Oldschool
12-07-2007, 09:41 AM
Welcome to Wrestle-net Weekly News For December 1st, 2007
Please go to Wrestle-net or FOW and vote for your favorite WNWN Column! Good luck to all who entered!!!
Pictures Of The Week featuring PWU Wrestling, Credit pwu_chick
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/JoannHutch/PWU%20Power%20Surge%20TV%2011-17-07/Picture001.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/JoannHutch/PWU%20Power%20Surge%20TV%2011-17-07/Picture019.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/JoannHutch/PWU%20Power%20Surge%20TV%2011-17-07/Picture054.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/JoannHutch/PWU%20Power%20Surge%20TV%2011-17-07/Picture055.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/JoannHutch/PWU%20Power%20Surge%20TV%2011-17-07/Picture056.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/JoannHutch/PWU%20Power%20Surge%20TV%2011-17-07/Picture096.jpg
Wrestling News Highlights, credit SEScoops except for the first article, which is from Keelan Balderson
OVW To Close Down?
It hasn't been the most newsworthy day today, but I found it quite
interesting that the once highly acclaimed development territory OVW
looks to be on its last legs. The morale in Ohio Valley has been low
for a long while now and with increasing heat on Al Snow it looks to
be closing down.
New Jericho Interview
- Chris Jericho was online this past Wednesday afternoon with The Washington Post Online answering questions from fans about his career, return and his new book. Here is the full transcript courtesy of The Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2007/11/23/DI2007112300640.html
Chris Jericho: We're ready to rock it.
Falls Church, Va.: Chris, was it disappointing to you at all that your return probably was the worst-hidden secret in the business in the past five years? Or that it took place in South Florida, where fans really don't cheer for anything (and have nothing to cheer for ... I went to school in Miami, I can say this)?
Chris Jericho: No, not at all. I think that it was very cool. It wasn't intended to be much of a secret. That's why we gave them clues and basically told them the week before that it was me. I likened it to a movie trailer. And as far as the fans, I thought they were awesome, jumping up and down. Not everyplace can be Chicago, which is the best city. But I was happy with the way everything came out.
Washington: It was great to see you back on RAW last Monday. About your bio: What made you decide this was a good time for you to share your story?
Chris Jericho: It was one of the things I wanted to do for a while and when I decided to take a break from the WWE I thought it was a good time. And even more importantly I thought it was a unique story of a guy who traveled the world and went to Japan and Germany through wrestling. I knew it was going to take time to do and I wanted to put 100 percent of my effort into it, so that was one of the things I wanted to do when I left the WWE.
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Portland, Ore.: Chris, I stopped watching wrestling a while ago, but I am still a major Jericholic. I've always wondered about that hilarious series of challenges you laid out to Bill Goldberg on Nitro. Given that there was never a match, were your comments scripted/approved, or were you winging it? Also, where did they dig up Ralphus? Long live the Man of 1004 Holds!
Chris Jericho: You should check out "A Lion's Tale," which has that whole story written in detail. Nothing was ever approved back in the WCW days, you just were given an angle and I made up the rest myself. He hated every minute of it, but that's just how it goes, I was just doing my job. As far as Ralphus was concerned, Goldberg was bringing in security guards, and I wanted some too, but I didn't want tough guys, I wanted goofy looking guys, and he was a truck driver for the company, and I saw Ralphus standing around and asked him if he wanted to be my security guard, and he said "sure, no problem." And that was basically how it all started.
Baltimore: How did you happen to become a pop culture guru that VH1 so heavily relies on? Are those "I Love the '80s" shows as fun as they look?
Chris Jericho: I don't know, I just have this superpower/curse to remember everything that's irrelevant, just all this useless trivia stored up in my head. I never knew what to do with all this useless knowledge, but somehow I got booked for one of those shows and suddenly they started booking me on all of them. So I don't know exactly how it happened, I'm just glad I get to use my useless powers for good.
Arlington, Va.: Hi Chris. I saw your "Me Want Title Match" graphic on Monday's RAW, and I was curious, did the WWE have to get permission to use that image of Cookie Monster? Also, what's the deal with your new metallic vest?
Chris Jericho: Nope, we just used it. Jim Henson can come back and sue use. Think it's kind of public domain.
The metallic vest comes from the same fashion era as the checkerboard outfit I wore and all the sparkly jiffy-pop outfits. You wouldn't understand.
Washington: Have you changed your style at all (eliminated chair shots, etc.) after the studies about concussions? How seriously are wrestlers and the WWE taking that?
Chris Jericho: You have to take it very seriously and protect yourself. I don't think you'll change your style and not take chair shots part of the show is to use angles that make it 100 percent safe. There are guys who weren't doing that, and that was stupid. I've never taken a chair shot to the head because there are ways to avoid that.
Wantagh, N.Y.: Hi Chris, we've just passed the 10 year anniversary of the infamous Montreal Incident. I was wondering how it impacted you as a Canadian wrestler and a former Dungeon student. Has it informed any of the decisions you continue to make?
Chris Jericho: Not really, no. That's such a legendary story, but it's not like the entire industry was up in arms about it. I was in WCW and I knew about it, but everybody has opinions and think they know the whole story, but really only Vince, Shawn and Bret do, and they'd be much more able to answer that question. To me it was interesting, but it didn't really have anything to do with me.
Walls of Jericho: Chris, Triple H suffered his well-publicized torn quadriceps injury in a match involving you. Did you know of his injury during the match? If so, would you have applied your signature move, the "Walls of Jericho," which puts considerable stress on the quadriceps?
Chris Jericho: I knew he was hurt, because he told me so, and I asked if he still wanted to do it, and he said yes. When the match is going on, the show must go on. He wanted to continue on with it and we did it, and I don't know if it made things worse or not. You can't really know those things in hindsight. He felt very strongly about doing it, so we did it.
Washington: Have you found any real differences in either the locker room or in working in front of the crowd since your return? Or does it feel like you never left?
Chris Jericho: Pretty much feels like I never left. Obviously there's some new faces, some guys I've never met before, but wrestling's like a big family and you get to know people pretty deeply when you're around them all the time. And the crowds are he crowds, they're excited, they're great, and some cities are more into it than others, but they're always there to have a good time. That never changes.
Washington: Hey Chris. I've tried to keep up with wrestling lately, but I think sometimes a lot of the performers sometimes take themselves too seriously, and seem more like determined pro football players than "entertainers." How do you keep the balance between being an engaging personality and a wrestler whose abilities are respected?
Chris Jericho: I think you can be entertaining both inside and outside the ring. You have to connect with the crowd in as many ways you can, both during the match and outside of it.
Falls Church, Va.: Early in your career, your "Lion Tamer" submission move was similar to the Boston Crab, but your move included putting your knee to someone's head. As you evolved, the Lion Tamer became the Boston Crab. Was the original submission hold considered too dangerous?
Chris Jericho: No, it was just hard to do to really big guys. I used to do that move to smaller guys, but to do that with a guy like Kane or Big Show or Triple H, it was just to hard to move around that way. I wanted to change it so that it would look the same no matter who I was doing it on.
Seattle: Chris, what are some of the major difference between the wrestling landscape of today, and when you started your career? Also, how integral was your time spent in Japan to your development as a pro wrestler?
Chris Jericho: I think spending the time in Japan that I did was very beneficial, because you were learning a different style and culture, both inside and outside the ring. It really gave me a lot of respect for what I was doing, gave me a lot of discipline, and made me come to terms with myself with regard to whether this was what I really wanted to do. Spending 10-week stretches in a foreign country really let me figure out that this is what I wanted to do in my life. It was really fortunate to go to a Japan and get paid to be there. There are people who save for years to do something like that, but at 19 years old I got to go and make my living there and do what I wanted to do.
Potomac, Md.: Any sense of irony, given that all of the things Y2J said about saving the company in 1999 seem to apply about 100 times more now?
Chris Jericho: Yeah, it's interesting. That is kind of the reason I came up with the "Save Us Y2J" idea. I'm not implying that the company needs to be saved, but I think it needs to be shaken up by someone forthright and creative. I think it is a beneficial situation for everybody to have a character like Jericho involved.
Claverack, N.Y.: Welcome back, Chris. We missed you. Obviously the business has been rocked with some unspeakable tragedies recently, culminating in the horrible loss of Chris Benoit just this past summer. I think you were matched with the Wolverine in your first pay-per-view; could you share with us a bit about what working with him was like?
Chris Jericho: He was probably the best actual technical wrestler I worked with, a tremendous performer and a machine training and a positive influence on me careerwise. I knew him personally for 15 years and he was one of my best friends. Something I deal with every day.
Chris Jericho: That's about it, gotta split. I'm really impressed with the amount and diversity of questions, and that's why Jerichoholics are the best fans in the world.
Rob Van Dam Talks About His Relationship With Triple H
The UK's Power Slam magazine recently interviewed Rob Van Dam. Here is what RVD had to say regarding his relationship -- or non-relationship -- with Triple H:
Is it true you had problems with Triple H when you worked for WWE?
Problems? I had problems liking him. I had problems feeling compatible with him on any other level other than the fact that we're both wrestlers. He would be one of the last guys you would see sharing a car with me. If we weren't both wrestlers, I doubt I'd have anything in common with him.
There were a few occasions -- Unforgiven 2002 springs to mind -- when it seemed like the perfect time for you to defeat Triple H. After he attacked and beat you down on the September 16, 2002 Raw, you sought revenge in a singles bout at Unforgiven six days later. A win there would have been a tremendous boon for you. Meanwhile, a loss for HHH would have done his status no harm at all. As it turned out, HHH won by pinfall. It seemed like he cut you off.
Well, I don't disagree with you. And that's why I'm glad my career is caught on videotape and DVD, so the fans can watch what happened in my career and say it all for me, like you just did.
You've nothing further to add about HHH?
When you're watching RVD TV (his online TV show), don't look for HHH to be in Rob Van Dam's house.
Cruiserweight Title Vacated
- Terry sent the following: I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere, but WWE.com's Superstars page lists the WWE Cruiserweight Championship as being "VACATED."
Masters Speaks On Steroids In WWE, Painkillers, More
Chris Moretzky (a/k/a Chris Masters) was on the Daily Suplex Radio yesterday evening. Moretzky did a very candid and honest interview with the hosts Brian Thomas, Big Luther and Jon. He spoke openly about anabolic use, testosterone use, what it was like backstage in the WWE, hazing backstage, and much more. Here is a recap of what went down in this 50 minute interview:
Chris joined the show doing some cardio on a treadmill as he was training to get back into shape to make his return to wrestling. He has been off the diet and workout regimen for the past month or so.
On being a fan as a kid: Chris loved wrestling growing up and was very into WWF and his favorite wrestler was The Ultimate Warrior.
On going back to WWE: Chris thinks he has an open door to go back at some point, but right now he wants to focus on Japan, the indies and more.
On who came up with the Masterlock Challenge: Chris doesn't remember who came up with the full nelson idea, but he said the plan was always to come up with something that would follow the same lines as the Masterlock where the opponent would have to answer a ten count or get knocked out in some sort. He was also looking for an impact move to use, but never came up with something good.
On the status of his injury: Chris says his arm is about 90% right now and that is why he is starting to work out now.
On paranoia backstage: Chris says that everyone has been worried in the aftermath of the Chris Benoit murders and there are people walking on egg shells backstage.
Was he an example: Possibly, but he was on second strike and from a business standpoint he understands why he was released. He questions the results of his tests as he took three and two of them were negative with only one being positive. Because of this he asked for another test right when he found out. Chris said he wasn't the first and won't be the last to get fired. He said there will be more soon.
On what kind of toll the WWE schedule takes on his body: It takes a toll, but he said it was worth it to him. He talks about how they don't have an off season, and that they travel a lot. He had to weed off of pain killers at one point due to the injuries he suffered.
On pain killer use in the locker room: Chris said they are used, but so is alcohol, steroids and other things. He talked about the difference of using pain killers and abusing them.
On why he was suspended: Chris talks openly about his purchase of anabolic drugs in the Signature Pharmacy scandal. He also talks about his use and is asked about using testosterone.
On the reaction of the veterans to his immediate push: Chris said he was taken under the wing of Shawn and was accepted pretty much right away by the guys. He loved being in the ring with Flair, Triple H and Shawn.
On hazing: Chris said hazing happens all the time and there are people you don't want to get on the bad side of. He mentions JBL as one of them.
On underutilized talents: Chris mentions Carlito as being someone that is a great talent that was not used to his full potential and feels that someone didn't like him up there and that could be why
Carlito was not pushed to his full potential.
On upcoming work: Chris will be working in Japan for legendary promoter and wrestler Antonio Anoki's IGF promotion on December 20th. He is still trying to find out what to use for a ring name and asked the fans to email some ideas.
On TNA: Chris has started to familiarize himself with their program now that he has been off with the injury. He also knows a lot of the guys down there with Angle, Booker T, Cage, Tomko and some of the other guys working in TNA. He would love to see another Monday Night War come out of TNA and WWE and believes that the business would be better if there was one.
This week's Column Of The Week is a classic, written by RHGLazyAzz
My View--Who Will Speak For Me??
Written by RHGLazyAzz
Who will Speak up For Me???
I really wonder if some of you will consider this a wrestling column, since it is not about a wrestler so to speak, but a wrestling family member.
I look back to a few months ago when there was atragic accident involving Nick Hogan and his "passenger." Now I use the term passenger because that is mainly how the media have elected to call him. "The Nick Hogan Passenger" What a way to be remembered.
I tried to find any articles I could to base my opinions on. The first report was by CNN and talks about Hogan seriously injured. Not to much about our other victim. I remembered I thought that there was something about the conditions they were "driving" in. Now I will use that term driving loosely because it has been determined that was indeed a street race occuring at the time of the accident. Not much has been said about that but I have learned that the other driver was indeed a friend and his name was Danny. He was aslo headed to military service. But , the bottom line is that on this day these two drivers felt above the law and decided to street race on a road that was wet. Wet generally means that it has been raining. And most knowledgable drivers know that when a road is wet or damp, it makes them extremely slippery because of all the oil byproducts from cars that collect on road surfaces.According to the police report, the roads were wet at the time of the accident and the driver "disregarded other traffic control." Police sources tell us that the investigation into this case will be wrapped up by the first week in November-- and they should have a decision on whether or not to press charges. Now I am not sure what other traffic control means, unless it refers to spped limit signs or warnings of that nature.
Now Nick seems to show little or even worse, fake remorse. He makes two posts in a blog stating:
On Sept. 7, Nick wrote: "everyone please drive safe and wear your seatbelts, i had mine on and only broke my wrist, john did not and he is in a far worse state than i am.
Known on the site as Supraman111, Nick reported on Sept. 16: "john is expected to make a full recovery its just a slow process for him to wake up because he was in a medically induced coma by a drug called pentabarb which takes weeks to wear off which is why the wake up process is is so slow. his entire body is perfect , he just hit his head."
WHAT!!!! He"just hit his head" . Give me a break I am sure that when running at speeds near 100 MPH that he merely did not just hit his head. How arrogant.But I know why he has this arrogance. As has been reported, Nick Hogan's driving record is appalling. Double offenses in one day, no seat belts, boasting in magazines etc.
It should also be known that drug and alcohol tests were performed on Hogan after this accident. Now whether the truth will be known about the results, that may depend probably on how much Hollywood Hogan is willing to pay. But the accident was so severe for these guys to be flown to the hospital.
There was an emotional prayer vigil in Clearwater, FL for John Graziano. Graziano, a 22-year-old marine, was the passenger in Nick Hogan’s car crash last Sunday. Graziano remains in critical condition after suffering serious head injuries as a result of the crash. Nurse Joanne Jones, who examined Graziano on behalf of the court, wrote in her report: "At this present time, he states his prognosis remains guarded. He states that this young man most likely will spend the remainder of his life in a nursing home."
The Hogan family was absent from the prayer vigil but Ashley said that they have been by Graziano’s bedside since the accident.
The Hogan's have hired Barry Cohen a "Bulldog" attorney for a possible trial against Nick Hogan in regards to his car crash:
Just more than two weeks after their son and a friend were involved in a horrific car accident, the Hogan family has hired a high-profile criminal defense attorney. Professional wrestler Hulk Hogan's son, Nick, will be represented by Barry Cohen.
Considered a courtroom bulldog, Cohen has worked several highly publicized cases, including the defense of Steve and Marlene Aisenberg. Cohen also recently defended school teacher Jennifer Porter, who hit four siblings in Tampa while driving her car, killing two of them. Porter was able, however, to avoid receiving any jail time.
The Hogans are now getting a grip on reality. This was an act of gross negligence and irresponsibility. Someone has to be responsible. John can not speak for himself, and I am not sure the media will speak for him. Ashley Berry, John’s girlfriend, stated the he is coming out “little by little.” He remains in the ICU and family is asking for everyone to continue to pray for John.
These are terrible times for her and she will have a hard time coping when the reality sinks in. And that being that John Graziano, a 23 year old soldier who served in Iraq twice, sustained massive head injuries. Graziano is now in a vegetative state.
People do not return from a vegatative state without a devine miracle from GOD above.
It has taken its effect on Johns father also.On a Friday, Edward Graziano was arrested for violating a domestic violence injunction. Graziano is the father of John Graziano. Edward Graziano reportedly became violent with family members on Thursday at the Bayfront Medical Center, in the ICU ward.
The police were called to the hospital that afternoon after Graziano’s wife admitted that her husband became physical during an argument with family members. Once the matter was taken care of and Graziano left, his wife renewed a previous domestic violence injunction that she had against her husband. The injunction dealt with a June 21 arrest for domestic battery, battery on a law enforcement officer, and witness tampering.
Due to the fact that Graziano returned to the hospital on Friday, he violated the injunction and was arrested later that day. He currently remains in jail.
According to most reports the John's family are very close with the Hogan's and it doesn't look likely that they'll pursue damages. Of course that may change if John dies and Nick may face charges whether the family are behind them or not. John was considered like an older brother and the Hogans thought he made a great role model for Nick. But one act has led to total irreversible life changes.
And who will speak for John?? It certainly is not going to be Nick. Ashley Berry may speak for him for a while, but one day reality will creep up on her and she will have to come to terms with the fact that it is indeed time to move on. Will the other driver speak for John. He will probably turn states evidence and sell out Hogan and Nick, probably mostly Nick since he will not be able to speak for himself. Will the Hogans speak for him? HAHAHAHA They already have their clever lawyer lined up to do their talking.
So here we have an American soldier, having served two dudy tours overseas. Facing death daily and to have something worse than death itself to happen to him. We know that as a soldier, he was not afraid to die for his country, but the be"literally Dead" from these wreckless actions is an outrage.
When this gets to trail, which it will, trust me,who will be the scapegoat. Please do not let it be John. Nick and Nick alone needs to accept responsibility for his criminal actions that results in the lose of an American patriot.. As to what is a fitting punishment, I am not sure. A nig fine is merely a slap on the wrist. Community service. Thats a laugh. If justice could really be served, Nick should have to spend the rest of life on weekends going to the nursing home and caring for his "Big Brother" That I think is a fiiting punishment.. Change his diaphers sometimes, because that is what he will use in a nursing home. People must be made to realize that actions always have consequences. And they are not always good.
Well, enough harping on Nick and his family. But lets all try to remember the one that can not speak anymore. Lets remember him as John and not the Nick Hogan passengter. He is a vteran and deserves that much respect from us. Below is a link to the police issued by the police at the scene. It is 6 pages in PDF form and about 300 kilobytes.
As usual, I hope you guys find the article informative and tastefully done, whether you agree or disagree and feel right to voice your opinion. REMEMBER: There are some of us out there today that are no longer able to voice an opinion, whether pro or con.
http://rapidshare.com/files/64468874/Nick_Hogan.pdf
RHGLazyAzz
Wrestling Quotes Of The Week by Jerry Lawler
* I'm not superstitious, J.R., because I know that's unlucky." (from SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006)
* He looked a lot bigger on the Lucky Charms box, eh McMahon?-talking about Tazz when ECW invaded RAW!
* Oh, look at them cheap pops!-pertaining to Mick Foley giving a thumbs up to the crowd.
* once again you hit the nail on the thumb
* Hey, he's got all girls, and he got stood up at the father daughter dance!-talking to Jim Ross/Brian Christopher, his son.
* "You know what they say JR: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice....uh..you cant get fooled again!" (from SmackDown! vs RAW 2006)
* "The Big Show's so big that he can't go to the beach anymore 'cause Greenpeace keep towing him away!"SmackDown! vs RAW 2006)
Please go to Wrestle-net or FOW and vote for your favorite WNWN Column! Good luck to all who entered!!!
Pictures Of The Week featuring PWU Wrestling, Credit pwu_chick
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/JoannHutch/PWU%20Power%20Surge%20TV%2011-17-07/Picture001.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/JoannHutch/PWU%20Power%20Surge%20TV%2011-17-07/Picture019.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/JoannHutch/PWU%20Power%20Surge%20TV%2011-17-07/Picture054.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/JoannHutch/PWU%20Power%20Surge%20TV%2011-17-07/Picture055.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/JoannHutch/PWU%20Power%20Surge%20TV%2011-17-07/Picture056.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/JoannHutch/PWU%20Power%20Surge%20TV%2011-17-07/Picture096.jpg
Wrestling News Highlights, credit SEScoops except for the first article, which is from Keelan Balderson
OVW To Close Down?
It hasn't been the most newsworthy day today, but I found it quite
interesting that the once highly acclaimed development territory OVW
looks to be on its last legs. The morale in Ohio Valley has been low
for a long while now and with increasing heat on Al Snow it looks to
be closing down.
New Jericho Interview
- Chris Jericho was online this past Wednesday afternoon with The Washington Post Online answering questions from fans about his career, return and his new book. Here is the full transcript courtesy of The Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2007/11/23/DI2007112300640.html
Chris Jericho: We're ready to rock it.
Falls Church, Va.: Chris, was it disappointing to you at all that your return probably was the worst-hidden secret in the business in the past five years? Or that it took place in South Florida, where fans really don't cheer for anything (and have nothing to cheer for ... I went to school in Miami, I can say this)?
Chris Jericho: No, not at all. I think that it was very cool. It wasn't intended to be much of a secret. That's why we gave them clues and basically told them the week before that it was me. I likened it to a movie trailer. And as far as the fans, I thought they were awesome, jumping up and down. Not everyplace can be Chicago, which is the best city. But I was happy with the way everything came out.
Washington: It was great to see you back on RAW last Monday. About your bio: What made you decide this was a good time for you to share your story?
Chris Jericho: It was one of the things I wanted to do for a while and when I decided to take a break from the WWE I thought it was a good time. And even more importantly I thought it was a unique story of a guy who traveled the world and went to Japan and Germany through wrestling. I knew it was going to take time to do and I wanted to put 100 percent of my effort into it, so that was one of the things I wanted to do when I left the WWE.
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Portland, Ore.: Chris, I stopped watching wrestling a while ago, but I am still a major Jericholic. I've always wondered about that hilarious series of challenges you laid out to Bill Goldberg on Nitro. Given that there was never a match, were your comments scripted/approved, or were you winging it? Also, where did they dig up Ralphus? Long live the Man of 1004 Holds!
Chris Jericho: You should check out "A Lion's Tale," which has that whole story written in detail. Nothing was ever approved back in the WCW days, you just were given an angle and I made up the rest myself. He hated every minute of it, but that's just how it goes, I was just doing my job. As far as Ralphus was concerned, Goldberg was bringing in security guards, and I wanted some too, but I didn't want tough guys, I wanted goofy looking guys, and he was a truck driver for the company, and I saw Ralphus standing around and asked him if he wanted to be my security guard, and he said "sure, no problem." And that was basically how it all started.
Baltimore: How did you happen to become a pop culture guru that VH1 so heavily relies on? Are those "I Love the '80s" shows as fun as they look?
Chris Jericho: I don't know, I just have this superpower/curse to remember everything that's irrelevant, just all this useless trivia stored up in my head. I never knew what to do with all this useless knowledge, but somehow I got booked for one of those shows and suddenly they started booking me on all of them. So I don't know exactly how it happened, I'm just glad I get to use my useless powers for good.
Arlington, Va.: Hi Chris. I saw your "Me Want Title Match" graphic on Monday's RAW, and I was curious, did the WWE have to get permission to use that image of Cookie Monster? Also, what's the deal with your new metallic vest?
Chris Jericho: Nope, we just used it. Jim Henson can come back and sue use. Think it's kind of public domain.
The metallic vest comes from the same fashion era as the checkerboard outfit I wore and all the sparkly jiffy-pop outfits. You wouldn't understand.
Washington: Have you changed your style at all (eliminated chair shots, etc.) after the studies about concussions? How seriously are wrestlers and the WWE taking that?
Chris Jericho: You have to take it very seriously and protect yourself. I don't think you'll change your style and not take chair shots part of the show is to use angles that make it 100 percent safe. There are guys who weren't doing that, and that was stupid. I've never taken a chair shot to the head because there are ways to avoid that.
Wantagh, N.Y.: Hi Chris, we've just passed the 10 year anniversary of the infamous Montreal Incident. I was wondering how it impacted you as a Canadian wrestler and a former Dungeon student. Has it informed any of the decisions you continue to make?
Chris Jericho: Not really, no. That's such a legendary story, but it's not like the entire industry was up in arms about it. I was in WCW and I knew about it, but everybody has opinions and think they know the whole story, but really only Vince, Shawn and Bret do, and they'd be much more able to answer that question. To me it was interesting, but it didn't really have anything to do with me.
Walls of Jericho: Chris, Triple H suffered his well-publicized torn quadriceps injury in a match involving you. Did you know of his injury during the match? If so, would you have applied your signature move, the "Walls of Jericho," which puts considerable stress on the quadriceps?
Chris Jericho: I knew he was hurt, because he told me so, and I asked if he still wanted to do it, and he said yes. When the match is going on, the show must go on. He wanted to continue on with it and we did it, and I don't know if it made things worse or not. You can't really know those things in hindsight. He felt very strongly about doing it, so we did it.
Washington: Have you found any real differences in either the locker room or in working in front of the crowd since your return? Or does it feel like you never left?
Chris Jericho: Pretty much feels like I never left. Obviously there's some new faces, some guys I've never met before, but wrestling's like a big family and you get to know people pretty deeply when you're around them all the time. And the crowds are he crowds, they're excited, they're great, and some cities are more into it than others, but they're always there to have a good time. That never changes.
Washington: Hey Chris. I've tried to keep up with wrestling lately, but I think sometimes a lot of the performers sometimes take themselves too seriously, and seem more like determined pro football players than "entertainers." How do you keep the balance between being an engaging personality and a wrestler whose abilities are respected?
Chris Jericho: I think you can be entertaining both inside and outside the ring. You have to connect with the crowd in as many ways you can, both during the match and outside of it.
Falls Church, Va.: Early in your career, your "Lion Tamer" submission move was similar to the Boston Crab, but your move included putting your knee to someone's head. As you evolved, the Lion Tamer became the Boston Crab. Was the original submission hold considered too dangerous?
Chris Jericho: No, it was just hard to do to really big guys. I used to do that move to smaller guys, but to do that with a guy like Kane or Big Show or Triple H, it was just to hard to move around that way. I wanted to change it so that it would look the same no matter who I was doing it on.
Seattle: Chris, what are some of the major difference between the wrestling landscape of today, and when you started your career? Also, how integral was your time spent in Japan to your development as a pro wrestler?
Chris Jericho: I think spending the time in Japan that I did was very beneficial, because you were learning a different style and culture, both inside and outside the ring. It really gave me a lot of respect for what I was doing, gave me a lot of discipline, and made me come to terms with myself with regard to whether this was what I really wanted to do. Spending 10-week stretches in a foreign country really let me figure out that this is what I wanted to do in my life. It was really fortunate to go to a Japan and get paid to be there. There are people who save for years to do something like that, but at 19 years old I got to go and make my living there and do what I wanted to do.
Potomac, Md.: Any sense of irony, given that all of the things Y2J said about saving the company in 1999 seem to apply about 100 times more now?
Chris Jericho: Yeah, it's interesting. That is kind of the reason I came up with the "Save Us Y2J" idea. I'm not implying that the company needs to be saved, but I think it needs to be shaken up by someone forthright and creative. I think it is a beneficial situation for everybody to have a character like Jericho involved.
Claverack, N.Y.: Welcome back, Chris. We missed you. Obviously the business has been rocked with some unspeakable tragedies recently, culminating in the horrible loss of Chris Benoit just this past summer. I think you were matched with the Wolverine in your first pay-per-view; could you share with us a bit about what working with him was like?
Chris Jericho: He was probably the best actual technical wrestler I worked with, a tremendous performer and a machine training and a positive influence on me careerwise. I knew him personally for 15 years and he was one of my best friends. Something I deal with every day.
Chris Jericho: That's about it, gotta split. I'm really impressed with the amount and diversity of questions, and that's why Jerichoholics are the best fans in the world.
Rob Van Dam Talks About His Relationship With Triple H
The UK's Power Slam magazine recently interviewed Rob Van Dam. Here is what RVD had to say regarding his relationship -- or non-relationship -- with Triple H:
Is it true you had problems with Triple H when you worked for WWE?
Problems? I had problems liking him. I had problems feeling compatible with him on any other level other than the fact that we're both wrestlers. He would be one of the last guys you would see sharing a car with me. If we weren't both wrestlers, I doubt I'd have anything in common with him.
There were a few occasions -- Unforgiven 2002 springs to mind -- when it seemed like the perfect time for you to defeat Triple H. After he attacked and beat you down on the September 16, 2002 Raw, you sought revenge in a singles bout at Unforgiven six days later. A win there would have been a tremendous boon for you. Meanwhile, a loss for HHH would have done his status no harm at all. As it turned out, HHH won by pinfall. It seemed like he cut you off.
Well, I don't disagree with you. And that's why I'm glad my career is caught on videotape and DVD, so the fans can watch what happened in my career and say it all for me, like you just did.
You've nothing further to add about HHH?
When you're watching RVD TV (his online TV show), don't look for HHH to be in Rob Van Dam's house.
Cruiserweight Title Vacated
- Terry sent the following: I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere, but WWE.com's Superstars page lists the WWE Cruiserweight Championship as being "VACATED."
Masters Speaks On Steroids In WWE, Painkillers, More
Chris Moretzky (a/k/a Chris Masters) was on the Daily Suplex Radio yesterday evening. Moretzky did a very candid and honest interview with the hosts Brian Thomas, Big Luther and Jon. He spoke openly about anabolic use, testosterone use, what it was like backstage in the WWE, hazing backstage, and much more. Here is a recap of what went down in this 50 minute interview:
Chris joined the show doing some cardio on a treadmill as he was training to get back into shape to make his return to wrestling. He has been off the diet and workout regimen for the past month or so.
On being a fan as a kid: Chris loved wrestling growing up and was very into WWF and his favorite wrestler was The Ultimate Warrior.
On going back to WWE: Chris thinks he has an open door to go back at some point, but right now he wants to focus on Japan, the indies and more.
On who came up with the Masterlock Challenge: Chris doesn't remember who came up with the full nelson idea, but he said the plan was always to come up with something that would follow the same lines as the Masterlock where the opponent would have to answer a ten count or get knocked out in some sort. He was also looking for an impact move to use, but never came up with something good.
On the status of his injury: Chris says his arm is about 90% right now and that is why he is starting to work out now.
On paranoia backstage: Chris says that everyone has been worried in the aftermath of the Chris Benoit murders and there are people walking on egg shells backstage.
Was he an example: Possibly, but he was on second strike and from a business standpoint he understands why he was released. He questions the results of his tests as he took three and two of them were negative with only one being positive. Because of this he asked for another test right when he found out. Chris said he wasn't the first and won't be the last to get fired. He said there will be more soon.
On what kind of toll the WWE schedule takes on his body: It takes a toll, but he said it was worth it to him. He talks about how they don't have an off season, and that they travel a lot. He had to weed off of pain killers at one point due to the injuries he suffered.
On pain killer use in the locker room: Chris said they are used, but so is alcohol, steroids and other things. He talked about the difference of using pain killers and abusing them.
On why he was suspended: Chris talks openly about his purchase of anabolic drugs in the Signature Pharmacy scandal. He also talks about his use and is asked about using testosterone.
On the reaction of the veterans to his immediate push: Chris said he was taken under the wing of Shawn and was accepted pretty much right away by the guys. He loved being in the ring with Flair, Triple H and Shawn.
On hazing: Chris said hazing happens all the time and there are people you don't want to get on the bad side of. He mentions JBL as one of them.
On underutilized talents: Chris mentions Carlito as being someone that is a great talent that was not used to his full potential and feels that someone didn't like him up there and that could be why
Carlito was not pushed to his full potential.
On upcoming work: Chris will be working in Japan for legendary promoter and wrestler Antonio Anoki's IGF promotion on December 20th. He is still trying to find out what to use for a ring name and asked the fans to email some ideas.
On TNA: Chris has started to familiarize himself with their program now that he has been off with the injury. He also knows a lot of the guys down there with Angle, Booker T, Cage, Tomko and some of the other guys working in TNA. He would love to see another Monday Night War come out of TNA and WWE and believes that the business would be better if there was one.
This week's Column Of The Week is a classic, written by RHGLazyAzz
My View--Who Will Speak For Me??
Written by RHGLazyAzz
Who will Speak up For Me???
I really wonder if some of you will consider this a wrestling column, since it is not about a wrestler so to speak, but a wrestling family member.
I look back to a few months ago when there was atragic accident involving Nick Hogan and his "passenger." Now I use the term passenger because that is mainly how the media have elected to call him. "The Nick Hogan Passenger" What a way to be remembered.
I tried to find any articles I could to base my opinions on. The first report was by CNN and talks about Hogan seriously injured. Not to much about our other victim. I remembered I thought that there was something about the conditions they were "driving" in. Now I will use that term driving loosely because it has been determined that was indeed a street race occuring at the time of the accident. Not much has been said about that but I have learned that the other driver was indeed a friend and his name was Danny. He was aslo headed to military service. But , the bottom line is that on this day these two drivers felt above the law and decided to street race on a road that was wet. Wet generally means that it has been raining. And most knowledgable drivers know that when a road is wet or damp, it makes them extremely slippery because of all the oil byproducts from cars that collect on road surfaces.According to the police report, the roads were wet at the time of the accident and the driver "disregarded other traffic control." Police sources tell us that the investigation into this case will be wrapped up by the first week in November-- and they should have a decision on whether or not to press charges. Now I am not sure what other traffic control means, unless it refers to spped limit signs or warnings of that nature.
Now Nick seems to show little or even worse, fake remorse. He makes two posts in a blog stating:
On Sept. 7, Nick wrote: "everyone please drive safe and wear your seatbelts, i had mine on and only broke my wrist, john did not and he is in a far worse state than i am.
Known on the site as Supraman111, Nick reported on Sept. 16: "john is expected to make a full recovery its just a slow process for him to wake up because he was in a medically induced coma by a drug called pentabarb which takes weeks to wear off which is why the wake up process is is so slow. his entire body is perfect , he just hit his head."
WHAT!!!! He"just hit his head" . Give me a break I am sure that when running at speeds near 100 MPH that he merely did not just hit his head. How arrogant.But I know why he has this arrogance. As has been reported, Nick Hogan's driving record is appalling. Double offenses in one day, no seat belts, boasting in magazines etc.
It should also be known that drug and alcohol tests were performed on Hogan after this accident. Now whether the truth will be known about the results, that may depend probably on how much Hollywood Hogan is willing to pay. But the accident was so severe for these guys to be flown to the hospital.
There was an emotional prayer vigil in Clearwater, FL for John Graziano. Graziano, a 22-year-old marine, was the passenger in Nick Hogan’s car crash last Sunday. Graziano remains in critical condition after suffering serious head injuries as a result of the crash. Nurse Joanne Jones, who examined Graziano on behalf of the court, wrote in her report: "At this present time, he states his prognosis remains guarded. He states that this young man most likely will spend the remainder of his life in a nursing home."
The Hogan family was absent from the prayer vigil but Ashley said that they have been by Graziano’s bedside since the accident.
The Hogan's have hired Barry Cohen a "Bulldog" attorney for a possible trial against Nick Hogan in regards to his car crash:
Just more than two weeks after their son and a friend were involved in a horrific car accident, the Hogan family has hired a high-profile criminal defense attorney. Professional wrestler Hulk Hogan's son, Nick, will be represented by Barry Cohen.
Considered a courtroom bulldog, Cohen has worked several highly publicized cases, including the defense of Steve and Marlene Aisenberg. Cohen also recently defended school teacher Jennifer Porter, who hit four siblings in Tampa while driving her car, killing two of them. Porter was able, however, to avoid receiving any jail time.
The Hogans are now getting a grip on reality. This was an act of gross negligence and irresponsibility. Someone has to be responsible. John can not speak for himself, and I am not sure the media will speak for him. Ashley Berry, John’s girlfriend, stated the he is coming out “little by little.” He remains in the ICU and family is asking for everyone to continue to pray for John.
These are terrible times for her and she will have a hard time coping when the reality sinks in. And that being that John Graziano, a 23 year old soldier who served in Iraq twice, sustained massive head injuries. Graziano is now in a vegetative state.
People do not return from a vegatative state without a devine miracle from GOD above.
It has taken its effect on Johns father also.On a Friday, Edward Graziano was arrested for violating a domestic violence injunction. Graziano is the father of John Graziano. Edward Graziano reportedly became violent with family members on Thursday at the Bayfront Medical Center, in the ICU ward.
The police were called to the hospital that afternoon after Graziano’s wife admitted that her husband became physical during an argument with family members. Once the matter was taken care of and Graziano left, his wife renewed a previous domestic violence injunction that she had against her husband. The injunction dealt with a June 21 arrest for domestic battery, battery on a law enforcement officer, and witness tampering.
Due to the fact that Graziano returned to the hospital on Friday, he violated the injunction and was arrested later that day. He currently remains in jail.
According to most reports the John's family are very close with the Hogan's and it doesn't look likely that they'll pursue damages. Of course that may change if John dies and Nick may face charges whether the family are behind them or not. John was considered like an older brother and the Hogans thought he made a great role model for Nick. But one act has led to total irreversible life changes.
And who will speak for John?? It certainly is not going to be Nick. Ashley Berry may speak for him for a while, but one day reality will creep up on her and she will have to come to terms with the fact that it is indeed time to move on. Will the other driver speak for John. He will probably turn states evidence and sell out Hogan and Nick, probably mostly Nick since he will not be able to speak for himself. Will the Hogans speak for him? HAHAHAHA They already have their clever lawyer lined up to do their talking.
So here we have an American soldier, having served two dudy tours overseas. Facing death daily and to have something worse than death itself to happen to him. We know that as a soldier, he was not afraid to die for his country, but the be"literally Dead" from these wreckless actions is an outrage.
When this gets to trail, which it will, trust me,who will be the scapegoat. Please do not let it be John. Nick and Nick alone needs to accept responsibility for his criminal actions that results in the lose of an American patriot.. As to what is a fitting punishment, I am not sure. A nig fine is merely a slap on the wrist. Community service. Thats a laugh. If justice could really be served, Nick should have to spend the rest of life on weekends going to the nursing home and caring for his "Big Brother" That I think is a fiiting punishment.. Change his diaphers sometimes, because that is what he will use in a nursing home. People must be made to realize that actions always have consequences. And they are not always good.
Well, enough harping on Nick and his family. But lets all try to remember the one that can not speak anymore. Lets remember him as John and not the Nick Hogan passengter. He is a vteran and deserves that much respect from us. Below is a link to the police issued by the police at the scene. It is 6 pages in PDF form and about 300 kilobytes.
As usual, I hope you guys find the article informative and tastefully done, whether you agree or disagree and feel right to voice your opinion. REMEMBER: There are some of us out there today that are no longer able to voice an opinion, whether pro or con.
http://rapidshare.com/files/64468874/Nick_Hogan.pdf
RHGLazyAzz
Wrestling Quotes Of The Week by Jerry Lawler
* I'm not superstitious, J.R., because I know that's unlucky." (from SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006)
* He looked a lot bigger on the Lucky Charms box, eh McMahon?-talking about Tazz when ECW invaded RAW!
* Oh, look at them cheap pops!-pertaining to Mick Foley giving a thumbs up to the crowd.
* once again you hit the nail on the thumb
* Hey, he's got all girls, and he got stood up at the father daughter dance!-talking to Jim Ross/Brian Christopher, his son.
* "You know what they say JR: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice....uh..you cant get fooled again!" (from SmackDown! vs RAW 2006)
* "The Big Show's so big that he can't go to the beach anymore 'cause Greenpeace keep towing him away!"SmackDown! vs RAW 2006)