind become frustrated and irate. Michaels gave it all he had as well, but to no avail. Until both men went off the ropes to the outside through the Spanish announce table. HBK, having landed on top, had the advantage.

As Mrs. Foley’s baby boy was scaling the top turnbuckle with a steel chair, Michaels spring boarded off of a chair in the ring to hit a jumping super kick sending the chair into leather face of Mankind.

Vader came out and the match ended, as it degenerated into brawl. Eventually, Mankind sunk in the Mandible Claw on Michaels, only to be stopped by the Undertaker, who came out to a thunderous ovation.

This match is a true classic. The only thing stopping it from being perfect was a run-in by Vader. Though it was understandable as the WWF had been building up Mankind to feud with the Undertaker, and Michaels was the face of the WWF.

Also, you have got to love Mr. Perfect on commentary.

We got a classic Dude Love/Mankind/Cactus Jack promo leading into a RAW match. Hunter Hearst Helmsley was expecting the Dude to appear, but what he got was a different side of Mick Foley. “Bang! Bang!”

“Falls Count Anywhere Hardcore Match” Cactus Jack vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley (WWF Raw Is War - September 22, 1997) = FUN!! 

The match started with Triple H taking a trashcan shot to the dome. As WWE Hall of Famer Booker T would say, “You gotta love it!” This match took place on the ramp, outside of the ring, throughout the crowd, backstage, and as shocking as it may seem, in the ring. Foley bumped like a boss, as usual, so that was great. The ending was a cherry on the top of this barbed wire wrapped chocolate sundae. Cactus hit the old school piledriver on the Connecticut blue blood on top of a table for the 1-2-3.

“No Holds Barred” Mick Foley vs. Terry Funk (WWF Raw Is War - May 4, 1998) = ***1/4

 This match is near and dear to Mick Foley, and with good reason. Terry Funk is his mentor and idol. The Funker and the Micker went out there, no-gimmicks-attached (besides Pat Patterson as special guest referee) and they had themselves a good old-fashioned brawl. Chairs, stairs, and fisticuffs added to a personal match that saw Funk Moonsault from a balcony and take a piledriver through a table. The fight went all over the building, and proved Funk was still crazy as ever.

Mick Foley was ready for Stone Cold. It’s amazing the Funker is still walking today after a match like that. Terry Funk would not stay down in this fight, until Mick Foley left he unable to lift his shoulders from the mat. Hell of a fight!

The previous match set-up the next match. Enter Dude Love….

At the time, the evil Mr. McMahon was pulling Mick Foley’s strings; using Foley’s love for McMahon as a way to turn Foley’s friendliest and goofiest alter ego, Dude Love on his former ally, Stone Cold Steve Austin. McMahon was hell-bent on ridding the World Wrestling Federation of its resident anti-authoritarian anarchist ass-kicker, Stone Cold Steve Austin. After the Dude came up short in their first encounter for the World Wrestling Federation Championship, McMahon would stack the deck against Austin, ensuring the Rattlesnake had “No chance in hell,” of leaving the match as WWF Champion.

Dude Love vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (WWF In Your House 22 - May 31, 1998) = ****

Your special guest ring announcer: Pat Patterson

Guest timekeeper:  Gerald Briscoe

And last but not least, the special guest referee: Vincent Kennedy McMahon. This was all in the interest of fairness, of course.

Mankind buried Vince’s three sizes too tight referee shirt in the introduction, because he’s awesome.

The Undertaker was at ringside to counteract the extremely unfair favouritism towards Dude Love.

The crowd was on-fire. They were almost post-WrestleMania RAW hot for Austin. I’ll chalk up the “Vince is gay” chants to stupidity, not homophobia.

Some nice mat work, early on, but don’t worry, it was nothing like Rock vs. Cena. The Dudester bumped like Dolph Ziggler for Stone Cold, taking a throw over the top rope like Taka Michinoku.

The Dude worked over the lower back of Austin with excellence of execution, until Austin made an uncharacteristically heroic comeback. Foley did the hanging rope spot to an insane reaction from the sold out crowd.

As the match went to the outside, Dude Love hip threw Austin on the Spanish announce table. It was then that Pat Patterson reminded us this was a no disqualification match. This inspired Austin to open a can of whoop-ass on the Dude.

The fight spilled to the ramp where Foley knocked Austin down. Patterson to announce the match was also “falls count anywhere,” Dude Love back body dropped Stone Cold on a car that was part of the set.

McMahon counted pin falls much faster for Foley than he did for Austin. The Duder dropped a flying Cactus Elbow from a stack of cars to Austin on the concrete floor below. Bad idea! Austin moved, and Dude Love felt no love from the cement floor.

Dude Love regained control and brought the match back to the ring where dominated Stone Cold for a while, getting the crowd pumped up for an Austin comeback. Austin took over and the crowd went crazy. Foley cut off Austin like a shitty driver, halting his momentum by ramming the Toughest S.O.B in the WWF headfirst into an exposed turnbuckle. Great spot.

Austin gained control, and brained Dude with a thunderous chair shot. As Austin was jawing with McMahon, Foley ran at Austin with the chair, only for Austin to move. McMahon was knocked goofier than Billy Jack Haynes with a chair shot, so Stone Cold hit a distraught Foley with the Stunner. Mike Chioda bolted to the ring to make the count, but Pat Patterson pulled him out of the ring and popped him in the mouth one and slid in to make the count. The Undertaker was having none of it, so he Choke slams Patterson through the American announce table. Gerry Briscoe unwisely tried to count as well, only to suffer a similar fate to his best bud as he was sent crashing through the Spanish table.

This was a really strong showing from both guys, especially Dude Love. Although this was a clusterfuck it worked.

Next we got a backstory to the infamous Hell in a Cell match between Mankind and the Undertaker.

Mankind vs. The Undertaker (WWF King Of The Ring - June 28, 1998) = ***

This was more of a death-defying train derailment than it was a wrestling match.  Mick Foley clambered up the Cell to begin the match, making a statement, and in hindsight, a really poor decision. If you don’t know the story already, Taker threw Mick of the top of the cell similar to the way you would throw an opponent over the top rope in the Royal Rumble match. Only Foley was 20 feet in the air, and he crashed into the table below.

After he was legitimately stretchered off, Foley returned to the Cell, reaching the top yet again. This time he would take a Chokeslam through the Cell, with a steel chair following close after his body, hitting him in the face and knocking his teeth out. I can’t believe people cheered this. I would have been worried for Mick and his family. The match ended mercifully in the ring when a Tombstone and the pin followed a Chokeslam on Foley to a pile of thumbtacks below. I felt uncomfortable watching this. But, it is historical.

Mankind talked about winning the WWF Championship for the first time. He never thought he would get to that point. Foley undervalued himself. He’s far better than The Rocks & the Triple H’s, both in and out of the ring. This was Mick Foley’s childhood dream realized.

Mankind vs. The Rock (WWF Raw Is War - January 4, 1999) Match = *** Mick Foley winning the WWF Title = *****

 The match itself was good for TV. With Foley being his usual great self and The Rock being okay.

Nice Rock Bottom through the table. Austin hits Rock with a chair, and Mick Foley gets the pin and the WWF Championship.

The famous quote goes, “That’ll put butts in the seats,” and it sure did. The match quality is irrelevant, this was probably the greatest moment in the history of Monday Night RAW.

Before his initial “retirement” Mick Foley was concerned the modern Mankind character was leaving people with the impression that he was losing his edge. Foley didn’t want to go out like that. The following match is considered by many to be the greatest match in the careers of both Mick Foley and Triple H. I have trouble disagreeing. It’s definitely Trip’s best match. Foley was always his best opponent.

The following match was the result of Mankind not being tough enough to beat Triple H for the WWF Title. Cactus Jack, on the other hand, was up for the challenge.

“Street Fight for the WWF Championship” Cactus Jack vs. Triple H (WWF Royal Rumble - January 23, 2000) = ****1/2

Cactus Jack came on strong really fast in this one. Dominating early on, until Triple H was able to hit Jack with the ring bell and recover. The first chair shot Jack took in this one may have done Dude Love or Mankind in, but the pain only fired Cactus Jack up.

This truly was a street fight, as the fight went all over the building and contained trashcans, bricks, and wooden pallets. Speaking of which, the pallet punctured Triple H’s calf and it left a nasty gash.

Cactus was ultra-intense and violent. But you know this wouldn’t be a Cactus Jack match without barbed wire. Cactus brought Barbie to the party, and I’m not talking, Mattel. This backfired when The Game used Cactus’s weapon of choice on the man from Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.

Cactus was back on top in no time. As he hit Triple H in the face with barbed wire, even dropping the barbed wire 4×4 on the head of Triple H like an elbow drop, busting The Game, wide open! The unpredictability and savagery of Cactus Jack was on full display, as he was on-route to a win over Triple H, when Jack was back body dropped on the US announce table. Every time Cactus or Triple H would take over, they did everything in their power to end one another.

Triple H finally found a weak spot on Cactus, taking his leg out temporarily with a chop block and went to work on the leg, weakening Jack enough to grab handcuffs and tie Jack’s hands behind his back. Somehow, Cactus was able to fight off the attack of Triple H, and he even got the upper hand.

Then Triple H got him down. Triple H went to work with steel chair on Cactus Jack. As Cactus made his way to the ramp, to escape the attack, The Rock came out and cracked “The Cerebral Assassin” with a steel chair. This led to the Spanish table, where Cactus hit a beautiful piledriver on Triple H. Then Jack pulled out a very large sack of thumbtacks and he laid them down in the ring. Triple H was able to send Jack into the tacks, and follow it up with a Pedigree, after a distraction from Stephanie McMahon. Cactus somehow kicked out. And this is when guys didn’t just kick out of countless finishing predicaments. Triple H ended it with a Pedigree on the thumbtacks and getting the pin to end this phenomenal street fight.

Triple H had to take a stretcher out of the ring, while Cactus was left to exact revenge, hitting Triple H with Barbie.

Disc 3: The Return and World Wrestling Entertainment

The bonus “Hardcore Edition” disc features matches from Mick Foley’s WWE comeback and a plug for Foley’s latest book, at the time, “The Hardcore Diaries”. It is a good book, by the way. On commentary we have Joey Styles and naturally, “The Hardcore Legend” himself, Mick Foley.

“The Legend Killer” vs. “The Hardcore Legend

At this point, Randy Orton was beginning only to establish himself. This was his first blood feud and the first time many, including myself, took him seriously. This feud would go on for months, leading to a big anything goes hardcore fight between the two bitter rivals at Backlash.

“No Hold’s Barred, Falls Count Anywhere” Mick Foley vs. Randy Orton (WWE Backlash - April 18, 2004) =

Foley, in Cactus Jack attire, took it to Randy Orton right away, swinging a barbed wire bat like a long sword, while Orton defended with his shield, a garbage can. Orton was retreating in a hurry with fear in his eyes. Orton was able to fight off the attack, and he took to Foley with the trashcan. Mick Foley was chewing gum for this match, important tidbit.

When the match returned to the ring, Foley hit a beautiful million-dollar knee lift on RKO. Foley was back dropped on the ramp. Mick confirmed this was indeed a concussive blow.

The barbed wire bat was teased on and off, making it all that more affective when barbed wire made contact with skin. The crowd popped big when it finally happed, and Randy bled. Foley went after the cut relentlessly, letting Cactus Jack come out. Orton’s terrified response to being torn apart by Barbie was priceless. A leg drop to the groin of Randy Orton was mean enough, but when Mick added the bat, it was brutal. Cactus was about to light Barbie on fire and throw Orton on the grill, when Eric Bischoff came out and stopped him.

Mick Foley took Randy Orton to school. The school of hardcore knocks, that is. As Foley was about to drop Orton on a barbed wire board, he was hit in the face with powder, distracting Foley long enough for Randy to scoop slam Mick on the barbed wire. Foley says he was cut 75 times in that match, due to the barbed wire. Orton would continue to use the board as an offensive weapon.

Orton, not Foley, grabs the thumbtacks and spills them in the centre of the ring. This backfires when Orton attempts to RKO Mick on the tacks, Foley pushes him off, and Orton’s face tells the story. Jesus. Foley took Orton down the ramp, where he THREW Orton off the stage into a pile of wood. Being Mick Foley, which was not enough, as he dove in after the young superstar with a giant Cactus elbow drop.

Foley confirmed the thumbtacks are indeed real. This is the match that made Randy Orton. He went from a pretty boy with potential, to being a legitimate player. A beautiful double-arm DDT by Foley almost wins him the match. Orton counters the Mandible Claw with a big Dory Jr. Funkesque forearm uppercut and a low blow. Foley went back to the well with Socko, but Orton counter with the RKO. Foley was able to kick out, only to be finished off by a second RKO, this time on the barbed wire bat.

This was the match that stole the show at WrestleMania XX in Chicago. Edge had been feuding with Mick Foley for some time and it had escalated to the point where only one match could settle things…

“Hardcore match” Mick Foley vs. Edge (WWE WrestleMania 22 - April 2, 2006) = ****1/4

Mick had a strong short burst to start out, but Edge soon took over, delivering tray shots and dropkicking a sign into Foley’s face. Edge hit a huge spear early on. Edge began to freak out as he was beginning to bleed. Foley opened his first layer of flannels to revel he had wrapped himself in barbed wire. Lita jumped on Foley’s back, as he was about to go for the Cactus Clothesline, so he did it anyone. An awesome site, to be sure.

Edge hip tossed Mick into the steel steps, and began his comeback. Edge got the table out looked to do damage. Edge covered Foley in Lighter fluid, so Foley hit him, and dumped him on his head with the stump-puller piledriver. Edge did some damage with the barbed wire, digging it into the flesh of “The Hardcore Legend”.

Edge’s desperation and facial expressions get the match over big time. The tacks come out again, and Foley back drops Edge on them. Edge’s reaction is priceless, and unscripted. Foley was BUSTED WIDE OPEN!! The image of Foley wearing the crimson mask with a smile on his face, that’s very Cactus Jack.

Mick Foley was spraying a table on the outside of the ring with lighter fluid, when he was hit in the balls with a barbed baseball bat by Lita, who emptied the container on the table and lit it on fire. Edge hit Foley with a spear through the ropes, sending Foley into the flaming table. Great match. Mick Foley played the WWE puppet, anti-ECW bad guy very well. Edge ripped apart the ECW fans.  Note: Mick Foley calls Lita “The Doctor of Jugonomics”, and it never gets old. This made the reaction to Terry Funk & Tommy Dreamer even better.

Mick Foley, Edge, & Lita vs. Terry Funk, Tommy Dreamer & Beulah (ECW One Night Stand - June 11, 2006) = 

This was classic ECW. And it was VIOLENT. Tommy Dreamer and Edge started the match, but soon enough, the Funker got in their with Foley, and just when we had ourselves a real fight, Foley retreated. The anti-hardcore Mick Foley was on point. We got signs, we got ladders, and we got a crazy Terry Funk. That automatically made this match great. Lita and Beulah getting involved added a lot to the match.

When the barbed wire board comes out, shit was on. In ECW wrestlers didn’t use props they used real weapons. From that point on the match was non-stop action. Funk was hurt and had to leave partway through the match. Tommy Dreamer had his little Dreamers crushed. Mr. Socko got booed heavily in ECW, unsurprisingly. Edge, Lita and Foley gelled very well together. Feeding off of each other, and being total jerk-offs.

Terry Funk returned to the ring to hit Mick with a flaming barbed wire wrapped chunk of lumber. Foley was hit by the piece of flaming wood and as a result fell on to a barbed wire on the floor. Edge speared Beulah and got a sexually suggestive three count.

“I Quit Match” Mick Foley vs. Ric Flair (WWE SummerSlam - August 20, 2006)

This was an interesting match. The fight was violent, good enough, but ultimately disappointing. Did anyone like that finish?

Documentary: N/A

 Match Selection: 9/10

Extras: 10/10

The lack of a documentary puts this DVD down to 8.5. Still, this DVD is a must for Mick Foley fans, and for old school wrestling fans alike.

Overall: 9/10

Sean Carleton

Of course new WWE Champion John Cena kicks off the show. He’s sporting a new “the champ is here” shirt (which was available immediately after he beat the Rock), but the thing I noticed was the belt itself. In place of the Rock’s logos on the belt, there are now John Cena logos. So the wearer of the belt will indeed have his logos on the sides of the belt instead of a nameplate like before. Not a fan. The belt should be fairly generic, fitting of whoever wears it. There doesn’t need to be a custom design for every champion (although I do see the profit potential with people wanting specific versions of the belt for their favorite superstars). Anyway Cena is bragging about winning, the crowd hates him, and he plays it off like they are just upset that WrestleMania is behind us. After some bad dancing and worse jokes he finally gets to the point in saying that he is going to be a fighting champion and wants to defend the title tonight. After saying he doesn’t know and doesn’t care who the number one contender is, Mark Henry comes out (somebody gonna get their ass kicked)!

Henry talks about how he beat Ryback (in the worst match of the night). Cena looks like he wet his pants while the crowd chants “sexual chocolate.” Cena makes a joke about how the crowd wants to have “sex with chocolate” and Henry isn’t amused. He says that after beating Ryback he deserves a title shot, while Cena hears a “feed me more” chant and says the crowd now wants to eat more chocolate. John tells Henry he has the “breath of a thousand asses” before granting him a title shot tonight. Booker T immediately comes out to say he can’t just make matches (why not? everyone else does). Booker says the Rock is the number one contender but since he injured himself last night he can’t compete, so he will give Mark Henry the chance to earn a title shot if he can beat Cena tonight. Wait what? So to get a shot against the champ, he has to beat the champ? Then he has to beat him again to win it? Come on now. Make him beat Ryback again or something. Anyway so that’s gonna happen.

The first match of the night has Big E Langston in singles action (with Dolph and AJ in his corner) against Daniel Brian (with Kane). Essentially we’re going to see prologues for all of the feuds that ended at WrestleMania. Langston must not have music yet because he came out to Dolph’s music. On the way down the ramp AJ got a little too close to Big E while he was pumping his arms and got hit square in the middle of her chest. She played it off like nothing and even kept her sexy smirk (bump of the night?) Bryan jumps on the offensive immediately with kicks but Langston powers him back and then delivers a one handed power slam before taking over the match. He does a lot of stalking around the ring, but all of his moves look very powerful. Bryan starts to fight back and goes to the top rope, but AJ distracts the ref so that Ziggler can knock Bryan down. Kane then grabs Dolph by the throat so Langston throws Daniel into Kane to make the save. Ziggler then throws Bryan back into the ring, where Big E delivers the Big Ending (hey his move has a name now!) to get the win. Better showcase of Langston’s ability than WrestleMania. I thought it was interesting how he took some bumps in his first singles match. Strong debut. Note that Ziggler does not have a match tonight (it’s gonna happen!).

Deja vu

Wade Barrett now gets a chance to reclaim the Intercontinental Championship he lost on Sunday to the Miz during the pre show. I’m still surprised that despite making the pre show 30 minutes longer they didn’t add a second match to it. There were certainly enough people off the card. The crowd is extremely pro Barrett. Miz is the first one to gain extended momentum with a series of punches from in the corner and a knee to the head. Barrett changes the tide quickly though with a big punch that takes down Miz. Miz then tosses Wade out of the ring, hits a baseball slide and a double axe handle on the floor. Getting back in the ring, Barrett catches Miz leaning through the ropes and hits him with a neck breaker falling onto the apron. Devastating looking move that I’ve never seen before. First big reaction in what has so far been another average match from these two. Back from break, Barrett hits the winds of change (that’s the swinging side slam apparently) and is in full control. Miz powers out of a chin lock with a back drop and the boos rain in from the crowd. Miz gets his signature moves going and attempts the backbreaker into the neckbreaker but Barrett falls before Miz get drop with the neckbreaker and we have the botch of the night. It was a lot like Lesnar dropping too early on Triple H’s pedigree at ‘Mania. Miz recovers by going for a pin and Cole makes the excuse that they banged heads. Miz goes for the figure four but Barrett fights out, only to be hits with a DDT and have blood start coming from his mouth. Wade then goes for Wasteland but Miz counters and applies the figure four. Barrett looked like he was going to tap but finally makes it to the ropes and the crowd goes nuts. Miz runs in on Barrett but when gets a boot up to drive him back. Barrett goes to the top rope but Miz goes up to get him and attempt a superplex. Barrett fights him off this time and drives Miz’s face into the ring post. Wade hits Miz with a huge Bullhammer Elbow to make the crowd explode as he wins the Intercontinental Championship again! Very long match but it was definitely entertaining. The crowd definitely helped get it over. However what was the point of Miz winning if he was just going to lose it the next night? Now where does Barrett go? I thought that losing the belt would open the window for bigger things.

Backstage, Sheamus is pissed about the Big Show turning his back on him and Orton, so he has Vickie Guerrero book him in a match against Show. After the commercial, Randy Orton is asking Booker T to do the same thing and put him in a match against Big Show to get revenge. Orton says that he’s the one that talked Sheamus into trusting show and wants to fix his mistake. Orton tells Booker that he’s an actual GM and should be able to overrule Vickie. Booker buys what Randy is selling and books the match.

Okay, so World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio is going into a handicapped match against Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter. This HAS to be good news for Ziggler right? Colter says that Swagger’s loss at ‘Mania put the country on the verge of tyranny, and asks the crowd to chant “U-S-A” in their support. Of course the crowd isn’t going to refuse a USA chant under any means, so now Lawler and Cole think the crowd is brainwashed. Colter stays in his corner for the most part so it’s basically a one on one match. Del Rio throws Swagger out of the ring and then dives into him through the ropes, driving Jack into the announce table. Alberto then hits a cross body splash for a two count. Zeb then distracts Alberto long enough to take out Del Rio’s leg and gain some momentum. Del Rio then goes for an enziguri but his ankle is too injured for him to push off and hit it (uh oh!). Swagger keeps working the ankle as he applies the Patriot Lock. Alberto is able to wiggle out but the story they’re telling is pretty clear. Alberto applies an armlock over the top rope but after he breaks the hold Swagger knocks him off the apron into the barrier. Back from break Swagger is still in control as Del Rio severely injured his ankle landing wrong. This is exactly what I thought would happen at Mania. Del Rio might be in trouble after the match if say, DOLPH ZIGGLER CAME OUT. Alberto starts to fight back but injures himself further when he lands the tilt-a-wirl back breaker. Del Rio then calls for the arm breaker but Jack reverses it into a power slam and applies the Patriot Lock. Del Rio reaches the rope and Jack let’s go after one more big twist. By the way, during the entire match the crowd is chanting “WE WANT ZIGGLER.” Swagger again applies the ankle lock but this time Del Rio reaches up and reverses it into the cross arm breaker, getting Swagger to tap out. Del Rio celebrates for about five seconds before hitting the ground and the medical staff runs in to check on him. The chants for Ziggler get louder and louder the longer Del Rio is being looked at.

It’s about damn time!

FINALLY, ZIGGLER’S MUSIC HITS AND THE CROWD EXPLODES! He gives the case to the ref, the match is announced and no one is stopping him. it’s going to happen! Ziggler immediately attacks the leg, hits a fame-asser for a two and a half count. The crowd is totally jacked up. Del Rio move away from Ziggler in the corner and hits an enzigurI, but Del Rio takes too long to get over to Dolph and cover, so he only gets a two count. Alberto then pulls a cross armbreaker out of his ass and Dolph is down until he grabs Alberto by the bad ankles and twists him into breaking the hold. Ziggler then lines Alberto up, hits the Zig Zag and wins the World Heavyweight Championship! IT FINALLY HAPPENED! DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES! ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND! I’ll always remember where I was when Dolph Ziggler won his first major championship. On the lounge chair, with my five month old son in my arms watching a master in his field achieve greatness. Yes I’m exaggerating a bit but this was awesome. It’s like the indi band you discovered at a bar winning a grammy. I just hope he doesn’t become to big for me to claim as “my guy.” I’m sure Ziggler will face Alberto for the title at Extreme Rule on May 19th. If Ziggler loses, I will burn the Stanford office to the ground.

After such an epic moment, let’s kill the crowd a little with an appearance from the Undertaker (relax, I’m kidding). After getting in the ring and absorbing some well deserved “Undertaker” chants (really was memorable), he says he dedicated that match to the memory of Paul Bearer and the Shield immediately starts to come out. This could be awesome. They surround the ring, preparing to strike, but before then can attack Kane and Bryan run into the ring to join the Undertaker. So now we have the Brothers of Destruction, and Daniel Bryan together as one group. Of course the Shield backs off and retreats (after all, Daniel Bryan is in the ring!). So this looks like a match that could happen, but when? Tonight? Undertaker wouldn’t do a tag match at WrestleMania and that seems to be the only night he wrestles. Very curious where that will go.

Watch out! It’s Daniel Bryan!

Backstage, your new World Heavyweight Champion, Dolph Ziggler is talking to Josh Matthews. He says that he has been too damn good for too damn long and even though it’s the day after, this is his WrestleMania moment. He leaves saying that he is going to show off his new championship. Hell yeah he will.

Back in the ring 3MB is taking on team random faces, otherwise known as Santino, R-Truth and Zack Ryder. Santino comes in, gets punched once and tags in Ryder who gets kicked in the face by Drew McIntyre. Ryder avoids a suplex by landing on his feet and hitting a neckbreaker (impressive) in order to reach Santino on a hot tag. A cover on Slater is broken up by Mahal, who gets clotheslined out of the ring by Truth. Santino then goes to hit the cobra when McIntyre pulls his arm down. Santino’s arm springs off the rope however to knock out Slater and get the win for team low level faces. Now that’s how you kill a crowd.

Backstage, Orton and Sheamus are arguing about who should face Big Show. Sheamus finally tells Randy, “I got this” and storms off toward the ring. Sheamus gets in the ring, but Orton comes out next to continue the argument. So who faces the Big Show? Let’s have the fans decide! Orton wins with 77% of the vote but Vickie and Booker T come out anyway to tell them that they agreed to have Sheamus and Orton fight each other for the right to face Big Show. So what was the point of the voting? Anyway this is the feud that was predicted for these two after WrestleMania. They both seem reluctant to throw punches at each other, settling for holds instead. They eventually get into it and trade moves for a while. Neither man can keep any momentum for more than a couple of moves, and it starts to lose the crowd a little. The match is lacking any intensity. Finally Orton starts to do the stomp, and puts a little extra pressure on the ankle. Meanwhile, the crowd just can’t stop chanting for JBL. They show him on the screen and the crowd goes nuts. They then start chanting for Lawler as Sheamus goes off the top rope and Orton meets him with a drop kick. Of course this starts a Michael Cole chant. Back from break the crowd is screaming ECW. Anything is on the table for this crowd. Orton and Sheamus then start trading blows in the middle of the ring, with Sheamus hitting an Irish Curse back breaker as a wave breaks out. Sheamus goes into his signature move set, including the chest slaps. Orton escapes White Noise to hit a back breaker and a Randy Savage chant starts. Randy Orton hits his signature moves as an HBK chants erupts. Orton hits the second rope DDT but Sheamus escapes the RKO and hits White Noise. Orton ducks under the Brogue Kick and Big Show decides to come own the ramp. He throws Sheamus into the ring post and the crowd screams “THANK YOU BIG SHOW” as he hits Orton with a KO Punch. Match was kind of meh but the crowd made it totally memorable. Show pulls Orton out of the ring and throws him into the outside barricade, following it up with spear and throwing Orton over the announce table into the barrier. Big Show then tried to throw two of the chairs over the top rope, into the ring but both chairs hit the ropes and came back to the floor. Show left with the crowd chanting “one more chair.” Fantastic.

Class act

Fandango ready for his second match ever against Kofi “I wore a suit at WrestleMania” Kingston. How far he has fallen since last year when he was walking around with the Tag Titles. Crowd is pretty favorable toward Fandango humming his entrance music and cheering him as he dances away from Kingston. A minute into the match Chris Jericho runs in and attacks Fandango throwing him over the top rope and throwing him into the barricade. Chris brings him toward the announce table, making JBL wonder where the spanish announce table is right now. Jericho gives JBL his cowboy hat that fell off the table before continuing the attack in the ring. Jericho applies the Walls, and needs two refs to force him to break the hold. Chris finally hits a code breaker before exiting the ring. After everyone leaves, Fandango grabs a mic, and corrects the announcer on the pronunciation of his name. His music hits and the fans continue to hum it. This is the best.

Backstage Paul Heyman is being interviewed about both of his guys losing at ‘Mania. He says that Lesnar took a beating but is still ready to fight tonight, while Triple H can’t use his left arm and Michaels was knocked out cold. However Brock won’t fight for free so he will not appear. He then announces that CM Punk will talk about how he feels about his match next week. Bummer.

Time for the match that got scratched from the WrestleMania card, as Team Rhodes Scholars and the Bella Twins take on Tons of Funk (ugh) and the Funkactyles (double ugh). The crowd still seems to be humming Fandango’s music as Naomi tosses Cody Rhodes with a hurricarana and Tensai does a tumble into him in the corner, celebrating with a shovel dance before missing on a back splash. Cody then hits him with a disaster kick, the Bella’s smash their asses into his face and Sandow hits the elbow of disdain. Tensai hits a backdrop and tags Clay who head butts Damien and has his cover broken up by the Bellas. The Funkadactyles take the ladies out of the ring, Tensai clotheslines Rhodes out and Sandow is alone with the two fat heels. They sandwich Damien and do simultaneous splashes on him, with Clay picking up the victory and a dance party starting after a very short match considering it had 8 people involved. Can’t say I wish I saw this at WrestleMania.

Main event time as Mark Henry takes on John Cena for WWE Championship title shot. The crowd still has Fandango on the brain and Cena responds by dancing around Henry. He tries chopping down Cena but Mark drops John down and goes on the attack. Fandango’s theme is going to be this year’s “YES” chant. Cena finally takes Henry down with a shoulder tackle but Mark escapes the ring before John can attempt a five knuckle shuffle. Outside the ring, Henry tries to put Cena through the announce table with a WSS, but Cena escapes. He tries an AA but can’t get Henry up. With the ref counting, Henry drives Cena into the ring post, then Cena drives Henry into the steel steps and gets back in the ring just before the ten count, giving Cena the cheapie win. Henry runs back in the ring and attacks Cena out of frustration, hitting Cena with the WSS and holding the belt over his head. Ryback then comes out to attack Henry, taking him down with a meathook clotheslines, and forcing him out with a spinebuster. Ryback extends his hand and pulls Cena up, then the two of them start competing for the crowd’s attention and Ryback clotheslines Cena and hits him with Shell Shocked, now holding the WWE Championship over his head to end the show. The last thing we need is a WWE Championship with Ryback logos on it.

I hope he doesn’t eat the belt

This is basically how last year’s Raw after ‘Mania ended, only with Brock Lesnar laying out Cena. This entire show was just awesome. The crowd was on fire and the wrestlers seem to step up and respond more to them as the night went on. At the moment we seem to have a couple of three man feuds, with Cena Henry and Ryback as well as Big Show, Orton and Sheamus. There is the inevitable rematch between Ziggler and Del Rio, with everyone else pretty much staying put. With no CM Punk for a little while, it looks like they are going forward with Ziggler and Mark Henry as the top heels. I can go along with that.

We are in Madison Square Garden, and our host for the evening is Jerry “The King” Lawler.

Our first inductee is Mick Foley.

It’s amazing where Mick started, and where he finished in his career. But he always was passionate, and someone who could relate to the fans, in some way.

Terry Funk is here to induct him.

“I love him like an ugly brother”.

Here comes Mick, he talks about the amount of days combined that Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, and Mick held the WWE Title. But numbers do not matter, it’s how you define the moments that define greatness.

He brings up he will always remember Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka’s Madison Square Garden match, and it was fitting that he gave the “I Love You” sign. He has accomplished so much in his career, but he never beat Chris Jericho.

Chris gets on stage, and lays down for Mick. Here comes CM Punk to serve as the referee. Mick wasn’t going to drop the elbow, but the temptation was too good to pass, so he does.

1….2….3….

And Mick in only the way he does, tells his wife, “Yo Adrian, I did it”.

Coming up next, Donald Trump’s induction.

Earlier in the night, we see clips of Bob Backlund’s induction. Well deserved.

Now it’s Trump. I know people crap on this, but he has made history in the wrestling business. He’s earned this spot.

Vince McMahon is now inducting Donald.

Donald Trump, Vince says is a Wrestlemania institution. Wrestlemania 23, Hair Vs Hair, Vince had to shave his head, after Bobby Lashley beat the late, great Umaga.

The crowd is booing even before Donald comes out, and here he comes.

Escorted by The Bella Twins, and THAT is why they are back.

Commercial time.

When we came back, Trump is still being booed, until he brings up meeting Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania 4. But he is known as “The Battle of the Billionaires”. Trump brings up it was the highest rated PPV, and I don’t think that is true any longer, since The Rock vs Cena broke it last year. Trump challenges Vince to a match at Wrestlemania 30.

Trump is now heeling the crowd, which was wise.

He talks about his accomplishments, but the crowd doesn’t care. He considers this as being his highest honor of his life. He thanks Vince, and his entire family, and truly loves us.

Still to come tonight, “The Living Legend” Bruno Sammartino, and next….Booker T.

We see clips of Booker T’s induction. It’s great to see Booker T’s brother Stevie Ray induct him.

We even get to see a Hall of Fame Spin-A-Roonie.

Trish Stratus, Canada’s greatest gift to the United States is next.

Stephanie McMahon is here to induct Trish, and she has new music, it seems.

Trish looks as beautiful as always.

Her body of work is a group of women that are empowered, and can kick ass in the ring. She is talking about Tori, Ivory, Jackie, Jaqueline, Mickie James, and of course her best friend, Amy, otherwise known as Lita.

One of the reasons Trish retired back in 2006 was to take care of her Mom, who was battling through Cancer. She says now she is cancer free.

She wants to thank her husband, Ron. The crowd is booing him, which is funny.

Her chapter of WWE is their chapter that they went through together. Her last message is in September, she is delivering a little Strausfaction.

Awesome news to hear, and thank you Trish.

Next, Arnold Schwarzenegger inducts his good friend, “The Living Legend” Bruno Sammartino.

Arnold talks about the first time he met Bruno, was at a competition he had in bodybuilding, back in the 1960′s. He couldn’t believe judges in America are bigger than the competitors. But he was informed that he was one of the greatest wrestlers, so he met the man after the competition. They formed a bond, talking about how he lived the American Dream, and became such a legend in the business.

He introduces us to Bruno, and we go to a commercial break.

It’s hard to believe that he sold out 187 events at Madison Square Garden. He has held the World Championship for a total of over 4,000 days. It’s been 50 years since he had won the WWWF Title. And to headline Madison Square Garden at the time meant exposure. Because of MSG, he was automatically the headliner of every event he competed in.

Those 24 or 25 years took a toll on a wrestler’s body. You pay the price, but he was ready when he retired. He is now with his wife, and family to support. But unfortunately, he had some serious injuries, and he never took a pain-killer. But he still was a lucky man. The medical field in Pittsburgh took him on, he required 8 major surgeries, and he is 78 years-old, and because of those gifted gentlemen, he still trains 6 days a week, and is in great shape.

When promoters give you an opportunity, you headline. When the fans show up, you can headline again. If they didn’t you weren’t a headliner. He was fortunate enough to sell out, and because of the publicity, he was able to make a great living.

He thanks the opportunities, and grateful for the friends, promoters, fans, and anyone else, and he owes all the success he had to the fans. He thanks us for the support, and time we showed him throughout the years. Thank you, and God Bless.

The show ends with all of the Hall of Fame members come out, and Vince raises Bruno’s hand, ending this show on a good note.

Kevin’s Thoughts:

It’s always fun to watch these events, and I buy the Wrestlemania DVDs, so I watch these ceremonies in its entirety, but tonight was no exception. The fact that Bruno Sammartino, who always had a grudge with Vince McMahon, and the way he promotes, yet agrees to be honored is just incredible. It reminds you that grudges are never good, because at the end of the day, it never solves anything. What were your thoughts? Share them with me here.

It was understood at RAW that the post-WrestleMania show is comprised of die hard fans, many of whom travel from around the world to be in town that weekend.

Cena also appeared on The Crossover yesterday and said his favourite WrestleMania match other that his own was The Undertaker vs. CM Punk. “I thought it was great,” he said. “I just didn’t want it to end.” When asked if that could have been The Undertaker’s final match, Cena said, “I think he is going to show up for Wrestlemania next year.

-WWE.com has an article up looking at the rowdy crowd from Monday’s WWE RAW, questioning if it was the best crowd in WWE history. The article said that the reaction to Ziggler’s World Heavyweight title win was deafening and that it “was a true star-making moment for WWE’s newest champion.”

- Vince McMahon enjoyed the rowdy crowd at RAW, even though they buried several matches and did their own thing for most of the night. It was understood at RAW that the post-WrestleMania show is comprised of die hard fans, many of whom travel from around the world to be in town that weekend