The Bell To Bell News Report 04.07.11

Hello again wrestling fans and welcome to this week’s edition of the Bell to Bell News Report. As always, I’m Randy Harrison and I’m happy to be back to work after a rough few weeks of being extremely sick, so I won’t take up too much time before getting into the news. I just want to make sure to thank all of the folks that left comments on my last column and sent e-mails with their wishes for a speedy recovery. Suffice it to say that what I had ended up kicking my ass pretty good for quite some time where it feels like almost the whole month of March is a blur, but I’m feeling good for April, was able to watch WrestleMania with a couple of friends and actually enjoy the show and I’m ready to dish on all of the news from the past seven days, so without any further delay, let’s do this thing!

You know the drill…

Ding Ding….

— I’ve already covered most of my thoughts on WrestleMania XXVII as part of the Instant Access column, so if you haven’t had a chance to read that, go ahead and check it out here. Don’t worry, I’ll wait until you get back so you won’t miss anything. All caught up with that? Perfect. Anyhow, I won’t really get too much more into my thoughts on the show other than to continue stating that the whole show left me with the feeling that it was just another pay-per-view rather than the showcase that the company spends its entire year building around. In fact, as I said in the Access column, the main event felt more like a match to advance angles rather than the customary final match of the biggest show of the year where we actually get closure.

Sure enough, that opinion was pretty much confirmed on Raw when The Rock and John Cena went face-to-face and made themselves the main event match for WrestleMania XVIII next year in Miami. While I like the fact that the WWE is giving this match a year to build as this is pretty much the biggest match that the company can make. Cena and Rock have been slowly starting to push this kind of thing on their own in the past few months and years with the little shots back and forth in various interviews and it’s looking like it will finally come to fruition and culminate with the in-ring return of The Rock. Given how the fans responded to him in the past couple of months heading into this year’s WrestleMania, there’s sure to be more excitement surrounding the product as Rock will be popping up from time to time to continue the feud.

While there are good points to them building up to this for a year to allow the anticipation to reach a fever pitch, there are some issues that crop up with this kind of thing as well. Booking a match this far in advance is a dangerous proposition simply because you can’t predict the future and who knows what could happen in the next year. God forbid either the Rock or Cena suffer some serious injury to where they’re unable to compete with the match already announced. That would surely turn into some serious disappointment for fans, who I’m sure are probably close to lining up in Miami already for tickets even though they don’t go on sale for another few months. Perhaps a better way to do it might have been to continue having Rock and Cena spar and jab at each other for a few months back and forth with both guys getting their chance at the upper hand before finally pulling the trigger on making the match anywhere between November and January.

That still allows plenty of time for everyone to get hyped about the dream match they though they’d never see, without taking on some of the risks that come about in announcing something a year in advance, while also allowing them to continue booking the angle. Part of the fun of the whole thing over the next few months would have been the “Will he or won’t he?” speculation regarding whether The Rock would actually lace up the boots again or not as he continued to show up on Raw from time to time to interact with Cena. By announcing the match already, they had a blockbuster for the Raw after WrestleMania, but they kind of shot themselves in the foot a bit when it came to being able to create some organic reactions and buzz for the math.

All of that being said, it’s Rock vs. Cena for pete’s sake and anyone that isn’t excited to see what these two will be able to do in the main event of WrestleMania in The Rock’s hometown (Possibly even after a Rock induction into the Hall of Fame if this is a one-time only return for him. Don’t even act like it’s not a possibility with the show in Miami.). That doens’t even get into the big picture of having one of the last true megastars of the Attitude Era facing off with the poster boy of the new generation of WWE stars. That’s a whole can of worms that hasn’t even been touched yet and something that could help generate even more heat for the final showdown. The WWE has one year to make this into the biggest match in the company’s history and while I’m still cautious about them delivering after how the show turned out on Sunday, I’m hopeful that by this time next year, the entire wrestling world and the media world will be buzzing about Rock/Cena and clamoring for Rock/Cena II.

— In my time away, there was also an interesting bit of news where the folks at the WWE have encouraged their employees to no longer use the full verison of the company’s name, World Wrestling Entertainment. Apparently, Vince is still of the mind that “wrestling” is a dirty word and that that’s the biggest reason why his other entertainment ventures aren’t taken seriously. Frankly, I’ve never understood why the word wrestling has such a negative connotation as it was considered to be the ruler of the television landscape in the 50’s when TV’s were introduced. There’s a rich history in the word wrestling that I think the WWE is making a mistake in trying to bury. Of course, there’s negatives to the word as well as there are always going to be people who perceive wrestling as a bad thing, but taking the word wrestling out of a wrestling company makes it almost seem like they’re embarassed of the product they’re putting out.

If the company that puts on a wrestling show is too embarassed to call it a wrestling show, what message does that send to the fans of that show and the people who watch on TV every week and spend their hard earned money on tickets and merch? These people are fans of wrestling and by being told that the company doesn’t want to associate itself as a wrestling company is almost like telling them that they’re wrong for liking it in the first place. As much as this is a grab for new fans from outside of the wrestling realm, this could be viewed as a slap in the face to all of those who are die-hard fans and to every performer and legend who has given their blood and their sweat and their lives to perform for us as wrestlers. The sooner that the head office-types in the WWE realize that no matter what they do they’ll always be considered a wrestling company, the better off we’ll all be as they’ll hopefully stop trying to insult the very people they’re trying to draw money from.

By the way, if you’re looking for the opinion of someone with far more insight into the situation than I or pretty much anyone for that matter, I urge you to check out former WWE writer Dave Lagana’s blog over at I Want Wrestling and his “Formerly Creative” podcasts. The name of the website says it all and Lagana writes some fantastic blogs about wrestling and his guests on the podcasts are incredibly entertaining and intelligent about the business which makes for some very interesting dialogue. That’s something that the business needs now more than ever as we seem to be reaching a tipping point for the future with the biggest wrestling company in the world seemingly leading the charge to kill “wrestling” as we know it.

As I said before, I get that there’s negative stereotypes surrounding the word wrestling, but there are negative sterotypes surrounding virtually every form of entertainment these days as these are the times we are living in. If the WWE were to spend a little more time trying to educate not only the fans, but the media about the illustrious history of the wrestling business rather than trying to sweep the word “wrestling” under the rug, maybe the media wouldn’t be so quick to jump on them every time something even remotely bad happens. I’m not talking about the WWE going off on another “us against them” blitz like Stand Up For WWE to try to overtake the media message, but using their ownership of practically the entire history of the business and their relationship with the media to make people understand what wrestling was and what wrestling could be. I mean, if the biggest wrestling company in the world almost views it as a bad thing that they’re in the “rasslin’ business” , how do they expect the media, and most importantly, the fans to respond?

— In one of the funniest stories of the week, there was plenty of activity on Kurt Angle’s Twitter account following WrestleMania with plenty of it focusing on Jack Swagger and Michael Cole using the ankle lock in the match with Jerry “The King” Lawler as well as Randy Orton’s use of an Angle Slam during his match with CM Punk. Here’s the offending statements as they appeared shortly after the show was finished in Atlanta….

* To WWE wrestlers, Don’t use my Finish. Get more Creative. Hmmmm- Orton. Did I say that?

* I heard Orton had an Awesome match though. Ur welcome. Lol.

* I guess Swagger will use my Ankle Lock as well.Very creative. I’m the Best in the World. You Guys will never be Kurt Angle.can I get an AMEN

* Kurt Angle will never die. TNA. WWE. I’m a leader. Not follower. 🙂

* Why would WWE use my finishes? Is it because I won’t go back? R Orton- Angle Slam. M Cole- Ankle Lock? They have some nerve.

* Jerry Lawlor did it too. But He is a Legend. WWE really stuck it to Me.No Love lost. I’m glad that I helped Your biggest Event of the Year:)

While those alone are fairly humorous, the real funny part came when the backlash hit Angle and he first claimed that his Twitter account was hacked before changing his story to say that someone his family had used his account after he had gone to sleep that night and that he has since spoken to Orton and had quashed that issue while also saying that he has no problems with Swagger at all.

Given that Kurt was recently arrested for a DUI in North Dakota that has him claiming it was black ice and the police saying he was over the limit and failed a field sobriety test, there’s a pretty good chance that Angle may have tipped a couple back during the show and then went on a bit of a Twitter rampage when he saw the guys in his former company using his stuff without even a mention of his name. That being said, CM Punk had a pretty hilarious response to the whole situation when he posted on his Twitter account that “my twitter account was hacked”, is the new: “I’m a sloppy drunk douche,”. Ouch. Suffice it to say, it hasn’t been a very good month or so for the former Olympic gold medalist and hopefully things get a little better for him moving forward.

— Congratulations go out to DGUSA and EVOLVE star Jon Moxley, who has signed a developmental contract with the WWE and will finish up his independent bookings in the next couple of weeks. Moxley is a six-year pro who began in the Heartland Wrestling Association under the tutelage of Les Thatcher and has regularly competed for DGUSA, CHIKARA, Full Impact Pro and more and is currently the Full Impact Pro Champion. The buzz around Moxley is that he’s a very solid hand in the ring and can cut some tremendous promos, which should be interesting as promos are the thing that a lot of developmental guys have problems with. Moxley is set to finish up his independent commitments and report to FCW shortly to begin the developmental process and I would honestly be surprised if we didn’t see him in one of the upcoming seasons of NXT as it would seem to be the perfect place to get him some exposure and get the crowd interested in him through his promo ability.

— In more big news featuring DGUSA, Austin Aries is apparently done with the promotion after losing his title bout against YAMATO at their first of two shows in Atlanta last weekend. I haven’t had the chance to see the match yet, but am anxiously awaiting my chance to buy the replay as the people that I have talked to that have seen the match have been calling it one of the best of WrestleMania weekend covering DGUSA, ROH and WrestleMania. That’s pretty high praise and I’m looking forward to seeing it. That being said, it appears that Aries is indeed starting to wind down some of his bookings as he said he might a while back when he put out his YouTube video saying that it might be time for him to look into a career change. Like I’ve said previously, I selfishly want Aries to continue on in wrestling because I’ve been a huge fan of his for years and am one of his biggest supporters, but at the same time, he needs to do what makes his future secure and if it looks like the business prospects of wrestling aren’t going to be enough, he has the right to head elsewhere. I still believe him to be one of the best talents in the world and I hope that something happens to allow him to continue on in the wrestling business, but for now it’s looking like Aries may be preparing to head off into the sunset towards a new future.

EDIT: Apparently, I spoke too soon. I was only able to catch the first portion of Aries’ promo on Sunday afternoon (still hoping to see a replay of the first show soon) and actually missed the whole Blood Warriors/Ronin deal with Aries joining the group to lay the beatdown on Ronin. Yeah, I feel like an idiot, everyone can point and laugh…moving on!

— More congratulations are in order for Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin, now known as Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team, as they became the new Ring of Honor Tag Team Champions this past weekend in Atlanta, defeating the team of Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli, better known as The Kings of Wrestling. I actually got the chance to see this match and it was a fantastic showing from all four guys and a cool way to put Haas and Benjamin on display as the top tag team in the company. The Kings of Wrestling have been running solid for about a year now and there wasn’t really a lot left for them to do holding the belts, so it felt like the right time for them to drop them and considering that there were no real contenders left that the KOW hadn’t already beaten convincingly, WGTT seem to be the most logical choice. Considering that on the next night in Atlanta, Haas and Benjamin had another tremendous match against The American Wolves, things could be looking up for an already fantastic tag team division with WGTT at the forefront. Congratulations again to Haas and Benjamin on the victory, but congratulations are also in order for Hero and Castagnoli for their fantastic reign as champs.

— Though it was widely considered to be the match of the night and is possibly an early contender for match of the year, the WrestleMania XXVII bout between Triple H and The Undertaker did not take place without some controversy as both men have been fined by the WWE for the unprotected chair shot to the head that Triple H gave The Undertaker late in the bout. The WWE released a statement that said the following….

Pursuant to WWE’s Concussion policy, the stunt of using a folded metal chair shot to the head is prohibited. Triple H and The Undertaker have both been fined for violating this policy at WrestleMania XXVII. WWE penalizes through fine and/or suspension for violation of this policy, which is unchanged and still in effect.

I actually applaud the WWE for sticking by their policy and issuing the fines even though both guys are two of the biggest stars in the company’s history. That being said, it’s one of those fines that I’m sure that both guys are more than willing to pay as while it costs them some money and is considered a “strike” in the concussion policy, the chairshot added another level of intensity and realism to the bout. While I certainly condone the WWE’s concussion policy and don’t wish for a return to the days where guys were getting blasted in the head with chairs week after week, multiple times per week, it has to be said that seeing the one at WrestleMania actually felt like it meant something rather than just violence for the sake of violence, and I’m ok with that.

— After it was thought to be settled earlier this year, the lawsuit that Highspots has filed against Ric Flair is set to go on with depositions expected to begin shortly. It was believed that Flair and Highspots had reached a settlement on the $35,000 that Flair is alleged to owe the company, but Flair failed to live up to the terms of that settlement agreement and now the case is headed to court. It’s a shame that for whatever reason, Flair was either unwilling or unable to fulfill the settlement agreement because this will likely turn into a bitter back and forth court case with plenty of dirty laundry dragged out into public view. Given all that Flair has done for the sport and has meant to the sport, I’d rather not see his name dragged through the mud any further than it has been in the past few years. I’m not sure why the settlement arrangement fell apart, but hopefully there’s still time for both sides to get together and hammer something out before this gets even uglier and more costly for everyone involved.

— This week saw the debut of the current season of Tough Enough and there were some pretty entertaining moments like Stone Cold’s reaction to the infamous “Melina vs. Alicia Fox” comment and Eric Watts’ eyeroll, but perhaps the most entertaining tidbit of the show came out later in the week when it was revealed that the house that the Tough Enough competitors are living in is actually the same house that VH1 used for their Tool Academy show. For anyone that has seen those shows, you know that they were ripe with comedy and the kind of tragi-trash that you can only get with guys named Matsuflex, Tiny Tool and Neander-tool. I thought that that place looked familiar and I couldn’t put my finger on why, but rest assured my brain will be able to relax now that I know the scoop. Yeah, I know, this barely qualifies as news, but it makes me happy, so I figured it needed to be included.

— Speaking of VH1, they are apparently going to be putting together another installment of their “Wives” series of shows, this time focusing on Wrestling Wives. Apparently, the show will focus on Booker T’s wrestling academy in Texas and will feature Sharmell Huffman (Booker T’s wife), Stacy Carter (currently married to Sinn Bodhi aka Kizarny, formerly married to Jerry Lawler) and Jackie Haas (Charlie Haas’ wife). Given that Booker is involved with the WWE currently, I would expect Sharmell to be the featured player in the series, but I’m not entirely sure how the format works since I haven’t seen an episode of the Basketball Wives show that this show is based on. Either way, this could be interesting if it’s more about the life of a wrestler and less about them being catty bitches to each other like seemingly all of the shows about housewives seem to be. There’s no word on when the show will be out of development phase and be ready for air, but stick with the Bell to Bell for more updates as they become available.

— Finally, in news that will surely crush the entire fanbase of wrestling and send them spiralling into a deep depression, Jersey Shore star Snooki has announced that she will not continue to pursue a career in wrestling following her shockingly athletic performance as part of WrestleMania XXVII this past weekend. The reality star cited a lack of time to devote to the WWE as the reason why she will not continue working with them. Considering that she’s being paid ungodly sums of money for getting drunk and playing Exchange That Fluid with musclebound morons, I can’t imagine how she wouldn’t have the time to continue making the odd appearance for the WWE here and there, but I suppose we should just be happy that her appearance turned out as well as it did and leave it at that. I mentioned to the people I was watching the show with that I was shocked at how athletic she ended up being and how she managed to pull off the spot without blowing it and they were just as shocked as I was, so maybe she’s smart for quitting while she’s ahead. Leave the memories alone, Snooki.

— Last but not least, as you all know I’ve shown the infamous David Schultz promo where he implies that all he could find in San Francisco were cross-dressers and that Hulk Hogan is a cross-dresser too. In this week’s edition of The Wrestling Sandwich, Schultz was their old-school wrestler of the week with some more cool promo stuff from him. Well, I found one that they definitely missed and I have to say that it’s pretty well insane. Just when you thought that it couldn’t get any wilder from the good Doctor, here’s a little doozy from Schultz and “Macho Man” Randy Savage from Memphis in the time period after Schultz left the WWF and before Savage headed north….

As the kiddies say these days, shit just got real…..

“I was in the subway the other day. This guy screams across the tracks, screams across the tracks. He goes, “Yo, Monica!” “Yo, Monica!” “Yo, you got aids, yo!”. And I thought, “Wow, that’s how they tell you now?”. That Michael Moore was right, we have the worst health care system.”

Anyhow, that’s it for me for this week. Sorry if it’s not quite up to my usual standards, but I’m still trying to get back into the swing of things after being gone for such a long time. Not sure who will be up next, but be sure to check out the Wrestling 6&1, Randle’s News Experience (yes, someone other than you and Cook writes news reports), News from Cook’s Corner and all the rest of the great news reports and columns here every week at 411. In the mean time and in between time, I’ll see you all back here next time for another brand-new edition of the Bell to Bell!

If you’re a fan of MMA, be sure to check out Nokaut.com for more of my work.