Special Cast 007 :: Dean Stahl Interview

Dean Stahl of http://www.headlocksandheadaches.com to chat with the Dirty Dawg Darsie to talk about what got Dean into professional wrestling in the mid-80s, what got him out in the early 90s, Hogan and the New World Order helped get him back into wrestling, CM Punk’s podcasts with Colt Cabana and the Art of Wrestling, and Comics!

Check it out!

Like us on Facebook!
http://facebook.com/MainEventStatusRadio

Listen to us on SoundCloud!

Special Cast 007 :: Dean Stahl Interview

http://www.podtrac.com/player/NTQ3NzE1/MjY1

CM Punk Won’t Wrestle Again

By Eric Darsie

Week after week it seems like the discussion of “Will CM Punk come back to the WWE?” isn’t as much as the prior week. Between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, everyone online seemed to fantasy book how CM Punk would return at WrestleMania and shake things up (since he last appeared in the Rumble match). When WrestleMania XXX came-and-gone and Punk didn’t do a run-in during the show, I feel like the discussion pretty much crashed and burned about Punk coming back to professional wrestling.

There’s been an article written from one of CM Punks closest friends about him, stating that “…he’s the recently retired seven-time World Champion…,” indicating to me that he has no interest on coming back with his current state of mind (the whole article can be found here). The author of that article, Natalie Slater, even appeared in the CM Punk DVD “Best in the World” that the WWE put out a few years back.

We all know that CM Punk can be moody and with how it sounds like where he’s at mentally, he won’t be back, if at all. Chris Jericho mentioned in a interview, saying that “It took a long time for me to be able to come back, and I was probably the same age as Punk is now too, so maybe he’s going through the same thing and after a few years he’ll come back.” Jericho said that it took him a couple of years to even put any professional wrestling on his television, and after he was in the spot mentally to watch again, he slowly started to gain the passion to come back, and if Punk is in the same spot as he was, Jericho could see Punk coming back after a few years out of the industry (the interview can be read here if you’re interested).

I can relate to all the CM Punk fans, I am a huge Jericholic and was down for a few weeks after Jericho was written off after SummerSlam 2005. The difference between the two is Jericho finished off his contract and Punk walked off. Still, I fully understand where you guys are coming from. Before he left, I was getting more-and-more behind Punk, but he wasn’t anywhere close to being my favorite like Y2J was when he left in 2005.

So, my opinion about Punk coming back? I don’t think he’ll ever come back. He distanced himself from the business in the last four months, enough that he finally started to tweet again about a week ago (his last tween was on January 27^th and his first tweet back was on May 18^th). Yes, he’s active again on Twitter but everything he tweeted about was in regards to hockey. No explanation about why he’s gone or any news on his wrestling career.

Only Punk, Triple H, and Vince McMahon know what’s going on with CM Punk and his wrestling career (at least in the WWE). Since he made most fame in the WWE and made a great living up there, I can’t see Punk going to any other promotion to preform again. If McMahon tried to offer Punk everything that he request, what other promoter would be able to grant every wish Punk desires?If CM Punk’s anything like Chris Jericho, he wouldn’t want to go to any other wrestling promotion than

WWE because of loyalty. Jericho said in numerous interviews and in his books that he dreams were to compete for Vince McMahon and since he made most fame over there and still in good graces with McMahon, he will never compete for another company. I know Punk and Jericho are there own individuals. The impression I get from Jericho, who knows Punk personally, the vibes I get are the same for Punk that Jericho has.

If you dreamed about becoming a professional wrestler and you accomplished your dreams in the biggest company, headlined their biggest event of the year and held their company title on multiple occasions, why would you go to a smaller promotion? The smaller company wouldn’t be able to secure you the same finances like the giant company could, and did. The smaller promotion isn’t as popular as the giant company, unless you want to try to build up that smaller promotion. I’m sorry but I can’t see CM Punk going back to TNA, since they seem to be a sinking hole. Could Punk go back to ROH? I see there’s a better chance of that happening than him going to TNA.

I guess to put it in a condense statement: I believe CM Punk is officially done with professional wrestling. He’s done everything he wanted to do in the industry, he saved up money that he doesn’t need to compete in the squared circle anymore, and he’s happy to be out of the industry that’s hard to get out of. Let’s watch and discuss some of his best matches and support him with whatever he decides to do. If he decides to come back, let’s welcome him with open arms. Like said, I can’t see him coming back. Thank you CM Punk for everything you’ve done and all the punishment you put your body through to entertain me.

Could the WWE Network Devalue the WWE World Heavyweight Championship?

Could the WWE Network Devalue the WWE World Heavyweight Championship?

By Eric Darsie

One of the biggest moves the WWE has made in the last decade has to be creating the WWE Network. On the opening day, I subscribed to the Network, excited to watch older pay-per-views from World Championship Wrestling and from mid-90s World Wrestling Federation. Another thing I’m thrilled about being a subscriber to the WWE Network is getting the current pay-per-views for free (technically it’s included with the $9.99 a month).

The pay-per-view name is starting to be phased out and the term “special events” are being used over the traditional pay-per-view name, since cable providers aren’t carrying the cards as pay-per-views anymore. After WrestleMania XXX, I’m starting to be concerned with how these “special events” will be booked.

First off, I find the “special events” name to be silly because I grew up with the pay-per-view name and loved the “supercard” name that was thrown around whenever I watched 80s WCW or WWF television. Whenever there’s a title match on Monday Night Raw or Friday Night SmackDown, those matches should be seen as something special, because it’s not usual to see championship brawls on television.

I feel if WWE booked these “special events” like they did for traditional pay-per-views or old Saturday Night’s Main Events, current fans and old-school fans who bought the Network off of the classic programming would tune in to watch the monthly “supercard.”

But with how the booking, in my opinion, hasn’t been as good as it once was over a decade ago, I’ve been in-and-out interested on the current product the last five or so years, depending on what storylines are a-happenin’ on the television every week. The Shawn Michaels-Chris Jericho feud from 2008, or the 400+ day WWE title reign of CM Punk, or the rise of Daniel Bryan and the Yes Movement, feuds and storylines like such are a few things that peaked my interest in WWE since WrestleMania XXV.

Secondly, and the biggest problem I have with the WWE Network is the WWE World Heavyweight Championship being devalued with the “special events.” The reason why I’m concerned that the WWE World Heavyweight title will be devalued is I’m concerned that the WWE Creative Team would consider the “special events” as an extension of Raw’s and SmackDown’s that they write for every week. Since the buyrate of the pay-per-view doesn’t matter anymore, why should they build-up storylines and have them climax once a month or why should they book a storyline that ends with a plot twist or an ending to the story once a month?

I am sure I am overreacting on my concern, since WrestleMania XXX was the only pay-per-view to be offered on the Network and only way we would know the pay-per-views/“special events” are simply an extension to weekly television once a month is waiting for WrestleMania 31 and see how things were booked between WrestleMania’s, but I feel like this is something that should be a concern for WWE and for the fan of the WWE product.

What would I suggest WWE Creative to do with my concern? I hope they prove me wrong by booking these Network pay-per-views like they had before when they were still offered on cable providers and deliver on the “special events,” making people want to turn into Raw every Monday night and SmackDown every Friday night and keep subscribing to the Network for they can continue watching to see what’s next for the following “special event.”

Yes, I am saying the Creative Team inside the WWE should do what they’re hired to do and give us angles and storylines that brings us back every week and give us a reason (or better yet, reasons) to give up our hard earned money to see what they have next week-in-and-week-out, and more yet, month-in-and-month-out. I guess, in the end, I don’t have much faith in the WWE Creative Team. They have put on awesome shows the last three months with the Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, and WrestleMania. The build for Evolution versus the Shield for Extreme Rules. The beat-down that Kane gave to WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan on Raw on Monday, April 21^st.

I am looking forward to seeing how the six-man tag match will climax at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view and I am excited to see how Daniel Bryan retains the WWE World Heavyweight strap in a Extreme Rules match against the Big Red Machine. I hope the Creative Team keeps this trend up because if they do, my faith will be built back up in them and they’ll bring me back into the current product.

So, could the WWE Network devalue the WWE World Heavyweight Championship? As a whole, I don’t think so. But the Creative Team can by how they book pay-per-views. That’s with any champion and any era. I feel like the WWE Network could help bring value back to the WWE World Heavyweight title, and any other title the Creative decides to put value back in. Like said above, I hope the Creative Team keeps up with how they’ve been booking feuds and storylines so far this year, things are slowly starting to look positive.

WWE SummerSlam Tour

WWE SummerSlam Tour

One of the perks of where I work, I’m able to listen to my iPod and usually listen to podcast, to help past the time. I listen to a lot of wrestling podcasts, talking news and reviewing classic events, among listening to different podcast of interests I have outside of the industry of professional wrestling.

Anyways, one of the wrestling podcasts I listen to discusses wrestling events that’s ten years old or older. The podcast I listen to is called the Old School Wrestling podcast (found here) and on their 99^th episode, the host discussed the National Wrestling Alliance’s 1987 Great American Bash tour (podcast can be found here). Pushing a three hour show, I enjoyed listening to the Black Cat and Dre from start to finish. While listening to their show, I thought of something that inspired this blog.

What if Vince McMahon takes the World Wrestling Entertainment on a similar tour that Jim Crockett took the Jim Crockett Promotions on the Great American Bash tour for a few years in the late-80s? Could a professional wrestling tour be successful in the 2010s?

With SummerSlam being the WWE’s summer WrestleMania, why not give it a different taste than your normal wrestling pay-per-view feel and combine what the Jim Crockett Promotions did and capitalize on a summer tour?

Here’s my idea for the WWE SummerSlam tour: eliminate the June and July pay-per-views and after the May show, build up SummerSlam by the winner of a summer tour gets a shot at the WWE Champion. To go with the SummerSlam DVD sales, why not make it a two-disc sell and on the second disc, put together all the matches of the summer tournament tour, for we receive a snapshot of why the challenger was facing the WWE Champion in the main event.

One thing I enjoyed from my teenage years was when the WWE did for one year only when building up Brock Lesnar in 2002, having him win the King of the Ring tournament and challenge for the Undisputed WWE title at SummerSlam and used the July pay-per-view as a stepping stone between the July PPV and the August PPV to continue building “the Next Big Thing.”

Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown, as well as WWE’s Wednesday Main Event should host a few of the matches, but shouldn’t be the focus of the three WWE weekly shows. Why not add in a few summer specials on television, similar to what they did in the late-80s and early-90s with Saturday Night Main Events, only for the summer. Maybe call it the “WWE: SummerSlam Special Tour, Episode (insert a number here)” and limit those shows to a couple a year, to make it something special, and make the SummerSlam build mean more.

Could the WWE use their June and July pay-per-views to build up properly to SummerSlam? They hadn’t in years and I don’t have the faith for them to try again. So if they eliminate two pay-per-views and schedule only ten PPVs a year, having three months between the May show and SummerSlam, SummerSlam would mean more since, if booked properly, would mean more since there were months between the paid shows.

I guess you, the reader, might be yelling at your screen, telling me that I answered my question in the paragraph above, saying that even eliminating two pay-per-views, WWE would crap on my idea since their bookers can’t write the storylines that a lot of us loved when we were kids. I’ll give you that. WWE has guys like Zeb Colter (Dutch Mantel) and Paul Heyman, who the books could be given to after WrestleMania and let them book the storyline and let Triple H or Vince McMahon, whoever, guide them and approve and disapprove on where the storylines go.

WWE had everything at their fingertips (or in their hands, depending on how old school they really are) on booking this correctly. I don’t have much faith in their booking abilities nowadays but the little faith that I do have in them, if they treated this like something special, they could make this mean something.

To conclude, this was a fun idea for me to kick around and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. Let me know if you guys think my idea could work, or what changes you would cause, or if you could simply rewrite my blog and add in your own ideas, what are they? I’m more than happy to hear your thoughts and opinions. Thanks for reading and have a great rest of your day!

WWE WrestleMania XXIX Review and Opinion

WrestleMania 29 Review and Opinion

By Eric Darsie

Sunday, April 7^th, 2013 – East Rutherford, New Jersey – MetLife Stadium – 80, 676 people jam packed the MetLife Stadium, located on the outskirts of New York state, where the Undertaker continued his streak to 21 and 0, Alberto Del Rio retained his World Heavyweight Championship, Triple H came out of retirement to defeat Brock Lesnar in a No Holds Barred match to continue his couple-match-a-year career, and John Cena defeated the Rock to capture the WWE Championship for the record-setting eleventh time.

I had several old college buddies and a handful of co-workers head over to my place tonight for WWE WrestleMania XXIX and for a few of us; we made it an all-day event. Three of my co-workers and I got up early to head over to our local Godfather’s Pizza chain and had their lunch buffet, catching up since we normally don’t work next to one another and discuss the 29^th installment of Vince McMahon’s SuperBowl of wrestling. It didn’t dominate our conversation, which I enjoyed, since I’d be making it an all-day shindig anyway.

Came home and we all separated for a few hours and I listened to Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, talking Saturday night’s WWE Hall of Fame and tonight’s pay-per-view. Enjoyed their Hall of Fame discussion, since Alvarez was there live, and was excited for their discussion on WrestleMania. Only thing they mentioned was, everything other than the Ryback/Mark Henry match remained the same. I scratched my head, knowing that Ryback had a lot of PPV loses under his belt, thinking that it’d make sense if Ryback won in regards to rebuild him for the future, if McMahon and the Creative Team wanted him to be the future of the company.

Knowing that you can easily find the results to Mania (to go to WWE’s official site, click here, which I used for this blog, or Wikipedia, which was the second site I used for this blog), I won’t talk much about the results of the event, rather, I’ll let you readers know about what I thought of the show.

As a whole, I thought it was decent, better than WrestleMania XXVII, but not as good as WrestleMania XXVIII. I say that in regards to the fans not seeming interested in the No Holds Barred or the WWE Championship matches, since they came after the Undertaker/CM Punk match. Once the DVD comes out, I’ll be re-watching the Lesnar/Helmsley match and the Rock/John Cena match, to see if it was coming directly after the emotional Streak versus Punk match.

Something that I was surprised at was the four billed main events were all consecutive for this year’s WrestleMania, since the last few years, that wasn’t the case. I figure that’s why the fans seemed a little down for the two matches that followed the Undertaker’s win, I feel that’s something needed for this year’s WrestleMania and future Mania’s, since filler matches, in my opinion, really don’t add anything to the show, other than taking time away from matches, or giving the fans a bathroom break, which I’m sure McMahon doesn’t want.

Several surprises came for my buddies when Fandango defeated Chris Jericho in 9:13. I mentioned that I learned through listening to the Wrestling Observer Radio that Jericho was back only through Mania, wanting to come back for short sprits over being gone for long periods of time. I, as with everyone in my living room, was happy for Jericho, to seem him back, and to see him put over the new-comer in Johnny Curtis.

Another surprise came when Mark Henry defeated the Ryback. I mentioned it a few paragraphs above, and I’ll write it again, I am surprised much-so that Henry went over Ryback, since the end of 2012 and the early weeks of 2013, it seemed that the Ryback was the future of the WWE and a future main-eventer of WrestleMania. Maybe he will be, have to wait to see, I suppose.

For the first time ever in WrestleMania history, the Rock and John Cena main-evented consecutive years. For me, the Rock and John Cena outshined last year’s match and both guys put on a better show this time around than last. How so?

The WWE Championship helped me keep interest in the match. Yes, Rock missing two Raw’s a few weeks back and Cena missing the first Raw the Rock missed, but I feel like tonight’s match was our “sorry for that” kind of receipt. Granted towards the end of their match, the crowd at my place and I felt it was too much when Cena kept going for the Attitude Adjustment and Rock countering and trying to Rock Bottom him.

The torch was passed tonight in the middle of MetLife Stadium after Cena reclaimed the WWE Championship when the Rock shook Cena’s hand and hugged him. Cena let the Rock take center-stage to soak up the fans’ appreciation for coming back, mouthing, “Thank you, I love you.” Even if the Rock is done wrestling, I do appreciate him coming back and having the tag match at Survivor Series 2010, last year and this year’s WrestleMania, and the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber from this year.

If the Rock is done with this run-through, thank you Rock for taking time out from Hollywood to compete a few more times.

To conclude, hands down, the Undertaker defeating CM Punk was the best match of the night. The World Heavyweight title defense was better than I imagined, so Del Rio and Swagger put on a great showing. The No Holds Barred match between Lesnar and Triple H wasn’t as fast paced as I expected, but hard-hitting, and I appreciate them putting their bodies on the line for our entertainment. Granted the fans live didn’t seem as into as the match last year, I enjoyed the WWE Championship match between current champion John Cena and former champ, the Rock.

Match results (and times, thanks to Wikipedia):

John Cena defeated the Rock – WWE Championship – 24:01

Triple H defeated Brock Lesnar – No Holds Barred – 24:00

Undertaker defeated CM Punk – 22:08

Alberto Del Rio defeated Jack Swagger – World Heavyweight Championship – 10:30

Fandango defeated Chris Jericho – 9:13

Team Hell No defeated Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston – Tag Team Championship – 7:19

Mark Henry defeated Ryback – 8:03

The Shield defeated Randy Orton, Big Show, and Sheamus – 10:35

The Miz defeated Wade Barrett — Intercontinental Championship

To the WrestleMania Haters: Stop Complaining and Watch

To the WrestleMania Haters: Stop Complaining and Watch

By Dirty Dawg Darsie

One thing I’ve been hearing a lot for this year’s WrestleMania is a lot of complaining since the build-up for the WWE Championship match between champion the Rock versus his challenger John Cena haven’t been “up to par for the die-hard fans.” I even heard people comparing this year’s WrestleMania to WrestleMania IX in 1993. I’m writing to those people who are down on WrestleMania XXIX: quit complaining!

I want to bring attention to last year’s WrestleMania, WrestleMania XXVIII, with the main events being Triple H versus the Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell, the WWE Champion CM Punk defending the title against Chris Jericho, the World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan facing Sheamus, and the Rock taking on John Cena – deeming that match “once in a lifetime.” Okay, why bring up those four main-events and why bring up last year’s WrestleMania? Everyone wanted to watch those matches yet after the show, only match they liked was the “End of an Era” Hell in a Cell match.

After the show last year, I remember people crapping on the show since it didn’t live up to their expectations. For me, WrestleMania lived up to my expectations, and I had none. Why? I listen to podcasts, recapping the shows and discuss the main angles from the week, and I watch Raw from every week, but when I hold any wrestling show to a certain standard, it never lives up to it. Last year for WrestleMania, I didn’t hold any standards for it, so it blew nothing out of the water.

So, those who been bashing WrestleMania XXIX, stop doing so! Do what I and if the build-up for any of the matches aren’t living up to your expectations, don’t have any.

The WWE Championship build-up hasn’t tickled me in any way, with John Cena and the Rock missed a Raw a few weeks back and the Rock missed the following Raw, so I understand on how that build-up hasn’t been that great. Their promos have been hit and miss for me. Whenever both men are serious and say why they believe they can defeat each other, and obviously respond, I enjoy it. Whenever Cena goes on a long mumble or they joke around stuff that doesn’t matter, they kill the excitement for me.

Also, in regards to their match, I hate that people are complaining about their WrestleMania 2012 match was built as “Once in a Lifetime” and they’re facing each other again. What did they expect once the Rocky defeated the active, full-time John Cena? Rock grew up in the business and is back wrestling the few matches he has to give back the industry he loves and grew up in. Yes, Rock defeated CM Punk twice, but for business, that was the best thing to do. And for business, Rock losing to Cena at Mania this year is good for business (that’s what is expected).

I’m sure you, the reader, aren’t excited for the Chris Jericho/Fandango match either. I wasn’t either once that match was announced, or when those two teased it on television. We all know that Jericho’s at the end of his career and comes around whenever his schedule allows him to. With his run last year, losing to CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler, Jericho’s back to put the new generation of stars over. If you don’t believe me, look at his last run when he came back in 2007 and feuded with Randy Orton, he put over Orton right from the start!

With Triple H versus Brock Lesnar, all I can say about their match is, just watch. Yes, even I expect Triple H to go over, even though rumors already from the Wrestling Observer gentlemen, Lesnar will be facing the Rock next year at WrestleMania in New Orleans, and it’ll make sense for Lesnar to go over, but the last several WrestleMania matches Triple H’s been in, they’ve been amazing, regarding as one of the best matches on the WrestleMania card, and even for the year! I don’t think Triple H came out of “retirement” to retire from wrestling, but enjoy the ride and see what he and Lesnar have for us to watch. I know both men want to steal the show and want their match to memorable, so let’s step back, not hold any standards to their match, and enjoy what they do best, and that’s put on a show inside that twenty-by-twenty ring.

To conclude my opinion piece, if you don’t like what the WWE Creative Team has for us in regards to the build for WrestleMania 29, don’t hold any expectations and enjoy the ride that we’re on. I did that for WrestleMania 28 and enjoyed the show and don’t understand why people crapped on the matches from that card. No one likes to hear people complain, keep those negative opinions to yourself and let the wrestlers do their job and entertain us.