MHizzle85 Posted June 30, 2007 Share Posted June 30, 2007 QUOTE(Purdue129 @ Jun 29, 2007 -> 11:19 PM) I've said it before and I'll say it again... I don't think there's anyone with a better 18 month resume of matches than the Briscoes... even if you're not a huge ROH fan, you can't go wrong with ANYTHING they've been a part of in the last year and a half I say this watching them vs. Shelley/Sabin from a few months ago, which is just as good on DVD as it was live I agree, i've become a fan after watching only a few of their matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T R U Posted June 30, 2007 Share Posted June 30, 2007 GPratt I gotta say, I really enjoy reading your little article things.. very nice work man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Pratt Posted June 30, 2007 Share Posted June 30, 2007 Call me Greg, Gregory Pratt, Pratt or Greg Pratt. I hate GPratt. Thank you, mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T R U Posted June 30, 2007 Share Posted June 30, 2007 QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jun 30, 2007 -> 01:38 AM) Call me Greg, Gregory Pratt, Pratt or Greg Pratt. I hate GPratt. Thank you, mate. I know you do, thats why I call you GPratt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 (edited) Randy Orton Got Screwed Like Bret Hart Uploaded by KazDaGr81 Randy Orton Promo Uploaded by KazDaGr81 Edited July 1, 2007 by Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Pratt Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 Sneak preview I guess. Again. Johnny B. Fair Before I discuss the mainstream media's handling of Chris Benoit further I'd like to take a moment to challenge the charges made by Scott Williams of the Wrestling Observer. We also know that for every outraged parent who first read or heard Benoit’s name when this news broke, there’s a wrestling fan trying to rationalize. Don’t take my word for it – use any search engine to find an online wrestling message board or blog. You will find someone trying either to explain circumstances to mitigate the double murder, offer bizarre alternate theories, or argue that we should focus more on Benoit’s tremendous in-ring ability than the crimes that punctuated his life. It’s this mentality that has kept fans from getting outraged at the dozens of drug tragedies in wrestling’s recent history. It’s this mentality that led fans last year to care more about Kurt Angle’s next in-ring opponent than the real circumstances of his departure from World Wrestling Entertainment, where Benoit also worked. This is the mentality of wrestling fans — not all of them, but a disturbingly large percentage who speak out. It allows them to weep and wail about wrestling’s latest tragedy (which they inevitably never saw coming), while they plunk down money for entertainment they know is bought with dangerously heavy drug use and simultaneously say, “It’s not my fault that (dead wrestler’s name here) chose to put bad things in his body.” Is WWE owner Vince McMahon to blame for Chris Benoit killing his family and himself? Are wrestling fans? No, Benoit has deservedly traded in adulation for revulsion, ultimately accountable for his hideous acts. But the wrestling business fosters an environment that’s anything but healthy, and both it and its fans spring to the unhealthy system’s defense whenever tragedy hits and outsiders question it. We’ve seen plenty of that this week, as well. In the weeks to come, we’ll get an answer to at least one question: will this tragedy torpedo the wrestling business? Those who knew him best say Chris Benoit loved the wrestling business. Ironically, it’s possible that his end could precipitate its end. However, we already have an answer — one that’s been evident for a long time, to anyone willing to look hard and honestly — to another question: Does wrestling deserve to be sunk? That answer is a sad, sorry “Yes.” This wrestling fan, for one, is criticizing and defending which is what I believe to be the proper and necessary response. When the mainstream media uses the testimony of the Ultimate Warrior and Chyna on the air it deserves to be criticized for presenting a misleading and incredibly tainted version of speculation, let alone events, and when the press does a number on what actually happened by hypothesizing nonsense about Nancy Benoit's ex-husband murdering the them all, well, it deserves to be criticized. It deserves to be criticized for running amok with Steroids! as the headline when the truth is far from it, as many believe, myself and the wrestlers who knew him and the police department investigating included. Similarly, anyone that would claim that wrestling "creates the monster," as Nancy Grace did and Williams is doing, deserve to be criticized and vehemently so. I simply can not accept any claim of "Wrestling creates the monster!" or "The wrestling business encourages this behavior!" as that's demonstrably untrue (how many other wrestlers have gone off on double homicides?). Anyone who would argue that wrestling creates more monsters than the post office or working at Dairy Queen or writing on a political website for a living has an agenda, and anybody who would argue that wrestlers themselves are inherently more dangerous than most just because of the work they do is dishonest as well. I'm just disappointed that someone who covered wrestling for a living would fall for such gobbledygook, because I'm only defending wrestling from those who would claim that it creates double murderers and child killers and monsters as a matter of routine and use the Ultimate Warrior and Chyna to paint a picture of steroids as if every professional wrestler is a homicide waiting to happen. I am defending the business from nonsense. I am not defending it from the claims that it should be forced to change the way wrestlers schedule, especially in the WWE. I am not giving the drug policy ("The Wellness Program") a ringing endorsement, as I definitely believe it should be tightened. That said, let's not lose our mind and start calling for an end to professional wrestling or perpetuate the partyline about wrestling creating monsters. Bruce Hart, who was Bret Hart's father and Benoit's trainer in the famed Hart Dungeon, made some interesting comments on Friday that I missed until now. First, let's look at the introduction to the article, Chris Benoit was a "delusional juice freak" who chased the dark side and had trouble distinguishing between his fictional character and reality, says the man who started him out in professional wrestling. "The last time I saw him he was in pretty rough shape mentally," said Bruce Hart, son of the legendary Stu Hart. "I didn't know all the details but I knew it wasn't good. I was not at all shocked (by what happened). and now let me say, "Nowhere in the article does Hart call Benoit a 'delusional juice freak.'" He goes on to talk about Benoit's mental health, and he says that Benoit appeared troubled every time he saw him in recent years, then he criticizes the WWE for not being able to see that something was wrong with Chris. All of these points are interesting, and I think the last one is valid (an employer must be able to tell when its employee is ill; to WWE's credit, they've said numerous times that Benoit's been a different man lately: to their detriment, they didn't ask him to see a counselor or do enough to help him, but it is also important to know that two of his best friends in the business had died within the last two years). But beyond all that, I think the author of the article deserves to be fired for the introduction, as do the editors who allowed (and, I'm sure, encouraged) it, as it's completely dishonest but drags in the reader. Let me ask you something, Dear Reader. Do you think editors and producers all over called a conference and said, "The man and his family are dead, right? So nothing matters now besides ratings, right? And bringing down the wrestling industry?" because it sure seems like that's what happened to me. I'd like to briefly discuss the mainstream media's coverage of the Benoit murder now and focus a little on cable, since I've spent a few hundred words talking about print sources already. Here is a YouTube page that has video of many of the wrestling segments on cable news. First, I'll say that I'm disturbed by the inclusion of Johnny B. Badd Mark Mero to the list of wrestlers who've been interviewed as Mero didn't know Benoit particularly well, hasn't held a steady, serious job in the wrestling industry in ages -- but other than that, he's a great source! Actually, I think he might be a little better than the Ultimate Warrior, and he's a lot better than Geraldo Rivera, but that doesn't excuse him or the media from turning this tragedy into a circus, and in so doing creating a second tragedy. I only wish Johnny P. could B. Fair and Accurate, but that's far too much to ask when there's money to be made, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Pratt Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 I've added two paragraphs to the beginning: John Meehan of 411mania has posted a comprehensive timeline of all the things that have happened in this story and what they mean to the wrestling community, coupled with rebuttals and support of every claim made by critics of wrestling and reporters in the wake of Chris Benoit's actions last weekend. It's very much worth a read (that means "read it, Dear Reader"), and I'd like to say thank you to Meehan for posting it. After that, I'd like to direct your attention to this article about Benoit and drugs, specifically "GHB," which is often used as a date-rape drug. There's evidence to suggest that that was a drug he was using and that it caused him, as it's caused others, to go insane. I've long believed that prescription drugs, mental illness and a lack of harmony with his wife were the causes of Benoit's actions. It's a much more sensible reaction than "Oh, it's the steroids!" and "Oh, it's wrestling! because if it were the steroids, all of Major League Baseball and professional football would be filled with wife-killers and if it were "wrestling, more wrestlers would be murdering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyyle23 Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 all of the coding in your writing is making my eyes cross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purdue129 Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 For anyone that was on the fence about getting the ROH PPV, buy it... it was very well put together and they did a great job of introducing new viewers to the roster. The tag title match and the main event are worth the $10 by themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHizzle85 Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Umaga/Marella for the IC strap tommorow night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buehrle>Wood Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 So the only thing we know about Raw tonight is the main headline on wwe.com, the IC title match. Seems a bit fishy to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHizzle85 Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 (edited) Expect Cena/Lashley & Mysterio/Edge to be the main events at the Great American Bash. Triple H is pushing for Orton to win the strap. The idea is that Cena doesn't need the belt to be over with the fans and that he only gets boos from being the champ. And that more money will be made in him chasing Orton for the belt. Oh, The Mcmahon angle was to conclude with everyone finding out he faked his own death....lame. per the observer. Edited July 2, 2007 by MHizzle85 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buehrle>Wood Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 QUOTE(MHizzle85 @ Jul 2, 2007 -> 09:00 PM) Triple H is pushing for Orton to win the strap. The idea is that Cena doesn't need the belt to be over with the fans and that he only gets boos from being the champ. And that more money will be made in him chasing Orton for the belt. Someone has a brain backstage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Pratt Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Hey guys, I need a favor. If each night, someone could check out WrestleCrap or some other site and see who was where on the news re: Benoit and drop me a note with a recap, let me know. I haven't got much Internet access now because of a move and so I need some help recapping as I don't have cable either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Critic Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 I don't know if I buy this, but here's an article from the Sun newspaper from England: http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2003560...7300340,00.html It says he used the Crossface to strangle his son. Isn't the Sun kind of "Enquirer-ish"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T R U Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 QUOTE(The Critic @ Jul 2, 2007 -> 04:55 PM) I don't know if I buy this, but here's an article from the Sun newspaper from England: http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2003560...7300340,00.html It says he used the Crossface to strangle his son. Isn't the Sun kind of "Enquirer-ish"? Ha Thats dumb, the Crossface doesn't even strangle as a hold itself.. they, much like everyone else, probably dont have an idea what they are talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purdue129 Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 If they're going to push Lashley like they're planning, please god get him a mouth piece... he's leagues below every other of their top guys on the mic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soxfest Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 They were protecting Mr. Kennedy tonight he must need a little more time to heal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 QUOTE(Soxfest @ Jul 2, 2007 -> 10:39 PM) They were protecting Mr. Kennedy tonight he must need a little more time to heal. Exactly. Usually when two faces are going to fight for a title, wouldn't they shake hands at the contract signing. Turn Lashley Heel and give him AAE as a manager! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 RVD's contract quietly expired on Saturday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Pratt Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 Somebody please PM me about Warrior's appearance tonight. My latest article: Causes for Concern [soprry about the HTML] I believe that the police officers in Georgia should be disappointed in themselves for releasing this irresponsible and demonstrably improbable bit of speculation. WWE wrestler Chris Benoit is said to have murdered his seven-year-old son with his WWE finishing move according to police in Georgia. Police are speculating that Benoit, 40, used a version of the Crippler Crossface hold on his son the morning after strangling his wife Nancy, 43, to death. Later that day Benoit committed suicide, reports The Sun. The Crippler Crossface was a move Benoit performed in almost all his wrestling matches. It was the bruising on the young boy that threw police initially, according to the Sun's report. The Sun claims an officer reviewed tapes of Benoit and put the moves together with the marks on the child. The Sun reports that "the marks on Daniel's body matched the application of a version the Crossface." The Sun reports that District Attorney Scott Ballard said: "A choke hold was used to strangle the boy, rather than hands, because there's no bruising consistent with strangulation by hands." According to the Sun, wrestling reporter Dave Meltzer claimed: "There was bruising consistent with the Crippler Crossface on one arm and Daniel's face. There were no bruises on his neck. The police don't believe, because of the size difference, that the hold was applied exactly as it would be in a pro wrestling match. "Benoit would have been in more of a kneeling position, sort of straddling Daniel while using one leg to pull back on his arm." First of all, the article points out what I would: the move would be impossible to do on a child by a grown man, but the second point I'd hammer upon is that the boy was asphixiated and the Crippler Crossface can't possibly asphixiate you. If it's true that Benoit used a chokehold of any sort on his son, it's misleading to call it a variation of the Crossface. You just can't do it, and if he simply choked him and pinned him down with a knee, that's not a wrestling move, and it's misleading to talk about it as a wrestling move. Theoretically, I could sneak up on someone on the street, twist their arm and choke them with my bicep from behind and someone could say, "He's using a wrestling hold." But I wouldn't be, and neither did Benoit. The policemen should be ashamed of themselves for speculating that he used the Crippler Crossface, although I will say that I'm not sure policemen have made such claims as it's only been reported in print by the Sun of England and then parroted through the blogosphere. It is, at least, bad reporting, and the bloggers who have spread the claim should be ashamed. It's a horrible killing as it is. Let's not pretend that Benoit put him into the Crippler Crossface, too. If you want to have an investigation, investigate his doctor and the pharmaceutical industry, instead of interrogating wrestlers over whether or not wrestling makes a man into a monster. I've always believed America to be overmedicated and medication in excess to be dangerous. I don't think I'd ever take a Prozak or a Benedryl or a Viagra pill. Further, doctors who overprescribe their patients violate their oath and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law -- which should reach further, in my view. The personal doctor of a pro wrestler who killed his wife and son before committing suicide was charged Monday with improperly dispensing painkillers and other drugs to other patients. The seven-count indictment said Dr. Phil Astin, physician to wrestler Chris Benoit, dispensed drugs including Percocet, Xanax, Lorcet and Vicoprofen between April 2004 and September 2005. The recipients were identified in the indictment by the initials O.G. and M.J.; Benoit's initials were not listed. U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda Walker ordered Astin held in lieu of $125,000 bond and said that regardless of whether he came up with the money, he would be in jail overnight. Astin will be under house arrest once he posts bond, she said. A criminal complaint filed before the indictment and made public Monday said Astin had written prescriptions for about 1 million doses of controlled substances over the past two years, including "significant quantities" of injectable testosterone cypionate, an anabolic steroid. The complaint by Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Anissa Jones said the amount of prescriptions was "excessive" for a medical office with a sole practitioner in a rural area like Carrollton, about 40 miles west of Atlanta. Doctors like him alarm me far more than any professional wrestler and pills like those he, and they, prescribe cause far more monsters than Vince McMahon does. I don't understand why Fox and CNN and the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times and the Asheville Review don't all go after the pharmaceutical industry instead of wrestling -- or, at least, alongside it. It's just as seedy, twice as dangerous and reaches more people. Not only that, it'd create waves as big as "Wrestler Kills Family: Ultimate Warrior Agrees It's a Bad Thing, Hates McMahon." But I guess they don't want anybody to know about their drug problem, which is America's drug problem, which is the reliance on "harmless" stimulants and relaxants. (And before I'm accused of hypocrisy, I'd like to say that I don't believe in painkillers or relaxants or stimulants. If I want stimulation, I turn on my music, call a friend or drink a Coke. If I want to go to sleep, I insomniac around until I go to bed. The last time I took a painkiller it was a one-time deal when I tore my left knee apart and the doctor's insisted on it before the X-Rays. In hindsight, I'm glad they did because the pain was brutal even with the pill, but I never used the ones they gave me to take home. None of this is to say that I look down on wrestlers and stuntmen and football players and circus clowns who have to take pills for their pain. It's the doctors who over-prescribe and the parents who over-medicate their children and the system that encourages it and ignores it that bothers me.) I have a couple more notes. Scott Ballard, District Attorney of Fayette County in Georgia issued the following statement this afternoon to gossip website TMZ.com: "There are additional reports that contradict the earlier information that suggested that Daniel Benoit may have suffered from Dwarf Syndrome or Fragile X Syndrome. Daniel's family denies that he suffered from either condition. As a result of the family's concerns, the Fayette County Sheriff's investigators and the District Attorney's Office have inquired into this matter. A source having access to certain of Daniel's medical reports reviewed those reports, and they do not mention any pre-existing mental or physical impairment. Reports from Daniel's educators likewise contradict the claims that Daniel was physically undersized. The educators report that Daniel graduated kindergarten and was prepared to enter the first grade on par with the other students." I'm not sure how I feel about this. It seems odd that a seven year old would just be passing Kindergarten but I have nothing else to add. It's sad and tragic whether or not he was suffering from Fragile X Syndrome or in full health, but we'll see what else is said about it in coming days and weeks. This article about Benoit's neighbor who was friends with his wife and discovered their bodies and has run off to Boston where she used to work as a publicist because she's in pain over the loss of her friend Nancy and her boy Daniel and is uncomfortable with all the media jackals around says that Daniel Benoit suffered from Fragile X. Who knows? In more media news, Hulk Hogan has publicly called out Nancy Benoit as a "Satan worshiper." Chris Benoit was a peaceful man, according to wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan, but his wife Nancy Benoit may have worshipped the Devil. According to Hulk Hogan, Nancy Benoit's wrestling character was into devil-worship, but Hulk thinks she may have made that character her reality. Hogan tells USWeekly: "He was peaceful and kept to himself." As for what Hogan thinks of the double murder/suicide? "I think it had to be something personal, a domestic problem between him and his wife." Hogan then talked about Nancy Benoit: "She was into devil-worship stuff. It was part of her [wrestling] character, but [she was] somebody who gets so close to their character, someone who gets into their character too much. Sometimes these people believe their own publicity." Hogan is the last man in the world who should be talking about wrestlers believing their own publicity, for one thing. He also sounds like an idiot saying that Benoit is a peaceful man and Nancy was a Satan worshiper. I will concede that I agree wholeheartedly that it was all a domestic dispute gone terribly, terribly wrong, but I can't say I'm happy with what Hogan said or the frenzy it's caused. Lastly, these are Lance Storm's thoughts on Benoit. I'm glad he took his time in writing them to learn all the facts, and I'm sad that he, like we, had to go through this, especially since he was close to Benoit. I'm also happy that someone else in wrestling -- someone far more influential than me or Keller -- is calling for something to be done about the problems faced by wrestlers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T R U Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 I just went to Best Buy and picked up the 3 disc Ladder match DVD they recently put out.. 21 entire matches, ill check it out and let you guys know if its worth the buy.. im pretty sure I can safely say it is, but hey who knows.. Royal Rumble anthology is still $200, I will be getting it in the near future though.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 I pre-ordered the Stone Cold DVD that comes out next month. I'm kind of interested in the Ladder Match DVD but I have seen all those already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T R U Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 QUOTE(Brian @ Jul 3, 2007 -> 09:04 PM) I pre-ordered the Stone Cold DVD that comes out next month. I'm kind of interested in the Ladder Match DVD but I have seen all those already. So have I, but now I can watch them whenever I want.. this brings my collection to the Wrestlemania Anthology, Ladder Match Set, ECW: Blood Sport, RVD: One of a Kind, Shawn Michaels: Boyhood Dream, and soon to be the Royal Rumble Anthology Dunno if you wanna include the countless VHS WWF and WCW pay per views that I have.. s*** I watched World War 3 98' the other day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 I used to have a bunch of wrestling tapes but I gave them away years ago. Wish I had some of them like the ECW shows from 1995 and 1996. If the Ladder Match set ever drops in price, not that it is expensive, I would probably get it. What a bout a DVD with all the War Games matches? Granted, there were only like 8, but you can add Elimination Chamber matches and Hell in a Cell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts