04-21-07

“Last night a little angel came pumping on the floor.”

Boo-yah, here we go!!

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Item #1 –  No time, no time, NO time.

Boys’n’girls…I gotta apologize.  With my recent trip to Houston, Texas I’ve found myself with absolutely zero time to do much of anything of a personal nature.  In other words, I won’t have a full column for y’all this week (ugh…I’m actually saying “y’all” now).  I probably will have something for you next week (again…on a Saturday) as I’m coming back for the weekend and then I’m flying back down here to Houston for another two weeks.  Hopefully, by then, I won’t be so poor at time management.

Anyway, if anybody knows of some great restaurants in the Houston area, drop me a line.  Otherwise, here’s what you got for a column this week…

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Item #2 – Italian fans are funny.

I really enjoyed the Italian fans on Monday night.  They booed who they wanted to boo, they cheered who they wanted to cheer, and they made noise in some way or another all night long.

Of course, they went nuts cheering Torrie Wilson so it’s quite obvious that they’re bat-shit insane but whaddya want??  The international market right now is hot right now and WWE is extremely smart to continue milking it for all it’s worth. 

Of course, I’m not suggesting that they really milk it because let’s face it…without the international market right now WWE would be luke-warm at best.  Yes…live event attendance is up, merch sales are up, and you can even argue that television ratings are slightly up over the same time last year.  However, without the international market their main source of revenue, pay-per-views, would be down considerably and their bottom line wouldn’t look nearly as good.

The international market is currently providing WWE with excellent live attendance numbers, PPV buys, merch sales, and pretty much the hottest crowds anywhere.  Currently, WWE is being very smart in their timing of their tours because they’re not saturating the market.  While some in the IWC may believe that WWE is shooting themselves in the foot with too many overseas tours, I really don’t think they’re hitting the market nearly as hard as they could be…and that’s a smart thing as it provides the “demand” to go along with the “supply”.

Anyhoo…I really enjoy international fans and the televised programs that they provide.  And while it was suggested that I scold them for booing John Cena and not getting with the program, I really believe that the non-American fan…for better or for worse…truly enjoys booing and cheering whom they want to boo and cheer, not who Vinny Mac would want them to. 

To some it may be “Bizarro-World”, but to others…like this HBK-booin’ Canuck…it’s simply being an independent fan and not a sheep in a herd of easily manipulated teenyboppers.  It ain’t the 80’s anymore, folks.

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Item #3 – The Insanity Tag Team Tournament!

Because of my severe lack of time, consider this week’s column to be primarily about the tag team tournament that I introduced to y’all last week (ugh…I used that term again).  Quite frankly, you guys’n’gals have been rockin’ my inbox for the past week and voting like mad and I gotta tell ya……….thanks!  I knew that people actually read this column!  I just needed a reason for people to get involved.

Anyway, as you all know, I’m a big fan of tag team wrestling.  Always have been...always will be.  I’ve spouted the wonders of those like the Kings of Wrestling and the Briscoes as of late in an effort to parlay my enjoyment of the 4-man beat-down into words for one and all.  Well, Insanity reader and message board poster vinrob recently sent me a fantastic-looking absolutely insane 64-team fantasy tag team tournament designed to help decide who Insanity readers thought the greatest tag team in the history of mankind really was/is. 

Of course, I had to update a couple of teams to include some ROH alumni and...because most fans aren’t up-to-speed on tag teams from around the world...99% of the teams listed here are from North America.  So I guess the whole “history of mankind” thing is out the window.  Still...stop bitching already...it’s all about having some fun.

Let’s recap the winners of last week’s first bracket of Round One:

I don’t think there were any tremendous upsets in this bunch.  However, there were definitely some close races. 

The Eliminators vs. Atlas/Johnson match-up was decided by only one vote, as was the Quebecers vs. La Resistance.  There were surprising battles as the Hollywood Blondes had a tough match against the old-school NWA team of the Koloff’s, also the Kings of Wrestling put up a surprising battle against the Dudley Boyz and the Fabulous Ones garnered a number of votes against the Outsiders. The biggest one-sided match belonged to Edge & Christian vs. the Body Donnas…where I’m sorry to say WWI alumni Tom Prichard’s team with the late Chris Candido unfortunately didn’t garner a single vote. 

While there were some pretty good match-ups in this bracket, I’m excited about the second bracket.  Now remember, each team is to be judged based upon their skills during the height of their popularity/success.  So vote by sending an email my way or via PM on the message board. Either way, let your voice be heard!

Oh...and please................................no wagering.

ROUND ONE con't

Harlem Heat – WCW tag team champions

vs.

Sabu & Rob Van Dam – ECW tag team champions

vs.

High Flyers – (Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell) AWA tag team champions

Brothers of Destruction – (Kane & Undertaker) WWF tag team champions

vs.

Twin Towers – (Akeem & Big Bossman)

Demolition – (Ax, Smash, Crush) WWF tag team champions

vs.

Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody – All Japan tag team champions

MNM – (Johnny Nitro & Joey Mercury) WWE tag team champions

vs.

Generation Next – (Austin Aries & Roderick Strong) ROH tag team champions

Public Enemy – (Johnny Grunge & Rocco Rock) ECW & WCW tag team champions

vs.

the British Bulldogs – (Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid) WWF tag team champions

the Rougeau Brothers – (Jacques & Raymond)

vs.

the Varsity Club – (Kevin Sullivan, Mike Rotundo, Steve Williams, & Rick Steiner) NWA tag team champions

the Rock’n’Roll Express – (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) NWA, Smokey Mountain, & Mid-South tag team champions

vs.

Second City Saints – (CM Punk, Ace Steel, & Colt Cabana) ROH tag team champions

the Road Warriors – (Animal & Hawk) AWA, NWA, & WWF tag team champions

vs.

Terry Gordy & Steve Williams – NWA, NJPW, and WCW tag team champions

World’s Greatest Tag Team – (Shelton Benjamín & Charlie Haas) WWE tag team champions

vs.

the Impact Players – (Lance Storm & Justin Credible) ECW tag team champions

Money Inc. – (Ted DiBiase & Mike “IRS” Rotundo) WWF tag team champions

vs.

Minnesota Wrecking Crew – (Arn & Ole Anderson) NWA tag team champions

the Wild Samoans – (Afa & Sika) WWF & Mid-South tag team champions

vs.

the Midnight Express – (Bobby Eaton, Dennis Condrey, & Stan Lane) NWA, Mid-South, & World Class tag team champions

Heavenly Bodies – (Tom Prichard, Stan Lane, & Jimmy Del Ray) Smokey Mountain tag team champions

vs.

the Dream Team – (Greg “the Hammer” Valentine & Brutus Beefcake) WWF tag team champions

the New Age Outlaws – (Road Dogg & Billy Gunn) WWF tag team champions

vs.

the Fabulous Freebirds – (Michael “PS” Hayes, Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy, & Buddy Roberts) WCCW 6-man tag team champions

the Hart Foundation – (Bret “Hitman” Hart & Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart) WWF tag team champions

vs.

the Rockers – (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty) AWA tag team champions

the Hardy Boyz – (Matt & Jeff) WWF, WCW, & World tag team champions

vs.
KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji – GHC jr. tag team champions

What did I tell you?  Great match-ups or what??  Yeah…I’m pretty impressed myself.  So yeah…get your votes in and don’t be shy!

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Item # 7 – 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 was a long time coming.  You know it…I know it…it finally happened.  Ladies and gents, ZAH’s Loser of the Week simply has to be...

Sanjaya!!!

FINALLY!!  Yeah...this tone-deaf numbnuts is my Loser of the Week!  Good riddance ya little bastard.

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Pillar to Post 

Sorry gang…no P2P this week.  Hopefully I’ll have time next week.  You game to participate?

No problem.  Seriously...it’s not a problem at all.  Really...let me know RIGHT NOW!!  You can let me know either by e-mailing me at Zah@worldwrestlinginsanity.com or hitting me up at ZAH Nation, found in the Insanity Message Board and letting me know that you’d like to participate.  Also, don’t forget to stop by my MySpace page and add me.

So until next week…

L8R