Sharpshootin' with The Franchise
(All right No Masians, your long trek through the combat Mojave is over - Franchise is back in the saddle and he means business - let's all welcome him back with a big flying hell-bow, and away we go...)
Yeah, and...?: The wrestling world is buzzing over the news that 11 current and former WWE wrestlers are being linked to a nationwide steroid investigation. SI.com first broke the news that TNA star and former Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, the late Eddie Guerrero, Adam Copeland (aka Edge), Oscar Gutierrez (aka Rey Mysterio), Randy Orton, and Shane Helms, among others, had been prescribed various forms of drugs over the last few years. So, I will say it again: Yeah, and...? I can’t imagine anyone being dumb enough to think that steroids are not commonplace in the world of wrestling. They are and they always will be. That is until Vince McMahon stops pushing guys who look like Bobby Lashley to the moon. The bottom line is that wrestlers understand that the bigger you are the more successful you will be. If I had to guess, I would say that 90% if not more of the wrestlers in the WWE and TNA locker rooms are on some kind of drug. I wish it weren’t this way. I love professional wrestling more than anyone and, trust me, I would rather not see ‘roided up guys stumble around the ring when I can watch slimmer, more-talented wrestlers like CM Punk use their God-given ability. Unfortunately this is the nature of the business. When it comes to football or baseball, it is believed that the only way athletes will scare off of steroids is if a huge star suddenly dies. But in wrestling, we're way beyond that point. It seems like every week another wrestler passes away. Sadly, I foresee many more funerals to come.
Worlds Colliding: The latest rumeur du jour has it that the owners of the UFC, Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, are on the verge of purchasing Pride Fight Championships. To say this would be the biggest news in the history of MMA would be the understatement of the century. Pride is by far the biggest MMA organization outside of the US (the UFC has a firm stranglehold on this market) but they seem to be on their last legs. Hence, UFC signing away top Pride stars like Mirko Cro Cop over the last couple of months. If this deal does go down there will be a plethora of dream matches ready to be signed. This situation is eerily similar to what happened with the WWF and WCW. In the mid-90s nobody was hotter than World Championship Wrestling. But by the start of the 21st Century, the tables had turned and the WWF had seized control over the wrestling world. Then, in March 2001, hell froze over when McMahon purchased WCW. Wrestling fans believed this would lead to a number of great PPVs over time but McMahon had no interest in promoting his former competitors so he basically buried all the WCW guys. That’s where the differences between the two purchases will end. Fortunately for us, UFC president Dana White can’t decide who wins and loses when former Pride fighters step into the Octagon with the UFC stars.
Wrestlemania Update: We are a mere 11 days away and I am not quite sure whether to be excited for the 23rd edition of “the granddaddy of ‘em all” or not. On one hand, they have done a great job promoting the top matches and making them seem relevant. On the other hand, they can promote them all they want but I am just not getting fired up for this card. We'll have a more in-depth preview of the show next week but let’s update you on where the card currently stands:
Rest In Peace: The last couple of weeks have been pretty rough for wrestling legends with the passings of “Big Cat” Ernie Ladd and Arnold Skaaland. Not only was Ladd one of the greatest wrestlers in the 1960s and 1970s, but he was also a pretty good football player too. He played for the San Diego Chargers from 1961 to 1965, starring on the Chargers’ 1963 AFL Championship team, and also played for the Houston Oilers and Kansas City Chiefs in the AFL. He appeared in four-straight AFL All-Star Games from 1962-1965. In 1961, in an effort to revive a struggling San Diego wrestling market, “Classy” Freddie Blassie brought Ladd in for a publicity stunt ala Lawrence Taylor coming to the WWF in the mid-90s. Unlike LT, however, Ladd realized that he enjoyed the wrestling ring more than the gridiron. The rest is history. The “Big Cat” wrestled for the NWA, Mid-South Wrestling, and the World-Wide Wrestling Federation (the precursor to the WWF), among other promotions. He was also a 1995 inductee to the WWF Hall-of-Fame.
A year before Ladd entered the HOF, Arnold Skaaland was honored as part of the 1994 class. While Skaaland’s in-ring wrestling career was impressive enough, he will be best known for his duties outside the ring as one of the industry’s best managers and most-liked personalities. He was one of the original employees of the WWWF and had been working behind-the-scenes for the company until his death last week. He also served as Andre the Giant’s agent, but most will remember him in his role as manager to Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund. He was even involved in one of the most famous moments in wrestling history when Backlund, managed by Skaaland, defended his WWF title against the Iron Sheik, managed by Freddie Blassie, on December 12, 1983 at MSG. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Yeah, and...?: The wrestling world is buzzing over the news that 11 current and former WWE wrestlers are being linked to a nationwide steroid investigation. SI.com first broke the news that TNA star and former Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, the late Eddie Guerrero, Adam Copeland (aka Edge), Oscar Gutierrez (aka Rey Mysterio), Randy Orton, and Shane Helms, among others, had been prescribed various forms of drugs over the last few years. So, I will say it again: Yeah, and...? I can’t imagine anyone being dumb enough to think that steroids are not commonplace in the world of wrestling. They are and they always will be. That is until Vince McMahon stops pushing guys who look like Bobby Lashley to the moon. The bottom line is that wrestlers understand that the bigger you are the more successful you will be. If I had to guess, I would say that 90% if not more of the wrestlers in the WWE and TNA locker rooms are on some kind of drug. I wish it weren’t this way. I love professional wrestling more than anyone and, trust me, I would rather not see ‘roided up guys stumble around the ring when I can watch slimmer, more-talented wrestlers like CM Punk use their God-given ability. Unfortunately this is the nature of the business. When it comes to football or baseball, it is believed that the only way athletes will scare off of steroids is if a huge star suddenly dies. But in wrestling, we're way beyond that point. It seems like every week another wrestler passes away. Sadly, I foresee many more funerals to come.
Worlds Colliding: The latest rumeur du jour has it that the owners of the UFC, Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, are on the verge of purchasing Pride Fight Championships. To say this would be the biggest news in the history of MMA would be the understatement of the century. Pride is by far the biggest MMA organization outside of the US (the UFC has a firm stranglehold on this market) but they seem to be on their last legs. Hence, UFC signing away top Pride stars like Mirko Cro Cop over the last couple of months. If this deal does go down there will be a plethora of dream matches ready to be signed. This situation is eerily similar to what happened with the WWF and WCW. In the mid-90s nobody was hotter than World Championship Wrestling. But by the start of the 21st Century, the tables had turned and the WWF had seized control over the wrestling world. Then, in March 2001, hell froze over when McMahon purchased WCW. Wrestling fans believed this would lead to a number of great PPVs over time but McMahon had no interest in promoting his former competitors so he basically buried all the WCW guys. That’s where the differences between the two purchases will end. Fortunately for us, UFC president Dana White can’t decide who wins and loses when former Pride fighters step into the Octagon with the UFC stars.
Wrestlemania Update: We are a mere 11 days away and I am not quite sure whether to be excited for the 23rd edition of “the granddaddy of ‘em all” or not. On one hand, they have done a great job promoting the top matches and making them seem relevant. On the other hand, they can promote them all they want but I am just not getting fired up for this card. We'll have a more in-depth preview of the show next week but let’s update you on where the card currently stands:
- World Heavyweight Champion Batista vs. Undertaker
- WWE Champion John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels
- Battle of the Billionaires: Bobby Lashley w/ Donald Trump vs. Umaga w/ Vince McMahon – Special Guest Referee: Stone Cold Steve Austin
- Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Randy Orton vs. Fit Finlay vs. Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy vs. King Booker vs. CM Punk vs. Edge vs. Mr. Kennedy
- ECW Originals (RVD, Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, Sandman) vs. New Breed (Elijah Burke, Matt Striker, Kevin Thorn, Marcus Cor Von)
- Women's Champion Melina vs. Ashley
- Kane vs. The Great Khali
- United States Champion Chris Benoit vs. MVP
Rest In Peace: The last couple of weeks have been pretty rough for wrestling legends with the passings of “Big Cat” Ernie Ladd and Arnold Skaaland. Not only was Ladd one of the greatest wrestlers in the 1960s and 1970s, but he was also a pretty good football player too. He played for the San Diego Chargers from 1961 to 1965, starring on the Chargers’ 1963 AFL Championship team, and also played for the Houston Oilers and Kansas City Chiefs in the AFL. He appeared in four-straight AFL All-Star Games from 1962-1965. In 1961, in an effort to revive a struggling San Diego wrestling market, “Classy” Freddie Blassie brought Ladd in for a publicity stunt ala Lawrence Taylor coming to the WWF in the mid-90s. Unlike LT, however, Ladd realized that he enjoyed the wrestling ring more than the gridiron. The rest is history. The “Big Cat” wrestled for the NWA, Mid-South Wrestling, and the World-Wide Wrestling Federation (the precursor to the WWF), among other promotions. He was also a 1995 inductee to the WWF Hall-of-Fame.
A year before Ladd entered the HOF, Arnold Skaaland was honored as part of the 1994 class. While Skaaland’s in-ring wrestling career was impressive enough, he will be best known for his duties outside the ring as one of the industry’s best managers and most-liked personalities. He was one of the original employees of the WWWF and had been working behind-the-scenes for the company until his death last week. He also served as Andre the Giant’s agent, but most will remember him in his role as manager to Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund. He was even involved in one of the most famous moments in wrestling history when Backlund, managed by Skaaland, defended his WWF title against the Iron Sheik, managed by Freddie Blassie, on December 12, 1983 at MSG. It doesn’t get much better than this.
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