The Outsider's Edge - by Denis Shkuratov It was the other day walking into a gift store at a popular theme park that I discovered custom made newspaper front page headlines for sale (as in the front page of a newspaper but custom made). As I flipped through the book of headlines I saw quite a few wrestling ones. The lady working at the store started chatting to me about the newspaper and no sooner then later I asked her if she was a wrestling fan. A no came out of her mouth but it was what followed that no that really got under my skin. "Sorry but we sold out of all the John Cena front-page headlines". Just like that I was labelled. I must admit that being a wrestling fan is hard for young adults. Most people have their own views on wrestling that cannot be changed and once every few years a wrestler is picked to represent the large number of wrestling enthusiasts. Unfortunately now it is John Cena. Now look I don't hate John Cena if anything I often tell people he isn't all that bad. He's a mediocre wrestler in a main event position. That doesn't mean he's worse than the likes of Batista or Bobby Lashley, at least the man can be entertaining sometimes. Equally the man John Cena is an extremely nice guy so I don't see the need to try and degrade him. I just don't want people to think just because I watch wrestling I want to follow the ways of John Cena because very frankly it is embarrassing for not only me but most of the other wrestling fans over the age of 13.

It is very obvious that this is the worse period for any older wrestling fans. If you go back in time people such as The Rock, Stone Cold, Mankind, Goldberg, Sting, Hart, NWO would represent the fans. I mean say what you want about the wrestlers in that list but admit that being labeled one of the Rocks fans didn't send a shiver down your spine. None of us had to be a "Chain Gang Soldier" we were in the NWO. None of us shook our hands in front of our face and claimed to not being seen we were raising our eyebrows asking people who was next and claming to be the best there is was and ever will be. Basically I'm happy for Vince that he squeezes money out of the 12 year olds who do love Cena but in the end I say that have a bit of respect for the other fans out there and do what's right for the business. Chose somebody who we can respect somebody who has some decent wrestling ability to represent us. Not a rapper clown or a couple of 40 year olds pretending to be teenagers get somebody who really represents the fans. TNA may not be knocking at Vince's door just yet and there is a bit to go but people aren't jumping ship just because the PPV's and Weekly shows kill WWE's but because they can be represented by the likes of Styles, Joe, Daniels, Sting, Cage and dare I even say Angle now that's a newspaper headline to buy.

Kurt's Decision - by John Fair Kurt Angle is most known for his run in the WWF/WWE. He had a very successful career there. Kurt Angle was granted his early release request in August. Not many fans knew from there where he would go. Rumors were going around that Kurt would join the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) World. Some were saying he was going to take a break to recover at home from some nagging minor injuries. TNA's September Pay-Per-View was approaching. It was learned that there would be a major announcement that would change TNA forever. During No Surrender (which was Sept. 24th) towards the end of the show, the announcement was made. Kurt Angle was TNA'S newest superstar. That brought out a lot of hostile comments made at the Olympic Gold Medalist. People started to call him names such as back stabber, traitor. Names like that. If you are a true Kurt Angle fan, you should understand why he did this. Sometimes, you have to make a decision that is better for you. In this case, it was Kurt Angle who made that decision. By moving to TNA, it has cut down on his physical strain and he is slowly getting back to good health. Now, he is feuding with Samoa Joe. So simply, Kurt Angle made a smart physical decision as well as a smart business decision. He did what he had to do. If you are (or were) a Kurt Angle fan, you need to realize that health and family has to come before career. If your health isn't good, neither is your career. If your family isn't doing well for some reason, you need to nurture that situation so you can focus more on your career.

Kurt Angle stated that he wasn't happy at the WWE. He also said that he was taking up to 60 pain killers a day. When you have to take that much medication to wrestle, you need to make a life changing decision. This is what Kurt Angle did. Not because he's a back stabber, not because he hates Vince McMahon, but because he cares about his health and his family. He made this decision for himself, and so he's around to help his family in the coming years. So instead of putting down Kurt Angle on his decision, you should be grateful that he was willing to pass up a huge career in the WWE to a smaller career in TNA just so he's around longer to entertain you and me...the fans. Comments welcome.

Ignorance Has No Place Here - by Matthew Chatterton Let me start by stating that I've never written a column for OWW before. I apologize in advance for my very unusual dialect. I am a very enthusiastic wrestling fan. But I have a problem that makes me irate at times. I see and hear it everywhere. It bothers me like an itch I can't reach. This may not apply to you but to me it does. Whenever someone finds out that I'm training to be a professional wrestler, they usually make statements suck as, "Isn't wrestling fake?" Or when I talk to someone on the wrestling team at school, "Wrestling is just an excuse for a bunch of guys in tights to touch each other!" Well, I'm sick of it. Sick of all the ignorance that follows the cliches which have no ground! It's not really their ignorance that bothers me. It's their blind intolerance for professional wrestling! The people that have never seen more than 2 or 3 wrestling shows in their lives get on my nerves the most. They're the ones that only know the Rock or Stone Cold. They are the ones who are so narrow-minded that a fat man couldn't guess what they're thinking. These seemingly smart-marks are so skeptical that when they think something is fake they hate it. They need to open their minds to either like professional wrestling or to stop complaining about it. Of course, this intolerance for sports entertainment comes from the fans themselves. What do I mean? Well, let's take the phrase "sports entertainment" for example. Many fans and insiders blame WWE for professional wrestling's dilapidated reputation. They think that the word "entertainment" implies that it's fake. I personally blame the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and their practically frivolous lawsuit. They despise the likes of WWE because they assume WWE is fuel for those ignorant pw haters. In other words, they fall into the same category as the skepticals I mentioned above. I see a short future for enterling. Prorts wretainment is losing its popularity because of one famous saying. "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing." In closure, I'd like to say one thing. Open you mind and let something great become greater.

Bad Choice Brock - by Stephen Kerr-Robinson Brock Lesnar is undoubtedly one of the greatest athletes to step inside a WWE ring. But because he knew this, some of the decisions that he made would ultimately be his flaw. Brock Lesnar started out his professional wrestling career, in OVW where he and Shelton Benjamin formed a tag team known as the Minnesota Wrecking Crew. After a year in OVW, Brock Lesnar was called up to the WWE. Brock Lesnar's first major achievement in the WWE was by winning the 2002 King of the Ring, defeating Rob Van Dam in the finals, earning a right to face the champion at Summerslam. Along the way to Summerslam Brock Lesnar put down legends such as Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan. At the end of July Brock Lesnar shocked GM Eric Bischoff by joining Smackdown. At Summerslam, Brock Lesnar defeated The Rock for the Undisputed Championship, and the era of Brock began.

After defeating The Rock, Brock started a feud with another legend, the American Badass, The Undertaker. Brock Lesnar was forced to go into the most Sadistic match in sports entertainment history, which was the Hell in a Cell. Brock somehow survived, and left with the WWE title around his waist. Brock Lesnar finally lost the WWE championship At Survivor Series to his biggest challenge yet, The Big Show, when Paul Heyman double crossed the next Big thing. At the Royal Rumble Brock Lesnar entered in as number 29 and won the Rumble, earning the right to face Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania 19. At Wrestlemania 19 Brock and Kurt Angle battled back and forth, but things took a real turn for the worse when Brock botched a Shooting Star Press, and was visibly shaken up at the end. He ended up winning the title that night. Brock Lesnar lost the title at Vengeance to the man he beat for the gold, Kurt Angle.. Wrestlemania 20 was Brocks final match in the WWE, as he would be joining the NFL, which proved to be a very wrong choice. As I conclude I ask Why Brock, Why? He could easily have been a 6-time WWE champion by now. In the end perhaps life on the road was too much for him, but I shudder when I think what could have been. By Stephen Kerr-Robinson