Combat Hooligans.com exclusive: Rules for the TNA DVD board game

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Yes, I posted the press release for this new venture earlier today, and now as a result of a high level source in a low level place, I have obtained a partial list of the rules for the TNA DVD Board game.

1. All players who have ever played the WWE board game start out with a million point lead, while anyone who never played the WWE board game is shunned and loses a turn.
   
2. This rule also applies for players joining the game in the middle.
   
3. There are 2 sets of categories, we'll call them profitability points and popularity points. The goal is to sacrifice the number of profitability points you have to increase your popularity points only for it to end up not making one bit of difference.
   
4. In the middle of the game, one person is instructed to go find their significant other and drag them in to play the game on their team. The couple must then spend most of the game fighting and rrandomly not fighting.
   
5. There are billion point bonus questions, but as the instructions state "these are as rare as a TNA title change".
   
6. At certain points in the game when it looks like a player is about to land on a big square (code named highspot) everyone must look away and pretend to miss the thing completely.
   
7. I can confirm the game will have a reverse dice roll level where you must fling the dice in to the nearest ceiling fan.
   
8. At one point in the game, all but 1 player is locked in a ficticious penalty box for 2 turns while the remaining player shouts "I'm king of the mountain, hahaha!"
   
9. The player who chooses to play as the Samoa Joe game piece can't win.
   
10. In order to win points, while playing this game, it is encouraged to remind everyone how great the WWE board game was when you played it 5 years ago.
    
11. Most important. If you are starting to have success in the game and the game's "booker" doesn't want that to happen because you never played the WWE game, they are allowed to ignore all of the rules and do whatever it takes, no matter how stupid to ensure you're defeat.
    

There you have it, a partial list of rules for the upcoming board game for TNA.




©2007 Combat Hooligans. Duplication of the content from this website without permission by its author(s) is prohibited. Any news, reports and commentary used from this site must be accompanied by a link to www.combat-hooligans.com

The Melvin Costa Controversy: Questions of racial pride, individual rights Vs. corporate responsibility and the double standards in society

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I wanted to let this all settle in my mind before I weighed in on it.

It all started with
this post at fight linker

wherein this photo of Melvin Costa who has fought for King of the Cage, a company now owned by ProElite Inc., and you're not imagining things that's a swastika on his chest.

Sam Caplan mentioned the potential PR nightmare for ProElite which is a publicly traded company.

Caplan also got comments from both Gary Shaw - EliteXC's President of Live Events

and ProElite CEO Doug DeLuca

and also did a Q&A with the fighter at the center of all of this, Melvin Costa himself

First, I credit Sam for doing such a thorough job covering a story that definitely had some interesting angles and would urge you to read all of them. I would especially call for you to read the Q&A with Melvin Costa. The image you have of Costa just from reading this post or looking at the picture probably won't fit with the image that he projects of himself in the Q&A.

After looking all of this over, I guess these are my thoughts. When I was in high school, I was on the debate team and the first thing we learned about debate on the first day is that for it to be a true debate both sides of an argument must contain elements of truth.
We also learned how to examine evidence and use logical thought to make the most convincing argument possible in order to impress a judge.
I want to say that I don't agree with Costa's choice of symbol. I also don't agree with his assertion in the Q&A that it is the only symbol he could've used to make his point and have people immediately recognize the point he was trying to make. Because the truth of it is that people don't immediately recognize his point. He spent a fair portion of the Q&A trying to illustrate the difference between a Neo-Nazi and a White Nationalist. However, I would argue that the Swastika is such a symbol of the former that just showing it to someone on the street will result in a response toward the former and not the latter.
I don't have a problem with Costa trying to be proud of his white herritage. I think it is a hipocritical stance to tell minority groups to be proud but look down on the whites for doing the same. I've never really understood why it wasn't ok for the white man to feel pride in his herritage because he's in the majority. If we went to a country where white men were the minority would we tell the majority group in that country to feel shame for that fact the way that is if not implicitly stated then certainly strongly implied by certain factions in America?
I think there is a double standard, it is considered far more acceptable for someone to push black pride than it is for someone to push white pride. Me personally, I don't spend any significant time being proud of the fact that I'm white, but I also wouldn't object to anyone of any race or what have you demonstrating pride in their background. I think the double standard goes beyond race as it is considered far more acceptable to push the vertues of feminism than it is masculinity.
Another point worth examining is freedom of speech. At what point does Costa's right to freedom of expression come in to conflict with the right of ProElite to project the type of public image it as a company sees fit. Freedom of speech is a powerful tool but it is not an unlimited tool For example, I can't charge in to a movie theater and yell out "fire!" to watch the resulting chaos just because I think it might be funny. I think that ProElite could probably make the case in the courts that Costa's freedom of speech could cause undue backlash on itself as a company and use that as grounds for a fair dismissal. As much as Costa has the right to express his beliefs in a non-violent way, so also ProElite has the right to construct its own image that it projects to its stockholders and the public at large.

Costa comes off pretty well spoken in his Q&A and so it is hard for me to completely dismiss him and really I didn't leave the column thinking that the guy was a racist or anything. However, my suggestion to him would be that you could find better ways of expressing your beliefs than something that carries such a strong negative stereotype. How about instead of a swastika, you start with a "White Pride t-shirt"? Certainly if he had done that in the first place, there wouldn't have been such a fuss. At least, I'd like to believe there wouldn't have been.

©2007 Combat Hooligans. Duplication of the content from this website without permission by its author(s) is prohibited. Any news, reports and commentary used from this site must be accompanied by a link to www.combat-hooligans.com

I hope Nick Hogan is proud of himself and can't wait for the next round of defense.

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Art has his say on Nick already but I've got my own thoughts and will express them thusly.

John Graziano, the passenger in Nick Hogan's car on one of his joyrides to prove how big of a stud he is, is likely nursing home bound for life why oh why do I have my doubts as to whether Nick will learn his lesson?

Oh yeah, it is because people who have an influence over this kid's life go above and beyond to defend the kid and in a backwards sort of way even justify his behavior. That's why I have my doubts that Nick will learn anything long-lasting from what happened to his friend.

Honestly, I don't see much difference between this situation and if Graziano were hit by a drunk driver. I'm not going to say more than this right now because really what good will it do? The only difference is that Graziano was a willing co-conspirator on the need for speed show.

Graziano will pay for that for the rest of his life. It is too bad the same can't be said for Nick.


©2007 Combat Hooligans. Duplication of the content from this website without permission by its author(s) is prohibited. Any news, reports and commentary used from this site must be accompanied by a link to www.combat-hooligans.com

Nick Hogan's stupidity turns his friend into a fuckin' vegetable

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So John Graziano comes back from serves in Iraq as a Marine, comes back to the States and gets in a major car wreck thanks to BROTHER Jr. and now the 22-year-old is only capable of opening and closing his fucking eyes while American Hero Jr. goes flying down the highway and will probably take out a family of six when he sideswipes their minivan.

Graziano's mother filed for guardianship of her son who will need to be taken care for the rest of his life.

You know as youngsters we all fuck up but Hulkster Jr. here has sped like a motherfucker on public streets in the past and for all those people that say he's a good kid and I'm sure he's feeling like shit about this but fuck man, he needs to pay for this big time... throw him behind bars for a while, he fucked up someone's life for god's sake.

Paying a fine or losing his license (even if it was permanent) are fucking jokes, HE NEEDS TO PAY BIG TIME!

©2007 Combat Hooligans. Duplication of the content from this website without permission by its author(s) is prohibited. Any news, reports and commentary used from this site must be accompanied by a link to www.combat-hooligans.com

WWE 'No Mercy 2007' Preview and Predictions

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Welcome to the official preview for WWE’s ‘No Mercy’ 2007 which takes place this Sunday in Chicago. This card was to feature a Last Man Standing Match between John Cena and Randy Orton for the WWE Championship but life has a funny way of changing plans some time.
This show, due in part to Cena’s injury, and also to the Save_Us_222 deal that has been airing on WWE programming has more intrigue behind it than most of the other WWE Pay Per View offerings this year.
Lets break this one open and see what kind of juices spill out. No coin this month, and really it is for the best.

1. World Tag Team Championship Match: Undertaker and Kane Vs. Matt Hardy and MVP/C
   I say this in every preview for a WWE show but the Hardy/MVP dynamic is still the most entertaining thing on any of the WWE programs. The thing with Deuce and Domino would appear to have run its coarse for the time being, and so why not kick things up a notch by re-entering the Brothers of Destruction?
   This match feels like something they set up to accomplish the goal of furthering the Hardy/MVP story but also to get undertaker on to a Pay Per View. I think the way they should go with it is play up the fact that the Brothers are a bad news matchup for 2 guys who don’t get along. Then I’d have MVP/Hardy win somehow with both taking credit for getting the job done and fracturing things that much more. No way Taker gets pinned though so if this happens Kane does the job. I’m ok with that myself.
   Winners: Matt Hardy and MVP
   
   
2. WWE Women’s Championship Match: Beth Phoenix Vs. Candice Michelle/C
   Beth is getting the approval of Ric Gillespie which must mean she is secretly, or perhaps openly a man. Candice has held the title longer than most people thought she would but really what more can you do with her as champion? Of course, it isn’t as though the WWE has a lot of female faces to challenge Beth but they can put Candice in the challenger role for a PPV or 2 before resorting to Mickey James or trying to turn Melina. It feels like a title switch.
   Winner: Beth Phoenix
   
   
3. Fit Finlay Vs. Rey Mysterio
   Remember Rey’s much hyped return at SummerSlam? Yeah me neither and the reason is that feels like ages ago. The way he’s been treated lately, you’d almost think they had snuck the World Championship back on him while nobody was looking. I’ve got nothing against Finlay and this should be a good match, but this whole program is cold. Of course, that’s true of Rey in general and he’s only been back for a little over a month.
   I think Rey needs the win here. Whether he gets the win or not is not up to me to decide. I’ll go with him winning, but really a Finlay win would mean a Rey job and that would certainly not surprise me.
   Winner: Rey Mysterio
   
   
4. ECW Championship Match: Big Daddy V Vs. CM Punk/C
   So they have a chase for the championship. It starts out with Kevin Thorn, Stevie Richards, Tommy Dreamer and Elijah Burke. Richards was eliminated in a 4-way, Thorn in a 3-way the next week and this past Tuesday Dreamer beat Burke to earn the shot. Then something very fat happened and Big Daddy V ate his way in to the match instead. Well, you knew the Big guy was going to get the title shot eventually cause they’re building him up for bigger things.
   Honestly, a Big Daddy V title win because I honestly don’t think they like CM Punk all that much. However, there is a way they can protect V without Punk losing and that is for Morrison to interfere in the match causing the DQ. That actually sets up a 3-way that could lead to a fun stipulation at Cyber Sunday. So, I say Morrison attacks Punk which gives him the DQ win and we go from there. One more comment on Big Daddy V. I’m glad it is iMPACT and not ECW going to HD in 2008 because V shirtless in HD is not something that anyone should want to see.
   Winner: CM Punk
   
   
5. Save_us_222: Everyone, or at least more people than usual are talking about what this could be. It seems that this angle has really caught on over the past couple of weeks with the internet crowd. I’m not sure the typical Raw viewer gives 1 bit of crap about it but I’m prepared to be convinced otherwise.
   It is generating enough buzz that you wonder if they don’t try to drag it out past this show. All signs point to this being connected to the return of Chris Jericho. As we discussed on Episode 9 of the Combat Hooligans audio show, Jericho’s return is welcome but really won’t change much of anything. It isn’t as though a throng of fans are not watching WWE only because Jericho isn’t around.
   
   
6. Umaga Vs. Triple H
   Umaga is back from suspension, otherwise known as a Wellness Policy mandated vacation. He’s coming back to face the guy who in storyline put him out and that is the one and only Triple H. Here’s how I see this one going. Vince McMahon and Carlito help to screw over the Game costing him the match but then after the match he does some fustigating to remind everyone that he’s still awesome.
   Winner: Umaga via shenanigans
   
   
7. World Heavyweight Championship Match: The Great Khali Vs. Batista/C – Punjabi Prison
   Yay, Punjabi Prison is making its return. I don’t even know how to explain this other than there’s basically 4 doors, one in each side of the cage. Periodically one swings open and you’ve got a certain amount of time to exit before it closes and is unable to be opened the remainder of the match. There’s 2 layers of this cage and the goal is to escape from both to win. I’m not sure on all of the details but that’s the match to the best of my understanding.
   This is not going to be pretty. Some people I know were happy to see this match return because it is an interesting concept. I told them that it also had Undertaker and Big Show last time and now it has none of those. Khali and Batista do not work well together and this has ugly written all over it. It also has a Batista retaining the title written all over it.
   Winner: Batista
   
   
8. WWE Championship Match: …
   I actually think it is kind of a mistake to declare a champion will be crowned on this show. A tournament or something like that could be used to really make a guy, kind of like Survivor Series 1998. However, this is the company of lost opportunities so lets just work under the assumption that somehow they crown a champion Sunday. Who will it be?
   Mr. Kennedy – Maybe it is just me, but this guy still seems to be in the doghouse for that whole lying about Steroids thing.
   Triple H – Seems too obvious of a choice, but if he does lose to Umaga and not immediately get his heat back, this becomes a greater possibility.
   Chris Jericho – Hey, I give him a better chance of seeing the WWE Championship now than I did before John Cena got hurt.
   Undertaker – Just to put that last nail in the coffin of Smackdown.
   Val Venis – Give the people what they want!!!
   Randy Orton – Vince is high on the guy lately, he’s given credit for the Cena injury and if you don’t give him the belt, then you might as well write can’t win the big one on his forehead and call him a choker. I see the benefits of putting the title on Orton, claiming he did the deed of injuring Cena and I’d keep the belt on him until Cena returns and make some big money. It seems too logical for it to happen but we’ll still go with it anyway.
   New WWE Champion: Randy Orton

I’m not exactly sure how this show will be covered by our site. Euan is contemplating ordering it as part of an order 2 get 1 free special involving No Mercy, Survivor Series and Armageddon. If he orders it, you’ll have live coverage. If not, who knows?
Of course, if you are out there and want to cover pay per views or submit any columns to this site, email us at staff@combat-hooligans.com

Last but not least, you can read the rest of the staff predictions for this show and submit your own by clicking here



©2007 Combat Hooligans. Duplication of the content from this website without permission by its author(s) is prohibited. Any news, reports and commentary used from this site must be accompanied by a link to www.combat-hooligans.com

Mixed Martial Arts = Legalized dog fighting

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Yeah, I know you're surprised, just imagine how surprised I was to learn this.

I mean the signs are there that are so hard to ignore that I feel stupid for not figuring this out sooner.

1. After losing at UFC 76 9 fighters were either: shot, electricuted, beaten to death, hung or drown.
   
2. Of course we all remember those published reports where it was revealed that to ensure there would be UFC stars to come that were good fighters and photogenic, Dana White had Rochelle Leah put up on a rape stand and had 1 guy from each of the 5 weight classes come buy for a little forced breeding.
   
3. All the guys that are announced as Dr.'s at UFC shows? They all have PH.D's but none of them are in medicine. One guy has a PH.D. in liquor from what I've been told.
   
4. The most tragic comparison though was at UFC 64 and 3/8 when "The Natural Assassin" Tito Liddell was so injured in his fight they euthanized him in the middle of the Octagon.

I usually call guys who fail drug tests morons in this space. All of those men have my permission to look down upon the author of this story. This guy, his name is Jason Andreasen by the way, would definitely flunk out of moron school, but perhaps that's part of condition for writing at Louisiana State University.

Here's proof that this guy doesn't no anything about his subject, and happily enough it is his own words.

Of course, how could I rant and rave about how terrible MMA is without talking about boxing and even professional wrestling?

First of all, boxing is a completely different animal. Boxing is regulated by various entities like the Nevada State Athletic Commission; meanwhile, MMA
organizations run from such regulation.

I'd like to thank Mr. Andreasen for pointing this out to me. All this time, I thought the UFC was working hard to see MMA regulated in every state, even those they have no intention of ever running. I bet Jason would say that those in charge of the UFC are too stupid to realize that this would make it harder for them to run away.

Furthermore, greats like Muhammad Ali were graceful and cunning while Tito Ortiz, a popular UFC fighter, just tries
to beat someone’s head in. There is no beauty, no poetry-in-motion.

Ah yes, the beauty of boxing. I also believe boxing is beautiful and let me tell you fine readers what I think are the most beautiful parts of the sport.

1. All of the guys that have died in the ring. This is one thing sadly lacking in MMA and is really what the sport needs if it ever wants to be considered less barbaric than dogfighting.
   
2. All of the former boxers who walk around punch drunk. These guys are fun to watch because unlike people who just get drunk, these guys can't and won't sober up in a few hours which means we can be entertained by them for decades.
   
3. All of the kids pulled from the inner-city by boxing promoters, fight for ever and when they're done end up just as poor as they were when they started due to being associated with people who have corrupt as part of the title on their business card. For these kids it is a "get rich quick" scheme but the fine print is they'll be getting poor again quick and their brain will be too fried for them to do anything else but come out of retirement to fight some more.

Now for the record, I don't hate boxing but calling it poetry and MMA barbaric is like complimenting the emperor on his new outfit when in fact he's dead, naked and decomposition has set in.

There's more.

As for professional wrestling, at least that is staged. The people who watch the WWE do it as much for the soap opera storylines as they do for the violence.
It is scripted and choreographed. I would rather live in a culture that watches choreographed fighting rather than this barbaric and senseless human cock
fighting.

First of all is it cock fighting or dog fighting?

Ok, so wrestling is fine because its scripted, so here's my compromise to Mr. Andreasen since I'm such a great guy.

We'll make MMA more like pro wrestling.

1. We're going to start scripting all the matches, this will also have the bonus impact of eliminating the need for drug testing.
   
2. In order to make sure it is exactly like Wrestling, Vince McMahon will be in charge. Now, I've had a chance to "speak" with Mr. McMahon about some changes that would immediately be made.
   
3. New weight class definitions in MMA:
   
   1. Lightweight: 255-275 LB
      
   2. Welterweight: 276-290
      
   3. Middleweight: 291-310
      
   4. Light Heavyweight: 311-335
      
   5. Heavyweight: 336 and above
   
   There may also be a cruiserweight class but they will be routinely forgotten about.
   
4. Other divisions may include the Hillbilly division.
   
5. No more 3 fights a year, now it will be 4 fights a week for 150 days a year.
   
6. Chairshots would be a legal finish but only if administered right to the head

With all of those changes in about 10 to 20 years, MMA will be just like wrestling with a death rate among performers in their 40's being 7 times the rate of the rest of the human population. Won't that be fun?

The fact is that MMA, while it may contain different forms of martial arts, appears to be little more than an excuse to watch someone get the crap beaten out of them. You can try and tell me all about how I don’t understand the intricacies of the “sport,” but I know what I see.

If you know what you see, why did you use the phrase "appears to be" in the prior sentence?
As for educating you, don't give up hope. It only took the brick wall of my apartment building an hour to understand the concept. So I figure, 2 maybe 3 years for you should be sufficient.

What I see is a bunch of steroid-using guys beating each other up with little or no restriction. You call that a sport? I call it human blood-sport, and
I think it is sad that it is the fastest growing “sport” in the world.

So remember kids, it is ok to be a steroid using freak as long as you are fake fighting.

I'd tell you all to send this guy emails or leave him comments but that would just make the job of the person who does his reading for him that much harder and there's no need to bring the inicent in to this.

Here's how to solve the problem with articles like this, I've drafted an appropriate letter that you can send out to curb this kind of behavior.

Dear Crackerjack:
I am writing this letter to you as a concerned citizen. I would ask that you please stop putting fony journalism degree in boxes of your product as prizes. Sure, a 5 year old might find it funny to have a degree from crackerjack U but people with much less intelligence think this actually gives them the ability to write.
The result is quite frankly doing a great harm to society. So replace the fake journalism degrees with something else. You're failure to do so will result in my supporting a petition to have crackerjack removed from the song "take me out to the ballgame" and replaced with crunch and munch. Yes, it will destroy the rhyme scheme but sometimes you must make sacrifices for causes you believe in.

Sincerely:
Casey Trowbridge
combat-hooligans.com

Just change my name and affiliation at the end to yours and it should all be aces after that.

©2007 Combat Hooligans. Duplication of the content from this website without permission by its author(s) is prohibited. Any news, reports and commentary used from this site must be accompanied by a link to www.combat-hooligans.com

IFL Championship Series: Preview and Predictions

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Welcome to my preview for the IFL Championship Series between the New York Pitbulls and the Iowa Silverbacks. New York, coached by Renzo Gracie, went 3-0 in the season and defeated Tokyo in the Semifinals. Pat Miletich’s Iowa went 2-1 in the regular season and avenged their loss defeating Los Angeles’ Anacondas in the Semifinals.

If this preview seems rushed or below normal quality it is because I’m very tired while writing it. I also am less familiar with most of the guys fighting than I am for a typical UFC card. However, I brought my 1979 quarter with me and judging by the beating it gave me on Fight Night 11, it will probably have a few things to teach me here.

Lightweight Bout:
Bart Palaszewski: 24, 5’9, 155, 28-8-0 (Iowa)
Vs.
Devidas Taurosevicius: 30, 5’9, 155, 8-2-0 (New York)
Palaszewski is one of the top Lightweight’s in the entire IFL and seaded third in the upcoming grand prix. Deividas Taurosevicius replaced Erik Owings on the Pitbulls for their series with Tokyo and got New York a key victory over the Sabers’ Savant Young.
Palaszewski only has one blemish on his IFL record and that is to L.A.’s Chris Horodecki. The experience both in MMA and in IFL competition lies with Palaszewski. He’s a very well-rounded fighter and I may be short changing Taurosevicius but it is because I don’t know him as well. I’m taking Palaszewski to win.
Winner: Bart Palaszewski
Coin Picks: Deividas Taurosevicius

Welterweight Bout:
Jake Ellenberger: 5’10, 170, 15-2-0 (Iowa)
Vs.
Delson “Pe De Chumbo” Heleno: 29, 5’11, 170, 11-3-0 (New York}
Heleno is ranked #1 in the IFL at Welterweight in their upcoming Grand Prix. Of course, Heleno is also coming off a decision loss to Antonio McKee in the IFL Semifinals back in August.
Ellenberger has competed in Bodog and is a substitute for regular Silverbacks competitor Rory Markham.
Heleno’s Jiu-jitsu is pretty good but then you can say that about many who were taught by a Gracie. I don’t know much about Ellenberger but his winning this bout would be an upset of large proportions and there just aren’t as many of those in the IFL as in the UFC.
Winner: Delson Heleno
Coin Picks: Delson Heleno

Middleweight Bout:
Ryan McGivern: 27, 6’0, 185, 10-5-0 (Iowa)
Vs.
Fabio Leopoldo: 30, 6’0, 185, 5-2-0 (New York)
These 2 have met before way back on 09/23 of 2006. In that fight, McGivern was submitted by Leopoldo’s kneebar in the second round.
While the conventional wisdom would be to predict a repeat victory for Leopoldo and while it is possible, McGivern has improved a lot since then and is one of the promotions better Middleweights. I’m here to prodict an avenging of the prior loss by McGivern.
Winner: Ryan McGivern
Coin Picks: Ryan McGivern

Light Heavyweight Bout:
”Mike C” Mike Ciesnolevicz: 27, 6’0, 205, 13-2-0 (Iowa)
Vs.
Andre Gusmao: 6’2, 205, 4-0-0 (New York)
Another match that was originally contested on 09/23 of last year. In that contest Andre Gusmao was the victor in that fight. Gusmao and Jamal Patterson have been splitting time as New York’s Light Heavyweight fighter but Gusmao has amassed a 3-0 record in the IFL thus far.
You want to know why Iowa is contending for another championship and looking to win it in back-to-back seasons? It is because you can pretty much make the statement that all 5 of their guys are in the top or close to it of their respective weight classes. Ciesnolevicz is no different. He had a setback against Alex Schoenauer in the first match of the Silverbacks’ season but was able to take the rematch in the IFL Semifinals. He just keeps getting better and better every time he fights. I think he’s out to prove something and I’m going to project a win for him.
Winner: Mike Ciesnolevicz
Coin Picks: Andre Gusmao

Heavyweight Bout:
”The North Star” Ben Rothwell: 25, 6’5, 265, 26-5-0 (Iowa)
Vs.
Ricco "Swav" Rodriguez: 30, 6’4, 250, 26-6-0 (New York)
Rodriguez is a former UFC heavyweight champion brought in at the last second to replace Tom Sauer who was a replacement for Bryan Vetell. Rodriguez is a talented if disappointing fighter who has had issues with his weight in the past.
Rothwell is the top sead in the Heavyweight grand prix to be contested in November. A criticism of Rothwell is that he’s not facing a lot of tough competition because the IFL’s Heavyweight Division is so thin. Rothwell is just a big powerful guy though and perhaps has earned the description of a man among boys when it comes to the IFL. Rothwell is going to face his toughest test to date in the promotion in Rodriguez. If the right Ricco Rodriguez shows up then Rothwell could have a tough time. If the lazy Rodriguez shows up Rothwell should win easily. I’m taking Rothwell because you just don’t know what you’re going to get from Ricco these days.
Winner: Ben Rothwell
Coin Picks: Ben Rothwell
I’ll keep the prelims short and sweet…


Lightweight Bout:
Ryan “The Lion” Schultz: 5’10, 155, 16-9-1
Vs.
Aaron Riley: 5’9, 155, 23-9-1
I’ll take Riley.
Winner: Aaron Riley
Coin Picks: Aaron Riley

Welterweight Bout:
”Bad” Brad Blackburn: 30, 5’10, 170, 10-9-0
Vs.
Travis Cox: 170, 4-4-0
I’m vaguely familiar with Blackburn and know nothing about Cox.
Winner: Brad Blackburn
Coin Picks: Brad Blackburn

Light Heavyweight Bout:
Jamal “The Suit” Patterson: 6’0, 205, 3-1-0
Vs.
Chris Baten: 27, 6’0, 205, 5-2-0
Experience lies slightly in Baten’s favor but I’m more familiar with Patterson having seen him fight on a few episodes of Battleground.
Winner: Jamal Patterson
Coin Picks: Chris Baten

Heavyweight Bout: Rolles Gracie: 6’4, 265, 0-0-0 Vs.
Sam Holloway: 6’4, 265, 4-0-0
Gracie is making his debut but because he’s a Gracie I think he’ll be prepared. I’ve had good luck predicting victories for guys making their debuts lately so…
Winner: Rolles Gracie
Coin Picks: Sam Holloway

We’ll have results posted here throughout the evening on Thursday. If you wish to see the picks made by the rest of the staff just: Click here



©2007 Combat Hooligans. Duplication of the content from this website without permission by its author(s) is prohibited. Any news, reports and commentary used from this site must be accompanied by a link to www.combat-hooligans.com

WWE 'Unforgiven 2007' Preview and Predictions

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The Unforgiven Report written as it happens

Welcome to my Unforgiven 2007 Predictions. The more things change in WWE, the more they stay the same and the more that sucks ass. I’m back and so is my 1979 United States Quarter to do battle in Round 5 of Hooligans Vs. Coins.

WWE Tag Team Championship: Deuce and Domino Vs. Matt Hardy and MVP
If I were going to watch any WWE programming it would be the Matt Hardy and MVP dynamic. I know eventually, one will cost the other the tag titles and they’ll have their U.S. title match. I just don’t think now is that time, they can do so much more with it. I’m going to predict a victory for the team that doesn’t suck.
Winners: Matt Hardy and MVP
Coin Picks: Matt Hardy and MVP

World Tag Team Championship: Paul London and Brian Kendrick Vs. Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch
It is time for the other brand’s tag title match. I care about MVP and Hardy don’t care about this. I’ll pick the Rednecks to beat the Cruiserweights. Why, because I want to move to the next match.
Winners: Cade and Murdoch
Coin Picks: London and Kendrick

Women's Championship: Beth Phoenix Vs. Candice Michelle
Candice is improved to the point she may get my award for most improved this year. Beth Phoenix is a women’s wrestler. The Glamazon to take the belt from the Godaddy chick.
Winner: Beth Phoenix
Coin Picks: Candice Michelle

ECW World Championship: Elijah Burke Vs. CM Punk
CM Punk makes his first title defense against Elijah Burke. A guy we haven’t seen do anything on ECW in ages and that’s on a show with like 5 guys. Elijah Burke isn’t John Morrison therefore he’s not beating CM Punk on this show.
Winner: CM Punk
Coin Picks: CM Punk

The Undertaker Vs. Mark Henry
Welcome back Undertaker, I’ve missed you. Send Mark Henry back to the buffet table or whatever. Move on to bigger and worse things in Great Khali. Undertaker can’t lose, he’s just like HHH but without the family ties.
Winner: The Undertaker
Coin Picks: The Undertaker

Carlito can't be DQ'd: Carlito Vs. HHH
Carlito can’t be DQ’d but HHH sure can be. That would suggest that HHH is going to be DQ’d but that’s too obvious for me. I’m going with an even more obvious choice which is that HHH overcomes the odds and defeats Carlito by near fustigation.
Winner: HHH
Coin Picks: Carlito (bwahahahahahahahaha)

World Championship: Rey Mysterio Vs. Batista Vs. The Great Khali
Ok, here’s how I’m doing this with the coin. I’m flipping between the 2 challengers and then between the winner of that and Khali. Ok, now that I’ve explained that lets get to reality. Rey isn’t getting the title because people want to see it. Big Dave isn’t getting the title because with where they’re going next they’ve already been there. So, that leaves Khali who drops the gold to Undertaker eventually.
Winner: Great Khali and me for not watching this.
Coin Picks: Great Khali

WWE Championship: Randy Orton Vs. John Cena
I can see the headlines now on all the sports sites. Wrestler, involved in signature pharmacy scandal, wins WWE’s top championship. I can only see that in my head. John Cena has held the belt since last year’s Unforgiven and will be a day shy of a year at this show. I think they should reward him by letting him make the 1 year plateau. I think Cena’s destiny is not to lose the belt to Randy Orton, no matter how much Ric wants it to be so and cries like a girl when it doesn’t happen. I changed my mind at the last minute at SummerSlam even though I was proven right, but not this time.
Winner: John Cena
Coin Picks: John Cena

I’m not watching this show no matter how bored I am, besides the Patriots and Chargers is the Sunday Night Football game and that will interest me more than last week’s Cowboys-Giants game did head-to-head with No Surrender.
For the rest of the Hooligans picks click here


©2007 Combat Hooligans. Duplication of the content from this website without permission by its author(s) is prohibited. Any news, reports and commentary used from this site must be accompanied by a link to www.combat-hooligans.com

EliteXC's 'Uprising' Preview and Predictions

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Reminder to the staff, time is running out and Euan is the only brave one thus far.

Welcome to my predictions for EXC ‘Uprising’ which will air on Saturday 09/15 on Showtime. I’ll have live coverage of the Showtime portion, but the Proelite.com portion and I may not yet be on speaking terms.

Anyway, lets break it down and the 1979 United States quarter is back for another humbling. The quarter I’m using is 2 years older than me, which is kind of creepy.

Bantamweight Bout: Albert Manners Vs. Tyson Nam
Manners’ nickname is “Always Bad” because I guess his Manners were always bad as a child. If this is true, I’m going to pick him to win because to a man with bad manners breaking the rules is no big deal. So Manners will win by kicking Nam in the testicular fortitude.
Winner: Albert Manners
Coin Picks: Tyson Nam

Welterweight Bout: Brandon Wolff Vs. Chad Klingensmith
I’ve got no idea but it takes a big man to admit when he’s got no idea. Chad has a very long last name. It is the type of name that might prevent me from picking him due to not wishing to type it more than once. But Mark Danger always says I’m hardcore so…
Winner: Chad Klingensmith
Coin Picks: Brandon Wolff

Bantamweight Bout: Mark Oshiro Vs. Nui Wheeler
Sure, Wheeler is making his MMA debut but that’s not altogether a bad spot. As crazy as it seems, people do actually win their debut fights. In fact, I lean toward picking a guy in his debut because it isn’t like his opponent has a lot of tape to study. I’m not leaning that way in this one so watch Wheeler own Oshiro.
Winner: Mark Oshiro
Coin Picks: Nui Wheeler

Middleweight Bout: Mark Kurano Vs. Jose “bomber” Diaz
Kurano is making his MMA debut. He and Gina are probably related even though they don’t even spell their last name close to one another, but who are we to consider minor details such as that when writing one of these columns?
If Jose Diaz is anything like Nick Diaz, he’d better hope not everyone on the card is drug tested. I’m going with Kurano because hell Diaz only has 1 fight whereas in the above match Oshiro has 9. Yes, I freely admit to having 0 clue on any of the dark fights and no, I don’t have the good sense to just not make a pick.
Winner: Mark Kurano
Coin Picks: Jose Diaz

Middleweight Bout: Jeff Cox Vs. Kala Kolohe Hose
This fight allows me to practice 2 of my scientific prediction principles that have been proven to work a percentage of the time. The first is when in doubt go with the man who’s name is cooler. The second is to pick against the guy with the bad nickname. Fortunately in this fight, I can do both because Kala Kolohe Hose is a cool name and “Pee Wee” is kind of lame.
Winner: Kala Kolohe Hose
Coin Picks: Kala Kolohe Hose

Women’s Bout: Gina Carano Vs. Tonya Evinger
Now we’re in the fights I know something about. Evinger at the press conference for this fight on Thursday said she’d be glad to make out with Gina or knock her out which ever Gina wants. I personally don’t think that Carano should get a vote and it should be my choice. However, we’re getting off the point here and not talking about the actual fight and you should know by now I am against that practice in my fight predictions column. So anyway, the fight.
Evinger is a wrestler by skill and Carano is a Mui-tai fighter and a pretty good striker. I wasn’t really all that impressed with Carano’s ground game against Julie Kedzie and so if Evinger can get her there we could have trouble, and by we I of course mean Gina. I’ve seen nothing to suggest that Evinger can compete on the feet but when it comes to striking it only takes one good one. I’m going to take Carano but Evinger winning wouldn’t surprise me in a single way.
Winner: Gina Carano
Coin Picks: Tonya Evinger

Welterweight Bout: Jake Shields Vs. Renato Verissimo
In this fight you’ve got a couple of guys who both like to keep things on the ground. Usually that’s where fights like this end up with one looking to prove he’s the more dominant fighter on that level but sometimes it takes awhile because they want to see if they can expose a striking weakness in the other.
I think highly of Shields and believe he’s the best Welterweight not in the UFC or the WEC. EliteXC is hoping Shields’ next fight is for a Welterweight Championship.
Verissimo isn’t someone to be looked past however. He trains with BJ Penn and has some experience in some of the bigger promotions including an appearance at UFC 48. A knock on Shields is that he’s had trouble finishing fights and while he’s beaten some big names he’s not finished any of them. I believe that there’s a first time for everything and Shields has something to prove.
Winner: Jake Shields
Coin Picks: Jake Shields

Middleweight Bout: Riki Fukuda Vs. Joe Villasenor
I first saw Riki Fukuda at the first EXC show in February and he was impressive even if his opponent left a lot to be desired. However, the issue isn’t Fukuda it is Joe Villasenor. I picked him over Robbie Lawler at Pride 32 and he was flattened. I picked him to lose to David Loiseau at the first EXC show and he was victorious. I picked him to defeat Ninja Rua for the EXC Middleweight title in June and he lost. Since I’ve been making MMA Predictions, I’m 0-3 with this guy and I don’t have that bad of a record with anyone else, though I’m 0-2 in Randy Couture fights.
Villasenor looked good in the first round of the Rua fight on his feet but it fell apart in the second. I must admit though to being gunshy about picking this fight. Even though we’ve got a horrible record together I do enjoy watching Villasenor fight. I guess since I like the guy the easiest way to ensure a victory is to pick Fukuda and so that’s what I’m going to do.
Winner: Riki Fukuda
Coin Picks: Joe Villasenor

Welterweight Bout: Mike Aina Vs. Nick Diaz
These 2 are both going to want to keep the fight standing. Diaz is making his return to MMA after serving a suspension for observing 420 near and possibly during his fight with Takanori Gomi at Pride 33 in February. Diaz won the Gomi fight but his Rob Van Dam impersonation turned it to a no contest. Aina does a lot of his fighting in Hawaii and seriously, it is Hawaii so who could blame him?
I’m not really a Diaz fan though he impressed me with his initial victory over Gomi who was/is/will be? The Pride Lightweight Champion. He doesn’t have powerful shots but he does hit a lot of them. I think the number of his strikes more than anything else will be Aina’s undoing.
Winner: Nick Diaz
Coin Picks: Mike Aina

Middleweight Championship Bout: Robbie Lawler Vs. Murilo “Ninja” Rua
I said in the Showtime Media Predictions Poll I participated in that this was going to be a close fight. I still believe that to be the case. Lawler is the Icon Sport middleweight champ after taking the belt from Frank Trigg while Rua is coming off his victory over Joe Villasenor in June.
I predicted Rua by third round submission and I stand by it. I believe that he’s way better on the ground than Lawler is and I believe that the striking may go to Lawler but it is closer than people think. They’ll engage on the feet but if Rua senses trouble he’ll look to take him to the ground and that’s where his advantage will be more clear. I made my prediction of a third round submission over a week ago and have had plenty of time to change my mind. I’ve done nothing but become more certain of a Rua victory.
Winner: Murilo “Ninja” Rua
Coin Picks: Robbie Lawler

If you wish to see the rest of the staff’s predictions and those of their coins you can do so by: Clicking here and remember I’ll have live coverage starting at 10:00 PM ET 9:00 PM CT.


©2007 Combat Hooligans. Duplication of the content from this website without permission by its author(s) is prohibited. Any news, reports and commentary used from this site must be accompanied by a link to www.combat-hooligans.com

Jim Ross comments on wave of suspensions + my reaction

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click for his blog post

It is really well written and pretty even-handed and reasonable and you should definitely give it a look.

However, I do take issue with one thing. I do not think it is unreasonable for fans or writers to criticize the company or its policies even if those people aren't around to really understand what is going on behind those closed doors.

It is because we're not behind closed doors that we wonder why such a giant loophole was allowed to go unplugged for a period of 18 months.
It isn't unfair to ask whether the WWE is suspending these performers out of a desire to see things change or because Congress is watching. It is not unfair because the WWE's own actions lend themselves to those questions.
Maybe WWE has the best interest of its performers in mind and is genuinely sincere about the wellness policy. If that is the case than the company should welcome criticism. Sometimes, it is the people most heavily involved that can't see the error in their planning. I believe it is commonly called not being able to see the forrest through the trees.
WWE's actions will ultimately prove their sincerity. If they do everything right, silence the critics on this issue, then everyone wins. If the critics come back with a different thing to criticize then so be it. You're never going to please everyone, but neither should you dismiss their views because they don't walk in your shoes.
I'm not suggesting that JR was implying that nobody should criticize the WWE but I've been around long enough to understand that he will be accused of it by some. I only chose to expand on that because I think the important message is that if you're going to be a critic, you need to be a reasoned and thought out critic. Going on a blog and swearing and accusing WWE of this and that and hurling insults at company management isn't the most effective coarse of action.

Earlier this week I said that the WWE should've been naming names the entire time the wellness policy has been in place. I feel that was always necessary for the purposes of public trust and employee accountability. So much of WWE's problem is trust related and their lack of it among the general population as a whole and even their own fanbase. I can't suggest that WWE hasn't brought a lot of that upon themselves through past actions.

I have called Dr. David Black Dr. Nick Riviera because of his willingness to say what ever is necessary to avoid the issue. His recent characterization of the rash of deaths in the industry as a bunch of coincidences in the Washington Post has earned him that label, at least for now. See also Phil Astin's Lawyer which resulted in the Lyonel Huts handle.

I have more recently picked on Ken Anderson (Kennedy) and referred to him as a lyer. I feel justified in those comments given that his name has been linked to signature pharmacy in this current investigation when he went on National TV and in the News media and said he ceased using steroids when the Wellness policy was put in place. He lied to be a good company man, or at least that's why I think he lied, even though I do believe the company would prefer he been truthful or not spoken at all.

So, I do believe criticism and asking questions is more than valid but like Jim Ross, I ask that you do so in a reasoned and thought out manner.

©2007 Combat Hooligans. Duplication of the content from this website without permission by its author(s) is prohibited. Any news, reports and commentary used from this site must be accompanied by a link to www.combat-hooligans.com

Combat-Hooligans.com's guide to what's on: September 2007

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Welcome to the first ever Combat-Hooligans.com guide to what’s on. This column is going to break down the major MMA and Wrestling shows this month (sorry boxing fans, but I’m still learning about your sport so I don’t feel qualified to list the bigger boxing events here in comparison to these others) and I’ll prioritize them for you from must watch to must skip. We’ve got 6 major shows this month in the U.S. and two more overseas. I’m not including things such as the IFL Championships, which aren’t being broadcast until well after their conclusion.

So, from best to worst, you’re watch guide for the month.

1. UFC 76 ‘Knockout’ 09/22/2007 (PPV)
   The UFC is holding 3 cards in the month of September, but this is the one of the three that packs the most interest for me. First, you have Chuck Liddell and how he’ll respond to his loss to Quinton ‘Rampage Jackson back at UFC 71 and he’s taking on Keith Jardine who was upset by Houston Alexander on that same show. It is an intriguing main event to be sure.
   You also get the UFC debut of one of, if not the best, 205-pound fighters in the world in Mauricio Rua as he takes on a much-improved Forrest Griffin. You also get a key matchup in the Welterweight division as Diego Sanchez looks to bounce back from his first ever loss against a man looking to climb in to the top 3 of the division in Jon Fitch. Plus, in a lightweight bout, Thiago Tavares takes on Tyson Griffin and Griffin doesn’t have boring fights.
   If you can only buy one show this month, make it this one. If you can only watch one show this month under penalty of divorce, make it this one.
   
   
2. UFC Fight Night 11: 09/19/2007 (SpikeTV)
   I recommend this show over some of the other shows you can see for free because of its familiarity. Chris Leben, Nathan Diaz, Kenny Florian, Din Thomas and Mike Swick…those are all names of guys who are known by the UFC audience because of the Ultimate Fighter. I think the main event between Din Thomas and Kenny Florian could be a very interesting fight excitement wise, but may be important if Sean Sherk is stripped of his Lightweight title. The winner of this would join Joe Stevenson and BJ Penn as guys who could be in the mix to take that belt. Plus, this show leads in to the premier of the Ultimate Fighter 6 and that’s not too shabby.
   
   
3. WEC 30 ‘Crunkilton Vs. McCullough: 09/05/2007 (Versus Network)
   You probably expected UFC to take the top 3 spots but that’s ok, the punishment for your being wrong is merely death. Anyway, I rank this ahead of UFC 75 for a couple of reasons. The televised portion of this card is going to air live in the United States, which is always a plus, and it features the lighter weight classes. I think the most compelling match on this show is Beebe Vs. Yahya for the Bantamweight Championship. The one drawback for the casual fan is familiarity. Unless you watch the sport a lot you’re probably not going to know about Crunkilton and McCullough before it airs but that can also be advantageous because it makes for some unpredictability. I might’ve ranked this show higher if not for the injury that took Jens Pulver out of his bout with Cub Swanson.
   
   
4. UFC 75 ‘Champion Vs. Champion’: 09/08 (SpikeTV)
   Yes, you get Dan Henderson Vs. Quinton Jackson in what could ultimately be the only unification match between Pride and UFC champions. However, there are several drawbacks to this show that made me drop it to 4th on the list and truthfully I almost put it at #5.
   The first drawback is that this is a tape-delayed event. So, not only do you have to go the whole evening without being spoiled but it also allows SpikeTV to insert more commercials than they would in a Fight Night show or other live event.
   Plus, outside of the top match there’s not a lot to look forward to seeing. Mirko Cro Cop Vs. Cheick Kongo is a battle of strikers and could be interesting but if neither is eager to engage it could be very boring as well. Michael Bisping Vs. Matt Hamill is interesting to those who remember the Ultimate Fighter 3 and why we didn’t see that matchup sooner but Bisping’s appeal will be for the live audience more than the PPV audience. The other guaranteed televised bout is Houston Alexander Vs. Alessio Sakara and while I love Alexander and want to see if he can follow up on his performance against Jardine, there are better fights this month. But, I can’t dismiss this show completely because of the title fight and the fact you don’t have to pay for it. If this had been a PPV I might feel differently.
   
   
5. Elite XC ‘Uprising’: 09/15 (Showtime)
   I’m personally looking forward to this show more than UFC 75. There is a curiosity factor around this show. If you’ve not ever seen Gina Carano or Women’s MMA then this is a show to check out. I’m curious to see the return of Nick Diaz and I believe the Main Event between Murilo Rua and Robbie Lawler for the EXC Middleweight title is a very interesting matchup between 2 quality fighters. You can also see one of the best Welterweights not under UFC contract in Jake Shields.
   So if I like this show so much, why rank it below UFC 75? Remember, this is my guide for what I think the casual fans will want to see, not necessarily myself. Since that is the case, familiarity is a factor. Robbie Lawler’s time in UFC came before the boom, Diaz is definitely a known name but outside of that there isn’t much for someone who doesn’t know these people to get excited about. However, if you have the chance, watch this show because EXC has not put on a boring show yet and I don’t see it starting to with this one.
   
   
6. Cage Rage 23 ‘Unbelievable’: 09/22 (ProElite.com)
   I’d love to recommend this higher but I simply can’t do so for people in the U.S. In the states you’d have to watch this over ProElite.com and the familiarity factor is lower for this show than for any of the ones listed above it. If you’ve got time while waiting for UFC 76 then check out the stream (I’m assuming it will be available but don’t know for sure) and if you don’t then come to combat-hooligans.com as Euan will have a report up shortly after the show ends.
   
   
7. WWE ‘Unforgiven’: 09/16 (PPV)
   It is tough for me to recommend this show without knowing the card. I also find it tough to recommend because WWE shows have the potential to be good but most are never $40 good if that makes sense. Add to that the fact you can wait a month, buy the DVD of the event for $14 and have a permanent copy with extra features and it is a tough sell. However, it isn’t as tough a sell as…
   
   
8. TNA ‘No Surrender’: 09/09 (PPV)
   I can’t recommend this show because of the TNA Boycott. Even if there were no boycott I wouldn’t recommend this show because of how awful last month’s show ended up being. Add to that it is on opening day of football season and that Pacman Jones is advertised to wrestle but won’t be doing so, oh and don’t forget the horrible booking, and even at the $29.95 mark I’m telling you to skip it.
   I will say that usually TNA PPV events do feature good wrestling matches but the booking and general direction of the company far outweighs any of that. If you’re a fan of Kurt Angle though, he is scheduled to wrestle 3 matches on this show.

I hope you have enjoyed this month’s guide to what’s on. You’re welcome to leave your own list in the comments section and stay tuned for this columns return to examine October in about a month.


©2007 Combat Hooligans. Duplication of the content from this website without permission by its author(s) is prohibited. Any news, reports and commentary used from this site must be accompanied by a link to www.combat-hooligans.com

New Site Feature: The Top 5 of the Top 5 - to debut on 08/17

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The top 5 of the top 5 is my own rankings of the top 5 fighters in each of the 5 major MMA weight classes:

1. Lightweight: 146-155
   
2. Welterweight: 156-170
   
3. Middleweight: 171-185
   
4. Light Heavyweight: 186-205
   
5. Heavyweight: 206-265

A couple of notes:

1. I'm not doing featherweight and bantamweight rankings due to not having seen much of either division, and the fact that I believe the 2 weight classes finally starting to come to prominence is leaving them in flux. Once I've seen a larger cross-section of fighters in those classes, I'll add them to the rankings.
   
2. The same is true for Women's MMA.
   
3. I'll debut 1 weight class a week for the next 5 weeks.
   
4. After the 5 weeks are done, I'll revise the rankings periodically, though not sure how periodically.

The criteria I will use for my rankings:

1. I'm the single voter. If any other guys on the site want to weigh-in on their top 5 of the top 5 that's fully within their rights but these rankings are going to be determined by myself.
   
2. In order to qualify for the top 5, I've had to see you fight more than once. I'm not going to rank someone in my top 5 because other sites say that they're good fighters, I have to actually watch a fighter so I can make my own evaluation. This will prevent some big names, who I've not seen yet from cracking the top 5 but as time passes this will become less and less of an issue.
   
   
3. The rankings are going to be based off of recent accomplishment more than anything else. I'm not saying that my #2 heavyweight would beat my #4 heavyweight, you don't rank something to project future outcomes, especially in fighting. You can however, rank people based on what they have done recently.
   
4. Champions for major organizations are going to get extra consideration.
   
5. Level of competition will be a factor.
   
6. Inactivity hurts. Guys that haven't fought in awhile will be dropped a bit by that fact. What constitutes a prolonged absense is purely going to be arbitrary I will admit.
   
7. Ultimately, this is a list of who has caught my eye and why.

So, next week, I debut the top 5 of the top 5 in the heavyweight division.

Some pro wrestling promoters and bookers need to watch "STAR WARS"

Originally published 3/17/07 on Strong Style Shimko

So I just finished watching Return Of The Jedi on HBO and almost 24 years after seeing it in the movie theater I still felt the emotional highs and lows, even with some seasoning here and there via special effects and such the main point of good vs. evil and watching it unfold was not in anyway compromised nor was the character development. The main and secondary characters in the films each had a unique personality which wasn't so complicated you couldn't figure out what their deal was. You could feel out who had good intentions and who didn't and which side they were on, in other words George Lucas didn't re-invent the wheel when he wrote these stories. He did create an elaborate world yet kept the story simple with the universal themes of good vs evil, friendship and romance.

Lucas also gave the audience a cliffhanger with Empire Strikes Back when Han Solo was frozen and taken off to the Emperor and Luke found out Vader was his father leaving that movie on a depressing note which made me and lot of people anticipate the conclusion in Jedi... would we see Han Solo again? How does Luke deal with the fact that his enemy is also his father? Would the Galactic Empire reign supreme?

All these questions were eventually answered.

I still got choked up during the scene when the Emperor (Palpatine) is shooting lightning at Luke after he refuses to kill Vader and join the dark side and after Luke's begging for Vader's help he eventually comes to his senses and saves Luke by throwing the Emperor down a reactor shaft in the Death Star. That moment really struck a nerve in me, to see the most evil motherfucker in the movie make a "babyface turn" (becoming a good guy) and save his son. The part later that got me also was Luke taking Vader's helmet off so he could see Luke before he died. And of course in the end the Rebels prevailed.

So... what does that rambling intro above have to do with pro wrestling? Well maybe a bit more than you think.

I was listening to Figure 4 Weekly's Bryan & Vinny show yesterday and they were breaking down the basic story of tag match of when two guys are beating on one guy it's seen as cheating but when the other partner tags in and starts beating on those two guys at once the crowd cheers seeing the one guy beat the shit out of two men. Basic story, simple, no gimmicks needed. Same thing with Star Wars, which I believe folks like... Vince Russo... Dutch Mantell... Jeff Jarrett (see a pattern TNA?)... John Zandig and anyone in charge of booking CZW this week... Stephanie McMahon and some members of the WWE creative team... and any other pro wrestling promoter and booker incorporating illogical angles into matches... ALL need to watch the Star Wars trilogy and understand the simple story of good vs evil and how you get that point in a story.

Fans are getting sick of endless mic promos and segments that have no payoff as well as gimmicks like an X-shaped scaffold and reverse battle royals or even just every match on a pay-per-view or TV taping having some type of gimmick as if the promoters and bookers lack any confidence in their product or maybe they want to try and "bring in new fans" which always cracks me because non-wrestling fans already despise it and if they watched 30 seconds of an Impact, WWECW or WWE TV on a night where logic holes are aplenty and people who can't even read from a cue card have a live mic on TV doing storylines about shooting someone's father or putting someone's girlfriend in an ankle lock to set up a match, their disdain for pro wrestling would grow even further.

Guys like Russo and the TNA bookers need to understand that simple storytelling, building up to a finish, basic psychology and less to no gimmicks in matches and on their show are all the fans basically want, enhancing the product can come later. Why are you trying to do something "new" and "innovative" when you can't even get the basic shit correct the first time?

CZW could also refer to this statement, although they're one of many indy promotions that rely on irrelevant spot-fest matches and ultra-hardcore-violence way too often, and hey I can enjoy a spot-fest or a garbage match if it sets a unique pace on a show with no other gimmicks but I would rather seeing good pacing to a crazy-ass spot/move or use of a "weapon", but CZW has had other recent problems with their product including nonsensical booking, fan backlash and bringing in people WHO CAN'T FUCKING WORK.

One thing I ask CZW, TNA, WWE, etc. Please make me care about these characters, give me a reason this guy is after his opponent instead sticking two random guys in a ring who'll smash each other's skulls with chairshots. And it can be simple, not like this guy went to city hall or the library to find out his opponent's criminal past and expose his dastardly act. Because at some point I'll lose track of the story and not because I lack an attention span but because the story gets so convoluted and I end up stop giving a shit.

I know some people are thinking, "Art, these guys don't necessarily need to watch Star Wars to understand basic storytelling." I would have to disagree, yes there are other sources to refer to in learning what makes a good story. I picked Star Wars because after all these years I can still watch these movies and they never get old; the characters, the sub-plots, the struggle for survival, peace and the destruction of the Empire, it all remains fresh because these are basic concepts presented in an entertaining manner and doesn't get sidetracked by "outside interference".

The story of good vs evil is as universal as music and romance, it's a story everyone in the world understands and embraces and why? Because we all want to see the good guys win, when the bad guy's superior in a match, or in any situation, mercilessly beating the shit out of the underdog it feeds our desire more and more to see the good guy make his comeback and get his revenge.

Star Wars may not be an example most would think of in referencing to for how to book a wrestling match, all I'm saying is the back story is so basic, even with all these characters in the first trilogy alone, if done correctly the story of a match can be told without any problem. Sure there's always going to an idea or two thrown in to enhance the product and I understand that. My problem with "over-booking" and throwing every idea out there will just crowd things up and confuse fans.

And when I mentioned earlier how promoters attempt to bring in non-wrestling fans into their shows, I think promoters need to understand and satisfy their real fans first, the ones who come every month to live shows, buy a DVD and puts the product over online and to friends.

Once that's taken care then promoters and bookers can think of ideas to help cross-promote their product with something mainstream to get into the conscious of the rest of the folks who don't follow or haven't followed wrestling in years. Because frankly, I'm tired of seeing a god damn baseball player in a fucking wrestling match.