On May 16, a local wrestling organization MCPW (Mr. Chainsaw Productions Wrestling) will be holding its annual Battleground event at the Kaliseum in Kalkaska, Michigan. This event will feature such names as Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs from Ring of Honor, among others. But, the big draw of the event will be a special guest appearance by current TNA World Champion Mick Foley. I of course will attend the even, since it is only 14 miles away from my home.

MCPW, as mentioned earlier, is a local wrestling organization in Northern Michigan. It is a fairly new organization, as it has only been around for a couple years. It is affiliated with NWA. For more information about the organization, you can visit them at MCPWrestling.com. I have been to a few of their events, and the wrestlers put on a really good show, even though there is never what I would call a huge amount of fans in attendance. It is that reason why I can never understand how the promoter can afford to pay wrestlers such as Mick Foley, or even the ROH guys, to come. But, he somehow finds a way. At last year’s event, the Sandman was the big draw.

This will be the second time I met Mick Foley. He came up to Petoskey about, oh, maybe 5 years ago or so and spoke at the North Central Michigan College. It was a very entertaining night. Afterward, I was one of, what seemed to be hundreds of people to stand in line to get his autograph. I had him sign my copy of “Have a Nice Day”. I will never forget the conversation I had with the former WWE Champion. I said “Hey Mick!” and he said “Hey, how ya doin’?” Yes, it was quite a conversation. I actually tried to keep it going, by saying “Fine…how’s the hand?” (because I thought it has got to be sore as many times he signed his name). But, he didn’t reply. I am sure he didn’t hear me. At MCPW’s Battleground III he will be part of a meet and greet. Not sure if that means, for X amount of dollars, you can have your picture taken with him, or what. But, I am going to save my money up for whatever it is. I am sure once he sees me, he will remember me from Petoskey and our conversation we had! Or, maybe not. If this all goes through, I will write about my experience, and hopefully post a picture of me and Mick. If you are interested in the event, please check out the MCPWrestling.com web site, and do whatever you can to attend. This organization doesn’t seem to advertise like I think they should, and I hope they can get all the money they can at events like this, so they can keep it going!

WWE.com has the retirement tour listed under Germany’s scheduled events as, “WWE SmackDown & ECW Present Undertaker’s Rest In Peace Tour.”

I am sure we all knew this day was rapidly approaching. He has been in the WWE since, what, 1991 or there abouts? He has pretty much done everything he could possibly due, fued-wise, and I think the WWE is running out of fueds for him. Plus, I am sure his body is really hurting by now from all his years in the business. He was definately very lucky to escape WrestleMania without being seriously injured, what with that bothced spot where he practically landed on his head when he jumped over the top ropes and landed on the “camera man”, which was actually Sim Snuka. Was that incident Snuka’s fault by not being in the right spot, or did the Undertaker land short of the target? Who knows. But, it was reported the Undertaker was “running on fumes” for the rest of the match after that spot. You gotta give him credit if that is true. He put on one heck of a match after that.

I guess we will wait to see how his retirement is booked and see how the WWE promotes it. Hopefully, he gets a very worthy sendoff.

Opening:
The opening history of WrestleMania video played, and all the pyro went off. Always awesome. Then Nicole Sherzinger, lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, sang “God Bless America” in the ring. That brought to mind when I was in attendance at WrestleMania 23. Aretha Franklin sang it there. Hmm, Nicole Sherzinger, Aretha Franklin. I think we all know who we would rather see.

Money in the Bank Ladder Match:
The annual MITB match wasn’t that bad. I am sure we all felt it was going to be something to behold, what with all the high-fliers in the match…..you know, like Mark Henry and Kane. It wasn’t bad, thought. Shelton Benjamin ran cat-like up a series of ladders, and Kofi Kingston ran up the ladder ash it was held, closed, by Mark Henry. CM Punk won the match, for the second year in a row. The crowd didn’t seem too keen on Punk. I wonder if that is just a Texas thing, or that is becoming the norm? Kind of surprising that he won again. I was kinda hoping Christian would have won. Anyway, like I said an ok match. But, I am not sure if there was a “Holy $#!%” moment.

Kid Rock Performs:
Ok……Kid Rock is performing. Nice performance, not sure why they needed him to perform, though. At least it was a different way to bring the Divas to the ring for the 25 Diva Battle Royal. But, I wished that they would have introduced all of the Divas, especially the returning Divas from yeteryear. I am sure many people at home didn’t know the likes of Sunny, Molly Holly, etc were actually in the match until they were eliminated.

25 Diva Battle Royal:
Like I said, I wish they would have introduced the Divas, so we could see the ones that were returning. Oh well. It was an ok, match. Nothing noteworthy, except the introduction of a new Diva, Santina Marella, Santino’s twin sister, no less. She seems to have quite a future in front of her, becoming Miss Wrestlemania and winning the Battle Royal in her debut. Odd, I would have thought Santino would have come down to the ring and celebrated with her. He wasn’t even on the show. Well, I guess they only have room for so many wrestlers.

Chris Jericho vs Legends
I couldn’t believe how this match turned out. It was basically no contest when Jericho pinned “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. But, I’ll be dipped, Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat can still do it. He looked really good. For one thing, he looked to still be in decent shape (at least he looks better than JBL). He skinned the cat and sailed over the top rope like he was an active wrestler. But, in the end, Jericho won. Then, of course, like we all expected, Jericho mocked Mickey Rourke, who was sitting at ringside, and egged him into the ring, which Rourke eventually did. They both threw a few jabs, then Rourke sent a “thunderous left” (cough, cough) and laid out Jericho, then celebrated in the ring with Ric Flair. It was at that point where, reportedly, “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart, had the same reaction as me: “That was it?” All of that buildup and media hype, and that was it? It was a little pathetic. If it wasn’t for Steamboat, who I am sure surprised most with his ability, it was a pretty forgettable match.

Hardy vs Hardy:
This was a match I was looking forward to. Matt and Jeff Hardy, 2 extreme risk takers, were going to let it all hang out! No telling what moves they were going to do to each other in this epic battle. At least, that is what I thought. Seemed like Jeff did all the crazy stuff. Not that there was a lot, but he did most of the high risk manuevers. But, in the end, that is what did him in, as he tried to leapfrog over a ladder and land on Matt, who moved out of the way. Jeff got all mat, but no Matt. (Did that make any sense?). Matt was able to capitalize for the win. I was a little surprised that was the end, but I am sure this sibling war has just begun.

Rey Mysterio vs JBL for the Intercontinental Championship
Well, unfortunately, I looked down into my popcorn bowl to get a big handful of popcorn, and when I looked back up, the match was over! Rey Mysterio pinned JBL in 21 seconds to become the new Intercontinental Champion! Wow. Who would have thought that? JBL was so ticked off, he quit! Now, he has known for a while that WrestleMania would be his last match, as he is ready to move on. Well, you sure did go out in a blaze of glory, JBL! On a different note, what the heck was Rey wearing? Looks like an homage to Heath Ledger as the Joker. OK? Looked more like Doink the Clown. Suspenders too, eh? Okie Dokie! Well, it worked! JBL was probably dumbfounded when he saw Rey, causing him to lose. Back to JBL’s performance for a minute. At least Snuka and Piper and say they out-performed him. Sheesh.

Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker
Match of the night, by far! A picture of it even made the front page of the Houston paper! You could see why Shawn Michaels is Mr. WrestleMania, even in defeat. First of all, he made one of the coolest entrances of the night, as he “ascended from heaven” dressed in white. And what a performance he and the Undertaker put on. I am not sure how long the match was, but it was a long one, and a very hard fought one. At one point, I thought the Undertaker might have broken his neck, when he flew over the top rope, only to seemingly land head first on a cameraman that Michaels pulled in front of him. But, he didn’t. The Undertaker, later in the match, put Michaels in 3 different finishers: the chokeslam, the last ride, and a tombstone, only to kick out each time. But, he couldn’t withstand a second tombstone, and the Undertaker went to 17-0 at WrestleMania. Both performers should have gotten a standing ovation. They both equally gave it their all.

John Cena vs Big Show vs Edge for the World Heavyweight Title
I didn’t get to see much of this match, as my computer and my video stream had issues. So I had to reboot my computer at this point. I did manage to see all the John Cena look alikes come out to his old “Thug Life” entrance music and stood along both sides of the isle while Cena came out. That was kinda neat. When my computer came back on and I got the stream back just in time to see John Cena hoist the Big Show and Edge up on his shoulders (over 700 lbs of wrestler) to give them an attitude adjustment. But, Edge slipped off, so he gave it to the Big Show first, and then Edge. I wonder if Cena was to flip both of them off into the attitude adjustment at the same time, but Edge couldn’t hold on. Well, either way, it was a very impressive feet by John Cena, who won the championship, and celebrated by going into crowd, like he did when he won the title for the first time. So, the 10 seconds of the match I saw were good.

Stone Cold and the Hall of Famers
The Hall of Fame class of 2009 was introduced, including Austin, who then went to the back, only to come back out to his entrance music in a 4-wheeler, and take it down and circle the ring, then get out, and have several beers in the ring, as he saluted the crowd. Jim Ross mentioned this as being the end of the Stone Cold era, and that he was saying goodbye. That actually made me sad. It was like we were never going to see him again, which I know we will, someday.

Triple H vs Randy Orton for the WWE Title
This match was pretty disappointing to me, too. I expected a knock down, drag out match from 2 wrestlers that hated each other. Well, it kinda was I guess, but I don’t think there was anything really special. I kind of thought it would be neat if somehow, Stone Cold would have gotten involved and helped Triple H beat Randy Orton by giving him a Stone Cold Stunner, and ironically helping the McMahon Family. That would be fitting, since Orton keeps on bragging about how Austin was one of his legendary victims. But, there was no such outside interferance by anyone. Triple H did win, but I was surprised that that was when it ended. But, I guess it was fitting. Triple H nailed Orton with the sledgehammer, and got the 1-2-3. You know that this battle, like the Hardy battle, is just beginning.

Final Thoughts
I am glad I didn’t pay almost $60 for this on PPV. I enjoyed it, as I have seen very few WrestleManias live. But, I just think some of the matches could have had more to them. The legends match was very disappointing. In a way, it is too bad the Shawn Michaels/Undertaker match didn’t end the show, as that was the best match of the night by far. But, that is usually reserved for a championship match, so I won’t make too much of a stink about it. So, for the money I paid, I got my money’s worth!

The title of the book is a claim that is sure to leave many skeptical. In order to be the definitive guide to a company with 45+ years of history you need to work endlessly to make sure you don’t leave anything out. Vince McMahon’s forward to the book proclaims it to be the “first ever official documented history of the WWE”, Throughout the years we’ve all heard about superstars and events going down in the history books and now we have an officially recognized WWE history book, and quite frankly it’s an extremely impressive one.

Authored by former WWE employees Brian Sheilds and Kevin Sullivan (no not the taskmaster) and coming in at over 350 full colored pages, profiling nearly a 1000 superstars and utilizing over 1500 images from the WWE and PWI archives, the WWE encyclopedia is packed with more than enough information for you to become an expert on the who’s who and the what’s what of the WWE.

As with any encyclopedia, the book runs from A to Z. The majority of entries are the profiles of the superstars of the WWE. This includes the obvious big names such as Stone Cold, John Cena, Taker and Michaels, but also includes the names you possibly never heard of or tried to forget such as the Battle Kat, Mystery Man and Friar Furgeson, It even includes those you probably didn’t even expect to be in the book. I speak of course of the names WWE chooses to forget sometimes, the most obvious being Chris Benoit who is recognized with a half page bio with no mention of the 2007 tragedy. Those who have crossed Vince McMahon, those who have sued him and those that are currently working against him in TNA are all recognized as well, which to me was a sign that for once the WWE was not going to censor a product because of a grudge they have with someone, which scores it bonus points in heading towards the goal of being the definitive guide.

A title history for every single WWE title is featured in the book. From little known titles such as the Woman’s Tag Team Championship or the World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship to the most obvious WWE Championship, every single champion is recognized. The one odd thing is that the WWE officially recognized the entire US title history while in WCW but did not recognize the World Heavyweight championships history prior to their adopting of it in 2002.

Pay Per Views and Television is also recognized. A complete history of Wrestlemania caps off the book, while other PPV’s include a recap of the main events of said shows. 30 years of WWE television is also documented with a short explanation of each show. Spotlghts on WWE merchandise, Video Games, Fan signs and superstars in themovies are also included.

The book has a suggested retail price of 45$ American but is available via Amazon for 30$, The book is hardcovered and sports large 12 by 9 pages. I was legitimately impressed with the presentation of the book and its wealth of information, For those wondering for the most part the book is kayfabed. No real names, identities of masked superstars or post WWE career information is included, but nonetheless this book is a must for any true WWE fan and can be a reference tool for those who write or speak about the company as you can certainly learn a lot about the company’s history. Is it the definitive guide to the history of the WWE? It’s pretty darn close, I would definitely consider this the definitive guide to the kayfabe side of the WWE, while the definitive guide to the business side of the company and how it evolved through the years could easily fill another book, and or has been covered in an array of other books over the years.

Thanks, Steven. The WWE Encyclopedia sounds like a gotta have item for any wrestling fan. I am going to be sure to get my own copy, especially since it is at a really good price. Be sure to pick up a copy at our online wrestling store. Or, for a direct link to the WWE Encyclopedia click here.

The 6-foot-6, 280-pound Martin held numerous WWE titles but was best known for his storyline “romances” with Stephanie McMahon (the daughter of promotion owner Vince McMahon) and Stacy Keibler. Martin and Keibler, now an actress who appeared on Dancing With the Stars, had an off-screen relationship as well until splitting several years ago.

After a popular stint with the company in the 90’s, Martin’s second WWE stint was bumpy. As soon as he re-debuted with them, he looked much more muscular, which had fans claiming he was steroid or some sort of enhancement drug. He received a major push the WWE’s Extreme Championship Wrestling brand, bu failed a drug test and was suspended under the promotion’s wellness policy in February 2007. Shortly thereafter, Martin requested and received his WWE release.

Most recently, Martin worked for NWA-TNA Wrestling under the name “The Punisher” Andrew Martin. Since then, Test faded in and out of the wrestling business, recently completing an overseas tour. He was arrested on a DUI charge near his Tampa home in April 2008.

It is another sad ending to a young wrestler’s life.

Variety is reporting that the 56-year-old actor had reportedly been offered only $250,000 to play the role. On Feb. 18, New York magazine reported that the deal seemed to have fallen apart, although sources told EW the next day that it wasn’t necessarily dead yet. Rourke’s agents have since renegotiated his deal, Variety says, but there’s no word on exactly how much he’ll be paid. Rourke will play a Russian character called Whiplash, using elements from another comic book bad guy, Crimson Dynamo.

Rourke recently scored an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of professional wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson, in “The Wrestler”. That was a movie about a once headlining professional wrestler who, now at the end of his career, makes his way through the independent circuit, trying to get back in the game for one final showdown with his former rival.

This story doesn’t necessarily relate to wrestling, except for that fact that Rourke has been welcomed into the wrestling world with open arms for his dead-on portrayal of a has-been wrestler in “The Wrestler”, plus he is going to be in attendance in WrestleMania 25, and have some role in a match with Chris Jericho.

As first rumored back in December here at The Wrestling Frenzy, it will be “Mr. WrestleMania” Shawn Michaels against “The Phenom” The Undertaker. This promisses to be a great battle, and could be the match of the night, which would be nothing new to Michaels. The Undertaker will put his streak of 16-0 on the line, at perhaps his last WrestleMania, against Shawn Michaels, who has had some of the greatest matches in the long history of WrestleMania. For more, check out my original post about Shawn Michaels facing The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 25.

Look, most of the WWE Divas were able to get breast enlargements, and the Boogey Man even got a new set of front teeth! Can something be done to give Michaels some hair plugs or something? I mean, he still has quite a bit of hair, but with that little thin spot on his left hand side, it makes that long hair look bad. If he were to cut much of that off, it would look much healthier. Plus, if he got some plugs, he could after all of that grow it long again, and it should look much better. I think if he got back to being clean shaven, he would also look better. After the huge change Chyna went through early on in her career (she got new boobs, a new jaw, and they fixed her teeth) it seems like the WWE could help one of their top-tier stars.
Now it is possible that Michaels could have all that done, but chooses not to. If that is so, then please Shawn, I beg you. Please look into all of this……especially if you are going to continue to have “Sexy Boy” as your entrance music.

According to several fans accounts, Jericho got into his car to leave the arena after a Raw brand house show and as he was about to turn after a stop sign, a fan swarmed the driver’s side, and proceeded to bang loudly on the window and repeatedly flashed middle fingers. Jericho then opened the door on the driver’s side and tried to get the fan to leave. A bunch of fans then started to gather around the car and a female spat on him while he was getting back into the car, which provoked an incensed Jericho to strike at the girl and knock her to the ground. At that point, a man in the crowd rushes in to attack Jericho, but he shoves him away. It then turns into a melee, and Jericho can he heard scolding security to do their job. He was yelling for security to do their jobs, while using some very colorful language. He then was finally able to get into his car after security was able to handle things, and he left.

WWE.com issued a statement saying “After leaving a live event in Victoria, British Columbia on Saturday evening, Chris Jericho’s car was attacked by a mob when he was stopped at a stop sign. Unable to proceed, Chris Jericho exited his car to ask the crowd to clear a path so he could continue through the intersection. A man and a woman physically and verbally assaulted Mr. Jericho. Arena and WWE security arrived to establish enough order to allow Mr. Jericho to re-enter his vehicle and depart. The local police arrived minutes later. Mr. Jericho was unharmed in the incident. The WWE is working with local authorities who are investigating the incident to identify the man and woman who fled the scene.” TMZ.com had video of the incident, and you can also see it below.

As you can see (and hear) the fans were using very fowl language and yelling at Jericho, and at first he was pretty calm. But, after the fan lunged at him, he reacted with a little physical force. To me, Jericho was clearly provoked, and even though it might not have been the right thing to do, I can understand why he did it. Looks like the fans were having a little problem with seperating entertainment with reality. Apparently Jericho said some things to the crowd in the ring that they took exception to. Have a look to see what happened, and judge for yourself. Who is to blame?