The Next Star Of WWE - by Mason Haynes My column is about a new WWE Superstar called Umaga. I think he has all the great tactics to become a great star. First, his manager... Armando Alejandro Estrada. He has great microphone skills and has a sense of humour. He is also an intimidating manager. Not as in fearful, but he will talk to Umaga's opponents in an intimidating way. Second we have his ferociousness... He might be slow, but he sure is aggressive. He had caught my attention very quickly after beating 'The Nature Boy' Ric Flair. Although I didn't see the match live, I rented it at the DVD Store. He beat Ric Flair after about 4 to 6 minutes. Flair got a few lucky punches in, but Umaga had the match won. Third, his moves... I believe his signature moves are The Samoan Spike, the Butt Bump and the Top Rope Splash. They all will hurt, especially The Samoan Spike. He has beaten many superstars with this move including Viscera, Eugene and WWE Legend: Kamala. I thought he would have had some challenge. What I'm trying to say is that I think that Umaga should have a shot at the Intercontinental Championship. If he can beat somebody like Randy Orton then they'll put him in the hunt! Then, after he wins the Intercontinental Championship and still continues to dominate, they'll give him a shot at the WWE Championship.

Ric Flair: Still The Best Around by Brandon Buckner As a child I remember certain events very well. My first day of kindergarten, having extreme nightmares by sneaking and watching "Halloween" without permission, and wrestling. Allow me to be more specific - pro wrestling at the Asheville Civic Center snuggled right in the mountains of western N.C. Back then it was still the original Jim Crockett N.W.A. that dominated the southern states. When the show came to town it was the event that was not missed. Dusty Rhodes, The Road Warriors, Magnum T.A., Nikita Koloff and Arn Anderson were all there. Despite all these great heroes, though, there was one man every person in that arena had come to see. That's right, it's the end of the show, the face is already in the ring, and you hear it. DDDUUUUUNNNNNGGGGG!!!! The same music Elvis always used at his shows, and with the charisma only one man had, down the ramp he sauntered. The robe, the hair, the strut, the WHOOO like only he could, Ric Flair! God, my dad hated him, he would start cursing as soon as his music hit.

I literally thought 25 years ago Ric Flair had to be the most evil man on the face of the planet, just because of the reaction and look my father would have on his face when he seen him. At the end of the show, with the face, whomever he was, that close to winning the title, Flair would pull it off, almost every time illegally, leaving the crowd, including myself and father, despising him that much more. Fast forward 25 years and 16 titles later, and he still has got the robe, the hair, the strut, and the WHOOO like no one else. The age and effects of blades to the forehead are there, obviously, but so is the charisma and wrestling moves that have endured over decades. When I see him on television today, I cheer him, face or heel, it doesn't matter. Flair is the man, a pioneer in the industry that while others decided to make movies or reality shows, stayed with the sport through it all. Wahoo McDaniels, Harley Race, Ricky Steamboat and Sting are all legends to the sport today thanks greatly in part to Ric Flair. He was a significant part of my childhood, and as I get more and more into my adult life watching pro wrestling today, he is still just as significant to people like myself even though his role in wrestling has changed. One day wrestling will be without him, but for now, I just enjoy the anticipation of the greatest ring entrance ever. DDDDUUUUUNNNGGGG!!! Long live the NATURE BOY!!

Everybody Hail The Only King Of Kings & The Next World Champion - by Manuel D. For many years there has not been a WWE Superstar to be so respected, to have respect with nearly everyone. I'm talking about the former 5-Time WCW Champion King Booker. Now King Booker has been on a roll in these last few weeks. From having a good feud withj= rising star Bobby Lashley, to winning a Battle Royal to become #1 Contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Now I want to ask something to Vince McMahon. Will you just let the guy win the damn strap already? King Booker has become a mainstay on the roster since moving to SmackDown! in early to mid 2004. He has been there through it all, from Eddie Guerrero being the WWE Champion, to Eddie Guerrero passing away. He's been there from John "Bradshaw" Layfield winning the WWE Championship, to him being a color commentator on SmackDown! King Booker has made caused a bit of controversy, way back in May, when reports circulated that he and Dave Batista got into a fight at the SummerSlam commercial. That's just another reason to give him the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, though rumors circulate he and Batista might feud. Plus, King Booker has found great success as of late, after winning the reincarnated version of the 2006 King of the Ring tournament.

Plus, as much as I respect the guy and his good heart, Rey Mysterio isn't exactly a World Heavyweight Champion, due to the fact he is not a heavyweight. WWE has made light of that recently as they have been referring to the strap as the World Championship. And, well, I could picture King Booker and Rey Mysterio having a 4 star match at the Great American Bash. As of late, King Booker has become an important part of the SmackDown! roster, since SmackDown! is not really doing good as of late, and with there not really being a top heel, King Booker can do that by defeating Rey Mysterio. So will my question be answered or will Vince decide to let Rey Mysterio keep the title at the Great American Bash. So, will everyone all hail for their king, King Booker, the only king of the WWE.

Why The Undertaker Is The Best There Is, The Best There Was, & The Best There Ever Will Be - by Robert Wood Mark Calloway started his wrestling career in WCW as Mean Mark Calloway. His stardom did not come until he joined WWF in 1990. He made his debut in WWF with Manager Brother Love at Survivor Series 90' and was successful. He then won the WWF title beating Hulk Hogan with help of Rick Flair and a steel chair. He shocked everyone with that win.

The Undertaker now with Paul Bearer focused on Superfly Jimmy Snuka, defeating him with a Tombstone. The most devastating finisher ever! He joined with Jake "the Snake" Roberts then turned on him and beat him with a Tombstone. The Undertaker has beaten the old school like Hogan, King Kong Bundy, Giant Gonzales, Jake "The Snake" and more. He also has taken out the Attitude era by beating Steve Austin, The Rock, etc. He has beaten the new guys.... John Cena, Brock Lesnar and more. He has had one of the best rivalries ever with his "Brother" Kane. They created the "Inferno Match." They fought at WrestleMania 14 and at Wrestlemania 20. That's a great rivalry. Undertaker has created the Casket Match, the Buried Alive Match and the infamous Hell in a Cell!!. But the best thing is that he has been loyal to WWF/E, for 16 years and counting. He has been willing to lose in 2 Hell in a Cells. He has lost casket matches, Buried Alive Matches and more. He is a multi-time WWF/E champion. A tag team champion and even a Hardcore champion. He has been the Phenom for 16 years. As of late he has been in a feud with The Great Kahli and the Big Show. He is the best wrestler in the business, a lock for the H.O.F. Thank you for reading my column.

The Best There Was... Period! - by Karmalos Jackson No offense to Bret Hart... but the gimmick that the WWE gave to him should be reserved for someone else. This is my opinion and we all know what opinions are like and everybody has one, but I don't think many wrestling fans will put up much of an argument with me. Two of my top three feuds of all time have one man in common. In 1986, the hottest feud in the WWF was between Randy Savage and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. There matches were widely regarded as some of the best the U.S. had seen before and has seen since. In one particular match of note that set up their WrestleMania III encounter, Savage crushed the larynx of Steamboat by driving the timekeeper's bell into his throat from the top rope. The ensuing WrestleMania III match was arguably the highlight of the show. They set a standard of storytelling and athleticism never before seen on what was then the world's largest stage. My greatest feud in terms of intensity and performance, not heat, was the 1989 feud between Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat. On February 20th Flair and Steamboat faced off in a bout for the NWA World Title. The crowd was hot and the back and forth action between the two men surpassed that of the WrestleMania III bout. Steamboat went on to win the title from Flair on this night even with Hiro Matsuda in Flair's corner. On May 7th the two would square off again for the World Title in Nashville. Lou Thesz, Pat O Connor and Terry Funk were ring side judges in case the bout went to a time limit draw, which would prove to be instrumental post-match. After another classic bout, Flair regained the title only to be jumped by Terry Funk and pile-driven into the timekeepers table at ringside. Pro-wrestling guru John McAdam ranks the two Flair vs. Steamboat matches as the top two matches of the eighties. I concur. He also lists the Steamboat vs. Savage match as number five. Steamboat is easily, in my opinion the best all around wrestler the sport has ever seen. He is one of the few wrestlers known for their ability to carry wrestlers in the ring and make wrestlers who are as green as grass look great in the ring. He even carried Jay Youngblood and Shane Douglass to Tag Team Title greatness. Steamboat would also go on to have outstanding feuds with the late Rick Rude and Jake the snake Roberts. Who is the greatest wrestler, athlete, performer in wrestling history: The Best There Was...Period. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat.

Should The Ultimate Warrior Return? by Vincente Ramirez Should this intense, energetic, hard-rock haired, colorful and rapid wrestler return to wrestling? Should he, the one-time WWE Champion return to entertain us the way he did in the late 80s and late 90s? Should he, the ONLY wrestler who beat Hulk Hogan clean and fair during Hogan's golden years be given the opportunity to wrestle inside the squared circle? I say yes! I think Warrior should return to the squared circle and give us those eight more years he claims he could still put into the squared circle. Whether it is TNA or the WWE, I believe that the Ultimate Warrior has a lot more to give. He has had huge gaps in between leaves and he needs to make those up to his wrestling fans. It would be nice to see another wrestler from the WWE Golden Era to come back and wrestle some of the new generations. It is no secret that the WWE in particular has literally terminated the good era of gimmicks and tag teams. Back where Warrior used to wrestle we used to have Demolition, the Brain Busters, the Twin Towers, Hart Foundation, Road Warriors, the Rockers, Powers of Pain etc. We need that colorful and energetic Warrior to come back and revive this dried and degenerative WWE company.

Recently with the release of the WWE DVD "The Self-destruction of the Ultimate Warrior" it seems that almost everyone jumped into the DVD's bandwagon and began criticizing Warrior and insulting him. I think that his in-ring ability could have been a lot better. It's obvious that he wasn't the technical wrestler that Macho Man, Dynamite Kid, the Hitman, or Chris Benoit were but he nonetheless he could still have a good match. I think that the DVD is nothing more but a way to get back at Warrior for being one of the few wrestlers to fight the WWE face to face and survive a major lawsuit etc. I mean, the guy even owns his own gimmick!!!! I also believe that this comic-like wrestler, Warrior, would help bring back more kids and family viewers to the WWE, a major population that has been forgotten by the WWE. I know that utilizing women as sex symbols and slaves on WWE T.V. is lucrative and profitable but that is NOT what the WWE was founded on. Anyhow, if Warrior came back it would bring back many memories of the WWE's golden years and help bring back the children audiences as well as boost the ratings the WWE is lacking so much. Ultimate Warrior, Macho Man and Bret Hart all should come back period. May the force of the Warrior be with you!

True Entertainment - by Ben Jones My name is Ben Jones, I hail from the great city of Sheffield, England. Ever since I started watching wrestling at the age of 10, I have been fascinated with hardcore wrestling. The sacrifices these men (or women in some cases) make to give the fans true entertainment is cementing their true legend status. In this column I go through some my favourite hardcore wrestlers Mick Foley: This man is true hardcore, wrestling all over the world in various promotions, in various types of matches; barbed wire matches, hell in a cell, street fights to name a few. Mick Foley will do anything for the fans and when it is all said and done will get a standing ovation for it. Most recently against Edge at WrestleMania 22, and his most famous the 1999 Hell in a Cell match vs. The Undertaker. He was also the first WWF/E Hardcore Champ Sabu: I haven't seen a lot of this man in my life but what I have seen has impressed me. He is a multi time ECW Champ which is no mean feat. He has impressed me most in last couple of years. A Hardcore and Barbed Wire Match against Raven and Abyss respectively both in TNA and a recent ECW rules match vs. Rey Mysterio at ONS which ended in a no contest.

Sandman: Another former ECW champ this man is awesome at his job, taking hits with anything from Kendo Sticks to Tazers. The first time I saw him was in the finals of the Hard 10 Championship vs. the infamous New Jack, a good match with a great finish. His entrance is ultimate hardcore making himself bleed before he's even in the ring and sharing beers with the fans. New Jack: Look hardcore up in the dictionary and his forehead is next to it. This guy is very 'controversial' just ask Gypsy Joe and Vic Grimes. He is another one who will do anything to please the fans. My favourite match of his is the scaffold match vs. Vic Grimes where despite there being 10+ tables in the ring below New Jack managed to miss them all when he through Vic form the scaffold. He admitted eventually that he was trying to kill Grimes That's it for now, there are too many hardcore wrestlers to name.

Reasons The Rock Should Return - by Tim Castiglione "If ya smell what The Rock is cooking!" When you heard that one sentence and afterwards heard the music that follows, the millions used to get on their feet and chant the Great One's name. Those times have changed. Now The Rock is in Hollywood making halfway decent films and becoming the biggest con artist when that one question is asked. And that question is: when are you going to come back to the WWE? Every time this question is asked, Rock just somehow seems to avoid the question.

The Rock says that he would come back if there is a major storyline or if there is purpose behind the match. Well Rock, the fans of wrestling have a surprise for you. The last few years we have seen many big superstars arise. Guys like Cena, Orton, Edge, Batista, heck even Lashley. These guys have been though some interesting rivalries for various championships. Look back at WrestleMania XX. Remember the tag match between Evolution and The Rock & Sock Connection? During the match it was The Rock and Randy Orton in the ring at the same time. Even though Mick Foley got pinned. I thought about two things. Would the Rock Come back after that night? And how cool would it be to see a rivalry between Orton and Rock? If the Rock doesn't want to face the so called rookies, he could come to do two things. Become a heel again and face off against DX, or he could just have the match that everybody is talking about. That match is of course Shawn Michaels vs. The Rock. The fact of the matter is there are a lot of major matches Rock could be in. Here's where a major question is asked. Does Rock have what it takes to come back full time or has he become a Hollywood sissy? Maybe Rock should give a straight answer to the fans instead of some BS story. Personally I think The Rock has lost a lot of fans not only as wrestler but as a person. If the WWE is your home Rock, then why don't you come back and prove to all of the fans that its the truth and not something you say to get people to go watch your movies? So many opportunities to choose from, there should be no problem to pick a rivalry.

Ric Flair: A Real Innovator Of Extreme - by Sam Leeves This guy's done it all, dude. He bought the word "WOOOO!" into the wrestling world! He's a sixteen time World Champion. He's broken his back and still he lives his dream. He continues to be a pro wrestler. Ric Flair is the most extreme wrestler in WWE. In his late fifties he continues to put his body on the line for the sake of the great WWE fans. In case you're having trouble staying with me here, one reason he's extreme is that he let Matt Hardy suplex him off a ladder at WrestleMania 22. The guys like one hundred and he's broken his back! But he isn't recognised for his willingness to face danger.

Honestly I'm amazed at the way he still wrestles every week in that ring. I'm just disappointed that he's not in a major storyline. Imagine if he was the impostor Kane! No but seriously he's the best old guy around at the moment! I mean Hogan's good, but he doesn't make regular appearances. All I've got left to say is I hope to see Slick Ric at the top at least one more time. All I've got left to say is "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!".

TNA: It Brought Him Back - by Cory Morrow Hey fellow wrestling fans and armchair historians. My name is Cory. I am 24 years old, and have been a fan of the sport of kings for as long as I remember. As with anyone with so much interest in a particular subject, I often find myself trying to push my friends and family to enjoy wrestling as much as I do by exposing them to great matches. One person in particular I have tried for years in vein to try to turn back to pro wrestling is my own father. He was and old school fan back in the day, when he says things just seemed more real. He loved the "kayfabe" realism of the "big match" and the way it seemed like a real epic struggle for dominance between to real athletes. But as we steam rolled into the 80's a new flavor of "sports entertainment" came to the main stream that left a bitter taste in his mouth to this day. That is until I showed him A.J. Styles vs. Abyss from the TNA Lockdown 2005 PPV. He was amazed by the hard hitting athleticism, the calculated risk taking instead of just insane leaps, the innovative style and the pure wrestling fluidity and knowledge that these stars possess. Since then he has been an instant fan of TNA and we have enjoyed many matches together. He says they have brought back the realism that has been missing from wrestling. So if TNA can bring even a hardened critic like him back to the sport, then maybe they really are the promotion of the future. I hope with more time and more main stream exposure this company can really go places. They seem to have that certain desire to entertain wrestling fans and not just worry about a big pay-off that some bigger promotions seem to have lost these days. I hope you enjoyed this read, and please comment on it as it is my first column. Thank you.

World's Strongest Sucker by John B. Does Mark Henry have any potential? Do you think Mark Henry is able to be in some of the greatest pay-per-view main events? If Mark Henry was World Champion would SmackDown! ratings go up? Would you want to pay to see Mark Henry in at main event at a WWE show? Is Mark Henry even that good? The answer to all those questions is of course, no. Sure, I'll admit Henry has got some potential (but barely any). Henry should not be challenging for the World Championship, it would give me nightmares just thinking about Mark disgracing the World Title like that. Yeah, I'll admit Rey Mysterio is not a great World Champ but, I'd much rather see Rey as champ than Mark Henry. Henry is looking to add Rey to his so called Path of Destruction (which I think is an absolute joke by the way) but by just ramming someone into the turnbuckle does not mean you are good.

If you look back at some of Henry's old results you see he is in matches with guys like Lance Storm and Tajiri. The only reason you see Henry in main events right now is because WWE is giving him a major push and a whole bunch of things. For example, they are giving him multiple World title shots, his own little Path of Destruction, and a rivalry with Batista (which in my mind is no good). And if the rumors are true that Batista and Henry will have a match at the Great American Bash, I hope Batista will injure Henry so bad he will have to take a break for a long time. Now that I am done insulting Henry, here are some of my ideas of what he could do. A) He could quit the WWE all together and never show his face in sports entertainment ever again. B) Go in really bad matches with jobbers and soon get released by the WWE. Or C) Jump to Raw and form a very successful tag-team with Viscera. Think about that, to huge heavy guys at a combined weight at almost 900 pounds. It will be like the recreation of the Men on a Mission. Both Henry and Viscera have an appetite for love, and who knows, maybe there might be a World Tag Team reign. Anyhow, just to sum it up, Henry is a terrible wrestler. Thanks much for reading this, feel free to send feedback.

Rey Mysterio: Failure As A Champion by Sean Riley Let's go back to April 2nd, 2006. In the midst of the night, Randy Orton, Kurt Angle, and Rey Mysterio were having one hell of a triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Title. Rey Mysterio walked out as the new champion. In the months to come, we saw the downward spiral of SmackDown. Personally, I think Rey Mysterio as champion is the main contributor to this.

Now I have personally nothing against Rey Mysterio, but seeing him as champion makes my Friday night sick. Mysterio is not worthy of being champion for many reasons. One in particular is his size. I don't remember seeing a 5'8" heavyweight champion. This makes Mysterio vulnerable to any man who faces him. But again to the point. Rey Mysterio is champion for two reasons. One being the death of Eddie Guerrero, and the other being the 60 day suspension of Randy Orton. After the death of Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio was pushed heavily into the main event scene along with guys like Batista, Randy Orton, and Undertaker. Now, I don't have a problem with this, but hearing the fans chant "Eddie" during Mysterio's matches is something I have a problem with. Yes, I understand it motivates Rey, but seriously, you shouldn't use someone's death as an excuse for fans to cheer a wrestler. Rey Mysterio doesn't need the fans to chant "Eddie, Eddie, Eddie!" in the matches. Rey Mysterio needs to suck it up, and try his best against who he is facing. The use of Eddie Guerrero's name in the Rey Mysterio/Randy Orton storyline should not have been used in the first place, but then again, Vince McMahon has the say in every creative storyline used. Now onto WrestleMania. Randy Orton probably would have walked out as champion if he wasn't being suspended. Randy Orton as champion would have created ratings and interesting storylines for the top faces on SmackDown. Rey Mysterio has done NOTHING in the months he's been champion. He had a mini feud with Kurt Angle, and one with JBL. Otherwise, Mysterio has been thrown in matches against Gregory Helms and Mark Henry. During the JBL feud, Mysterio was destroyed by Mark Henry, The Great Khali, and Kane in a span of 3 weeks. Aren't champions supposed to be untouchable and hard to beat in the ring? You could make a case for Mysterio being short in all, but still these guys squashed him like a little bug. It goes to show you SmackDown has no clue what to do with champion. I really don't like the use of Chavo Guerrero with Mysterio either. The use of Eddie Guerrero's name is coming up each time Chavo makes an appearance on SmackDown and you don't really need that as I said before. As we enter into the Summer, Mysterio has no feud right now, but it looks like he's entering a feud with Mark Henry, a feud I don't personally want to see. Options for feuds could be King Booker once he is done with Lashley, maybe Mr.Kennedy will get a big push, and you can't forget about Batista who is returning in a matter of days to SmackDown. Regardless, Rey Mysterio's days as champion should be coming to an end soon and SmackDown will be interesting to watch once again.