June 10th

On this day in history in ....

1960 - In St. Joseph, Missouri, Ernie and Emil Dusek defeat George and Sandy Scott to win the Central States version of the NWA World Tag Team Title for the third time.

1960 - Ray Gunkel defeats Fred Blassie to win the Florida version of the NWA Southern Heavyweight Title, ending Blassie's 13th reign and beginning his sixth.

1961 - Luther Lindsay and Bing Ki Lee defeat Bill Savage and Tito Kopa for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title.

1968 - Polish wrestler and strongman Wladek Zbyszko, born Wladek Cyganiewicz, passes away at age 76.

1970 - Sam Steamboat defeats Ripper Collins in Honolulu, Hawaii for the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title, ending Collins' fourth reign and beginning Steamboat's second.

1974 - Jerry Lawler defeats Ricky Gibson to win the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning his second reign.

1978 - Dutch Savage and Jimmy Snuka win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title for the sixth time, defeating Bull Ramos and The Iron Sheik.

1979 - In Asheville, North Carolina, Ricky Steamboat defeats Paul Jones to win the NWA Television Title, beginning his second reign and ending Jones' third.

1979 - Bruiser Brody defeats Mark Lewin to win his second WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title in Dallas, Texas, ending Lewin's second reign.

1983 - Harley Race defeats Ric Flair in St. Louis, Missouri, to win the NWA World Heavyweight Title, beginning his seventh reign (the first wrestler to ever hold the title seven times) and ending Flair's first. As a result, Race vacated the NWA Missouri Heavyweight Title, held since May 13, and the NWA Central States Heavyweight Title, held since June 2, ending the fifth and eighth respective reigns of those titles.

1984 - Superstar Billy Graham defeats Billy Jack for the Florida State Heavyweight title in Orlando, his second and final run with the belt.

1984 - Angelo Mosca, Jr. defeats Ivan Koloff to win the NWA Canadian Heavyweight Title in Toronto, Ontario.

1988 - All Japan Pro Wrestling runs at Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan, before 11,800 fans. The results were:
- Mitsuo Momota pinned Tsuyoshi Kikuchi.
- Masa Fuchi pinned Tatsumi Kitamura.
- Motoshi Okuma and Haruka Eigen defeated Takagi and Kenta Kobashi.
- Shunji Takano defeated Boone by submission.
- Rusher Kimura and Goro Tsurumi defeated Mighty Inoue and Isamu Teranishi.
- John Tenta defeated Havana the Terror by submission.
- The Great Kabuki defeated Rip Rogers by submission.
- Ashura Hara, Toshiaki Kawada and Samson Fuyuki defeated Tiger Mask (Mitsuharu Misawa), Shinichi Nakano and Takashi Ishikawa.
- Genichiro Tenryu pinned Danny Spivey to retain the NWA United National Heavyweight Title.
- PWF World Tag Team Champions Jumbo Tsuruta and Yoshiaki Yatsu defeated NWA International Tag Team Champions The Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk) by disqualification, to retain the PWF title and win the NWA International title. The titles were unified, and became the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Title.

1988 - Masa Saito and Riki Choshu end the third IWGP World Tag Team Title reign of Tatsumi Fujinami and Kengo Kimura in Hiroshima, Japan.

1988 - Johnny Smith defeats Chris Benoit to win the Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title in Calgary, Alberta, beginning Smith's second reign.

1988 - Atlantis defeats Kung Fu for the NWA World Middleweight Title in Mexico City, Mexico, ending Kung Fu's second reign.

1994 - Smoky Mountain Wrestling ran Paintsville, KY at the High School, drawing 450 fans with the following results:
The Thrillseekers, Chris Jericho & Lance Storm defeated Steven Dunn & Chris Candido (substituting for Timothy Well, at home due to a family illness)
The Dirty White Boy defeated Kendo the Samurai
Bruiser Bedlam defeated Tracy Smothers in a coal miner's glove match
SMW Tag Team Champions Brian Lee & Chris Candido fought The Rock N' Roll Express to a no contest in a piledriver match

1995 - Smoky Mountain Wrestling ran Johnson City, TN at Freedom Hall, drawing 400 fans with the following results:

D-Lo Brown pinned Bobby Blaze
Boo Bradley pinned Killer Kyle in a Jersey dog fight match
SMW Heavyweight Champion Buddy Landel pinned Steve Armstrong in a No DQ match
Tracy Smothers & the Dirty White Boy defeated Gangstas members New Jack & D-Lo Brown in a stretcher match
The Rock N' Roll Express defeated SMW Tag Team Champions Al Snow & Unabom (the future Kane) when Morton pinned Snow

1996 - The Monday Night Wars were in their infantile months at this time, with WWF Monday Night RAW scoring a 2.7 for their show, taped two weeks earlier on May 27. The show featured The British Bulldog defeating The Undertaker by countout in the main event. WCW Monday Nitro's live show fell just short with a 2.6 rating. Nitro's main event saw WCW World Tag Team Champions Sting and Lex Luger defeating Ric Flair and Arn Anderson by disqualification.

1998 - David C. defeats Nick Dinsmore to win the NWA Ohio Valley Heavyweight Title in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

1999 - WCW airs a live edition of Thunder from Syracuse, New York, which picked up a 3.1 rating. The results:
- Konnan and Rey Mysterio, Jr. defeated Psychosis and Villano V.
- Buff Bagwell defeated Ernest Miller by disqualification.
- Randy Savage pinned Brian Adams.
- WCW World Television Champion Rick Steiner pinned Fit Finlay.
- Perry Saturn and Kanyon fought to a no contest.
- Perry Saturn and Chris Benoit defeated Diamond Dallas Page and Kanyon to win the WCW World Tag Team Title.

1999 - In Dallas, Texas, The Brotherhood (Knuckles Nelson and Rick Fuller) defeat Team Extreme (Kit Carson and Khris Germany) by disqualification to win the held up NWA World Tag Team Title. It was held up March 3 when The Brotherhood failed to appear to defend against Team Extreme in North Richland Hills, Texas due to heavy snow. At the same event, Kevin Northcutt defeats Rodney Begnaud to win the vacant NWA Texas Heavyweight Title, which had been stripped from Steven Dunn for no-showing that night. Also, Jimmy James defeats Canyon to win his second NWA Texas Hardcore Title.

1999 - Vic Violent and Rukkus defeat Faku and Mark Davis to win the vacant NWA Wildside Tag Team Title in Loganville, Georgia. The title had been stripped from Billy Black and Joel Deaton on the same night, due to Black's attack on NWA Wildside promoter Bill Behrens.

1999 - Extreme Championship Wrestling ran Charlotte, NC at the Grady Cole Center with the following results:
-Chris Chetti pinned Tony Devito (w/ Bill Wiles) with the springboard moonsault.
-Skull Von Krush pinned Roadkill with a DDT.
-El Mosco pinned Super Crazy with the Sky Twister Splash.
-Buh Buh Ray & D-Von Dudley defeated Little Guido & Tracey Smothers following the 3D.
-Jerry Lynn pinned Yoshihiro Tajiri with the cradle piledriver.
-Steve Corino pinned Tom Marquez with the fisherman's suplex.
-ECW World Champion Taz defeated Spike Dudley via submission with the Tazmission.
-Sabu (w/ Bill Alfonso) pinned Justin Credible (w/ Jason) with the triple jump moonsault.
-ECW TV Champion Rob Van Dam (w/ Bill Alfonso) pinned Balls Mahoney with the Five Star Frog Splash.

2000 - Boomer Payne defeats Super Hentai for the Pittsburgh Wrestling League (now NWA East) Three Rivers Heavyweight Title in North Versailles, Pennsylvania.

2000 - Extreme Championship Wrestling ran a TV Taping in Pittsburgh, PA at the Lawrence Convention Center, featuring:

Julio Fantastico defeated the Hellraiser
Kid Kash defeated EZ Money
Bill Wiles & CW Anderson defeated Chris Chetti & Nova
Danny Doring & Roadkill defeated Johnny Swinger & Simon Diamond
Jean Pierre Lafitte defeated HC Loc
Rob Van Dam defeated Little Guido
ECW World Champion Justin Credible defeated Jerry Lynn

2002 - Steve Austin walked out of a Raw taping in Atlanta and did not appear on the show. Without clearing it with anyone in management, he booked a ticket home for himself and wife Debra and left Atlanta after working the Raw house shows the previous weekend.

Originally, Austin was scheduled to face Brock Lesnar on the show. Apparently, no one in WWE management communicated with Austin as to what he was going to do on Raw until Jim Ross called him the day before and told him. Austin then chose to walk out and go home, feeling that him losing to Lesnar with no prior buildup between the two didn't make sense from a business perspective.

Due to Austin's leaving, the whole show had to be rewritten since it was to have focused on Austin beating Ric Flair the previous week and having Flair become his assistant. Austin's absence caused major rewrites and a totally new direction on the show. WWE changed things up and booked a Vince McMahon vs. Ric Flair match on the spot where Vince McMahon "won control" of Raw and Smackdown. Vince had no plans on wrestling before arriving at the show to find out that Austin was gone. It also put Flair in the confusing position of being a heel to Austin one week and a face to Vince the next.

WWE later released a statement on Austin's leaving, saying "On Monday, June 10, 2002, Stone Cold Steve Austin again failed to appear for the scheduled Raw event in Atlanta, instead choosing to return home to San Antonio without notice and without company approval." The story went on to say that they understand that Austin wasn't happy with his character's direction, but what he did was unprofessional. They finished with this line: "Therefore, Stone Cold Steve Austin is no longer an active member of WWE's talent roster." He would return to the company by the end of the year.

Raw itself scored a 4.2 rating. Tim Whitehead filed the following Raw TV report:

The 6/10 episode of RAW IS AUSTINLESS aired live from Atlanta. It was a pretty good show, especially considering that they had to re-write a big chunk of it at the last minute due to Steve Austin walking out. Apparently Austin, on his own and without office permission, flew back home in protest against the latest booking plans for him. Austin has been upset in recent weeks over the way he has been booked. Tonight's show was to build upon the angle that Ric Flair became Austin's personal assistant in last week's main event. This was reportedly to somehow lead to an Austin match against Brock Lesnar, which presumably Brock would have to win, though it could also have ended in a DQ or count-out screwjob since, after all, Giant Baba isn't the booker here. It was far too early for an Austin vs. Lesnar feud, particularly since Austin had already been set up for feuds against Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit, but if an Austin vs. Lesnar match were to take place, a Lesnar win would be the only way to go to create a Goldberg type momentum. It isn't fully known at press time exactly what it was that upset Austin enough for him to hit the bricks, but it forced them to go with a match to apparently blow-off the split angle. I say "apparently" because it's probably an angle to give the split new life, though it could also set the stage for ending the split if that becomes the goal.

Ric Flair came out to open the show. Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler put over that Flair would have to do Austin's bidding tonight. Flair got on the mic and admitted to losing to Stone Cold last week via a stunner and a 1-2-3. He said he isn't proud of losing, but it happened and he'll now have to be Austin's personal assistant. Flair vowed to accept the stipulation like a man. He was practically turning himself babyface here, though the crowd was too busy screaming "what" to notice. Well, maybe he was only turning himself half babyface, because he also announced that Austin wasn't there, so he couldn't do the personal assistant gig after all. This brought Vince McMahon out for a shocking appearance on RAW. JR put over that he belongs on Smackdown. Vince admitted that he shouldn't be there, but said he created RAW almost ten years ago. He said Flair must be sorry that Austin no-showed, walking out on not only Flair but also the fans. He added that not only is Flair sorry about Austin, but he's the sorriest excuse for an owner he's ever seen. He accused Flair of driving RAW into the toilet. JR sort of defended Flair by saying it wasn't completely in the toilet. Vince said that as a wrestler Flair may be a 16 time world champion but as an owner he sucks. This was said with that famous Mr. McMahon snarl, "You suck!" Flair asked Vince what he plans to do about it. Vince said that unlike Austin, who lacked the balls to show up and look Flair in the eye, he had a proposal. He noted that he doesn't have to get up and go to work every day like the fans do. Boasting that he's a certified billionaire who has more than enough money to retire, he said he keeps doing what he does purely out of ego. And because of this ego, he said he can't stand seeing Flair own half of what he created. So, being a gambling man, he said he's willing to face Flair in a No Holds Barred match with the winner getting 100% control of the company. "I don't have a damn thing to lose," said Vince. JR & Lawler said Vince did indeed have something to lose, though I think the idea being conveyed was that with his billions for retirement, Vince would rather lose the WWE than continue on as half owner with Flair. Flair called Vince a Nature Boy wannabe, strutted around the ring, and accepted the winner-takes-all match challenge. He said Vince will bleed, sweat, and pay the price of a wrestling lifetime. JR thought Vince must have gone crazy. Flair left as Vince glared after him with contempt. This came off like an angle to set up an Austin run-in later in the show, though it didn't occur, obviously.

They aired some footage shot earlier in the day. Kevin Nash was sitting outside the NWO locker room reading a newspaper. Shawn Michaels was inside with the door locked, not ready yet to see anyone. X-Pac showed up and Nash shared his newspaper with him. Then, Big Show arrived. He wanted in the locker room to use the toilet since the Mexican food he ate earlier was giving him problems. Nash directed him to another restroom, thankfully. Finally, Booker showed up. He wanted to "collaboratize" with Michaels about music. He "sang" a version of the Heartbreak Kid's "Sexy Boy" music, which went, "I'm just a Booker T, I'm not your sucka!" But the door remained locked as HBK stayed in seclusion.

Booker T & X-Pac & Big Show beat Spike Dudley & Shawn Stasiak & Tommy Dreamer in 2:50. This match was set up by Michaels because he wanted to see what all three NWO guys could do. Show & X-Pac came out to the NWO music but Booker came out separately to his own music. X-Pac put Spike down in the corner and did the bronco. Spike did a spinning headscissors on X-Pac. Show gave Stasiak a big suplex. The cameras cut to the back where HBK & Nash could be seen watching this match on a monitor, but Nash shut the door in the cameraman's face. Back to the match, Dreamer went in with the vomit bucket he had last week. They were supposed to do a spot where he threw confetti on Booker, who at first would think Tommy was throwing vomit on him. But the spot was mis-timed and the confetti was thrown before Booker even saw it coming. So they stood there a few seconds before reacting. Show threw Spike out onto Stasiak on the floor. Booker hit a kick on Dreamer and scored the pin. Afterward, Booker stopped the NWO music from being played and had his own music played so he could do a spinaroonie.

Goldust approached Booker in private after the commercial break. He was wearing the biggest Afro wig of all time and was talking like that Undercover Brother character in the new movie they've, not coincidentally, been advertising on WWE shows. Booker told Goldust there was no way he could get him into the NWO. Goldust said he no longer wants in. Instead, he wanted Booker to quit, saying his days are numbered there already. He said Nash is the same type of guy he always was and that Mr. Sexy Boy HBK doesn't like "our kind". Booker shouted, "I ain't your kind!' Goldust walked off. JR wanted to know exactly what "kind" Goldust is.

Terri interviewed Molly Holly. She asked Molly why she has such a vendetta against Trish Stratus. Molly complained that Trish hit her with the title belt last week. But she was more upset with a magazine centerfold of a scantily-clad Terri, which Molly said nearly showed nipples. She said photos like that, as well as her Raw Sex column, set a bad example. Trish walked up and said she's figured out why Molly is always so upset with the other Divas. It's because her ass is so big. Trish said Molly's ass is big enough to show a drive-in movie on. Molly went on her usual tirade about how women's champs need to be pure and wholesome. Trish challenged Molly to a non-title match where, if Molly wins, she'd get a title match, but if she loses, she must wear a thong. Molly accepted, but as she walked off she held the magazine over her ass, obviously self-conscious over Trish's comments.

Chris Benoit & Eddie Guerrero confronted Flair. They were upset that Flair had put half the company on the line without consulting them. Flair got defensive and said he'd been trying to maneuver Vince into a match like this for a long time. He added that if he beats Vince, he'll own it all. Guerrero said it had better not be IF, but WHEN, and Flair acted cocky like he was sure of victory. Benoit looked angry and basically said Flair had better win.

William Regal beat Bradshaw in 3:41 to retain the European Title. Bradshaw's Hardcore belt wasn't on the line. There were also no 24/7 run-ins so I guess during the match the rule was suspended, or something like that. Regal did some good mat wrestling, but there was no heat. Lawler questioned whether Bradshaw is a real cowboy, saying he thinks a quarter horse is the kiddie ride in front of Wal-Mart. Lennox Lewis' name was invoked as it regards the power of the punch. Bradshaw hit some short lariats in the corner. He hit a big boot to the face on Regal but Chris Nowinski (Harvard Chris from Tough Enough I) did a run-in from the crowd. Security seized him but he was able to distract the ref and toss the brass knux to Regal. Regal used the knux and scored the pin. Regal & Nowinski left together. This was a good surprise angle.

Molly beat Trish in the non-title match in 2:26. Lawler told a lot of big ass jokes. He also wanted to marry Trish. JR asked him how many times he's been married and he said he's had lots of wives, three of whom have been his own. Molly attacked immediately. She hit a handspring elbow. Trish hit a neckbreaker. Molly blocked the stratusfaction and hit a somersault splash off the top for a surprise clean pin. Afterward, Molly choked Trish with the panties she threw in her face last week.

Arn Anderson visited Vince. He said we all know Vince is a better businessman than Flair, and even Flair knows that. But Arn acted like Vince must be insane to think he can outwrestle the Nature Boy. Vince gave his famous calculated risk speech, and ended up shoving Arn hard. Arn told Vince to prepare for early retirement.

Rob Van Dam defeated Eddie Guerrero in a King of the Ring qualifier in 9:40 to open hour two. RVD's IC Title was not on the line. RVD was way over with the fans, though the heat cooled a few times during the match. They started with mat wrestling. RVD splashed Guerrero from the apron to the floor. Guerrero made a comeback with brawling before hooking the Fujiwara arm bar. Guerrero scored several twos. JR & Lawler got off on tangents a little on commentary here. RVD hit a powerslam. Guerrero did a superplex. RVD did an awesome roll-through into an Asai moonsault off the second rope. RVD missed (on purpose) a split-leg moonsault. The ending came off a little bad as they were trading roll-ups and RVD scored a pin with Guerrero still rolling and it looked like his shoulder was up. JR admitted it looked like the ref counted three in error. But the ruling stood. An okay match but not in the same league as most of their encounters.

Undertaker arrived at the building on his motorcycle.

Jonathan Coachman tried to interview HBK but both he and Nash brushed him off.

UT came to the ring. He made a crew guy hold the undisputed WWE title belt up so everyone could see it. UT said some people just don't get it, and went into a tirade about how he's the champ and deserves to be treated with respect. The "whats" started, but this time they died out fairly quickly. He said the people in Atlanta aren't known for being smart but even they know he should be respected. UT continued, saying that Triple H is supposed to be smart, and that JR calls him the cerebral assassin. But, UT wondered, if HHH is so smart, then why didn't he see him lurking in the shadows on Smackdown a couple of weeks ago? Footage aired of the UT attack on HHH from that Smackdown show. UT vowed to destroy HHH at King of the Ring and said, "there's blood in the water, and I'm the great white shark". UT then turned his attention to Jeff Hardy. He described the incident last week where Hardy kicked him from behind and he fell face-first into the vomit. A clip aired of that incident. UT said Jeff likes to live for the moment, but asked if he's also ready to die for that same moment. He did the old "easy way, hard way" deal. He said the easy way would be for Jeff to come down to the ring, get slapped around like the little bitch he is, and that will be the end of it. But UT said if he has to go backstage to find Jeff, he'll inflict more pain on him than is humanly possible. The Hardy music began playing, but instead of Jeff, Matt came out carrying a ladder. Matt accused UT of disrespecting him last week (when UT beat him up in the locker room). UT told him to come on down to the ring and get disrespected some more. As Matt was on his way down, Jeff ran in through the crowd and got on the top rope. But UT caught Jeff coming off and chokeslammed the hell out of him. Matt went after UT and got in quite a few shots before being put down with a big boot to the face. UT had Matt up for the last ride but Jeff clipped him and Matt fell on him. Matt pounded UT with fists. They used the ladder on UT. Jeff set the ladder up and gave UT a legdrop off of it. The Hardys fled after the attack. When UT revived he was ultra-pissed. JR & Lawler acted like the Hardys had signed their own death warrant. It was a good run-in angle.

Terri interviewed Regal & Nowinski. Regal acted like Nowinski was someone in his aristocratic league since he graduated from Harvard. Nowinski boasted that he was in the top 5% of his class, was captain of the football team, and had perfect attendance. Suddenly, Jeff Hardy ran in and got in front of the camera. He enigmatically said, "The plate remains unfilled," before running to his car and driving off. Nowinski dismissed Hardy as having no class. Good seeing a new guy get moved into a regular spot like this.

Brock Lesnar defeated Bubba Ray Dudley in a King of the Ring qualifier in 4:49. JR & Lawler put over that Lesnar will be on the cover of the new WWE Magazine. Lesnar did his power moves. Bubba hit a neckbreaker and went to get a table. He encountered Paul Heyman, who was so scared he jumped over the broadcast desk to escape. Lesnar blocked Bubba from getting the table and gave him a released suplex on the floor. Back in the ring, they did more suplexes and Bubba did his Dusty routine. Bubba hit a big senton but Heyman broke up the pin. Bubba chased Heyman and eventually cornered him but Lesnar nailed Bubba and won with his finisher. Some readers have told me this move is called the F5 on the WWE website, which is a category of hurricane used to calculate magnitude. Thanks to those readers who sent this info. I guess it's not the Brockbuster for us any more. With Bubba out of the KOTR tourney, that rules out a tourney match with D-Von.

They replayed highlights of the earlier Flair-Vince encounter.

Heyman & Lesnar visited Vince. Heyman said they don't exactly see eye to eye, but that doesn't mean they can't do mutually beneficial business together. He told Vince to forget about Austin since the next big thing is Lesnar. Vince looked pretty impressed with Lesnar. Heyman told Vince to concentrate fully on beating Flair, and afterward to give him a call about doing business. Heyman said he has an awesome idea for King of the Ring. Vince said he may indeed be in touch with Heyman after he downs Flair.

HBK finally left his locker room, heading to the ring to make his first statement.

Footage aired of an interview with Rock that aired on Confidential where Rock simply said that he would be coming back, though without elaboration. By the way, the Velocity/Confidential format is getting rave reviews.

HBK came to the ring to a good pop. The whole NWO crew was with him. He said wrestling is a funny business, and noted that back in his heyday the WWF (he said WWF first and then corrected himself by emphasizing WWE) was full of garbage men (Duke "Dumpster" Droese), clowns (Doink), and other characters. But he added that there was one thing that was real back then....himself! He said he was the Heartbreak Kid, the Show Stopper, and that he gave everything he had in the ring, including his body. That was true, as his awesome ring performances left him with serious back damage. He said that at Wrestlemania XIV, Vince and the boys decided that with his back being broken, they needed to go a different way, toward "attitude". Michaels' erratic behavior back then had a little to do with that also. HBK said he was attitude before it became a catch phrase. He accused Stone Cold Steve Austin of stealing his spotlight, but said he wasn't there to blame Austin. Rather, he blamed the fans for turning their backs on him. He said they dumped him and ran to Austin the way a cheap prostitute runs to a millionaire. HBK said he didn't come back to wrestle, since he wrestled for the fans before and won't make that mistake again. He brought up his statement a couple of weeks ago on Confidential where he said HBK is dead. He said it's true, and the fans killed him. He added that only one man stood by him when everyone else hated him, and that was Nash. That was also a little historical revisionism, but at this point they were mixing storylines with reality so it was pretty hard to tell which was supposed to be which. He praised Nash for starting out as his bodyguard Diesel and rising to become one of the biggest names in the industry and the leader of the most dominant group ever. But he then said something is wrong in the NWO and it makes him uneasy. He turned to Big Show and mentioned his height and weight. Show acted concerned, but Michaels assured him that he likes the fact that he's huge and that a monster like him is an asset to the NWO. He then turned to X-Pac and suggested he's had a lack of focus and some poor short-term memory, but in the end he hugged X-Pac after calling him the most talented performer in the business today. That last part was a satire on a similar statement Flair made a few weeks ago during an NWO pep talk that had the internet message boards all lit up. At this point, out of the blue, HBK delivered the sweet chin music superkick to Booker T. It was a great kick, sudden enough to be just perfect! HBK told the downed Booker that he's the problem in the NWO. He accused him of trying to steal the NWO spotlight, just as Austin tried to steal his spotlight, and just as Rock tried to steal "Hunter's" spotlight. That was an apparent reference to hints Rock has dropped in shoot interviews about HHH's backstage maneuvering. This was resembling D-X more and more every minute. They tore Booker's NWO shirt off and gave one another the NWO high sign. Booker was left laying, as if he were a government mule. It was a great angle and promo.

Vince beat Flair in the No Holds Barred match to gain full control of the WWE in 8:55. Vince looked like the guy who kicked sand in the dweeb's face in all those old Charles Atlas ads. Or rather, he looked like that guy's grandfather. Flair threw a bunch of chops. They brawled out and Vince bumped over the rail. They fought in the crowd. They returned to the ring, but Vince left long enough to get the ring bell, which he used as a weapon. Referee Earl Hebner complained, and Vince shoved him. Flair juiced. Actually, he spouted a major gusher. Vince posted Flair and kicked him in the face. Vince was a little off throughout the match, with his blows often looking weak, and other times looking a little too stiff. Of course, he's also a non-wrestler in his late 50's. Flair did the face-first bump. Vince was ultra-aggressive, using low blows. Vince got a chair but Flair took it and hit Vince across the back. He worked on Vince's knee to set up a figure four. He locked Vince in the hold as Arn Anderson, who had come down to the ring, taunted Vince. It looked as if Vince would have to submit, but Lesnar ran in. Arn backed off. Lesnar attacked Flair and gave him the F5, allowing Vince to crawl on top for the pin. Lawler, who had been cheering for Vince, gave him a standing ovation. Vince staggered up the ramp, battered but victorious, shouting "It's mine!" in reference to his full control of the company.

RHETORICAL QUESTIONS:

Does Vince spend too much time in the tanning bed?

What happened to the Austin vs. Guerrero feud?

What happened to the Austin vs. Benoit feud?

What happened to Austin?

What type of women's clothing would Flair have had to wear if Austin hadn't bailed out?

Would you like to see Spiderman in wide screen on Molly's ass?

Why do refs get upset about foreign objects in matches where such objects are legal?

Don't you love it when panties are used as a weapon?

Weren't Trish and Terri enemies last week?

2003 - The annual Licensing Convention opeend in New York City. Mike Johnson filed the following notes from the convention:

After skipping last year's edition, World Wrestling Entertainment returned to the annual Licensing Show in New York City, with a booth featuring the timelime of the WWF's history from the early 1980s to the forthcoming Wrestlemania XX, lots of merchandise (including Mania XX T-shirts) displayed, and an appearance from Stacy Keibler. The booth, smaller than previous WWE efforts, also featured life size cardboard cutouts of WWE performer action figures. They were giving away postcards of Keibler advertising the Mania XX date. Edge and Kurt Angle are also scheduled for appearances before the show closes out.

NWA TNA was represented by Stanley Shenker & Associates. The Shenker booth featured two banners advertising the company, one with the TNA logo and quotes from different writers about the company, and a second with photos of Low Ki, Rick Steamboat, Ken Shamrock, Ron Killings, and two other wrestlers performing a superplex that aren't easily identified. There are no appearances scheduled by TNA personalities.

Spike TV had a huge booth pushing the new station, patterned around cartoon Ren & Stimpy, which hosted a free open bar happy hour during the show. There was no mention of WWE in any of the Spike TV licensing information.

2004 - Richard "Dirty Dick" Van Slater was sentenced to a year of house arrest followed by two year's probation for stabbing his former girlfriend. Van Slater was sentenced in Pinellas Circuit Court after pleading no contest to one count of aggravated battery in the December stabbing. Besides the house arrest and probation, Slater was ordered to stay away from the victim and pay restitution, fines, and investigative and court costs of more than $1,800.

Slater, 52 at the time, was arrested 12/27/03 after he stabbed Theresa Marie Halbert with an 8-inch butcher knife and "watched her bleed" in her home, according to the arrest report from 2003. Prosecutors charged him with aggravated battery.

2004 - TNA taped Impact at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida with the following results:

Kid Kash pinned the Amazing Red
NWA X Division Champion AJ Styles pinned Frankie Kazarian
3 Live Kru, BG James & Ron Killings, & Konnan defeated The Naturals & David Young
Monty Brown pinned Sonny Siaki
Team Canada - Bobby Roode & Eric Young, & Petey Williams defeated Abismo Negro & Heavy Metal & Mr. Aquila



2005 - The first of two nights of the third-annual Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup is held at Brandon All-Stars in Brandon, Florida. The results:

- Ricky Reyes defeated Jay Fury in a first round tournament match.
- Matt Sydal defeated Tony Kozina in a first round match.
- Petey Williams defeated Jerrelle Clark in a first round match.
- SCW Heavyweight Champion Vordell Walker defeated Tony Mamaluke in a first round match.
- Roderick and Sedrick Strong defeated Steve Madison and Erick Stevens.
- Sonjay Dutt defeated Todd Sexton in a first round match.
- Chris Sabin defeated Delirious in a first round match.
- Jimmy Rave defeated Eddie Vegas in a first round match.
- NWA Florida X Division Champion Mikey Batts defeated James Gibson in a first round match.
- A.J. Styles defeated NWA Southern Heavyweight Champion Lex Lovett to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Title. After the match, Lovett announced his retirement.

2005 - TNA negotiations with WGN to pick up Impact end without a deal. The promotion would go on to sign a deal with SpikeTV, which continues through today.

2005 - On the same weekend as WWE held their "ECW One Night Stand" Pay-per-view in New York City, the first ever "Hardcore Homecoming" event, put together by former ECW World Champion Shane Douglas and TNA's Jeremy Borash, was held in the former ECW Arena in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Interesting to note, Terry Funk turned down a lucrative offer from WWE to work the One Night Stand PPV, instead wanting to wrestle at this event (Funk felt he could not give his best effort in two high profile matches that weekend). Here is Buck Woodward's original live coverage of the event:

We are live in the Viking... er, New Ala .... uh, the sweatbox in South Philadelphia best known as the ECW Arena, with live coverage of tonight's "Hardcore Homecoming" event.

The show unofficially got kicked off with the appearance of John "Hat Guy" Bailey taking his traditional seat in the front row to a big ovation and "Where's Your Hat" chant. When he produced the hat, an "ECW" chant started, followed by a "Hat Guy" chant. There was a "We want Styles" and a "We want Gertner" chant as well.

Ring announcer Bob Artese (complete with hats to throw to the crowd) and timekeeper Rocky Musciano came out to officially begin the show. Bob Artese then said he wanted to thank the man that made everything possible all those years ago, and a "Gordon" chant started up. Artese introduced "the founder of our promotion" and Tod Gordon came out to a big ovation. Gordon stopped to greet all the ringside fans before entering the ring. A huge "ECW" chant broke out. Tod thanked the fans, and put over the talent in the locker room. A huge round of applause, and another ECW chant started. Tod thanked the fans for making it all possible. Another ECW chant rang out. The mic stopped working (wow this is authentic), and a "You f***** up" chant rang out. Gordon then left the ring, and Joey Styles and Cyrus came to the ring.

There was a huge "Joey" chant, which Joey quieted so he could yell out "Oh my God". Another ECW chant. Get the feeling there will be a lot of those tonight? Joey said he was glad to be there, and a "Welcome Back" chant started up. Joey started to continue, but was interrupted by a "Well, well, well" as Joel Gertner came to the ring, to a huge ovation. Joey held the ropes open for Joel, and Gertner did the "floppy dance" to another pop. Joel then delivered one of his classic innuendo laced introductions. Even Cyrus was smiling. After Joel finished, a "F*** you Cyrus" chant started, and Cyrus acted like he was moved by it. Cyrus shook Joel's hand, and said he was going to try and stay in character, but Joel cracked him up. Cyrus said the building was still hot, Joey still takes all his heat, and Joel still does the funniest two minute promo in wrestling. Cyrus then turned heel on Joel and said he was still fat and pathetic. Joel tackled Cyrus, and Styles had to pull them apart. Cyrus rolled out of the ring and stomped off to the back, as Joey raised the arm of Gertner and officially kicked off the show.

Simon Diamond & CW Anderson vs. Mikey Whipwreck & Chris Chetti.

Mikey started off the match with Simon, hitting a shoulderblock, then trading armdrags. Mikey hit a series of rights in the corner, then shoved off Simon's monkey flip attempt. Mikey hit a second rope bodypress, then tried for a Whippersnapper, but Simon shrugged it off. Anderson tagged in, and said he wanted Chetti. Chetti tagged in, and soon he and Mikey were playing ping pong with Anderson's head, punching him back and forth. Anderson mounted a comeback, and went for a spinebuster, but Chetti blocked it and hit an ax kick for two. Simon clotheslined Chetti from the apron to give his team the advantage, and tagged in. Diamond and Anderson worked over Chetti for a while, hitting a double facedriver for two when Mikey broke up the pin. Chetti battled back against Anderson, and dodged a charging CW, who slammed into the buckles. Chetti made the hot tag to Mikey as Simon tagged in as well. Mikey cleaned house, dropkicking Simon and giving Anderson a FrankenMikey. Mikey and Chetti took their opponents in opposite corners and pounded them. Simon and Chetti were whipped together (with Chetti then falling into Simon's groin) in the melee, and Anderson superkicked Mikey for a two count. Anderson set up for a superplex, Mikey reversed it into a DDT, but Anderson blocked that and hit a spinebuster. Chetti grabbed Anderson and hit the Amityville Horror. Simon grabbed Chetti and gave him the Simon Series. Mikey then grabbed Simon and hit the Whippersnapper for the pin at the seven minute mark.

Winners: Mikey Whipwreck & Chris Chetti.

After Mikey & Chetti left, the fans gave Diamond & Anderson a round of applause and an ECW chant.

Tracey Smothers vs. The Blue Meanie.

Tracey Smothers was accompanied to the ring by original FBI member J.T. Smith. J.T. took the mic and said "When you think we're out, you pull us back in". J.T. began to sing "Fly Me To The Moon" but was interrupted by The Blue Meanie and the BWO theme. Meanie did his old dance routine, to a pop. A "BWO" chant broke out. Then we had a "Where's My Pizza?" and "Meanie Ate It" chants. Meanie grabbed a headlock to start, then hit a shoulderblock and began doing some Hulk Hogan style posing. Smothers grabbed a waistlock, but Meanie butt-butted his way out of it. Meanie slammed Smothers twice, and when Smothers stumbled into referee John Finnegan, Finnegan slammed him! Meanie, then Finnegan, took turns covering Smothers for two counts, as Smith protested from the floor. Tracey regrouped on the outside, then reentered the ring. Smothers got on the mic and said "If I hear another BWO chant, everyone dies." So, there was another BWO chant. Smothers then complained about Meanie cheating, and double teaming him with the referee. Smothers said he wanted to settle things right now ... with a dance off. Smothers danced first, to "Stayin' Alive". Meanie then did his classic dance, to the BWO theme. Both got ovations for their performances. Tracey ambushed Meanie as he was finishing his performance, and the match was back on.

Smothers beat down Meanie in the corner, then distracted the referee so J.T. could get some shots in. Meanie came back, hitting a bulldog and a bodyslam. Meanie then delivered the People's legdrop, and an avalanche in the corner. J.T. got on the apron, and Meanie knocked him off. Meanie then hit another avalanche, and went to the top rope. J.T. hit him with brass knucks before he could do the Meaniesault, and Smothers got the pin at the eight minute mark.

Winner: Tracey Smothers.

After the FBI had left, Meanie was given a round of applause and a "Meanie" chant.

Bob Artese then talked about how over the years, we've lost some of the people who used to entertain fans in this building. Images of Louie Spicolli, Road Warrior Hawk, Rocco Rock, Big Dick Dudley, Pitbull #2, Eddie Gilbert and Chris Candido were shown, with each getting an ovation from the crowd.

"Here Comes The Hotstepper" began playing, and Johnny Grunge and Pitbull Gary Wolfe came to the ring, as the fans swung their arms like it was an old Public Enemy entrance. "Back In Black" then started playing, and Tammy Sytch came out to a huge ovation. A "Candido" chant rang out. Bob Artese then introduced all three people to the crowd. A "Rocco Rock" chant then broke out. Grunge thanked the fans for letting them make a dream come true. An "ECW" chant rang out. Grunge put over the tag team legacy of the Public Enemy and the Pitbulls, then gave the mic to Candido. Tammy got a "Show your t***" chant. Tammy joked that enough of them were being shown off in the dress she was wearing. Tammy said that everyone who was watching "on the monitor in the sky" had the best times of their lives in this building.

Roadkill and Danny Doring then came out, to a big ovation. A "You f***** sheep" chant started.

Doring got on the mic, and started arguing with Hat Guy. Doring said he was trying to pay homage. He said he didn't want to downplay the accomplishments of anyone who had just been shown on the screen. However, he wondered how they could pay homage to any teams without mentioning the greatest tag team of all time. Wolfe cut him off, saying Doring and Roadkill weren't worth "the sweat on his balls". Roadkill and Doring attacked Wolfe and Grunge, beating them down in the ring. Roadkill brought a table into the ring, while Tammy ran off to the back, then returned .... with 911. 911 chokeslammed Doring, then Roadkill. Grunge and Wolfe set up the table in the ring. Roadkill was put on the table, and Grunge gave him a top rope elbow drop, putting Roadkill through it. Hotstepper started back up, and as the fans danced, 911 gave Roadkill another chokeslam into the remnants of the table. 911 went to lift Tammy on his shoulder, and slipped, starting a "You f***ed up" chant. All four then took a knee in the ring, and paid tribute to those up above, before exiting the ring. Sytch did the Candido strut and held up the Triple Threat sign before leaving.

Kid Kash vs. 2 Cold Scorpio.

Kash came out and complained about being called in as a substitute for this show (he is subbing for Chris Candido). Some fans chanted "You sold out" and Kash ripped on them. Kash said he did all the work to get himself over in Philadelphia, and all he got for it was "not being paid, and a bad back". The fans chanted for him to shut up. Kash continued to heel the crowd, and said it was time to see "the old hardcore vs. the new hardcore". 2 Cold Scorpio then came out, carrying his Noah GHC Tag Team Title belt. Scorpio got on the mic and said it was good to be back, getting a "Welcome Back" chant from the crowd.

Scorpio tried to shake hands to start, but Kash gave him a middle finger in response. They shoved each other, then traded punches and forearms. Stalemating, they broke off the exchange. They ran the ropes, each dodging the other one's moves, and stalemated again. They traded holds, with Scorpio starting to work on the arm of Kash. Kash broke free of an armbar and dropped an elbow for a two count. Scorpio kicked Kash in the gut, then applied a rear chinlock. Scorpio chopped Kash against the ropes, then hit a dropkick and followed it with a superkick. Scorpio sent Kash to the floor, then went for a pescado, but Kash moved out of the way. With Scorpio on the floor, Kash dove into the ring, then hit a slingshot rana onto Scorpio on the floor. Kash kicked Scorpio on the outside, sending him into the guardrail. Kash chopped Scorpio against the rail, and raked his back with his nails. Scorpio battled back with chops and punches, and they fought up the rampway. Kash tossed Scorpio off the ramp and into the chairs. Kash then dove off the rampway into a somersault senton in the crowd, hitting Scorpio.

Kash went back to the ring, and Scorpio eventually made his way back as well. Kash hit a baseball slide as he made his way back to the ring, then tried to use Scorpio's title belt, but Scorpio avoided it, and hit a series of rights on Kash. Scorpio and Kash battled on the floor, but back in the ring it was all Scorpio, hitting a second rope somersault legdrop and a Tumbleweed off the top for a two count. Scorpio missed a bodypress attempt, and Kash hit a moonsault on a standing Scorpio for a two count. Kash hit a walking the ropes rana for another two. Scorpio hit a superkick, followed by a buzzsaw kick, for a two count. The crowd was popping for the near falls. Scorpio then hit a powerbomb and the 450 splash for the pin at the seventeen minute mark.

Winner: 2 Cold Scorpio.

After Scorpio left, the fans gave Kid Kash a big ovation.

John Kronus came to the ring, and Bob Artese talked about how The Eliminators were supposed to have an "open challenge" reunion tonight, but Perry Saturn had broken his neck. Artese said that Kronus had agreed to stand behind the open challenge anyway. Out came Axl Rotten, followed by Ian Rotten, the Bad Breed.

Axl took the mic and asked the crowd if it had been too long since they had seen "the violence". Axl talked about his feud with Ian, and said they were going to "beat the s***" out of someone Bad Breed-style. They attacked Kronus, with Ian dropkicking a chair into Kronus' face in a corner. Kronus was soon busted open, and the Bad Breed gave him Conchairto.

"Natural Born Killaz" then blared, and New Jack hit the ring to a huge pop. Jack, armed with a chain and garden shovel, attacked the Bad Breed, and the bloody brawl was on. Ian and Axl were soon bleeding, with Kronus choking Axl with the chain, and New Jack producing a fork and stabbing Ian in the head with it. On the floor, Axl hit Kronus with a chairshot, while Ian got control of the fork and went to work on New Jack with it. Kronus whipped Axl into a table on the floor. Jack hit Ian with a sign, and piece of it flew into the crowd, which someone caught as a souvenir. Axl and Kronus fought up to the top of the ramp, then Axl hiptossed him back down it. Jack pointed to various ledges in the building that he had jumped off of. Almost on cue, security wheeled a scaffolding to ringside. Axl blasted Kronus, who was a bloody mess, with a chairshot on the floor. Kronus poked Axl in the eyes, and they got back into the ring, where Kronus hit a chairshot. Jack and Ian battled on the floor now, and were soon joined by Axl and Kronus.

An ECW chant broke out, and New Jack started to climb the scaffold. In the ring, Kronus set up a table, and kept Axl Rotten on the floor. Kronus put Ian on the table, and kicked Axl out of the ring again. Jack dove off the scaffold and put Ian through the table. It just dawned on me that we don't have a referee in the ring, so I guess this isn't "officially" a match. Ian was tossed out of the ring, as was Axl, and New Jack and Kronus celebrated, holding up the old Gangsta "X".

The music stopped, and New Jack took the mic. Jack put over the Bad Breed, to a lot of applause. Jack thanked the fans for remaining loyal to all of them over the years. New Jack said there were three letters that mean more in the alphabet than any other, and the fans knew what they were. The fans chanted "ECW". New Jack then mentioned the "Invasion" show on Sunday night, and a "F*** You Vince" chant started up. New Jack then commented, in his own unique way, that no one from Atlanta or Connecticut was truly ECW. New Jack put over the ECW locker room, and said that ten years ago to this month, he came into the ECW Arena and turned it upside down. New Jack said if he dies tonight, he can die proud, because he came back home tonight. New Jack again thanked the fans, and said there was still another half of the show yet to come. Jack said the show was like sex with a "fine ass bitch" and promised everyone would go home satisfied. New Jack then talked about having the, ahem, females in the crowd come back to the Hilton tonight for a party. Of course, New Jack used a lot more profanity and colorful language to get his point across.

Ring Announcer Stephen DeAngelis came out to begin the second half of the show.

Justin Credible, with Jason, vs. Jerry Lynn.

DeAngelis introduced Lynn, back from an extended absence, as "The New F***ing Show". Credible stalled at the start, jawing with the fans. The fans began clapping for action, and Credible bailed to the floor. They finally locked up, and Lynn hit a shoulderblock, sending Credible to the floor. Lynn and Credible traded armbars, and Lynn armdragged Credible to the mat. Credible shoved referee Pee Wee Moore, and Moore shoved him back. Credible went to punching Lynn, then chopped him in the corner. Lynn fired back with punches of his own, and took Credible down with a headscissors and an armdrag. Lynn went to work on the arm, but Credible fired back with punches. Lynn hit a bulldog, slid under Credible, and tripped him, setting up for a guillotine legdrop on the apron. Credible and Lynn battled on the floor, and Lynn hit a running senton off the apron, off a table, into the third row, hitting Credible. An ECW chant rang out.

Lynn tossed Credible back over the rail and into the ring. Jason tossed Credible a chair, but Lynn DDT'd him into it. Credible was busted open, and Lynn worked Credible over, using his blood as war paint. Jason tried to toss in another chair, but Lynn intercepted it. Credible kicked the chair into Lynn, however, to take the advantage. Credible stomped Lynn down in a corner, and with Jason holding a chair in front of his face, Credible hit a running knee. Credible gave Lynn a powerbomb out of a corner into the chair for a two count. Credible applied a rear chinlock, but Lynn came back with a sunset flip out of the corner for two. Credible hit a spinning side slam, then flung Jerry to the floor. Jason worked over Lynn on the floor, while Credible distracted the referee. Credible pulled Lynn into the ring for a two count, then went back to the chinlock. Credible hit a powerslam, and the fans chanted "F*** You Aldo". Credible went for a baseball slide in the corner, but Lynn moved and Credible crotched himself on the ringpost.

Lynn hit a short arm clothesline, followed by a traditional clothesline. Credible tried to block a backdrop into a piledriver, but Lynn turned it into a Kryptonite Krunch for a two count. Jason hit Lynn with a chair as he bounced off the ropes, and Credible grabbed him and hit That's Incredible (spinning tombstone) for a two count. A "Let's Go Jerry" chant broke out. Justin went for the piledriver again, but Lynn blocked it and hit a cradle piledriver. Credible barely got his shoulder up at two, and the crowd applauded. An ECW chant broke out. Lynn went to the top rope, but Jason shoved him off and into the ring. Credible went to the top rope, but Lynn fell into the ropes and crotched him. Jason got on the apron, but Lynn gave him a springboard dropkick to knock him down. Lynn then gave Credible a top rope rana through the announcers table on the floor. An ECW chant broke out, followed by a "Holy S***" chant.

Lynn rolled Credible into the ring and covered him, but Jason pulled the referee out of the ring and knocked him out. Lynn went after Jason, but this allowed Credible to attack Lynn. Jason and Credible set up Lynn for a spike piledriver, but Jazz ran in from the crowd and knocked Jason off the ropes, into Credible. Jason and Jazz went at it, with Jazz hitting a neckbreaker on Jason, then doing the old Rick Rude hip swivel. Jason went to the floor, where Jazz followed. Jason grabbed Jazz and kissed her, and Jazz responded by kicking him in the nads. In the ring, Lynn grabbed Credible for a tombstone, but Credible reversed it, only to have Lynn reverse it again and hit a cradle tombstone for the pin at the 23 minute mark.

Winner: Jerry Lynn.

A "New F'N Show" chant rang out, followed by a "Welcome Back" chant. Lynn got on the mic and said he would "toot his own horn for a minute". Lynn said his birthday was this Sunday, and that he "wasn't bad for a forty two year old". Lynn left to a big ovation.

As Justin Credible got up in the ring, he was given a big ovation and an ECW chant.

Sandman vs. Raven.

Raven came to the ring accompanied by his Flock, consisting of The Blue Meanie and The Musketeer. The Sandman then made his famous entrance, the the delight of the crowd, he also dragged out a ladder, which he left at ringside. After the introductions, Raven took the mic, and said he got twice the pop The Sandman did, because he is a "much bigger star". Raven said Sandman's pop was just below that of Jason. A "F*** him up, Sandman" chant started up. Raven said it was an embarrassment for a star of his magnitude to be here, since he had action figures made in WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. Raven then ripped on the fans and the building, pointing out that they were even too stupid to know they were being insulted. Raven said Sandman wasn't worth his time, and said Sandman couldn't even get through the Musketeer. Musketeer drew his sword, and we had a dual, with Sandman caning both him and Meanie. Raven hit Sandman with the mic, and the match was on.

Raven caned Sandman repeatedly with the cane, and when it had no affect, he hit him in the groin with it. The fans chanted "Johnny Polo" at Raven. Raven hit a series of rights, but Sandman came back with a series of European Savate Kicks. They battled to the floor, and Sandman put on the Musketeer's hat as he pounded Raven around the ringside area. Sandman tried to suplex Raven into the ladder that was lying on the floor, but Raven reversed it and sent Sandman into the ladder. Raven whipped Sandman into the ladder after putting it up against the guardrail, then tossed it into the ring. Raven whipped Sandman upside down into the rails. They made their way back into the ring, where Meanie had tossed in a table. Sandman teeter-tootered the ladder into Raven's face. Raven was busted open, and Sandman set up a table in a corner. Meanie tossed a handful of powder into Sandman's face, and Raven hit a DDT.

Raven went to bulldog Sandman into the table in the corner, but Sandman threw Raven off into the table. The Flock tried to run in again, but Sandman caned them away. Sandman then put the ladder on top of Raven and gave him a top rope somersault senton. Sandman set up another table, ducked a cane shot from Raven, and gave him a Russian legsweep. Sandman put Raven on top of the table, and gave him a top rope senton through it. Sandman covered, but Meanie pulled the referee from the ring. Meanie attacked Sandman and gave him a neckbreaker, then a Meaniesault. Meanie gave him a second, and Raven called for a third. Meanie's pants fell down on the second and third ones, but he still hit the move. Raven covered, but Sandman kicked out at two. Raven set up a chair and went for a drop toe hold, but Sandman stopped him and threw the chair at him. Sandman hit Meanie with the chair as well, then put the ladder on his head and spun around, hitting Raven and Meanie. Sandman then threw the ladder at the Musketeer.

DONN E. ALLEN then hit the ring, laid out the Sandman, and pulled off his shirt to reveal a shirt that said "49 F'N 8" (a play off his ranking in the PWI 500). Mikey Whipwreck ran down, and knocked Donn E. out of the ring. Sandman moved like he was going to attack him, but Mikey pulled out a couple of beers. They toasted, then Mikey kicked Sandman and gave him a Whippersnapper. Raven covered Sandman and got the pin.

Winner: Raven.

Raven, a now bloody Meanie, and the Musketeer walked off, and the Sandman was given an ovation as he got up.

Terry Funk vs. Sabu vs. Shane Douglas is next. Terry Funk came to the ring, to a huge ovation and chants. Funk took the mic, and asked if the fans would indulge him for 20 minutes. Funk said they wanted to get "wired" tonight. With that, a ring crew came out .... with barbed wire.

The main event will now be a no-ropes barbed wire match.

Or so it seemed. After the ropes were taken down, the crew was ordered to bring the barbed wire back into the locker room. There appears to be a lot of debate going on in the locker room over the situation. The fans have chanted "We Want Wire" but now music is playing, and there seems to be a lot of confusion.

After about two minutes, the crew came back out and started stringing up the barbed wire again! I guess the match is on!

Terry Funk vs. Sabu vs. Shane Douglas - No Ropes Barbed Wire Match

Shane Douglas came out first, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, his arms heavily taped. He pointed to the curtain, and out came the Queen of Extreme, Francine. The two were very careful to avoid the barbs as they entered the ring. Shane took the mic and said "Cut the F****** Music". A "Thank You Shane" chant broke out. Shane thanked the fans, and a "ECW" chant broke out. Shane said the man that owns that company now can "Kiss our hardcore asses". Shane said they had "brought hardcore back to life". Shane said that in every family, there are squabbles, and he and Francine were no different. Shane said that tonight was the night for them to put their differences aside and do things right. Shane said that the last time he wrestled in this building, it was against Terry Funk, and he made a promise that the next time he faced the Funker, he would cripple him and retire him permanently.

Sabu then made his entrance, accompanied by whistle-blowing Bill Alfonso. Sabu was given a "Welcome Back" chant from the fans, and was wearing his usual wrestling gear.

Terry Funk, accompanied by Tammy Sytch, then made his entrance. Funk is wearing his wrestling tights and a T-shirt, and has also taped up his arms. After Funk got into the ring, streamers were thrown in from the crowd, and an "ECW" chant rang out. Sytch then returned to the back.

The ring introductions were made, and a "Terry" chant broke out. The match is on!

All three men circled the ring, and they had a three way lockup. They did a two-way headlock spot, with Shane grabbing Funk, and Sabu grabbing Shane, then running behind Funk and pushing Shane into the barbed wire. Sabu whipped Funk into the barbed wire, then did the same to Shane. Sabu called for a chair, then hit a leg lariat off the chair into Funk, who was against the wire. Sabu covered Funk for a two count, then applied a short-arm scissors. Douglas broke it up, then Funk and Sabu double teamed Douglas. They whipped him into the wire, but Shane slid out of the ring. Funk and Shane started fighting on the floor. Sabu dove off a chair in the ring and hit a plancha on both men on the floor. Sabu and Shane went back into the ring, but Terry pulled Sabu back out and threw him into a table. Shane and Sabu then worked over Terry on the floor, rubbing his head against the bottom strand of wire. Shane then grabbed Sabu and raked his face against the wire.

Sabu and Funk were both bleeding from the forehead now. Shane whipped Sabu chest first into the wire. Funk hit a series of rights on Shane, but stumbled backwards into the wire. Sabu rubbed Shane's face into the wire, then put Terry in a camel clutch briefly. Sabu went for a chair launch on Shane, but Funk pulled the chair away and Sabu went into the wire. A "Sabu" chant rang out. Funk gave Sabu a neckbreaker. Sabu's pants were torn up from the wire. Shane twisted Funk between two strands of wire, but Sabu pulled Shane off and put him in a sleeper. Shane reversed into his own sleeper, then Funk got behind Shane and applied a sleeper. The fans applauded the spot. Funk covered Shane for a two count, then rolled off and covered Sabu for a two count.

Shane then covered Sabu and Funk, but they both kicked out, tossing Shane into the bottom strand of wire. Shane rolled to the floor, and Sabu taped up his leg. Funk gave Sabu a stunner. They went to the floor, and Funk gave Sabu a piledriver on the concrete. Funk tossed Sabu into the crowd, and Funk followed him. Sabu threw a chair at Funk, then hit Shane, who was at ringside, with one as well. Back in the ring, Shane dropped Sabu gut first across the top strand of wire. Terry Funk tossed several chairs into the ring. Funk got back in and threw a chair into Sabu's head. Funk hit Sabu with another chair shot, sending him into the wire, then whipped him across the ring into the opposite strands. Shane attacked Funk, then ripped at the face of Sabu. Funk got his arm entangled in the wire, and it had to be cut free. Bill Alfonso got on the apron and pulled Douglas into the wire, prompting Francine to attack him. The two had a catfight on the floor, with Fonzie yanking up her dress. Security broke them apart.

Funk gave Sabu a hangman in the barbed wire, twisting it around the neck of Sabu. Shane hit Funk with a chair, then hit the referee as well. Sabu was cut free of the wire on the floor, which was tangled in his hair and tights. We got a new referee, as Douglas tried to pin Sabu and Funk. Funk hit the chicken punches on Shane, then threw a chair into his back. Most of the locker room came out on the entranceway to watch the match.

Funk rubbed Sabu's face in the barbed wire, as Shane knocked out referee #2. Shane took a chair and laid out both opponents, then drove the chair into the back of Funk's neck. Shane went back and forth, hitting both men with chairshots. Douglas gave Funk a rolling reverse necksnap. Douglas called for a ladder, then dropped Sabu chest first across the barbed wire. Shane was given a ladder, and set it up in a corner. The ladder was very wobbly. As Shane climbed up it, the lights went out.

When the lights came back on, Cactus Jack was in the ring. The place went ballistic.

Cactus pulled Shane off the ladder, then gave him Mr. Socko, which the fans actually booed. Cactus then gave him a double arm DDT, which was cheered. Cactus, then wrapped Mr. Socko in barbed wire, and gave it to Shane, which got a big pop. Funk put Shane in the Kiwi Roll, and rolled him around the ring. Shane managed to reverse it, but Sabu hit him with a chair, and Funk got him back down. Cactus (who had a ref's shirt over his Cactus Jack shirt) counted the pin.

Shane Douglas is eliminated. Douglas received an ovation as he left the ring.

Funk and Sabu tried reversals in a sunset flip, then Funk catapulted Sabu into the wire. Funk set up a ladder in the ring, and a table. Sabu was placed on the table, and Funk climbed the ladder. The ladder collapsed under Funk's weight, and he fell through the table at the front. The table collapsed, and Sabu fell to the mat as well. They were both down in a heap of broken table and crushed ladder. Sabu got up first, set up a chair and gave Funk an Arabian Facebuster off the chair. Foley counted the pin.

Terry Funk is eliminated.

Winner: Sabu.

The locker room came out and circled the ring, as Sabu, Alfonso and Cactus helped Funk to his feet. A "Terry" chant broke out, followed by a "Sabu" chant, then a "Foley" chant. A "Thank You Shane" chant then started (with Shane not even out). Funk was then applauded as he left, and a "Please come back" chant started. Shane Douglas came back out, took a bow, then returned to the back. Funk and the rest of the crew walked out, as a final "ECW" chant rang out.

Mike Johnson explains the backstory behind the barbed wire match, which was touch and go for most of the day. ... At one point after Terry Funk announced the match to the live crowd, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission ordered the wire returned to the locker room. They were able to come to an agreement to have the match, which saved the show on so many levels it's impossible to write in one article. Had they been unable to salvage the barbed wire aspect after announcing it, the show would have been ruined despite anything Sabu, Terry Funk, and Shane Douglas could have conjured up. There was a lot of irony behind the match taking place as well, as Hardcore Homecoming used CZW's promoter Maven Bentley for the license for the show and the last barbed wire bout in Philadelphia was April 2003 at a CZW event. There's no word on what led the Commission to giving the go ahead on the bout, but my feeling is that they loosened up on the rules due to the percentage of the gate they were receiving since the ticket prices were so high. The Commission's Frank Talent actually told several fans after the New Jack match, "You got your blood and later you'll get your barbed wire." The barbed wire match itself was a Terry Funk idea.

2006 - TNA debuted in Wayne, New Jersey. Mike Johnson filed the following live report:

Petey Williams pinned Shark Boy with the Canadian Destroyer.

In a great match with tons of false finishes, Jerry Lynn pinned Homicide with a cradle piledriver. While on the floor, Lynn hit a running dive into the crowd on Homicide.

In a segment taped for Spike TV, Simon Diamond introduced his new talk segment, "Simon Says". He introduces Jeff Jarrett. Jarrrett said he had an open challenge for tonight saying he'd fight two men or five women or a dozen kids. No one came out. Diamond called Jeremy Borash into the ring to declare Jarrett the King of the Mountain, but Borash instead introduced Jay Lethal as Jarrett's challenger.

Jeff Jarrett pinned Jay Lethal in a good match with the Stroke. Lethal challenged Jarrett to put up his King of the Mountain nickname before the match. Jarrett insulted Lethal's family before the match, which led to a later spot where Lethal's mom grabbed the guitar and chased Diamond.

James Gang defeated Team 3D. Team 3D came out to Highway to Hell, which was their theme in ECW in 1995 and 1996. They did a ton of fun stuff in this match playing off the crowd, which is mostly families. Kip pinned Devon after a chairshot when BG attacked Bubba as they were preparing to hit the 3D. James Gang set up a table in the ring after the pin but 3D made a comeback and his the Deadly Death Drop through a table on Kip.

Traci Brooks pinned Gail Kim. In a TNA Knockouts match. Shark Boy was the special referee. There were fans doing the Bentley Bounce when Brooks came out.

AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels defeated NWA Tag Team champions America's Most Wanted in a non-title match in a double pin situation with the ref ruling Styles and Daniels won. A good match, but not at the level of their last PPV bout. Gail Kim tried to interfere. They two traded mic work afterwards to build their Slammiversary PPV bout.

In the main event, Samoa Joe, Rhino and Abyss brawled through the crowd, including Samoa Joe skateboarding a chair dropkick to Abyss' face while he was against the guard rail. Joe got the biggest pop of the night. Joe was whipped face first into a chair wedged in a corner. Abyss chokeslammed Rhino through two chairs. Abyss went outside to grab tacks but was gored through a table. He went to gore Rhino but was stopped with a kick to the face and choked out.

2006 - Full Impact Wrestling ran Impact of Honor in Orlando, FL at the Downtown Recreation Center before 200 fans, featuring:

Sal Rinauro defeated the Canadian Cougar at 12:31
Alex Porteau defeated Seth Delay at 5:44
Chasyn Rance defeated Kenny King, Rainman, and Ryan Drago at 8:02
Shingo Takagi defeated Davey Richards at 12:36
Steve Madison defeated Erick Stevens at 12:41
Phil & Sean Davis defeated Super FIP Machine & the Masked FIPper #13 at 3:48
ROH World Champion & FIP World Champion Bryan Danielson defeated Colt Cabana at 22:15; only the ROH title was on the line
ROH Tag Team Champions Austin Aries & Roderick Strong defeated Jay Fury & Jerrelle Clark at 21:40

2007 - Former WWF Intercontinental and Tag Team champion Tito Santana was inducted into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame in Texas. "This means a lot to me.I'm very proud to be a Hispanic and come from being a migrant worker and growing up with nothing, really. I'm very grateful to have gone as far as I have," Santana, who grew up in the area, commented.

2008 - Taryn Terrell debuted on WWE TV as Tiffany, an assistant to Teddy Long.

2008 - Variety reported that former WWF champion Steve Austin signed a deal with Original Media, the company behind reality series "L.A. Ink" and "Miami Ink" to develop a reality series that would be based around Austin. Original Media will partner with management/production company Caliber Media to create the series and also develop additional projects for Austin. According to the report, WWE would not be involved in the project, nor would Austin be using the "Stone Cold" moniker in the project. The project never saw fruition, although Austin would go on to host the revived WWE Tough Enough and Redneck Island on CMT.

2008 - Hulk Hogan went on Larry King Live to defend himself and his family after tapes of phone conversations Hogan had with his then-incarcerated son Nick painted the family in a terrible, uncaring light. While on the show, Hogan commented, "Well, my gosh, if you rewind back to the original sentence from the judge, the judge sentenced Nick to eight months minimum security. And from the moment he was sentenced, he walked out of jail. And we were all thinking he would be in minimum security for eight months.

They took him straight to the mental part -- the mental ward of the hospital and put him in a very small padded cell. And from that padded cell, we worked all through that weekend -- because it was on a Friday, waited until the next week and we thought were having him moved to a better spot, but they moved him to a maximum security area, where most of the prisoners were altogether in cell with pods, and 10 or 15 prisoners per pod that they had the use of a phone and they could see a TV.

But Nick was moved to maximum security, but at the end of the hallway in a solitary confinement, so -- which is usually used for punishing hardened criminals. Well, you know, the tape that you just heard was my son, who was -- at the time of the accident, he had just turned 17. When he was sentenced, he was still a 17-year-old child, a juvenile, however you would like to, you know, classify him.

For him to walk out of the courtroom on a Friday thinking he was going to probably be following the guidelines of the judge's sentence, minimum security for eight months -- for him to be walked into the mental ward of the jail and be locked in a padded cell, it caught all of us off guard. We had no idea that, you know, there was not adequate housing for a juvenile in an adult prison.

So when he first went in there, it was on a Friday and there was -- we panicked because this is -- wasn't what he was sentenced to. So we fought through this weekend and being locked up with no door or a window or no human contact, you know, for a 17-year-old, was tough when you didn't expect that.

So as we -- I mean I've sat in the same chair -- you know, from the day he was sentenced, he would call me if he had an opportunity to get to a phone. And they'd let him call early in the morning, like 5:30 or 6:00. I would sit in that chair from the moment I got the call until 11:00, 12:00 at night making phone calls. And I've been there ever since, until he got moved to where he's at now.

But it just -- it just never ended, because after that move, he went to the maximum security solitary confinement, where even the hardened criminals...

Well, at the end of the day, if you were in my situation, a desperate father with this tragic accident that happened with John, who we love to death, especially when I knew Nick couldn't be moved, when the sheriff and the judge and the prosecuting attorney said yes, we should move him, when the legal team shut us down. We were desperate. It was like the whole world crashing around my son.

Solitary confinement; most hardened criminal unravel after two or three days. Nick survived in there 28, 29 days. During that period of time, as I'm sitting there, 28, 29 days with hardly any sleep, I did everything I could, from laugh to cry with my son, to try to tell jokes, to try to be serious, to try to keep him present and aware and walking in the spirit of god and say, be grateful if we get a break. Be grateful if somebody hits us with another slam-dunk where emotions do -- be grateful that we know what is in front of us.

As I was going through these motions, I was trying to help give Nick some type of relief, because he is consumed with the unknown, solitary confinement, where nobody ever agreed this would be the punishment to unravel this kid mentally. As I was just digging to try to find a way for my son to get through another day or another hour, you know, I was trying to explain to him that it is in god's hand or god's will or it is what people have said for thousands of years.

Did I say things wrong? Yes.

Yes, sir. I said it incorrectly because my son, every could tell, every time I called or every time he would call me, that as the days went by and we couldn't get him out, especially when the sheriff, the prosecuting attorney, everybody said we want to move him and then there was no movement. We were desperate. I didn't, even though they were trying to protect him physically because he's a juvenile in an adult prison, his mental state was unraveling. And I just had no way to help him. I was desperate. And I never meant to hurt John or the Graziano family."

2009 - PWInsider.com broke the following story: "Ring of Honor's current PPV run will end as of this Friday's Take No Prisoners PPV, sources have confirmed. I am told that ROH opted not to renew their deal with PPV producer G-Funk Entertainment several months back and the contractual agreement between the two sides ends with this PPV.

One source stated the company was "suspending" PPVs, with the wording given in a way that could mean that down the line, they will return to PPV in some fashion. With HDNet involved in ROH's weekly series, one could surmise they could conceivably handle production for PPV down the line.

In speaking to several ROH talents, the news wasn't much of a shock as nothing had been taped or announced for PPV of late and ROH needed to hand a final product in to InDemand for the PPV provider to give final approval a month before airing. The feeling among the wrestlers I spoke to was that the weekly TV show was far more important in the long-term scheme of things.

ROH debuted on PPV in July 2007 with "Respect is Earned", the first in a series of bi-monthly PPVs. The final PPV, Take No Prisoners (which will air this coming Friday) was taped last April during Wrestlemania XXV weekend.

In related news, the final PPV will not be airing on DirecTV. ROH had a per-PPV deal with DirecTV and with this being the final PPV, DirecTV opted not to go forward with airing it via that provider. As you can guess, the planned Video on Demand ROH service on DirecTV is also kaput. "

2009 - LAX's Shawn Hernandez was cleared to return to the ring by doctors from a neck injury, far sooner than originally expected.

2009 - Mick Foley announced he was working on a fourth memoir, "Countdown to Lockdown."

2010 - TNA President promised a "nice surprise" for the upcoming TNA Slammiversary PPV. That surprise turned out to be the debut of Tommy Dreamer, who would only last a year with the company before departing.