Al

I think a big thing would be some sort of health assistance for wrestlers, post career.

And they haven't elevated anyone. Except Montel Vontavious Porter, Mr. Kennedy, Umaga, the Great Khali, C.M. Punk, Elijah Burke and John Morrison of course.

I wouldn't mind an open dialogue at all. I think the big problem is that a congressional committee would not be well informed. They would bring in a few parents of teenagers with steroid problems to cover the "think of the children" angle. Then a few sides with self-serving opinions will come in and say their piece. Then we'll get Vince and Co. to answer general questions. A few threats will get thrown in there. I'm sure some of the committee members will refer to the company as the WWF, and we'll get a few Nancy Grace-esqe mistakes. I wish it weren't that way, but that is generally how a congressional committee works. They will not dig to the social roots of the problem.

My opinion on the matter of Congress is based on my studies and the manner Congress handled the steroid issue in Major League Baseball. I just don't see Congress passing meaningful legislation, and if they do I can't see it passing muster. The only thing Congress can do really is set up a National Athletic Commission, something they declined to do many times with boxing. As far as the wrestling business goes, I am of the opinion that a large part of the problem is due to rampant recreational drug use. Other sports have not had high death rates despite also carrying quite a few steroid users in their ranks. I think WWE has taken positive steps, something they have greater ability to accomplish since there is no strong second promotion competing for talent. The problem is that the death rate we see is largely a product of the wrestling scene in the 1990s. If WWE's policies work, we will not know for another decade. They could test me as well, but I would not at all be comfortable with the government, or individuals within the government, knowing the contents of my blood stream. As for policing itself, that's a standard carried by no other company in the country. Why not carry the same measure to beer companies? The government certainly shows no interest in regulating other companies who commit serious ethics violations, coercing their employees to work unpaid overtime, cutting benefits through loopholes, and other matters. I realize it's getting into a political debate in which I have little interest in participating. I can't see it leading to positive changes in the sport.

I think it's a leap to say Ross was telling Jones to get on the gas. He said Jones needed more upper body muscle. If you look at Jones, that's absolutely a fair assessment, IMO.

Which is one of my biggest concerns. Congressional action is essentially drug testing employees of a private company. Would any of us be comfortable if the government tested us for drugs at our own workplace?

Let's be realistic here. Congress won't clean up professional wrestling. They'll make a show of things to the point where Vince and Co. revise their steroid policy and that will be it. The general public doesn't care enough for it to go any further.

Call me crazy, but is that Joyce Farhat in the Uncle Elmer wedding?

I don't understand how all of this makes Ross a vile person.

The promotions were engaged in a talent-sharing deal at the time. I believe Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton did spot shows in ECW as well.

If Batista vs. Undertaker could be good then Batista/Kane could as well. Khali drags down any match, but his value isn't in his wrestling ability.

Except for Yokozuna, Earthquake, Bam Bam Bigelow, Adrian Adonis and the Big Bossman of course.

Two I can think of. Bret/Owen in 1998 and early '99. Eddie/Chavo in 2000/01.

How does WWE keep the cat in the bag regarding steroids. This is nothing that a major sport like Major League Baseball hasn't dealt with, and they've produced the same PR strategy. "There is no steroid problem." Of course there is. The problem is that what can WWE realistically do to prevent steroids in wrestling? Guys can beat the testing program. On paper, WWE's policy is far stronger than other professional sports. On paper. They can take a hard line to prevent it, but then they still have to deal with wrestlers taking HGH and other undetectable drugs. Recreational drugs have likely declined in wrestling, and that was half the problem. Unfortunately it will be ten years before we know if WWE's approach is truly effective or is just posturing. The deaths we've seen in the last decade were the product of the 1990s more or less.

To suggest wrestling doesn't have a problem with premature deaths is ridiculous.

Watching Tuesday Night Titans on 24/7, they showed a hype video for a gal named Lisa Sliwa, a model turned professional wrestler. I had never even heard of her before. Graham Cawthon has one match documented, on May 12, 1986. The show aired in December '85 so she likely wrestled other matches. A google search shows she's made some self-defense videos and written books with help from WWE ghostwriter Keith Eliot Greenberg. So what was the deal with her, and why did she seemingly fall off the map so soon?

This match actually airs on 24.7 as part of the Hulkamania Coliseum video. Poffo's such a unique heel in the match that it can't help but be interesting.

Something I posted elsewhere and I was wondering how you guys would evaluate this statement. All this has led me to one key realization about the business as a whole. Wrestling needs not fear the loss of kayfabe. It doesn't matter if fans know it is fixed or not. Fans still CARE about who wins and loses, and that is the most important factor in selling a wrestling card.

Ran a quick search, I can tell you the only OG in baseball recently is manager Ozzie Guillen. NBA has Orien Greene of the Indiana Pacers, but that's highly unlikely.

Probably got a name mixed up somewhere, like maybe it was John Candy or Chris Farley or another overweight actor. It's not a big deal, since it being John Belushi isn't the important part of the story. The point is they were smoozing with celebrities.

Ironically Dreamer was right all along. If he had jumped to WCW, he'd be out of the business. Staying with ECW allowed him to eventually land his WWE gig that he currently holds.

Updated here. Wrestlemania 23 is back, without Chris Benoit/MVP. The Bunkhouse Stampede is surprisingly good.

Honestly I think you're reading too much into it. Those within WWE who worked with Benoit thought they had a good idea of who he was. The murder/suicide shattered that image, because I doubt any of them thought he was that kind of person. It's a common reaction.

What's odd about the quote? Am I missing something?

They've got plenty of stuff from the 1970s and '80s to carry them until they figure out a long term solution. For tv shows they can run NWA, AWA, World Class, the TNT/PTW shows, and one more. (I'd recommend a series of Clash of the Champions.) It's an inconvenience but hardly a major problem, as far as 24/7 is concerned. For their video library, 80/90% of what they do is compilations anyway. In those cases avoid his matches and dub over bits of commentary where needed.