Heyman Hustle Shines on Pay-Per-View

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Money in the Bank was an excellent event that pulled out all the stops and produced a great moment when Paul Heyman blindsided CM Punk with a ladder and cost him the MITB briefcase. These moments are normally reserved for Monday Night Raw. It’s not hard to understand why, considering that more people will always watch free Raw than a pay-per-view. Still, I would have bet any amount of money that the turn would have happened on Raw and build to a Brock Lesnar vs. CM Punk match at Summer Slam.

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How Did You Become A Wrestling Fan?

(Column written for gerweck.net)

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and while we all have things in our life to be thankful for, I think wrestling can appear on that list in some way, shape, or form. Wrestling fans come from all walks of life and all of us having our own likes and dislikes about the business. Some are casual WWE fans while others are hardcore fans who simply can’t get enough of their favorite pastime.

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Ten Greatest WCW Cruiserweights of All-Time

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The international flavor of WCW’s Cruiserweight division produced some of the most innovative wrestling matches and served as the launching pad to some of the biggest names in the industry. The hot potato nature of its title reigns makes it impossible to rank the wrestlers by championship merit.

Oftentimes, these matches would not only open the show but downright steal it. Jushin Liger and Brian Pillman deserve honorable mentions in this conversation. Their matches took place in the Light Heavyweight division, a precursor to the Cruiserweight division, and put lighter-weight classes in professional wrestling on the map in the United States. Today, we rank the top ten WCW Cruiserweights of all time.

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Five Move’s That No Other Wrestler Should Do

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Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery in professional wrestling. But let’s be honest, there are certain moves that wrestlers just shouldn’t do. Over the years, a particular wrestler has perfected a move with such crisp efficiency that no one will ever come close to mirroring its execution. There are five moves on my list that wrestlers should stay away from because it will never be done as well as their predecessor who brought it into the limelight.

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Vladimir The Wrestling Superfan Is #1

If you watched WWF in the ’80s and ’90s, then you probably recognize the person pictured above in the glasses. His name is Vladimir, aka the superfan. He was wrestling’s equivalent to Where’s Waldo as he was a permanent fixture in the front row of the major events from Wrestlemania to SummerSlam. I remember seeing him at all those shows and just being in awe of how he got such good seats at every event and how cool it must have been to witness all of those spectacular matches in person.

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Monday Night Raw Going Permanently To Three Hours In July

If I was still an innocent wrestling fan who never discovered the IWC, read a newsletter or smartened up by my time on the independent scene, I would have been ecstatic about Raw moving to three hours on a permanent basis. My sense of occasion is non-existent because the company can barely write an entertaining two hour show, and three hours runs a great risk of watering down the product and burning out the fans. The ratings are always down during the first hour of a  three hour Raw because people forget about the earlier start time and let’s face it, the steak and potatoes are not on the plate until the beginning of the second hour. 

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Confessions of a Wrestling Superfan Chapter 3: Mom and I Attend Monday Nitro

Mother’s Day has come and gone, and one of the memories that stands out to me is the time my Mom and I saw WCW Monday Nitro at the Fleet Center in Boston.

It was my sophomore year of high school, and my best friend was grounded the Friday before the event. My Mom hinted she wanted to go, but what teenager wants to have their Mom tag along with them to a wrestling show?

I pretended not to pick up on the hints because I was sure I’d find someone to accompany me.

Yeah, not so much.

Monday arrived, and no sooner did I turn the door knob to leave for the train station did my Mom ask if I had found anyone to go with me. I shrugged it off and told her I decided to go by myself.

“Oh…well, have fun,” she replied in a disappointing tone. I immediately felt guilty. The angsty teenager in me turned to her and said: “I guess you can come if you really want to.”

Continue reading “Confessions of a Wrestling Superfan Chapter 3: Mom and I Attend Monday Nitro”

WCW S.L.A.M. FORCE #1 Review

I can’t believe I forgot about this gem produced by World Championship Wrestling and released by Marvel Comics. S.L.A.M. Force (Secret Legion Against Monsters) was a group put together as a covert group to battle supernatural forces of evil. The members of this elite fighting forces is an interesting selection, to say the least.

Their first mission takes them to Antarctica where our warriors of the squared circle have to stop some bad guys from uncovering the missing link and using its powers for world domination. These comic books came with each purchase of a Slam Force action figure. The story is cheesy but it’s “Great Expectations” compared to the Ultimate Warrior’s comic book. Now, let’s meet our heroes.

Chirs Benoit: Kind of has a Wolverine thing going on. Makes sense since it was his nickname
Kevin Nash: Has a rock & roll Thor type of character. The giant hammer is appropriate since he is in a Sledge Hammer match this Sunday and it can be used in burying people which he is an expert at
Bill Goldberg: “Hulk Smash” first & asks questions later. Makes an error or two for a poor lack of judgement in the book
Bret Hart: Marvel gave him the Hawkeye treatment. No powers. Expert with an bow & arrow. Makes sense since his name is the “Hitman”. I just don’t know how we can expect him to fight the forces of evil with the guy who ended his career in Goldberg

If you would like to read the book in its entirety then click here 

Sting: They and made him Morbius. He is the leader of this pitiful little band.

Macho Man Randy Savage 1952 – 2011

“In our culture, when a pro wrestler dies, it’s the equivalent as a superhero dying.” Unknown

Sunday, August 28, 1988, was the first time Randy Savage entered my life. I was 7 years old, channel surfing, looking for something to watch on TV. I landed on channel WLVI 56, and these two larger than life individuals who called themselves the “Mega Powers” told me about the dastardly deeds perpetrated by the Million Dollar Man and Andre the Giant. Continue reading “Macho Man Randy Savage 1952 – 2011”