Whoop dee do. It’s time for Impact Wrestling… remember how the weeks leading up to Destination X were really good shows, and promising that TNA was turning things around? Me neither. Let’s hop to this, I suppose.
TMZ reports:
Florida Highway Patrol tells TMZ … Savage was driving his 2009 Jeep Wrangler when he veered across a concrete median … through oncoming traffic … and “collided head-on with a tree.”
Savage was transported to Largo Medical center, where he died from his injuries.
Savage’s wife was a passenger in the vehicle during the collision — but survived with “minor injuries.” She was transported to a different local hospital where she was treated.
I grew up watching “Macho Man” Randy Savage on television each and every week. I started to become a fan during Savage’s initial WWE Championship run, culminating with his match at WrestleMania V with Hulk Hogan. When I woke up this afternoon and saw that TMZ was reporting Savage passed, I refused to believe it, but the news is spreading like wildfire and I can’t pretend forever.
Randy Savage, for me, was the premiere architect of what a professional wrestler should be. Detail oriented in the ring, and entertaining as hell outside of it. When “Pomp & Circumstance” came through the PA at a wrestling event, you knew you were in for something special.
I’m at a complete loss for words, so I’ll leave you with one of my favorite Macho Man quotes.
“The camera is that way, yeah. Sense of direction I’ve always had, but a little help along the way, just like a good quick shove, is somethin’ nice to have, yeah!”
Please feel free to leave your Macho Man memories in the comments below!
RIP Randy “Macho Man” Savage
May you two be reunited...
The build to TNA Sacrifice continues… or so I’m told. I’m not sure how many people order the PPV’s, after all. Nonetheless, this is the first taped episode since we saw Obama use Hogan’s Real American theme song on Saturday’s event, and the declaration that Osama is dead. Theoretically, TNA iMPACT has lots of news worthy stuff they can use to stroke Hogan’s ego. I hear they are also no longer called TNA either…. or so they say… let’s find out, shall we?
(more…)
Ahhhhhhh Wrestlemania. The very name conjures up countless images which have both thrilled and entertained millions upon millions of people, never failing to lose its appeal in almost 30 years. It’s actually scary for yours truly to think that the very fist ‘Mania I can recall was way, way back in 1990 – when the “Immortal” Hulk Hogan was set to square off with the lunacy that was The Ultimate Warrior. Title for title, muscle-bound behemoth versus muscle-bound behemoth. It’s surely an iconic moment in the history of World Wrestling Entertainment and serves as a welcome reminder of just how much excitement Wrestlemania can cause.
Well here we are the time of year that is almost Wrestlemania time as college basketball hits it’s tournament to crown a National Champion (GO ORANGE!) but since this is a wrestling website, and Wrestlemania is only 2 weeks away I think there should be some wrestlemaina talk so lets go: (more…)
Coming hot off the heels as possibly the worst PPV of all time, TNA has some problems to deal with. First, Jeff Hardy screwed up again, showing up likely high as a kite and Sting refused to work with him. Second, they gave us a non-finish for the number one contender’s match between Mr. Anderson and RVD. Third, Some Internet Guy had possibly the best match on the card with AJ Styles. What in the hell?
(more…)
Inexcusable. Indefensible. Despicable. Potentially life-threatening. Willful recklessness bordering on the unconscionable. It was really bad. (more…)
Last week TNA shot their proverbial load all over my television screen like they’d been free-basing Charlie Sheen all night. What will they have in store for us this week? Did they actually have anything planned for the show other than the Jersey Shore’s Angelina having a match? Do they even remember they have a PPV on Sunday? Doubtful. But there’s only one terrible way to find out.
(more…)
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to witness a new experience for me. It couldn’t have been any better. Ring of Honor had a live Internet Pay Per View (iPPV) on gofightlive.tv. It was a wonderful experience. I got to sit on the computer for a little bit and watch some really good wrestling. My wife got the tv and watched so many JFK documentaries, she calls Oliver Stone a poser. It was a nice experience, and we didn’t fight over the remote and both actually enjoyed our evening.
I fell in love with Ring of Honor all over again. I watched it when it was first created, but I had not really kept up with it. As a wrestling fan who despises the very thought of TNA existing, is tentatively getting back into the WWE’s product, can only watch AAA on Galavision for so long before my mind gets tired of listening to Spanish and can only go to so many live wrestling shows per month because I’m a husband and father before I’m a wrestling fan, Ring of Honor (ROH) fills a lot of holes for me. For those of you who haven’t discovered it, here are 10 Reasons to Watch ROH.
1. The price. WWE’s PPV’s are a whopping $44.95, $10 more for HD. Ring of Honor was $14.95. And they didn’t have some length promo bringing out Trish Stratus. I love Trish more than anything, but did she really belong being reintroduced on a PPV? I don’t think there was a single ROH fan tweeting that night that didn’t feel they got their money’s worth several times over.
2. Steve Corino storyline. I think that we can admit that Steve Corino has been one of the best heels of the past decade. The storyline now is that Steve Corino is trying to atone for his many sins. He’s trying to be a good guy. He still feels that urge to be bad. So now there is a kind of Incredible Hulk vs. Bruce Banner struggle.
3. Grizzly Redwood. My theater teacher in high school would always make us come up with verbs for our characters’ motivation. And she said to always go with the most interesting choice. Grizzly Redwood is a little guy. He plays the big burly lumberjack, which is ironic and a fun choice. He’s a great, scrappy babyface.
4. Kyle O’Reilly. The ironic thing is that I was not looking for O’Reilly’s matches. I was searching for Adam Cole, and I found a match where he was wrestling Kyle O’Reilly. And all respect to Adam Cole, but I was blown away by O’Reilly’s work. He’s sensational and worth watching.
5. El Generico. When it comes to chants, El Generico’s makes me happy. I even tried doing it for my local indy and their wrestler Lucha Lucha. The crowd did not appreciate the “Ole!” chant. However the Texas Rangers do “O’Day” for reliever Darren O’Day. He’s a great gimmick and a great reason to watch.
6. Sara del Ray. Most women on TNA & WWE look like they came off the page of a porn magazine. They teach women that they are never anything unless their cup size is double letters or look like the page of a porn magazine. Not that del Ray isn’t pretty or isn’t attractive, but she’s a strong female athletic wrestler. Plus, she’s a great heel and the woman you love to hate.
7. Kings of Wrestling. Kings of Wrestling are a Tag Team that seems like they could be very successful singles wrestlers, yet they are a tag team. They have an amazing swagger and work incredibly well as a team. They own the ring, and they own the Tag Team Division. And with respect to Beer Money and Motor City Machine Guns, they are the best Tag Team in wrestling.
8. TV Title. Most fans probably hate this, but I’ll admit it. I like the title. I’m ok with a DQ or countout. I’m ok with time limit draws. Matter of fact, I wish there were more time limit draws. I used to love the TV title, because Lord Steven Regal always found a way to last long enough. If you wanted that title, you had to win and you had to win in 10 minutes.
9. The Briscoes.I remember watching some early Briscoes matches, CZW, ROH, etc. I’m going to be honest. They didn’t show me anything. They were just two brothers who looked alike and were ugly as sin. This match they had against Haas & Benjamin was the real first time they had ever shown me anything. I think I finally “get it.” They showed me something for the first time. They still aren’t any prettier, but I finally “saw something.”
10. Shelton Benjamin done right. I could write a whole blog of how the WWE dropped the ball on Shelton Benjamin. With respect to John Morrison, he is perhaps the most athletically-gifted wrestler I’ve ever seen. Do you remember that match he had against Triple-H in a time when The Game DID NOT LOSE? How about his match against Shawn Michaels (That one was for bragging rights between me and my then-fiance)? And then they brought in his mother, failed sitcom veteran Thea Vidale. And I saw a great athlete ruined because of poor booking. Ring of Honor understands how to do Shelton Benjamin right. No stupid gold hair. No failed sitcom actress. No reference to his criminal past. Just a great athlete being a great athlete.
To follow me on Twitter, click here. For Facebook, click here.
They’ve been hyping this particular episode for a while… there will be a wedding, the result of the ongoing legal issues surrounding ownership of TNA, Angelina from the Jersey Shore, Velvet Sky’s career is on the line… and something else… what was that thing they did last week again… signed the Undertaker? Hmm… no that’s not it…
(more…)