WrestleMania: Day 3-Sunday, April 5th-Part 1

We got off to an early start on the morning of WrestleMania because we had tickets to the opening WrestleMania Axxess session that began at 8 a.m. The main reason we purchased these tickets was because we thought that maybe we would get the opportunity to meet "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair at 10 a.m. To say that my friend is just another fan would be an understatement.


From our experience on Friday night and knowing how HBK, Triple H, and Edge all ended up having a Q&A session, we kinda figured that Flair would probley participate in one of those on Sunday, as well.

"The Charismatic Enigma" Jeff Hardy made his way out to the Main Event ring for the first Q&A session. At this time, we started browsing around, checking out what all was going on. During this time, we met the lovely Maria.


The other superstars that were on hand signing at this time were Goldust, Ron Simmons, The Honky Tonk Man, Candice, Jesse and Festus.

Speaking of Jesse and Festus, perhaps one of the funniest moments ever occurred when the first match of the day got underway. This match featured Paul Burchill and his provocative sister, Katie Lea, in action against ECW's dancing duo, DJ Gabriel and Alicia Fox. You see, Jesse and Festus were signing autographs at a table. They had a pretty long line, too. We were nearby. Well, as soon as the bell rang to begin the match, we heard this wild racket. Guess who? It was "The Corn-Fed Colossus" Festus. He had heard the bell, and suddenly went bonkers at the meet and greet table. Festus stormed through the fans and over the barriers, towards the ring, but right before he was able to get inside, Jesse managed to ring the bell. Festus was calm, again. So Jesse took Festus back to the autograph table, where they continued to meet with the fans, until the match ended and the bell sounded. Festus flipped out, again, and made his way back to the ring. He got in there and roughed up Paul Burchill. Jesse rang the bell to stop him. Then, Jesse rang it, again, while DJ Gabriel and Alicia Fox were dancing to their music. I guess Jesse thought it needed more cowbell. Uh oh! Instead of doing severe bodily harm to both Gabriel and Fox, Festus started dancing! Then, he started doing some hoochie dancing with Alicia Fox. He was throwing that poor girl around like a sack of potatoes. It was hilarious! Very clever on WWE's part to let Festus stay in character. Everybody got a kick out of it. Sim Snuka also wrestled Dolph Ziggler.

Next, I got the "Extreme" honor to do a little play-by-play, alongside the original voice of ECW, the one and only, Joey Styles!



How cool is that? We called the Shawn Michaels/Ric Flair match from last year's WrestleMania. Yes, he did say, "Oh my God!"

While making small talk with Joey, I commended him for his work on WWE.com. Some of you may not be aware that Joey is, currently, the Director of Digital Media Content for WWE.com. I also plugged the Wrestling News Center and gave him one of my cards. Joey said that he would check it out. That was AWESOME!

Ten o'clock came around and they announced that "Nature Boy" Ric Flair would be participating in the next Q&A session. That was a bummer, but I managed to get over it rather quickly because......

I met Gail Kim!!! Thank you, Jesus! Oh happy day! I love me some Gail Kim! She's my favorite. Oh yeah! Eve Torres is smoking hott, too. Wooo Mercy! Just makes me wanna sing. Unforgettable......Ok, gotta snap out of it. Did I mention Gail's my favorite?

The second batch of superstars that were taking part in the meet and greet was "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, Sgt. Slaughter, Jack Swagger, Kelly Kelly, and The Great Khali.

We thought it was the perfect time to check out The Undertaker's Graveyard.



That's Not Fair to Flair, but "The Nature Boy" turned that frown upside down when he got to help prepare the resting place for the man that ended his career, Shawn Michaels.

After that, we decided to get a bite to eat at Frenchy's. We went ahead and bought another ticket for the Axxess session that began at 1:00 because we had already spent the twenty bucks to park.

The evening list of superstar appearances included Tyson Kidd, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Harley Race, Nick Bockwinkel, Tito Santana, and a few others.

Check out who else we spotted walking around at Axxess. Linda McMahon!


For all the NASCAR fans out there, here is the number 88 National Guard NASCAR, driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Also on hand, were the the No. 4 National Guard IRL car and the custom Patriot Chopper motorcycle designed by the Orange County Choppers. You could also test your climbing skills on the rock wall.


Mr. Kennedy......KENNEDY had a Q&A session. This is actually the only one that I got a chance to listen to because a lot of the people were just getting in town, so the place was getting packed and the lines were long for everything else. Kennedy was a trip. He brought a little kid up into the ring and gave him the microphone to say Mr. Kennedy. Then, he put him up on the turnbuckle so he could finish it with KENNEDY! Kennedy also shared that he would like to do a comedy film, next. When asked who his toughest opponent was, Kennedy said The Undertaker. Then, he followed it with a story. He said that one night, before their match, he asked Taker what they were going to do out there. He said that Taker told him that we would go out there, roll around for a while and then, he would drop him on his head. Kennedy said that's what they did. I thought that maybe Kennedy said a little bit too much, there. Hello, kayfabe. Fun session. While Kennedy made his way to the back, he signed autographs and took pictures with the fans.

Hold up! Wait a minute! Is that? Pete Rose dressed as a chicken?


With that came an end to our WrestleMania Axxess experience. If you're a wrestling fan, you have to check it out. It really is amazing! And believe me, there were people from all around the world there. That's the great thing about it. The fact that wrestling brings people from so many cultures together. That's something that no other sport can really say. What a beautiful thing. I met people from Israel, Australia, Japan, and the UK. There was this one guy that looked just like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Hell, I thought it was him, but when we started talking to him, he said, "Hey, Mate!" He was from Australia. After being a part of an event like this, you realize the magnitude of just how huge WrestleMania is. I now know the power and incredible force that is the WWE Universe. That totally sounded like something The Ultimate Warrior would say.


Now, it was time for "The Grandaddy of Them All", "The Showcase of the Immortals", The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania!


Pictures by Ricky Murphy

WrestleMania: Day 2-Saturday, April 4th

It was another beautiful day in Houston on Saturday, April 4th. Saturday's agenda included checking out the Ring of Honor ''Take No Prisoners'' PPV at the George R. Brown Convention Center followed by the 2009 Hall of Fame Ceremony, which was being held nearby at the home of the NBA's Houston Rockets, the Toyota Center. On a special note, Ring of Honor changed the start time from 3:00 PM to 2:00 PM, so that it would not interfere with the Hall of Fame and the fans could enjoy both events.


One thing about the Ring of Honor show was they checked everyone at the door and warned us that no video or digital cameras were allowed in the building. If you had a digital camera we were told not to be caught with it out because it would be confiscated. This was understandable considering that ROH makes all its money from PPVs and DVDs. Disposable cameras were ok. I had a disposable camera and snapped a couple pictures, but have not gotten the pictures developed, yet.

If you're not familiar with Ring of Honor, they distinguished their image from other promotions through the "Code of Honor": a set of rules dictating how wrestlers should conduct themselves during matches. These rules are:
1. Shake hands before and after the match -- if you respect your opponent
2. Keep the playing-field level
3. Respect the officials

There was a pretty good size crowd there to witness all the action. They began the show with a few dark matches. Then the PPV began.

The Second City Saints Partners Collided as Colt Cabana defeated Ace Steel. You may remember Cabana from his recent stint in the WWE as Scotty Goldman. He had a show on WWE.com, called Good as Goldman, formerly known as What's Crackin'? Cabana got a big pop from the crowd. This was my first time seeing Ring of Honor live and it wasn't long before I noticed the wide array of similarities between ROH and the original ECW. Both performed in smaller venues, but were cheered on to do their very best from their audience of loud and passionate fans. This group of fans would also come up with some fun and witty chants, that included, "Check the top rope!" A fan told us that at the show on Friday night, the top rope broke, so during Cabana's match with Steel, the crowd began chanting, "Check the top rope!" during the opening moments. It wasn't long until both Cabana and Steel began checking and testing the top rope. This was met with a standing ovation. The fans were also passing around cake in the stands.

Oh yeah! Before I forget, instead of using the fancy and very expensive pyro that you see in the WWE, ROH created a much easier and cheaper alternative that added a pretty cool visual effect. Party streamers! That's right, once the wrestlers would enter the ring, streamers would start flying in the ring from every direction. Good stuff.

Bushwacker Luke was also in action. Yes! It was great seeing Luke in action. He was still in great shape. I believe he lost to Rhett Titus, who was from the Temple of Lust. I got a kick out of that.

Brent Albright defeated Claudio Castagnoli and Blue Demon Jr. Albright is perhaps best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment, during which he appeared on SmackDown as Gunner Scott.

In an International Challenge, former TNA talent Roderick Strong defeated Alex Koslov, who was a member of Team International in TNA Wrestling's 2008 World X-Cup Tournament. Koslov hit that Cossack dance, during the match.

Jerry Lynn defeated D'Lo Brown, Bryan Danielson and Erick Stevens in a four-way match to retain the ROH World Title after connecting with his cradle piledriver. This match was a little bit of a disappointment for me. I was really looking forward to seeing "The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson in action for the first time, but since it was a four-way match, two guys ended up taking a tumble to the outside and leaving the other two in the ring to battle. Danielson did leap into the crowd with a flying attack during the match. I just thought it would have been better if they would have split the four up into two separate matches, in order to, really showcase their great wrestling abilities.

These next three matches were my favorites from the show:

First, the 8 Man Tag Team Grudge Match, featuring Magno, Jay Briscoe, ROH World Tag Team Champions Kevin Steen and El Generico defeated Chris Hero, Incognito and the American Wolves. This match was AWESOME with highflying at its best. El Generico was in it so everyone was singing, "Olé!"

Next, The No Disqualification War between Necro Butcher and Jimmy Jacobs. This was INSANE! Necro Butcher is one crazy SOB! These two fought into the crowd and up to the top of the risers. Signs, chairs, and tables were all used in this bloody brawl. In the end, Necro Butcher defeated Jimmy Jacobs. CRAZY!

The Main Event featured Former TNA star Austin Aries and Katsuhiko Nakajima squaring off against Tyler Black and KENTA. KENTA got a HUGE pop! I was not that familiar with KENTA, I had just read his name on certain results. Well, he is a big deal, to say the least. He is a master kickboxer and lit up Nakajima, during the match, with his vicious strikes. I was amazed at the reaction he got. I thought the place was going to come unglued. Austin Aries did a great job of getting heat and was very entertaining. He even threw some of the streamers back into the crowd. Tyler Black and KENTA got the win after Black connected with an innovative fisherman ddt that he floated over into a small package. Sweet finisher! With that, came the end of the Ring of Honor PPV. I was very impressed with my ROH experience.

Next on the list, the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony.

As we were walking towards the Toyota Center, we noticed that Bryan Danielson was ahead of us going to check out the Hall of Fame, as well. We weren't able to catch him before he went inside.

While waiting in line to get in and once we entered the building, you could tell we were in store for a special evening as everyone was dressed up. I'm sure some of the people that were working at the local businesses probley thought we were all going to prom instead of a wrestling event.

When we made it to our seats, they started showing all of the wrestlers as they entered on the big screen. This was fun to see all of the legends, as well as, current WWE wrestlers and divas walking to take their seats on the floor, which were the best in the house, right in front of the stage. This was really cool.

Todd Grisham kicked off the event. For a while, I was thinking that maybe Jerry "The King" Lawler had missed his flight and was running late because Grisham was doing all of the hosting, but Lawler took over when the show went live on USA with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat's induction.

It was truly an honor to be in attendance at this special gathering to hear these larger than life characters share some of their greatest memories and receive the highest accolades from their peers for their hard work and respect that they've earned throughout their prestigious careers that has paved the way for so many stars of today and tomorrow.

"The Birdman" Koko B. Ware was the most entertaining with Frankie by his side. Frankie was trying to get Koko's paper while he was reading. That was funny. Frankie also left a little present for everyone when he left.

It was cool seeing Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat lock up with "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, again.

The most emotional moment of the night was when Kevin Von Erich represented the Von Erich family as they were inducted by Michael Hayes. Kevin let the Texas crowd know that the Von Erich legacy is not over because he has two sons that are getting ready to enter into the business.

You could really feel Howard Finkel's excitement, during his acceptance speech. He was so happy, eventhough, he had to read his speech really, really fast, due to time constraints. It's true! There was a big countdown on the screen. I thought this really took a lot of the fun out of it because the legends had to settle for reading their speeches very quickly, instead of really being able to soak in the moment and speak from the heart.

With that being said, "Cowboy" Bill Watts had the best speech of the night, hands down, for the sheer fact that he didn't care about the countdown. He just kept on going. Very good speech.



I was hoping that Terry Funk was going to snap if they tried to cut him off because Dory talked for almost all of their time. Terry wasn't able to say much, but he was entertaining, as always.

And then there was the man of the hour, Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was inducted by his long time rival, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. Vince mentioned how the "What?" saying was created and how Austin would always say "Sorry" during their in ring skirmishes. Austin was greeted with a standing ovation that lasted several minutes. Stone Cold apologized to the fans of Atlanta for no-showing that show in 2002. He said he never got to do that and always wanted to. Austin said he decided to walk out because of the bad storylines that were presented to him by the creative team. During his speech, the crowd started chanting, "One more match!" What a surreal moment to see "The Texas Rattlesnake" take his spot alongside the rest of the sport's all-time greats. Oh hell yeah!


As we were leaving the Toyota Center, we saw a few fans recreating some memorable moments of the past. One guy cut the classic Ric Flair promo from WCW when he went off on Eric Bischoff on Nitro. Then, there was a guy that sounded like Stone Cold, so they had a little interview that ended with Stone Cold giving Flair a stunner. I thought the cops were on the way, then, but everything was cool. Everybody got a kick out of it. The guys were recording it, so I thought, maybe, they would put it up on YouTube. I checked and couldn't find it.

We finished the night, by getting a bite to eat and catching some of the local tunes at The House of Blues.

That was Day 2. Next, is the BIG day!

Pictures courtesy of Ricky Murphy and Kim Gray

WrestleMania: Day 1-Friday, April 3rd

Howdy, Dudes and Dudettes! I just made it back from Houston, Texas, where we celebrated the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania! I'm still trying to recover, but I thought I would start sharing some of my wonderful experiences from this AWESOME wrestling weekend. I will begin with Day 1, which was Friday, April 3rd.

We began our journey Friday morning, just after midnight. When we made it to Houston, later that afternoon, we immediately saw the beautiful home of the Houston Astros, Minute Maid Park. Also, nearby we saw the Toyota Center, where the Hall of Fame and Raw would be taking place, as well as, the George R. Brown Convention Center, where we would be heading to in a few short hours for Booker T's Legends of Wrestling Fanfest and also where the Ring of Honor PPV would be taking place on Saturday. These two venues were really close to one another. In the process of our sightseeing, we kinda got turned around and didn't know how to get to our hotel. Lucky for us, we got some help from this nice man who offered to let us follow him to get to the street that we needed to take, in order, to reach our hotel. As we were following the man in his energy truck, we noticed that a policeman was approaching us on the left side. He honked his horn at us. Uh oh! We hadn't been in town, no time and we're already in trouble! We rolled down the window. The cop said, "Hey! You guys in town for wrestling?" "Yes, Sir! We sure are," We replied. The cop continued, "You know all the wrestlers are staying at the Marriott. They've got an open lobby and everything." We had completely forgot about having our windows decorated with window chalk. We had HBK, RKO, Rated R Superstar and WOOOOOO! Nature Boy wrote on the vehicle, as well as, WrestleMania 25 Bound. We informed the cop that we was following a truck to try and find our hotel, but the truck was out of sight, by now. The cop answered, "Oh s&#$!" We thought that was pretty cool about the cop telling us where everyone was staying. I know for a fact that nothing like that would ever happen back home. We did end up catching up with the truck we were following and made it to our hotel.

We dropped our stuff off and before long, it was time to hit up Booker T's Legends of Wrestling Fanfest. We knew that we could not stay too long because we already had tickets for the WrestleMania Axxess event for that night, featuring Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Edge and many more. It started at six o'clock. While pulling into the parking lot close to the George R. Brown Convention Center, we noticed some WWE trucks.


After purchasing our tickets, we were inside the George R. Brown Convention Center, waiting for the second session to begin. It was suppose to start at 4:30 p.m. and feature Booker T & Sharmell, Jimmy Hart, The Nasty Boys, Samoa Joe, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Team 3D, Christy Hemme, DDP and Kimberly. Everyone was there, including Debra, Daffney and Missy Hyatt. Also, Sting was signing autographs and taking pictures in the very back, behind a black curtain for seventy-five dollars a pop. Well, five o'clock came around and there was this big, long line of fans and nobody was moving. Considering that the Axxess event started at six and we really didn't know where the Reliant Center was located, we decided to leave. This was a little bit of a bummer for me because I was decked out in my DDP gear and had my copy of Positively Page for him to sign. When we decided to leave, I even went back to meet Sting, but they said that I would have to go to the front and get a special ticket. No time for that. It was not a wasted trip, though, because we did get to meet one of the original members of the Four Horsemen, the great Tully Blanchard, who was truly a gentleman.

From there, it was on to the Reliant Center, where we would get our first taste of the WrestleMania Axxess festivities. When we got there, we had to wait in a very long line, but it was moving pretty fast. Once we made it inside, I was like a little kid. It was unbelievable!

There was something for everyone. The fun included: The Undertaker’s Graveyard, WrestleManiArt, Superstar Entrances, Call-A-Match, Memorabilia, Superstar Signings, Diva HotShots, Superstar Ink, WWE Studios Presents 12 Rounds, 3 Count Trivia, WWE KidZone, Hornswoggle’s House, Hell in a Cell, WWE Championship Belts, THQ Presents WWE Legends of WrestleMania Video Game Zone and so much more.



There was also a ring in the middle of everything, which was called The Main Event area. The Main Event was the focal point for WrestleMania Axxess because this was where the top superstars appeared for exclusive Q&A sessions with the fans. Needless to say, after all that rushing to get there, we did not get to meet HBK, Triple H, or Edge. They all took part in Q&A sessions. That's right! D-Generation X reunited for a special Q&A.



Everyone was under the impression that they were going to actually get to meet those guys. Should have known better. We were disappointed and if we had known about that we would have stayed at Booker T's convention, a little while longer. Oh, well! What can you do? We still had a blast!

While DX was having their Q&A session, we decided to get in line to meet Jeff Hardy because we thought that when he left at eight o'clock, maybe Edge would be next. Well, they announced that Edge would be participating in the next Q&A, so when Jeff Hardy left, ECW's Ricky Ortiz and Champion Jack Swagger made their way to the table.


There was also some live matches take place in the ring, as well as, a variety of games for fans including trivia and impersonation contests. I believe Cryme Tyme defeated The Brian Kendrick and Ezekiel Jackson on Friday night.

Other notable appearances from Friday night's Axxess: Matt Hardy, Charlie Haas, Mark Henry, Kung Fu Naki, Hurricane Helms, Vladimir Kozlov, Torrie Wilson, Candice, and Eve. Rick, The Sign Guy, was also in attendance.

I also got the chance to meet the singing sensation, Jillian Hall, and Rosa Mendes. They got a kick out of me because I started singing, "I know you want me!"


On Friday, THQ had it's Superstar Challenge, which featured sixteen current WWE Superstars, Divas and Legends battling each other by playing the NEW Legends of WrestleMania video game. The participants included: Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, Beth Phoenix, The Brian Kendrick, Ezekiel Jackson, Cody Rhodes, The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, Ted DiBiase Jr., Dusty Rhodes, Sgt. Slaughter, Hornswoggle, Finlay, CM Punk, Michelle McCool, and Jimmy Hart. Kofi Kingston won the tournament, but that didn’t keep past THQ Challenge champ Shelton Benjamin from interrupting Kingston’s celebration. An exchange of words quickly evolved into an impromptu challenge that led to a match between Kofi and The Gold Standard. In the end, Kingston bested his rival for bragging rights to boot.


You could even be “Your Own Action Figure”!

That was Day 1.

Photos by Ricky Murphy

Remembering Andrew "Test" Martin

What's up, Everybody! Hope everyone is getting ready to party like Finlay and Hornswoggle for St. Patty's Day. Please be safe and be sure to wear green or you'll get pinched. Although, getting pinched is not always a bad thing. I enjoy it myself.

Unfortunately, our latest fallen brother, Andrew "Test" Martin, will not be able to celebrate his 34th birthday with us on Tuesday. This is such a difficult time for everyone in the wrestling community that are all shocked and saddened by this tragedy.

I, like many, many, others was a big fan of Test's work. His social skills were also very impressive, as well, because the big man managed to work his way into relationships with two of wrestling's super hotties, former WWE Diva, Stacy Keibler, and recently, current WWE Diva, Kelly Kelly. Not too shabby. Test had game.

To me, I felt that Test was really at the top of his game in the ring, during his last run in ECW. The reason I say this is because I got to witness his talent firsthand, in person, at a ECW houseshow that was held in Jackson, Tennessee, at the Oman Arena. To this day, the only thing that I really remember about that show is the enormous amount of heat that Test got. It was amazing! This is the main purpose and meaning behind this special post. A few weeks after his release from the WWE in 2007, I found Andrew Martin on MySpace. You can visit his MySpace account at http://www.myspace.com/7439092. The pictures above are actually from his MySpace. I added him and sent him a little message talking about that show in Jackson. He replied.

As soon as I heard the sad news, I asked myself, "Hey, I wonder if I still got that message from Test?" I checked and there it was. I thought it would be neat to share it. So, this is my special memory of Andrew "Test" Martin. I hope you like it. Some people may not think it's a big deal, but it meant a lot to this fan.


Happy Birthday to you, Test

Thanks for the Memories

You will be missed

Andrew "Test" Martin

~March 17, 1975 – March 13, 2009~


Here is my message to Andrew and his response in its entirety. His reply is first, followed by my original message that I sent him.


From: andrew
Spam/Report Abuse
• Spam
• Report Abuse
• Block User
• Delete From Friends
myspace.com/7439092
To:
• D-Rock

Date:
Mar 30, 2007 2:07 PM
Subject:
RE: Hey Test!
Body:
Lol...Thanks for being a great fan and yes I do actually remember that girl crying cuz I felt bad....for about 2 seconds..lol...thanks for being a fan and you never know where I might turn up...take care

----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: Derick
Date: Mar 30, 2007 4:44 PM


I was just browsing around and found you. I thought I would holla at cha and tell you that I'm a big fan of yours. I seen you last year in Jackson, Tennessee, at an ECW houseshow and thought you did one hell of a job, man. I mean, you can really piss some people off. That was awesome! You came out and slowly walked around ringside telling the fans about it and even tore a girl's sign that she had for Tommy Dreamer, who you wrestled that night. That girl started crying when you tore her sign. I loved it!!! I thought WWE really misused you, man and thought they could have done so much more with your angle with Lashley. I wish TNA would sign you because I think you could be their top heel. I hope you come to the South soon. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Thanks for your time, man

Derick

Thanks to Elite 17 for the pic

Woooooo! Welcome to an all-new edition of Good Call/Bad Call, right here on hollywoodjimmy.com. Is that "The Nature Boy" or G.I. Joe? As much as I would like to say that's a photoshopped picture, I'm afraid it's not. That's right, Electronic Arts added Ric Flair to the cast for Red Alert 3's new PC-exclusive Uprising expansion pack. To me, it looks like Flair could very well be Bubba and Devon's daddy. Whassup?


WARNING: The following views expressed are in no way, shape or form, linked to the views expressed by Hollywood Jimmy, Joe Torre, Matt Hardy, Paul London, or anyone else that's associated with hollywoodjimmy.com or wrestlingnewscenter.com. Hollywood Jimmy already knows all, anyway. That's why he was the recipient of the 2008 Rasslin Riot Online's Award for Manager of the Year. I've been trying to reach Mike Knox to ask him some questions, but no luck, thus far. Apparently, Knox has been busy having some serious negotiations with GEICO, as of late. They are trying to reach an agreement so that he can be featured in some of their new cavemen commercials. D-Rock's views may be wrong, but he highly doubts that.


WWE


What in the hell is up with The Legacy? One night, Orton, Rhodes, and DiBiase are dominating the Royal Rumble and the next, all three are getting owned by Shane McMahon. That's mind-boggling! Why would creative choose to make their next big heel stable look so weak? I have no idea. Now, don't get me wrong, I thought Orton did a good job of explaining why they didn't do anything to Shane McMahon, but it's just not realistic. Did you see those phantom punches Shane was throwing? They looked really bad. I know it's entertainment, but at least try and make it halfway believable. Who is actually going to believe that Shane O-Mac can defeat The Legacy all by himself. That's like watching little Rey Mysterio win the Rumble, a few years back. The only difference is that the fantasy was going on, at that time, and I actually had Rey on my team, so I scored some major points. Now, the WWE chose to do away with the fantasy, so that crap just ain't gonna cut it.

How about Orton's newfound disorder, IED? That son of a gun has been kicking people in the head for two years and now you wanna claim he's got some sort of disorder. Don't feed me that. He's "The Legend Killer". The reason he kicks people in their head is because he can and he doesn't give a damn. If they don't watch out they will screw up Orton's character like they did Kane.

I'm excited about the Hardy Boys storyline. I thought they did a great job with that. I'm anxious to see Matt as a heel. They are going to put on one hell of a show at WrestleMania.

What a pleasant surprise it was to see Christian return to the WWE on ECW of all places. Who would have thunk it? He should get that ECW belt in no time and then he'll probley be like Miz & Morrison and start popping up on every show. I'm liking the new talent initiative on ECW because with the additions of Christian, Tyson Kidd, Jamie Noble, Paul Burchill, and DJ Gabriel they are presenting something fresh with some new faces and utilizing some of the talent that flies under the radar on the two major shows. Oh yeah, I can't forget about the lovely additions of a few Good Call Girls, Katie Lea Burchill, Natalya, and Alicia Fox. Ha-ha! Probley wanna refrain from calling a lady a Good Call Girl the next time you go to the store. You might get the Kizarny knocked out of you.

They really shook things up at No Way Out. That was a good thing. I'm so glad nobody took me up on my bet that Cena was going to walk out of there with the belt. As Edge would say, I was WRONG!..........WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

I'm thinking this year's WrestleMania lineup is going to be really good. Looking forward to see how everything unfolds.


TNA! TNA! TNA!

TNA had one of the most entertaining shows that I've seen in quite some time, a few weeks ago. Their January 29th edition of iMPACT! was full of non-stop laughs, thanks to the commentary of Black Snow(Booker T) and the ring announcing of "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner. These two have been on a roll, here lately, with some funny stuff.

Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed after I read the results of their recent Against All Odds pay-per-view. It just seemed like a regular iMPACT! that they decided to charge everyone for. Hopefully, Destination X will be a lot better with the return of the Ultimate X match.

The Main Event Mafia is beginning to crumble from within since the Frontline has yet to pose any kind of a threat, whatsoever. Whoa! Hold the phone! Samoa Joe just painted his face! It's on like Awesome Kong, now! I'm positive that has struck absolute fear into the hearts and minds of all mankind. Just look at what a little bit of face paint did for the career of Christopher Daniels.

I wished they would have waited a little while longer before they pulled the trigger on the Kurt Angle/Sting feud, but oh well. It's still like a dream match to me. The Empty Arena Showdown on iMPACT! between Kurt and Sting was alright. I wish they would have given it more time, since they hyped it up the entire show. You could really see the similarities that Kurt Angle had with one, Terry Funk, from his classic Empty Arena Match with Jerry "The King" Lawler. For your viewing pleasure, I posted the Lawler vs Funk: Empty Arena Battle. Funk is the man!





The Call List

Congrats to all of the Winners of the 2008 Wrestling News Center Awards-Good Call

Memphis Wrestling having more live events-Good Call

Michael Phelps:Bong Medalist-Bad Call

Kara DioGuardi, The new judge on American Idol-Good Call

Disturbed with Sevendust and Skindred-Kicked my ass

Christian Bale's temper tantrum-Bad Call

TNA having a Headdress on a Pole Match-Bad Call-As Corey Maclin would say, "This is ridiculous!" I don't know why they released Petey Williams, but after participating in a match like that he probley wanted out. Headdress on a Pole Match.....Geez! This just screams, Russo!

Trying to stop Chris Jericho from leaving the arena-Bad Call

Midnight Gold-Good Call

Plaxico Burress-Good Call-Wait a minute! Let me explain. I'm sure you're asking yourself, why in the hell would Plax get a Good Call after "accidently" shooting himself a few months ago. Well, that will definitely be one of the biggest Bad Calls and bonehead moments of all-time. With football season just wrapping up, I thought I would update you on Plaxico's recent progress off the field as he's been educating others on the importance of gun safety. Take a look:


A-Rod-Bad Call

TNA pursuing Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich-Bad Call-I think one Gov. is enough

Leg cramps while driving-Bad Call

Joaquin Phoenix's career move-Bad Call

Jack Swagger-Needs to duct tape that ECW belt so it will stop falling off him, but there's a logical explanation for all this: Mark Henry had the belt so it was either specially made for "The World's Strongest Man" or he stretched the hell out of it. My money is on the latter, but if you can't duct it-Funk is well on his way to the Hall of Fame

Edge calling the fans, "Big, fat failure turtles"-Hilarious!

TNA releasing Lance Rock and Jimmy Rave-I guess everyone got infected

Gambling.............Gotta get started on my 2009 collection. I did get a fortune cookie the other day that read:) You will become more and more wealthy:)

AC/DC at the FedExForum-FIRE!!! We salute you!

Giving Mr. Crackerjacks Xanax in a cup of tea-Bad Call

Wrestling News Center being the 2008 Rasslin Riot Online Website of the Year-Thanks to all you loyal and AWESOME readers for making it all possible-Good Call



---------------------SPECIAL BULLETIN-----------------------

Be careful when shopping.........

Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping. Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic. Don't be naïve enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your friends.

Here's how the scam works:

Two very hot 20-21 year-old girls come over to your car as you are packing your stuff into the trunk. They both start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy T-shirts. It is impossible not to look.

When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say 'No' and instead they ask you for a ride to Lowes.

You agree and they get in the backseat. On the way, they start undressing. Then one of them climbs over into the front seat and starts crawling all over you, while the other one steals your wallet.

I had my wallet stolen January 1st, 4th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th, 24th & 29th. As well as, February the 8th, 12th, 14th, and today.

So tell your friends to be careful.

P.S. Wal-Mart has wallets on sale for 2.99 each-GOOD CALL!!!


Thanks for reading and Good Calls to All!!!


D-Rock-Good Call



Can't get enough Good Call/Bad Call? Check out more fun at www.myspace.com/drockgoodcall






Good Call/Bad Call is brought to you by D-Rock Entertainment in conjunction with Adams Media & Productions and hollywoodjimmy.com. © 2009 Trademark. All Rights Reserved.

Ho! Ho! Ho! That may sound like your typical comment that's fired back and forth on the message board, but it's merely a season's greeting. I promise I'm not calling anyone a hoe. Welcome to the latest installment of Good Call/Bad Call, right here on hollywoodjimmy.com. How's everybody? You know tis the season to be jolly, so with that in mind, I hope this is as much fun as opening presents and spiking the eggnog. Cheers!

WARNING: The following views expressed are in no way, shape or form, linked to the views expressed by Hollywood Jimmy, The Grinch, Ebenezer Scrooge, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Bambi, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, John Deere, Donner, Dear Abby, Blitzen, and Clark Griswold. Hollywood Jimmy already knows all, anyway. Santa Claus says that hitting the road with ZZ Top after Christmas is always a Good Call. D-Rock's views may be wrong, but he highly doubts that.



On a sad note, the wrestling world lost another brother, last week, with the tragic news about the passing of Steve Bradley. In 1998, soon after he signed a 3-year developmental contract with the World Wrestling Federation, Bradley began training under Tom Prichard at WWF Headquarters in Stanford, Connecticut along with Kurt Angle. Bradley took the Memphis Wrestling scene by storm when he was assigned to Memphis-based Power Pro Wrestling. It was there that both he and Angle began feuding with each other over the PPW Heavyweight title with Bradley eventually defeating Angle for the title in early 1999 and becoming the first man to pin Angle in his professional career. Their feud would also be voted "Underrated Feud of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated that same year. What great matches these two had.

Bradley was later assigned to Memphis Championship Wrestling, a new developmental territory, in early 2001 and began wrestling with Essa Ríos and Lita on WWF house shows and dark matches on television tapings throughout the United States. Spending the next two years in Ohio Valley Wrestling and the Heartland Wrestling Association, Bradley would win the HWA Tag Team titles four times with Val Venis and Lance Cade and eventually became involved in booking for the promotion before he was released from his developmental contract in July 2002. Many of his colleagues have stated in the past how Bradley was one of the most gifted wrestlers to ever come through Memphis and often questioned why he never made it big in the WWE. My thoughts and prayers go out to Bradley's family and friends.

WWE

Until here recently, I thought that the WWE was just getting stale, but the last couple weeks have been a lot better. Things have really picked up since the return of John Cena and Edge. Maybe these two will give the WWE a much needed shot in the arm. There's also rumors circulating about Christian and Gail Kim re-signing with the WWE. Boy, TNA really sent Christian out with a bang, didn't they? I wish they would hurry up with Gail's return. She's too fine not to be on camera. That latest deal with Shane and Stephanie was pretty good too. I know it's the same ole dysfunctional family thing, but I thought it came across pretty well. They are also trying something different with the JBL/HBK storyline. That should be interesting.

Over on SmackDown, I hope last week's cage match is the last time we have to see The Undertaker and The Big Show tie up. At first, I was really looking forward to their feud, but I've really been disappointed in it. We are also getting to see a much darker side of Jeff Hardy, as of late. Things were going pretty good with that until they pulled that little hotel fiasco. I don't know about that, but I do know about that "Punjabi Playboy" The Great Khali. Now that's funny. Who would have thought that The Great Khali would now be so adored by the fans with his Kiss Cam and receive such a big Hardy-like pop? Speaking of pops, Gregory Helms returned this past Friday on SmackDown, after months and months of Hurrapops. He is now going by the name, Hurricane Helms, but is not wearing the mask or cape. However, I couldn't help, but notice that he was sporting a Hurrabelly. "I'm just sayin'!"

The Slammy Awards are returning this Monday night on a special three hour edition of Raw. That should be fun. With that in mind, be sure and keep voting for your favorites for this year's WrestlingNewsCenter.com 2008 Awards. The last day to vote will be Sunday, December 14, 2008!!!


TNA! TNA! TNA!

I had a blast at the recent TNA house show in Corinth, Mississippi. Axeman was one hundred percent accurate with his distribution of the Good Calls. I don't have too much to add considering what's already been said, so let's see. Sonjay Dutt auctioned off one of the backstage passes to a fan for forty dollars. He also hit the Bushwhacker dance, during his match with Petey. Kip was a trip. Sheik Abdul Bashir(It's just so much easier to say Daivari) got into a heated confrontation with a fan after the fan touched him. I thought it was going down. It was a real treat to see ODB and Angelina Love get it on after seeing these two ladies wrestle, locally, for DCW a few years back. You may remember Love as she wrestled as Angel Williams. After the show, the meet and greet consisted of "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles and "The Monster" Abyss taking pictures in the ring while "Maple Leaf Muscle" Petey Williams, Consequences Creed, Curry Man, ODB, and Eric Young were walking around ringside, signing autographs and taking pictures. Good stuff.


TNA has really been doing a great job, here lately, since their AWESOME show live from Las Vegas(This reminded me so much of the very first Nitro in the Mall of America) We also saw the formation of the Main Event Mafia on that show. I was sold from the beginning. I am just glad to see a new, powerful stable in the wrestling business. I know it may seem like another version of the NWO, but hey that's ok. As long as they don't start recruiting people like Vincent, Dennis Rodman, Horace Hogan, or The Disciple, everything should be good. A friend, recently, pitched a great idea for the TNA Frontline. He said they should bring back Christopher Daniels to join AJ Styles and Samoa Joe in leading the charge for the TNA Originals. Well, after reading the results for Final Resolution, I see that Curry Man got one of the briefcases in the annual "Feast or Fired" match. We can only hope that Curry Man gets fired this year, so this will come to fruition with the Fallen Angel returning. Now don't get me wrong, I love the dancing machine(Check out my pic), but I don't think Curry Man poses too much of a threat to the Mafia.

UFC

As I'm sure you're well aware by now, Brock Lesnar is the new UFC Heavyweight Champion after defeating Randy Couture via technical knockout at UFC 91, which was billed as, "The Biggest Fight in UFC History!" The UFC has got some big events coming up this week, leading up to a huge card on December 27th that will determine who Brock fights next.

This Wednesday, December 10, the UFC presents Fight For The Troops To Help Benefit The National Intrepid Center Of Excellence, Live on Spike, headlined by Josh Koscheck Vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida.

Then, on Saturday, December 13th, The Ultimate Fighter Finale will feature the last battles for the Lightweight and Light Heavyweight Ultimate Fighter Team Noguiera vs Team Mir season winners, Live on Spike. I'm a big fan of the show. I believe Spike will be airing a marathon on Saturday, if you want to check it out.

The year ends with UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 on Saturday, December 27, live on Pay-Per-View. It’s the ultimate event of the year with the original Ultimate Fighter, Forrest Griffin defending his title against “Sugar” Rashad Evans. Then the Ultimate Fighter coaches face off as Interim World Heavyweight Champion, Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira takes on former heavyweight champion, Frank Mir, with the winner facing Brock Lesnar for the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship. Plus, two of the hardest hitting light heavyweights go toe-to-toe when Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva battles former light heavyweight champion, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Three main events packed into one huge show. If you're a fan of MMA, this is a must-see event.

The Call List

XOW Benefit for Noah Sheffield-Good Call

Booker T's accent-Bad Call

Frampton Comes Alive at Bluesville-Good Call

Our Economy-Bad Call

Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling-Good Call-I know the critics have really bashed this show, but I enjoyed it. It's a reality show and all reality shows pretty much go by the same formula. You have teams and challenges(in this case, matches, performing certain moves) with the judges, deciding who ultimately is the best and who goes home. Any wrestling fan should have enjoyed it for the mere fact that Hulk Hogan, "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart, and Eric Bischoff were the judges, Nasty Boy Brian Knobbs and Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake(Don't sue, Vince) were the trainers and there were special cameo appearances by Rob Van Dam and Bill Goldberg. I believe it finished strong in the ratings leaving a possibility of there being a second season. I don't feel like Dennis Rodman should have won. In my opinion, he probley should have never been allowed on the show because he's already had some wrestling experience. Hell, he wrestled on three of WCW's pay-per-view events. I think politics had a little something to do with that. NWO 4-Life!

Scott Hall drinking-Bad Call

BCS-Bad Call System

Steve Harvey in concert-Good Call

Gas prices going down-Good Call

Jake Roberts doing anything-Bad Call

Redemption Song-Good Call-This show is hosted by Chris Jericho on Fuse Tv. It's kinda like American Idol meets The Real World with eleven women competing for a second chance to land a recording contract and become a rockstar. Each lady has
faced some previous problems that delayed their chances of achieving stardom, but now is their time to shine. Bottom line-Hott Ladies+Singing+Dancing+Fighting=Good times

Ricky and Brion as Beer Money Inc.-Good Call

Hollywood Jimmy's interview with Kamala-Good Call

Santino attempting to do Melina's entrance-Bad Call

MamaJuanaExtreme.com-Good Call

Gambling..................hanging in there

WWE releasing Elijah Burke-Bad Call

Plaxico Burress taking aim at his injured hamstring-Bad Call

Erin Andrews-Good Call

O.J. Simpson-Bad Call

The food at Huddle House-Good Call

Checking out at Huddle House-Bad Call

STP live at the Desoto Civic Center-Good Call

Inviting Jillian Hall to go Christmas caroling-Bad Call

Merry Christmas, Everybody!!!



Thanks for reading and Good Calls to All!!!


D-Rock-Good Call



Can't get enough Good Call/Bad Call? Check out more fun at www.myspace.com/drockgoodcall






Good Call/Bad Call is brought to you by D-Rock Entertainment in conjunction with Adams Media & Productions and hollywoodjimmy.com. © 2008 Trademark. All Rights Reserved.

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! HOOOOOOOOO! Hello there, Tough Guys and Gals! Welcome to the newest edition of Good Call/Bad Call, right here, on hollywoodjimmy.com. As always, thanks for joining me for another jam-packed installment and as you can see, I have a new look. Me like! At this moment, it seems like everyone is caught up in this year's Summer Olympics in Beijing. Michael Phelps has owned everyone in the water and has made swimming, of all things, the most popular sport in the land, at this particular moment. While China has used illusions for their fireworks extravaganza, underage girls on its gymnastics team, and are probley planning another way to stage a more "photogenic" little girl singing Ode to the Motherland, I feel it's only fitting to honor another one of our Olympic heroes that brought home the gold in 1996 in freestyle wrestling. Oh yeah, he did this with a "broken freakin' neck!" I'm talking about Kurt Angle. Even if, A.J. Styles, recently, won the gold medal after defeating him on iMPACT!, I'm sure Kurt will get it back, eventually.


I've got lots of various subjects to dive into. Get it, dive? So, let's get to it!

WARNING: The following views expressed are in no way, shape or form, linked to the views expressed by Hollywood Jimmy, Eric Bischoff, Leslie Jones, Izzy Rotten, Paul Heyman, Lance Storm, Jim Ross, EPW, Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Wildcat Willie, Scrappy-Doo, Stomper, or The Wrestling Professor. Hollywood Jimmy already knows all, anyway. A lady, recently, got his name tattooed on one of her goodies. This just solidifies the fact that Jimmy is a bona fide ROCK STAR! In other news, shortly after being released, last week, Stevie Richards was overheard yelling, "I'll show you! You'll see!" as he left WWE Headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. D-Rock's views may be wrong, but he highly doubts that.

It's quite obvious, that we've all read about the animosity that's been brought to the forefront over on the message board, here lately. I've got one word. Money. Someone has got a golden opportunity, right there. First, that is an ideal script, just waiting to be turned into a Lifetime movie. Perhaps, even a James Patterson, New York Times best seller in the making. Lastly, with the recent popularity of shoot interviews, there's a few, right there, that would sell like hotcakes around the area, due to the wide array of interest that everyone seems to have on the matter. This would be some projects that if capitalized on could, possibly, turn these negative feelings into positives for everyone involved, making people a lot happier and maybe a little wealthier. So, seize the moment! Just a thought.

WWE

Well, it seems like this year's SummerSlam was a good show, from what I read. I really want to check out that Hell in a Cell match. I'm sure Edge will be off television for a couple weeks, selling being sent to hell by The Undertaker. I, for one, would like to see him return in a full body cast to sell his severe burns. I think that would be very entertaining because Edge has been in rare form, lately. With quotes like, "Don't speak to me in that gibberish! You speak to me in English!" and calling Vickie, "Pathetic!", Edge is back to his evil, maniacal ways. It sure beats the hell out of getting pedicures and playing on the teeter-totter. With that being said, Edge still can show a lighter side, by spitting some mad game to The Wedding Planner, Alicia Fox, by asking, "What's that smell? What are you wearing?" Alicia answered, "I'm not wearing anything." Edge's response was, "That smell, it's like angels harmonizing on a dewy morning." That son of a gun is a pimp! No doubt about it.

Back to Vickie Guerrero, has anyone noticed just how annoying she is? I have nightmares at night that always seem to begin and end with "Excuse me!" Vickie is the modern day equivalent of Bill Alfonso back in the good ole' ECW, but Vickie is not using a whistle to bug the piss out of everyone, only her voice.

Chavo Guerrero fears wedding cake!

Over on Raw, Mike Adamle was named as the new General Manager. Now, at first, I was giving this a Bad Call. I don't think I was the only one either, but as each week goes by, I'm thinking that he is improving and doing much better than I could ever imagine. It could be a lot worse. He could still be announcing. They got me with the Kane storyline. That was a neat little swerve with Rey.

I wonder where and when Sid is going to pop up?

On ECW, Teddy Long has begun the new talent initiative. Neat concept. They wasted their time bringing in Braden Walker AKA Chris Harris. SmackDown has also added R-Truth(Ron "The Truth" Killings from TNA) and Scotty Goldman. You may know Scotty Goldman by another name, Colt Cabana. In my opinion, I don't think Scotty Goldman is the right name for him. I know creative can come up with something better than that. I'm sure they will probley try another name next week. For example, Atlas Ortiz debuted on ECW and the following week was referred to as Ricky Ortiz.

Mr.......INJURY!!!..............................INJURY!!!

I now know why the WWE never gives Mr. Kennedy any kind of a major push. It's because the poor guy stays plagued by injuries, so the WWE is afraid to invest any significant amount of time building up a storyline, because they know a boo-boo is forthcoming. It was also announced on Raw, that John Cena is out "indefinitely" due to a herniated disc. Major loss, again. I'm sure everyone heard about Randy Orton's motorcycle accident, a few weeks ago, that pushed back his return another three months. Some people are saying that it's a work. Umaga has also been injured. Sorry, haven't missed him.

TNA! TNA! TNA!

At this moment, TNA is currently based around baseball bats and guitars, with them teasing everyone about a possible Sting heel turn and Jeff Jarrett's return. Yes, both the Kurt Angle/A.J. Styles and "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal/Sonjay Dutt love triangles are still going on. I read an interesting article, recently, about TNA wanting to revise the Millionaire's Club vs New Blood storyline. When this storyline occurred in WCW, I thought it changed the whole landscape for the company and I still think it was ultimately the beginning of the end. Would I like to see this storyline? No doubt. I think it would be great to see guys like Kurt, Sting, Booker, Jarrett, Nash, Steiner, Christian, Rhyno, and Team 3D feuding with the likes of A.J., Samoa Joe, Abyss, Petey, Lethal, Morgan, Roode, Storm, Sabin, Shelley, LAX, and Young. Do I think it's a smart business decision? No. Not with Russo calling the shots. Can you say, deja vu?

It looks like Mick Foley may be on his way to TNA. Vince must have said something really bad in that headset. If he does wind up in TNA, they have got to do something with him and Abyss.

Is it just me or does the WWE's Championship Scramble match seem like something right out of TNA? Don't worry, TNA has got their Four Ways to Glory match, on tap for No Surrender.

The biggest news, as of late, with TNA has been the sudden departure of the lovely Gail Kim. Say it isn't so! Oh, she's going back to the WWE? Yay!!! This is a major loss for the Knockouts division and a Good Call for the WWE.

The Call List

Memphis Wrestling back at 11:00 on Saturday mornings-Good Call

The Brian Kendrick-Good Call-I think he would be a perfect fit on ECW, feuding with Evan Bourne. They would tear the roof off, every week

Forever and Never-Good Call

Gina Carano-Good Call

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's joyride-Bad Call

Kip James new gimmick-Bad Call

Santino's unibrow-Good Call

Charlito-Good Call

Big Brother 10-Good Call

Dave Matthews Band concert at AutoZone Park with special guest, Willie Nelson-Good Call

Two drunk chicks making out on Beale Street-Good Call

Gambling........................so so

Referee Joey Lynn-Good Call-He's got big things poppin'

Get well soon, Tia-Good Call

Vickie Guerrero-"Excuse Me!"


Thanks for reading and Good Calls to All!!!


D-Rock-Good Call



Can't get enough Good Call/Bad Call? Check out more fun at www.myspace.com/drockgoodcall






Good Call/Bad Call is brought to you by D-Rock Entertainment in conjunction with Adams Media & Productions and hollywoodjimmy.com. © 2008 Trademark. All Rights Reserved.