Sting: Bait and Switch
There is simply no excuse, on a pre-recorded show like this, for the

Even though they obviously knew that Sting wasn’t there and wasn’t going to show his face on iMPACT, Mike Tenay and Taz talked it up throughout the show. Tenay even made an extended reference to an interview conducted earlier in the day that had surprising and exciting developments!

This could have been fixed in post-production, but it wasn’t. Is this the new deal that Dixie Carter keeps promising?

Foley Goes Face, But…
.Mick Foley has turned babyface with as little rhyme or reason as when he went heel to fight Abyss.

Yet a further turn, perhaps back to heel or to tweener, already seemed underway on the 11/19 iMPACT. Even as Foley teamed with Abyss to combat Stevie Richards and Raven, Mick griped constantly about being abused y TNA management. His big complaint is that Dixie Carter didn’t tell him about the Hogan deal.

This certainly makes it look like Foley and Hogan will have, at the least, a war of words when the Hulkster actually comes to TNA. Mick can work very well as a tweener, subtly shifting his approach to reflect his adversary at the time, but the turns aren’t being handled very well.

Mick’s recent turns have been too extreme and too unmotivated. If TNA wants him in the tweener role, then his basic personality should remain constant and whether he’s heel or face should depend on the personal issues developed in the storyline.

TNA has taken the easier, but less pleasing, approach of having Mick Foley do an about-face every three weeks or so. What kind of credibility can Foley possibly have with fans when he says something one week and then the exact opposite the next?

Steiner vs. Amazing Red
This is the kind of match that helped dig TNA’s present hole. Why would anyone think it was a good idea to put the X Division champion in there with Big Poppa Pump?

The match turned out to be an excuse for a save by Bobby Lashley that added nothing to the Steiner-Lashley feud, yet managed to make Amazing Red seem puny and insignificant.

When TNA wants to schedule this kind of match, it would make a lot more sense to use someone like Shark Boy as the foil instead of cheapening a valuable property like Red. It’s bad enough that they have saddled the Pride of Brooklyn with the Don West gimmick.

We’ve got Nash and Young –where are Crosby and Stills?

When Good Mike Does Bad Mic
After fans saw Abyss blockade Mick Foley’s office in the wake of his plea for Mick not to wrestle, Mike Tenay acted like it was all some sort of Big Mystery when Foley didn’t answer the call of his entrance package.

A better alternative would have been to have the announcers wonder if Mick would escape from his office when his music hit. TNA could’ve even cut back and forth between the ring and Foley’s escape effort.

Pretending that there is a mystery when there isn’t one is a surefire way to turn off fans. If the announcers are made to look stupid, what they say will have zero impact.

That’s all for today! I’ll be back on Monday with my recap and analysis of Turning Point on Monday. Hope you’ll join me then – and, please, bring your friends.

– Arnie Katz
Executive Editor
Crossfire4@cox.net
(11/21/09)

What’s Next for Sting?

Te opening package for the program still shows Sting’s painted face. An announcement on the Turning Point pay per view informed fans that the Icon will speak on the subject on the 11/22 iMPACT.

Will Sting hang ‘em up? I have no inside information, but it does raise the intriguing question: should Sting retire from professional wrestling?

Sting has reached his 50s, an age at which most others have called it quits. Most, but not all. Fit inlay still works creditably and so do a few others. More importantly, Sting is in good shape and has worked less than most wrestlers of the same age. His gimmick, his injuries and his previous retirements have preserved him pretty well.

Sting doesn’t seem to have the same passion for the work that he once possessed, but he still delivers good matches and interviews most of the time. When story support is good, Sting rises to the occasion.

Booking is crucial for Sting. If TNA wants to keep him, they will have to come up with a storyline that involved him in something both he and the fans consider significant.

The Return of Raven

My wife Joyce thought Raven looked terrible on his first show back – until I reminded her of what Raven looked like when he came in the last time. He still doesn’t look in fighting trim, despite the cloaking properties of his extensive costume, but he doesn’t look nearly as ill.

It looks like Raven will work a program against Abyss, who should in the final, decisive match. Raven may have trouble moving the bulky Abyss around the ring, but he will do reasonably interesting interviews and, hopefully, will make the feud more than a lame repetition of Abyss-Richards.

An Invitation to Disaster

The Lethal Invitational got off to an awful start with the match that Black Machismo lost to a plodding, out-of-shape Jim Niedhart. I don’t see how this works out if Lethal doesn’t win some matches, unless this is a convoluted way of ditching the Macho Man imitation.

That’s all for today! I’ll be back on Monday with my recap and analysis of Turning Point on Monday. Hope you’ll join me then – and, please, bring your friends.

– Arnie Katz
Executive Editor
Crossfire4@cox.net
(11/17/09)

… Shouldn’t whomever came up with the lame Chavo-vs.-Hatton fight deserve a rap on the knuckles for spoiling an otherwise pretty decent “guest host” shot on the 11/9 EAW from Sheffield, UK? The ex-champion stirred the crowd and, in the opening scene of the show, insured that fans would not cheering Chris Jericho and Big Show

… Doesn’t it seem strange that Hulk Hogan didn’t appear on the 11/5 iMPACT in any way? Talk about an inconsistent push! Even though Hogan may well have been concentrating on hawking his book, he could’ve done a remote, another pre-taped interview or even a telephone conversation.

… Hasn’t Superstars built up nicely? The last rating was 1.8, which is both respectable and higher than any episode of iMPACT.

… Is Sheamus the whitest man in the world? He did a good job riling up the crowd, which might otherwise backed him as a favorite son.” His squash match would’ve been a tiny bit more impressive, though, if they had mentioned the name of the guy he beat from turnbuckle to turnbuckle.

… Did you notice that iMPACT’s rating went down for the 11/15 show? Some may argue that this occurred because Hulk Hogan wasn’t on the program. Another way of looking at it, though, is that a mere week after all the hoopla, Hogan has not attracted new viewers.

.. Wasn’t it a “feel good” moment when Evan Bourne ended Jack Swagger’s winning streak? Now we don’t have to listen to the “no defeats until the end of the year” stuff every week on RAW.

That’s all for today. I’ll be back tomorrow with a fresh installment of the Internet’s fastest-rising wrestling column. I hope you’ll join me then – and, please, bring your friends.

– Arnie Katz
Crossfire4@cox.net
(11/10/09)

Dixie Carter Speaks to the Troops
Talk about the steel fist in the velvet glove! Dixie Carters speech to the roster on the11/5 iMPACT was a little shocking.

TNA’s President surprised me on two counts:

1. She essentially backed up Hulk Hogan’s numerous comments about his role without ever adding any information about what that role will be, exactly.

2. She threatened the workers –and put it on TV! That’ll do wonders for backstage morale.

No one can argue the necessity of pushing Hogan even when he isn’t there, at least at this point, but this just doesn’t seem like the best way to do it. It must have embarrassed the locker room and it certainly didn’t fill viewers with much confidence about the fate of their favorites.

Turns in the Wind?
The Daniels-Samoa Joe-AJ Style storyline continues to be interesting, though running Styles-Daniels on the 11/5 episode seemed like it was too close to the Turning Point three-way for the TNA World Championship. It’s not a grievous error, just a bit unusual.

The booking does suggest that two of the three combatants may be changing their perspective. Samoa Joe has edged into a tweener spot and may go all the way back to face, while Daniels could well revert to his heel ways.

Both would be positive steps. The fans have always liked Joe and there is always a place for a rough hero in modern pro wrestling. On he other hand, Daniels did well as a heel in previous TNA stints. He’s one of those guys who can play either role well.

That’s all for now. I’ll be back Sunday with a fresh installment of the Internet’s fastest-rising pro wrestling column. I hope you’ll join me then and, please, bring your friends.

– Arnie Katz
Executive Editor
Crossfire4@cox.net
(11/7/09)

Embattled AJ
I have complained about TNA’s booking and writing so often that regular readers like Nic Farey and Shelby Vick could probably write a fair imitation if I gave them the first line.

That’s why I’m making a special point of praising the way they’ve set up the three-way title match for Turning Point.with AJ Styles, Daniels and Samoa Joe. The series of interviews that ran on the 10/30 iMPACT established an every-man-for-himself situation, because no one now trusts either of the other two.

That’s a lot better than the usual insta-feud. You know, where two guys who seemingly have never talked suddenly develop a lifelong hatred of each other. (This is the opposite of the insta-buddy angle in which two wrestlers who have no apparent connection suddenly become childhood friends, college roommates and best man at each other’s weddings.).

Going Global
In pro wrestling, things generally happen for a reason. That’s even true for TNA, so the renaming of the Legends Championship deserves close scrutiny.

It looks like TNA is creating a structure similar to what WWE has done with the World Heavyweight and WWE Championship. As in WWE, NA now has two ambiguously named belts, both of which sound like they are the top title.

Two potential uses for the Global and TNA Heavyweight belts:

1. Hulk Hogan could take one of the titles and defend it, mostly on the pay per views. The grandiose name would satisfy his ego, but it would also leave TNA to continue to book meaningful, exciting matches for the otherstrap.

2. Adding it to some other evidence, it could well be the first step in setting up a second TNA show. Each program would have its own “top champion,” like RAW and Smackdown.

If TNA actually maintains a division between the two shows, unlike what WWE has done, iMPACT could continue pretty much as before and the new show would be centered on Hogan. They could even move him back and forth between the shows, as WWE has done with guys like Batista.

That’s all for now. I’ll be back Sunday with a fresh installment of the Internet’s fastest-rising pro wrestling column. I hope you’ll join me then and, please, bring your friends.

– Arnie Katz
Executive Editor
Crossfire4@cox.net
(11/3/09)

Pro Wrestling is built on hype. Big announcements are more common than silicone at a Las Vegas nude pool. Every story is the biggest” and every card is “the greatest of the year.”

Sometimes, though, the news is big. More than big; monumental. TNA’s signing of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff certainly falls into that category.

This could, in fact, Change Everything.

Let’s plunge into some of the questions that swirl around this headline0grabbing story. And let’s all understand that there are no definitive answers. I claim no “inside knowledge,” and am deeply suspicious toward anyone who does, especially on this topic. Frankly, I’m not sire even TNA management could say for sure.

Question #1: Why did TNA sign Hulk Hogan?
TNA is stick in its niche. It has not increased its TV ratings and the pay per views are losing subscribers. The company obviously hopes that Hulk Hogan can create break-through excitement.

Question #2: Why did Hulk Hogan sign with TNA
Did you see The Wrestler? If so, you already know the answer. I’ll spell it out for those who have not: Hulk Hogan is addicted to the spotlight and the roar of the crowd. He is neither the first nor the last athlete to make a comeback after a few years away from the noise and celebrity.

My best guess is that Hulk signed with TNA, because WWE would not offer him anything close to what he wants. TNA has a weekly TV show and monthly pay per views. And the promotion was troubled enough that he could get a very favorable deal.

Is this a good idea
This is one of the best ideas in wrestling – for 1985. Hulk Hogan is 53 years old, his knees are shot and he wasn’t a very good wrestler when he was young.

How good an idea it is will depend on what Hogan’s role will be. If they let him book himself into the TNA world heavyweight championship, it will be an unmitigated disaster, because Hulk can’t wrestle up to TNA standards for main event matches.

Even if he doesn’t become the champ, letting him book his friends into prominent positions in the TNA show won’t solve the company’s problems, either.

Is Hulk still a marquee attraction?
Hulks recent forays into pro wrestling have all followed a pattern. The initial reaction is tremendously favorable – and then rapidly declines week by week until no one seems to care by the time he has been around for a month or two.

Hulk is sure of his worth and is a hard bargainer. This often results in him getting overbooked into positions in the show that he can’t carry anymore.

Hulk Hogan can help TNA immensely if he knows his role; he can dominate it into oblivion if he doesn’t.

What should be Hulk Hogan’s Role?
There are certainly a variety of viable possibilities. The one that I think has the best potential would be to make Hogan Legends Champion.

He is certainly qualified for that slot. He is the ultimate pro wrestling icon to many, many people.

As Legends Champion, Hogan could fight other superannuated wrestlers such as Kevin Nash and Ric Flair. These would be “featured attractions” or something like that on the pay per views. Hulk could make his presence felt on iMPACT through interviews and out-of-the-ring scenes.

This would keep Hulk’s wrestling to a minimum while getting the most out of his fame. The light schedule will help preserve him physically and annoy fans who like good ring action a lot less.

What is the worst-case scenario for Hulk in TNA?
The greatest danger to TNA would be to give Hulk Hogan too much behind-the-scenes power and let him feed all the young stars to the oldsters including himself. TNA might not recover from that approach.

That’s it for today. I’ll be back tomorrow with another installment of the Internet’s fastest-rising daily wrestling column. I hope you’ll join me then – and, please, bring your friends.

– Arnie Katz
Executive Editor
Crossfire4@cox.net
(10/30/09)

As a show, Bragging Rights added up to less than the sum of its parts. There was nothing truly horrible, but it was a B- package – and a PPV should rate at least a B+.

It turned out pretty much the way it looked on paper. The matches were all right, but ultimately not very meaningful.

One thing that hurt is that the theme tanked. If WWE does Bragging Rights in 2010, they’ll have to overhaul the whole thing.

They can begin with the supposed signature match of the pay per view. The seven-on-seven contest had some good moments, but I predicted Big Show’s treachery after watching the RAW on which Triple H formed his team. The only part of the formula the writers missed was that Show didn’t take off his RAW shirt to reveal a Smackdown one underneath.

A last-minute attempt to bolster the theme had the opposite result. The claim that a roster had to win two of three Bragging Rights matches just cheapened the seven-on-seven.

The design –if you want to call it that – needs re-thinking, too. Ending it with a single pin or submission turned it into just another cluster schmazz tag team mess. Who wants to see 12 guys standing around while two fight? This should’ve been an elimination match in which pins and submissions whittled down the teams.

A longer “Bragging Rights” match would have bumped the Iron Man match off the card, but WWE could’ve put it on a different pay per view. As it was, the Orton-Cena showdown was decent, a B/B+, but it had quite a bit of laying around on the mat and general stalling.

That’s it for today. I’ll be back tomorrow with another installment of the Internet’s fastest-rising daily wrestling column. I hope you’ll join me then – and, please, bring your friends.

– Arnie Katz
Executive Editor
Crossfire4@cox.net
(10/27/09)

Maybe WWE shouldn’t brag.

This is a very weak show built around a gimmick that didn’t generate any fan excitement. One, of many, reasons is that WWE couldn’t promote it very well since they didn’t know the rules. It started out as an imitation of WCW’s WarGames, but it seems like WWE has decided instead to imitate WCW’s habit presenting pay per view matches that had not been thoroughly thought out and tested.

The basic concept of Bragging Rights is deeply flawed. It means little to the fans and actually hurts WWE’s business.

The fundamental problem is that the RAW and Smackdown rosters have exchanged and shared talent so often that there is no sense of true rivalry. Fans know that WWE shuffles the rosters periodically and reassigns talent whenever it feels like it, so there’s no separation.

Another problem with the premise is that there is no logical connection between one of the teams winning the match and deciding which show is better. A win in the match simply doesn’t relate to which show is better, because it doesn’t actually evaluate the two shows.

The Bragging Rights gimmick hurts WWE’s business, because it creates an artificial separation between fans who like RAW and those who prefer Smackdown. The hype for the pay per view makes it sound like you can’t be a fan of both shows – and isn’t that what WWE wants? They wantmore audience overlap, not less. Hearing fans in the arena on the19/19 RAW boo Smackdown should’ve triggered one of those celebrated Vince McMahon backstage rants.

Normally, I do a very elaborate preview. I give the kayfabe back-story of each match, a detailed prediction of the outcome and a predicted grade for the latch.

That approach works with Bragging Rights. Frankly, Bragging Rights probably doesn’t deserves that much attention. Most of the matches have little or no motivation and the outcome doesn’t matter much, either.

Bragging Rights isn’t totally devoid of interest. It will see the end of the Cena-Orton and, perhaps, the Undertaker-Punk feuds and, more importantly, will start a number of story lines that will evolve and develop through the fall and winter.

The WWE is back with another one of their silly “gimmick” PPVs. It’s a situation of Smackdown v Raw. One of the main reasons for this one is to push Smackdown v Raw 2010. The concept has changed, a couple of times. Originally, the various winners of the undercard matches would be placed against each other in a Smackdown v Raw tag team battle. That idea was scrapped and the main event was turned into a 7-on-7 tag team war. Even that has been changed, as team members of Team Smackdown have been replaced by other Smackdowners. I’ll do my best to sift through this mess and try and figure out what the heck the WWE is trying to do.

Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix and Natalya v Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly and Melina
Prediction: This will likely open the show. Kelly is definitely the weak link in this sextet of sexy grapplers. Since I have the feeling that WWE plans to split the first two Smackdown v Raw matches, I’m going to got with the Raw girls to take this one. Since Kelly is starting to get another push, she will defy the odds and pin Natalya to take the win for her team.
Predicted Winner: Kelly Kelly, Gail Kim and Melina
Predicted Grade: B
The Miz (United States Champion) v John Morrison (Intercontinental Championship)
Backstory: The two formed one of the strongest tag teams in recent WWE memory. The Draft split the duo up. The two have spent quite some time trash talking each other, over the last few weeks. This is another Brand Superiority match
Prediction: Morrison is superior to Miz, bottom line. Morrison has already worn the ECW title, as well as the I-C strap. Miz will try to clown it up but Morrison will be all business. Miz will get some close calls but Morrison will nail Starship Pain to eliminate Miz.
Predicted Winner: John Morrison
Predicted Grade B+
Randy Orton v John Cena
Iron Man Match for the WWE Championship. If Cena loses, he must leave Raw
Backstory: These two have fought for the better part of two years over the Raw title. WWE has really pushed the “if Cena loses” angle.
Prediction: If the WWE really wanted to have fun, they would have Cena win and basically thumb their nose at all the “in the know” guys who were convinced that Cena was off Raw. I think they just might pull a reverse swerve and actually have Cena lose. I really think that WWE is moving towards Cena v Batista II, maybe as soon as Survivor Series. The next match could well play into that scenario. Expect Legacy to get involved in this Anything Goes war. Orton will likely take out Cena for the final pin with an R-K-O on the steel steps, along with a Punt to the head.
Predicted Winner: Randy Orton
Predicted Grade: A-
The Undertaker v Batista v Rey Mysterio v C.M. Punk
Fatal Four Way Match for the World Championship
Backstory: Undertaker came back from a six month hiatus to challenge Punk for the World title. The first contest ended up as Montreal Screwjob II. Undertaker returned to take the strap from Punk on their next confrontation. Batista returned from injury and chose to head to Smackdown. Rey returned from a Wellness Program Suspension and went straight into the title hunt.
Prediction: Undertaker has some major issues with his legs/knees. He is likely only good for a short run, due to his injuries. I think this is a set-up for the bigger Survivor Series card. Punk has already jumped Rey, setting up another “Holier Than Thou” angle where Punk will diss Rey for his failing the Wellness Program. As such, both are out of the chase for the title. That leaves Taker and Batista. With Cena likely heading over to Smackdown, putting the belt on Batista could help set the stage for Cena v Batista II at Survivor Series. It is a strong match that could definitely pull the numbers for the PPV. It would also be a revenge scenario, since Taker took down Batista at a past Wrestlemania.
Predicted Winner: Batista (New Champion)
Predicted Grade: A+
Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Big Show, Kofi Kingston, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger and Mark Henry (Team Raw) v Chris Jericho, Kane, Finlay, R-Truth, Matt Hardy, David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd (updated Team Smackdown)
Backstory: Shad of Cryme Tyme pulled out of this match, due to a questionable illness. Smackdown had to scramble and figure out a way to replace him. They set up a 4-on-5 Handicap tag match where Matt pinned JTG to have him team replace the entire Smackdown team, except the co-captains, Kane and Jericho. Over on the Raw side, the team is completely dysfunctional Cody swears that he just won’t tag anyone in and will take out all the Smackdown stars, on his own. Big Show, who is Jericho’s partner, has basically warned Cody (and all the others) to keep their mind on the game and work together. Kofi, now speaking in non-accented English, is the team cheerleader.
Prediction: This is going to most likely be the first of many of these Smackdown v Raw PPVs, unfortunately. Poor ECW got totally hosed on this one. Since WWE is pushing the 10th anniversary of Smackdown, I figure that they will get the honorary “prize” this year. If WWE had good sense, they would do something similar to what the two colleges in Nevada do. The Cannon is a prize that ends up either blue (Reno) or red (Las Vegas) depending on who wins at the annual college football game. There really should be a trophy or something. Anyway, the dysfunctionality of Team Raw, combined with the last minute change of Team Smackdown will give the Blue Brand the edge in this battle. I’m kind of expect Big Show to pull some kind of turn on his team to work with Jericho to push Smackdown into the winner’s circle.
Predicted Winners: Team Smackdown
Predicted Grade: B+
Final Grade: A-
Final Thoughts: The matches seem reasonably solid but this one just doesn’t work for me. I feel the WWE is pushing far too many PPVs and it’s starting to show in their offerings. The Fatal Four Way is the only really good match on the card. Cena v Orton has been done to death. The Team Battle is a lame concept. I’m hoping that the WWE has the good sense to toss in another match or two to fill out the card. There are quite a few stars who aren’t on the show, including the entire ECW roster! If I were writing this one, I’d have the ECW Forces (Christian, Zack Ryder, Shelton Benjamin, Yoshi Tatsu, Vladimir Kozlov, Ezekiel Jackson and Sheamus led by Tommy Dreamer and William Regal) “crash the party” and challenge both Team Raw and Team Smackdown. Sadly, that isn’t likely to happen. This show is just going to be mediocre.
Peace

–Jay Shannon
TheHeadLocker@SBCGlobal.net
(102409)

RAW’s tribute to the late Lou Albano brought back many memories. It was one of the longest such salutes WWE has done and, in this case, it’s entirely fitting.

His zany character had almost as much to do with the transformation of the WWWF from a Northeast promotion to one that spanned North America as Hulk Hogan or Vince McMahon.

I’m almost exactly the same age as Vince McMahon ad I grew up in the New York City area blanketed y his father’s promotion, the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). My earliest memories of Lou Albano are of him as a jobber heel. Back then, just about every TV match was a squash and it seemed like either Lou Albano or Tony Altimore was always on the losing end to some star babyface.

His appearance consigned him to the jobber role, but he did it well, considering that he never even got close to the microphone and had a character consisting of long black tights. Lou was short and fat, even by the low physical standards of pro wrestling in the 1950’s and 1960’s.

Still, it said something that I noticed him at the time and remembered him vividly even after I stopped watching pro wrestling for a while.

When I resumed watching in the mid-1970’s, Lou Albano’s “big chance” as a wrestler had come and gone. During my hiatus, Albano had teamed with Altimore as The Sicilians. The WWF went through some tough times and the fact that Lou got that kind of shot was just additional evidence that the promotion had few major talents.

By then, Albano ad entered a new phase of his association with sports entertainment. He had become the fast-talking manager of heel tag teams like the Valiant Brothers and singles stars including Ivan Koloff.

It was managing that led Capt. Lou Albano into the peak of his career, the Rock * Wrestling Connection storyline that pitted Hulk against
Roddy Piper and other nefarious villains such as Bob Orton Sr. As a life-long rocker, I loved the idea of mixing the music and ring worlds by bringing in such as Cyndi Lauper.

Capt. Lou Albano was responsible for one of the most memorable incidents that happened tome while I was co-edit of Main Event
magazine and co-host of The Main Event Wrestling Show” on New York’s WHBI in the late1970’s.

I was backstage at Madison Square Garden with my recorder, doing short interviews for the radio show. Capt. Lou and his man Ivan Koloff readily agreed to do a segment. Things were a bit noisy, so we looked for a quieter place to record and ended up on what appeared to be a desolate loading dock. It still smelled a little of zebra, since the circus had just struck its tents, but it seemed sufficiently isolated.

Standing on the dock, I launched into the interview with Albano and, occasionally, Koloff giving reasonably direct answers.

It went along like that for a few minutes and then, suddenly, things began to change. Albano started bumping me from one side and Koloff muscled up on the other.

Voices got louder and more quarrelsome, the shoving continued. I glanced around and saw, to my shock, that the abandoned dock had collected an audience of several hundred wrestling fans who were watching me do the interview.

At that point, the three of us went into quite a little kayfabe routine. They yelled, I alternately shouted and whimpered and we made a huge commotion.

Just as it looked as if Koloff and Albano were going to mug me, we burst through the door back into the arena. We all looked at each other and laughed. So thanks to Lou, I was a wrestling announcer for 10 frantic minutes.

Capt Lou Albano was a pioneer who helped infuse pro wrestling with glitz and off-the-wall lunacy that has made it so popular. His death is mourned, and he will be missed, by all members of the wrestling community

That’s all for now. I’ll be back Sunday with a fresh installment of the Internet’s fastest-rising pro wrestling column. I hope you’ll join me then and, please, bring your friends.

– Arnie Katz
Executive Editor
Crossfire4@cox.net
(10/22/09)