| From WorldWrestlingInsanity.com ZAH
04-25-08 ,
"
Do what we like and we like what we do
."
Boo-yah...here we go!!
***
Item # 1 – Michael Hayes is a racist?
In what has been a surprise to many but not a surprise to some, Michael Hayes has been suspended for 60 days by WWE. And no...it's not for what you may think it's for.
Hayes isn't serving his suspension for a Wellness violation, he's serving a suspension for using a racial slur during WrestleMania weekend. Not only has he been suspended, but it's a suspension without pay and before he is allowed to return, he will be required by WWE to "undergo further evaluation."
Yikes.
So what did he say? The quote being thrown around is only hearsay right now, but the dreaded "N-word" is what is to have come out of his mouth. Even worse? It was used in a conversation with Mark f*ckin' Henry.
Now if you take the quote being attributed to him, there is ZERO way to really understand the context of the conversation to know why he said what he said. At the end of the day, though, a white man simply can't use the "N-word" towards a black man for ANY reason. That's just asinine to think that you can.
Of course, some have argued that it's just because he is "old school" and that's just how "the boys" talked. I dunno, but at what point does the "old school" grow the f*ck up? I'm no expert on the subject...but usage of that word makes me cringe.
In fact, I feel like the nerd at the beginning of Office Space who is sitting in his car while stuck in traffic singing his gangsta rap very loudly, only to say it under his breath when a black man walks by (okay...I may not be quite that scared, but you know what I'm sayin', right?). I mean, I can absolutely love a song like "Get Ur Walk On" by Xzibit or "Danger" by Mystikal and I'll sing the heck out of each one in my car when I'm all alone...but even then I'll feel uncomfortable singing ALL of the lyrics. I just can't see how anybody would consider this word, regardless of how comfortable you feel with the person you're with, to be appropriate to use in any public situation.
Hayes has reportedly told people who will listen that he used the word in a playful manner and did not mean anything by the comment. I'm certainly not going to sit here and claim that he's a racist, because I don't really know enough about Hayes to make that call. But whether in jest or not, this is a hurtful word for a lot of reasons and shouldn't be used in any setting...if you're white.
I think that just makes sense. Am I wrong? Is this a terrible thing to admit to? Seriously...there's absolutely no reason for a white guy to say it. Ever. Is it a double standard? Sure...but you can bet your ass I'm not gonna argue with anybody over it. And Michael Hayes best be workin' his ass off to apologize and do whatever it takes to win people over again...because this is a big deal to a lot of people.
***
Item # 2 – Open letter to Rob Van Dam and his wife, Sonya...
As somebody who has been dealing with having a close family member (two, in fact) battle through cancer over the past few months, this news piece saddened me.
From
RVD's MySpace blog
:
"After months of chasing down the origin of stomach cramps, we got the news that Sonya has cancer in her colon. Obviously, this was not something we wanted to hear, and were not at all prepared for it. This is the kind of thing that we hear about happening to other people. Us? Really?
Months of testing showed nothing of this nature. The blood tests and everything else they did could not detect the cancer until the dreaded colonoscopy."
Talking from experience, this is what I say to the Szatkowski family:
It's gonna be a tough road. My mom has a brain tumor and it's definitely been a struggle over the past several months.
Mom got her radiation treatment back in late November/early December, and she's still only coming around now. But the main thing is that she IS coming around. She also has another friend who went through treatment for brain cancer and was back to "normal" in about six months or so.
***
Item # 3 – GREAT ASS!!!
Gregory Helms' better half is known as having one of the best asses in all of professional wrestling. She'll be one of the first to admit it, too. In fact, she's got no issue waving it back and forth for all to see each and every time she enters the squared circle.
Well, she's apparently going to make her big-screen debut in a movie called Walkaways. Now, before you get too excited, it's not much of a part. She'll be showing off her ass. In jeans. Once. In passing.
But for whatever reason, this item actually made wrestling headlines this week. I mean, I'm all for having an excuse to discuss a hot chick's ass...but is the news week so slow that this becomes a conversation topic?
Make that decision for yourself...
***
Item # 4 – All hail King Regal...
Now, if you heard my ClubWWI audio this week you heard my "live" reaction to Regal winning the King of the Ring tournament over CM Punk in the finals.
My immediately reaction was, "BULLSH*T!!"
Upon further reflection, however, it dawned upon me that this was a potentially brilliant idea.
The story is that Regal is really good friends with Triple H (they have been for years) and that wanted one last really good run because he really wasn't doing much, storyline-wise.
Trips suggested Regal as the winner of KofR and eventually talked Vince into the idea.
So now what?
Well, the immediate criticisms over the past week have been that Regal has only wrestled sporadically over the past year+ and having him immediately win this tournament is laughable.
I can't really disagree, but the booking of the tournament was made to make him hated and look strong at the same time.
So again...now what?
Now you can enjoy Regal at what he does best: use his personality.
I've been a huge fan of "backstage Regal" for years now, as I believe his best asset is his charisma on the mic and in a managerial/GM role.
I respect his in-ring abilities, but they aren't the most entertaining in the world to watch.
Well, add the over-the-top greatness that could possibly come from "King Regal" to his intentionally slow-paced wrestling style and you could have an IC champion heel in Regal before year end.
Hell...if it does for him what it did for Booker T, he could at the very least be battling for the WWE title by year end.
Of course, that's a stretch.
But at the end of the day, this is a good idea and potentially awesome booking down the road.
Just give it time.
***
Item # 5 – Matt Morgan: career decision maker extraordinaire!!
Matt Morgan has turned down an offer to appear on NBC's "American Gladiators".
He was actually selected to start in Season Two, but because NBC would have had an option on his services for up to six years and would have had first priority for possible arena events (can you imagine this show traveling around doing arena events???), he turned them down because he wanted to wrestle.
Dedication?
Yes.
Foolish?
Possibly.
I can only imagine how much money Morgan could have made in a recurring role on network television over a six year period.
At the very least, based on what no-name actors get per episode in ensemble television shows, it would be double what he's making in TNA.
Matt...dude...do you REALLY believe that you'll be a huge TNA star over the next six years and make the type of money that you could have made for ½ the work in front of a much larger audience?
Isn't wrestling all about being an entertainer, at the end of the day?
If you're a Gladiator having millions of kids look up to you...is that such a bad choice to make versus potentially getting released next year from TNA because you suck ass in the ring?
I dunno...this just doesn't seem like the brightest of decisions.
I guess we'll have to sit back and see which lasts longer before making a judgment one way or the other: American Gladiators or Matt Morgan's wrestling career?
***
Item # 6 – The return of the Warrior?
Good lord...can you imagine what Warrior looks like today? Is he out of shape? Is he puffy? Is he extremely skinny? Is he jacked?
Here's the deal. Ultimate Warrior...err, Warrior for those of you wanting me to get his legal name correct...was doing a "greet the fan" deal for some indy promotion called NWE in Spain. I say "indy promotion", but there were 15,000+ fans there. Whatever...he was accepting an award of some sort when ClubWWI's resident partyman, Orlando Jordan, "interrupted" the proceedings.
This "interruption" has led to an in-ring return (don't blink...you'll miss what I just wrote) of the former Jim Helwig to the squared circle. When? June 25th. Yes, kids, in two months the Ultimate Warrior will return to the ring to face Orlando Jordan in Spain.
Queering is apparently working just fine for Jordan, eh Warrior?
***
Item # 7 – Bye bye Khali...
The rumor is that Great Khali, who has previously gone through knee surgeries back in 2006, is in dire need of more surgery...perhaps on both knees.
Not only that, but it's been suggested that Khali will be returning home to India at the end of the month.
For all the crap that has been (justifiably) thrown at Khali over the past year +, I doubt anybody will disagree that he has improved drastically since his initial debut in WWE.
Is he Ricky Steamboat-esque in his abilities?
Of course not, dumbass...why would you ask such a question.
He is, however, better than El Gigante ever was and probably better than two of the three Oddities ever were.
He could even give Nathan Jones a run for his money.
WWE had every reason to give him a legitimate chance at being a draw...and if his knees get healthy enough, perhaps he'll be given another chance.
The guy is a freakshow...but if used properly (which for the most part, I think he has been), he can eventually become a big-money freakshow draw for WWE.
Maybe I'm just too drunk to f*ck...I dunno.
I'm no Khali lover or anything, but I see potential in the freak business.
Either way, I'm glad he's getting a rest and a chance to go back home to India...where the dude is a national frickin' hero (no sh*t).
I don't know if you've seen the end of Khali yet.
***
Item # 8 – What up, Tomko?
It figures.
The tag titles are finally taken off the duo of Tomko and Styles and it turns out to be a punishment against Tomko and NOT long-term booking.
It's TNA...you're shocked??
The story is that TNA got pissed at Tomko for working a show in Japan the day before Lockdown despite their asking him to skip the show (remember Austin Aries & Roderick Strong?).
So while Tomko made it back in time for the show, he basically turned his back on TNA management and even ended up missing the company's Fan Fest, which they take very seriously.
Hence, Tomko and Styles lost their tag titles.
Ugh.
C'mon, Tomko.
Does history teach you nothing?
Did you not know the date of the Lockdown PPV before booking the Japanese date?
And if the date was pre-booked, wouldn't you have been able to decline LONG before Lockdown actually came about?
No...this was an ego-centric move by Tomko.
He believes he's at the point in his career where he can do something like that and get away with it.
Let me tell you something, Tomko...you're no Kurt Angle, who is probably one of the few in the company who could get away with that type of flippant attitude.
You deserved to lose your titles.
If you wanna prosper in the company, you gotta play by the rules.
It sucks, but that's corporate America.
That's just how business works.
Backstage politics isn't a whole lot different from office politics...trust me on that.
If I don't play ball at work, I'm not getting' promoted...simple.
Same applies here.
If you want to do your own thing, don't expect the company to back you up.
You're very talented and definitely a bigger star than you were before joining TNA...but you're not THAT big of a star quite yet.
***
Item # 9 – Is this some kind of joke?
I just read this tonight:
A casting call has been issued for a live action children's television series entitled "Shark Boy The Series" featuring TNA's Shark Boy (a/k/a Dean Roll). The auditions are taking place May 3 in New York, and scenes are scheduled to be shot May 14-16.
The casting call notes that producers are looking for contortionists, clowns, fire breathers, a strong man, a bearded lady, jugglers, snake charmers, etc. They are also looking for martial artists, pro wrestlers, and stunt performers..
Ummm...do I really need to say any more?
***
Item # 10 – I need your help!!
Gang, the Smackdown/ECW tour is coming to my fair city in a couple of weeks.
I was just gonna buy a ticket at the last second and show up.
But the local radio station is having a contest that I desperately need your help for.
Just give us your best wrestling impersonation of your favorite WWE Superstar...past or present and lay the smackdown on our WWE Revenge line.
Then tune into the Locker Room with C103's Tim Cormier from Monday, April 28th to May 2nd to hear your rant to win tickets!!
So there you have it.
I need YOU to write a promo for me.
I plan on entering numerous times...and I'll even record the promos and post them in a ClubWWI audio.
I need probably 15-30 seconds of good, solid material.
I'll pick the best and give you each shout-outs in the column and in my audio.
Hulk Hogan...Randy Savage...Triple H...Kurt Angle...I don't care who you want to pick.
If I think I can pull it off, I'll give it a shot.
But I need the promos QUICKLY so I can enter the contest.
Don't let me down, gang!!
I gotta see myself some CM Punk up close and personal (not to mention Maryse).
Sweet tickets would mean sweet pics, too.
C'mon...help a brutha out!!
You can send a promo to me either by e-mailing
Zah@worldwrestlinginsanity.com
, hitting me up at
ZAH Nation
(found on the
Insanity Message Board
), or even by sending a message to my Facebook profile,
Zah Insanity
.
***
Item # 11 –
LOSER OF THE WEEK.
Each and every week, I pick somebody (not necessarily always from wrestling) who has either acted in a dumb way, said something stupid, or generally was an idiot in some way, shape, or form. This week’s choice was pretty easy for me.
It just sucks to be him at this very moment.
Who is it??
This week's choice is...
Wesley Snipes!!!
All you need to know is that Snipes was found guilty of tax evasion and, subsequently, was sentenced to THREE YEARS in prison. The judge wanted to use Snipes as an example to deter others from trying the same thing.
Ouch.
So yeah...I loved Blade and all, but dude it f*ckin' sucks to be you right now. Congrats to Wesley Snipes on being ZAH's "Britney Spears Loser(s) of the Week"!
***
,
Pillar to Post
Each and every week (well...NORMALLY each and every week) I take three statements that you, the WorldWrestlingInsanity.com readers, have submitted on the hot topics du jour and then get two or three volunteers to give their thoughts and insight. Ladies and gentlemen, this week I bring to you three great Insanity readers in Tommy Dawg, AstonMartyn, and Jamie320!!! ,
1. Agree or Disagree ,
Tommy Dawg:
Disagree.
It’s hard not to agree with this statement because they have, seemingly, been building this up for a long, long time.
BUT…I don’t see him as a long term world champion, just because there are too many major egos in TNA (i.e. Kurt Angle, Christian Cage, Booker T, etc.).
I would like to see Joe’s character revert back to what it was when he was out for people’s blood.
I really enjoyed seeing his feud with Christopher Daniels, and if they could write storylines that focus on how sadistic he could be, then I would be all for his continuing a title reign.
I just can’t help to see Joe as anything more than a transitional champ, holding it until they find a better alternative.
Joe doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of marketability, especially with the TNA Impact! Video game hitting shelves in September.
Samoa Joe is a big TNA name, but casual wrestling fans and gamers who might look at buying the game might not recognize who he is.
Again…I think Joe is a FANTASTIC wrestler, but I think TNA could use a more recognizable name with more marketing possibilities.
I mean honestly…who would make a bigger impact in selling the video game…no pun intended…Kurt Angle, Christian Cage, Booker T, or a lesser known Samoa Joe?
This is just not the right time for Joe to be a long term world champ.
AstonMartyn
:
Honestly? Neither.
I don't follow TNA but from the sounds of things Samoa Joe deserves the belt. I'd say yes, keep him as world champion because then it keeps Angle away from it. Ever since Angle went to TNA all I seem to hear is Angle this Angle that, almost sounds like he is booking the shows. I don't think it would be a massive disaster if Joe was kept as world champion simply because he deserves it, surely TNA, even with their moronic booking style (again, this is hear say) can see the potential in a Samoa Joe title reign. That said, keep the belt on Joe for 4-5 months and he'll probably end up in WWE as a midcarder anyway...
,
Jamie320:
Agree.
,
2. Agree or Disagree
,
Tommy Dawg:
Agree.
I think having Randy Orton be a long term champion is a grrrrrrreat idea!!!
He is the type of ruthless heel…outside of HHH…that the WWE has been wanting for a long time, and I love his character.
I would, however, like to see him be the lead in a stable to build up mid-carders.
Having him help enhance and build up future main eventers (or guys who could be) would be a very smart idea for the WWE, as they have (in my opinion) very few MAIN EVENT heels.
Also, allowing him to lead a stable would also enhance his reign as a world champion.
While he may not have the same type of charisma as, say a HHH, he has amazing staying power if they write his storyline the right way.
Randy Orton gives us something else besides John Cena and HHH for a while.
AstonMartyn
:
Totally agree.
I will admit that I was skeptical when Orton was given the belt at No Mercy, especially as Cena probably would've kept it had he not been injured. HOWEVER Randy has shown that he can carry the belt as a chickenshit heel, and even (dare I say it) have decent matches with Cena, HHH et al that doesn't consist solely of rest holds. Whilst I think that the E should keep the belt on Randy for as long as possible, he is destined to lose it soon, I can see it happening at Backlash since HHH hasn't had a heel title reign for quite a while. I still think the E should keep the belt on Randy though, he's shown he has the potential to make feuds entertaining, and I cannot see any other logical Champion at this point in time.
,
Jamie320: It's no secret that Randy Orton is my favorite superstar in the WWE. That said, he has been the champion for 6 months now, since No Mercy. If they want to keep the belt on Orton, I say that Orton wins the 4 way on Sunday last eliminating HHH. A 4 way could be good for Orton, it means he can't get a cheap win. This is what his character needs. He should lose the belt in the next few months, but not Sunday.
3. Agree or Disagree
,
Tommy Dawg:
Agree.
I liked William Regal winning the King of the Ring, but I hated the way they did it!!!
Why have Regal beat a guy, who they are supposedly pushing for a world title, clean?
CM Punk should not have been in that tournament if they were going to make him loose without controversy!
With that said, William Regal is the perfect guy to have be “King” of the WWE because, unlike Booker T, the royalty role is not a stretch for him and it is a very good way to bring him back to the ring for a possible IC title push.
Regal looks to be in good shape and has always been a great heel and awesome wrestler.
The fact that he is Raw GM makes a potential “King” storyline even more interesting.
AstonMartyn
:
ABSOLUTELY AGREE!!!
As a Brit, it's about time one of our number had a decent push. I can honestly see Regal playing a King incredibly well, just as long as WWE doesn't go down the road of him pretending to have an affair with HRH Queen Elizabeth II (shudder) then I see no problem with this, and am even going so far as to predict a Regal IC title reign. Or maybe if not that then him screwing anyone and everyone to help Randy Orton. I'll admit it shocked me when I read Mallory's review and saw him win it (no live WWE in my student accommodation) still, it's great to see someone whose country has a monarchy being crowned King of the Ring... it's made for him!
,
Jamie320:
Agree.
Originally I thought that it should be CM Punk or Jericho. After thinking about it though, and where Regal's character could go from here, as the King of the WWE, this was the right choice. Jericho is the IC champion. Punk has MITB. Regal's a great choice.
***
Awesome job this week, kids! I really appreciate your efforts this week...especially because my list of "who will write in the column" is currently down to two. Obviously, I'm looking forward to seeing who joins me over the next few weeks.
,
Wait...what...you've never participated before? Or maybe you have and would like to do it again?
,
Hey...you ALL have a chance to be part of an upcoming column.
You can have a chance to let your thoughts on the crazy world of professional wrestling read by thousands every week.
This truly is open to everybody!
Contact me NOW and you'll be put at or near the top of the list.
Why wait?
Got something to say? You can let me know either by e-mailing me at Zah@worldwrestlinginsanity.com , hitting me up at ZAH Nation (found on the Insanity Message Board ), or look me up on Facebook as ZAH Insanity and letting me know that you'd like to participate (and then join the Insanity Facebook page ).
,
So until next week, take care.
© Copyright by WorldWrestlingInsanity.com WorldWrestlingInsanity.com is not
affiliated with any wrestling promotion. |
