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Katz Files – Arnie Katz

WWE’s Brand Illusion

The Kingfish Arnie Katz takes a long, hard look at the WWE’s branding policy as WrestleMania 25 and the annual re-organization loom closer,

One of the most controversial moves WWE has ever made was its decision to segment its product to create three brands: <Raw, Smackdown and ECW. Some fans resented the whole concept of breaking the WWE roster into three groups, claiming that it would dilute the product to the detriment of the show.

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Independent Wrestling Federation
Website: www.WrestlingIWF.com
MySpace: www.MySpace.com/WrestlingIWF

IWF Pro Wrestling School Begins 10th Year in West Paterson NJ:
Facility Trains Top Mat Students from 20 States and 8 Countries

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HeadLocker — Jay Shannon

OWW Wrestler of the Week: Petey Williams

Our resident philosopher, Jay Shannon, profiles “Maple Leaf Muscle”, Petey Williams, who bid a farewell to TNA, this week.

When I choose someone to be Wrestler of the Week, I usually go for a new champ or someone who made a big impact on the business. This week, I actually chose someone who lost his match. Petey Williams ended his TNA career, on Thursday, by losing in the Off The Wagon Challenge. Petey actually got one of the longest (and loudest) pops that I’ve heard in quite some time. The respect shown to him by the fans, as well as several years of dedication to TNA led me to choose “Little Petey Pump” aka “Maple Leaf Muscle” Petey Williams as this week’s OWW Wrestler of the Week.

Both sides of the Border

Petey was trained for wrestling by Scott D’Amore. D’Amore was the owner/operator of Border City Wrestling. Numerous other stars got their training with D’Amore’s group, including Chris Sabin, Johnny Devine, Alex Shelley, and Eric Young. Petey took two years to work for D’Amore and other small groups around Ontario and the Northern US. In 2004, Petey was contacted by Scott D’Amore about helping TNA with their international team competitions.

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Kevin Sullivan Answers the Public

Kevin Sullivan’s storied and controversial career makes him a great interview guest. Besides all that has passed before his eyes, Sullivan keeps a mysterious front, seldom opening up. Well all that changes with Kayfabe Commentaries’ release of “YouShoot: Kevin Sullivan,” available today.

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False Count Radio Hosts: “Pacific Coast Player” JT Evans, “The Albert Einstein of Wrestling” Alex K & “The Juicin” Jobber Had The Opportunity To Conduct A Interview With Former WCW, WWF & TNA Wrestler, A 2nd Generation Star, The Son of “Cowboy” Bill Watts Who is Being Inducted Into the WWE Hall of Fame This Year. He Is Erik Watts

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AS I SEE IT
Bob Magee
Pro Wrestling: Between the Sheets
PWBTS.com

You probably won’t see this fact mentioned on WWE.com, but Wednesday, February 25, will be the 17th anniversary of the first ECW show.

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The Katz Files – Arnie Katz

Winter TNA Knockout Report!:

The Kingfish Arnie Katz evaluates the current strengths and weaknesses of the individual performers of TNA’s Knockout Division

TNA is still pushing the Knockout Division, but it’s no secret to fans that women’s wrestling in the promotion is not exactly at an al-time peak. There is undeniable talent among the workers, but a combination of poor match-ups and bad booking have siphoned off a lot of the heat.

Four times a year, I look at the individual wrestlers in the knockout Division and gauge their performance in a variety of areas.

Here’s this quarter’s evaluation:

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HeadLocker — Jay Shannon

The WWE Hall of Fame: Class of 2029

Our resident philosopher, Jay Shannon, returns with his yearly predictions about future Hall of Fame candidates. This time around, a lot of familiar (sur)names make the list.

Three years ago, when Arnie Katz first gave me my shot at writing about wrestling, I created a Future Hall of Fame column. In it, I took a look at the kids who were just getting their careers off the ground. I sifted through the dozens of 20-year olds (and younger) and tried to figure out just who I thought had the potential to end up in the WWE Hall of Fame. That column has turned into an annual event. Each year, I scan dozens of websites and watch Internet and satellite broadcasts of, literally, hundreds of young, fresh faces to try and find the kids that have that Something Special. The rules of my little fantasy Hall inductions are actually pretty simple:

1. Understand that some of these kids might enter earlier than I predict.

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