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.