RIP Jack Brisco

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jack Brisco passed away Monday morning. He was 68 years old.

Brisco had been battling an assortment of health problems in recent years, including circulatory problems and emphyzema. He underwent open heart surgery a few weeks ago, and a little over a week ago, collapsed while undergoing rehab.

Brisco performed for various territories of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) throughout the sixties, seventies and eighties, becoming a two-time World Heavyweight Champion, and multi-time tag team champion with his brother Gerald Brisco.

He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.

Guess who ELSE is comin back?!

That "other" guy from MNM.


PWInsider is claiming that according to news from "multiple company sources," Joey Matthews, better known as Joey Mercury from MNM, is set to return to the company soon. He's tentatively scheduled to rejoin the Smackdown roster.

Any coincidence that his former partner, John "Don't Call Me Johnny Nitro" Morrison is also on Smackdown? I could never put my finger on it, but I always preferred Mercury in this team, so I'm happy to see him coming out of retirement (if this story holds true). And now that Nitro/Morrison has done so well for himself and made himself so much more watchable, a re-partnering (or perhaps a "jealous ex-partner" feud) could be a fantastic little mid-card program to watch.

Beth Phoenix needs to STFU

So last night, Beth Phoenix became the second woman ever to compete in the Royal Rumble, after Joanie "Chyna" Laurer paved the way in 1999. And Beth had some not-so-nice words to say about Ms. Laurer in a post-match interview with WWE.com. Now for the sake of all things good and holy, let's hope that this interview was kayfabe. Then again, what would be the point of kayfabing an interview about someone who's been out of the business for years? Whether it's real or not, here's what Beth said and what I have to say about it.

Beth Phoenix: “Despite Chyna’s accomplishments [in the Rumble]. I eliminated The Great Khali. Seven-foot-three, 420 pounds. No small feat."
Me: Khali. Wow. Dude's been a sideshow joke for the last 3 years. He should be a dominating monster, and instead he's been hosting the kiss cam and delivering head chops to jobbers. Way to go, Beth.

Beth Phoenix: "I am WWE’s Glamazon. Chyna was WWE’s Ninth Wonder of the World … mostly called so because people wondered whether she was a man or a woman. I often wonder this, myself.”
Me: Pot? Meet kettle. Thy color is black. You spent 99% of your program with Santino playing butch to his bitch, and you're going to talk about someone else's androgyny?

Beth Phoenix: “Chyna would have had a slight size advantage in her primebut I’ll tell you what Chyna was missing and that was heart ... Chyna got comfortable, she got soft in her position. I’m quite the opposite. I get better and better. In the ring, toe-to-toe with me, Chyna doesn’t compare.”
Me: NO HEART? Okay, this is where I absolutely have to believe this is kayfabe and Beth is just trying to heel it up. Chyna did more for (American) women's pro wrestling in her time than you can ever, ever dream of doing in 20 lifetimes, and you're going to stand there and talk shit? I'm pissed off about this and I'm not even the huge Chyna mark on this team.

Here's where we sit: Chyna's been contacted to take part in some of this guest host/diva business and she said no, she had some movie deals and doesn't want to work with Triple H. And that's understandable, as when you're given the world by somebody and then they pull it out from under you, you probably never want to have a thing to do with that person again. But if this little interview is just another way to goad her into coming back... you know what? I hope she does, and she walks right down in the middle of one of those 8-diva clusterfucks they call matches, and she comes flying in the ring all hot-mess style and shoots on Beth. Shoot on ALL of 'em. Show the world a thing or two about who still belongs in that ring and who doesn't.

Guess who's back... back again?

Welcome home, champ.


Last night at the Royal Rumble, many stories unfolded -- but none more exciting than the return of BEARDY EDGE! I know the "surprise return fron injury" has been slightly overdone but man, major kudos to WWE for having the wherewithal to not just slap in the same boring feud here. HBK/HHH got their "rocky" partnership thing over, Punk got to preach to the crowd, Beth Phoenix got to spit all over the grave of Chyna's career (more on that later), and freakin EDGE IS BACK.

This makes me even more angry that Sheamus retained though. Edge coming back, going to Raw, and setting up a 2 month Rated RKO feud with Face Edge and Heel Randy? This thing writes itself! OR, does Edge stay heelish tweener and go back to Smackdown, challenge Taker for the belt and his second chance at ending The Streak?

By accounts from those at the show, Edge stayed in the ring for another 10 minutes after the show, soaking in some "welcome back" chants from the crowd. WWE needs to capitalize on this -- and bringing Edge back over to Raw immediately makes it a little more watchable.

Welcome back, Edge. We missed ya.

Raw Going to 3 Hours?!

I feel the same way, Maggle.


More news from Dave Meltzer via Gerweck.net: Apparently there's talk of Raw expanding to a 3 hour show when TNA makes the move to Mondays (which is still thought to be happening on March 1). TNA's unsure yet whether to keep the same start time or move up an hour, but word has it that USA has been pressuring WWE for a while now to change Raw to 3 hours, with much resistance from Vince and Stephanie McMahon.

Because that's just what we need. Another hour of Lawler phoning it in, Cena never giving up, mis-using Kofi Kingston, not using Charlie Haas, and Michael Cole reminding us 4 more times that we're watching the longest running weekly episodic show in cable TV history. Gag.

TNA Hits Record Rating

Excited DW is excited.
(Credit to somebody at wrestlecrap)


The 1/28 episode of TNA Impact garnered themselves a 1.4 rating (rounded up from 1.38) and is now the highest rated Thursday episode ever. I thought I remembered a 1.4 last year as well, but that must have been rounded up from a 1.37 or such.

Now I am not, by any means, declaring this a big victory for TNA (even if DW and Tenay on perpetual loop high-fiving is the most awesome thing you'll see all weekend). In fact, there's big cause for concern when you look at the quarterly breakdown:

1.51 Bischoff, Hogan, Foley segment in the ring.
1.46 Anderson interview, Wolfe vs Morley
1.44 Hernandez vs Daniels
1.43 Beautiful people vs Kong, Hamada, Tara
1.42 Angle, Hogan segment in the ring, The Band attacks Angle
1.27 Motor city machine guns, Kendrick vs Generation me, Amazing Red
1.22 Williams vs Amazing Red in a short match, backstage segments with Bischoff/Foley and Bischoff/Flair/Styles
1.30 Mr Anderson vs Jarrett

A steady decline in viewers, until the main event. But on the postive side of the negative, their low quarter (1.2) is still better than the 0.9-1.1 purgatory they were in BH*. And the 1.51 at the top of the first hour is an indication that many people were interested in the "crap" known as the Orlando Screwjob last week... or at least something on the show is catching their attention and making them curious to tune in. And with viewership already up on Thursdays, this is a good sign for the rampant speculation by Dave Meltzer that the next live Monday show is actually the beginning of a permanent move to Mondays with the old Raw schedule (live one week, tape the following show the next night, rinse, repeat).

It may not be the "Monday Night Wars" renaissance quite yet, but... we're on the right road.


* Before Hogan

This just in, the fat Scott Hall isn't impressive.

Sue me for the spanish, I needed a before and after 10 years of McDonalds picture.

Word 'round the campfire is that Scott Hall and Sean Waltman are doing an incredibly poor job of impressing the TNA brass. Reports went so far as to say that most people even expected that Hall wouldn't last very long, but they were surprised that Waltman didn't attempt to make a better showing, since he's done a pretty efficient job burning his bridges in the good ole US of A.

I guess it's pretty hard to be 51 years old and an impressive in ring athlete, especially if you're Scott Hall and you look like you've stuffed doughnuts in your cheeks to get you through the winter.