The Steel Cage

So after my last post, I got to thinking a little more about the "curse" of the World Heavyweight Championship, and I have a confession to make:

I think it might be my fault.

You can trace it back to Survivor Series 2002 and one of my favorite stories from my time at WWE: The night I went home with the World Heavyweight Championship.

When Vince Russo was booking WCW back in 1999 and 2000 -- back when the World Title would change hands or be vacated on an almost weekly basis -- he talked in more than one interview about how since wrestling was just entertainment, the title belt was just a prop anyway.

He was clearly overlooking the fact that the belt is more than just a prop -- it's a way to draw money, an ultimate goal for the blood, sweat and tears -- and therefore must be kept strong, almost on a pedestal. Constant title switches, vacating the title, stuff like that does nothing but lower the value of what should be the most important superstar on the TV show.

Fast forward to 2008 and the World Heavyweight Championship, where WWE made a booking blunder at Tuesday's SmackDown taping that immediately made me think back to the good ol' days of Long Island's own Vinnie Ru.

Warning: Spoilers after the jump, with my SINCERE APOLOGIES to those of you for whom I have already spoiled the surprise.

I've been sitting on this for a while - just haven't found the time to give it the proper intro. Nor do I have the time now.

For my money, A.J. Styles has always been the best thing in TNA, so it was a thrill to interview him backstage at the iMPACT! Zone over WrestleMania weekend. There are a ton of great wrestlers that WWE has missed the boat on, but I don't think any are the complete package that Styles is. He's exciting, dynamic, can work a main event style, has a good look, and most recently has shown that he has a ton of personality. That said, I'm glad WWE hasn't come calling for Styles. I expect he'd be relegated to ECW filler.

The back story to this interview was that I spent my afternoon shopping for some formal slacks for my wife to wear to WWE Hall of Fame ceremony - and ran so late that I missed the entire iMPACT! taping. Nonetheless, I was able to get backstage after the show and interview some guys. Unfortunately, I ran so late doing the interviews that I didn't have enough time to get back to my hotel room to change into my suit, so I ended up attending the blacktie HOF with the Ivan Drago T I'm sporting in this interview, and I believe my wife wore a Little Mermaid shirt. Shameful.

And for the record, Drago is the greatest movie character ever ever ever.

With Raw being held only about a 45 minute drive from home last night, I debated all day whether I should go. In the end I figured, “Well, there’s nothing that I’ll catch in person that I won’t be able to catch on my TV.”

As it turned out I was wrong. There was a small part of the show that TV viewers did not get to see - the finish of the main event.

The decision to end what was up until that a point a strong main event match between Triple H and Randy Orton by having William Regal order the production team to cut off the show before the finish has infuriated a lot of fans. Some are going as far as to call it the worst end to a Raw in history. I’m not nearly as down on it, and think WWE writers got out of the angle exactly what they wanted.

WWE has been disciplined enough with their championships that a world title change means more than it has in several years. And so when Triple H scored the pin on Randy Orton last night at Backlash and won his twelfth world title, it certainly came off as a pretty big deal.

I don't have a big problem with Triple H winning the world title, although I thought Randy Orton had been doing a phenomenal job as a dominant heel champion. He had enough momentum to carry him at least thrugh SummerSlam, at which time a babyface title victory would have meant more. I was surprised that WWE would have Orton retain the title at WrestleMania, only to have him drop it a month later in a far-less significant or memorable event. I guess the argument is that WrestleMania had enough to make it stand out as a memorable event without needing the extra title change.

But for his two-hour reign last October, Triple H has not worn a world title in more than three years, and all things being equal, he was due. Still, his world title victory does raise a lot of questions about what the future has in store for The Game and the WWE main event scene:

- Whether WWE realizes it or not, John Cena remains the company's top star. What do you do with him? Does he remain in the world title picture, or does he move down the card into an upper-midcard feud?

- What do you do with Randy Orton? He's been too good for too long to take him out of the main event scene, but sticking with a Triple H vs. Orton feud much longer may get stale. Maybe we get a Hell in a Cell blowoff match next month.

- With his King of the Ring victory, is William Regal elevated into a main event feud with Triple H? Will fans buy him in such a position?

- How about Mr. Kennedy? Umaga? JBL?

- Does C.M. Punk cash in his Money in the Bank title shot against The Game for a pay per view main event?

- Does Jeff Hardy return to a top-level spot upon his return from a suspension and become a world title contender?

- Does Triple H turn heel, opening up a lot of new possibilities for babyface title challengers, including Shawn Michaels?

- Does WWE hold another draft lottery and move some fresh faces to Raw, such as Rey Mysterio, Batista, or M.V.P.?

Some of those questions will likely be answered in a few hours. With Triple H making his first appearance as world champion, Kennedy returning, and Regal's coronation, tonight's Raw from the Meadowlands promises to be fairly newsworthy.

(Photo credit: WWE.com)

I don't mean to make this a video game blog - especially since I primarily use my PS2 to watch ROH DVD's - but some of the guys from Midway were kind enough to take me backstage at a recent taping of TNA iMPACT! and tell me about TNA's new videogame, which comes out this September. They also supplied me with this awesome 'making of' video.

Having been lucky enough to get an early preview of the game, I can honestly say it's the best looking wrestling game I've ever seen, loaded with plenty of new and innovative features, and very easy game play. I haven't picked up a game control in some time, but I'll definitely be picking up this game when it comes out.

Just a few days ago, I caught up with Midway Executive Producer Scot Lane and talked to him about the highly-anticipated iMPACT! game, which will be available for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PS2:

Alfonso Castillo: How will this game be different than other wrestling games in the past?

Scot Lane: This is a difficult one because we were heavily influence by a few games from the past (No Mercy, Fire Pro, and a few others) That said, we feel our combat and animation speed/quality will be faster and more responsive that other games. I can’t stress enough how much time and energy we put into making our combat look and feel smooth and responsive.

AC: What are some new and unique features?

SL: One big feature is the Ultimate-X. This is a match unique to TNA where there is a large “X” hanging from two ropes crossing well above the ring. The idea is to get up there and untie the X. First one to do that wins, but it is not so easy when your opponent(s) is trying to stop you. We also have lots of moves that to my knowledge have never been in a wrestling game and we are looking so forward to getting them in the hands of the fans.

AC: What was it like working with the stars of TNA?

SL: The entire group is amazing and professional. Every time we get together for a photo shoot, motion shoot, game review, or press event something fun takes place. Some of the guys are here so often, they feel like part of the team. We’ve all learned so much about wrestling and their input will be seen in the game. They’ve really helped us learn a lot of the subtleties both in and out of the ring.

AC: How closely will the game simulate the experience of watching - or even taking part in - an intense and dramatic wrestling match?

SL: Our goal is to recreate a TNA match so I hope it looks and feels as intense and dramatic as it does when you watch. I know the wrestlers sure enjoy playing the game and they really get into it. We have created a replica of the Impact Zone in Orlando, we have amazing looking characters and we have the ringside announcers Mike Tennay and Don West so we feel we’ve done everything we can to put you in the ring during a TNA match!

AC: How far has the wrestling video game genre come from Midway's days of "WrestleMania: The Arcade Game"?

SL: It is funny you ask because we have two guys here (Sal DiVita and Mark Turmell) who created WrestleMania for Midway. Sal brought the arcade machine here that we play from time to time. I think it is safe to say we’ve come a long long long way but we have a lot more power driving our engine. We are 60FPS and we take the Wrestling aspect a lot more serious, WrestleMania had a lot of fantasy aspects to it. TNA treats wrestling with the legitimacy it deserves.

Been out of town the past couple of days, and came back to read the news online about Michael Hayes' suspension.

Thought I'd offer some thoughts on the situation.

So I guess there's a Pay-Per-View on Sunday? This is the time of year (from WrestleMania through SummerSlam) when I don't really pay attention much. So based on what little I know of the build-up, here's my predictions for Sunday's show.

I've been out of town the past couple of days, and I'm just catching up on all the Michael Hayes news postings. Later today I'll be posting my thoughts on that situation.

In the meantime, while we're on the subject of the WWE creative team, here's a blog entry I started writing late last week -- many of you have asked my opinion of Raw head writer Brian Gewirtz.

Long Island's own New York Wrestling Connection returns to the Deer Park Community Center tomorrow (Saturday) night with an 8 p.m. bell time. The show includes appearances by the former Eugene, of WWE fame, and Missy Hyatt, as well as all of NYWC's terrific young talent.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. The Deer Park Community Center is at 41 Homer Avenue, and doors open at 7 p.m. For more information and to buy tickets check out NYWC's web site or call (631) 667-NYWC(6992).

I'm encouraged by how much feedback I've received on my post regarding the apparent hypocrisy in WWE when it comes to race. Let me add a few points:

-However faint it may be, WWE does deserve credit for disciplining Michael Hayes. Hayes may have meant no harm, but a member of management openly calling a black subordinate the N-word in a multi-million dollar, publicly traded company can't be tolerated. That goes without saying.

- Not every gimmick that incorporates a wrestler's ethnicity or nationality is inherently wrong. I've never really had a problem with the portrayal of Davey Boy Smith, Finlay or even Kofi Kingston. Somebody made a comment that Tito Santana's El Matador gimmick was handled with respect and was an acknowledgment of his roots. I can accept that. The Saba Simba character was not nearly deep enough to get the same benefit of the doubt.

- It does appear that WWE has gotten marginally better in recent years in their portrayal of minority wrestlers. Bobby Lashley, Elijah Burke, Carlito, Shelton Benamin and even MVP have mostly avoided racial stereotyping. Jimmy Wang Yang's character in some ways is just the opposite of a racial stereotype, but in having him so miscast, the intent was to draw attention to how ridiculous it is to have an Asian cowboy. That's not much better that just putting him in a karate gi.

- I don't buy WWE's explanation that some of their characters are meant to be parodies of stereotypes. That's how they've tried to justify such acts as Cryme Tyme, Muhammad Hassan, and maybe one of the most offensive gimmicks WWE has ever created - and one I somehow neglected to mention yesterday - the lawn-mower riding Mexicools. WWE writers are not nearly sophisticated or clever enough to provide the extra layer of depth necessary to make such characters "ironic." I agree that the Hassan character could have worked, but in the end it was just another one-dimensional evil Muslim, who even simulated a beheading in the ring.

- The Cryme Tyme gimmick is among the worst I've ever seen. Bad taste aside, I am not even slightly amused by their antics. I'm less offended as a minority than I am as a fan of good humor.

Jason Powell over at ProWrestling.net reported this morning that Smackdown head writer Michael P.S. Hayes has been suspended from WWE for 60 days for using a racial slur while speaking with Mark Henry over WrestleMania weekend.

As Powell tells it, Hayes jokingly said something to the effect of, "I'm more of a n----- than you are." Mark Henry spoke up to management about it, and Hayes got the boot.

Let me take the opportunity to commend WWE for taking such a hard line on the matter. There is clearly no room for racism in WWE, and it's encouraging to see they stood behind Henry - you know, the guy they refer to as a "Silverback" gorilla, and who previously played the role of "Sexual Chocolate" and a member of the black militant faction The Nation of Domination.

I mean what kind of message would it send to such young African American superstars as Cryme Tyme - the two black wrestlers whose gimmick it is to rob people - or other ethnic superstars, such as the "Samoan savage" Umaga and the bumbling Funaki, who I believe speaks fine English in real life - if they allowed such racism to go unanswered? Why, it would be a disservice to all the minority wrestlers who have paved the way, such as Tony Atlas, who was re-cast as the spear-chucking African warrior "Saba Simba" in the early 1990's, or the sombrero-wearing "El Matador" Tito Santana.

Racism and racial stereotypes cannot and will not be tolerated in WWE - the home of jolly, rapping tag team Men on a Mission, Asian martial arts expert Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat - who is from Hawaii, voodoo practitioner Papa Shango, car theives Eddie and Chavo Guerrero, and Iraqi sympathizer Muhammad Hassan, whose parents are Jordanian and Italian.

Good for you WWE.

I've now decided not to vote.

MAN was that pathetic.

If you haven't picked up an issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated in a while, I'd reccomend hitting the newstand and picking up the latest edition. In addition to a really terrific compillation of the greatest Ric Flair covers of all time, it also features the annual PWI Poll.

You can see a preview of the magazine and subscribe at PWI's official web site.

The magazine says the poll was put together using the results of a survey of subscribers. Seeing as how PWI remains the last bastion of kayfabe, it's hard to tell how legit the poll is. But regardless, the results are intriguing. I thought I'd highlight some of the more interesting questions and the poll's findings.

. Who is pound-for-pound the best wrestler in the world?
Number one response: Bryan Danielson
That's a pretty impressive showing for the American Dragon, who scored higher than even Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle. I guess the one caviat is the whole "pound-for-pound" deal, which tends to favor smaller wrestlers. But nevertheless, anyone who has seen a sample of Danielson's work might tend to agree.

. Who is the most under rated wrestler?
Number one response: Paul London
I agree with that one, too. The immediate reaction by some people reading those results might be, "Who cares about Paul London? He's just a jobber." But that's just it - He shouldn't be. More than anyone I can think of, London has been the most unfairly miscast because of his size. He can be so much more than just a bump-taker or high spot artist - a lot, lot more.

. Is wrestling better or worse than it was five years ago?
Number one response: Better.

There was actually a lot of quality wrestling produced in 2003 - mostly from WWE's Smackdown brand, which was dominated by a fantastic feud between Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar. But there was also a lot of crap, including the return of Goldberg, Scott Steiner headlining pay per views, Zack Gowen, and Vince vs. Stephanie. I'll take Randy Orton, Edge and even John Cena over that junk. Although I do miss Brock.

.If WWE could add one name to its talent pool, who would it be?
Number one response: Kurt Angle

Angle is definitely the one that got away, and never was that more apparent than at last week's Lockdown when he put on a performance that could potentially revolutionize the way pro wrestling looks in the future. WWE is worse off without him, although I'm happy to see Angle having reclaimed some semblance of quality of life in TNA.

. What is keeping TNA from truly competing with WWE?
Number one response: Problems in creative

TNA has the talent, production, budget and support to make a real run at the big time, but until it shakes things up, it can only grow so much. It seems everybody knows that but the people who can make a difference.

There are something like 50 questions in all, and it's a fun read. Highly recommended.

As corny as they were, I enjoyed the presidential candidates' appearances on Raw last night. As a longtime wrestling fan, it was pretty cool to think the WWE has the kind of pull to get all three candidates to tape interviews specifically targeting wrestling fans, and invoking the the name of Randy Orton. WWE even got mentions in the top stories of network newscasts.

I understand Seth's point that, in many ways, the wrestling business does not deserve the endorsement of the candidates - what with its seedy culture of drugs, stereotypes, misogyny and early deaths. But I don't think this was the forum for any of the candidates to take a stand against wrestling's problems, any more so than they should blast steroid use in baseball every time they attend a game. Wrestling has a unique appeal to young people and the candidates' appearances weren't a stamp of approval on the wrestling product (well, maybe McCain's was) as much as they were an attempt to target a specific demographic. They were smart to use WWE's forum.

Yesterday, I predicted how each candidate would do, and I think I hit the nail right on the head. Hillary was especially hacky, unnatural and awkward; Obama was the coolest and most comfortable - but also gave the most political speech; and McCain had the most fun with it - almost embarrassingly so.

Here's a transcript of what each one said:

UPDATE: Here's the video.

So the people in WWE's P.R. office are probably doing cartwheels right now, what with all three presidential candidates offering videos for tonight's Raw, to try and swing younger viewers to their side.

It's a huge moment for WWE, as they now have a big weapon in their back pocket for the next time a wrestler dies in his mid-30s.

Anyhoo, I'll be curious to see what each candidate offers -- and Obama's doing himself a disservice if he doesn't end his video with "If you smell what Barack is cooking" -- but I have a few topics I think the candidates should address on the show.

McCain should address why there aren't very many WWE wrestlers who are as old as him. This guy was a PRISONER OF WAR and yet he's lived a rich, fulfilling life. And yet there's guys half as old as him whose job it is to pretend to punch and kick each other, and these men -- role models for America's youth -- are dying young as WWE sits back and profits off their lives and their deaths.

Clinton should address why WWE continues to portray women as nothing but objects to be glorified for men, only to be valued for their bodies, as victims of violence whenever men feel like it. Also, I'd be curious why someone who touts health care as a top priority would be so quick to appear on a show for a company that doesn't offer health care to the people who put their bodies through hell for them.

Obama should address why WWE continues to portray minorities as bumbling fools, often as "bad guys" to incur the wrath of crowds. And for someone who went to such lengths to distance himself from a former pastor who preached such hate, it's amazing that Obama would appear on a program that encourages such violence and hatred.

(And P.S., while Obama's at it, he should apologize to The Rock for stealing his gimmick!)

I can understand why the candidates jump at the chance to offer a free message to a live audience the day before a huge political moment.

But by connecting themselves to a product that in many ways goes against everything they claim to stand for, they do nothing but reinforce the stereotypes that many people have of politicians already.

There’s a lot of anticipation going into tonight’s three-hour Monday Night Raw, which is being built around the return of the King of the Ring tournament.

WWE has given no info so far on the format of the tournament, how many wrestlers will be involved, and who those wrestlers are. With three hours to fill, the show should be able to feature an eight-man, three-round tournament, presumably featuring the brand’s mid-card talent.

From a quick glimpse of WWE’s Raw roster (assuming it is limited to that brand) there is one name that sticks out above the rest as a likely heir to the throne.

To say the least, Mr. Kennedy’s last 12 months have been a roller coaster of career highs and lows. After winning WrestleMania 23’s Money in the Bank ladder match a year ago, Kennedy was clearly being groomed as a main event wrestler, and possibly even a world champion. In fact, when then-Smackdown world champion The Undertaker was forced to the sidelines with an injury, there was some speculation that Kennedy would cash in his MITB shot and win the SD! title.

But after suffering an untimely injury, Kennedy lost his MITB title shot to Edge, who went on to win the Smackdown title.

Even though he didn’t get the title, Kennedy was in line for quite the consolation prize. Kennedy was reportedly the original pick to be revealed as the illegitimate son of Mr. McMahon in a storyline that would have lead to a main event feud with Triple H. But Kennedy lost that spot after he was suspended for violating the WWE wellness policy. Making matters worse, weeks earlier Kennedy trumpeted the policy and blasted its critics in various blog posts and media appearances. For making a fool out of himself and his employer, Kennedy soon found himself in the doghouse.

Since then Kennedy has flirted with some main event matches and had notable feuds against Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair. But WWE management has clearly been gun shy about investing in the Greenbay native once again.

I think enough time had passed that WWE will get Kennedy’s push back on track again. Whatever WWE saw in Kennedy a year ago is still there, and in fact, Kennedy has improved both as a wrestler and a character over the last year.

He doesn’t have all the pieces to be an ideal main event player, but he had enough to make him worth the investment. Winning the King of the Ring Tournament would be a good first step.

Some other candidates from the Raw side:

Lance Cade: I’ve heard this idea tossed around and I like it. I’m not terribly hopeful that it will happen, but I certainly like the idea of using the tourney to elevate a relatively-obscure midcarder. Cade’s partner, Lance Murdoch, would also be a decent choice.

William Regal: He’s certainly tailor-made to play the role of a royal jerk, but Regal is probably too old and too inactive to get this kind of consideration.

Carlito: He also fits the bill of established mid-carder waiting for a big break, but I don’t think WWE brass sees him as a top level star.

Paul Burchill: He’s been mostly relegated to Sunday Night Heat duty, so he’s a long shot to say the least.

Santino Marella: I like Marella a lot, but don’t think he has the credibility to be KOTR - much less win three matches in a night.

Umaga: Certainly has the main event experience, but his savage gimmick wouldn’t fit with wearing the KOTR crown

If the tournament includes wrestlers from other brands, I think the one other ideal fit for the crown would be Smackdown’s Montel Vontavius Porter. The crown would adorn the rest of his bling nicely.

WWE owes me a check for royalties.

Word is that presidential candidates Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain will be making appearances on tonight's Monday Night Raw. WWE has been promoting a wrestling match involving Obama and Clinton for a couple weeks now.

I first proposed a triple threat match involving the three candidates several weeks ago. However, rather than on Raw, I thought the match should take place at WrestleMania - you know, to help boost the buy rate. Nevertheless, I've been ripped off!

In all seriousness, I usually roll my eyes at WWE's publicity stunts, which tend to be rather corny and tasteless. But if McCain, Obama and Clinton actually taped footage for WWE, I think that's a terrific feather in the cap of the company, and a testament to pro wrestling's far reaching appeal. It can't be worse than the Trump vs. Rosie match last January.

Here's my prediction (Uh-oh, I got in trouble last time I made one of those) on how each candidate will come off.

McCain: He could be a pretty funny guy, and tends not to take himself seriously. I could see him having the most fun with this.

Obama: He also has a good sense of humor, but I could see him being a bit too careful about not saying or doing anything that his critics may find in bad taste. He'll probably smile, make a quick comment, and talk about how important it is for young people to come out and vote.

Clinton: She's not exactly a natural in the comedy department. I could see her trying to play along, but coming off a bit awkward and uncomfortable.

I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out. Between the candidates' appearances and the King of the Ring tournament, we should be in for a pretty memorable Raw tonight.

I've read enough posts critical about my part in falsely building up expectations for ROH's huge announcement that I will acknowledge my own mistake. While I don't think I was wrong to offer my speculation (clearly labeled as such) that the announcement might involve the long-awaited TV deal, I regret if my post set expectations so high. What's more, I did not mean to suggest that ROH officials were wrong for getting hopes up for such an announcement. Nobody at ROH teased anything about a TV deal, although officials have been on the record about working on one.

So, for what it's worth, I apologize.

Nevertheless, none of this gets ROH off the hook for promising a "huge announcement" in a press release sent to the media and failing to deliver. Completely independent of The Steel Cage, on ROH's fan forum Sunday some 140+ posts - far more than for any other topic - speculated about what the announcement could be. They predicted everything from a renewal of the company's PPV deal, to the signing of Rob Van Dam, to a talent exchange program with TNA. Those fans certainly did not get their hopes up from anything I wrote.

I may have set the bar high with my hopes for news of a TV deal, but just about any announcement would have been better than what they delivered - a merchandise sale. I would have been satisfied with the announcement of an epic main event for an upcoming show, or the return of a former ROH star.

It's true that ROH officials have more than earned the benefit of the doubt to allow us all to write this all off as an innocent mistake, but they should be called out on their error and not get a free pass.

Nonetheless, I agree that far too much energy has been spent debating something that really isn't a big deal. I'd much rather talk about how much I'm looking forward to seeing Bryan Danielson take on Naomichi Marufuji at the Hammerstein Ballroom on May 10. It doesn't get much more "huge" than that.

I sure hope ROH's hyped "huge announcement" on its web site today did not refer to the "Spring of Honor" 33%-off-your-next-order sale. The only thing "huge" about that would be the level of exaggeration.

I like a good sale as much as the next guy, but with lots of fans eagerly awaiting news on a TV deal for a while now, ROH officials should really choose their words more wisely.

So I received a press release from Ring of Honor booker Gabe Sapolsky this morning promising a "huge announcement" this Sunday on the company's official web site.

Unlike several wrestling promotions over the years, ROH isn't known for for failing to deliver on promises, so I would guess - and this is mostly speculation - that the announcement will involve the TV deal ROH has been working toward for several years now. I talked to ROH owner Cary Silkin a few weeks back, and he seemed optimistic that a deal would be reached sometime soon.

If that is the announcement, that's a tremendous bit of good news not only for ROH, but for wrestling fans. I know there are loads of wrestling fans that have long heard all the buzz about Ring of Honor, but have never been able to bring themselves to spend money to buy a DVD or a pay per view of a product they have never seen before. I was one of them before buying my first DVD in 2006, and I was instantly hooked.

ROH is to be commended for surviving - and even growing - with such an unorthodox business model, but I think it became rather clear over the last year that a television deal was an absolute must if the promotion wanted to continue its expansion.

Of course, the devil is in the details. A TV deal could mean a Thursday night slot on NBC right after The Office (I somehow doubt it) or it could mean a 2 a.m. Sunday night slot on some obscure cable channel that reaches only a small percentage of homes. Hopefully, it's somewhere in between, and the company gets good support from whatever channel picks them up. Ideally, that would include improving ROH's substandard production quality to give the product a more major league look.

Then again, I could be completely wrong, and the "huge announcement" could be something far less monumental. Maybe Goldberg is turning heel again.

(Photo credit: ROHWrestling.com)

Remember that scene in “About Schmidt” when Jack Nicholson’s character makes the drive to his childhood home, only to find a tire store in its place?

That’s kind of how how I felt about ECW while witnessing Mike Adamle's debut as the new voice of the brand last night. There’s almost nothing left of the Extreme Championship Wrestling that inspired me to take a two hour ride to Orange County, NY, 13 years ago to catch the insanity in person for the first time; or withstand 100-degree-plus temperatures in the overstuffed and un-air conditioned Elks Lodge on many a summer night.

I’m not fooling myself. ECW hasn’t been ECW since WWE re-launched the brand on SciFi, but there was a small bit of comfort and familiarity in listening to Joey Styles put his stamp of approval on the product. Now, even that is gone.

I may be in the minority, but I didn’t have a big problem with WWE hiring Adamle a few months back. Like a lot of boys growing up in the 80s, Mike Adamle’s call of the action on American Gladiators was a fixture on my Saturday afternoons after WWF Superstars. What’s more, in his initial WWE role as a roving analyst and working with a script, Adamle’s experience and professionalism added a dose of sports legitimacy to WWE.

But having Adamle take over the reigns as ECW’s play-by-play commentator has all the makings of a disaster. It’s not a dig at Adamle, but he simply does not know the product nearly well enough to do even an adequate job. And, at nearly 60, he’s much too old to invest the time and energy in developing.

I thought Styles - as castrated as he had been in recent years - was doing a fine job at the announcer’s table, but if WWE brass wanted to go a different direction, that’s their call. That said, there are plenty of better options than Adamle. In fact, I’d be hard pressed to think of a worse one.

Of all WWE’s third-string announcers, I’d say the one with the most potential - even more than Jonathan Coachman - is Todd Grisham, who is young, charismatic, enthusiatic, and knows the WWE product fairly well. Watching his antics on “WWE Experience” on Sunday mornings was a guilty pleasure of mine for the couple years the show was on the air. And even as recently as this year’s Hall of Fame ceremony, Grisham showed his ability to be both witty and professional when called upon. He’s also done an admirable job when called upon to fill in for Jim Ross on Raw.

But WWE decision makers seem intent on shoving their picks down our throats, even to the detriment of their own product. Smackdown has already taken a big hit since Coach replaced JBL behind the mic, and now ECW has taken a turn for the worse, too, with the addition of Adamle.

At least we still have JR and the King.

Your life isn't complete until you've been licked by a Bushwhacker.

If you haven't heard the news, Samoa Joe defeated Kurt Angle Sunday night at TNA's Lockdown pay per view to win the TNA world title. I didn't catch the whole show, but I've since seen some snippets of it on Youtube. I thought I'd share a few observations. Feel free to share your own.

. I'm thrilled for Samoa Joe winning his first "world title" and think it's a wise move for TNA, although I would have wished that the title change would have received more hype, and taken place on a bigger show that TNA's annual clustermess, "Lockdown" - which, by featuring all cage matches, severely lessens the significance of the stipulation. Nonetheless, TNA should be commended for putting their top title on a "TNA original" (even though that's pretty disputable, as well) rather than another WWE/WCW castoff.

(Photo credit: TNAWrestling.com)

It was great to hear that WWE is bringing back the King of the Ring tournament as a one-night event next week on a special three-hour Raw.

Before it was brought to pay per view in 1993, the KOTR was a one-night single elimination tournament held each year at house shows in the New England area. For almost a decade, the tournament was the focal point of WWE's annual June pay per view offering.

Similar to what the Money in the Bank ladder match winner has become in recent years, the King of the Ring winner was traditionally a WWE mid carder that was being groomed for a top spot in the cards, if not a world title run. Some of the Kings went on to become greats in the industry, while others were colossal flops.

Counting only the winners of the PPV tournaments, here are my rankings of their majesties.

I caught up with the Briscoe Brothers after ROH's first night in Orlando over WrestleMania weekend.
If you're not a fan of ROH and have never seen Mark and Jay in action, I can honestly tell you that it is not an exaggeration to say that they are the best tag team in country right now, and have been for a while. Of all the acts that TNA and WWE are overlooking, the biggest may be the Briscoes, who would almost immediately add new depth and legitimacy to any tag team division they joined.
The Briscoes are not only tremendous wrestlers, but, more importantly, they have a polished, cohesive act.
Proving that, if done right, a tag team division can be a focal point of a wrestling promotion and a major draw, the Briscoes have long been one of ROH' very top acts. They even headlined ROH's third pay per view, "Man UP" - which was named after the team's motto. If you haven't seen that match - in which they took on Kevin Steen and El Generico - I can't encourage you enough to seek it out.

I've only just begun reading Bret Hart's long-awaited autobiography, and already I can tell you that in my opinion, it's the greatest wrestling book ever.

It's brutally honest. It's historically accurate. And unlike the vast majority of wrestling books -- written by guys who are either on Vince's payroll or want to be -- Bret is at a level where he can say what he wants about people without fear of repercussions. And he's so respected, you have to put stock in everything he says.

I'm still far from done with it (it's more than 500 pages), but I'm just blown away. It's not officially scheduled for U.S. release until later this year, but there's a few sites out there that sell it -- I bought mine from Highspots -- and even at 35 bucks, it's worth every freakin' penny.

I'll review it more fully once I've gotten through the whole thing. And please, if you've read it, let me know what you guys think.

Remember Linda Miles? She played the forgettable role of the Bashams’ dominatrix/manager Shaniqua. She disappeared off the face of the wrestling world in 2004. Few fans noticed.

Jackie Gayda stuck around a little bit longer most recently in TNA - but her impact was almost equally negligible. Her biggest claim to fame in wrestling was marrying Charlie Haas.

If the forgettable wrestling careers of those two women are not enough evidence that the wrong person won the second season of WWE’s Tough Enough six years ago, I would refer you to look up whatever happened to the first runner up.

Some of you might recall that “Kenny,” as he was simply known at the time, showed tremendous athleticism and heart during the MTV reality series, and was considered a lock to win one of the two WWE contracts. But, instead both of the spots went to the ladies.

Well, while attending a Ring of Honor show in Orlando over WrestleMania weekend, I noticed a familiar face walking into the ring as a member of the stable of flashy, arrogant heels, "Young, Rich and Ready for Action." I later recognized “Kenny King,” as he is now known, as the former WWE hopeful. King, a regular in ROH’s Florida-based sister promotion Full Impact Pro wrestling, really shone on this night, and did not at all look out of place among the elite athletes of ROH.

Even after being dealt a pretty big blow six years ago, it was nice to see Kenny was still at it - if only for love of the game.

After the show, King was kind enough to talk to me for a few minutes. Check it out.

A few random thoughts as I click through "Wild Kingdom" month on WWE 24-7:

-- Ya gotta check out Wrestle War '90, if for no other reason than to see this red-headed guy on the Skyscrapers. He could really be something in this business.

-- That gimmick where the snake bites Randy Savage's arm is still one of the sickest things in the history of wrestling.

-- Yes, that is a young Owen Hart competing under a mask as the Blue Angel in that house show from 1988.

-- My favorite moment of the month is during the classic RAW, watching Vince crack up as Paul Bearer starts to tell the back story of Kane, realizing how ridiculous the whole thing is.

-- And finally I come to the Jake Roberts "Pick Your Poison" documentary. The fact that they made this thing was just staggering to me. For all WWE's talk about that ridiculous wellness policy, to offer this as part of the programming is downright ludicrous.