Welcome to my column for December 13, 2005
Sunday night’s TNA “Turning Point” pay per view was a solid effort but I didn’t feel it quite lived up to its hype in the barbed wire match.
Sabu, known around the world for his suicidal actions in the ring, and Abyss, a relative newcomer to wrestling who looks like a hybrid between Kane and Mankind, wrestled in a ring with barbed wire for ropes and with barbed wire surrounding the floor around the ring. This was the real stuff, no rubber barbed wire like in WCW.
The match opened the show because of the work involved with switching ropes to barbed wire and back again. While it was as brutal as one could expect with a lot of bloodshed, it just didn’t come across as special to me, even though it was the first match of its kind ever in the US. Still, the live crowd loved the bout, which Sabu won, and chanted “Thank You” and cheered for both men throughout and after the match.
One huge selling point of the show as a major announcement promised by TNA that would change the promotion forever. As expected, the tease of Sting (Steve Borden) returning in a full time capacity came at the end of the show with the lights going out and Sting's trademark bat, leather coat, and wrestling boots appeared in the ring when the lights came back on. TNA’s announcers went off the air “wondering” if Sting was the big surprise that had been talked about all week. Many sources are saying that former WCW superstar Sting has signed on full time with TNA. We will know more when TNA Impact! (Saturday night at 11 p.m. on Spike TV) airs. I can say that Sting definitely has returned to TNA but I am not sure in what capacity. He is 46 years old so it seems that he would be better off in some sort of managerial role or as someone in authority rather than just another wrestler at this point in his career. Some are saying Sting being on TNA is a step back for TNA, who prides themselves on showcasing fresh, new talent but I think he will bring some needed name value to the promotion if used properly.Quick Results of the Show
* Sabu defeated Abyss in a barbed wire match
* Matt Bentley (the former Michael Shane) & Austin Aries over Roderick Strong & Alex Shelley
* Raven defeated “Mystery Opponent” Chris Kanyon
* Team Canada defeated 4 Live Kru. 4 Live Kru broke up at the end of this match with Konan turning on Kip James (formerly Billy Gunn in WWE) and leaving BG James. (formerly Road Dogg in WWE) and Ron Killings alone in the ring with Killings unsure of who to side with.
* Chris Sabin, Sonjay Dutt & Dale Torborg defeated The Diamonds in the Rough
* Christian Cage (former WWE star Christian) defeated Monty Brown
* Team 3D (Former Dudley Boys) defeated America's Most Wanted in a non-title match
* Samoa Joe defeated AJ Styles to win the X Division title
* Jeff Jarrett defeated Rhino to retain the NWA title
James Storm, one-half of the America’s Most Wanted tag team suffered a “stinger” in his match and was feared to have severely injured his neck. He is said to be sore but doing fine today. Also a number of wrestlers were stitched or glued up, notably Sabu and Abyss. AJ Styles also required several stitches in his lip after his bout with Samoa Joe. Luckily, no serious injuries came out of this pay per view.
The show was solid and the X Division title match was awesome. The barbed wire match was brutal and the rest of the matches were various degrees of decent. I have seen much better TNA shows of late so I was somewhat disappointed in the overall show although the wrestling on the show was once again the star rather than an afterthought like it sometimes is in WWE.
News and Views
Lex Luger (real name Larry Phfol) is at it again. He was arrested on December 9 while going through customs at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport after being refused entry into Canada when it was learned that he had two outstanding drug warrants. He is now being held in jail without bail and will appear in a Georgia court on December 22.
I worked with Lex in WCW and never got along with him. His arrogance and mood swings were ridiculous. I remember once he was very drunk and looking for a party after the hotel bar closed. Several wrestlers told him there was a party next door. Next door was a gas station. Luger stumbled to the gas station looking for the party while everyone watched through the glass windows of the hotel and laughed. He was a character. But not in a good way.
Later, in 2003, he was entangled in controversy when Miss Elizabeth (Elizabeth Hulette) died in his home after a combination of a drug and alcohol overdose. Luger was arrested in connection with her death but charges were dropped when it was determined that her death was accidental. However, he had a large stash of drugs in his home, including steroids, which were confiscated.
Just last year Luger was arrested again for driving under the influence and, just a few months ago, he was jailed for non-payment of child support.
This latest arrest could be the one that lands him in jail for more than just a couple weeks. Luger clearly has a substance abuse problem as well as other personal issues and needs to get straightened out.
He was a big star for while in wrestling, touting his 4% body fat and perfect physique but, after WCW folded, he never could find success and seems to be sliding down further and further with each passing year. I hope he ends up in jail or rehab for a while and can salvage his life. It’s amazing to me that the man has stayed alive all this time with the drugs, alcohol, and other personal problems he has had for so long.
Remember DDP? Feel the bang! Former WCW and WWE star Diamond Dallas Page (real name Page Falkinburg) is suing rapper Jay-Z over the use of the “Diamond Cutter Hand Signal” that he used during his WCW reign and his short stint in WWE. Page claims to own the copyright for that hand signal (which I found he did file but only last summer) and that Jay-Z is infringing on a trademark and a copyright by using the hand signal during his concerts. Jay-Z does, indeed, use a very similar hand gesture (Both hands up and forming a diamond) but whether DDP will get anywhere with this lawsuit is beyond me. Since DDP isn’t actively wrestling and Jay-Z isn’t in the same circles as he is, I don’t know why Page would care if someone used the Diamond Cutter hand signal. Then again, if he owns the copyright to it, he does have a right to sue anyone who uses it. The two will more than likely settle out of court. The suit is gaining a ton of press in music and entrainment circles and is giving Page more exposure in Hollywood than he could ever garner by paying a publicist to get his name out and face out there. This suit may be beneficial to Page on that level even if he doesn’t end up winning.WWE’s Stacy Keibler is a busy lady. She has been away filming a movie and will soon be part of the next cast of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”. The show pairs celebrities with dancers who are then judged by a panel of experts and the losing dance team is eliminated each week. The new season will also feature Tia Carrera, Jerry Rice, Tatum O'Neil, George Hamilton, and Drew Lashey. I never saw the show and have no idea what it is about but Stacy is a former Baltimore Raven Cheerleader and was a WCW Nitro Girl and has an extensive dance background. I heard that Shawn Michaels will be appearing on this show in January for a one shot deal. If anyone knows if this is true or has the date, please let me know. The Showstoppa waltzing around the stage would sure be a sight to see!
Brock Lesnar continues to give WWE headaches. When he left WWE to play football, he readily agreed to a 10 year no compete contract feeling he would never wrestle again. But alas, his football career fizzled before it began and Lesnar has found himself in dire need or work. Since wrestling is his main occupation (UFC and shoot fighting were also part of the deal he signed so he can’t even shoot fight if he wanted to) and he isn’t legally allowed to do so, he has sued WWE claiming that they are keeping him from working in his area of expertise and that they are stopping him from making a living.The lawsuit has been ongoing with Lesnar wanting return to WWE but on his terms: part time and for an incredible amount of money. WWE refused those terms. An offer was on the table at one point and it looked like the two sides had come to some sort of formal agreement but that apparently fell through. Since, Lesnar has decided to just go ahead and take the Japanese bookings offered to him in the hopes that he will win the suit and be exonerated. Although he legally isn’t supposed to wrestle anywhere in the world – at least until his lawsuit is settled - he appeared in the main event of New Japan's show on December 10, beating Manabu Nakanishi in less than five minutes using the F5, which is now being called "The Verdict".
Needless to say WWE attorneys immediately filed protests and the battle wages on. Generally, judges rule in favor of the wrestler in cases like this because there is a law that states that no one can stop a person from seeking out and taking gainful employment which is, in essence, what WWE is trying to do with Lesnar in the wrestling and shoot fighting areas. Since wrestling is Lesnar’s primary occupation, he will more than likely win the lawsuit and be able to wrestle legally again but his defiance of court orders may not be the smartest thing to do while the case is ongoing. Then again, frankly, signing a 10 year no compete clause wasn’t the smartest thing to do either. He must have been pretty darn confident that he would be a huge football star when he did that. Ironically, no one else believed he would go far in football considering his age and inexperience but Lesnar himself (and the attorney who allowed him to sign the no compete clause).
Lesnar is engaged to Rena Mero, formerly known as Sable in WWE. The two met while in WWE and Lesnar left his live in girlfriend and young daughter to be with Rena. I am not sure when the wedding is to take place but the two have been together for quite a while now and show no signs of discord. Rena is at least 10 years older than Lesnar but apparently, when in love, age doesn’t matter. Rena was previously married to Marc Mero who wrestled under a few monikers but is best known as “Johnny B. Badd”.
Lastly, as we saw tonight, it looks like Dusty Rhodes may take over as the new Raw General Manager. I saw him as TNA GM and it wasn’t pretty. I think this is a huge step backwards for WWE and reminds fans of the “old days” when they need to be going forward, not backwards. I have heard that Eric Bischoff, who was “fired” from Raw last week, is taking some time off to produce a reality TV series and do some other work outside of wrestling. He is still under contract to WWE at this time. For those wondering, Paul Heyman is also still contracted with WWE. He is running Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW’s school and promotion), writing storylines and coming up with matches for both televised and non-televised shows. Everyone I spoke to in OVW thinks he is doing a great job and hopes he remains with them. His WWE contract is up shortly. The feeling is that WWE will offer him a contract extension, if only to keep him from working for TNA or starting his own promotion. Whether he accepts the offer or not is another story.
I will have updates on all of the above as I get them.
I hope you enjoyed this column and I will see you again very soon with more news and views.
Speaking of Bischoff and Heyman, if you want to know who they were in the business before they became Vince’s henchmen, there are a few great videos/DVDs and a book that will explain how powerful and influential the two were less than a decade ago. Both were successful in different ways – Bischoff with WCW and Heyman with ECW. It’s fascinating to see how both promotions unraveled and even more fascinating that both men, who were staunch rivals against each other and WWE, are working in one promotion. I never thought I would see the day that Eric Bischoff, Paul Heyman, and Vince McMahon would be on the same team!
Check the links below for some awesome and fascinating looks into how it all came about.
Note: the ECW Book has not been released yet. I believe you can preorder it though.
And for Sting fans...
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