Hi Folks!
I am back with the latest news in the wrestling world.
Much is happening so let me get right to it.
MORE ON HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
As I reported in my "Breaking News" column, Bret "The Hitman" Hart has agreed to be inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame on April 1 and will appear on Wrestlemania 22 in some fashion. But he's not the only inductee of course. Dusty Rhodes looks to be a lock to be inducted along with the late Eddie Guerrero - although WWE has not officially confirmed this. They want to keep other HOF inductees a secret. I applaud WWE for Eddie's induction and believe he deserves to be in the HOF whether it is now or later. He was truly one of the greats. I am so sorry he isn’t here to accept the induction.
GUERRERO FAMILY TO BE AT "NO WAY OUT"
After all the ridiculous and insulting remarks made by Randy Orton (as instructed by WWE) about Eddie Guerrero being in hell and the trash talking being done to get cheap heat, WWE has asked the family of Eddie Guerrero to be seated at the front row of the "No Way Out" pay per view on February 19. This is the show where Rey Mysterio will take on Randy Orton, potentially giving up his coveted Wrestlemania 22 title shot to try to beat Orton for disrespecting his belated best friend. The whole thing is eerie and many fans and wrestlers alike have publicly decried the use of Eddie's death as storyline. Still, WWE loves to push the envelope and pushing they are. I believe that Eddie's wife Vicki and their daughters will be in attendance for the pay per view. I hope WWE is paying them a lot of money to be there and that, after this storyline ends, Eddie can truly rest on peace.
WWE RELEASES THREE WORKERS
WWE recently released the controversial tag team The HeartThrobs (John "Romeo" Roselli and Thomas "Antonio" Matera)as well as Cowboy Bob Orton. No reason was given for the releases although The HeartThrobs, while popular in OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling), WWE's "farm federation", never caught on with the WWE fans and have acted erratically in the past few months.
As for Bob Orton, it could simply be a case of his character no longer being needed to help his son Randy to get over with the fans. However, recent rumors are that he has hepatitis and still bled heavily during a match that involved Randy and the Undertaker at the WWE Armageddon pay per view. He was a mass of blood and, naturally, that blood transferred to other workers, the referees and the mat. Hepatitis is nothing to fool around with and can be caught by exchanging bodily fluids like getting the infected blood into an open wound. If this is true and WWE allowed him to bleed (or "juice" as it is called when a worker purposely bleeds), then they should be taken to task for such thoughtlessness.
NEW TNA CHAMP IS CROWNED
Christian Cage, formerly WWE's Christian, won the TNA World Heavyweight Belt from Jeff Jarrett at this Sunday's "Against All Odds" pay per view. Christian Cage never won the WWE belt he always wanted and he must be a happy guy now, finally being recognized for his talents. The pay per view was excellent and I will have a quick write up on it soon. Sting did not appear as he is doing a "retirement" angle for the time being. He'll be back in late March or early April as will Raven according to my sources.
VERY SAD NEWS FOR WWE TOUGH ENOUGH 3 WINNER
Matt Cappotelli, winner of WWE's "Tough Enough 3" reality series (along with MNM's Johnny Nitro) and up and coming developmental star who is under WWE contract, told the OVW crowd where he has been main eventing that he has stage two brain cancer and gave up his heavyweight title. In an emotional speech, Cappotelli, who is very religious, got down on his knees and prayed for others who are suffering and said he would need surgery and chemotherapy. His future is very uncertain.
WWE has posted a video of the speech, which ran 15 minutes long, on their website. It is a very honest, very sad, yet inspiring speech from a very strong willed and brave young man. I wish Matt all the best and hope with all my heart that he recovers from this terrible disease and lives a long and healthy life.
For those who want to write to Matt, he is accepting emails at Keepthefaithmatt@yahoo.com
STACY KEIBLER ON FAST TRACK TO STARDOM
Stacy Keibler and her professional dance partner, Tony Dovolani have been dancing into viewers hearts for weeks on the popular "Dancing with the Stars" series on ABC. The duo is now one of the last four couples competing on the show. Stacy has awed the judges with her grace and beauty and her ability to pick up complicated dances quickly. She and Tony have earned an unprecedented two perfect scores on the show and they will now take on Drew Lachey and his partner as well as daytime soap star Lisa Rinna and her partner and football great Jerry Rice and his partner. Stacy and Drew seem to be the two to beat but, in the end, I think Stacy will win.
She has a myriad of promotional spots on TV and radio coming up and she has been talking about wanting to go into acting. This gig upped her visibility a lot and I wouldn’t be surprised if she left WWE when her contract ends in a few months. At only 26, she has a load of potential in other entertainment areas and should go for it. You can watch the semi finals and finals on Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC and see the results show on Fridays at 8 p.m. EST on that same network.
Stacy has also opened up a new website aimed toward her DWTS fans which you can visit by clicking the link on the upper right hand corner of this page.
DIVA IN PLAYBOY
WWE's Candice Michelle will appear in Playboy next month to coincide with the Wrestlemania push. Another diva will be posing for Playboy as well but I'll let that be a surprise for now.
KANYON SAYS HE IS GAY, THEN WRITES CRYPTIC COMMENTARY
Chris Kanyon (Chris Klucsarits) announced at a recent independent wrestling show in Canada that he is gay and is sick of hiding the fact. He said that he is the first openly gay pro wrestler (Although that may not be factually true) and he hopes the fans would judge him for his work, not lifestyle.
However, after that heartfelt speech, he posted a rather confusing commentary on his website and his "myspace" blog (which you can read here: Chris Kanyon's Official Website Commentary ) implying that the he may not really be gay and that it may all be a storyline. Since he didn't say whether he is or is not gay in the commentary, it certainly leaves fans up in the air as to whether he was actually making an important revelation or just playing a character. I have my thoughts about which he was doing but I will wait to see how it all pans out.
Kanyon has worked for WCW and WWE, as well as TNA and many independent promotions. He played a masked character named Mortis in WCW before shedding the mask and wrestling as Kanyon. He also played several variations of the Kanyon character over the years. He is seen as a very solid wrestler who is willing to take great risks to satisfy the fans.
I worked with Kanyon during my time in WCW and he was professional, polite, and an extraordinarily talented worker. Whether he chooses to validate his story or leave his sexuality a mystery is up to him and it changes nothing as far as his ability to entertain. Most fans are behind him "coming out" from the feedback I have seen at his "myspace" blog and elsewhere.
I better stop here. My columns turn into novels, don't they? I will post a new update within days with much more news and views. And I will be on the forum to discuss things there.
I apologize for the lack of email responses but I am having trouble with the email program and am working feverishly to get replies out to you. In the meantime, you can post questions and feedback for me on the forum which I can answer much more quickly.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
This week, I am answering a question from Solomon who asked what happened to Hardcore Holly.
Bob "hardcore" Holly is still under WWE contract but he is also running a wrestling school which keeps him quite busy. Can you imagine being trained by him? If you come out alive, you'll be one tough wrestler!
I'll be back with much more in a few days!
Patty
Let's remember Eddie Guerrero! This DVD will show you why he should be in the Hall of Fame as well as open your eyes to his many battles that he fought and won outside the ring.
Remember, all proceeds to Eddie's new book, published after his untimely death and forwarded by Vince McMahon explaining the sad timing, will go to Eddie's wife and daughters. The book, which I am almost done reading is amazingly honest and even a bit controversial. Great stuff.
