The Axeman Speaks 12-24-2011

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Wrestling News Center, the Webmaster, or anyone else connected with this site.


Isaiah 9: 6-7 (KJV)
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."


I am making a conscious effort this year to wish everyone a Merry CHRISTMAS.

This is my way of saying that I am celebrating the birth Of Jesus Christ.

So I am asking all of our readers, if you agree with me, to please do the same. And if you'll pass this on to all your friends, and so on, maybe we can prevent one more AMERICAN tradition from being lost in the sea of "Political Correctness!"

GOD BLESS YOU ALL, and Merry CHRISTMAS!!!!!

The Axeman has spoken.

The Axeman Speaks 11-13-11

The photo above is of my new granddaughter, Ella, who is my fifth grandchild. I am so crazy about her! Wow! Five Grandchildren - I am truly blessed!

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Wrestling News Center, the Webmaster, or anyone else connected with this site. They are mine, and mine alone, unless otherwise stated. If you agree with me, OK, and if you don’t, that’s OK. Either way, you're gonna read this, and that's what is important.

Greetings, wrestling fans! I have several topics I want to talk about in this column, so it will probably be longer than usual. Here we go....

The following was posted by Mike Aldren at GeorgiaWrest6lingHistory.com on 10-31-11:

"There was an independent show this past weekend in Poteau, Oklahoma, promoted
by Dwayne Huckaba. He booked several well known names including Tammy Sytch and Jim Neidhart who did a pre show meet and greet. Several other guys didn't go as they hadn't received their retainer. Huckaba claimed to at least one person that he sent a check, and that the check he sent had been cashed, but didn't provide any proof.
The show was pretty much a disaster drawing less than 100 paid. Huckaba skipped
town soon after bell time when he realized ticket sales wasn't going to cover his
payroll. He hasn't since returned anyone's calls or messages."

OK, does the name Dwayne Huckaba ring a bell with anyone? It seems that this is none other than the former owner of DCW, which ran in the Mid-South area for several years. Huckaba had a good thing going with DCW for a while, and he had some excellent shows. Then he made some bad decisions and ran out of money and started doing the same thing that Mr. Aldren describes above. Apparently, Dwayne has not changed a bit. That is unfortunate. How and why he can continue to rip people off like that is beyond me. Why anyone would work for him is beyond me.


On a recent visit to a MLW taping in Memphis, I had the pleasure of seeing my very favorite MLW star, Brandi Wine, pictured above. Don't let his lovely lady's beautiful smile fool you - this gal can wrestle, and she is as tough as they come!

From the MLW site:

"Brandi Wine's maniacal laughter echoes through MLW locker room, and all of the ladies are instantly on notice that the most raucous member of their roster has arrived.

Some of the younger girls take the sound as their cue to make a hasty exit of the area. They have heard that a friendly slap on the back from Brandi will knock the wind out of you... or even dislocate a shoulder.

Whether or not it is her intent, Brandi's off-kilter demeanor frightens some of her opponents. According to her, she is just being herself.

"You never know what Brandi you're gonna get," she said while looking through her wrestling gear, deciding what to wear before a MLW show. "One minute, I'm a good girl, then I hear that bell ring and I turn into a mega-bitch."

Brandi said pro-wrestling made her crazy, but in a good way.

"I wanted to do this since I was five years old. I remember watching the National Wrestling Alliance. I loved the Rock N Roll Express, Dusty Rhodes, Magnum TA, the Four Horsemen... but my favorite was Barry Windham!

Watching them do what they did the best made me want to get in the ring and kick some ass. I made that happen with a lot of determination and hard work. If that makes me crazy, then call me crazy, but call me that at your own risk!"

With wrestling being her greatest passion, Brandi said she has to use the tools she was given in order to enjoy success in the sport.

"I'm not a high-flier; I can't get my fat ass off the ground!" she said with a chuckle. "And I'm not very technical; I'm clumsy as hell.

That approach to wrestling only adds to the crazy perception of Brandi. The word that often comes to mind for fans and opponents alike with regard to Brandi is "powerhouse."

"I guess 'powerhouse' is a good description. I like to use a front face lock because I look good doing it. And I do have powerful legs, so the figure four leg lock works for me too."

Brandi is appreciative of the fans and their comments. But the notion of how she is viewed by other wrestlers causes some of the craziness to subside and allow her to be a bit more reflective.

"I know I can be crazy sometimes, but I really love getting in that ring with the other ladies – Debbie Combs, Lei Lani Kai, Malia Hosaka, Sherri Martel, I have been fortunate to be able to wrestle all of them. I have met some of the all-time greats – Heidi Lee Morgan and Judy Martin.

MLW is a great promotion for continuing the tradition of one generation of women to pass this on to the next generation. MLW is where I got to meet the great Joyce Grable. At the same time, MLW allows me the chance meet new girls. They are so talented and MLW let's them showcase their ability."

That is high praise for MLW, coming from someone who has toured all over the world with the likes of Paul Orndorff, the Road Warriors, Greg Valentine, and Nicolai Volkoff."

If you have never seen Brandi Wine in action, you can go to www.mlwonline.com and download her matches, along with hundreds of other great ladies matches. Check 'em out - you will be glad you did.

Now, on to other things....


I was saddened to learn of the recent death of Herb Gerwig, better known in the wrestling world as as Killer Karl Kox. He was a major star in the 1960s and 70s. He passed away a few days ago in Texas at the age of 80, as the result of a massive heart attack on Oct. 20, followed by a second heart attack, which was fatal, while still in the hospital.

Kox has been praised as being one of the top heel wrestlers in his day, and has been called one of the best ring psychologists of all time. he is also recognized as being one of the best in-ring teachers of the modern era. Both Ted DiBiase, Sr. and Dick Murdoch gave Kox credit for being the guy who taught them as much about what to do in the ring and when to do it as anyone they were in with.

My earliest memory of pro wrestling is a match I watched when I was a very young child on our old black & white TV in Dallas. The match was Killer Karl Kox vs. Fritz Von Erich. As best I can remember, they had been partners, but something had happened the previous week and they were now bitter enemies. The match ended, as best as I can recall, with Von Erich hitting Kox over the head with a very large trophy.

Another pioneer in the wrestling profession is gone. RIP, Killer Karl Kox, and thanks for the memories.


Here is a little tidbit of information I recently found out about Hollywood Jimmy Blaylock:

A very distraught Hollywood recently brought a very limp duck to a local veterinarian. As he gently laid his pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest.

After a moment or two, the vet shook his head and sadly said, "I'm sorry,
your duck has passed away."

The distressed Hollywood wailed, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure. Your duck is dead," replied the vet.

"How can you be so sure?" he protested. "I mean you haven't done any
testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."

The vet turned around and left the room. He returned a few minutes later
with a black Labrador Retriever. As Hollywood looked on in amazement,
the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table
and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked up at the vet with
sad eyes and shook his head.

The vet patted the dog on the head and took it out of the room. A few
minutes later he returned with a cat. The cat jumped on the table and also
delicately sniffed the duck from head to foot. The cat sat back on its
haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and strolled out of the room.

The vet looked at Hollywood and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is
most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck."

The vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill,
which he handed to Hollywood, who, still in shock, took the bill. "$1500!"
he cried, "$1500 just to tell me my duck is dead?!"

The vet shrugged, "I'm sorry. If you had just taken my word for it, the bill
would have been $20, but with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it's now
$1500."

Hollywood, for once, was speechless....


Speaking of Hollywood Jimmy Blaylock, he recently celebrated his birthday. While there is some discussion as to just how old he really is, as best I can determine, he is 65. Now, Hollywood is by far the biggest trouble making, cheating, scoundrel in wrestling today, but I don't wish bad things on anybody, so - and this is hard - happy birthday, Jimmy - who is now officially a member of the Over the Hill gang. For your birthday, Jimmy, I have signed you up for a one year supply of Depends....


Last, but certainly not least, I also want to wish our WNC webmaster, the lovely Tia, a happy birthday! XOXO....

Well, that's all for now. If you have any feedback, positive or negative, you can email it to me at axemanchopchop@yahoo.com - or simply leave a comment on this blog. Thanks for stopping by!

The Axeman has spoken.

The Axeman Speaks 10-18-2011

This photo must be very important to an individual named David Sebastian. You see, he has emailed it to me 23 times. I have no clue why. I have no idea what he wants me to do with it. Maybe he wants me to use it in a column. It really is kinda cute! So here it is. David, please stop sending it now!

The Axeman has spoken.

The Axeman Speaks 10-18-2011

Greetings, my friends! Here is an article which was emailed to me today. It has been posted in several places on the Internet, but I thought it was worthy to pass along here.

This was written by Joe Dombrowski. I have never met the man, but I hope to meet him one day. He wrote this - therefore the opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Wrestling News Center, the Webmaster, or anyone else connected with this site. They are Joe Dombrowski's alone. However, I agree with everything he says here.

PRO WRESTLERS TAKE NOTE! The Dos and Don'ts of Social Networking!
by Joe Dombrowski, www.facebook.com/joedombrowskiwrestling

One of my many pet peeves lately has been the illogical way many people within professional wrestling treat their Facebook or Twitter accounts. Some have accounts using their wrestling name, yet post information about their private life, 9-to-5-jobs, etc. Some have accounts using their real name, but use it to cut wrestling promos and promote upcoming shows they will be appearing at. Some decide to post cute and humorous comments on the Walls of people they are feuding with, or thank one another for a great match. Some decide to outwardly expose the business by airing dirty laundry, locker room sleaze, or discussing the inner-workings of their match/experience at said show. All of the above is completely counter-productive and potentially harmful to business, both your own and where you work.

The excuse of "Everyone knows" and "The business has been exposed" is complete BS. Your job is to get the viewer to emotionally invest and buy into you specifically and your story. Every post you make that goes against that perception is counter-productive to your own progression and development. It's about building and sustaining an illusion strong enough for your audience to get lost in. They want to believe. If you can't make them, they will go somewhere else.

"I can't make you believe wrestling is real, but I can make you believe that I am." - Johnny Valentine

This point was hammered home to me upon reading something Dave Meltzer wrote -

"I was in a discussion yesterday with the head of a major promotion talking about how that every major company (UFC, WWE and TNA) that has embarked on usage of twitter and Facebook has ended up having their key business metrics (ratings, PPVs) decline, while the former two bring in literally millions of fans. There is a reason why. Stars killing their aura as stars. They get people to talk about them, but they also make people less want to pay to see them because they come across like they aren't stars. Not saying some people don't come across as stars or it's a negative, but the ones that do are the minority."

Although Dave's quote was written in a different context than this blog, I still feel it applies. With that in mind, a few personal bits of advice for professional wrestlers on Twitter...

- Separate business and personal completely. If you are posting under "Wrestling Name", it should only be things that persona would post. Promos, videos, upcoming shows, etc. Nothing you wouldn't say on a microphone or to a fan at an event. Nothing too "inside". If you are posting under "Real Name", keep it completely void of fans and only accept those who know you personally. Which should be two different categories, but that's a rant for another time. Some choose to have a personal profile and a "fan page" devoted to their wrestling. Good call.

- Remember it is beneficial to create an "aura" around yourself. If you spend six days a week in the gym to look like a superstar, then get onto Facebook to complain about the fact you have to do a double shift at Arby's tomorrow, you've just undone all of your own hard work to present yourself in a certain light.

- Treat your public wrestling updates seriously. Don't LOL at the guy you're in a blood feud with and keep it in line with how your character is presented at the actual shows. If not, you undermine and belittle your own character, and make it infinitely more impossible for people to buy into you.

- Don't post that you hated your match, didn't enjoy it, blew spots, etc. If you don't even enjoy your own work, how in the world are you supposed to convince fans to?

- Remember you are a brand and commodity. It is up to you to sell you. No one will do it better than you can. Perception is reality. And you are, even if on a very small level, a public figure. Work to sell that image. Use FB and Twitter as a glorified advertisement to showcase why fans should pay to see you and why promoters should pay to hire you.

With these few mindsets, we can turn social networking from a counter-productive peek behind the curtain into an easy and widespread enhancement for the business as a whole.

Joe Dombrowski
iwcmc_dombrowski@yahoo.com
www.Facebook.com/joedombrowskiwrestling
Twitter: @joe_dombrowski

The Axeman Speaks 10-12-11

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Wrestling News Center, the Webmaster, or anyone else connected with this site. They are mine, and mine alone, unless otherwise stated. If you agree with me, OK, and if you don’t, that’s OK. Either way, you're gonna read this, and that's what is important.

Greetings, wrestling fans!

A few days ago I had the pleasure and privilege of attending a taping at MLW up in Memphis. I must say, I really enjoyed myself. I got to meet one of my favorite female wrestlers, Amber O'Neal, which was a real treat. I have followed Amber's career for several years. She's great!

It was good to see Brandi Wine again. She is my favorite MLW star. I met her the first time at the MLW taping and show in Tupelo several years ago, and she's been my favorite MLW star ever since.

Another treat was seeing Lil Bit again. I have not seen her work for several years. She has improved a lot.

One young lady who was there also impressed me. She has only been in the business a couple of years, and she has a long way to go and much to learn, but she has a real desire to learn and excel in wrestling that you don't see very often. She's called Aida (pronounced Ida), also known in wrestling as Aida Marie. She's from New York, and she weighs less than 100 pounds, but I predict she will one day make a name for herself in pro wrestling, if she sticks with it and works hard, which I believe she will. Take a look at the photo above. My gut feeling is this little gal will one day prove that big things come in small packages.

That's all for now.

The Axeman has spoken.

The Axeman Speaks 10-9-2011

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Wrestling News Center, the Webmaster, or anyone else connected with this site. They are mine, and mine alone, unless otherwise stated. If you agree with me, OK, and if you don’t, that’s OK. Either way, you're gonna read this, and that's what is important.

Wrestling News Center, received the following email last week:

"Message = Copyrighted documents by MLW and TIWF being used by TFW in a recent post.
Uploading or downloading works protected by copyright without the authority of the copyright owner is an infringement of the copyright owner's exclusive rights of reproduction and/or distribution. Anyone found to have infringed a copyrighted work may be liable for statutory damages up to $30,000 for each work infringed and, if willful infringement is proven by the copyright owner, that amount may be increased up to $150,000 for each work infringed. In addition, an infringer of a work may also be liable for the attorney's fees incurred by the copyright owner to enforce his or her rights. Please remove all unauthorized copyright material. Thank you."

This email was sent to the WNC webmaster by a guy calling himself Steven Hunter. Now, I never heard of this guy. Nobody at WNC has ever heard of him. Who he is, I do not know.

The strange fact is that the guy never says what documents he is referring to. I have looked back at the TFW posts on WNC for the month of September, and any TFW posts for October, and I see nothing that indicates any photo or document is copyrighted by anyone.

I, along with others, have emailed this "Steven Hunter," asking which photo(s) he is referring to. As of today, none of us have received the courtesy of a response.

So.... As Head Writer at Wrestling News Center, this is my final attempt to get a response from this Steven Hunter, whoever he may be, wherever he may be, whatever he may be up to here. Contact me at axemanchopchop@yahoo.com if you have a legitimate issue to discuss with Wrestling News Center. If you do not want to do that, contact the owner of Wrestling News Center, who I know has also emailed you. Otherwise, we will consider the matter closed. It's your move.

The Axeman has spoken.

The Axeman Speaks 8-15-11

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Wrestling News Center, the Webmaster, or anyone else connected with this site. They are mine, and mine alone. If you agree with me, OK, and if you don’t, that’s OK. Either way, you're gonna read this, and that's what is important.

Greetings, wrestling fans! Two subjects to cover in this column, so here we go....

The top photo above is a copy of the poster for the Mississippi Championship Wrestling show this Saturday in Kosciusko, MS. Notice anything strange about this poster? The WWE Smackdown logo is used right in the middle of the poster, yet this is NOT a WWE show. The official name of the show is "1st Annual SmackDown in K-Town". I wonder if the powers that be in MCW got permission to use the Smackdown name and logo from the powers that be in WWE? Hmmm....

The poster also advertises Brian Christopher as being from WWE, which, to the best of my knowledge, he is not.

Now, I am not downing the show or any of the wrestlers they are using. I am just questioning two of the tactics they are using to promote the show. Frankly I wish MCW well with their show. They just need to be careful how and what they advertise.

OK, on to the second subject, recent WWE releases....

Gail Kim, Melina, Vladimir Kozlov, Chris Masters, and David Hart Smith were all recently released by WWE. However, Gail Kim later said she was being kept under contract by WWE until her contract expires.

OK, Kozlov, Masters, and Smith were not major players and will not be missed. They made no significant contribution to WWE.

Melina, on the other hand, is an extremely talented female wrestler, and I am surprised to see WWE release her. Oh, I know she has been injured, but still, she is a talented and attractive athlete, and, unlike so many WWE Divas, she can WORK! WWE's loss is, I sincerely hope, TNA's gain!

Gail Kim falls into that same category. Gorgeous and talented, she was never used right by WWE since they re-signed her. She should have had a major push, but instead got the major shaft. Again, WWE's loss will, I hope, be TNA's gain eventually.

Also, eight developmental talents were released from Florida Championship Wrestling by WWE, among them a female wrestler named Sonia. Now, I am rather surprised that not many posts or comments were made on the various message boards about the release of Sonia, which is the name WWE gave to Su Yung when she was signed to a WWE developmental contract. Now, I have no idea what her plans are, but I do hope she returns to this area and that we do see her involved in wrestling around here again. She is talented and gorgeous.

That's all for now. I will be back in a couple of weeks, because I have some stuff on my mind about the TFW organization I want to talk about.

The Axeman has spoken.

The Axeman Speaks 7-12-2011

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Wrestling News Center, the Webmaster, or anyone else connected with this site. They are mine, and mine alone. If you agree with me, OK, and if you don’t, that’s OK. Either way, you're gonna read this, and that's what is important.

Greetings, wrestleholics! Surprise! Two columns in two weeks! Betcha didn't expect that! I have some stuff on my mind, plus I will answer a couple of emails in this column, so here we go....

Randy Orton via Twitter: "If Arn Anderson isn't in the HOF next year I'll go on strike. Well maybe not go on strike, but damn it, he's earned it. Anyone else agree? He has tutored me thru out my career and speaking of the punt, his idea 100%."

Randy Orton says Arn Anderson belongs in the WWE Hall of Fame. Apparently, a number of other WWE stars feel the same way. So, does Arn really belong in the HOF? I say yes. Arn Anderson had a long and successful wrestling career. I best remember him as a member of the Four Horsemen, where he spent a large part of his career making Ric Flair look good. That was the whole purpose of the Horsemen, to keep Flair in the spotlight, much the same way the NWO was designed to keep Hogan in the spotlight. Anderson did his job, and did it well, for years. However, Anderson accomplished more than that. He held numerous titles:

In Jim Crockett Promotions/World Championship Wrestling, he held the NWA National Tag Team Championship 1 time, with Ole Anderson; The NWA Mid-Atlantic/WCW World Tag Team Championship 5 times, twice with Tully Blanchard, once with Larry Zbyszko, once with Bobby Eaton, and once with Paul Roma; and the WCW World Television Championship 4 times.

In Southeastern Championship Wrestling he held the NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship 3 times with with Jerry Stubbs and once with Pat Rose.

In the World Wrestling Federation he held the WWF Tag Team Championship once, with Tully Blanchard.

Arn Anderson had a successful career entertaining wrestling fans for many years. He continues to work behind the scenes with WWE to this day. Does he belong in the HOF? ABSOLUTELY. Will he ever be in the HOF? Who knows - it's WWE, after all. But he does belong there.

I'll tell you someone else who belongs in the Hall of Fame, and that is JJ Dillon, one of the greatest managers of all time.

On to other things....

Posted recently on the message board: "Why does Axeman bring all this up again in his column? Seems to me it is very unnecessary!" Well, it seems that someone did not like my comments about Izzy Rotten in the last column. I brought it up because it needed to be said. Period. I ain't sorry for saying it!

Also posted on the message board: "And why does Axeman post that very same picture of Lilian Garcia on WNC every 4th of July?!" Well, in case you have not noticed, Lilian Garcia is a very attractive woman. I like that picture of her in a bikini in front of the American flag. I like it a lot. That's why I post it. I like it. I like looking at it. And that's all the reason I need!

OK, to another subject:

Over the last few years, numerous things have been said on the internet about Gary "Lord Humongous" Nation, most of them negative. I have always given him the benefit of the doubt. I have kept quiet about Hugo, but I will not remain silent any longer.

EPW has booked Gary four times. He showed up and worked the first time, no problems. The last three times he was booked, he did not show. The first time he said his mother died. I certainly understand his not coming to Booneville if that was the case, and everyone else at EPW understood also - again, no problem. However, the next time he was booked, he did not show up. I don't know what, if any, excuse he gave then. This past Saturday night he was once again booked in Booneville and did not show. I don't know and I don't care what excuse he has, if any. He has way too many excuses.

Now, why EPW would book him again after the first no-show is beyond me. But the fact is that Gary got a second chance, then a third chance, and blew them both. I am certain EPW is done with him. There is no excuse for accepting a booking and then simply not showing up. No call, no text message, nothing - just did not show up. He has done the same thing at other shows around the area as well in the past.

As far as pro wrestling goes, Lord Humongous is, in my opinion, an unprofessional individual who no-shows wrestling events he is booked on more often than he shows up. He is another of the individuals I alluded to in my last column who give pro wrestling a bad name. Let this be a warning to all wrestling organizations everywhere, if you book this guy, you do so at your own risk. More than likely, he will no-show your event also.

Now to answer a couple of emails:

Paul Potts emailed me a few days ago and asked me who the 10 greatest wrestling managers of all time are. Paul, you asked me this same question a couple of years ago, didn't you? I don't know who the 10 greatest of all time are. But I will give you a few names who I think are truly great managers: Gary Hart, JJ Dillon, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Paul Ellering, Jimmy Hart, Bronco Lubich, Paul Bearer/Percy Pringle, Lou Albano, Ernie Roth, Jim Cornette, Sherri Martel, Bobby Davis. Unfortunately, the era of managers in pro wrestling, a least in the big organizations, is over.

Russell Lee asks: "Why didn't Tasha Simone come to TFW with Motely Cruz?" Well, Motely & Tasha split up a while back. She went her way and he went his way. I do not know what happened and don't care. It's not my business.

Lastly, I have been told that Kenny Valiant was upset at my remarks in my last column. Well, Kenny, if you have anything to say, send it to me. I will post it. But you know I was right.

That's all for now. I have a lot more on my mind, but I am out of time again. If you have any feedback, send it to axemanchopchop@yahoo.com. All feedback, positive or negative, is welcome.

The Axeman has spoken.

The Axeman Speaks 7-1-11

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Wrestling News Center, the Webmaster, or anyone else connected with this site. They are mine, and mine alone. If you agree with me, OK, and if you don’t, that’s OK. Either way, you're gonna read this, and that's what is important.

OK, I have not posted in a while, but I have some stuff on my mind, so here we go....

The poster shown above is for a show which took place recently in Ripley, MS. Now, this poster says it is a show presented by XOW. I am not sure just how XOW is involved in this event, but I have been told it was actually Kenny Valiant's show. The poster advertises "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Now, it would really be something if he could have really booked Austin, but, of course, that ain't gonna happen. Austin is under contract to WWE, and Vince is not gonna let him appear at an indy show in Ripley, MS.

Also pictured above is another photo showing this so called Steve Austin. This does not even LOOK like Steve Austin. It is obviously a Steve Austin impersonator - I forget his name - that pops up from time to time around the country. Again, he does not even look that much like Austin, in my opinion.

So... Bottom line: A bunch of fans who were expecting to see Steve Austin were royally ripped off, screwed over, and royally shafted. What a shame. Kenny Valiant should be ashamed. I am shocked that someone who has been in the business as long as Valiant has would do something like this. I thought Kenny had more respect for the business than that. This is the type of BS that has given pro wrestling a bad name. At one time Kenny was one of the best promoters in the business. He put on some of the top wrestling events in this area for years. So... why would he decide to resort to these tactics now? It is, to say the least, very disappointing!

On to another subject, Ixxy Rotten. It is not new news that Gary Woolridge aka Izzy Rotten was arrested on numerous charges. He seems to have pushed his luck just a little too far this time.

Izzy has been pushing his luck for years. He gets himself into jam after jam and always seemed to weasel out of it. He has ripped off so many people I could not begin to name them all. It was not that long ago that Charlie Parks showed up at TFW and confronted Izzy about stealing a belt. Izzy, of course, denied it. Several weeks later I asked Izzy if he had taken the belt. His response was, "Hell no, I didn't take it! Why would I jeopardize my job by doing something like that?" I asked him if he knew where the belt was or who had it. He again said no.

In the mean time, Charlie Parks has passed away, and I have found out that Izzy did, indeed, have the belt in his posession and sold it to another worker in Mississippi. Now, the individual Izzy sold the belt to had no idea the belt was stolen when he bought it. When he found out it was Charlie's belt, he started making arrangements to return it to Charlie. Now that Parks had passed away, I guess it really does not matter. The point is that Izzy did have it and lied about it.

But, out of every situation comes some good. The good that has come out of all this is that Izzy Rotten is finished with wrestling - for good. Izzy has been ripping people off and giving wrestling a bad name for years - most recently at his show in Olive Branch, MS. But no more! Even if, by some miracle, Izzy manages to avoid going to jail, I do not see any way Izzy would ever be used by any group again, or get a wrestling license, for that matter. Bye bye, Izzy!

I have a lot more on my mind, but I am out of time again. If you have any feedback, send it to axemanchopchop@yahoo.com. All feedback, positive or negative, is welcome.

The Axeman has spoken.

The Axeman Speaks 4/11/11 - Goodbye Elite Wrestling!

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Wrestling News Center, the Webmaster, or anyone else connected with this site. They are mine, and mine alone. If you agree with me, OK, and if you don’t, that’s OK. Either way, you're gonna read this, and that's what is important.

Greetings, wrestling fans! I've got some random stuff on my mind, so here it comes!

Most of you have probably read reports of Gail Kim being engaged to Food Network chef Robert Irvine. While it has not been "officially" announced, methinks it is true. However, many sites are reporting that Gail Kim is leaving WWE. I don't think so. WWE would be Ca-razee to let her get away. If the WWE powers that be have any sense, they will start using her right. Their loss would probably be TNA's gain! Of course, it is WWE we're talking about.

Was anyone besides me pissed off at having to watch Drew Carey get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame? In the first place, he has made NO contribution to wrestling at all. Oh, I admit he did a little, and I mean little, segment for WWE years ago, but it was completely insignificant. Now he is in the HOF?! BULLSHIT! To make matters worse, WWE showed him being inducted instead of Sunny or Abdullah. I would have much rather seen Sunny inducted. She deserves to be there. Carey does not. There are those who say that the WWE Hall of Fame is a joke. Having Drew Carey in there adds credibility to that argument. As D Rock would say, BAD CALL!

Speaking of the WWE Hall of Fame, Superstar Billy Graham, who was inducted several years ago, wants out. He is pissed that Abdullah the Butcher was inducted. I really feel sorry for Graham. It appears to me that he is simply trying to generate controversy to keep himself somewhat in the spotlight. Frankly, he is just tarnishing whatever legacy he has left. He needs to shut up.

Does Abdullah deserve to be in the WWE Hall of Fame? He never did much, if anything, in WWE. However, several years ago WWE announced that they were expanding their HOF to include those outside WWE who made a significant contribution to wrestling. Since that is the case, I think Abby does deserve to be there. He is considered by many to be the father of hardcore wrestling. He and his fork have definitely made a significant contribution to the wrestling industry.

OK, enough about WWE.

TNA still sucks eggs. So much talent, so much potential, so little results, so little creativity. OK, enough about TNA.

Let's talk about the Elite Wrestling event this past Saturday night in Olive Branch, MS. I was not there. I am glad. From all I have heard and read, that entire show was the disaster of disasters. Of course, it was Izzy Rotten's show, and that should have raised a red flag to begin with. I fail to see how a show, held at a major high school, for the benefit of that school's athletic program, would draw so few paying fans. Was it the ticket price? Was it inadequate publicity? Did the student body & faculty just not give a crap? Probably a combination of all of the above. It's the wrong time of year to be doing a benefit for a high school athletic program. This time of year, all that's on anyone's mind is getting the year over with and getting out for the summer. The best time to do such a show is in the fall, just after school starts, when it is football season & school spirit is at full throttle. Timing - it is everything. The timing was not right. That being said, it does not excuse the fact that Izzy made a lot of promises and did not keep them. I think, in the beginning, Izzy's intentions were good. But good intentions do not get you very far. Izzy was ill-prepared financially, and in just about every other way, to promote a wrestling show. To give the workers and everyone else the shaft the way he did is inexcusable. Izzy says he is done with wrestling. Good. I hope he means it, for his sake as well as what is left of the wrestling business in the Mid-South.

That's all for now. Another column will be forthcoming when I have something else I want to talk about. If you have any feedback, send it to axemanchopchop@yahoo.com. All feedback, positive or negative, is welcome.

The Axeman has spoken.

The Axeman Speaks 3-19-11

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Wrestling News Center, the Webmaster, or anyone else connected with this site. They are mine, and mine alone. If you agree with me, OK, and if you don’t, that’s OK. Either way, you're gonna read this, and that's what is important.

Greetings, wrestleholics! I have a couple of things on my mind, so here is a rare column from yours truly. Here we go....

First of all, the following was posted by Jimmy Blaylock at Wrestling News Center:

"Wrestling News Center's promotion of the year, ASWF will be on Statewide TV in Arkansas starting in a few weeks. ASWF first TV taping will in Little Rock, Arkansas at the Astrodome (corner of University & Asher) in the downtown area. The first TV taping will be April 14th and bell time will be 7:30. We will give you more details and who there roaster will be in the next few days here at WNC."

OK, before we go any further, BIG TIME CONGRATULATIONS TO DAVID WALLS & EVERYONE AT ASWF! With that said, I am very interested in knowing who ASWF's "roaster" will be! I didn't know they were having a roast also! LOL.... Jimmy, you really gotta learn how to type!

Seriously, I really enjoyed going to ASWF a couple of weeks ago and presenting WNC awards. Made some new friends and saw some old friends I have not seen in quite a while. Finally got to meet Downtown Bruno, which was a real treat! I hope to be able to go back to ASWF real soon. They have a really nice arena, and I really did enjoy the show. ASWF has come a long, long way since the last time I saw an ASWF show in an old, run down school gym in Clover Bend, AR, several years ago.

"T-Bone" Terrence Ward, in his newest column at Wrestling News Center, said:
"I recently accepted my Announcer of the Year award from WrestlingNewsCenter.com for the second consecutive year this year. I want to personally thank you fans who voted for me again this year, that means you too Axeman!"

Well, Terrence Ward, here's a news flash for ya: I actually DID vote for you! Congratulations, my friend! You deserve it!

Now let's talk about TNA.... I read something on one of the wrestling news sites about Hogan not being involved with creative in TNA these days. Well, in my opinion, this makes perfect sense. You see, in order to be involved in creative, one actually has to BE there, and Hogan has not been there much lately. Dixie Carter cannot be pleased with Hogan's performance. Seems to me that Hogan has done nothing except draw a pay check. Prediction: Hogan will be gone from TNA by the end of the year.

The Jeff Hardy spectacle at the recent TNA pay per view was a disaster that TNA will not soon live down. Hardy was obviously too messed up to be in the ring, so WHY did TNA management wait until he was in the ring to do something about it? Hardy made TNA look pathetic. He also made Sting look bad. It was Sting that had to hold Hardy down for the three count to end the match when he tried to kick out.

Enough about the train wreck, um er I mean TNA. Let's talk for a minute about Jerry "The King" Lawler's upcoming match at Wrestlemania against what's his name. Prediction: Lawler will lose. Unfortunately, I think that is what will happen. Then Michael Cole will have even more heat with the "WWE Universe." There are those who think Steve Austin will turn on Lawler and screw him out of a victory. Maybe so - maybe not. But I look for Lawler to lose, as unfortunate as that might be. Remember, it's WWE we are talking about!

There are those who believe Lawler will announce his retirement shortly after Wrestlemania. Frankly, I doubt it, and I hope not! I believe Lawler has a lot of matches still left in him!

Moving on....

I have received a number of phone calls and emails about the recent events in TFW. Yes, "Bad Attitude" Tony Dabbs has left the group. Yes, he is starting his own group and will begin running shows in a few weeks. No, TFW is not shutting down. In fact, Buff Bagwell is coming to TFW on April 1. It is what it is, Tony is gone, TFW is moving on, end of story.

Lastly, I have something to say to my friend, Spunky Sassy: I ain't mad at you! Never was! I don't know how that got started, but there's nothing to it.

Well, I'm out of time, so that's all for now. If you have any feedback, send it to axemanchopchop@yahoo.com.

The Axeman has spoken.

The Axeman Speaks 1-29-11

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Wrestling News Center, the Webmaster, or anyone else connected with this site. They are mine, and mine alone. If you agree with me, OK, and if you don’t, that’s OK. Either way, you're gonna read this, and that's what is important.

"Service" - I always thought there was something not quite right about that word....

NOW I understand!

I became confused when I heard the word "Service" used with these agencies:

Internal Revenue 'Service'
U.S. Postal 'Service'
Telephone 'Service'
Cable TV 'Service'
Civil 'Service'
State, City, County & Public 'Service'
Customer 'Service'

This is not what I thought 'Service' meant.

But today, I overheard two farmers talking, and one of them said he had hired a bull to 'service' a few cows.

BAM!!! It all came into focus. Now I understand what all those agencies are doing to us.

Now you are as enlightened as I am.

The Axeman Speaks 1-9-10

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Wrestling News Center, the Webmaster, or anyone else connected with this site. They are mine, and mine alone. If you agree with me, OK, and if you don’t, that’s OK. Either way, you're gonna read this, and that's what is important.

By now I am sure that you have all read the following on WNC: "Just received a call that Raja has a broken neck after he was injured during a match with Justin Rhodes at the EPW arena in Booneville, Mississippi. Raja will be having surgery on his neck and we will keep you updated on his condition here at WNC. Raja was the Wrestling News Center Favorite Up and Coming Wrestler Of 2010. We wish him a speedy recovery."

Unfortunately, it's true, his neck is broken. However, he is very lucky, because he will make a full recovery after he has surgery. It will take some time, but he will recover completely.

Raja was also lucky because EPW has an EMT on staff, Referee KC. KC rushed to Raja's aid, along with several others, and took very good care of him. I don't know if any of the others are EMT's or not (and that's really not important) - but thanks to all of you who came to his aid. Also, thanks to those who had the good sense to stay out of the way. Raja was well taken care of in the ring and while being taken from the ring. Raja is currently in a hospital in Memphis.

To stop any speculation before it gets started: Justin Rhodes was in no wayresponsible for Raja's injury. Neither was EPW. It was Raja who called the spot, and he was not able to execute it, resulting in the injury. Period.

When ANYONE gets hurt, it sucks. When a friend gets hurt, it sucks even more. Raja, you are in my thoughts and prayers, my friend. All of us at Wrestling News Center wish you a very speedy recovery.

The Axeman has spoken.