Flair Leaves TNA UK Tour, Ventura Sues TSA

Courtesy: TNA Wrestling

A couple of quick news headlines in regards to wrestling legends Ric Flair and Jesse the Body Ventura.


Ric Flair Leaves Tour: 
Several wrestling websites are reporting that Ric Flair has left TNA's overseas tour.  The Pro Wrestling Torch reports that Flair asked for advanced payment from the tour manager.  When the manager refused, Flair reportedly felt disrespected and did not join the others on the bus from Ireland headed to Germany.


The company named this particular tour of Europe "Maximum Wooo!" in honor of the 16 time world champion.  


Again, these are online reports.  Not sure exactly what the situation is.  I haven't seen any official word from TNA via Twitter or their website.  I would assume cooler heads will prevail and we won't see Flair as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble Sunday, although I would mark out if it happened.


Jesse Ventura Sues:
This info comes from CNN.  They're reporting that WWE Hall of Famers Jesse "the Body" Ventura has filed suit against the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Safety Administration.  The suit alleges those pat-downs and full body scans going on at airports now violate Ventura's rights under the Fourth Amendment, which protects Americans from unreasonable searches and seizures.


Reportedly, the Body isn't seeking financial gain from the suit.  He just wants an acknowledgement from the court that his rights have been violated and a court order that would stop the government from subjecting him to the screenings.  


Ventura has a titanium hip and flies a couple times a week according to his attorney.

Flashback Friday: Raw is War or War is Raw

January 11, 1993:  The face of professional wrestling changed once again.   Vince McMahon and his WWF crew came up with something new and different.  Raw was taped to look live, something that hadn't been done before.

I was in college when that first Raw hit the airwaves. It was a big deal.  I had grown up on Super Stars and Prime Time Wrestling and who could forget Tuesday Night Titans.  Raw blew all of that out of the water.  It was glitzy and slick.  There was a lot of pomp and circumstance.  Pyro galore.  Pretty girls caring ring cards in between matches.

In the beginning Raw was an hour show.  Seems unimaginable by today's standards.  They did actually cram quite  a bit of wrestling into those 60 minutes.  That first episode featured four matches, including one with the Undertaker and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels.  (They did not wrestle each other)  In fact for the most part the matches were all squash matches.  In other words, you knew who was going to win.

That formula seemed to work for a couple of years, until Eric Bischoff and his crew at World Championship Wrestling got into the game.  Then the war started.  Nitro was live each week and on for two hours.  Raw was still just 60 minutes and taped each week.  If you're reading this, you know the history of the Monday Night Wars, so I'm not going to recap all that.  We know who won, how we got there has been documented thousands of times before this post.

In all the years that Raw has been on the air, I've only attended two shows live.  The first was back in 2007.  It was about this time of year too.  This was the buildup to Wrestlemania 23, you remember, when Vince McMahon was "feuding" with Donald Trump.  That was the night we got the "Rosie O'Donnell" vs. "Donald Trump" match.  Yeah, I was there live for that.  As lame as that was, perhaps even lamer is that's about the only thing I remember from that night.

The 3 Faces of Hogan

My friends Chad, Randy, and I were dressed as the 3 Faces of Hogan.  I was Hulkamania, Chad was Mr. America, and Randy was "Hollywood" Hogan.  Our costumes even got us a shot in the opening crowd sequence.  I was very pleased with that.

Something else from that night that I remember was Vladmir Koslov coming out during the commercial break or before the show even started.  He talked about loving double-double-E.  He may have beaten Hacksaw Jim Duggan in a match for Heat (if that was still on)  I'm really having  a hard time remembering.

The second Raw I attended was much more memorable.  This was the one after Ric Flair's "retirement" match lose to Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 24.  Chad and I had been in the fourth row for that match and when we read the next day that the Horsemen were coming to Raw to send off Flair the right way, we quickly snatched up tickets.

Undertaker paying his respects to Ric Flair

We ended up on the opposite side of the camera and were on several times during the night.  We weren't dressed like fools, so we really didn't stand out.  I remember that night was very special because of all the accolades Flair was receiving.  When the show went off the air, there were more surprises, including the Undertaker coming out and paying homage to "the man."  It was an awesome night and a great way to cap off an exciting weekend.

Raw has definitely stood the test of time.  18 years on the air is an accomplishment if you follow the entertainment industry at all.  Through the years the show has been able to reinvent itself (for the most part) and change with the times.  Unfortunately I think it changes a little too much.  I'd like to have Jim Ross back calling the shots.  I enjoyed him a lot.

Through the years Raw has brought us a lot of entertainment and here's to many years to come.  Happy birthday Raw!

Guest Post: My Top 8

I was supposed to write an open letter to TNA, but I’m having a problem of organizing my thoughts.  Mainly because there’s so much to say due to my frustration level being so high and I want to keep the letter PG.  Since I told Kevin I’d have a blog for him, I decided to write a placeholder.  The problem was figuring out a topic. Since I couldn’t think of anything really interesting, I decided to do a top 10 list.  So without further ado,

Top 8 Matches I Saw In Person

This list was quickly thrown together.  Basically I tried to pick one match from every different promotion I’ve seen seen live.

8. Knight Eye for the Pirate Guy/Allison Danger vs. Larry Sweeney, Roarshach, Sharecropper.  Chikara: Speaking in Tongues, Reading, PA 2005

Back in 2005, I discovered Chikara when they were promoting their Tag Team World Grand Prix tournament.  I was quickly hooked on the wackiness of the promotion.  After seeing a few shows, I knew I had to witness this spectacle in person. As fate would have it, my original vacation plans got cancelled so I found myself with a week off from work at the same time Chikara was running their monthly shows. I made the 15 hour drive from Herrin, IL to Reading, PA by myself eagerly anticipating what I was going to see. Chikara had only been around for 2 or 3 years at this time and hadn’t yet built much of a fan base. I think there were maybe 25 fans in attendance.
The show was everything I hoped for. I chose this match simply because it has my favorite female wrestler, Allison Danger and the greatest wrestler of the 2000’s “Sweet and Sour” Larry Sweeney. WWE fans may remember Sweeney from his appearance on Raw portraying Nick Hogan during the buildup to the Hulk Hogan/Randy Orton match at SummerSlam. Hoping we’ll see the return of
Sweet and Sour International in two aught one one.


Deliriously good times


7. Rickey Reyes vs Delirious vs Flash Flanigan vs Shane Hagadorn, ROH: Supercard of
Honor, Chicago, IL 2006

Wrestlemania 22 was the first Geek Weekend for Kevin and me.  Part of the weekend festivities was a Ring of Honor show.  This match wasn’t anything special, and if I was being honest, the Necro Butcher/Samoa Joe brawl later in the show was more entertaining. But this match makes the list simply because of the post match beat down Delirious received from Rickey Reyes.

I am a huge Delirious mark and have a homemade Delirious mask.  Reyes was beating Delirious up screaming that Delirious didn’t belong in ROH and was nothing but a joke. Kevin and I were in the third row. I was wearing my mask and booing Reyes. Reyes continued his verbal smackdown, looked in my direction and said something along the lines of, “you’re not wanted here. No one likes you. And that &*&$#* right there doesn’t mean $#&@!”  Kevin said that was worth the price of admission alone.  

Editors note:  I had tears in my eyes from laughing at this tirade. KH

6. Ric Flair vs Harley Race. Pittsfield, IL 1983 or ‘84
This was the main event of the first ever live show I attended.  I don’t remember what organization put on the show. Don’t remember who fought on the undercard. And as you can see, don’t really remember what year it was. But I remember Ric Flair being Ric Flair and making me a fan for life. Harley Race was no slouch either.

5. AJ Styles vs Christopher Daniels vs Chris Saban vs Petey Williams, IWA:Mid-South, Autumn Armageddon, Evansville, IN 2004

Much like the Chikara show, this was my first introduction to IWA: Mid-South and there were probably only 30-40 fans in attendance.  Looking back, this entire show would be a solid PPV offering. I think only 3 or 4 of the guys who wrestled haven’t gone on to be major players on the Indy or National scene.  This match was originally a #1 contender’s match, but Champion Arik Cannon suffered a broken collarbone in the match prior so this became a title match.

4. Masato Tanaka vs Mike Awesome, ECW: Heatwave ’98, Dayton, OH

Hands down, the best show I’ve attended. It was hard to pick a match from this show because any match could be on the list.  Chose this one simply because of the beating both men delivered.  Tanaka power bombing Awesome over the top rope through a table was insane.

3. Chris Hero vs Human Tornado, PWG: Life During Wartime, Reseda, CA 2008
A wild and crazy cage match.  The Reseda Legion Hall is so small, they had the fans exit the building while the cage was set up so there would be no chance of someone getting injured.  During the match, Claudio Castagnoli and Necro Butcher did run ins. Claudio to try and help Tornado. Necro to chase Claudio out of the building. A few minutes after chasing Claudio out of the building, Necro came back in through the main door and watched the rest of the match from the crowd talking to fans about
the match. 

2. Syxx vs Eddie Guerrero, NWO: Souled Out, Cedar Rapids, IA 1997


It was either this or Rey Mysterio Jr./ Jushin Thunder Liger from Starrcade 1996.  Went with this one because the coin landed on heads.  A motivated Syxx and a rising star in Eddie Guerrero.  What more needs to be said. Probably a lot, but it’s late and I’m tired.

Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair

1. Ric Flair vs Shawn Michaels,  WWE: Wrestlemania 24, Orlando, FL 2008
I said earlier, Ric Flair made me a fan for life. Seeing his “retirement” match was an emotional event. While the match outcome was never in doubt, Ric and Shawn told a story through ring psychology that is often missing in most of today’s wrestling matches.  While I wish Ric would have stayed retired, I don’t think Ric is made to simply sit at home and watch wrestling on television. He has to be a part of the show. 

There you have it. The top 8 matches I came up with in 5 minutes. Now back to that letter to TNA.

Hall of Fame Heartbreak

Taking care of HBK at Axxess

The Hall of Fame is one of my favorite parts of Wrestlemania weekend.  It's a great time to see some of the old timers come back and talk about things way back when.  Luckily, my friend Chad and I have been able to attend the last several ceremonies.
And we'll be back this year.  When I heard last night that they'd be announcing the first inducted in the Class of 2011, I figured they'd be going for someone big to attract a big crowd, as tickets go on sale Saturday.  Then when the "King" said at the beginning of Raw that it was one of the greatest superstars of all time, I figured it would be have to be someone huge.

I think the WWE delivered with the announcement that Shawn Michaels is going in this year.  I'll admit I was surprised.  I had figured (based mostly on the online rumors) that it would be someone from WCW.  Perhaps Goldberg or Lex Luger or even the elusive Sting. 

My first reaction was also semi disappointment.  And not because I don't think Shawn has a spot in the Hall of Fame.  I've written before about the length of time a performer is done in the ring to the time they're inducted.  I guess there are no real rules here, as we saw Ric Flair get inducted the night BEFORE his "last" match. 

Saying good bye after Wrestlemania 26

The more I think about it, the more it makes sense for it to be Shawn.  He is still fresh in the minds of fans. Did you hear how they popped when he came out?  I think he'll definitely put "asses in the seats."  I also came to realize today that I've been there for some of Shawn's biggest matches.  At least the ones of the "second half" of his career.  We were at Wrestlemania 24 for his match against Flair.  Then at Wrestlemania 25 his first attempt to end the Undertaker's streak.  And finally at Wrestlemania 26, Shawn's final match.

I'd also like to mention that I was at the first Hell in the Cell encounter between 'Taker and HBK back in 1997.  It was the In Your House: Badd (yes two D's) Blood pay per view in St. Louis.

So Shawn deserves to be in the hall, no doubt.  Even when he left the first time in 1998, I think he'd accomplished more than enough to be inducted.  The second time around he raised the bar and solidified his legacy.  While the mark in me was hoping that this year's "1st Ballot" choice would have been "Macho Man" Randy Savage, I'm glad Shawn is getting inducted and can't wait to hear his speech in Atlanta.

Now, hit my music.

My Main Man(ager)

Jimmy Hart and me at Wrestlemania 22

In previous posts I've talked about the death or at least the dying out of tag team wrestling in the WWE.  If it were a person, it would be on life support.  That's a shame, but I'm not going to get into that discussion again today.

Instead, I'm focusing on another dying (or dead) aspect of wrestling that I thought added to the entertainment: the manager.

Now that Paul Bearer is "dead" again, are there really any managers in the WWE?  Alex Riley is more of  protegee.  Maryse, Eve, and Tamina are more valet than manager I would argue.

I definitely think managers should be brought back to the business, but it's not just the WWE that has stopped using them.  When I was growing up and watching wrestling in the 1980's, there was Slick, Bobby Heenan, Jimmy Hart, Elizabeth, Oliver Humperdink, Fred Blassie, Capt. Lou Albano, Mr. Fuji and the list goes on.  These men (and woman) added something to the product.  Most of the times they provided the voice for their talent.  Back then wrestlers didn't need to talk, they had their manager do it for them.

I always thought Bobby Heenan was the best at this.  He could talk all kinds of crap.  Build his men up and then usually himself end up on the receiving end of a butt kickin'.   He never seemed afraid to jump in there and put himself at risk.  That's what I loved about the Brain.  And he was funny too.

The E has experimented with other managers in recent years, Matt Stryker and Armando Estrada come to mind.  Personally, I thought they both did a good job.  I was disappointed when they released Estrada.  He and Umaga worked together perfectly I thought.

My tribute to Capt. Lou

There are Hall of Famers and legends who could move into the role of manager.  I'm sure there are even some up and comers in the developmental area who may not have the right stuff to make it in the ring, but could still make a contribution to the business. I thought Ric Flair was doing just fine when he was still in the WWE before Evolution really evolved.  It's a role he continues in TNA.

But I prefer it when managers only manage and don't wrestle.  Even if they wrestled in the past.   You knew most of the time that the manager would end up doing the job.  Of course the exception there was Wrestlemania 4 when Bobby Heenan pinned Koko B. Ware in that six man tag team match.

Maybe my desire for managers to make a come back has more to do with missing the way things used to be.  Times have changed, and maybe the manager, like the tag team division need to be put out to pasture.   Nah, they need to make a comeback.

Also, please check out my YouTube Channel.  It's brand new.

Flashback Friday: This Means War



From Camelclutchblog.com

 Christmas is a time for peace and love.  Friends and family.  Unless you're a wrestler. 

Christmas 1982 was anything but Merry for the Von Erich family and their fans at Reunion Arena in Dallas. It was a part of the annual Holiday Star Wars event put on by World Class Championship Wrestling.

Beloved Von Erich brother Kerry was gearing up for a shot against the NWA world heavyweight champion, Ric Flair.  But this was no ordinary title defense.  It would be inside a steel cage, and furthermore, there would be a special guest enforcer on hand too.  That referee was Michael Hayes, who with Terry Gordy and Kerry's older brother David had just won the WCCW 6 man tag team titles.

So it seemed like a lock.  The newest Von Erich ally was going to be calling the biggest match of Kerry's young career.  What could possibly go wrong?  Well, it is wrestling, so everything. 

Flair of course was the heel champion who everyone hated.  He and Hayes went back and worth throughout the match.  Terry Gordy hung out outside the cage as added enforcement.  This was long before the 4 Horsemen, so Flair was truly on his own at this event.  Or so it seemed.

When the official official in the match, David Manning was knocked out, Hayes took over.  He decked Flair and told Kerry to cover him.  Kerry refused.  Then Hayes forced Kerry to make the cover put the honorable Von Erich wouldn't let Hayes make the count.  As Kerry tried to leave the ring, he was greeted with the door of the cage right into the face.  That of course rendered him nearly unconscious and the opportunistic Flair, who had no honor, made the cover and won the match.

This set off one of the greatest rivalries in wrestling history.  The Von Erichs and Freebirds feuded for years.  The two sides swapped the 6 man tag titles and spilled plenty of blood in the years that followed.  Father Fritz would even come out of retirement to help his sons avenge the evil actions of the 'birds. 

So, a night of peace on earth turned into one of the biggest and best rivalries in the history of wrestling. 

Merry Christmas everyone.

Four Wooing Horsemen

The best version of the 4 Horsemen, IMO

Day 4 of the Wrestling Christmas and of course I couldn't ignore the 4 Horsemen.  Perhaps the best stable in the history of wrestling.

The version in the picture (courtesy of Pro Wrestling Illustrated) was in my opinion the best foursome.  Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham, and Ric Flair under the guidance of James J. Dillon.  It didn't get much better than that.

Anderson & Blanchard were the NWA tag team champions.  Windham was the U.S. champ, and of course Flair was the World champion.

Through the years we've gotten plenty of versions of the Horsemen, but Flair was always the staple.  Even when the WWE tried to reinvent the faction with Evolution, Flair was a big part of the group.



The original group, which formed in 1986 consisted of Flair, Blanchard, Anderson and his "cousin" Ole Anderson.  Dillon was the manager.  The concept was hardly new, having a stable of wrestlers.  But there was something different about the Horsemen.  I think it's the Flair factor.  The man was the best talker back then.  And he could back it up in the ring.

Of course all the other members contributed to the success of the group, but through the years, others would rotate in and out.  Ole Anderson was replaced with a younger, stronger Lex Luger.  He would eventually be replaced by a two timing Barry Windham.

For a time the Horsemen gimmick came to a halt, as many of the members, in fact all but Flair, had left for the WWF.  But in the world of wrestling, change is constant and Arn Anderson would eventually make his way back to Atlanta.

This time group reformed but as faces, and they added an up and comer named Sting to the group.  Ole Anderson was also invited back into the fold, but I think he mainly served as a manager, as Dillon was still working in the WWF's front office.  In true Horsemen fashion, they'd turn on the young, naive Sting and become the company's villains again.   Shortly after that Barry Windham left his Widowmaker gimmick in New York and came back to be a Horsemen.  The monsterous Sid Vicious was also a new member and Ole began fulltime management of the foursome.

Sid would leave about a year or so later for the WWF and Flair was soon to follow after his termination from WCW.  So that was the death of the Horsemen again.  But like a cat, the group seemed to have nine lives.  Or close to it.

When Flair returned to WCW in 1993, he got the "band back together" so to speak.  He and Arn Anderson and the unlikely third member, former WWF jobber to the stars Paul Roma.  Now it was just the 3 Horsemen.  I'm pretty sure this run was as faces too, as they feuded with the young cocky Hollywood Blonds (Steve Austin and Brian Pillman) who hazed Flair and Anderson about their age.

This formation didn't last long either though and Flair and Anderson eventually went back to their rule breaking ways and invited Brian Pillman and Chris Benoit into the group.  This was another good version of the Horsemen.  Youth, speed, agility, and experience melded well together here.

Dean Malenko, Curt Hennig, and my least favorite Horsemen of all time Steve "Mongo" McMichael would all become members at some point before the group finally disbanded.

Horsemen reunion for Flair's "retirement"

That was in 1999.  Then in 2008, something truly awesome happened.  My friend Chad and I had just witnessed Ric Flair's storied career come to an end.  We had planned to stay in Orlando on Monday (we had tickets to Universal Studios) but we had no plans to go to Monday Night Raw.

We had gotten back from a day at the park and Chad read online that the Horsemen (Tully, Arn, Barry, and JJ) were going to be at Raw for Flair's big send off.  We immediately decided to head to the arena and try to get tickets.

Not only did we get tickets, but we had awesome seats.  We were just off the floor and on the opposite side of the camera.  So if you own the Ric Flair Definitive DVD collection and you watch that retirement ceremony, you can see Chad and I in the crowd.

Anyway, I never had a chance to see the Horsemen wrestle live as a group, but seeing them in the ring and reuniting was the next best thing.  So here's a Woooo! and a "diamonds are forever and so are the 4 Horsemen" for you.

For those keeping score...
A Red Rooster in a Wrestling Ring
2 Turtle Jobbers
3 French Canadians
4 Wooing Horsemen

Flashback Friday: A Black December



The Black Scorpion

Turn back the clock 20 years for this week's Flashback.  It was December 16, 1990.  I was a senior in high school and ready to attend my very first wrestling pay per view.  Sure I had attended house shows before, but this was the first time I'd actually be a part of the live audience. 

Starrcade 90 was being held at the Kiel Center in downtown St. Louis.  My friend Jim and I were wrestling fans and got tickets for the show.  Since it was our first PPV, we really weren't sure what to expect.

The card was stacked.  There was an international tag team tournament in memory of former NWA Champion Pat O'Connor.  That tournament featured a Rey Mysterio, Sr. on Team Mexico.  He and Konnan lost to the Steiner Brothers in the semi finals.  The Steiners would go on to win the tourney.

The event was to feature a tag team title match Doom vs. Ric Flair and Arn Anderson in a St. Louis Street Fight.  But prior to the match, they announced Flair was hurt and wouldn't be competiting.  As soon as they said that, they pretty much revealed the identity of the Black Scorpion, the guy who had been tormenting world champ Sting for several months.  More on that later.

Barry Windham ended up replacing Flair in the tag match and going to a no contest with Doom.  How does that happen in a street fight?  I always thought there were no rules in such matches.

Lex Luger also regained the U.S. title from Stan Hansen in a less than eventful match.  It was a Texas Lariat match.  Of course it was something that would favor the heel champion, so naturally he's the one to lose.

One thing that stood out to me that night was how over Sid and Dan Spivey, the Skyscrapers were.  The crowd went nuts when they came out and destroyed the Big Cat (Mr. Hughes) and the Motor City Madman.  

Back to the main event now.  Black Scorpion has been threatening Sting and making challenges in the months leading up to this match, which was to be held in a steel cage.  If you were a fan back then, you remember the cheesy promos featuring the Scorpion as he performed different magic tricks to get Sting riled up.  He turned a fan into a tiger at one show.  He made another vanish in thin air. 

St. Louis wrestling legend Dick the Bruiser reffed the main event.  It was your basic back and forth cage match.  I think by the time we got to the match even Stevie Wonder could see that the Scorpion was Flair. 

Of course it would only take about month before Flair would regain the title, which was now the WCW World Title.  The NWA affiliation was dropped around the time of Starrcade.  I can't even remember now if it had already happened or not.  And about six months later Flair would end up in the WWF. 

On that night back in December 1990, I never imagined that would happen.  It was the first of many pay per view events I would end up attending in my life as a wrestling fan.  But it was my one and only WCW/NWA event.