The Bell to Bell News Report 04.22.11

Hello wrestling fans and welcome to a slightly delayed edition of the Bell to Bell. Contrary to popular opinion, I didn’t push the column back a day in the hopes that some actual news might occur on this extremely slow week, but rather there were some issues away from the computer that needed to be addressed that kept me from making my scheduled appearance. With that out of the way, it’s time to look at this week’s news, but first, it’s Stanley Cup Playoff time and that means it’s time for a little hockey talk.

This year, my Red Wings managed to not get dragged into a muck and grind series against Phoenix in the first round and actually managed a sweep, finishing the Coyotes off by a 6-3 margin in the fourth game. Throughout the series, the Wings looked pretty dominant, only playing from behind for something like 30 minutes out of the 240 that were played in the four games while leading for almost 180 of them. More often than not, they got out in front early and cruised to a win. Johan Franzen proved himself as a playoff warrior by returning to game 3 after recieving over twenty stitches in his face after a nasty spill into the glass and Pavel Datsyuk has solidified his place in Red Wing lore with an incredible series that may lead into a breakout playoff performance. To think that the Red Wings pulled off the sweep without the services of Henrik Zetterberg, who is expected back from injury in time for the second round, is pretty impressive, but there were still problems for the boys in red.

Firstly, the penalty killing for the Wings in this series was atrocious as it felt like nearly every Coyote goal they scored was on the powerplay. 5-on-5, the Wings were skating circles around them, but on the PK they were struggling and that’s not something you want to have weighing on you come playoff time. There was also the issue of Detroit taking their foot off of the gas in the second and third games, giving up big leads to make games closer than they should have been. I hope for their sakes that they can start stepping on throats in the second round if they get up big early in a game because letting teams hang around will come back and bite you more often than not. All in all though, it was a pretty impressive performance including goaltender Jimmy Howard, who has seemingly broken his sophomore slump with some strong netminding so far in the playoffs. Now, the Wings get some all important rest and wait to see how the rest of the Western Conference’s opening round shakes out with the other three series still being contested. Enjoy the rest boys, you earned it!

Alright, now that that’s been taken care of, it’s time to get back to wrestling and this week we’ll be looking at TNA releasing a former X-Division Champion, Jeff Hardy possibly retiring, the health problems of former WCW star Scotty Riggs, an update on Scott Hall’s condition and a whole lot more, so let’s get to it!

You know the drill…

Ding Ding….

— In any other week like this, the top story would have been the WWE Draft, which is set for next week’s episode of Raw, but so far there hasn’t really been any kind of rumor or indication as to who might be switching brands. Most years, there is at least some idea of who might be going where based on storylines or from future house show line-ups or things of that nature, but there’s been nary a peep. So far, the only thing that we’ve seen is that according to the Greensboro Coliseum, John Cena will be appearing at the Smackdown tapings on April 26th. If I had to guess, I would suggest that Cena will probably be taking part in some kind of dark match with the implication being that Cena could switch brands from Raw. I honestly can’t see any way that they would decide to have Cena move to Smackdown when he’s still the meal ticket that is driving Raw in the ratings and merchandise. Smackdown is always going to be the “B” brand and Cena is an “A”-level talent, so unless the switch him for the shock pop and then bring him right back in some kind of trade or something after a couple of weeks, I would think that his appearance at Smackdown next week is a bit of a red herring.

— In the continuing story surrounding former TNA World Champion Jeff Hardy’s drug case in North Carolina, Hardy was scheduled to make an appearance in court this week, but the case was continued yet again at the request of Hardy’s defense. According to officials, the continuance came as Hardy is set to be assessed as a possible candidate for treatment for drug dependency. If Hardy is assessed and it’s found that he is dependent, he could possibly allowed to enter a plea deal that would see him enter into a drug rehab facility rather than face any jail time for the plethora of charges that stem from the September 2009 incident. Quite frankly, I would rather see Hardy end up in an official rehab facility rather than in jail because while jail can be used as a scare tactic, it’s not going to help him out much in terms of curing his addiction. Entering into a proper facility that takes Hardy’s choice out of the equation could see him finally kick the issues that he has had for the past few years that have not only jeopardized his career, but his life as well. That would be best for everyone involved as Hardy could finally get clean while possibly delivering the star to TNA that they hoped they would get when he re-signed with the company in 2010.

— In further news regarding Hardy, his brother Matt recently posted a video blog that Jeff may be considering retiring from wrestling because he needs a serious back surgery. This was followed shortly after by a Twitter posting from Jeff Hardy’s wife Beth, who stated that he had said nothing to anyone about retiring. The post was promptly deleted a few minutes later, leading to more speculation about Hardy’s future and whether or not he will be on his way back to TNA once his current situation is resolved. Of course, this is Matt Hardy and his video blog, which has featured some pretty outrageous things in the past while also tending to “work the smarts” more often than not. I wouldn’t put it past Jeff to retire if he was facing a serious surgery and would actually applaud him for making that decision in the same way that Edge decided to walk away with his health, but I also wouldn’t put it past Matt to try to use the situation to try to work people to get more attention on himself.

— Former WWE and SHIMMER star Serena Deeb earned herself a tryout match during this past week’s TNA Impact tapings after rumors had been circulating the past couple of weeks that she might be getting the shot. She faced Winter, tho defeated her with the catatonic backbreaker and from all accounts Deeb made a solid showing in the bout. Whether it leads to anything more or not remains to be seen, but TNA could do worse than to bring in the former multiple-time Ohio Valley Wrestling Women’s Champion, who is likely best known for her stint in CM Punk’s Straight Edge Society. Deeb can definitely go in the ring and would be a welcome addition to the Knockouts roster in my eyes. The company has done a good job in bringing in a lot of top women talents to Orlando and while the booking of the division is usually hit or miss, it would still be fun to see Deeb get the chance to showcase her talent for a national audience again. Fun fact, Deeb has actually appeared on a TNA pay-per-view as she was part of the Awesome Kong $25,000 challenge as a “fan” at Slammiversary in 2008.

— Interesting story that just crossed the wires earlier today as former TNA X-Division and Tag Team Champion Jay Lethal was released by TNA. He has been taken off of TNA’s roster page, but the rest of the details are pretty sketchy at this point as there’s not a lot to go on. Lethal signed with the company in 2005 and while he was never really given any huge opportunities, he did tend to take the ones that he was given and run with them. From the “Black Machismo” gimmick that the fans immediately responded to, to his more recent work with Ric Flair, Lethal was always entertaining in the ring and on the mic in TNA. He also holds victories over both Kurt Angle and Ric Flair on pay-per-view, which puts him in some pretty elite company as there aren’t a lot of guys that can say that. Unfortuately for Lethal, he’d been lost in the shuffle as of late and was making less and less appearances for the company, though he was involved in the Xscape match at Lockdown.

One of the biggest problems that Lethal likely had was the fact that while TNA has claimed to put the emphasis back on the X-Division, they’ve mainly just signed a bunch of new guys without really giving them any more time to work with, which meant that it was not the easiest thing in the world to get on TV every week. He wasn’t the biggest guy in the world and he may not have been the guy boosting ratings, but Lethal was an incredibly solid hand in the ring and had some tremendous matches with Samoa Joe, Chris Sabin and the who’s who list of the X-Division in the past five years. While it’s a shame that TNA had to let him go, it’s understandable at this point considering how bloated their roster is becoming and how little Lethal has done on TV in 2011. Best of luck to Lethal in his future as he will likely hit the indy circuit for a while before planning his next move.

— More roster news from TNA with a slight spoiler alert as Abyss is expected to undergo dental surgery after having some of his front teeth knocked out and others badly damaged during the last batch of Impact tapings earlier this week. During a match with Rob Van Dam, Abyss was the recpient of a rather stiff springboard kick to the face which led to the injury. Despite being seriously hurt, Abyss continued on and finished the match, which apparently got him a lot of praise and respect from the boys in the locker room and TNA officials. Given his toughness and the things that he’s been willing to put his body through for the good of the company, it’s good to know that Abyss has the respect of his peers. Unfortunately, that still hasn’t manifested itself in terms of him getting to work in decent storylines rather than getting bogged down in angles that go nowhere, but you have to give it up for his efforts regardless. Here’s to hoping for a speedy recovery for Abyss, who could be back in time for the next Impact tapings if things go well for his recovery.

— After his recent health scares and a saddening performance at a recent independent show in New England, an update on Scott Hall’s health came out this past week from his best friend in the business and in the world, Kevin Nash. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like good news as Nash is worried that it may be coming close to the end for Hall and that his problems with drugs and alcohol may finally get the best of him;

“Over the last few weeks, since the horrifying New England appearance of Scott Hall, my Twitter page has blown up with plea’s to help Scott. First of all, nobody has to ASK me to help Scott Hall. I consider Scott like a brother. He’s much more than a friend. I have spent more time with Scott Hall in the last 18 years than I have with my wife in the 23 years we’ve been married. We have no secrets between each other. This is ‘real life’. Nobody knows what Scott has gone thru since early childhood to what he has gone thru up unto this point, except for me. I can tell you Scott Hall has neither a drug or alcohol addiction, Scott’s problem is he suffer’s from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Drugs and alcohol aren’t the problem, to Scott they are the solution. He is a fragile and broken human being, not a race horse that you take a whip to to perform. Scott Hall is in bad shape and each time I talk to him I feel it may be the last. It’s gotten to the point where I save his voice mails, much like I would’ve saved Andrew’s (Test), because I knew sometimes when I heard his message it could be the last. The media will want to blame wrestling when Scott passes. Scott was broken way before he broke into the ring for the first time.”

This is an incredibly sad update to have to read, as I’m sure it was probably incredibly sad for Nash to have to write. I can’t imagine what it would be like to see your best friend essentially dying in front of your eyes, but I can’t imagine it’s an easy thing to deal with. Luckily there’s still time as we can hope that Hall can finally overcome his problems with some kind of therapy or treatment once and for all. Sadly, it’s seeming more and more like Hall may be the next wrestler to pass before his time and there may not be anything that can be done to change that, which is disappointing and upsetting.

— Some more rough news to report as former WCW and ECW star Scotty Anton (Riggs) was hospitalized in Georgia this past week, suffering from bleeding ulcers. He was scheduled to undergo a procedure to locate the source of the bleeding, but there is no word on Anton’s condition following the surgery. I’ve been watching a lot of 1997-98 WCW as of late and actually just finished with the whole angle of Riggs fighting the Flock and joining the Flock last week. Say what you will about his team with Bagwell….(American Males, American Males, American Males, American Males, American Males…..awful awful song)…but Anton was a solid hand in the ring and was actually quite entertaining during that time period in WCW. I didn’t enjoy his ECW run as much because it felt a bit off, but that’s probably just a matter of personal preference. Best wishes go out to Anton for a full and speedy recovery and better health in the future.

— Fresh off of their successful King of Trios tournament last weekend, CHIKARA has announced that they have set the stage to crown their first-ever singles champion during a round-robin tournament on May 21st in Easton, PA. They haven’t announced what particular format will be used, but a list of competitors has been released and there’s some big names there for CHIKARA fans….

Claudio Castagnoli
Jigsaw
Hallowicked
Amasis
Mike Quackenbush
Fire Ant
Eddie Kingston
Sara Del Rey
Icarus
UltraMantis Black
Brodie Lee
Vin Gerard

Immediately, given his status as one of the top independent wrestling stars in the world, Claudio Castagnoli jumps out as an early favorite, as does Mike Quackenbush, who is the founder of the promotion and current CHIKARA Campeonatos de Parejas titleholder with Jigsaw. Castagnoli would give the title instant credibility with his history of titles and success in every independent promotion he’s been in, while Quack getting the belt would be fitting in the “lifetime acheivement” sense. Let’s not forget that Fire Ant and Icarus are also going to be bringing in momentum from their strong performances at King of Trios as well, meaning that while there’s some early line favorites, the tournament appears to be pretty wide open.

— Finally this week, former CZW wrestler Nick Gage is set to be sentenced on April 29th after Gage pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery. Gage had turned himself in on New Year’s Eve last year after robbing a bank near his home in late-December, leading to a short manhunt after authorities announced on December 30th that they were searching out Gage as a suspect in the December 22nd robbery. While Gage has pleaded guilty, a spokesperson for the Camden County prosecutor’s office was not sure if it would be considered as part of a plea deal since a second-degree robbery charge carries a sentence of 10 to 20 years in state prison. Since being arrested and jailed, Gage has spoken out about his crime, stating that he is ready to do the time that is doled out to him while trying to get clean from drug addicitons that have led him to the desperate actions that put him behind bars. Hopefully, he’s able to make good on those statements and the 30-year old Gage, whose given name is Nick Wilson, will emerge from prison as someone ready to contribute their all to society.

Well, that’s it for me this week. I’ll be back next week on my regularly scheduled day and be sure to check out DeMarco and the 5 & 1 over the weekend. 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. Enjoy your Easter and stay safe on the holiday drives everyone!

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