Ugh.

Everybody saw this coming from a mile away, but it doesn't make it any less of a "shake my head" moment.  There have been two reactions thus far that I’ve seen: those who lament over his appearances in OVW and those who roll their eyes when hearing about his appearances in OVW.

Yes...I'm gonna whine about OVW.

This guy in OVW was the most over person on the entire roster...by far. The gimmick was gold and the fans were eating it up even though he was a heel (think Santino without being so stupid and with even less wrestling talent). 

Upon being "called up" WWE watered his gimmick down, wouldn't let him get over (because he was getting cheered when he was supposed to be booed with Umaga), and then wouldn't let him do any of the things that got him over in the first place.   The problem was that his gimmick took off IMMEDIATELY…and he was not only getting cheered, but was becoming more “over” than the wrestler he was managing.  

So instead of trying to exploit that and make a bit of money with the guy, they shut him up…shut him down…and shuttled him off of TV and into the unemployment line.

This company never ceases to amaze. And they wonder why they only got a 2.9 for RAW this week.

***

Item # 5 – More ROH on PPV.

I saw this last night on the Wrestling Observer website:

ROH reached a deal with DirecTV to air not only their PPV shows, but also ROH Classics for OnDemand with ten hours of classic wrestling airing as video on demand. 

This is pretty awesome news.   It’s not a huge step, but it’s a solid one.   So while the market may be on a downturn and fans might leave with the recent change in product, the fact that DirecTV has enough faith in ROH to allow them to sell PPV’s is big.

I haven’t seen any of the newer product since Gabe Saposky’s firing, so I can’t really provide too much opinion or analysis on how things are going so far.   The thought process is that ROH will simply ease-up on some of the opening contests and still have 2 or 3 kick-ass contests to end the night, meaning that there will be a slow-build for the audience and they won’t be burned out by the time the main event hits.

In theory, it’s a solid idea.   The question is whether or not the ROH faithful will be patient enough to sit through the mid-card.   At least we know that DirecTV is patient enough to wait…and that’s definitely a good thing.

***

Item # 6 – Sting = The Godfather?

Apparently, the reason Sting hasn’t joined any of the Main Event Mafia’s beatdowns in TNA is twofold:

1. TNA wants Sting to be like a “Godfather” character, where he can sit back and watches his henchmen do his dirty work. To me, this is a bit odd because you’ve got Kurt Angle going on practically any media outlet that’ll listen to his ramblings and telling everybody that he’s the head of the MEM and that he’s in charge.   Well, kayfabe or not, if that was the case then why wouldn’t Angle sit back and let everybody else jump on in the action?
2. An escape clause for Sting’s eventual babyface turn.   See, if he never participated in the gang-style beatdowns, then he can legitimately claim he was never really comfortable being part of the group and everybody should cheer him again…blah blah blah.

I dunno…I don’t think people give a rat’s ass either way, to be honest.   I mean, the Impact Zone is still cheering Sting, so the “heel turn” hasn’t even really taken place, has it?   And when Sting does leave the group and “turn babyface”, will it matter that he wasn’t 100% with the MEM faction?   Does it ever?

Listen…I’m a heel guy.   I love heels.   I know how they work and how they’re supposed to be booked.   And I can, with certainty, tell you this: it doesn’t matter WHAT a heel does during their heel run…they can always be turned babyface.

The Dudleyz putting a 60+ year old woman through a table.   Roddy Piper smashing a coconut over the head of Jimmy Snuka.   Steve Austin turning his back on the fans and joining Vince McMahon at WrestleMania.   Randy Savage nearly killing Ricky Steamboat with a timekeeper’s bell.   Ric Flair on any given day for any given reason.  

Fans are fickle…but the one thing you can take to the bank is that the more hated they are, the easier it is to turn boos to cheers.

With Sting…I think you’ll probably end up with a “meh” reaction if they continue to make him Mr. Vanilla.   C’mon Stinger…DO SOMETHING HEELISH!!   Make me proud.

***

Item # 7 – Brock Lesnar is the real deal.

So yeah…Lesnar took out Couture in Round Two.  

James Guttman was a little under the impression that the fight looked a little bit worked. I was kinda thinking the same thing when they were tied-up in the first round. It really looked a lot like a wrestling tie-up where they're planning their next spot.

But then the final few seconds pretty much threw that out the window. I mean, Couture got caught with a meaty right hand to the temple and then just got obliterated from there.

I'll definitely give Lesnar credit...there were times when I thought Couture had him beat (I would even have given the first round to him), but Lesnar always found a way to get out and then snap off a punch or a knee.   He really showed that he was more than just a one-hit-wonder.   I even thought that he looked winded and tired in the first round, yet rebounded with ferocity in the second round…so maybe he was just working it a bit.   It’s hard to know for sure.

It was a short, but good fight. I'm now a believer in Brock Lesnar.  

***

Item # 8 – Eighteen years of ‘Taker.

Wow…it’s hard to believe that the Undertaker has been in the WWE for almost two decades.   That’s simply an incredible run that’s practically unparalleled in any modern-era promotion.   Not only that, but I’m finding his PPV matches just as entertaining (if not more so) than his matches were 10 – 15 years ago.   How in the heck is THAT possible??

Here is a link of Undertaker’s first appearance on WWF television…as CAIN the Undertaker.   It was taped before his Survivor Series appearance, where he had been simply called the Undertaker, so this is a pretty special one-off match.

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Item # 9 – THE XPW X-MAS CONTEST!!!

Hey…it’s getting near Christmastime and I was wanting to spread some good cheer.   So thanks to the good folks over at Big Vision Entertainment , I have two triple-disc sets of XPW to give away.

And I wanted to come up with a creative contest that would be fun to enter and also read.   I spoke with James Guttman and he gave me the perfect suggestion: TNA sucks haikus!!

Wait…what?

I will judge the best “TNA sucks” haiku (with perhaps some input from a celebrity judge or two) and that person will win Season Two & Season Three of XPW television…over TWENTY HOURS of hardcore goodness featuring the likes of Sabu, Terry Funk, New Jack, Lizzy Borden, Pogo the Clown, Tracy Smothers, and many more!!

Still not sure of what a haiku is?   Well, go here for starters and then let me wax poetic:

Gimmicks be gone
The X-Division should reign 
Eric Young sucks ass

Hey…I’m not entering the contest so it’s not like mine has to be any good.   I’ll announce the winner on December 12^th, so everybody will have time to come up with at least SOMETHING.   Of course, my favorites will be published in the column over the next couple of weeks.

How to enter?   You can e-mail me at ZAH@worldwrestlinginsanity.com , ZAH.Insanity@gmail.com , sending me a private message via the Insanity Message Board , or by hitting me up at the ZAH MySpace page (add me...you know you want to).  

Sound like a plan?   Good.   Now get writing!!

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Item # 10 – 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 winner is, unfortunately, a hero of mine.   But with slim pickings in the world, this just jumped out at me.   This time around, ZAH's Loser of the Week is...

Bret Hart!!!

I’m sorry…but when one of your childhood heroes (as Hart is) is promoted to the world as having “his hart ripped out” and TMZ claims “this may be some of the most depressing video we’ve ever shot”…well then I pretty much have no choice.  

I love you, Bret.   But between Bruce’s comments in this week’s ClubWWI shoot interview and the TMZ video , I pretty much have no choice but to name you ZAH's "Loser of the Week"!!  

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PILLAR TO POST

WHO ARE YOUR FIVE FAVORITE TAG TEAMS OF ALL TIME AND WHY?

My guests this week are probably not people you have heard of before.   You may have as they have traveled the world as a tag team on the indie scene…but I’m thinking most probably haven’t.   And that’s fine…this column is about FANS OF WRESTLING, and these two absolutely fill the bill.   I’ve seen them in person and have loved their gimmick and their tag skills.   They’re indie tag champions in pretty much every promotion they enter, and you can tell how much they love the business by their answers.   Kids, this week I’m proud to present the indie tag team sensation known as …

TEAM ELITE!!!

“ I hope this works for you. If you need anything else, please let us know.

Thanks.

Sonny and Larry

Who are your favorite 5 tag teams of all time and why?

In no particular order:

1. Road Warriors

We first saw the Road Warriors on AWA television when it ran in ESPN. They had the crowd in the palm of their hands. They had the look with their physiques, the makeup, the music. They had the total package. They were the most dominant tag team we had ever seen.

2. Hart Foundation

Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart complimented each other very well. Hart had the technical wrestling and Neidhart had the power game. Their games with the exact opposite of each other, but it meshed so well that it made them one of the best tag teams of all times.

3. Midnight Express

When we talk about the Midnight Express, we are talking about Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey, not all of the other reincarnations of the teams. They were one of the best heel teams of all time. They understood tag team wrestling and were excellent at making the crowds sympathize with the babyface teams. They had excellent matches with every tag team they wrestled.

4. Midnight Rockers

We also saw Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty first on AWA when they were chasing Playboy Buddy Rose and Pretty Boy Doug Sommers for the AWA World Tag Team Champions. You had no choice but to be enthusiastic and cheer on the hottest babyface tag team of the time.

5. Demolition

While Demolition was created as an imitation of the Road Warriors, Demolition was a very successful tag team. With the spikes, and masks and the makeup, they scared fans as they walked to the ring. When they added Crush to Ax and Smash, they added an extra dimension to the team. That made them not just devastating but also deceptive, a very successful formula .”

I love it, guys.   Thanks so much!!   I really appreciate you taking the time out to participate in the column.   And if you want to know more about Team Elite, go to their MySpace and say “Hi from ZAH” for me.  

Of course that’s not all this week.    Ya’ll know that ultimately this part of the column is all about YOU...the reader.    So having said that, I now hand over the floor to one of the Insanity faithful so they can provide their own thoughts on the topic at hand and become guest columnists for a week.

This week I bring you Zack Levine!

,

1. Legion of Doom/Road Warriors
Sure it's an easy choice, but they were one of the best tag teams of all time, so they need to be on my list. I say the mark of a great team is the imitation which it spurs, and just look at Demolition to see LOD's impact. The team was so damn successful that they've been brought back numerous times in different forms to spin off the group, just showing their memorability. Obviously this version I'm referring to has Hawk and Animal by the way. Not the version where Paul Ellering had the ventriloquist doll, not the Droz version and especially not the Heidenreich one.

2. Dudley Boyz/Team 3D
Another staple of the tag team scene. When they are on TNA every week claiming to be the best tag team of all time, they can actually back that fact up. Twenty time world champs and famous in three different organizations. And here's how you know they are so good together. Besides for ECW nearly building their company around them with what felt like fifty other Dudley members, when the WWE split them up in the draft, they had no choice but to reunite them months later. The fact is, together they are just so much more dominate than when single's competitors, and I like to think of that as the benchmark of tag team wrestling.

3. The Rock N Sock Connection
This right here is my favorite team with mega superstars joining forces. Not the Mega Powers or the Outsiders, but the Rock and Mankind. They worked great like a legit tag team. I also believe that their interplay was second to none. I can still picture Mr. Socko with the people's eyebrow, and I remember laughing my ass off with Mankind doing the "This is Your Life" segment for The Rock. When they are inducted into the Hall of Fame, I hope they can go in together.

4. Edge and Christian
And to think that ten years ago, they were in a group led by Gangrel. Now look at them. One is a sure fire hall of famer and has been unstoppable the last few years as the Rated R Superstar, and the other just came off a successful run in TNA and should be redebuting in WWE by Rumble time. Their TLC matches were incredible to watch, and who can forget the five second poses that they gave the fans before every match. My personal favorite segment of theirs involved using a kazoo to play entrance music, but thats just me. Plus if it weren't for them, the con-chair-to would not have such a wicked name either.

5. MNM
They just narrowly edge out Miz and Morrison, London and Kendrick, and the Motor City Machine Guns for this last spot. But here's why I loved MNM when they were around. They personified what was great about tag team wrestling in recent years. They had the three teams every team needs. They had a beautiful valet in Melina. They had something many teams today don't...a nickname instead of ______ and ______. And they also had a sick finisher in the Snapshot. The DDT is a solid move itself, but coupled on someone's shoulders and it is sick move.

So why is there only one reader this week?   Because I’m such a huge tag team fan, I thought I’d throw in a few extra thoughts on my own favorite five tag teams of all time.

In NO particular order…

1. The Hart Foundation

I remember getting HF action figures for my 16^th birthday.   Regardless of whether they were babyfaces or heels, I loved these two and thought their combination of finesse and power made them the perfect team.   Absolutely one of the all-time best teams, bar none.

2. The Road Warriors

I never got to watch a lot of NWA growing up (at all), so all I could do was watch and be amazed by the Apter mags.   Hawk and Animal became world famous without even being watched by the world.   Once I finally got to see them, I realized just what they were all about.   Nothing made me smile more than to see these two guys destroy people.   That was good, clean fun for the whole family.

3. The British Bulldogs

For quite the spell during the 80s, Dynamite Kid was my absolute favorite wrestler.  There was something about the Bulldogs that just blew me away as a young teen.  They were just awesome.  Muscular, quick, tough.  Looking back it's easy to include them because they helped to change how tag team wrestling was done.  Innovaters in every sense of the word. 

4. The New Age Outlaws

I refuse to acknowledge what they became in TNA, because during the Attitude Era there was nothing…to me at least…more entertaining than Road Dogg’s introduction.   These guys epitomized “attitude” where Road Dogg did the talking and Billy Gunn played the perfect straight man.   Whether you like them or not, there wouldn’t have been a Degeneration X nearly as popular as it was without these two paving their own way.

5. The Steiner Brothers

Anybody who didn’t get to see the Steiner’s WWE and NWA/WCW tag runs really missed out on one of the greatest tag teams ever.   Scott’s Frankensteiner was incredible…their blend of power and agility was unparalleled…their top rope bulldog was a killer finisher (just ask Buff).   These guys were simply incredible and helped re-define what a tag team could be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So thanks go out to Team Elite and Zach for participating this week.   Great job, guys!   Your effort into these answers is MUCH appreciated.  

And guess what, kids...EVERYBODY has a shot at being a volunteer for a future Pillar to Post.    The great thing about this new format is that you don't need to watch every wrestling show on the planet every single week in order to answer a topic on any given week. Hey...I wonder who my special guests will be next week?

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So that's it for this week.    I appreciate you clicking the link that brought you here and for reading the column every week. I mean, if it weren't for all of you reading I would just be blogging to myself...           

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 letting me know that you'd like to participate by checking out my new online blog The World According to ZAH !    And then there's the ZAH MySpace page (add me...you know you want to). Oh...and then join the Insanity Facebook page . 

Whew!    Got all that?    Good.    That's all I got for now, kids.    Until next week...take care.

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