The Steel Cage

The pyrotechnics company used by World Wrestling Entertainment for last night's WrestleMania event is based in Deer Park, Newsday has learned.

Zenith Pyrotechnology is being investigated after last night's incident in Orlando, in which a cable snapped as fireworks were going off, sending them into the stands and leaving 30 to 35 wrestling fans injured.

More to come tonight on newsday.com.

ORLANDO: In the immortal words of the Four Seasons: Oh, what a night.

I'm back in my hotel room at the conclusion of one of the most memorable nights in my career as a wrestling fan. It is nights like this one that should reaffirm our faith in the pro wrestling business, and all it can be when practiced at its highest form.

More Photos: WrestleMania 24

In the tens of thousands of hours of wrestling I have watched in my life, I have experienced an array of emotions - jubilation, frustration, excitement, and boredom. I have never gotten choked up during a match - until tonight. Shawn Michaels' poignant final message to his adversary and friend - "I'm sorry. I love you" - as Flair invited HBK to give him all he had was pro wrestling's finest hour.

I loved every second of this match. Even the botched spots only added to the story of the tremendous pressure that Shawn Michaels was under in carrying an aging Ric Flair in the final match of his illustrious career. It was not until Charles Robinson's hand came down for a third time that I was hit by the weight of what just had occurred: The 35-year career of the greatest wrestler that ever lived had just concluded before my eyes. I am thankful that Flair was given such a grand stage to take his final bow; thankful that Mr. WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels, lived up to his reputation in such an important match; and thankful to have been part of it.

Video: WrestleMania 24

I was really surprised by the order of the matches. I would never in a million years have guessed that the Undertaker - Edge match would go on last, but, ultimately, it turned out to be a good choice. Even after sitting in an uncomfortable seat for nearly six hours, I was totally into the final match, as were 73,000 other fans. Another fantastic performance by the Undertaker at WrestleMania. And I was glad to see Long Island's own Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins getting to take part in the main event of one of the biggest pro wrestling shows in modern history.

Randy Orton becomes only the second heel ever to retain the WWE championship at WrestleMania. That's fine with me.

I'm not sure what to make of C.M. Punk winning the Money in the Bank title shot. He claimed if he won the match, he'd cash it in for an ECW title shot, but that seems like a waste. Maybe with Jeff Hardy in the doghouse, WWE is grooming Punk to take over Hardy's spot as a major challenger to Orton this summer.

Somewhere in the West Indies, S.D. Jones breathed a sigh of relief upon watching the Kane vs. Chavo match. He no longer lays claim to the quickest defeat in WrestleMania history.

The Mayweather-Big Show spectacle was a lot more fun than I expected. The match had Pat Patterson's fingerprints all over it. It was a smart move to fill Mayweather's entourage with trained wrestlers who could take bumps in place for Mayweather. For his part, "Money" Mayweather did an exceptional job, and showed a lot of respect for the wrestling business.

Other in-person notes:

- The Money in the Bank participant rehearsed their match in their street clothes in the ring about an hour before the doors opened up. At the same time, John Legend rehearsed his performance.

- I didn't think the building looked all that great when I first took my seat, but after the sun went down and the lights came up, I was blown away by the magnificence of sight in front of me. I don't think I've ever seen a better looking wrestling show. Not having a roof gave WWE the space for a lot of special touches, including the massive stage and the fireworks.

- WWE might as well gave billed the Bunnymania match as intermission with the amount of fans who left to the bathrooms, concession stands when the match came to the ring.

- A few of Mayweather's dropped currency made it all the way to the upper level seats on the opposite side of the stadium, including one bill that I missed by a few feet.

- Despite the sea of humanity, I was able to be on the I-4, cruising back to my hotel, within about 10 minutes of the show ending.

- The streets surrounding the Citrus Bowl were filled with residents selling parking spaces for $20-$25 in their backyards, behind churches, in the parking lots of private businesses, and everywhere else. I got there early enough that I didn't need to go that route, but I imagine a lot of locals made some good change tonight.

- Rev Theory, the band that performed the WrestleMania theme this year, played a concert at the Fan Axxess across the street from the stadium a few hours before the show. Fans really got into their music, despite the copious dropping of the F-bomb in front a crowd filled with kids.

- Despite some speculation, TNA never flew a plane over the Citrus Bowl, although there were no shortage of annoying aircraft hovering above. One advertised a strip club and beared the suitable message, "Wooo!"

- I read something about a fireworks accident at the end of the show. I didn't see it for myself, but I can attest to an ambulance racing through the crowded streets on its way to the Citrus Bowl immediately after the show ended.

- TNA set up a small area across the street from Citrus Bowl before the show where fans could take pictures with the X-Division title. There were also TNA flyers littered around the stadium.

- WWE made the wise move of opening the doors to the stadium more than two hours before the show. In other years, they've cut it pretty close. This gave the fans plenty of time to file in.

- The sun was shining almost to the minute that the show went on the air, and then became completely overcast and started raining. The showers were light and sporadic throughout the night, but never much of a problem. It did get quite chilly, though.

- The power outage during the women's match really affected the live fans' enjoyment of the WWE title three way. After the lights went, the giant screens over the ring soon followed, making it hard for many fans to follow the action in the ring.

- Despite WWE making it look awesome, the Citrus Bowl, by no means, is a nice building. In fact, it's rather beat up and gross. Most of the seats were uncomfortable, backless bleachers, and the mens' room urinals consisted of long, open tubs with no dividers for all the gentlemen to share, shoulder to shoulder. I wish I had skipped that second Miller Lite.

- What're more, the immediate area surrounding the Citrus Bowl was quite blighted and desolate; not at all the Disney World-Orlando you may be used to, and offering few options for pre-and-post game activities for fans.

Overall, it was definitely a WrestleMania that deserves a spot in the Top 10 in history.

370 days, and counting, to WrestleMania XXV.

ORLANDO - I'm just getting back from WWE's annual Bacon, Bagels and Biceps Brunch - or whatever it's called. It was held near my hotel room here in Orlando, and thankfully I was able to get press credentials to cover the event.

The tickets cost $125 a piece, and while on one hand that sounds rather steep to watch mostly mid-carders answer a few questions while you sip orange juice, it is, after all, for a good cause. The event benefits the Make A Wish Foundation, for which WWE does a lot of charity work.

This year's panel included Mr. Kennedy, Rey Mysterio, The Miz, John Morrison, Torrie Wilson, Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly, Shelton Benjamin, Carlito, and Matt Hardy. Batista made a brief appearance before the event officially got underway and answered some questions.

Celebrities Snoop Dog, Raven Simone and Kim Kardashian were also in attendance.

There wasn't much in the way of news coming out of the event, except perhaps for a line by Matt Hardy. Asked by a fan when he would return to the ring, Hardy said he had received a clean bill of health and could back any time. "Tonight's a good night," he added, to a big pop.

A few other notes:

- Rey Mysterio expressed his disappointment in missing WrestleMania, and joked that, since it was the Bacon, Bagels and Biceps Brunch, maybe someone could donate a bicep to replace his torn one.

- Shelton Banjamin said his best match was never televised, but was rather one of a series of house show three-way matches with Carlito and Morrison. I caught one of those in Cape Cod, and can attest to their quality.

- The Miz and Morrison said they could have beat the British Bulldogs and the Hart Foundation in their prime.

- Asked who his dream opponents would be, Batista said it was definitely not Goldberg, and added that he'd like another run against Triple H.

- Matt Hardy picked the Big Show to beat Mayweather. Snoop picked Mayweather. Carlito chimed in, "Who cares?"

I'll have some video up from the event in the next several days.

ORLANDO - I'm just about to head out for the WrestleMania brunch, but I wanted to drop in with a few notes from last night's Hall of Fame. I'll be back with a more detailed report.

It was an awesome, emotional and very long night. Ric Flair's speech alone took more than an hour, and Fair was still talking about half way through when USA started airing its pre-taped edited version of the show. Toward the end, Triple H kept coming up to him and whispering into Flair's ear to rap it up, but Flair didn't pay much attention. It's too bad he was a bit rushed, because the fans were enjoying every minute of him and could have listened for another few hours. The hurried pace also forced Ric Flair's historic induction speech to sort of peter out, rather than end with a bang. After receiving his standing ovation, Flair's final words were a brief thanks to WWE office worker Ann Russo.

Some notable people in attendance: Andrew "Test" Martin arrived late and sat with the wrestlers. Billy Kidman was way, way in the back - third to last row in fact - behind a lot of developmental talent.

Flair and Triple H both seemed to take digs at the Rock, including Flair noting that Cena would never leave wrestling for Hollywood. Flair also put over Steve Austin huge, saying he was tired of claiming that Hogan was the biggest star of the business, adding, "It end tonight." He said that distinction belongs to Austin. Several wrestlers in attendance, including Edge, Rick Steamboat and the Big Show, openly wept as they were acknowledged by Flair. Arn Anderson seemed a bit upset - not even smiling as Flair acknowledged him. I wonder if he might have felt, like many fans did, that there was someone more appropriate than Triple H to induct Flair into the Hall of Fame.

The Rock was over huge with the fans, and was on stage for close to two hours. When the crowd started chanting "One More Match" with him and Austin, he looked at Austin and said, "We'll have to work on that." He said the three guys in attendance that he wished he had wrestled were Cena, Rey Mysterio and Shawn Michaels. By the end of his speech, fans were chanting, "Three more matches!."

The other inductions were much shorter, and generally very classy and sometimes moving, such as Mike Graham's memories of his father, Eddie, Mae Young's vow to wrestle a match on her 100th birthday, and Gordon Solie's son giving one last "So long from the Sunshine State" to the fans.

Anyhow, at nearly five hours, I could write all day about everything I observed, and at my embarassment at running late and having to attend the event in an Ivan Drago T-shirt and shorts. I hope to be back soon with more details.

A few other notes: I stopped by TNA's iMPACT! taping last night and was able to talk to some of the talent. Kevin Nash told me that, despite all the drama surrounding Rory McCallister, he was openly hanging out with some of his old WWE friends over the last several days. He said Dixie Carter had no problems with TNA talent fraternizing with WWE talent. He said he was happy for Ric Flair being inducted, but questioned the legitimacy of the Hall of Fame, saying that "the business is a work" and something to the effect of "it's not like you have to hit 500 home runs" to get in. I'll have some video of my interview up soon.

Watching the Hall of Fame ceremony last night made me remember just how friggin' talented The Rock is. Unlike other guys who come back and just feel old and dated compared to today's product, within seconds of The Rock's opening speech, he was already in a league of his own.

Here's hoping his little rip on John Cena serves as a wake-up call to Vince that there's a huge money match on the table if he wants it for next year's WrestleMania. I know Rock has said that he's done wrestling ... but if Floyd Mayweather -- who couldn't draw flies at a wrestling show -- is worth $20 million, then The Rock is worth a billion.

Back up the Brinks truck, Vince, and make it happen.

What did you guys think of the Hall of Fame stuff? I'm curious to hear what you have to say. And enjoy the show tonight -- I'll be in DC for the Nationals home opener.

ORLANDO -There's been some buzz in the last couple days surrounding WWE's decision to send HIghlader Rory McCallister home for breaking a mandate prohibiting WWE wrestlers from attending any of TNA's shows in Orlando this weekend. TNA issued a similar mandate to its stars - some of whom reportedly hoped to attend WWE's Hall of Fame ceremony tonight.

It's a shame that on one of the biggest weekends in wrestling history, with nearly every talent from every major national promotion converging in the same city, that the wrestlers have to worry about being caught fraternizing with friends who work for "rival" promotions. I'd love to think of this weekend as a reunion of sorts for wrestlers - even among WWE, where performers from each brand usually travel separately.

And I'm not sure what either side gets out of it. For TNA, having its wrestlers rub elbows with the superstars of WWE only gives them more credibility. And with Thursday's night's "biggest iMPACT! in TNA history," as Mike Tenay called it, doing just a 1.0 rating, I can't imagine WWE should worry about giving the competition a boost. It's just too bad.

Incidentally, I spotted a WWE-contracted wrestler at last night's ROH show. Before you get your hopes up, it's not anybody that most WWE fans would even recognize. Matt Sydal, who left ROH last year for a developmental contract in WWE, was backstage catching up with some old colleagues.

ORLANDO: I'm blogging from the patio of my hotel room, from where I'll be heading out in a few minutes to catch a TNA iMPACT! taping at Universal Studios. From there ,hopefully I'll have a few hours before heading to the Hall of Fame ceremony tonight.

I dodn't get too see too much of Orlando last night, but from the little that I have seen, you could definitely tell WrestleMania is in town. The interstates have plenty of billboards advertising as much, and some building facades even have giant 'Mania promotional slideshows being projected onto them. WWE stars are also all over the local news. I'm hoping to get to the area near the Citrus Bowl sometime today to get a better look at ground zero for the big show. I'll try to be by with some pictures.

Last night, I attended the first of Ring of Honor's two-night swing through Orlando. Despite this being ROH's first time playing in the city, the place was pretty much packed, and the crowd was very much into the action all night. The card featured an international flavor with the stars of ROH taking on those of Japanese promotion Dragongate. With ROH cards often going very long, I was a bit burned out by the night's main event, but I thoroughly enjoyed all the action. A match pitting Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino was among the best I've seen in this or any year.

Before and after the show I got to talk to some of ROH's wrestlers as well as owner Cary Silkin, and I hope to put some video up here soon. I'm glad that such an innovative wrestling promotion as ROH was able to be part of a historic weekend.

Just click here.

It's about 5:30 a.m. now, and I'm sitting at Gate B6 waiting for my flight to Fort Lauderdale. From there I'll be driving into Orlando (don't ask) for what should be a fun WrestleMania weekend.

It's easy to criticize everything that's wrong with pro wrestling - and I often do. But tis time every year, I am reminded about why I enjoy this business so much. Yes, this year's WrestleMania card - and the WWE product as a whole - has plenty of flaws that we could pick apart all day. But let me take the opportunity to go over a lot of the stuff WWE is doing right, and should make for a memorable WrestleMania weekend.

The Citrus Bowl: In addition to all the colorful personalities that make up WrestleMania each year, one of the most important characters is always the setting. An awesome setting - like Ford Field last year or the sea of humanity that was the Silverdome in 1987 - can take a so-so event and make it extra special. A stale setting - like Atlantic City's Trump Plaza 20 years ago, or Chicago's Rosemont Horizon in 2006, can really dampen a show. With 70,000 fans packing a football stadium for what is only the second outdoor WrestleMania in history, the backdrop for the night's matches promises to be spectacular. If it rains, all the better. Anybody remember Diana Ross' Central Park concert from about 30 years ago?

So you might recall from my post last week that the initial plan when we created split titles in 2002 was for Rob Van Dam and Brock Lesnar to be the champions and to carry the titles straight on through WrestleMania.

In that post, I explained why the title was never even put on Van Dam. Now I'd like to tell you a bit about why the title was taken off of Brock so soon, including who he was originally slated to face at Madison Square Garden at Survivor Series that year, before plans were changing to the Big Show.

Time for some predictions for Wrestlemania XXIV. And what with this being the digital age and all, words don't seem fair. So let's predict some matches in video.

Alfonso and Seth differ on the Triple Threat champ.

Alfonso and Seth both agree on this "Money" Mayweather vs. the Big Show nightmare waiting to happen.

Alfonso has a special surprise for the Bunny Mania match

Alfonso and Seth fight it out over who will win the Money in the Bank match.

Seth breaks down the undercard, including Ric Flair vs. HBK.

Long Island wrestling fans need not hop on a flight bound for Orlando this weekend if they want to catch some quality action in person. Long Island’s own New York Wrestling Connection returns to the Deer Park Recreation Center this Saturday for a loaded show. You can find more information by visiting NYWC’s official web site.

Headlining the 7 p.m. card will be someone who you a lot of you may remember. At just 34 years old, Mikey Whipwreck has already been wrestling for 14 years. He’s competed in both WWE and WCW, but is probably most famous for his memorable ECW stint as the ultimate underdog. He rode that wave all the way to winning the ECW championship, as well as the tag team championship with Mick Foley.

For the last several years, Whipwreck has been passing along all the lessons he has learned to a new generation of wrestlers as NYWC’s head trainer. Two of his most famous students, WWE “Edge-heads” and former "Major Brothers" Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder, are likely to have a part in one of the top matches at this Sunday’s WrestleMania when their boss, Edge, defends his world heavyweight championship against the Undertaker.

In this interview, Whipwreck talked about the pride of seeing two of his students on the biggest stage of them all, his thoughts on the new ECW, and his take on an ECW newcomer with a very familiar gimmick.

Alfonso Castillo: What does the NYWC have to offer wrestling fans that they couldn’t get from WWE or anywhere else?

Mikey Whipwreck: What they get is a bunch of homegrown, young hungry guys that want to make it in the business. And with the track record we have, they have a very good chance of seeing guys that they’re eventually going to be seeing on TV. Mikey from the Spirit Squad was here. The Edge-heads - they started with us. Plasma just got signed to a WWE developmental contract. We’ve got a bunch of guys who hopefully you’ll be seeing on TV in the future - young hungry, guys who are willing to work hard for you and not worry so much about the paycheck.

Anyone else a little bothered by her involvement in a FUNERAL storyline at last night's SmackDown tapings??

Yesterday's answer: The last time Triple H was in a WrestleMania match that was NOT for the WWE or World Title was at WrestleMania X7 in 2001 -- seven years ago -- when he faced Undertaker. An astute reader points out that both Rock and Stone Cold were still with the company at the time, and Triple H had just started dating Stephanie McMahon. Draw your own conclusions there.

Today's question goes back to WrestleMania's humble beginnings, as I simply ask you -- who came up with the name "WrestleMania"?

Was watching WrestleMania X8 on WWE 24-7 recently, a show that still boggles my mind on a number of levels.

Allow me to explain in the form of a multiple choice quiz.

I'd be lying if I said I remembered much about Chase Tatum's pro wrestling career, but nonetheless, I was saddened when I heard the news of his passing this morning. His death is another on the seemingly never ending list of young former wrestlers who passed way too early.
And if the news coming from his father that Tatum, 34, was battling a pain medication addition that began during his wrestling days is any indication, his death - like so many others - cannot be written off as an isolated incident.
The pro wrestling industry - through its promotion on superhero physiques; inherent physicality; history of punishing wrestlers who take time off to heal injuries; lack of unions to establish standards for working conditions; grueling road schedules; and so many other reasons - has long contributed to a toxic culture among performers.
That said, we must be careful in lumping all wrestler deaths together. Since the Chris Benoit tragedy last year, every time a wrestler with even the smallest bit of notoriety passes, it has become mainstream news. In a way, that's good. The spotlight needs to be shone on the unusually high mortality rate of wrestlers. But also, we should consider each death on a case by case basis.
Tatum only briefly competed on a national stage as part of the now-defunct WCW - his biggest run being as a member of the No Limit Soldiers in the ill-fated angle involving rapper Master P eight years ago. I don't believe he ever worked for Vince McMahon.
It could be that Tatum's demons had little to do with wrestling, and nothing should be done to trivialize his tragic death. Still, we should never lose sight of the bigger problem facing the wrestling industry, and its possible solutions.

The Steel Cage battles The Neutral Corner over this boxer vs. wrestler debate.

Those boxing fans among you may be wondering how there could even be debate about what will happen when Floyd Mayweather Jr. faces off with the Big Show this Sunday at WrestleMania XXIV. After all, pro wrestling is fake, so there's no real competition right?
Wrong. In one way, the competition between wrestler and boxer is very real going into this Sunday's spectacle. The battle worth weighing in on is not who the better fighter is, but rather, who is the better showman.

For my money, it's no contest. In the boxing world, "Money" Mayweather may be the most colorful, flamboyant, and exciting performer there is. But, as has already been evidenced, in the world of pro wrestling, Mayweather is grossly outclassed.

I'll give Mayweather credit for playing his part to perfection in the angle that kicked off this match - the impromptu scuffle at WWE's February pay per view, No Way Out, where Mayweather hopped out of his ringside seat to defend his friend, Rey Mysterio, and ended up legitimately breaking the Big Show's nose with a couple of punches.

But ever since that night, whenever Mayweather has gotten behind a microphone to promote the event, he has come up short. The lowlight was an embarassing exchange on Monday Night Raw where the Big Show tore into Mayweather, and all the boxer could repeat was, "Last time I broke your nose. The next time I'll break your jaw." Over and over again. It was cringe-inducing.
So disappointing have Mayweather's performances been that WWE writers shifted course in the middle of the storyline, and recast Mayweather as the bad guy in the match, and the Big Show as the good guy. Heck, Mayweather's been getting booed out of the building at every opportunity, so why not take advantage of it?

The problem is, in the world of legitimate sports, it doesn't take much to be outrageous. It's easy to earn a reputation as a showman when so your peers are relatively bland.
But in pro wrestling, it's all about the show. Quite literally, when pro wrestlers receive their training, they are taught not only how to execute a proper hip toss, but how to come up with a compelling character, and how to "cut a money promo" - deliver an interview that sells tickets.
In fact, as far as promo guys go, the Big Show is far from the best, but even a slightly above average pro wrestler can usually out perform a boxer. There are exceptions, of course.
Muhammad Ali could probably hang with the best promo guys the squared circle has ever seen.
But Mayweather has benefited from being a big fish in a tiny pond of dull performers. Sharing the stage with a 7-foot-tall, 500-pound giant, whose been honing his craft for 13 years, he has been completely schooled.

As far as comparing their athletic skills, I'll take nothing away from Mayweather. I don't know much about boxing, but I know Mayweather is a world class talent, who has beaten some of the best.

But inevitably, whenever pro wrestling is mentioned among legitimate sports, the elitists always thumb their nose at my favorite past time. So there are a few things you should know about Paul "The Big Show" Wight. At just 24 years old, and wrestling professionally for less than a year, he won his first world title - an honor that most wrestlers never achieve, and those who do usually take several years to do so. Yes, such distinctions are decided by wrestling bookers, but they are not taken lightly, and reflect a performer's worth in a company.

After headlining for Ted Turner's defunct WCW for four years, Wight came to WWE, and again, was wearing the world title within months. Months later, he headlined WrestleMania 2000.
And while most wrestlers' performances usually decline over time, Show has only gotten better with age - improving his skills not only in the ring, but on the microphone. When WWE took the risky moving of launching a third brand in 2006, bookers chose Show to wear the ECW world championship and anchor the fledgling brand in its formative months. He did an exceptional job.
Since returning last month after year-long hiatus, the Big Show is arguably in the greatest shape of his career, having shed more than 100 pounds, and having trained as a boxer.

For my money, Paul Wight is the greatest "giant" ever to step into a wrestling ring. Some have been taller, such as the Great Khali or El Gigante. Some have been heavier, such as Yokozuna or Haystacks Calhoun. And some have been more famous, such as the legendary Andre the Giant. But as a total package of size, strength, and charisma, the Big Show stands head and shoulders above the rest.

So, yes, this Sunday's WrestleMania showdown will be scripted. And Floyd Mayweather should thank his lucky stars that it is.

Read The Neutral Corner's take on the match

I wonder how his Japanese shampoo commercial turned out???

The answer to yesterday's question: Gennifer Flowers' guest at WrestleMania XIV was The Rock, who unveiled his "Smell what The Rock is cooking" for the first time. One newsday.com reader says this was also the first time he referred to himself in some way as the People's Champion -- can anyone confirm that?

Anyway, today's question is about your friend and mine, Triple H, who this Sunday will be in the Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship. He seems to do that a lot at WrestleMania. So when was the last time that Triple H was in a WrestleMania match that wasn't for the WWE or World Title?

Their main headline on the site after tonight's Orton-Flair match on Raw: "Orton Hears a Wooooo!"

Back in my dotcom days, by the way, we could never agree on our style on "Whoooo".

Is there an "h"? Isn't there? How many o's on first reference?

WWE hasn’t tipped its hand much regarding what’s on tap for the go-home edition of Raw before WrestleMania this coming Sunday.

John Cena will kick off the show, no doubt hyping the three-way main event at Mania.

The only match that has been leaked is a Money in the Bank preview pitting Carlito and MVP vs.Chris Jericho and C.M. Punk. I could see Mr. Kennedy involving himself in the match to cause the finish.

And with Raw emanating from Flair Country, in Columbia, SC, the Nature Boy is expected to give what may be the last great interview of his career. If it is really intended as such, WWE writers are best served putting their pencils away and letting Flair go at it alone.

I’ve been watching a lot of Flair’s interviews from over the last 20 years for another project I’m working on, and it’s worth noting that, even when WCW was at its absolute worst, Flair was still delivering money promos whenever given the opportunity. Does anybody remember the short-lived “Magnificent Seven” faction led by Flair in the waning months of WCW? I didn’t either. But go on youtube, and you’ll get a kick out of seeing Flair do his thing, even as many of his colleagues were phoning it in.

That’s what’s been missing from Flair’s current retirement angle. Whenever he’s been given the chance to speak, it hasn’t really been Flair behind the microphone. WWE writers feel the need to script every word of every wrestlers’ promo - effectively robbing all of them of their individual voices. It may be that Flair isn’t the talker that he used to be, but I’d rather see 50 percent of an authentic Flair promo, rather than a 100 percent manufactured one.

But I digress.

With only days to go before the biggest show of the year, fans should be expecting a lot out of tonight’s Raw. I think there’s a popular sentiment right now that WWE has done only an adequate at best - and lackluster at worst - job of building anticipation for the WrestleMania card.

With Smackdown and ECW not given nearly as much importance that WWE’s flagship show, tonight is the last real opportunity to do something to get fans buzzing about the big show on Sunday. Let’s cross our fingers.

I'm looking forward to attending this year's WWE Hall of Fame banquet, which will be highlighted by the induction of Ric Flair. Others going in this year include Peter Maivia, Rocky Johnson, Mae Young, The Briscoes, Eddie Graham, and possibly Gordon Solie.

Disregarding the obvious nepotism and transparent political reasons behind some of the choices, I don't have a huge problem with any of those picks. But let me offer a few of my own.

While the qualifications may have been loosened in recent years, I'm going to try to stick with people who achieved fame in WWE/WWF. I'm also mostly choosing from wrestlers who competed more than 15 years ago, have long since retired, and/or are deceased. For political reasons, some of these people will obviously never get in, while, for others, it’s likely a matter of time.

I’m sure I’m leaving out some pretty obvious names. Feel free to post your own thoughts and suggestions in the comments field.

Rick Steamboat: He may have wrestled his best matches in the NWA before and after his WWF stint, but even during his three-year stint in the company, The Dragon stood above his peers for his ring work. Few others have mastered the art of telling a story like Steamboat - the Brando of playing babyface-in-peril. Ideal Person to Induct Him: Ric Flair.

The answer to yesterday's question: Mr. Bob Backlund is the former WWE Champion who was scheduled to be in Kurt Angle's corner at WrestleMania 2000, but was instead choked out by Angle on Heat prior to the show.

Of course, I, like many others, was watching "WrestleMania All Day Long" that day and never actually saw Heat; the two aired head-to-head.

Anyhow, today's question is ripped right from the headlines -- sort of. What with all the talk about Eliot Spitzer's "lady friend," I'll ask about another political scandal -- Bill Clinton and Gennifer Flowers.

Flowers' appearance at WrestleMania XIV (10 years ago this week) was a watershed moment for the superstar she interviewed, as the segment featured the debut of one of the greatest catchphrases in sports-entertainment history. Name the superstar and the catchphrase.

Like most of the others writers on the creative team, I wanted RVD to be the first World Heavyweight Champion when we created that crown in September 2002. The thinking was that he and Brock Lesnar would be the fresh-faced champions to carry the titles through the following WrestleMania, building interest and a unique identity for each of the brands.

As you probably know, it didn't work out quite that way. Besides the fact that Brock actually lost the title just three months later, RVD never even got his moment in the sun, as Triple H actually was named the first champion, and went on to hold the title for 11 of the first 12 months of its creation.

At the time, it was disheartening to see the plans change so drastically (yes, the official plan at first was for RVD to win it). Yes, it only contributed to all the buzz and rumblings I'd heard about Triple H that I'd tried to keep an open mind about when I joined the creative team.

But here we are, years later, blessed with the gift of perspective, and I gotta say -- and you will probably disagree with me -- I was totally wrong.

Putting the title on Triple H was the best thing we could have done.

The answer to yesterday's question -- the only wrestler ever to fight for the World Title, IC Title, Euro Title, Tag Title and U.S. Title, and to have a Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania -- is indeed Chris Benoit. Congrats to all who got it right, but don't hold your breath waiting for the special on WWE 24-7.

Today's question goes back to that Intercontinental and European Title match in question -- the Triple Threat at WrestleMania 2000 with Benoit, Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho. What former WWE Champion was supposed to be in Angle's corner for that bout, but never made it because Angle choked him out on Heat before the show?

Post your answers on the comment board. I'll be back tomorrow with the official answer.

I asked readers yesterday, who is the only man ever to have won a world title match at three consecutive WrestleManias.

A lot of you may have instantly had red and yellow flashing in your mind, but it's not the Hulkster. Hulk Hogan collectively won five world title matches at WrestleManias, but never more than two back to back (at Manias 2 and III.)

Steve Austin similarly won world title matches at WrestleManias XIV and XV, but took a year off before winning his third WrestleMania title match in 2001.

Triple H, too, has three Mania world title wins under his belt, but only two in a row. (WrestleMania X8 and XIX.)

So who's the only man to three-peat in world title matches at the biggest show of the year?

It's the same man who's looking to extend his record to four next Sunday: John Cena, who beat JBL for his first world title at WrestleMania 21, and then made Triple H and Shawn Michaels, respectively, tap out in the main event the next two years.

With just over a week to go before WrestleMania XXIV, WWE's Friday night fixture needs to kick it into high gear, but don't get your hopes up too much.

I'm usually not one for spoilers, but I took a peak at the results of Tuesday's tapings for this show. Let's just say there's not much to give away.

Among the matches you'll see tonight: Batista taking on Deuce and Domino; Morrison & The Miz defending the tag titles against Jesse & Festus; The Big Show in a squash handicap match; Kane vs. Chuck Palumbo; Edge taking on Funaki; and Chavo Guerrero taking on the Undertaker.

There is also a segment hyping MVP's involvement in the Money in the Bank match.

I've really been taken aback by how little WWE has done to promote the blue brand's involvement in Mania - as little as it is. In fact, WrestleMania features exactly one Smackdown-exclusive match, that being the world title match between The Undertaker and Edge. Smackdowners Finlay, Batista and MVP are all involved in inter-brand matches.

But even with only one major storyline to build for WrestleMania, Smackdown has largely dropped the ball. The storyline between Edge and the Undertaker has been completely paint-by-numbers, with nothing special done to build anticipation for their showdown. WWE needs to give us something - anything - to make fans excited about this match, as well as the other Smackdown wrestlers' matches on the show.

As flat as the Taker-Edge storyline has been, it's McMahon-Austin circa 1998 compared to the "feud" between Umaga and Batista. Despite being one of Smackdown's top stars for the last year, the Animal found himself as the odd man out when WWE's matchmakers were putting together the WrestleMania line up. That said, more should have been done to give Batista a meaningful match on the show.

Smackdown still has next week to really sell WrestleMania, but I won't be holding my breath.

When we first launched the blog last week, I wrote a post asking you guys if you had any questions for me, either about my experiences on creative, my interaction with various superstars, or just my thoughts on stuff in general.

You guys posted some great questions, and I intend to answer as much stuff as I can in the coming weeks and months ... I already have a file on my computer with about 50 topics I plan on addressing at some point.

But these questions are great, so I thought I'd open the floor to you guys again -- what the heck do you want to know? Post your comments below, let me know what you want to hear about!

And thanks to all for reading and for the great feedback. Alfonso and I are really enjoying this blog, especially interacting with all of you.

I hope I'm not coming across as too negative in this blog towards the current WWE product; I'm actually a huge wrestling fan, just trying to offer constructive criticism from the perspective of a lifelong fan and someone who's been on the inside.

So I have to say -- there's two things WWE is doing right now that I think are completely and utterly awesome: The WWE 24-7 On Demand channel, and WWE Magazine.

So who the heck was raising the briefcase at King of the Ring 1999?