Heyman Hustle (original entries; 2008)

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Paul Heyman: Why I Left WWE

By SIMON ROTHSTEIN of THE LILSBOYS
Feb 4, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article762131.ece


HE’S the man who revolutionised the wrestling business.

The outspoken leader of a hardcore cult that will never die.


The creative genius forever synonymous with the letters E-C-W.


But for more than a year no one has heard a peep out of Paul Heyman.


Where was he? Why did he walk out of the WWE in December 2006? And most importantly what does he really think of Vince McMahon’s ‘new’ ECW?


Now, for the first time Paul answers those questions and more as only Paul can.


He also reveals the first details and advert for his exciting new project, the Heyman Hustle, which starts right here on The Sun Online on Monday February 18.


Enjoy!


Paul, let’s cut right to the chase. What happened with you and Vince McMahon?


I think what it boils down to is Vince McMahon and I have totally separate and distinct visions for what a wrestling or sports entertainment product should be.


There’s nothing wrong with having those different visions, the problem was that Vince started to take the difference of opinion personally.


And once that personality conflict comes into play, when you’re trying to steer the direction of a product, it becomes a bad work environment.


So Vince didn’t like working with me anymore and I didn’t like working with Vince anymore.


And it’s his company, so obviously he has to stay!


What do you think went wrong and why?


The brand should never have been brought back after the very first One Night Stand in 2005.


The follow-up show in 2006 made money, but only because it served as the platform for Rob Van Dam to beat John Cena.


Then Sci-Fi Channel was willing to give a test run for the brand ECW and they currently pay a lot of money for that TV show.


So the theory of bringing ECW back and making it profitable worked as a business move.


But the expectation from the audience that ECW was being brought back only served to be a monumental letdown.


By comparison, if someone were to resurrect The Beatles and say: “You know what, we want to make them more globally accepted, so we’re going to have a white guy, an Asian female, a Hispanic Bisexual and an African-American with a Scottish accent.”


In the land of WWE that actually makes sense.


But no matter how you look at it, it’s just not the Beatles.


So in the same light, it’s just not ECW.


‘Extreme’ doesn’t mean blood, or tables, or barbed wire. ECW was always about progression, moving forward, giving more bang for the buck.


For example, a finish in most every match. Simple thought. A winner and a loser. And a story with it that makes sense.


But if you voiced that opinion, Vince would take it personally.


If you look at the attempts to recreate the nWo, to re-create Goldberg and, even now, trying to recreate Ric Flair’s career on the line, Vince’s magic only happens when he creates it from the get-go.


If Vince doesn’t create it from the get-go, he can’t embrace the formula.


But why didn’t Vince just say: “Paul, I know you’re good at ECW, it’s on Sci-Fi, do your stuff, work your magic, make me some money?”


Because that goes against everything that is Vince McMahon.


Vince is such a control freak that if he sneezes, the next 10 minutes of any meeting are ruined because he is so p***ed at himself for not being able to control the sneeze.

And it’s worked very well for him in life.


He is a billionaire. He has his own luxury private plane and, by the way, it’s a really nice plane. He has things and property and cash that every other wrestling promoter in the world doesn’t have.


He has achieved these goals HIS WAY and so Vince is not about to let anyone have free reign over anything in his kingdom. That’s just not going to happen.


How was it for you to see ECW - your baby, the thing you created - almost destroyed in front of your eyes?


It was a very rough road because, make no mistake about it, Vince McMahon has every right to do anything that he wants with ECW.


He bought the right to exploit the intellectual property of the brand. It’s his, he owns it, and nobody can question whether or not he is entitled to do whatever he damn well pleases with it.


Rob Van Dam has articulated on this brilliantly in some recent interviews and it kind of brought back the memories of that time in 2006.


I tried to resign, and in front of other people because I wanted witnesses, several times in last two months of my tenure in WWE/ECW.


I offered my resignation to Stephanie on several occasions. I told her the tensions between me and Vince were getting in the way of the brand, that Vince was taking everything personally, and that it was neither fun, creative, or productive any more.


I thought if I left, Vince would give the brand the TLC - um, that’s Tender Loving Care, not Tables Ladders and Chairs - it needed. Stephanie kept trying to get involved, but Vince was on a tear.


I dare suggest that Vince was craving for someone to compete with him on any level, in anything in life, and also at the same time, hating to lose, said: “I have the original owner of ECW, I have the original creative mind of ECW, and you know what, we’re gonna battle over the creative direction of this product.”


And, at the same time, it’s like the WrestleMania main event - because it’s a predetermined finish.


At the end of the day, Vince has to determine what the direction is.


I’m not there to compete with him. I’m there to help him. I’m on his side, I’m his tag team partner.


It just became misery to work there which is why, as Van Dam has pointed out, I just wanted out so badly I finally couldn’t take it any more.


When did that happen, what was the actual date, because no one has known where you’ve been for a long time?


The final straw was the December to Dismember Pay Per View. That show was just a wreck.


I knew it going in. I kept trying to pitch different things for the show that week, that weekend, and even the day of the show. All day long on the day of the show, I kept coming to Vince saying: “The people are going to throw this back in our face.”


Can you give us some examples of the things that you wanted to do that Vince said “no” to?


I thought the undercard was horrible.


I thought that the design of the show itself made no sense.


I just felt that the entire layout of the show, the entire complexion of the event was a downer.


I also thought that we were doing Bobby Lashley no favours the way he was going to win the title. Lashley winning the title, especially if you eliminate Rob Van Dam and CM Punk early, would be leapfrogging over RVD and Punk.

Van Dam was the sentimental favourite, Punk was the kid that all the crowd was getting behind and they wanted to see the upset.


If you don’t appease the need for the audience to see that new hero get crowned like Punk did the week before at Survivor Series when DX let him say ‘Are you ready?’ then the audience will feel ripped off.


If you don’t put that spotlight on Van Dam, with whom the paying customers have just taken this long ride back into the title chase, then the paying customer will feel ripped off.


My opinion was to start the chamber off with the Big Show saying: “I’m a seven foot tall, 500lb giant, I’m gonna mow through every one of you.”


And the first to take him on would be Punk. Playing to the fact that UFC is so hot and in the public consciousness, Punk chokes out Big Show in the first round of the Elimination Chamber, four-and-a-half minutes in, and now the champion is out.


You know for a fact, before any two contenders lock up, I’m getting a new champion at the end of this match.


Then, the first guy to come out after Big Show v Punk, would be Van Dam. You let Van Dam and Punk fight it out, and then you start feeding in the heels.


Vince hated this. He especially hated the fact that Big Show liked it.


Even though he was being choked out within five minutes, Big Show liked it?


Of course, because he was making a new guy!


Big Show is so underappreciated in terms of how smart he is to the business, and how willing he is to make new stars.


Vince wanted all babyfaces out of the way and for all the spotlight on Lashley and for Lashley to do a Goldberg-style two minute squash of The Big Show.


At that point, not only did I realise that this is going to suck, not only is everyone going to throw this back at us, but this show is going to run short.


And during the show, I pointed all this out to Vince, which just angered him even more, and he didn’t care.


His attitude was: “When this broadcast is over, people will see a new champion, they’ll have a new hero and they’ll all be happy.”


When I went to Vince right before I went out to introduce the Chamber, I pointed out again to him “Vince this show is horribly short.”


I had this idea of getting 15 minutes out of the crowd, but Vince said: “No, no, no. Just go out there, make your point, and introduce the Chamber.”


Which is why, when I was in the ring, I made the statement: “ECW will live long after I am gone.”


Because I knew, either when I went back into the dressing room, or within the next day or two, it was time for me to leave.


Was there a part of you that thought about breaking character and actually quitting in the ring live on PPV?


No, because that would be unprofessional.


All that is doing is, in an emotional state, thinking that I am f***ing Vince McMahon over, and it’s a very dramatic thought but I have to say this on the record - I don’t think Vince McMahon f***ed me over.


I don’t think Vince, in his mind, did anything malicious towards me. I think Vince did what he either persuaded or convinced himself was the best for business.

The biggest shoot that I could do in that ring was not to say “I quit”. The biggest shoot that I could do was to make the statement “this brand goes on without me”.


That’s what I said, and that’s what ended up happening.


Do you think that Vince was trying to prove that Extreme didn’t work, as he didn’t invent it. That he was trying to destroy the legacy of ECW?


Like most people who make grand achievements in life – Bill Gates, Ted Turner, Richard Branson, Bill Clinton – Vince McMahon is a most complex individual.


It would take Freud himself to accurate describe, and probably 900 pages to do so, how Vince’s mind works.


There’s a lot of self-justification that goes on.


Vince could never accept that another brand could be successful.


Look at the success of The Rise and Fall of ECW, the DVD, which has sold close to 400,000 copies worldwide and at any point is the No1 or No2 bestselling DVD in sports entertainment history. The World Class DVD is just breaking out of 10,000 units sold right now. The Rey Mysterio DVD, the John Cena My Life DVD, sold approximately 30,000 units each.


You look at the staggeringly successful numbers that ECW DVD did, Vince’s answer to you will be: ‘Well, of course it sold that many, we’ve educated the audience that ECW is something special by the fact that every time a table broke, every time a high spot happened, every time an extreme style was showcased, we’ve encouraged the audience to chant E-C-W and we’ve allowed it on our broadcast.”


Now if you think about that logic, it’s so ass-backwards, that you’re going to think this man is a f***ing idiot or he’s insane, but he’s neither.


He has convinced, or persuaded, himself the statement is true.


And he wholeheartedly believes that the success of the first ECW PPV was because the $400,000+ gate that was in the Hammerstein Ballroom were the last vestiges of the ECW audience and all those people that bought it on PPV were WWE fans who were educated that ECW would be something special.


Vince McMahon would swear on his grandchildren that is an accurate statement.


He won’t be lying, he’ll mean it when he says it, unfortunately it’s the furthest thing from the truth.


So after December to Dismember, you literally left that night and never came back?


No, we clashed that night after the show, and the next day too. By then, that was fait accompli.


We were clashing on the plane going to North Charleston, South Carolina. It was ridiculous.


So by the time we got to North Charleston, I had already called home and said: “Just so you know, I’m coming home tonight.” I’d already made up my mind.


After the producers’ meeting, Vince, Stephanie and I sat in that room trying to determine what the future held¿ and I just wanted to go home.


We sat there for a while, there’s a lot of history with me and Vince, and there was a lot I wanted to say to him, to his face, and there was a lot that he wanted to say to my face.


I think we both had merits in our argument.


At the end of the day, I shook his hand and went home and I’ve never looked back.


Have you spoken to Vince or Stephanie since?


Oh, Stephanie called me the next day several times, and tried to repair it. I don’t think there was anything to repair.


I had a run in the wrestling industry that in my wildest dreams as a kid I could never have imagined.


As a performer I accomplished everything I could possibly have wanted. As I writer/booker, I had a run that all but the most uber-successful people in the history of this business could have ever fantasised about.


I owned a company that is the only company in history to be resurrected. Ted Turner lost hundreds of millions of dollars on WCW, no-one’s calling for the resurrection of that promotion.


My tiny little creative vision called ECW not only was resurrected but still stands today without me.


What more is there left for me to do?


Stephanie made me an offer in 2007 to come back and run developmental, because of the success we had in OVW.


She said; “Vince wants you to create new stars again, do what you were doing in OVW and also get Deep South Wrestling on track.”


They offered me that position, with the same pay, same stock options, same benefits.


It was a wonderful offer and anybody that has the opinion they wanted to drive Paul Heyman out of the business should understand that this offer was given to me and it was most flattering.


Of course, I’m sure that part of the deal would be “no contact with Vince” but Stephanie really wanted me to take the job, and was pushing me to take the job.


Stephanie was shocked that I wouldn’t jump all over this opportunity because on a money basis, it was an insanely lucrative deal.


A miniscule amount of the work I had to put in before, on a job that I truly enjoy which is developing characters, working with the next generation so every star of the next generation will have been moulded at least partially by me.


It was a very financially lucrative and creatively fulfilling job but by this point I just didn’t want it any more.


Our MMA correspondent at The Sun, Mark Gilbert, said you were trying to buy Strike Force at one point, is that true?


You kind of caught me off guard in asking the question, but it’s 100% true.


I don’t know whose names I’m supposed or not supposed to discuss, so I will skirt the issue of who else was involved by simply saying we formed a group of qualified, intelligent, motivated people last summer and had some meetings with Scott Coker about buying Strike Force and obviously keeping Coker intricately involved.


I think Strike Force was in a position to, if not challenge UFC, then be what ECW was in the 90s which is a very viable alternative brand.


I have a lot of admiration for what Scott Coker and his team have built in Northern California, and I like the name Strike Force. Good name for branding.


I like their presentation, I think they have some marketable fighters under contract, and we had a collective vision that I think could have really, really worked.


The negotiations stopped because one of the key people in our group ended up being someone we didn’t want to get stuck with, because we realised in the negotiations that he was the wrong guy for the deal.


Scott Coker is a good man. I like him personally, love his organization, and think he deserves a lot of credit for what he’s built.

Finally let’s talk about the Heyman Hustle. Let’s give people a taste of what’s going to happen on The Sun’s website in two weeks time.


Well, my partner Mitchell Stuart always laughs at me because I define the Hustle as the High Definition Video Blog of a Rambling Mind.


Our goal is to break ground in the wireless/broadband and digital/mobile platforms, which get so much attention from the entertainment industry right now because its unchartered turf and no-one has been able to figure out what the future holds on this constantly evolving concept.


We want to peel back the layers of celebrity and we’re going to demonstrate that larger-than-life personalities are not only found on television and the movies.


We’re going to find the extraordinary in the ordinary and find the ordinary in the extraordinary.


So, we’re just diving in as deep as we can go and trying to be the leaders of the exploration of this new universe.


So, we’re content providers in a brand new, exploding, and already rapidly changing field.


Damn, that sounds exhilarating!


*****


This Is Going To Piss People Off

By SIMON ROTHSTEIN of THE LILSBOYS
Feb 15, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article807442.ece

FOR most of his career in the business of professional wrestling, Paul Heyman was the most controversial man in sports entertainment.

Speaking for the first time since his fallout with the McMahons in December 2006, it is clear he has lost none of his ability to stir things up.


In our second exclusive interview with the man who made wrestling Extreme, Heyman reveals an outlandish conspiracy theory to explain who he believes will succeed Vince McMahon.


And it is something he believes may be the greatest Hustle of 'em all!


Heyman also gives his views on WWE's competitors TNA and ROH, and talks more about how he nearly entered the MMA business.


If you are a fan of Heyman's and have enjoyed our interviews, make sure you stick with The Sun for the Heyman Hustle, which starts right here on Monday.


Hello again Paul. The thing that surprised most people about our first interview was how warmly you described your relationship with Stephanie McMahon. There used to always be constant stories of rows, so did you grow to like each other over time or were those just rumours?


They weren't rumours, Stephanie and I clashed heavily through most of my tenure in WWE.


And I don't think it should be a surprise that we did. I came into WWE just as Stephanie was taking over the writing team.


Stephanie is a lot like her father. Even those closest to her would refer to her as The Vincess. And they said it in a manner that cannot be mistaken — they mean it as the ultimate compliment.


She has that drive, she has that ambition and she craves doing the job. Stephanie wakes up in the morning motivated to already be at the second item of the day on her yellow notepad.


Steph competes with herself to be better at her job tomorrow than she is today, and better two days from now than she is tomorrow.


This is an inspired person in terms of getting work done. If you don't admire their work ethic, that intensity of passion to make it all happen, then you're clearly missing something.


Stephanie was put in the position by her father that she had to prove to him every day that she could lead and manage people as he does. She had to show Vince that a group of people could be placed under her umbrella and be brought forward with her vision.


So along comes Heyman. Fresh out of his own promotion, a seven-year adventure that was like a rollercoaster with the blindfolds on.


It's pre-determined that we're going clash. And that's a test for Stephanie because her father has had to deal with strong personalities — be it his own dad, competing promoters or wrestlers from Bruno Sammartino to Steve Austin — it's just part of owning a company.

I faced that when I had my own company. So I do understand it from their perspective.


But by the end of my time in WWE, I can only say that she was quite supportive and would not accept my resignation on several occasions, and seriously tried to help the situation.


Do you not think that by the end Stephanie could just sense you had given up and wanted to make peace with you?


It doesn't matter to Stephanie whether she's at peace with you or at odds with you.


She has her father's ruthlessness and that's a very necessary component to taking over the company that she may one day inherit.


Stephanie wouldn't think twice about making peace with me if it's good for business. And she wouldn't think twice about slashing my throat if it's good for business either.


That is interesting — so you think Stephanie will take over the WWE from Vince rather than her brother Shane?


I have my own conspiracy theory on this and I know some people won't take it seriously because sometimes I don't take it seriously. But then, other times, I'm convinced that it's very accurate.


Oh boy, here we go. I'm sure this is going to p*** everybody off.


The theory is that Vince envisions himself running WWE well into his 90s, bypassing the Stephanie/Shane generation and going forward with the succession to Shane's sons because then it's a McMahon running the company.


Stephanie, who is far more publicly visible than her brother, has the boost of running the creative and talent ends, which is what most of the public sees. Stephanie will drive the product.


Shane, who has made and cultivated and nurtured new business relationships and explored new mediums and platforms and applications, grooms the next generation.


It's the same deal that is going on right now with The Royal Family — The Queen is staying alive so Prince Charles doesn't get the throne!


Vince has taken note of this exceptional Machiavellian play and has incorporated it into his own life.


Although you're not with the WWE, do you still watch the product?


Of course I still watch it. I'm still a big fan and I still appreciate the art form. I still get goosebumps seeing the live reaction when it hits.


I never lost a love for the business, it's just that my time in it is up.


I lived out every dream I could have possibly imagined about the wrestling industry when I was a kid. I had a blast and loved every minute, even the bad ones. Well, most of the bad ones. But I have other dreams, too, and I feel a need to pursue them.


As for the product, I think WWE is a fantastic company whose stock is undervalued.


They lost their biggest cash cow, John Cena, and still turned in a fourth quarter that was so profitable it exceeded Wall Street's wildest expectations.


This is a corporation that knows how to maximise assets.


The product is what we as fans put all of our passion into, and discuss and debate, but it's a business. And as a business it's the dominant brand with a market share that is mind-boggling.

But the money-making aside, what do you think of Raw, Smackdown and ECW? What makes you scream and shout, in good or bad ways, when you're watching WWE TV?


I don't get emotionally involved like that any more because I lost enough hair and gained enough weight worrying about these things when I was working there.


So now, I can just sit back and enjoy it for what it is — and that is the public vehicle given to the networks to sell ad time for a thriving corporation, designed in part to satisfy the network's criteria for paying the license fees, coupled with the need to promote, promote, promote.


From a business model perspective, Vince McMahon's theory and implementation of television is a fascinating study.


You talked about WWE being the dominant brand earlier — do you think rival American wrestling group TNA could ever challenge that?


I think TNA has a major hurdle to overcome — and that's the fact that they have no BRAND. There's no one on that roster that is branded TNA.


You look at Kurt Angle and you think WWE. You look at Booker T and think WCW, five-time, five-time, five-time or King Booker in WWE. You look at The Dudleys and think ECW or WWE or even tables.


You look at Samoa Joe, who should be the TNA guy, and you think this guy's great, when's he going to WWE.


Are there hot moments? Sure. Are there personalities to like? Sure. Is there a good work rate? Sure. But there is no TNA style, TNA persona or TNA brand.


They had an opportunity to do this with the X Division, which is a totally unique concept you don't see anywhere else in wrestling, MMA or sports entertainment.


That could have been their version of what UFC did with the Octagon but they diminished the effectiveness of their own creation.


They had a totally different and unique look and presentation, and then tossed it aside like it was just another gimmick.


For the life of me I can't understand why.

But surely TNA have a six-sided ring, a women's division that's becoming the best the US has ever produced, Kurt Angle praising TNA at every opportunity and lots of homegrown talent like Joe, AJ Styles, Kaz and Robert Roode?


I don't think the problem is in the talent, it's in the BRANDING of that talent. If you walked Angle through the airport, nobody would say: "There's that guy from TNA."


Nobody equates Angle, or anybody in that company, to TNA. As a company, they desperately need to address that.


For example, their women's division is attracting attention right now, there's some real momentum behind it. So why isn't Kong on television saying: "My name is Awesome Kong, I AM TNA and here's why."


Then you have ODB, and she says: "I'm ODB and I AM TNA and here's why." Then Gail Kim is doing a promo and she says: "No, I'M TNA and here's why."


TNA is WWE-Lite. Their TV show is the same thing as ECW's TV show. Their six-sided ring is the same as a four-sided ring.


There is nothing that is enough of a difference maker in the audience's mind that makes me as a fan say I'm watching an alternative, a different style, a different product and most importantly, a different brand.


They have a product that is clearly using the WWE formula with lighting that is less spectacular than Vince's.


If I was running TNA, or any wrestling company for that matter, as soon as I heard Paul Heyman was a free agent I would have picked up that phone. So have you thought about going there?


I have no interest in TNA.


They don't want someone to come in and completely change their formula. I don't even think they want to hear that their formula is in need of changing. They have a strong comfort level, thanks to the television contract with Spike in America and what looks like the stopping of their heavy financial bleeding.


TNA is a vanity piece and they don't want someone who comes in and says: "We really have to address all these situations."


The offer that Stephanie gave me to work with all the WWE's developmental talent would be one I would be very inclined to take, if I had any interest in staying in the wrestling business.


But now I want to pursue these other dreams and challenge myself to do other things creatively.


I would see TNA as a step down. It's a viable place to work, but I'm not interested in just doing a job. I want to be intellectually, spiritually and creatively stimulated and challenged. I want to create and participate in a vibrant creative atmosphere.


Bluntly, I don't see that as being part of what they could offer.


Surely there's a part of you that wants to go to TNA, use their talent and money, thrash ECW in the ratings and really stick it to Vince?


I'm not looking to stick it to Vince.


There's a lot of people who have wasted their lives saying: "I'm going to get Vince McMahon. Watch this — I'm going to say that he's a no good f***ing a**hole."


And while they're saying that, he's flying 40,000 feet up in the air back to Connecticut on his $80million private plane.


Hey, you really got him with that one guys! That's a sucker's move. I'm not obsessed with Vince McMahon.

There is an often forgotten third company in America, Ring Of Honor, run by an old protege of yours called Gabe Sapolsky. What do you think of the product and Sapolsky as a person?


I am very proud of Gabe. He has learned from all of the strengths of ECW and also our weaknesses.


He's developed a niche audience that is loyal to the Ring Of Honor product. With no resources, Gabe has branded Ring Of Honor far better than the multi-multi-million dollar TNA product.


When you see Ring Of Honor you know what you are watching. When you see a certain style you know it's the ROH style.


On Ring Of Honor's worst day he still delivers more bang for your buck than most people do on their best.


Do I think that ROH will ever be a global corporation? No. It’s not designed to be.


It's designed to be a boutique promotion to cater to a fan that is looking for a certain product. He has cornered that market and done a brilliant job in doing so.


Obviously working for WWE or TNA would be a full-time job. But have you ever thought of going to one of Sapolsky's shows, having a good time and just helping ROH out? He must have asked you?


I don't think I'd be helping Gabe out at all if I showed up. I don't see how I can contribute to what he is doing.


I neither want to be a nostalgia act — which is why I don't go to any conventions or do any shoot tapes, no matter how much they keep offering — nor do I want to be the guy who comes in and upsets the formula that has worked for Gabe and his company just fine.


Paul Heyman in Ring Of Honor doesn't add to Ring Of Honor. There's nothing I can tell his audience that they don't already know.


Gabe doesn't need my endorsement from me, he needs the endorsement of a 16-year-old kid who goes to school on a Monday and tells all of his friends: "Man, I went to a wrestling show this weekend and had the greatest time of my life. They're back next month – let’s all go."


Does he ask you for advice on ROH booking and do you give it?


I don't talk wrestling with Gabe because I don't want to influence his product. His vision works.


Has he ever called me for advice on a finish, character or angle? Sure.


But I'll give him a perspective where he can find his own answer. I don't want to give him the answer because then it's my answer not his.


Everything he does needs to have Gabe Sapolsky's booking DNA all over it. It's not supposed to be my vision. it's supposed to be his.


Talking about your Strike Force quotes in our last interview, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported you were also talking to MMA groups IFL and YAMMA. Is that true?


I met with IFL right before they went on television. They need an executive producer to run their TV shows and bring a vision to the product. Someone thought I was the right guy to speak with about that.


I just didn't understand where they wanted to take their company and what they wanted out of their television show. I didn't have a starting point from which to build.


First of all, to a kid, the cage is The Deal. MMA in a ring, to me, looks like those old boxing films of Joe Louis or Jack Dempsey or Max Bear. The old grainy black-and-white footage that looks like the Stone Age. The ring is yesterday's model.


The Octagon, or even just the cage, is what people view as MMA and that's a credit to the UFC's branding.


On the other hand Bob Meyrowitz, at YAMMA, is coming back to a business that he brought into the public consciousness.


I've met Bob at parties and weddings - we have a lot of mutual friends - and we've had lots of chats about the MMA business.

I'm interested in seeing what he does with YAMMA because doing PPV in today's environment, with no television to back it up or bring it forward, seems like a really tough assignment.


A couple of days before the big Heyman Hustle launch can you tell us a bit about what it will involve?


Well, we had everything planned for the first episode.


We were going to go to the private party for the cast members of the new season of Survivor, when an hour before we were supposed to start shooting we get a message that all media credentials had been cancelled.


Execs didn't want the cast members to be seen in public.


Now, keep in mind, we're on deadline with the first episode and we're on a tight schedule already. No time to arrange something else. No time to even scramble.


This is a total improv situation which, I must confess, is 10 times the adrenalin rush and a much more exhilarating evening of production in the most sensory-heightening part of the greatest city on earth — Times Square, New York City.


One hour to go. What do we do? What the f*** do you think we did?


We did a Hustle.

*****

I've No Answers And Never Will

By PAUL HEYMAN
Feb 21, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article829505.ece

OF ALL the issues covered in the two-part interview Simon Rothstein conducted with me leading into the debut of our new Heyman Hustle programme, the only one I told him up-front I was uncomfortable talking about was Chris Benoit.

Like many others, I spent a good part of last summer wondering what happened, speculating on the events that lead to the horrible tragedy on that awful weekend in June.


But also like everyone else, I have no answers. My theories are exactly that. Just theories. The only people who can accurately tell us what happened, what caused the chain of events that lead to three people's lives being extinguished, are all gone.


So, how does anyone tackle the subject of what happened? How does someone who knew Chris, Nancy, and Daniel convey his or her thoughts on this horrific murder suicide that touched all of our lives? Where do you start if you're trying to understand it all?


See, that's just the point. I don't understand it. I can't grasp it and I've given up trying.


It's obvious from what we know about Chris' diary and his concussions and his brain damage and his drug use that he descended into madness.


And before that, one would have to assume that unbeknownst to us all, he was a man prone to this level of - what word applies here - Evil? Horror? Darkness?


I live for my children. Wake up for them. BREATHE for them. Their very existence makes me love life more than ever before. They fulfil me.


And I had so many talks with Chris about that. The subject of our children was a breakthrough for us, because Chris was just never the type of guy I could socialise with, or talk on the phone with for a long time. We were on two different waves.


But we could talk about "personality" and "character" and "submissions" and "the art" for hours on end, and enjoy the conversation. But never about politics. Never about sports. Never about anything other than wrestling...


...and our children.


"Unconditional love," he'd tell me. Over and over again. It still resonates in my head as I write this blog.


Chris’ whole body language changed when we talked about our children. His voice got softer, his hands opened up and stayed open - he was always squeezing his hands or holding onto the straw in his mouth.


I'm babbling, because I still have no answers, and never will.


It's one of those things we're not supposed to understand, not supposed to be able to comprehend. Because we can't, even in our darkest moments, come remotely close to the very notion of harming our kids, let alone killing them.


Even writing that felt awkward.


It's like trying to wrap your mind around the emotions of a suicide bomber. You can't. You're not supposed to. You shouldn't WANT to be the type of person who understands.


Like in this case.


As I look back at all the media attention, I can submit to you it's a shame that missing in these stories is the tragic loss of three lives.


The professional wrestler, admired and respected by his peers, known in his chosen profession as one of the best in-ring performers the industry has ever known, who will now, much like OJ Simpson, never be remembered for his accomplishments, but only for the deaths his name will forever be attached to.


There's the young girl who got caught up in the wrestling business as a teenager, ended up leaving the business to become a full time mother, whose professional legacy and even worse, whose brutal murder has been eclipsed by the remembrances of what a "good guy" and a "great wrestler" and a "wonderful family man" and a "respected co-worker" her killer was.


And there's a seven-year-old boy, whose room was filled with posters and action figures of his revered father, who has been wrongfully labelled across the world as being a dwarf, or retarded, or a sufferer of Fragile-X, whose wrongly-reported disabilities have been speculated as the cause of the marital strife that many say drove the little boy's beloved father, the murderer, over the edge.

This is a story with no happy ending. It's a tragedy.


A terrible, horrific crime took place in Fayetteville, Georgia, at the home of Chris, Nancy and Daniel Benoit.


And while an entire industry reels in the wake of it, there are people in Edmonton and Florida grieving and trying to cope with the fact that not only have three loved ones perished, but also that no one can seemingly come up with a reason, even a bad reason, as to why.


Michael and Margaret Benoit lost a son, a daughter-in-law, and their grandson, and the family name will forever be tarnished by this heinous crime.


Paul and Maureen Toffoloni lost a daughter, a son-in-law, and their only grandson, and their other daughter Sandy lost her older sister and only nephew.


David and Megan Benoit lost their little half-brother and stepmom, and their father is dead.


I wish I could offer some perspective that would bring closure for people, or a theory that could allow us to even begin to come to grips with it all.


I don't have those words. I've been searching for a way to describe the anger, or the hurt, or the confusion we all feel trying to get past this enormous tragedy.


I've given up. It's just something, as my mother taught me many years ago, you have to live with, accept, and simply deal with for the rest of your life.


The only perspective I can offer is not a comforting one.


On that fateful weekend in June last year, in that house in Fayetville, Georgia, three people lost their lives. Two didn't have a choice.





*****


Steve Knew He'd Be The Best

By PAUL HEYMAN
Mar 21, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article947431.ece

IT was about 1am, or a half hour after we started taping interviews, when he leaned in to semi-whisper with that unmistakable gravelly voice.

His thick right hand pulled me by the arm even closer so that no one else could hear him.


"Goddamn kid, no limits here, huh?"


It was September 1995 and Steve Austin had just been fired from World Championship Wrestling. Steve and I had worked together in 1991 and 1992 when he was the WCW World Television Champion and part of The Dangerous Alliance.


While the Alliance was supposed to be WCW's new version of a Four Horsemen type group built around Rick Rude, it was obvious from day one that Austin was the future of the industry.


I remember how upset the then-head of WCW Jim Herd was at me because I had written an article for the WCW Magazine proclaiming that Austin would be the biggest star in the business. "He's good, but he's not great," Herd screamed. "You're a terrible judge of talent!"


ECW was built on the premise of being the anti-WCW. The word "Extreme" was not just about barbed wire, tables, and blood... it was a work ethic... a desire to partake and thrive in an uninhibited creative environment where a performer was challenged and indeed encouraged to push through their limits, take chances, and not be constrained by pre-set parameters imposed by people who didn't share their vision of themselves.

As a courtesy, I offered Austin the opportunity to do his promos early. I always thought Steve was a first class promo guy who was just never given the opportunity to let his real persona come out.


But Austin didn't want that courtesy. He wanted to be competitive. "If it's all right with you," he said. I'll go last!"


I told him: "LAST??? Last is around 4 in the morning!"


"I ain't got nothing to do before I catch my plane. I'll sleep tomorrow," he replied, as serious as I've ever seen him. "I wanna see what everyone else does, so I know who and what I have to top!"


It's that main eventer's attitude, by the way, that drove Steve to become the biggest star in the industry.


It's that desire, that competitive spirit, that insatiable craving to be number one, that propelled him above guys like Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, The Undertaker, and everyone else in the business to become recognised as the one star that Vince McMahon would bet his entire future on when WCW was mopping the floor with WWE.

On this September night in Philadelphia, Austin could not be distracted. He watched everyone's interview with an intensity that most people only reach during the height of a match. Austin wasn't just determined to do the best interview of the night, he was driven.


And then, it was time. Everyone had done their interviews. It was, as predicted, around 4am. Steve turned to me and asked, "What do you want me to say?" The answer was easy. "Tell everyone the truth. Tell them you're going to be the biggest superstar this industry has ever seen. Tell them what's in your heart, just let your character carry the message that you yourself believe in."


He got up, walked around, and got in "the zone". Steve knew it was true. He knew his talent was matched only by his need to be the best. He knew he could do it. He just never had the platform to prove it.


He sat down, and said: "Alright, I'm ready."


What happened next is just one of those moments in time that you never forget. Steve EXPLODED on camera. The energy, the force, the passion that was compelled to charge out of his being was so powerful, it left everyone in the room speechless.

I turned to Ron Buffone, who has shot some of the greatest interviews in ECW history, and begged, "Please tell me you got every moment of that on tape." Ron could barely answer. "I got it," he said, not being able to take his eyes off Austin, "Holy s*#%, I got it!"


Steve found himself. It didn't take long. He just needed that one chance, that one time, that one moment to be himself. No scripts from other people's screwed up vision of what he should be. No limitations. No preconceived notions of who he was, or what he was capable of.


When he was given that very same chance to be himself just nine months later in WWE, when he was allowed to break free of the limited "Ringmaster" character and was given the freedom to explore the limitless potential of "Stone Cold," Austin did it again.


He broke barriers. He didn't settle for "OK," he challenged himself to do more. To be better. To be the absolute best. It's never been a matter of "can I do it?" with Steve.


It's only been a matter of "give me the chance, and stand the F back!" He didn't think he could pull it off. He knew he could. There was never a doubt in his mind, because Steve Austin loves to exceed everyone's expectations.


And that's the bottom line, because time and time again, Stone Cold made it so!


*****

Paul To Ric: Stop Crying Already

By PAUL HEYMAN
Apr 06, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1005842.ece

A few disclaimers up front.

1) I'm a huge fan of ‘emotional’ moments on wrestling shows, especially ones based on merit and service more than tragedy.


2) I think Ric Flair deserves every accolade, every clap of the hands, every tribute paid to him at the Hall of Fame, at WrestleMania, and at Monday Night Raw for his retirement ceremony.


3) I cried my eyes my out watching Flair apologize to his children, and in some ways even more so by being such a man as to thank his first two wives at the Hall of Fame.


But jeeeesh, I wish Ric Flair would stop crying already.


The Hall of Fame speech, while edited for television, was a heart-wrenching genuine display of emotion that allowed Richard Fliehr a chance to thank everyone for letting him be - WHOOOOOO! - The Nature Boy Ric Flair all of those years, day and night.


That was an awesome television special. Flair was magnificent. He was gracious, eloquent, charming, choked with a passionate love for the family who sacrificed their time with him so he could be "that other person" that truly dwells inside him.


He was a man filled with pride yet regret; honour yet guilt; deep sorrow, but unparalleled accomplishment.


Then came WrestleMania.


In 10 years, this Mania will be remembered for two things.


In second place comes the fantastic Big Show v Floyd Mayweather match, which not only lived up to it's hype but far surpassed it.


By the way, Mayweather is a total pro for the match he participated in and showed what a phenomenal performer he truly is. Paul Wight is a giant without peer, a larger than ‘larger than life’ performer who stepped up like Bam Bam Bigelow did against Lawrence Taylor - like Ric Flair carried so many people who never truly understood the seemingly-effortless but totally brilliant job Flair was doing in making them look great.


And in first place, Ric Flair v Shawn Michaels.


That finish was an all time classic. The proud but wounded warrior struggles to his feet and asks for the execution to be given to him with dignity. He wants no mercy. It's not the way of the legends.


As the tears roll down the travel-beaten face of the pride-filled master in the final moments of his reign, the kid who idolized him fights his own conscience and gives the decorated chieftain the right to go out in style.


Shawn Michaels mouths "I'm sorry." He struggles, but continues, "I love you." The WWE audience, wrapped up in the passion of the Flair Fever that had engulfed WrestleMania weekend, never once rolled their eyes at the scene... nor should they have.

Flair's performance had little to do with the physicality of the match and everything to do with delivering 20 minutes of emotion-tugging psychology that had everyone hoping his career would survive another day, even though you knew in your heart the outcome.


And Shawn Michaels? This match itself was a Hall of Fame worthy performance. If WWE opens up a Smithsonian-like museum, the tape of that finish should play over and over and over again. Yup, that good.


Then came Monday.


And yes, I know this going to piss off some of my friends, but if I never see Ric Flair cry again, it'll be too soon.


It would have been great to see Flair go out as the Kiss Stealing, Wheeling Dealing, Limousine Riding, Jet Flying, Sonofagun.


OK, so we're going for yet another emotional moment. We had 'em crying at the Hall of Fame. Had 'em at Mania. OK, one more to go. Let's give it to 'em on Raw.


And after the first set of reunions for Flair, don't you think it was time for the mass curtain call, the standing ovation, the "thank you Ric" chants and goodnight everybody?


It was a treat for everyone to see Ric reunited with Tully and Arn and Windham and JJ.


Anyone who knows the story of how JJ left WWE, and the enormous heat between JJ and Vince will tell you, this was Vince McMahon doing what he felt was right for business.


Hey, there's Ricky Steamboat. That's a nice tribute. Their worst matches against each should be considered all time classics. Those two were magic together. Michaels' appearance and hug makes it complete. That's some great emotion.


But watching Flair cry because Chris Jericho says thank you? Hey, here's John Cena. And he's saluting Flair. Whooop de freakin' do. Yeah yeah, this is basic Thugonomics. What the hell does it have to do with anyone's favorite Flair memories? Cena? Jericho? Where's Fifi the French Maid?

Hell, if we're stretching, bring out the mannequin that doubled as Precious (anyone under 36 or 37 will have to take my word for it).


Raise the 4 Fingers with the Horsemen. Drop the elbow on your own jacket. Whooo a bunch of times. And please, I'm begging someone to tell Vince and Kevin Dunn that f'n song about leaving the memories alone is not something that tugs at the heart, nor does it add to the emotion of a Ric Flair testimonial.


Play Strauss' Sprach Zarathustra - which was the theme to 2001: A Space Odyssey - all night long.


That other song is just Vince and Kevin saying: "Here's the WWE touch to it all that makes it so great."


Get over yourselves.


Sorry, I digress.


Triple H belts out something like: "Here's another Horsemen, Dean Malenko!" Cut to Flair, he's bawlin'. Over Dean Malenko?


I'd rather see Tommy Young. Or Tony Schiavone. Or even David Crockett.


Please, someone send down Vince to hit the ring, throw everyone out, demand Flair acknowledge Vince as Lord and Master, and say: "NOW you're joining the club!"


Something... anything...


And maybe this is where Flair puts Vince in the Figure Four, and Vince is tapping like a wildman, especially since Vince didn't tap out a few weeks ago on television.

Nope, Vince just got put through a table and pinned.


And since the WWE champion himself, Randy Orton tapped out to the Figure Four, as did MVP and Kennedy - all men who must be considered big parts of WWE's future - I'm sure Vince will tap and put Flair ov...


More guests of honor. More tears.


Enough already.


By night three of WrestleMania weekend, I just wanted to say "goodbye" to ‘The Cause of All This,’ not see the aged hero's third night of tears and uncontrollable sobbing.


As an audience member, I was privileged enough already to see the human being behind the public image at the Hall of Fame.


As an audience member, I had the pleasure of seeing the performer work his ass off at WrestleMania and give a performance that as fans of his character, we can all be proud of.


Ric Flair's departure was memorable, so therefore my blog this week should not be considered a criticism but simply a personal observation.


There's nothing wrong with how it was handled. And I'm sure Flair wouldn't change a thing about it. That's his right. It was a tribute to his sacrifice, his career, his lifetime dedication to being The Man.


Just next time, I'd like to see the bug-eyed, half-crazed, surely out-of-his-mind Ric Flair.


The custom-made from head-to-toe personification of the phrase "charismatic character" who just can't help but be the centre of attention.


That's the Ric Flair I want to see. I want to celebrate his career, not mourn it. I just don't want any more boo-hoos.


I'm in the mood for a WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!


*****

Mike Adamle Is Truly Awful

By PAUL HEYMAN
Apr 18, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1060395.ece

OH BOY. I thought this was going to be a quiet week. No such thing, I guess.
In a decision that really threw everyone for a loop, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and Executive Producer Kevin Dunn pulled Joey Styles from the position of ECW play-by-play announcer, and replaced him with the indescribably amateurish Mike Adamle.

The reaction was immediate. Even those who never saw Joey in the original Extreme Championship Wrestling were outraged.

Adamle's performance was so terrible, it drew an intense reaction from even casual fans who couldn't possibly care less, and who were ready to take a baseball bat and smash their television sets after listening to his butchering of the program.

I'm not being overly hard on Mike Adamle. It's the old joke about Vince Russo going to WCW. Russo's booking did such damage to the promotion, people in the industry actually believed Vince McMahon sent him to WCW to kill the company.

I'm not kidding. To this day, some people swear it had to be true. Mike Adamle couldn't have done a more p***-poor job at announcing if he tried.

No self-sabotage could have been that consistent. Adamle called "WWE" just "WW". He called Tazz "The Tazz." He mispronounced names, couldn't call holds, and his announcing debut was generally regarded as one of the worst in the history of broadcasting.

Now here's a little secret. SHHHHHHHH.... don't tell anyone.

For everyone who is so up in arms, screaming "we need to tell Vince what we think!" and "This guy's a total disaster," I have a scoop for you, and you're not going to like it.

Adamle is horrible. No one likes him. People at home actually loathe his presence on the show. AND THAT'S EXACTLY THE SORT OF PASSIONATE RESPONSE VINCE McMAHON IS LOOKING FOR!!!

Do you really think Vince doesn't realise how incompetent this tra-la-la-goon-de-yay of an announcer is? The ECW show from the UK was TAPED.

That means there was time for Adamle to grab a mic backstage and clean up the performance. Not the whole miserable, horrible, intolerable hour. Just the really obvious "branding" issues, like all 3 letters that identify World Wrestling Entertainment. Hey, that would be a start, don't you think?

Vince McMahon is not a fan of Joey Styles as an announcer. In 2005, when we were heading into the first ECW One Night Stand pay per view, the lead play-by-play spot was never put into the script.

Even a few weeks before the show, I was writing "announcers" because the decision still hadn't been made to finalise the deal with Joey. Trivia note, by the way: The backup plan was to go with Jim Ross.

In memo to Vince, Stephanie, Shane, Kevin Dunn, and John Laurinaitis, I wrote "If we can't come to terms with Styles - which I am very hopeful we can indeed do, because if we want this show to be "authentic," Joey has to be the play-by-play announcer - then a suggestion for the show without Joey is for Jim Ross to do it.

If the Heyman character does the dreaded ECW shoot promo on Raw, and walks up to JR and states that because we couldn't come to terms with Joey, the only conceivable other answer would be you, JR, because while you've never been in ECW, we all respect your ability to call the product, and there's not an ECW fan alive who deny that you are universally recognised as the best in the game...I would suggest everyone would accept JR in that role, and he would not disappoint on the night of the show."

But Joey did come to terms. And then, when Vince decided for the umteempth time to replace JR, Joey was signed to a five-year contract. And ever since about 10 minutes into Joey's first broadcast, Vince has hated the decision to hire Joey Styles.

I lost more hair arguing that Joey needed to be the host of the resurrected brand in 2006 than I want to even remember. Vince thought of everyone else who could be in that chair. Everyone, of course, except for Mike Adamle.

OK, here it is. Oliver Stone can kiss my kosher a**. This conspiracy is presented to you ... BECAUSE IT'S TRUE!!!

Vince McMahon is not only keenly aware of just how bad Mike Adamle is, he's counting on it. That's why there was no editing done to clean up Adamle's embarrassingly bad performance.

WWE's ECW is doing 1.2 and 1.3 ratings on Sci-Fi. That may keep Bonnie Hammer and Sci-Fi happy because very little else on that network comes close to that number, but I remember the panic setting in when the new ECW was "crashing" into the 2.1 zone.

The show has simply settled in with the audience that will watch whatever product is on, be it "Heat," "Velocity," "TNA," or any other lite version of Raw or Smackdown.

So Vince's big idea for ECW is the train-wreck mentality! I can just see Vince right now, believing every word he himself says. "This guy is so bad, how can anyone NOT watch the show?" And he means it.

Vince actually believes that Mike Adamle is so mind-bogglingly awful, so ill-prepared, so horribly wrong for the show, that people will never be able to turn the dial. It's the Britney Spears mentality. Is she wearing her panties today? Uh oh, she's driving on the highway. Someone call the gossip blogs!

So, what have we learned today? Well, for one, the decision to remove Styles from the broadcasting position in favor of Adamle has dragged down the quality of the already-suffering show even more.

Number Two, that when a young, hungry, ambitious, qualified announcer like Josh Matthews, who has been waiting in the wings for half a decade, is passed over for an incompetent boob like Mike Adamle, there must be a good reason for it.

And three, that reason is because Vince McMahon is sure Adamle is so bad, people will look forward to his performances on ECW because of the very fact that you never know what he's going to screw up next.

And in the end, if you realise that I've spent all this time writing about the decision, you have to give round one to Vince's theory. Let's check those ratings in a month. We'll see how the theory pans out.

Until next time, E-C- ...... um ...... nevermind!


*****

TNA's Biggest Problem

By PAUL HEYMAN
Apr 29, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1105741.ece

ON April 13, Samoa Joe captured the TNA world title from Kurt Angle in an MMA-style cage match.
Their Lockdown main event, heralded by some as the "style of the future," was a stiffly-worked textbook example of the sacrifice top-tier personalities are willing to make to present a contemporary, compelling match as the feature presentation of a pay per view event.

Just a week and a half later, with all the hype, praise, and stellar reviews backing it up, the rematch was presented on free TV.

TNA's weekly two-hour cablecast on America's Spike TV featured the rematch between defending champion Samoa Joe and the former title holder, Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle.

And when the ratings came in, the stiff, cold, hard slap of reality cracked TNA right upside the head. The show drew TNA's predictable 1.0, with the Samoa Joe v Angle match peaking at a 1.1 household rating. In a nutshell, that sucks.

It sucks because Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle deserve better. They've worked their tails off, and the style they're presenting does indeed take its toll on them.

In an attempt to differentiate themselves from WWE main eventers, Samoa Joe and Angle have made the conscious decision to wrestle a more taxing style because few in the industry can work that type of match.

And yet, the much-ballyhooed rematch didn't pick up any new viewers for Samoa Joe, any new viewers for Kurt Angle, any new viewers for TNA Wrestling.

That sucks, too.

It sucks because bluntly, TNA Wrestling deserves better. And yet, when TNA looks around, trying to figure out why the ratings didn't increase... why the company is stuck in the same stagnant ratings pattern every week... why even giving away on free television the rematch of their most heavily hyped and most praised main event in the company's history didn't even record a blip in the ratings radar...

TNA has no one to blame but themselves.

This is not a criticism of Samoa Joe or Kurt Angle. Nor does it have anything to do with the lack of week-to-week storytelling the TNA audience suffers through every episode of the television show.

TNA's biggest problem can be found in the fact the company continues to fail to brand itself, and that's a function of the key word in World Wrestling Entertainment's global dominance and 90-something percent market share.

MARKETING!

For all there is to say about Vince McMahon - and I've said a lot, and will say a lot more in the future, I'm sure - you can't knock his unparalleled ability to market the WWE product.

Why is Ric Flair, universally regarded as "the greatest wrestler of all time", living in an upper middle class suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina, while Hulk Hogan is arguing over tens of millions of dollars in his divorce case?

Is it because Hogan was a better wrestler? A better performer?

Or is it because Hogan was marketed by the McMahon Promotional Juggernaut, and therefore drew far more money, and sold way more merchandise, than "the greatest wrestler of all time"?

Isn't it a tell-tale sign that Flair didn't make nearly as much in his career as Steve Austin or The Undertaker?

There's a reason for that. Flair was in some great programs that drew solid money, but Austin and Undertaker had the marketing machine behind them, while Flair was the beneficiary of the urban myth of the stylin' and profilin' Nature Boy. Which do you think was the more powerful promotional tool?

TNA Wrestling took a huge gamble with the MMA-style title match in which they crowned Samoa Joe the new champion. And it's a gamble that most of the paying audience seem to agree with.

The live crowd, for the most part, loved the match. Customer satisfaction with the TNA product probably reached an all time high with this match. And yet, NOTHING CHANGED!

Why?

Because TNA had no marketing campaign behind their new champion. Crossing The Line was done by ECW in 1994. David Sahadi is a genius whose videos deserve massive praise, but the theme is the same as what he did for WWE a half decade ago.

What public relations firm was hired to make Samoa Joe "the IT guy" in today's pop culture? What marketing firm was retained to get the TNA name out there? Who was hired for the specific purpose of getting Samoa Joe on Jay Leno, or David Letterman, or Jimmy Kimmel, or Regis and Kelly?

Why is TNA so content with Bubba The Love Sponge, Mancow, and shows that already feature the TNA performers? Where's the expansion? Where's the reach-out for the new audience? Where's the strategy to blast past the 1.0 ratings and target a 1.5, dare I say a 2.0 rating?

Until TNA addresses this issue, the company is going to be stuck in the same holding pattern for the foreseeable future.

Instead of waiting for WWE to make wrestling more acceptable to the mainstream, it's time for TNA to take the necessary step to design, develop, and implement a marketing strategy and campaign that makes the general public understand "THAT'S TNA!!!"

*****

Debbie Gibson Gets Hustled

By SIMON ROTHSTEIN
May 06, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1130571.ece

THIS week the Heyman Hustle goes retro.

Our man Paul brings the 1980s back as original pop teen princess Debbie Gibson gives him an exclusive look at her rehearsal session in preparation for her huge stage show that she's producing/performing at Harrah's in Atlantic City.

Paul told us: “Long before there was Britney Spears, there was Debbie Gibson.


“And her accomplishments are quite impressive. Her debut album, 1987's Out Of The Blue, had four Top 5 singles including Only In My Dreams.


“Debbie was the youngest singer/songwriter/producer to have a No1 hit.


“Her stadium tours of the United States, the UK, Japan, and Southeast Asia broke box office records and so did her lead performances as Sandy in the worldwide production of Grease.


“And she looked pretty hot when she stripped off for Playboy too!


Paul asks Debbie, now Deborah, how she has managed to handle success so well when so many others have collapsed under the pressure.


"I just blurted out that she really has her s$#! together," he told The Sun this morning. “And the fact is, she really does.


“What you'll see in this exclusive look at her rehearsal is that she absolutely runs the show, and knows exactly what she's doing."


Of course, that only tempted Paul.


He joked: "She has her act so together, I thought it was time for Ms. Gibson to be Hustled!"

*****


Heyman: Randy Is Underutilised

By PAUL HEYMAN
May 20, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1186372.ece

YOU see them all the time.

Wrestlers that should be much bigger superstars than they are.


Held back by politics, stupidity, lack of writers' understanding and sometimes even their own devices and demons.


They're called 'underutilised talents', but every now and then the miracle occurs and you see someone bust through the parameters under which he or she works.


I've seen it happen, up close and personal.


With Steve Austin, the time he was released by WCW and was given the forum to express himself in the original ECW.


With Mick Foley, when he agreed to turn heel on the fans and cut some of the most memorable promos of this or any other generation.


And even with Brian Pillman, when he stopped settling for upper mid card and wanted to be the talk of the industry.


These are, in my opinion, the Top 5 most underutilised talents in pro wrestling today.


Let the debate begin!


NUMBER 5 - TITO ORTIZ


Why not start right off with some controversy?


I was going to mention The Briscoes from Ring of Honor, because a long-term storyline between the young, hip, edgy Briscoes and the team of Miz and Morrison would be a classic.


But The Briscoes are not underutilised in ROH, just underexposed to the masses.


Tito, however, is finishing up his UFC contract this weekend. What does he do next?


Wear out his name in MMA, or capitalize on his love for pro wrestling and exploit his larger than life personality by joining WWE or TNA?


And remember, where Tito goes, so goes Jenna Jameson, the best self-promoter in show business today.


Forget these short term deals with Pac Man Jones and Floyd Mayweather. Tito and Jenna can be long term stars who command attention, and they can bring that attention to whatever wrestling promotion is smart enough to TAP into their controversial relationship.


NUMBER 4 - BETH PHOENIX


It doesn't matter that she's already been WWE women’s champion, the audience hasn't even had a taste of what this phenomenal athlete is capable of.


I think Beth's ring skills are deteriorating because she's not being allowed to work up to her potential. WWE should bring in opponents for Beth to squash every week.


There are plenty of women wrestlers in the Shimmer group, the West Coast indies, even in Mexico to feed to Beth.

Then, in due time, when someone finally steps up to her, the audience would be craving to pay to see WWE's heel version of Gina Carano get chopped down to size.


The WWE's women’s division lacks a long term vision, and Beth has been rushed into programs that just fill the female-segment on Raw, reminding one of the old adage about "leaving a lot of money on the table".


NUMBER 3 - JAMES MITCHELL


The best backstage promo artist in the business, bar none. A brilliant spokesman who can articulate the merits of the opponent without selling his own act short.


The Sinister Minister's delivery is defined by a composure that only top notch thespians can master, and his timing is nothing short of awe-inspiring.


A compelling character whose attention-grabbing look is surpassed only by his wealth of talent. WASTED talent, I might add.


But that's not surprising, considering that he works for TNA. Speaking of which ...


NUMBER 2 - THE ENTIRE TNA ROSTER


No long term concepts + bad television writing + zero marketing strategy = hard working talents whose efforts are wasted on a show that has not grown the audience whatsoever despite the tens of millions of dollars sunken into it.


NUMBER 1 - RANDY ORTON


What? How can the most spotlighted heel in WWE be the most underutilised talent in wrestling?


Because how often is Randy Orton scripted to get real heat?


Orton's run with Shawn Michaels was based on HBK superkicking The Legend Killer into oblivion week after week on TV.


Orton's storyline with Jeff Hardy was based on Hardy pinning the champ, and then one-upping him at almost every turn. Orton's schedule with Cena was the same story.


Ditto for HHH. The final week before WrestleMania, Orton tapped out to Ric Flair on Monday Night Raw.


On a case-by-case scenario, there's nothing wrong with any of it. But put into context, when does Orton get to make you hate him so badly, you're willing to pay to see him get beat, or at least beaten up?


What heinous act has Orton committed against a babyface you care about?

The only time Randy is allowed to 'pile on the heat' is during promos, and admittedly he falls short in that department.


His voice does drag. I concede, he doesn't have enough range. So, Orton either needs a manager, or a full-time off-camera behind the scenes interview coach.


The fact Orton carries the heat he does right now, even though he really hasn't done anything in almost a year - when he was given the credit for putting Shawn Michaels, Rob Van Dam, and a host of legends on the shelf - is a testament to his ability to carry himself like a main-event heel.


With a new round of contemptible actions added to the mix, Orton can be a far bigger superstar than he already is today.


That's my Top 5. What's YOUR opinion? Your feedback is most encouraged on the MySun forums below.


And don't forget to check back here tomorrow for a very special Wednesday edition of the Heyman Hustle featuring Gossip Girl sex symbol Taylor Momsen, Donald Trump and his hot wife, Donald Trump Jr and HIS hot wife, Broadway legend Harvey Fierstein and Victoria's Secret/Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker.

*****

How Hyatt Hustled Heyman

SIMON ROTHSTEIN
May 28, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1216426.ece

IN this week’s episode our man Paul doesn't get to Hustle anyone. Instead, it's the former ECW owner who gets Hustled in a big, big way.
Many years ago, before he was "The Evil Genius" Paul Heyman, before he changed the entire wrestling industry forever with ECW, Heyman was "Paul E. Dangerously" in Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling organization.

And Paul E's biggest nemesis back in those days was the equally-obnoxious but oh-so-superbusty Missy Hyatt.

Known throughout her wrestling career as "The Walking Riot," the infamous groupie from Tallahassee, Florida made a huge name for herself as one of the single most controversial females in the history of sports entertainment.

Her shocking honesty in her 2001 tell-all book Missy Hyatt: The First Lady Of Wrestling set the trend for the rest of the industry to follow.

Hustle director/producer Mitchell Stuart told The Sun: “We were looking for a guest who could really throw Paul off his game.

“Missy was the perfect answer. They've had this love-hate thing going on forever, and it's just so funny watching how Missy keeps talking and talking and how Paul can't get in a word edgewise!”

So this week's Hustle is on the host himself.

Paul joked: "I have a terrible headache!

“Is it any wonder that this woman walks away with a pair of 44DDD's and NO ONE NOTICES because all she does is yack yack yack yack yack? I've never seen anyone kill their own sex appeal as much as Missy... Oh, don't get me started!”

*****

'WWE Right To Deny Flair Fame'

By PAUL HEYMAN
June 06, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1256166.ece

THIS week's comedy of errors in the pro wrestling industry comes to us from the organisation that just won't die - The National Wrestling Alliance.

The loose grouping of independent federations, clinging to a name that no longer carries any cache with today's generation, has made the decision to try and bring back the promotion.


It’s the umpteenth time they’ve tried to resurrect from the ashes left when Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling made the decision to become WCW and discard the NWA almost 20 years ago.


Now a bit of a disclaimer here.


It's pretty common knowledge that I had Shane Douglas throw down the NWA title in 1994 at the ECW Arena and proclaim himself the new ECW world champion in the wake of the death of the NWA.


And I have to also admit, my only reservation about doing that angle was whether or not we could get anyone to care about the practically non-existent NWA back then.


And that was 14 years ago!


So now, almost a decade and a half later, some people got a few dollars together, and decided to put on an NWA show at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.


Jim Cornette - an excellent choice, mind you - was smartly hired to be the Master of Ceremonies for a nostalgia-filled ‘NWA Hall of Fame Ceremony’ that would feature The Midnight Express, Wildfire Tommy Rich, Nikita Koloff, The Iron Sheik and The Corsica Brothers.


But the main attraction of this night was the induction to the NWA Hall of Fame of WWE contracted performer Nature Boy Ric Flair.


Well I'm sure before announcing and advertising Flair's appearance, the NWA’s head honcho Robert Trobich - a lawyer, no less - got written confirmation from WWE regarding their contracted personality who was just in a featured match at WrestleMania.


I mean, surely an attorney at law would have the common sense not to go public with Flair's appearance before having something in writing, right?


UH OH.


What do you think happens?


On the week of the show, as the NWA is doing everything it can to exploit the name of Ric Flair to sell tickets to this event, World Wrestling Entertainment pulls Flair from the show.


And get this... the NWA is surprised by WWE's decision.


World Wrestling Entertainment does not want Ric Flair to appear in a wrestling ring, especially following his retirement ceremony on Monday Night Raw.


The Nature Boy got some serious coin for his retirement weekend, and you can't blame WWE for protecting their marketing rights by keeping Flair out of a wrestling ring until it's time for him to re-appear in a ring to create attention.


And you can bet your last bottle of JR's BBQ sauce that when the time comes for Flair to appear in a wrestling ring, the initials on the side of that ring will read WWE.


World Wrestling Entertainment does not want Flair appearing on anyone else's DVD releases, either.


Can you blame them for that?


The longer Flair is kept out of the public eye, the more a simple guest appearance will mean when Vince McMahon decides "it's time to play the Flair card".


World Wrestling Entertainment has made a substantial investment in the Ric Flair brand and they don't want anyone else tinkering with it.


The NWA went forward with a marketing campaign built around Ric Flair because, unfortunately, there's no other way for the promoters involved to get people to come to their event.

Yesterday, a store in Atlanta named Aaron's - a pretty big name in the Southeast - offered FOUR free tickets to the event to anyone who wanted to go, and would then give a discount to anyone who brought their ticket stub into the store.


I guess the NWA has given up on getting anyone to pay to see their Hall of Fame Ceremony.


NWA attorney/honcho/intellectual Robert Trobich released a statement saying: “I am deeply sorry that Ric will not be in Atlanta for the Hall of Fame ceremony.


“Ric was very honoured to be recognized by the NWA and wanted to be in Atlanta to thank his fans. Unfortunately, the WWE refused to allow him to be there.


“It is truly a sad action on their part, as the main people injured by the WWE's seeming petulance is the wrestling fans.


“Nonetheless, Ric Flair was a legend in the NWA long before the WWE was anything other than a regional promotion in the northeast.


“As such, Ric will still be a member of the 2008 class. He has earned that honour, and we intend to bestow it upon him."


What's the slang for bull excrement?


Ric Flair was a legend in the NWA long before the WWE was anything more than... blah blah blah?


If I ever need an attorney, and I do seem to need them every now and then, please don't ever have Robert Trobich present my case to a jury.


WWE is petulant because they want to protect their intellectual property rights, and their sizeable investment in the retirement of Ric Flair?


WWE is to be criticised for opting not to have Ric Flair water down the retirement ceremony the company spent so much valuable time during WrestleMania weekend to make so memorable?


A weekend-long tribute, I might add, that WWE is counting on propelling its DVD sales through the roof.


And yet, the attorney who serves as spokesperson for this incarnation of the long-dead NWA wants to point the finger at WWE when the NWA had no right to market/advertise/promote Flair to begin with?


In the past week, I've seen Vince McMahon move forward with his campaign to offer a million dollars a week to viewers just to watch Raw.


I've seen another eccentric billionaire, Donald Trump become the public face of a new competitor to UFC.


I've seen Kimbo Slice damn near get beat, and while the ratings were spectacular for the EliteXC primetime network debut the stock took an IFL-like nosedive.


But nothing in the past week made me shake my head as much as the stupidity of those who believed that it was appropriate to advertise Ric Flair without written authorisation from the company to which he is contracted.


This industry is driven by an investment of time and money, and the allotment of minutes given to someone on whose performance and marketability that first investment is made.


Ric Flair is WWE's Goodwill Ambassador.


Whether you like it, or don't like, learn to love it. Because Diamonds are forever, and so is Ric Flair's association with World Wrestling Entertainment.


WHOOOOOOOOOOOO!

*****

Fighting With The Donald

June 13, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1287649.ece

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon's billionaire buddy Donald Trump made worldwide headlines with the announcement that he has invested in the Affliction Mixed Martial Arts promotion.
While some are salivating at the prospect of The Donald vs The Dana in a verbal and promotional struggle, I think it's worth our time to take a moment and think about what type of commitment the already time-crunched Trump can make to this endeavour.

While Trump as the public face of the promotion is a huge coup for Affliction because it brings enormous media attention to whatever the company is doing, what happens when the first show doesn't sell out, or a ppv does bad numbers?

Trump did not handle the ratings decline for "The Apprentice" well, and he all but abandoned his Atlantic City casinos when they didn't return stellar results immediately.

"I have very little to do with it," he'd exclaim, just months after saying "it's mine, all mine, no one else's but mine, and that means it's the best because the name Trump stands for quality... blah blah blah blah blah."

Does The Donald have any tolerance for a long process? Make no mistake about it, UFC is "the brand" in Mixed Martial Arts today.

It's not just the "market share" the promotion controls, it's the brand identity factor, too. When you walk down a street, and say "MMA" to someone, you're taking the chance of that person looking at you like you have two heads. But say "UFC," and people will have, at the very least, a cursory knowledge of what you're talking about.

Taking on UFC will not be a 1st round knockout or tap out victory for the megalomaniacal Trump. If the two promotions do clash, it will be a long, drawn out battle.

Does Trump have the time to battle Dana White, who lives, eats, drinks, sleeps, and breathes UFC?

Does Trump have the time to get on the phone and persuade fighters, networks, or video game companies that doing business with Affliction means doing business with the Trump brand name?

Is Trump going to take the time to demonstrate "the art of the deal" with DVD distributors, magazine publishers, pay per view and satellite companies with whom Affliction needs to conduct business on a daily basis?

Come to think of it, what IS Trump's involvement in the Affliction promotion? Is he a consultant? Is he handling negotiations with production companies and possibly assisting in the pitches to television networks? Is he simply lending his name, like he has done in the past with other projects, but is really "hands-off" on any or all day-to-day decisions and operations?

Does Trump have any veto power? What happens if he doesn't agree with the direction the promotion wants to take? Does Trump have the ability to get involved in matchmaking?

How much of the budget does Trump actually have leverage control over? Is there a way to mediate a disagreement without it all breaking down into lawyers and lawsuits that first time everyone's not on the same page?

I am not suggesting Trump is only in the MMA game for the short run. Some people asked similar questions when shipping magnate George Steinbrenner bought into the New York Yankees. Maybe The Donald is so enamored with MMA, or at least Tito Ortiz and Jenna Jameson, that he's really going to "make a go" of it.

Maybe Trump wants, needs, or craves the excitement that an exploding industry can provide.

Maybe Trump wants to create a new style MMA television program and put Ivanka in charge, the same way Vince made his daughter Stephanie in charge of creative and talent in WWE? Hey, you have to admit, there are more than a few similarities between Stephanie and Ivanka, and that's not an insult to either.

Maybe Trump is willing to lose lots and lots of money, as is the pattern with MMA promotions, before finding the profit margin many find to be so elusive. Maybe The Donald truly is here to stay.

MAYBE.

*****

The YouTube Divorce Hustle

By SIMON ROTHSTEIN
June 13, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1288222.ece

SHE'S the British actress and playwright who has captured the world's attention by posting her vicious rants against her soon-to-be ex-husband on YouTube and declaring herself a "Warrior!"

Trophy wife, 52, Tricia Walsh Smith is one of the world's most famous - and maybe notorious - women at the moment.


Her video has been seen by almost four million people, and the Park Avenue socialite -- originally from Beverly, East Yorks -- has vowed to fight to the bitter end. With more details of the couple's allegedly sexless marriage.


So, who better than Tricia Walsh Smith to guest on this week's Heyman Hustle?

In the interview Tricia told The Sun: "Our marriage has broken down and I am facing eviction from our apartment because of a clause in a prenuptial agreement which says I have to get out after just 30 days if he has grounds for divorce.


"After almost nine years of marriage I think I deserve to be treated better, but Philip is a powerful man and it feels like everyone is on his side.


"He has well-known friends like the theatre producers Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh and newspapers such as the New York Times eat out of his hand."


The YouTube publicity stunt, which Tricia describes as a desperate but necessary attempt at survival, has made her a worldwide sensation.


People from around the globe have either sent emails of support, or have labelled her "bitter," "vindictive," "wacky," and even worse.

"We wanted to show a different side of Tricia," commented Hustle director/producer Mitchell Stuart.


"She's shown her angry side, and the whole world has seen it, but we wanted to know if she can take a moment and share a laugh, or if the portrayal of her as simply a scorned woman is accurate."


So the Hustle crew loaded up into an luxury SUV, and simply took a ride around with the most famous divorcee in the world.


Mitchell added: "We knew we wanted to show her in a different environment, Everyone's seen her in her multi-million dollar Park Avenue apartment. But what's she like, just going for a ride?"

*****

Heyman Takes Tricia For Dinner

By SIMON ROTHSTEIN
June 17, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1302305.ece

LAST week, our man Paul went for a ride around New York City with the infamous YouTube divorcee, Tricia Walsh Smith.

The tirade-prone actress, playwright, and trophy wife, 52, discussed her reportedly sexless marriage and an assortment of ills that have befallen the lovely lass from Beverly, East Yorks.


Now the sexy siren wants former US Presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton to step into the fray and speak up for her.


In this week's ‘part two’ with the Internet sensation, our Extreme Hustler takes Tricia out to dinner.

Now before you think Paul Heyman has swooped the not-yet-divorced blonde beauty off her feet, perhaps you should check out what Hustle director/producer Mitchell Stuart had to say.


He told The Sun: “Paul asked Tricia where she'd like to go for dinner.


“Of course she was looking to dine on escargot at Le Cirque, or sample some caviar at The Russian Tea Room, or perhaps even partake of some sushi at Nobu.


“But Paul knows New York like no other person in the universe, and so he insisted Tricia learns how the other half lives – taking her to his favorite burger and pizza joint for some cheeseburgers, pepperoni pizza, and French fries!"


Wait a minute. One of Manhattan's most prominent socialites slamming down some grub at a burger and pizza joint?

Mitchell continues: “Paul wanted to see if the matron of hoitee-toitee society would let her guard down and just enjoy some really delicious common-people food.


“And she loved it! Then she turned the tables on us!"


Tricia wanted to know why powerful women like Hillary Clinton and Oprah Winfrey haven't stood up for her.


She ranted: “Where is Hillary? What if she just said LEAVE TRICIA ALONE? Not one power woman has stepped forward to support me. Oprah, where are you? I need you!"


Of course, Heyman has to Hustle, and the former WWE and ECW creative genius has a suggestion for Tricia on how to exact revenge on her soon-to-be ex husband, Shubert Theatre Organization head honcho Phillip Smith.


Tricia finds Paul's suggestion to be rather “crude”, and we can't really disagree with her.


But we can say this... Paul's still as hardcore as they come!

*****

Good Ol' JR's Faustian Bargain

By PAUL HEYMAN
June 27, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1350062.ece

VINCE McMahon overshadowed his own draft this week. That's nothing new.

He always aims a big stunt that people didn't expect. A shock, even for those who have come to expect the unexpected.


And Vince delivered on that concept, but in a completely different way than he anticipated.


Vince got some, but not a great deal of attention (yet) with the latest "Who Shot JR" remake with the chairman once again playing the assailed party.


What stole the show was the blockbuster announcement and behind-the-scenes secrecy of the drafting of the other JR to Smackdown.


Apparently, no one told Jim Ross that he was moving in advance.


He was, from all accounts, caught off guard by the graphic going up on the Titantron.


While surely the very top performers who were switching brands were given a heads-up over their change in assignment, not so for JR.


The former EVP of Talent Relations, one of the closest advisors Vince McMahon has ever let into the inner sanctum, was not given that simple professional courtesy.


Jim Ross was angry. He was hurt. Why couldn't someone have told him? Surely, he can't be considered to be just another "hand," could he? Doesn't the job he's done, and the popularity he's achieved, deserve at least the privilege of a "hey, just so you know..."?


So Jim Ross lashed out. He wrote a scathing blog, baring his wounded emotions, and publicly decrying the nature of the way the entire day was handled in retrospect.


"I am not happy with this surprise development," JR blogged, "I should have detected something with the demeanour of certain individuals either thru their plastic, poker faces or the perceived smirk that I thought I might have seen on some of their faces during the day."


No one is talking about Who Tried To Kill Mr McMahon (yet). But they're sure talking about JR going to Smackdown. And that's exactly what Vince McMahon wants.


He wants you talking about something. Anything, damnit. Just talk about WWE. Talk about Raw. Talk about Smackdown. Talk about Night Of Champions. Talk about anything, just make it about World Wrestling Entertainment.

I'm not surprised Vince McMahon didn't tell JR. I'm not surprised Jim Ross was disrespected. I'm not surprised they stuck a camera in his face to capture the real life turmoil going through his head when a bombshell just got lowered on him.


I'm surprised Jim Ross was surprised!


There's a lot to say about JR in this situation.


He knows Vince as well as anyone, besides Stephanie, Shane and Kevin Dunn.


He's been at the office at 7:30am when Vince wanted to handle something right away and not wait "til the lawyers get in".


He's been there at 10pm, still waiting for Vince to finish working out so they can conclude their 6 pm "end of the day" review of items. Jim Ross knows how Vince thinks, how he reacts to things, how the man operates.


So Jim Ross is surprised when Vince abuses him on live television?


What clues did Good Ol' JR miss?


Was it the way Vince dogs him on the plane and would encourage HHH to join in on the fray? Was it the way Vince has, on multiple occasions, demonstrated the desire to send him out to pasture?


Psssst... when they try to replace you three or four times, they don't all of a sudden change their mind and say: "Hey! He's our type now! We want him long term!"

Maybe I'm surprised that JR was surprised because I personally wouldn't have stayed if I was propped in a hospital bed with part of my colon in a medical waste container awaiting word on cancer and watching my boss do a 12 minute skit about pulling my head out of my arse.


So why is JR surprised? How could he be caught off guard? How could ever think a swerve wasn't coming, a curve ball being thrown, a disruption to any "normalcy" wasn't being contemplated?


Did Jim Ross dare Vince McMahon by publicly stating in advance "I have no interest in switching brands"? Maybe. It certainly didn't DISSUADE Vince from doing it. But I think the cross Jim Ross must bear is a little heavier than that.


Jim Ross, in my opinion, has cut a Faustian Bargain in life.


He wanted to be recognized as the greatest announcer of all time, and respected as such by the audience, his peers, his contemporaries and even his critics.


He wanted to be important, a major power broker, a senior advisor. A man of influence in an industry where one larger than life ruler calls every single shot. And he wanted to be compensated for his efforts, rewarded like no other announcer or talent executive ever has in the business that was, to him, still rasslin'.


From the Deliverance-esque backwater towns in Oklahoma to the multi-million dollar stock option package he pulled down as an Executive Vice President of a publicly traded company, the farm boy from the South lived every dream he could possibly have had as a kid in the pro wrestling industry.


And all he had to do was accept the fact the very ruler whose confidence he kept and whose decisions he lived by, would treat him like a total piece of crap at every turn imaginable.


Vince, of course, doesn't feel that way. He's like the owner of the horse-drawn carriages. "I feed the horse, give it water, brush its hair, wash it, and even give it a bucket to defecate in. Why doesn't the horse appreciate that?"


To Vince, he's given JR fame, fortune, security, and every dream imaginable.

Personally, I don't think Vince McMahon moved JR to Smackdown for any other reason except it's the right thing to do for WWE business.


Smackdown better become a priority right now, because the MyNetwork TV deal is as important a business relationship as there can be in WWE at the moment. While success on MyNetwork TV has its benefits, failure would be a cataclysmic disaster for WWE.


How many licenses are paying premium dollar because WWE delivers both cable and broadcast penetration? The cancellation of the broadcast part of that equation would send a ripple effect through everything WWE does to the point where its potential effect on the stock is simply frightening.


So there's only one thing to do. Make sure Smackdown does not fail.


Move Jeff Hardy over. He's popular. Audiences like him. His appearances drive numbers. Move an established “No1 guy” like HHH over. It had to be HHH, Shawn Michaels, or John Cena.


By moving HHH off Raw, the McMahon Family demonstrates its own personal commitment to the brand.


Moving over JR shows not only the audience, but the network execs: "We're taking this as seriously as we can.


“We kept the hottest heel in the industry, Edge, on the show. We kept our own legendary icon, Undertaker, on the show. We've brought over Jeff Hardy and even brought over HHH. And we assigned the show to the best announcer in the game, too!"


The next time Vince McMahon wants to do something, he's not going to think about your feelings, my feelings, HHH's feelings, Stephanie's feelings or anyone else's feelings in regards to what he wants to do.


If he thinks it's going to increase his business, he's going to do it. Don't like it? Do watch it or be part of it. He's doing it anyway.


Jim Ross cut a deal with the Devil. The good news and the bad news are the same.


The Devil delivered on his promises. I'm not saying people shouldn't be hurt by the way Vince does things.


Just next time, don't be surprised.


*****

Edge Is WWE's Brightest Star

By PAUL HEYMAN
July 03, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1377976.ece

There's a tangible buzz surrounding World Wrestling Entertainment programming right now. They're shaking things up.
Major talent has switched brands, creating the opportunity for new storylines, new matches, new rivalries, new concepts, new everything.

Young talent is getting the exhilarating "sink or swim" chance to be involved in major moments, participate in the focal points of the show, and even ... perhaps ... break through into the top tier.


Just look at the title holders on Raw at the moment. CM Punk is the Raw world champion. Kofi Kingston is the intercontinental champion. Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes are the tag team champions.


While "new" for the sake of "new" is not good, the statement being made by WWE to its audience is: "We're taking chances, we're trying new things, we're giving the ball to new players and seeing who scores."


Smackdown, where you can see the best tag team in the industry today - Miz and John Morrison - has seen a huge influx of main event talent.


Jeff Hardy, who continues to tickle the main event ivories, is now on Smackdown. Mr Kennedy, who has everything it takes to be a WrestleMania main eventer, is going to announce his name twice on the Smackdown brand.


And while Smackdown brings aboard the best announcer in the business in Jim Ross, still presents Miz and Morrison, gains the services of the most dedicated Diva from Monday Nights in Maria, and still retains The Undertaker, the brand now has HHH as the WWE Champion as well.


Not a bad pickup for a show headed to a new American broadcast network this autumn.


But if you watched Monday Night Raw this week, and saw the memorable series of events that ended with Punk as the new champion, then you witnessed a perfect example of star power at its finest.


Jim Ross was emotional and gracious in his speech. Batista looked like the "Animal" he is supposed to be. Punk played his role exactly the way he should, and the audience ate up every moment of it.


And the proverbial "straw that stirred the drink," the centrepiece of this superb 20 minutes of television was the single best heel WWE has on the active roster, Adam "Edge" Copeland.


A phenomenal worker with rock star looks, Copeland knows how to present the "Edge" character so no one has the inclination to cheer him.


His charisma alone could carry an entire show - and, bluntly, he's had Smackdown on his shoulders for longer than most people realize - but Copeland's portrayal of the scheming, manipulative, opportunistic Edge is played in such a way that you simply want to see him get beat or perhaps more importantly, beat up.


His heat is so grand, you don't just want to see him get beat up, you need to see it. You have to see it. You crave that moment. You'll even PAY for it.

On Monday night, Edge came out with Hawkins and Ryder.


The high-tech, pyro-enhanced entrance elicited a great heel reaction from the crowd. The way Edge "psychs himself up" before coming down to the ring is played up with exaggerated facial expressions and cockiness, but it's very real within the persona he presents.


And people get their blood up just watching up pump himself up.


Edge's heel promo on Jim Ross was delivered with such conviction, the viewer at home felt the angst of the live crowd worrying that once again, Good Ol' JR was going to get slapped around in Oklahoma.


Edge's range was amazing, too. From the frothing-at-the-mouth-anticipation of JR screaming "Edge wins! Edge wins! Edge wins!" to the envisioned-orgasm as he described "the love of my life" - dramatic pause, then emphasis - "Vickie Guerrero," Edge's promo was, as they say, one for the ages.


He had such heel heat by the time he punked out everyone from Ross to Undertaker to the Raw program itself, people were salivating at the mere thought that someone, somehow, someday would just smash this bastard.


Batista came out and delivered a ferocious beating to Edge, and the live audience came unglued.


No amount of punishment would truly serve justice. Edge deserved a heinous beating, and that's exactly what Big Dave delivered.


Only one Terry Funk-like swing and a miss from Edge, and the rest of the physicality was Batista annihilating the world champion.

So when Batista drove Edge's battered body into the canvas with the Batista Bomb, the audience was satisfied, right? The desire to see Edge get his due, suffer his fate, was fulfilled, of course. Wasn't it?


Not a chance. Edge's heat was still intact. That says something about the way he set that heat, the intensity with which he got the audience to believe in his character, to live that moment with him.


Edge, barely conscious, a pulverized quivering lump lying on the canvas, was still worthy of the audience's desire to see something bad happen to that character.


And for that character, things went from bad to worse when " Mr Money in the Bank" CM Punk came out, and hoisted Edge up on his shoulders for that fateful moment before hitting the GTS.


You could see live crowd going nuts not only because they knew history was about to be made, but because they simply wanted to see Edge get smashed in the face again. For Adam Copeland, this is everything he worked for.


This is when the heel gives of himself and MAKES a babyface.


Punk wins! Punk wins! Punk wins!


And just as importantly, Edge loses. See, that's the part that Adam Copeland understands better than anyone else in the industry today.


He's the best heel in the world, because even though he didn't touch one person, he had scorching heat on Monday night.


He didn't slap JR. He didn't shove down Lilian Garcia. He didn't set fire to a Sooners flag. He didn't do anything but deliver a heel promo like a true villain should.


And he had such heat for his words and the manner in which he presented them, that a beating from Batista, and the subsequent loss of his world title didn't even begin to take that heat off of him.


The beaten, battered, humiliated, and no-longer-champion Edge is still the main event heel on Smackdown, and he should be.


People are still clamouring for him to get beat ... or beat up.

When fans talk about the upcoming WWE Title Match at the Great American Bash between Edge and HHH, they actually start fantasizing about the beating Edge might take, or how cool it would be if HHH uses the sledgehammer.


Or if Edge were about to beat HHH somehow, and Undertaker would make his return.


All sorts of scenarios are running through people's minds. People are excited when they talk about Edge. Fans are only too happy to imagine the next defeat or humiliation that will befall wrestling's most hated man.


In about three to six months, when you look back on the 2008 WWE Draft, ask yourself: "What was the most significant move of the draft this year?"


Was it HHH to Smackdown? Was it Batista to Raw? Was it Jim Ross and Michael Cole switching roles? Was it CM Punk being moved to Raw with the Money In the Bank yet to be cashed in?


Perhaps, in a few months, when all the moves have settled in, and WWE starts pushing WrestleMania to the forefront, I think we'll realize the most significant move -especially for Smackdown - of the 2008 roster overhaul was the move that didn't happen.


Edge stayed right where he was.


Smackdown retained its greatest asset.


The single best heel in sports entertainment, with money matches against Undertaker, HHH, Jeff Hardy, Mr Kennedy, and anyone else he steps in the ring with, continued on his journey to the WWE Hall of Fame.


And the ultimate beneficiary of the "non-move" was the show that has been built on his heat.


Adam Copeland is the brightest superstar in World Wrestling Entertainment today.


That is his Edge.


*****

Earthquakes Fail To Register

By PAUL HEYMAN
Aug 04, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1511141.ece

I AM writing this blog after getting home to New York from a trip to California.

And in case you heard about the earthquake in Los Angeles, permit me to digress before we even get started!


I was in the California earthquake this past Tuesday morning - and I missed the whole damn thing!


I am so p***ed.


I was in my rental car, and unless it's a "big one", you don't feel it in your vehicle.


I've been in tornados, hurricanes, blizzards, hailstorms, winter in Minnesota and a plane landing on a frozen runway in Siberia.


But I've never been in an earthquake before. Missed a few of them, never had the experience.


So, when I turned from Wilshire Boulevard on to El Camino Drive and noticed people running out of both sides of William Morris Plaza, all I could think of is: "Wow. they're tight on their lunch hour around here, aren't they?"


It looked like a typical noon-time rush in New York City but LA is a little more mellow.


As I got out of my car, people were rushing over saying "are you OK?" and I had no idea why.

I kept thinking "do I look that bad?" I couldn't figure out why everyone was so concerned. Was I pale? Did I look jet-lagged? What was it?


It wasn't until I walked into the office that I found out there had been an earthquake. And here I was, right in the middle of it, and I missed the whole thing. Sometimes, even when you win, you lose!


OK, sorry for the digression.


Let's get back to what I really wanted to write about.


WWE imposed its own earthquake on the wrestling landscape when it shook everything to its very foundation with the draft.

And the aftershocks of the draft have been nothing short of a gross disappointment.


When it was implemented and the changes started taking effect, there was a buzz surrounding WWE programming.


CM Punk defeats Edge for the World title? HHH is headed to Smackdown? Jericho is stepping into the lead heel position on Raw, while Rey Mysterio, Batista, and even Kofi Kingston promise to change the Raw landscape?


Smackdown gets "The Game," Good Ol' JR, and Jeff Hardy. ECW gets a focus with Mark Henry as its dominant champion. Hey, things are looking mighty "new and fresh" on WWE television.


And now, as Rob Van Dam would say, here comes the buzz kill.


One month later, and the excitement is just not there in the programming. WWE killed the increase in interest with the manner in which they screwed up their own momentum.


CM Punk is being treated as champion the same was Rey Mysterio was. He's painted as an unworthy champion. He's not "the man". He's just the title holder during a transitional period.

Now, there's nothing wrong with that but the idea was giving someone "new" the opportunity to sink or swim at a top level. That's interesting to watch.

To its enormous credit, WWE has made global celebrities of John Cena, HHH, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and Batista. Joining that top tier is Edge, Randy Orton, and either MVP or Ken Kennedy, if he can get out from underneath his latest lack of faith from those who make talent assessments.


So watching, for example, Cryme Time step up and get the chance to run with Cena or DiBiase/Rhodes being the young punks who are taking over is exciting to the average fan.


It brings in more fans, because you've squeezed the juice from the current crop, and need new berries for the cash vine.


Watching Punk only get to bide his time as champion? Not exciting. Oh yeah, Rey's on Raw, too. Thought I'd remind you of that, because WWE sure hasn't made a big deal about it, have they?


Hey, what about the straw that stirs the Smackdown drink, Edge?


Blah.


In my opinion, Edge is WWE's best performer (as discussed in a prior blog) and the storyline reason for Undertaker's return makes sense, but the breakup of Edge and Vickie has taken away an act that people truly enjoyed to hate.


Edge and Vickie Guerrero were magic together, every bit as compelling and contemptible as the Edge/Lita pairing.


Much different in so many ways, but equally as riveting, thanks in major part to the remarkable heel performances by both Edge and Vickie. These two clicked. It worked. They got "over."


They were despised, reviled, thought of with vengeful wishes of bloody revenge. And people loved feeling that way for the heels who would surely suffer their ultimate "wrestlefate."

Splitting Edge and Vickie has taken a big buzz away. While The Undertaker v Edge in a Hell in a Cell Match at Summer Slam is a huge attraction, and will probably be one of the greatest HIAC matches ever, the excitement surrounding wrestling is nowhere near the level it was a month or so ago.


So, what's the upshot?


Well, the TV shows have been marginal at best. I'm sure Vince has a grand plan with Mike Adamle, but to the general audience he just plain sucks as a participant on WWE programming. Sometimes, bad is just bad.


The Jericho performances have been stellar and Jericho v HBK will do serious business because the heat is being set just right.


Plus, Cade is there to absorb some of Shawn's initial fire, to keep even more heat on Jericho.


With the exception of HBK v Jericho, WWE's television offerings could and should be a lot better.


Adamle, as discussed, sucks.


HHH settled into Smackdown way too quickly. His first two months should have been as the outsider making his way onto a show he must now dominate as champion, and the feeling out process with EVERYONE, both babyface and heel.


The announcers even feel held back and not inspired by the action, which is not their fault, since presumably someone is yelling at them through their headsets to perform a certain way.


The "new talent" should be getting a continued focus on their roll and not just their role.


I predict that if SummerSlam as an event lives up to even half its potential, WWE could find itself with the opportunity to really capitalize on some momentum again.


It's a stacked card, with a lot of payoffs and storyline-twists that could boost WWE going forward.


If not, screw it. Maybe it's time to just watch TNA.


Ahem.


OK, so things aren't nearly THAT bad.

*****

Lesnar Will Learn From His Failure

By PAUL HEYMAN
Aug 04, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1511264.ece

MY old friend Brock Lesnar will step into the Octagon next Saturday night and I for one am really looking forward to the spectacle.
Brock is a driven competitor and he has been "on himself" every moment since Frank Mir snatched his right leg on February 2 in Las Vegas.

In listening to Brock's comments, it's obvious to me that the very dangerous Heath Herring is going to face a determined animal on August 9.

"I really rushed that fight and made a foolish mistake," Lesnar admitted this week.

“I had Frank Mir in a dominant position and I stood up and fed him a foolish amateur mistake."

But like any great pugilist, Brock learns from his failures.

He vowed to be "a more controlled fighter and a little more relaxed in there. It has to do with putting more time in the gym, trying to polish every aspect of the fight game and trying to better myself every day".

Taking this NCAA heavyweight champion wrestler with a legitimate mean streak in him, and continuing his education about the science of modern day cage fighting, could breed an already-explosive but now more knowledgeable fighter.

UFC might really be looking at The Next Big Thing, as the WWE once billed Brock.

Getting past UFC champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is another story, of course.

Nogueira is on top of his game, at the peak of his skills.

Even those who sing Fedor Emelianenko's praises admit Nogueira has matured into one of the best the MMA fight game has ever seen.

But that doesn't deter Brock, it only makes him more desirous of fighting the champion.

And that, trust me, only makes him far more dangerous.

Brock is motivated by the thought of being a lot better today than he was yesterday. He's inspired to be better tomorrow than he is today.

And he's obsessed to show such progress, that two days from now, tomorrow's improvement will pale by comparison.

“I had a few more months to train," Brock told everyone matter-of-factly on the media call.

“If the Brock Lesnar now was to fight the Brock Lesnar then, I would beat him."

Memo to the Herring Camp: Bring your A-Game. No one likes to lose but Brock hates it more than others. Every day, Brock is improving.

And that's a scary thought.

*****

Paul: Ric Flair Deserves Better

By PAUL HEYMAN
Aug 22, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1596414.ece

RIC FLAIR'S break from World Wrestling Entertainment has lead to his agents negotiating deals with anyone who can meet the money and terms it takes to hire the Nature Boy for the day.

With financial issues looming and a reported separation from his third wife, Flair apparently made the decision to take the "short term money" available to him on the open market over the guaranteed $500,000 he was making with WWE.


It's a little painful to watch, because bluntly, Flair deserves better.


I didn't realise it until I watched the video of Flair doing a promo for a small independent group in Chicago. The PCW promotion is just one of many independent wrestling leagues that are smartly taking advantage of the opportunity to use the legendary multi-time World Champion in conjunction with their shows.

Instead of promoters sending Flair information so that he can talk about the young talent - which is how we used Terry Funk in the original ECW - they are happy just having the Nature Boy do the 'kiss stealin', 'wheelin' dealin' promos and talk about kissing every girl in town.

It's sad to see Flair advertised for some low rent wrestling shows at this stage of his life.

He should really be above that. I don't know what his take will be in 12 months, but unless it's significantly above the half million dollars he was making from Vince McMahon, I just don't understand what he's trying to accomplish.

Vince has been looking for the fabled Babe Ruth of pro wrestling for years. His father envisioned the role for 1950s great Antonino Rocca.

Both Vince Sr and today's Vincent Kennedy McMahon thought Bruno Sammartino would fill the role. Then VKM thought Hulk Hogan could do it. It appears everytime the McMahons groom someone for the role, that person runs away from it like it's a life sentence.

I don't know if Flair was unhappy with his perceived role in WWE, and if he was, I don't know why. I do know that every day Flair was kept out of the ring, was another day the momentum built for a big moment when he would be announced as the guest referee for Wrestlemania or SummerSlam.

Every mention of his name - said by the announcers with great reverence - only whet the appetite for another "Whoo", another chop, another strut, another speech, another appearance by the Nature Boy himself.

His name carried weight. His appearance on a radio show helped promote events. His handshake meant something to sponsors and advertisers. And for that, he was being paid $500,000.

Since I've left World Wrestling Entertainment, the only public connection I keep with the industry is through these blogs, which form part of the Heyman Hustle series here on The Sun.

If you check with the producers and vendors and promotions, you'll see I've turned down numerous conventions, autograph signings, guest appearances, booker deals, shoot tapes, you name it. That's me.

I'm not saying Flair shouldn't take advantage of his earning potential right now. And I hope he makes millions in whatever he does.

But seeing him in these ads for every rinky dink out there just makes him look ancient instead of being relevant, which he still can be.

Flair belongs on the big stage, not where kids go to get noticed and legends go to hang on.

I'm not knocking Flair. Please don't think or claim "Heyman rips into Flair," or think that I've forgotten the days when ECW was a tiny little indy as well.

YOU watch the video. Please. And then make up your own mind.

Is this how you want to see Flair nowadays? Isn't just a little uncomfortable? Doesn't it just seem "wrong"?

*****

Why Vince McMahon Loves John Cena

By PAUL HEYMAN
Aug 29, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1625079.ece

John Cena underwent what was labelled "emergency surgery" on Tuesday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as world-renowned neurosurgeon Dr Joseph Maroon removed a large piece of disc material that was pressing into his spinal column.

Later that same day, Cena went to watch the Smackdown and ECW tapings taking place in the same city.


And you wonder why World Wrestling Entertainment Chairman Vince McMahon is so solidly behind the billion-dollar WWE machine promoting, marketing, and branding John Cena?


Whether he is your favorite wrestler to cheer, or you're among those who truly enjoy booing his every move and word, Vince McMahon is rightfully Cena's biggest advocate.


While I would dare suggest that Shawn Michaels is a superior in-ring performer, or that Edge has more range, or that Triple H understands "The Game" better than Cena, none of them can even hope to compare to his ability to serve the needs of World Wrestling Entertainment.


John Cena is single. No wife, no kids. He doesn't mind being away from home for weeks, indeed months on end.


He doesn't mind getting up at 5am to do media call-ins.


He doesn't mind flying to several cities on his rare days off to promote the upcoming shows.


He doesn't mind flying to the set of a WWE Films-produced movie, doing his job there, and then flying directly to make every booking, in every city, at every event WWE Raw promotes.


Cena is a workhorse. He's a tireless promotional machine. And the project, event, DVD, pay per view, film, CD, and merchandise he promotes are all branded "WWE".


There's not one single wrestler I've met in the past two decades with Cena's drive, ambition and determination to give every fibre of his existence to the company.


Triple H may have married into the 24/7 life of a McMahon Family member, but he likes to go home every now and then.


Hey, he has two daughters with Stephanie.


I'm not knocking him. My willingness to travel non-stop ended when I became a father as well.


But while I'm not knocking HHH, I am pointing out a fact.


If a radio interview needs to be done in the UK, which is five hours ahead of the North-eastern USA, and that interview needs to be done at 3:30am, Triple H is not going to be inclined to jump on the phone and be excited about the opportunity to engage in the conversation.


Cena, on the other hand, salivates at the opportunity.


John Cena is Vince McMahon's dream pro wrestler.

Everyone talks about him, either in terms of hero worship or in terms of passionate dislike.


Cena drives ratings, he sells PPVs and his merchandise sales still beats everyone else's in pro wrestling today.


And he's "WWE" 24/7, 365 days a year. Even when he just had surgery.


When I was the lead writer for WWE Smackdown, one of my early moves was bringing Cena up to the main roster from OVW.


Lots of the other writers spoke against it. Even Stephanie, who was usually an ally of debuting new stars, challenged me on my "first round draft pick" from the developmental system.


But when Cena made an impression that first night in his match against Kurt Angle, Vince said: "If he can keep his s*** together, this kid is worth nothing but money.”


John Cena has done more than keep his s*** together.


He's given his life to the chairman and World Wrestling Entertainment.


And for that, he's been rewarded handsomely with money, fame, and Vince McMahon branding him WWE's No1 superstar. Paul Heyman: Why I Left WWE

By SIMON ROTHSTEIN of THE LILSBOYS
Feb 4, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article762131.ece


HE’S the man who revolutionised the wrestling business.

The outspoken leader of a hardcore cult that will never die.


The creative genius forever synonymous with the letters E-C-W.


But for more than a year no one has heard a peep out of Paul Heyman.


Where was he? Why did he walk out of the WWE in December 2006? And most importantly what does he really think of Vince McMahon’s ‘new’ ECW?


Now, for the first time Paul answers those questions and more as only Paul can.


He also reveals the first details and advert for his exciting new project, the Heyman Hustle, which starts right here on The Sun Online on Monday February 18.


Enjoy!


Paul, let’s cut right to the chase. What happened with you and Vince McMahon?


I think what it boils down to is Vince McMahon and I have totally separate and distinct visions for what a wrestling or sports entertainment product should be.


There’s nothing wrong with having those different visions, the problem was that Vince started to take the difference of opinion personally.


And once that personality conflict comes into play, when you’re trying to steer the direction of a product, it becomes a bad work environment.


So Vince didn’t like working with me anymore and I didn’t like working with Vince anymore.


And it’s his company, so obviously he has to stay!


What do you think went wrong and why?


The brand should never have been brought back after the very first One Night Stand in 2005.


The follow-up show in 2006 made money, but only because it served as the platform for Rob Van Dam to beat John Cena.


Then Sci-Fi Channel was willing to give a test run for the brand ECW and they currently pay a lot of money for that TV show.


So the theory of bringing ECW back and making it profitable worked as a business move.


But the expectation from the audience that ECW was being brought back only served to be a monumental letdown.


By comparison, if someone were to resurrect The Beatles and say: “You know what, we want to make them more globally accepted, so we’re going to have a white guy, an Asian female, a Hispanic Bisexual and an African-American with a Scottish accent.”


In the land of WWE that actually makes sense.


But no matter how you look at it, it’s just not the Beatles.


So in the same light, it’s just not ECW.


‘Extreme’ doesn’t mean blood, or tables, or barbed wire. ECW was always about progression, moving forward, giving more bang for the buck.


For example, a finish in most every match. Simple thought. A winner and a loser. And a story with it that makes sense.


But if you voiced that opinion, Vince would take it personally.


If you look at the attempts to recreate the nWo, to re-create Goldberg and, even now, trying to recreate Ric Flair’s career on the line, Vince’s magic only happens when he creates it from the get-go.


If Vince doesn’t create it from the get-go, he can’t embrace the formula.


But why didn’t Vince just say: “Paul, I know you’re good at ECW, it’s on Sci-Fi, do your stuff, work your magic, make me some money?”


Because that goes against everything that is Vince McMahon.


Vince is such a control freak that if he sneezes, the next 10 minutes of any meeting are ruined because he is so p***ed at himself for not being able to control the sneeze.

And it’s worked very well for him in life.


He is a billionaire. He has his own luxury private plane and, by the way, it’s a really nice plane. He has things and property and cash that every other wrestling promoter in the world doesn’t have.


He has achieved these goals HIS WAY and so Vince is not about to let anyone have free reign over anything in his kingdom. That’s just not going to happen.


How was it for you to see ECW - your baby, the thing you created - almost destroyed in front of your eyes?


It was a very rough road because, make no mistake about it, Vince McMahon has every right to do anything that he wants with ECW.


He bought the right to exploit the intellectual property of the brand. It’s his, he owns it, and nobody can question whether or not he is entitled to do whatever he damn well pleases with it.


Rob Van Dam has articulated on this brilliantly in some recent interviews and it kind of brought back the memories of that time in 2006.


I tried to resign, and in front of other people because I wanted witnesses, several times in last two months of my tenure in WWE/ECW.


I offered my resignation to Stephanie on several occasions. I told her the tensions between me and Vince were getting in the way of the brand, that Vince was taking everything personally, and that it was neither fun, creative, or productive any more.


I thought if I left, Vince would give the brand the TLC - um, that’s Tender Loving Care, not Tables Ladders and Chairs - it needed. Stephanie kept trying to get involved, but Vince was on a tear.


I dare suggest that Vince was craving for someone to compete with him on any level, in anything in life, and also at the same time, hating to lose, said: “I have the original owner of ECW, I have the original creative mind of ECW, and you know what, we’re gonna battle over the creative direction of this product.”


And, at the same time, it’s like the WrestleMania main event - because it’s a predetermined finish.


At the end of the day, Vince has to determine what the direction is.


I’m not there to compete with him. I’m there to help him. I’m on his side, I’m his tag team partner.


It just became misery to work there which is why, as Van Dam has pointed out, I just wanted out so badly I finally couldn’t take it any more.


When did that happen, what was the actual date, because no one has known where you’ve been for a long time?


The final straw was the December to Dismember Pay Per View. That show was just a wreck.


I knew it going in. I kept trying to pitch different things for the show that week, that weekend, and even the day of the show. All day long on the day of the show, I kept coming to Vince saying: “The people are going to throw this back in our face.”


Can you give us some examples of the things that you wanted to do that Vince said “no” to?


I thought the undercard was horrible.


I thought that the design of the show itself made no sense.


I just felt that the entire layout of the show, the entire complexion of the event was a downer.


I also thought that we were doing Bobby Lashley no favours the way he was going to win the title. Lashley winning the title, especially if you eliminate Rob Van Dam and CM Punk early, would be leapfrogging over RVD and Punk.

Van Dam was the sentimental favourite, Punk was the kid that all the crowd was getting behind and they wanted to see the upset.


If you don’t appease the need for the audience to see that new hero get crowned like Punk did the week before at Survivor Series when DX let him say ‘Are you ready?’ then the audience will feel ripped off.


If you don’t put that spotlight on Van Dam, with whom the paying customers have just taken this long ride back into the title chase, then the paying customer will feel ripped off.


My opinion was to start the chamber off with the Big Show saying: “I’m a seven foot tall, 500lb giant, I’m gonna mow through every one of you.”


And the first to take him on would be Punk. Playing to the fact that UFC is so hot and in the public consciousness, Punk chokes out Big Show in the first round of the Elimination Chamber, four-and-a-half minutes in, and now the champion is out.


You know for a fact, before any two contenders lock up, I’m getting a new champion at the end of this match.


Then, the first guy to come out after Big Show v Punk, would be Van Dam. You let Van Dam and Punk fight it out, and then you start feeding in the heels.


Vince hated this. He especially hated the fact that Big Show liked it.


Even though he was being choked out within five minutes, Big Show liked it?


Of course, because he was making a new guy!


Big Show is so underappreciated in terms of how smart he is to the business, and how willing he is to make new stars.


Vince wanted all babyfaces out of the way and for all the spotlight on Lashley and for Lashley to do a Goldberg-style two minute squash of The Big Show.


At that point, not only did I realise that this is going to suck, not only is everyone going to throw this back at us, but this show is going to run short.


And during the show, I pointed all this out to Vince, which just angered him even more, and he didn’t care.


His attitude was: “When this broadcast is over, people will see a new champion, they’ll have a new hero and they’ll all be happy.”


When I went to Vince right before I went out to introduce the Chamber, I pointed out again to him “Vince this show is horribly short.”


I had this idea of getting 15 minutes out of the crowd, but Vince said: “No, no, no. Just go out there, make your point, and introduce the Chamber.”


Which is why, when I was in the ring, I made the statement: “ECW will live long after I am gone.”


Because I knew, either when I went back into the dressing room, or within the next day or two, it was time for me to leave.


Was there a part of you that thought about breaking character and actually quitting in the ring live on PPV?


No, because that would be unprofessional.


All that is doing is, in an emotional state, thinking that I am f***ing Vince McMahon over, and it’s a very dramatic thought but I have to say this on the record - I don’t think Vince McMahon f***ed me over.


I don’t think Vince, in his mind, did anything malicious towards me. I think Vince did what he either persuaded or convinced himself was the best for business.

The biggest shoot that I could do in that ring was not to say “I quit”. The biggest shoot that I could do was to make the statement “this brand goes on without me”.


That’s what I said, and that’s what ended up happening.


Do you think that Vince was trying to prove that Extreme didn’t work, as he didn’t invent it. That he was trying to destroy the legacy of ECW?


Like most people who make grand achievements in life – Bill Gates, Ted Turner, Richard Branson, Bill Clinton – Vince McMahon is a most complex individual.


It would take Freud himself to accurate describe, and probably 900 pages to do so, how Vince’s mind works.


There’s a lot of self-justification that goes on.


Vince could never accept that another brand could be successful.


Look at the success of The Rise and Fall of ECW, the DVD, which has sold close to 400,000 copies worldwide and at any point is the No1 or No2 bestselling DVD in sports entertainment history. The World Class DVD is just breaking out of 10,000 units sold right now. The Rey Mysterio DVD, the John Cena My Life DVD, sold approximately 30,000 units each.


You look at the staggeringly successful numbers that ECW DVD did, Vince’s answer to you will be: ‘Well, of course it sold that many, we’ve educated the audience that ECW is something special by the fact that every time a table broke, every time a high spot happened, every time an extreme style was showcased, we’ve encouraged the audience to chant E-C-W and we’ve allowed it on our broadcast.”


Now if you think about that logic, it’s so ass-backwards, that you’re going to think this man is a f***ing idiot or he’s insane, but he’s neither.


He has convinced, or persuaded, himself the statement is true.


And he wholeheartedly believes that the success of the first ECW PPV was because the $400,000+ gate that was in the Hammerstein Ballroom were the last vestiges of the ECW audience and all those people that bought it on PPV were WWE fans who were educated that ECW would be something special.


Vince McMahon would swear on his grandchildren that is an accurate statement.


He won’t be lying, he’ll mean it when he says it, unfortunately it’s the furthest thing from the truth.


So after December to Dismember, you literally left that night and never came back?


No, we clashed that night after the show, and the next day too. By then, that was fait accompli.


We were clashing on the plane going to North Charleston, South Carolina. It was ridiculous.


So by the time we got to North Charleston, I had already called home and said: “Just so you know, I’m coming home tonight.” I’d already made up my mind.


After the producers’ meeting, Vince, Stephanie and I sat in that room trying to determine what the future held¿ and I just wanted to go home.


We sat there for a while, there’s a lot of history with me and Vince, and there was a lot I wanted to say to him, to his face, and there was a lot that he wanted to say to my face.


I think we both had merits in our argument.


At the end of the day, I shook his hand and went home and I’ve never looked back.


Have you spoken to Vince or Stephanie since?


Oh, Stephanie called me the next day several times, and tried to repair it. I don’t think there was anything to repair.


I had a run in the wrestling industry that in my wildest dreams as a kid I could never have imagined.


As a performer I accomplished everything I could possibly have wanted. As I writer/booker, I had a run that all but the most uber-successful people in the history of this business could have ever fantasised about.


I owned a company that is the only company in history to be resurrected. Ted Turner lost hundreds of millions of dollars on WCW, no-one’s calling for the resurrection of that promotion.


My tiny little creative vision called ECW not only was resurrected but still stands today without me.


What more is there left for me to do?


Stephanie made me an offer in 2007 to come back and run developmental, because of the success we had in OVW.


She said; “Vince wants you to create new stars again, do what you were doing in OVW and also get Deep South Wrestling on track.”


They offered me that position, with the same pay, same stock options, same benefits.


It was a wonderful offer and anybody that has the opinion they wanted to drive Paul Heyman out of the business should understand that this offer was given to me and it was most flattering.


Of course, I’m sure that part of the deal would be “no contact with Vince” but Stephanie really wanted me to take the job, and was pushing me to take the job.


Stephanie was shocked that I wouldn’t jump all over this opportunity because on a money basis, it was an insanely lucrative deal.


A miniscule amount of the work I had to put in before, on a job that I truly enjoy which is developing characters, working with the next generation so every star of the next generation will have been moulded at least partially by me.


It was a very financially lucrative and creatively fulfilling job but by this point I just didn’t want it any more.


Our MMA correspondent at The Sun, Mark Gilbert, said you were trying to buy Strike Force at one point, is that true?


You kind of caught me off guard in asking the question, but it’s 100% true.


I don’t know whose names I’m supposed or not supposed to discuss, so I will skirt the issue of who else was involved by simply saying we formed a group of qualified, intelligent, motivated people last summer and had some meetings with Scott Coker about buying Strike Force and obviously keeping Coker intricately involved.


I think Strike Force was in a position to, if not challenge UFC, then be what ECW was in the 90s which is a very viable alternative brand.


I have a lot of admiration for what Scott Coker and his team have built in Northern California, and I like the name Strike Force. Good name for branding.


I like their presentation, I think they have some marketable fighters under contract, and we had a collective vision that I think could have really, really worked.


The negotiations stopped because one of the key people in our group ended up being someone we didn’t want to get stuck with, because we realised in the negotiations that he was the wrong guy for the deal.


Scott Coker is a good man. I like him personally, love his organization, and think he deserves a lot of credit for what he’s built.

Finally let’s talk about the Heyman Hustle. Let’s give people a taste of what’s going to happen on The Sun’s website in two weeks time.


Well, my partner Mitchell Stuart always laughs at me because I define the Hustle as the High Definition Video Blog of a Rambling Mind.


Our goal is to break ground in the wireless/broadband and digital/mobile platforms, which get so much attention from the entertainment industry right now because its unchartered turf and no-one has been able to figure out what the future holds on this constantly evolving concept.


We want to peel back the layers of celebrity and we’re going to demonstrate that larger-than-life personalities are not only found on television and the movies.


We’re going to find the extraordinary in the ordinary and find the ordinary in the extraordinary.


So, we’re just diving in as deep as we can go and trying to be the leaders of the exploration of this new universe.


So, we’re content providers in a brand new, exploding, and already rapidly changing field.


Damn, that sounds exhilarating!


*****


This Is Going To Piss People Off

By SIMON ROTHSTEIN of THE LILSBOYS
Feb 15, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article807442.ece

FOR most of his career in the business of professional wrestling, Paul Heyman was the most controversial man in sports entertainment.

Speaking for the first time since his fallout with the McMahons in December 2006, it is clear he has lost none of his ability to stir things up.


In our second exclusive interview with the man who made wrestling Extreme, Heyman reveals an outlandish conspiracy theory to explain who he believes will succeed Vince McMahon.


And it is something he believes may be the greatest Hustle of 'em all!


Heyman also gives his views on WWE's competitors TNA and ROH, and talks more about how he nearly entered the MMA business.


If you are a fan of Heyman's and have enjoyed our interviews, make sure you stick with The Sun for the Heyman Hustle, which starts right here on Monday.


Hello again Paul. The thing that surprised most people about our first interview was how warmly you described your relationship with Stephanie McMahon. There used to always be constant stories of rows, so did you grow to like each other over time or were those just rumours?


They weren't rumours, Stephanie and I clashed heavily through most of my tenure in WWE.


And I don't think it should be a surprise that we did. I came into WWE just as Stephanie was taking over the writing team.


Stephanie is a lot like her father. Even those closest to her would refer to her as The Vincess. And they said it in a manner that cannot be mistaken — they mean it as the ultimate compliment.


She has that drive, she has that ambition and she craves doing the job. Stephanie wakes up in the morning motivated to already be at the second item of the day on her yellow notepad.


Steph competes with herself to be better at her job tomorrow than she is today, and better two days from now than she is tomorrow.


This is an inspired person in terms of getting work done. If you don't admire their work ethic, that intensity of passion to make it all happen, then you're clearly missing something.


Stephanie was put in the position by her father that she had to prove to him every day that she could lead and manage people as he does. She had to show Vince that a group of people could be placed under her umbrella and be brought forward with her vision.


So along comes Heyman. Fresh out of his own promotion, a seven-year adventure that was like a rollercoaster with the blindfolds on.


It's pre-determined that we're going clash. And that's a test for Stephanie because her father has had to deal with strong personalities — be it his own dad, competing promoters or wrestlers from Bruno Sammartino to Steve Austin — it's just part of owning a company.

I faced that when I had my own company. So I do understand it from their perspective.


But by the end of my time in WWE, I can only say that she was quite supportive and would not accept my resignation on several occasions, and seriously tried to help the situation.


Do you not think that by the end Stephanie could just sense you had given up and wanted to make peace with you?


It doesn't matter to Stephanie whether she's at peace with you or at odds with you.


She has her father's ruthlessness and that's a very necessary component to taking over the company that she may one day inherit.


Stephanie wouldn't think twice about making peace with me if it's good for business. And she wouldn't think twice about slashing my throat if it's good for business either.


That is interesting — so you think Stephanie will take over the WWE from Vince rather than her brother Shane?


I have my own conspiracy theory on this and I know some people won't take it seriously because sometimes I don't take it seriously. But then, other times, I'm convinced that it's very accurate.


Oh boy, here we go. I'm sure this is going to p*** everybody off.


The theory is that Vince envisions himself running WWE well into his 90s, bypassing the Stephanie/Shane generation and going forward with the succession to Shane's sons because then it's a McMahon running the company.


Stephanie, who is far more publicly visible than her brother, has the boost of running the creative and talent ends, which is what most of the public sees. Stephanie will drive the product.


Shane, who has made and cultivated and nurtured new business relationships and explored new mediums and platforms and applications, grooms the next generation.


It's the same deal that is going on right now with The Royal Family — The Queen is staying alive so Prince Charles doesn't get the throne!


Vince has taken note of this exceptional Machiavellian play and has incorporated it into his own life.


Although you're not with the WWE, do you still watch the product?


Of course I still watch it. I'm still a big fan and I still appreciate the art form. I still get goosebumps seeing the live reaction when it hits.


I never lost a love for the business, it's just that my time in it is up.


I lived out every dream I could have possibly imagined about the wrestling industry when I was a kid. I had a blast and loved every minute, even the bad ones. Well, most of the bad ones. But I have other dreams, too, and I feel a need to pursue them.


As for the product, I think WWE is a fantastic company whose stock is undervalued.


They lost their biggest cash cow, John Cena, and still turned in a fourth quarter that was so profitable it exceeded Wall Street's wildest expectations.


This is a corporation that knows how to maximise assets.


The product is what we as fans put all of our passion into, and discuss and debate, but it's a business. And as a business it's the dominant brand with a market share that is mind-boggling.

But the money-making aside, what do you think of Raw, Smackdown and ECW? What makes you scream and shout, in good or bad ways, when you're watching WWE TV?


I don't get emotionally involved like that any more because I lost enough hair and gained enough weight worrying about these things when I was working there.


So now, I can just sit back and enjoy it for what it is — and that is the public vehicle given to the networks to sell ad time for a thriving corporation, designed in part to satisfy the network's criteria for paying the license fees, coupled with the need to promote, promote, promote.


From a business model perspective, Vince McMahon's theory and implementation of television is a fascinating study.


You talked about WWE being the dominant brand earlier — do you think rival American wrestling group TNA could ever challenge that?


I think TNA has a major hurdle to overcome — and that's the fact that they have no BRAND. There's no one on that roster that is branded TNA.


You look at Kurt Angle and you think WWE. You look at Booker T and think WCW, five-time, five-time, five-time or King Booker in WWE. You look at The Dudleys and think ECW or WWE or even tables.


You look at Samoa Joe, who should be the TNA guy, and you think this guy's great, when's he going to WWE.


Are there hot moments? Sure. Are there personalities to like? Sure. Is there a good work rate? Sure. But there is no TNA style, TNA persona or TNA brand.


They had an opportunity to do this with the X Division, which is a totally unique concept you don't see anywhere else in wrestling, MMA or sports entertainment.


That could have been their version of what UFC did with the Octagon but they diminished the effectiveness of their own creation.


They had a totally different and unique look and presentation, and then tossed it aside like it was just another gimmick.


For the life of me I can't understand why.

But surely TNA have a six-sided ring, a women's division that's becoming the best the US has ever produced, Kurt Angle praising TNA at every opportunity and lots of homegrown talent like Joe, AJ Styles, Kaz and Robert Roode?


I don't think the problem is in the talent, it's in the BRANDING of that talent. If you walked Angle through the airport, nobody would say: "There's that guy from TNA."


Nobody equates Angle, or anybody in that company, to TNA. As a company, they desperately need to address that.


For example, their women's division is attracting attention right now, there's some real momentum behind it. So why isn't Kong on television saying: "My name is Awesome Kong, I AM TNA and here's why."


Then you have ODB, and she says: "I'm ODB and I AM TNA and here's why." Then Gail Kim is doing a promo and she says: "No, I'M TNA and here's why."


TNA is WWE-Lite. Their TV show is the same thing as ECW's TV show. Their six-sided ring is the same as a four-sided ring.


There is nothing that is enough of a difference maker in the audience's mind that makes me as a fan say I'm watching an alternative, a different style, a different product and most importantly, a different brand.


They have a product that is clearly using the WWE formula with lighting that is less spectacular than Vince's.


If I was running TNA, or any wrestling company for that matter, as soon as I heard Paul Heyman was a free agent I would have picked up that phone. So have you thought about going there?


I have no interest in TNA.


They don't want someone to come in and completely change their formula. I don't even think they want to hear that their formula is in need of changing. They have a strong comfort level, thanks to the television contract with Spike in America and what looks like the stopping of their heavy financial bleeding.


TNA is a vanity piece and they don't want someone who comes in and says: "We really have to address all these situations."


The offer that Stephanie gave me to work with all the WWE's developmental talent would be one I would be very inclined to take, if I had any interest in staying in the wrestling business.


But now I want to pursue these other dreams and challenge myself to do other things creatively.


I would see TNA as a step down. It's a viable place to work, but I'm not interested in just doing a job. I want to be intellectually, spiritually and creatively stimulated and challenged. I want to create and participate in a vibrant creative atmosphere.


Bluntly, I don't see that as being part of what they could offer.


Surely there's a part of you that wants to go to TNA, use their talent and money, thrash ECW in the ratings and really stick it to Vince?


I'm not looking to stick it to Vince.


There's a lot of people who have wasted their lives saying: "I'm going to get Vince McMahon. Watch this — I'm going to say that he's a no good f***ing a**hole."


And while they're saying that, he's flying 40,000 feet up in the air back to Connecticut on his $80million private plane.


Hey, you really got him with that one guys! That's a sucker's move. I'm not obsessed with Vince McMahon.

There is an often forgotten third company in America, Ring Of Honor, run by an old protege of yours called Gabe Sapolsky. What do you think of the product and Sapolsky as a person?


I am very proud of Gabe. He has learned from all of the strengths of ECW and also our weaknesses.


He's developed a niche audience that is loyal to the Ring Of Honor product. With no resources, Gabe has branded Ring Of Honor far better than the multi-multi-million dollar TNA product.


When you see Ring Of Honor you know what you are watching. When you see a certain style you know it's the ROH style.


On Ring Of Honor's worst day he still delivers more bang for your buck than most people do on their best.


Do I think that ROH will ever be a global corporation? No. It’s not designed to be.


It's designed to be a boutique promotion to cater to a fan that is looking for a certain product. He has cornered that market and done a brilliant job in doing so.


Obviously working for WWE or TNA would be a full-time job. But have you ever thought of going to one of Sapolsky's shows, having a good time and just helping ROH out? He must have asked you?


I don't think I'd be helping Gabe out at all if I showed up. I don't see how I can contribute to what he is doing.


I neither want to be a nostalgia act — which is why I don't go to any conventions or do any shoot tapes, no matter how much they keep offering — nor do I want to be the guy who comes in and upsets the formula that has worked for Gabe and his company just fine.


Paul Heyman in Ring Of Honor doesn't add to Ring Of Honor. There's nothing I can tell his audience that they don't already know.


Gabe doesn't need my endorsement from me, he needs the endorsement of a 16-year-old kid who goes to school on a Monday and tells all of his friends: "Man, I went to a wrestling show this weekend and had the greatest time of my life. They're back next month – let’s all go."


Does he ask you for advice on ROH booking and do you give it?


I don't talk wrestling with Gabe because I don't want to influence his product. His vision works.


Has he ever called me for advice on a finish, character or angle? Sure.


But I'll give him a perspective where he can find his own answer. I don't want to give him the answer because then it's my answer not his.


Everything he does needs to have Gabe Sapolsky's booking DNA all over it. It's not supposed to be my vision. it's supposed to be his.


Talking about your Strike Force quotes in our last interview, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported you were also talking to MMA groups IFL and YAMMA. Is that true?


I met with IFL right before they went on television. They need an executive producer to run their TV shows and bring a vision to the product. Someone thought I was the right guy to speak with about that.


I just didn't understand where they wanted to take their company and what they wanted out of their television show. I didn't have a starting point from which to build.


First of all, to a kid, the cage is The Deal. MMA in a ring, to me, looks like those old boxing films of Joe Louis or Jack Dempsey or Max Bear. The old grainy black-and-white footage that looks like the Stone Age. The ring is yesterday's model.


The Octagon, or even just the cage, is what people view as MMA and that's a credit to the UFC's branding.


On the other hand Bob Meyrowitz, at YAMMA, is coming back to a business that he brought into the public consciousness.


I've met Bob at parties and weddings - we have a lot of mutual friends - and we've had lots of chats about the MMA business.

I'm interested in seeing what he does with YAMMA because doing PPV in today's environment, with no television to back it up or bring it forward, seems like a really tough assignment.


A couple of days before the big Heyman Hustle launch can you tell us a bit about what it will involve?


Well, we had everything planned for the first episode.


We were going to go to the private party for the cast members of the new season of Survivor, when an hour before we were supposed to start shooting we get a message that all media credentials had been cancelled.


Execs didn't want the cast members to be seen in public.


Now, keep in mind, we're on deadline with the first episode and we're on a tight schedule already. No time to arrange something else. No time to even scramble.


This is a total improv situation which, I must confess, is 10 times the adrenalin rush and a much more exhilarating evening of production in the most sensory-heightening part of the greatest city on earth — Times Square, New York City.


One hour to go. What do we do? What the f*** do you think we did?


We did a Hustle.

*****

I've No Answers And Never Will

By PAUL HEYMAN
Feb 21, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article829505.ece

OF ALL the issues covered in the two-part interview Simon Rothstein conducted with me leading into the debut of our new Heyman Hustle programme, the only one I told him up-front I was uncomfortable talking about was Chris Benoit.

Like many others, I spent a good part of last summer wondering what happened, speculating on the events that lead to the horrible tragedy on that awful weekend in June.


But also like everyone else, I have no answers. My theories are exactly that. Just theories. The only people who can accurately tell us what happened, what caused the chain of events that lead to three people's lives being extinguished, are all gone.


So, how does anyone tackle the subject of what happened? How does someone who knew Chris, Nancy, and Daniel convey his or her thoughts on this horrific murder suicide that touched all of our lives? Where do you start if you're trying to understand it all?


See, that's just the point. I don't understand it. I can't grasp it and I've given up trying.


It's obvious from what we know about Chris' diary and his concussions and his brain damage and his drug use that he descended into madness.


And before that, one would have to assume that unbeknownst to us all, he was a man prone to this level of - what word applies here - Evil? Horror? Darkness?


I live for my children. Wake up for them. BREATHE for them. Their very existence makes me love life more than ever before. They fulfil me.


And I had so many talks with Chris about that. The subject of our children was a breakthrough for us, because Chris was just never the type of guy I could socialise with, or talk on the phone with for a long time. We were on two different waves.


But we could talk about "personality" and "character" and "submissions" and "the art" for hours on end, and enjoy the conversation. But never about politics. Never about sports. Never about anything other than wrestling...


...and our children.


"Unconditional love," he'd tell me. Over and over again. It still resonates in my head as I write this blog.


Chris’ whole body language changed when we talked about our children. His voice got softer, his hands opened up and stayed open - he was always squeezing his hands or holding onto the straw in his mouth.


I'm babbling, because I still have no answers, and never will.


It's one of those things we're not supposed to understand, not supposed to be able to comprehend. Because we can't, even in our darkest moments, come remotely close to the very notion of harming our kids, let alone killing them.


Even writing that felt awkward.


It's like trying to wrap your mind around the emotions of a suicide bomber. You can't. You're not supposed to. You shouldn't WANT to be the type of person who understands.


Like in this case.


As I look back at all the media attention, I can submit to you it's a shame that missing in these stories is the tragic loss of three lives.


The professional wrestler, admired and respected by his peers, known in his chosen profession as one of the best in-ring performers the industry has ever known, who will now, much like OJ Simpson, never be remembered for his accomplishments, but only for the deaths his name will forever be attached to.


There's the young girl who got caught up in the wrestling business as a teenager, ended up leaving the business to become a full time mother, whose professional legacy and even worse, whose brutal murder has been eclipsed by the remembrances of what a "good guy" and a "great wrestler" and a "wonderful family man" and a "respected co-worker" her killer was.


And there's a seven-year-old boy, whose room was filled with posters and action figures of his revered father, who has been wrongfully labelled across the world as being a dwarf, or retarded, or a sufferer of Fragile-X, whose wrongly-reported disabilities have been speculated as the cause of the marital strife that many say drove the little boy's beloved father, the murderer, over the edge.

This is a story with no happy ending. It's a tragedy.


A terrible, horrific crime took place in Fayetteville, Georgia, at the home of Chris, Nancy and Daniel Benoit.


And while an entire industry reels in the wake of it, there are people in Edmonton and Florida grieving and trying to cope with the fact that not only have three loved ones perished, but also that no one can seemingly come up with a reason, even a bad reason, as to why.


Michael and Margaret Benoit lost a son, a daughter-in-law, and their grandson, and the family name will forever be tarnished by this heinous crime.


Paul and Maureen Toffoloni lost a daughter, a son-in-law, and their only grandson, and their other daughter Sandy lost her older sister and only nephew.


David and Megan Benoit lost their little half-brother and stepmom, and their father is dead.


I wish I could offer some perspective that would bring closure for people, or a theory that could allow us to even begin to come to grips with it all.


I don't have those words. I've been searching for a way to describe the anger, or the hurt, or the confusion we all feel trying to get past this enormous tragedy.


I've given up. It's just something, as my mother taught me many years ago, you have to live with, accept, and simply deal with for the rest of your life.


The only perspective I can offer is not a comforting one.


On that fateful weekend in June last year, in that house in Fayetville, Georgia, three people lost their lives. Two didn't have a choice.





*****


Steve Knew He'd Be The Best

By PAUL HEYMAN
Mar 21, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article947431.ece

IT was about 1am, or a half hour after we started taping interviews, when he leaned in to semi-whisper with that unmistakable gravelly voice.

His thick right hand pulled me by the arm even closer so that no one else could hear him.


"Goddamn kid, no limits here, huh?"


It was September 1995 and Steve Austin had just been fired from World Championship Wrestling. Steve and I had worked together in 1991 and 1992 when he was the WCW World Television Champion and part of The Dangerous Alliance.


While the Alliance was supposed to be WCW's new version of a Four Horsemen type group built around Rick Rude, it was obvious from day one that Austin was the future of the industry.


I remember how upset the then-head of WCW Jim Herd was at me because I had written an article for the WCW Magazine proclaiming that Austin would be the biggest star in the business. "He's good, but he's not great," Herd screamed. "You're a terrible judge of talent!"


ECW was built on the premise of being the anti-WCW. The word "Extreme" was not just about barbed wire, tables, and blood... it was a work ethic... a desire to partake and thrive in an uninhibited creative environment where a performer was challenged and indeed encouraged to push through their limits, take chances, and not be constrained by pre-set parameters imposed by people who didn't share their vision of themselves.

As a courtesy, I offered Austin the opportunity to do his promos early. I always thought Steve was a first class promo guy who was just never given the opportunity to let his real persona come out.


But Austin didn't want that courtesy. He wanted to be competitive. "If it's all right with you," he said. I'll go last!"


I told him: "LAST??? Last is around 4 in the morning!"


"I ain't got nothing to do before I catch my plane. I'll sleep tomorrow," he replied, as serious as I've ever seen him. "I wanna see what everyone else does, so I know who and what I have to top!"


It's that main eventer's attitude, by the way, that drove Steve to become the biggest star in the industry.


It's that desire, that competitive spirit, that insatiable craving to be number one, that propelled him above guys like Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, The Undertaker, and everyone else in the business to become recognised as the one star that Vince McMahon would bet his entire future on when WCW was mopping the floor with WWE.

On this September night in Philadelphia, Austin could not be distracted. He watched everyone's interview with an intensity that most people only reach during the height of a match. Austin wasn't just determined to do the best interview of the night, he was driven.


And then, it was time. Everyone had done their interviews. It was, as predicted, around 4am. Steve turned to me and asked, "What do you want me to say?" The answer was easy. "Tell everyone the truth. Tell them you're going to be the biggest superstar this industry has ever seen. Tell them what's in your heart, just let your character carry the message that you yourself believe in."


He got up, walked around, and got in "the zone". Steve knew it was true. He knew his talent was matched only by his need to be the best. He knew he could do it. He just never had the platform to prove it.


He sat down, and said: "Alright, I'm ready."


What happened next is just one of those moments in time that you never forget. Steve EXPLODED on camera. The energy, the force, the passion that was compelled to charge out of his being was so powerful, it left everyone in the room speechless.

I turned to Ron Buffone, who has shot some of the greatest interviews in ECW history, and begged, "Please tell me you got every moment of that on tape." Ron could barely answer. "I got it," he said, not being able to take his eyes off Austin, "Holy s*#%, I got it!"


Steve found himself. It didn't take long. He just needed that one chance, that one time, that one moment to be himself. No scripts from other people's screwed up vision of what he should be. No limitations. No preconceived notions of who he was, or what he was capable of.


When he was given that very same chance to be himself just nine months later in WWE, when he was allowed to break free of the limited "Ringmaster" character and was given the freedom to explore the limitless potential of "Stone Cold," Austin did it again.


He broke barriers. He didn't settle for "OK," he challenged himself to do more. To be better. To be the absolute best. It's never been a matter of "can I do it?" with Steve.


It's only been a matter of "give me the chance, and stand the F back!" He didn't think he could pull it off. He knew he could. There was never a doubt in his mind, because Steve Austin loves to exceed everyone's expectations.


And that's the bottom line, because time and time again, Stone Cold made it so!


*****

Paul To Ric: Stop Crying Already

By PAUL HEYMAN
Apr 06, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1005842.ece

A few disclaimers up front.

1) I'm a huge fan of ‘emotional’ moments on wrestling shows, especially ones based on merit and service more than tragedy.


2) I think Ric Flair deserves every accolade, every clap of the hands, every tribute paid to him at the Hall of Fame, at WrestleMania, and at Monday Night Raw for his retirement ceremony.


3) I cried my eyes my out watching Flair apologize to his children, and in some ways even more so by being such a man as to thank his first two wives at the Hall of Fame.


But jeeeesh, I wish Ric Flair would stop crying already.


The Hall of Fame speech, while edited for television, was a heart-wrenching genuine display of emotion that allowed Richard Fliehr a chance to thank everyone for letting him be - WHOOOOOO! - The Nature Boy Ric Flair all of those years, day and night.


That was an awesome television special. Flair was magnificent. He was gracious, eloquent, charming, choked with a passionate love for the family who sacrificed their time with him so he could be "that other person" that truly dwells inside him.


He was a man filled with pride yet regret; honour yet guilt; deep sorrow, but unparalleled accomplishment.


Then came WrestleMania.


In 10 years, this Mania will be remembered for two things.


In second place comes the fantastic Big Show v Floyd Mayweather match, which not only lived up to it's hype but far surpassed it.


By the way, Mayweather is a total pro for the match he participated in and showed what a phenomenal performer he truly is. Paul Wight is a giant without peer, a larger than ‘larger than life’ performer who stepped up like Bam Bam Bigelow did against Lawrence Taylor - like Ric Flair carried so many people who never truly understood the seemingly-effortless but totally brilliant job Flair was doing in making them look great.


And in first place, Ric Flair v Shawn Michaels.


That finish was an all time classic. The proud but wounded warrior struggles to his feet and asks for the execution to be given to him with dignity. He wants no mercy. It's not the way of the legends.


As the tears roll down the travel-beaten face of the pride-filled master in the final moments of his reign, the kid who idolized him fights his own conscience and gives the decorated chieftain the right to go out in style.


Shawn Michaels mouths "I'm sorry." He struggles, but continues, "I love you." The WWE audience, wrapped up in the passion of the Flair Fever that had engulfed WrestleMania weekend, never once rolled their eyes at the scene... nor should they have.

Flair's performance had little to do with the physicality of the match and everything to do with delivering 20 minutes of emotion-tugging psychology that had everyone hoping his career would survive another day, even though you knew in your heart the outcome.


And Shawn Michaels? This match itself was a Hall of Fame worthy performance. If WWE opens up a Smithsonian-like museum, the tape of that finish should play over and over and over again. Yup, that good.


Then came Monday.


And yes, I know this going to piss off some of my friends, but if I never see Ric Flair cry again, it'll be too soon.


It would have been great to see Flair go out as the Kiss Stealing, Wheeling Dealing, Limousine Riding, Jet Flying, Sonofagun.


OK, so we're going for yet another emotional moment. We had 'em crying at the Hall of Fame. Had 'em at Mania. OK, one more to go. Let's give it to 'em on Raw.


And after the first set of reunions for Flair, don't you think it was time for the mass curtain call, the standing ovation, the "thank you Ric" chants and goodnight everybody?


It was a treat for everyone to see Ric reunited with Tully and Arn and Windham and JJ.


Anyone who knows the story of how JJ left WWE, and the enormous heat between JJ and Vince will tell you, this was Vince McMahon doing what he felt was right for business.


Hey, there's Ricky Steamboat. That's a nice tribute. Their worst matches against each should be considered all time classics. Those two were magic together. Michaels' appearance and hug makes it complete. That's some great emotion.


But watching Flair cry because Chris Jericho says thank you? Hey, here's John Cena. And he's saluting Flair. Whooop de freakin' do. Yeah yeah, this is basic Thugonomics. What the hell does it have to do with anyone's favorite Flair memories? Cena? Jericho? Where's Fifi the French Maid?

Hell, if we're stretching, bring out the mannequin that doubled as Precious (anyone under 36 or 37 will have to take my word for it).


Raise the 4 Fingers with the Horsemen. Drop the elbow on your own jacket. Whooo a bunch of times. And please, I'm begging someone to tell Vince and Kevin Dunn that f'n song about leaving the memories alone is not something that tugs at the heart, nor does it add to the emotion of a Ric Flair testimonial.


Play Strauss' Sprach Zarathustra - which was the theme to 2001: A Space Odyssey - all night long.


That other song is just Vince and Kevin saying: "Here's the WWE touch to it all that makes it so great."


Get over yourselves.


Sorry, I digress.


Triple H belts out something like: "Here's another Horsemen, Dean Malenko!" Cut to Flair, he's bawlin'. Over Dean Malenko?


I'd rather see Tommy Young. Or Tony Schiavone. Or even David Crockett.


Please, someone send down Vince to hit the ring, throw everyone out, demand Flair acknowledge Vince as Lord and Master, and say: "NOW you're joining the club!"


Something... anything...


And maybe this is where Flair puts Vince in the Figure Four, and Vince is tapping like a wildman, especially since Vince didn't tap out a few weeks ago on television.

Nope, Vince just got put through a table and pinned.


And since the WWE champion himself, Randy Orton tapped out to the Figure Four, as did MVP and Kennedy - all men who must be considered big parts of WWE's future - I'm sure Vince will tap and put Flair ov...


More guests of honor. More tears.


Enough already.


By night three of WrestleMania weekend, I just wanted to say "goodbye" to ‘The Cause of All This,’ not see the aged hero's third night of tears and uncontrollable sobbing.


As an audience member, I was privileged enough already to see the human being behind the public image at the Hall of Fame.


As an audience member, I had the pleasure of seeing the performer work his ass off at WrestleMania and give a performance that as fans of his character, we can all be proud of.


Ric Flair's departure was memorable, so therefore my blog this week should not be considered a criticism but simply a personal observation.


There's nothing wrong with how it was handled. And I'm sure Flair wouldn't change a thing about it. That's his right. It was a tribute to his sacrifice, his career, his lifetime dedication to being The Man.


Just next time, I'd like to see the bug-eyed, half-crazed, surely out-of-his-mind Ric Flair.


The custom-made from head-to-toe personification of the phrase "charismatic character" who just can't help but be the centre of attention.


That's the Ric Flair I want to see. I want to celebrate his career, not mourn it. I just don't want any more boo-hoos.


I'm in the mood for a WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!


*****

Mike Adamle Is Truly Awful

By PAUL HEYMAN
Apr 18, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1060395.ece

OH BOY. I thought this was going to be a quiet week. No such thing, I guess.
In a decision that really threw everyone for a loop, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and Executive Producer Kevin Dunn pulled Joey Styles from the position of ECW play-by-play announcer, and replaced him with the indescribably amateurish Mike Adamle.

The reaction was immediate. Even those who never saw Joey in the original Extreme Championship Wrestling were outraged.

Adamle's performance was so terrible, it drew an intense reaction from even casual fans who couldn't possibly care less, and who were ready to take a baseball bat and smash their television sets after listening to his butchering of the program.

I'm not being overly hard on Mike Adamle. It's the old joke about Vince Russo going to WCW. Russo's booking did such damage to the promotion, people in the industry actually believed Vince McMahon sent him to WCW to kill the company.

I'm not kidding. To this day, some people swear it had to be true. Mike Adamle couldn't have done a more p***-poor job at announcing if he tried.

No self-sabotage could have been that consistent. Adamle called "WWE" just "WW". He called Tazz "The Tazz." He mispronounced names, couldn't call holds, and his announcing debut was generally regarded as one of the worst in the history of broadcasting.

Now here's a little secret. SHHHHHHHH.... don't tell anyone.

For everyone who is so up in arms, screaming "we need to tell Vince what we think!" and "This guy's a total disaster," I have a scoop for you, and you're not going to like it.

Adamle is horrible. No one likes him. People at home actually loathe his presence on the show. AND THAT'S EXACTLY THE SORT OF PASSIONATE RESPONSE VINCE McMAHON IS LOOKING FOR!!!

Do you really think Vince doesn't realise how incompetent this tra-la-la-goon-de-yay of an announcer is? The ECW show from the UK was TAPED.

That means there was time for Adamle to grab a mic backstage and clean up the performance. Not the whole miserable, horrible, intolerable hour. Just the really obvious "branding" issues, like all 3 letters that identify World Wrestling Entertainment. Hey, that would be a start, don't you think?

Vince McMahon is not a fan of Joey Styles as an announcer. In 2005, when we were heading into the first ECW One Night Stand pay per view, the lead play-by-play spot was never put into the script.

Even a few weeks before the show, I was writing "announcers" because the decision still hadn't been made to finalise the deal with Joey. Trivia note, by the way: The backup plan was to go with Jim Ross.

In memo to Vince, Stephanie, Shane, Kevin Dunn, and John Laurinaitis, I wrote "If we can't come to terms with Styles - which I am very hopeful we can indeed do, because if we want this show to be "authentic," Joey has to be the play-by-play announcer - then a suggestion for the show without Joey is for Jim Ross to do it.

If the Heyman character does the dreaded ECW shoot promo on Raw, and walks up to JR and states that because we couldn't come to terms with Joey, the only conceivable other answer would be you, JR, because while you've never been in ECW, we all respect your ability to call the product, and there's not an ECW fan alive who deny that you are universally recognised as the best in the game...I would suggest everyone would accept JR in that role, and he would not disappoint on the night of the show."

But Joey did come to terms. And then, when Vince decided for the umteempth time to replace JR, Joey was signed to a five-year contract. And ever since about 10 minutes into Joey's first broadcast, Vince has hated the decision to hire Joey Styles.

I lost more hair arguing that Joey needed to be the host of the resurrected brand in 2006 than I want to even remember. Vince thought of everyone else who could be in that chair. Everyone, of course, except for Mike Adamle.

OK, here it is. Oliver Stone can kiss my kosher a**. This conspiracy is presented to you ... BECAUSE IT'S TRUE!!!

Vince McMahon is not only keenly aware of just how bad Mike Adamle is, he's counting on it. That's why there was no editing done to clean up Adamle's embarrassingly bad performance.

WWE's ECW is doing 1.2 and 1.3 ratings on Sci-Fi. That may keep Bonnie Hammer and Sci-Fi happy because very little else on that network comes close to that number, but I remember the panic setting in when the new ECW was "crashing" into the 2.1 zone.

The show has simply settled in with the audience that will watch whatever product is on, be it "Heat," "Velocity," "TNA," or any other lite version of Raw or Smackdown.

So Vince's big idea for ECW is the train-wreck mentality! I can just see Vince right now, believing every word he himself says. "This guy is so bad, how can anyone NOT watch the show?" And he means it.

Vince actually believes that Mike Adamle is so mind-bogglingly awful, so ill-prepared, so horribly wrong for the show, that people will never be able to turn the dial. It's the Britney Spears mentality. Is she wearing her panties today? Uh oh, she's driving on the highway. Someone call the gossip blogs!

So, what have we learned today? Well, for one, the decision to remove Styles from the broadcasting position in favor of Adamle has dragged down the quality of the already-suffering show even more.

Number Two, that when a young, hungry, ambitious, qualified announcer like Josh Matthews, who has been waiting in the wings for half a decade, is passed over for an incompetent boob like Mike Adamle, there must be a good reason for it.

And three, that reason is because Vince McMahon is sure Adamle is so bad, people will look forward to his performances on ECW because of the very fact that you never know what he's going to screw up next.

And in the end, if you realise that I've spent all this time writing about the decision, you have to give round one to Vince's theory. Let's check those ratings in a month. We'll see how the theory pans out.

Until next time, E-C- ...... um ...... nevermind!


*****

TNA's Biggest Problem

By PAUL HEYMAN
Apr 29, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1105741.ece

ON April 13, Samoa Joe captured the TNA world title from Kurt Angle in an MMA-style cage match.
Their Lockdown main event, heralded by some as the "style of the future," was a stiffly-worked textbook example of the sacrifice top-tier personalities are willing to make to present a contemporary, compelling match as the feature presentation of a pay per view event.

Just a week and a half later, with all the hype, praise, and stellar reviews backing it up, the rematch was presented on free TV.

TNA's weekly two-hour cablecast on America's Spike TV featured the rematch between defending champion Samoa Joe and the former title holder, Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle.

And when the ratings came in, the stiff, cold, hard slap of reality cracked TNA right upside the head. The show drew TNA's predictable 1.0, with the Samoa Joe v Angle match peaking at a 1.1 household rating. In a nutshell, that sucks.

It sucks because Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle deserve better. They've worked their tails off, and the style they're presenting does indeed take its toll on them.

In an attempt to differentiate themselves from WWE main eventers, Samoa Joe and Angle have made the conscious decision to wrestle a more taxing style because few in the industry can work that type of match.

And yet, the much-ballyhooed rematch didn't pick up any new viewers for Samoa Joe, any new viewers for Kurt Angle, any new viewers for TNA Wrestling.

That sucks, too.

It sucks because bluntly, TNA Wrestling deserves better. And yet, when TNA looks around, trying to figure out why the ratings didn't increase... why the company is stuck in the same stagnant ratings pattern every week... why even giving away on free television the rematch of their most heavily hyped and most praised main event in the company's history didn't even record a blip in the ratings radar...

TNA has no one to blame but themselves.

This is not a criticism of Samoa Joe or Kurt Angle. Nor does it have anything to do with the lack of week-to-week storytelling the TNA audience suffers through every episode of the television show.

TNA's biggest problem can be found in the fact the company continues to fail to brand itself, and that's a function of the key word in World Wrestling Entertainment's global dominance and 90-something percent market share.

MARKETING!

For all there is to say about Vince McMahon - and I've said a lot, and will say a lot more in the future, I'm sure - you can't knock his unparalleled ability to market the WWE product.

Why is Ric Flair, universally regarded as "the greatest wrestler of all time", living in an upper middle class suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina, while Hulk Hogan is arguing over tens of millions of dollars in his divorce case?

Is it because Hogan was a better wrestler? A better performer?

Or is it because Hogan was marketed by the McMahon Promotional Juggernaut, and therefore drew far more money, and sold way more merchandise, than "the greatest wrestler of all time"?

Isn't it a tell-tale sign that Flair didn't make nearly as much in his career as Steve Austin or The Undertaker?

There's a reason for that. Flair was in some great programs that drew solid money, but Austin and Undertaker had the marketing machine behind them, while Flair was the beneficiary of the urban myth of the stylin' and profilin' Nature Boy. Which do you think was the more powerful promotional tool?

TNA Wrestling took a huge gamble with the MMA-style title match in which they crowned Samoa Joe the new champion. And it's a gamble that most of the paying audience seem to agree with.

The live crowd, for the most part, loved the match. Customer satisfaction with the TNA product probably reached an all time high with this match. And yet, NOTHING CHANGED!

Why?

Because TNA had no marketing campaign behind their new champion. Crossing The Line was done by ECW in 1994. David Sahadi is a genius whose videos deserve massive praise, but the theme is the same as what he did for WWE a half decade ago.

What public relations firm was hired to make Samoa Joe "the IT guy" in today's pop culture? What marketing firm was retained to get the TNA name out there? Who was hired for the specific purpose of getting Samoa Joe on Jay Leno, or David Letterman, or Jimmy Kimmel, or Regis and Kelly?

Why is TNA so content with Bubba The Love Sponge, Mancow, and shows that already feature the TNA performers? Where's the expansion? Where's the reach-out for the new audience? Where's the strategy to blast past the 1.0 ratings and target a 1.5, dare I say a 2.0 rating?

Until TNA addresses this issue, the company is going to be stuck in the same holding pattern for the foreseeable future.

Instead of waiting for WWE to make wrestling more acceptable to the mainstream, it's time for TNA to take the necessary step to design, develop, and implement a marketing strategy and campaign that makes the general public understand "THAT'S TNA!!!"

*****

Debbie Gibson Gets Hustled

By SIMON ROTHSTEIN
May 06, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1130571.ece

THIS week the Heyman Hustle goes retro.

Our man Paul brings the 1980s back as original pop teen princess Debbie Gibson gives him an exclusive look at her rehearsal session in preparation for her huge stage show that she's producing/performing at Harrah's in Atlantic City.

Paul told us: “Long before there was Britney Spears, there was Debbie Gibson.


“And her accomplishments are quite impressive. Her debut album, 1987's Out Of The Blue, had four Top 5 singles including Only In My Dreams.


“Debbie was the youngest singer/songwriter/producer to have a No1 hit.


“Her stadium tours of the United States, the UK, Japan, and Southeast Asia broke box office records and so did her lead performances as Sandy in the worldwide production of Grease.


“And she looked pretty hot when she stripped off for Playboy too!


Paul asks Debbie, now Deborah, how she has managed to handle success so well when so many others have collapsed under the pressure.


"I just blurted out that she really has her s$#! together," he told The Sun this morning. “And the fact is, she really does.


“What you'll see in this exclusive look at her rehearsal is that she absolutely runs the show, and knows exactly what she's doing."


Of course, that only tempted Paul.


He joked: "She has her act so together, I thought it was time for Ms. Gibson to be Hustled!"

*****


Heyman: Randy Is Underutilised

By PAUL HEYMAN
May 20, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1186372.ece

YOU see them all the time.

Wrestlers that should be much bigger superstars than they are.


Held back by politics, stupidity, lack of writers' understanding and sometimes even their own devices and demons.


They're called 'underutilised talents', but every now and then the miracle occurs and you see someone bust through the parameters under which he or she works.


I've seen it happen, up close and personal.


With Steve Austin, the time he was released by WCW and was given the forum to express himself in the original ECW.


With Mick Foley, when he agreed to turn heel on the fans and cut some of the most memorable promos of this or any other generation.


And even with Brian Pillman, when he stopped settling for upper mid card and wanted to be the talk of the industry.


These are, in my opinion, the Top 5 most underutilised talents in pro wrestling today.


Let the debate begin!


NUMBER 5 - TITO ORTIZ


Why not start right off with some controversy?


I was going to mention The Briscoes from Ring of Honor, because a long-term storyline between the young, hip, edgy Briscoes and the team of Miz and Morrison would be a classic.


But The Briscoes are not underutilised in ROH, just underexposed to the masses.


Tito, however, is finishing up his UFC contract this weekend. What does he do next?


Wear out his name in MMA, or capitalize on his love for pro wrestling and exploit his larger than life personality by joining WWE or TNA?


And remember, where Tito goes, so goes Jenna Jameson, the best self-promoter in show business today.


Forget these short term deals with Pac Man Jones and Floyd Mayweather. Tito and Jenna can be long term stars who command attention, and they can bring that attention to whatever wrestling promotion is smart enough to TAP into their controversial relationship.


NUMBER 4 - BETH PHOENIX


It doesn't matter that she's already been WWE women’s champion, the audience hasn't even had a taste of what this phenomenal athlete is capable of.


I think Beth's ring skills are deteriorating because she's not being allowed to work up to her potential. WWE should bring in opponents for Beth to squash every week.


There are plenty of women wrestlers in the Shimmer group, the West Coast indies, even in Mexico to feed to Beth.

Then, in due time, when someone finally steps up to her, the audience would be craving to pay to see WWE's heel version of Gina Carano get chopped down to size.


The WWE's women’s division lacks a long term vision, and Beth has been rushed into programs that just fill the female-segment on Raw, reminding one of the old adage about "leaving a lot of money on the table".


NUMBER 3 - JAMES MITCHELL


The best backstage promo artist in the business, bar none. A brilliant spokesman who can articulate the merits of the opponent without selling his own act short.


The Sinister Minister's delivery is defined by a composure that only top notch thespians can master, and his timing is nothing short of awe-inspiring.


A compelling character whose attention-grabbing look is surpassed only by his wealth of talent. WASTED talent, I might add.


But that's not surprising, considering that he works for TNA. Speaking of which ...


NUMBER 2 - THE ENTIRE TNA ROSTER


No long term concepts + bad television writing + zero marketing strategy = hard working talents whose efforts are wasted on a show that has not grown the audience whatsoever despite the tens of millions of dollars sunken into it.


NUMBER 1 - RANDY ORTON


What? How can the most spotlighted heel in WWE be the most underutilised talent in wrestling?


Because how often is Randy Orton scripted to get real heat?


Orton's run with Shawn Michaels was based on HBK superkicking The Legend Killer into oblivion week after week on TV.


Orton's storyline with Jeff Hardy was based on Hardy pinning the champ, and then one-upping him at almost every turn. Orton's schedule with Cena was the same story.


Ditto for HHH. The final week before WrestleMania, Orton tapped out to Ric Flair on Monday Night Raw.


On a case-by-case scenario, there's nothing wrong with any of it. But put into context, when does Orton get to make you hate him so badly, you're willing to pay to see him get beat, or at least beaten up?


What heinous act has Orton committed against a babyface you care about?

The only time Randy is allowed to 'pile on the heat' is during promos, and admittedly he falls short in that department.


His voice does drag. I concede, he doesn't have enough range. So, Orton either needs a manager, or a full-time off-camera behind the scenes interview coach.


The fact Orton carries the heat he does right now, even though he really hasn't done anything in almost a year - when he was given the credit for putting Shawn Michaels, Rob Van Dam, and a host of legends on the shelf - is a testament to his ability to carry himself like a main-event heel.


With a new round of contemptible actions added to the mix, Orton can be a far bigger superstar than he already is today.


That's my Top 5. What's YOUR opinion? Your feedback is most encouraged on the MySun forums below.


And don't forget to check back here tomorrow for a very special Wednesday edition of the Heyman Hustle featuring Gossip Girl sex symbol Taylor Momsen, Donald Trump and his hot wife, Donald Trump Jr and HIS hot wife, Broadway legend Harvey Fierstein and Victoria's Secret/Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker.

*****

How Hyatt Hustled Heyman

SIMON ROTHSTEIN
May 28, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1216426.ece

IN this week’s episode our man Paul doesn't get to Hustle anyone. Instead, it's the former ECW owner who gets Hustled in a big, big way.
Many years ago, before he was "The Evil Genius" Paul Heyman, before he changed the entire wrestling industry forever with ECW, Heyman was "Paul E. Dangerously" in Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling organization.

And Paul E's biggest nemesis back in those days was the equally-obnoxious but oh-so-superbusty Missy Hyatt.

Known throughout her wrestling career as "The Walking Riot," the infamous groupie from Tallahassee, Florida made a huge name for herself as one of the single most controversial females in the history of sports entertainment.

Her shocking honesty in her 2001 tell-all book Missy Hyatt: The First Lady Of Wrestling set the trend for the rest of the industry to follow.

Hustle director/producer Mitchell Stuart told The Sun: “We were looking for a guest who could really throw Paul off his game.

“Missy was the perfect answer. They've had this love-hate thing going on forever, and it's just so funny watching how Missy keeps talking and talking and how Paul can't get in a word edgewise!”

So this week's Hustle is on the host himself.

Paul joked: "I have a terrible headache!

“Is it any wonder that this woman walks away with a pair of 44DDD's and NO ONE NOTICES because all she does is yack yack yack yack yack? I've never seen anyone kill their own sex appeal as much as Missy... Oh, don't get me started!”

*****

'WWE Right To Deny Flair Fame'

By PAUL HEYMAN
June 06, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1256166.ece

THIS week's comedy of errors in the pro wrestling industry comes to us from the organisation that just won't die - The National Wrestling Alliance.

The loose grouping of independent federations, clinging to a name that no longer carries any cache with today's generation, has made the decision to try and bring back the promotion.


It’s the umpteenth time they’ve tried to resurrect from the ashes left when Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling made the decision to become WCW and discard the NWA almost 20 years ago.


Now a bit of a disclaimer here.


It's pretty common knowledge that I had Shane Douglas throw down the NWA title in 1994 at the ECW Arena and proclaim himself the new ECW world champion in the wake of the death of the NWA.


And I have to also admit, my only reservation about doing that angle was whether or not we could get anyone to care about the practically non-existent NWA back then.


And that was 14 years ago!


So now, almost a decade and a half later, some people got a few dollars together, and decided to put on an NWA show at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.


Jim Cornette - an excellent choice, mind you - was smartly hired to be the Master of Ceremonies for a nostalgia-filled ‘NWA Hall of Fame Ceremony’ that would feature The Midnight Express, Wildfire Tommy Rich, Nikita Koloff, The Iron Sheik and The Corsica Brothers.


But the main attraction of this night was the induction to the NWA Hall of Fame of WWE contracted performer Nature Boy Ric Flair.


Well I'm sure before announcing and advertising Flair's appearance, the NWA’s head honcho Robert Trobich - a lawyer, no less - got written confirmation from WWE regarding their contracted personality who was just in a featured match at WrestleMania.


I mean, surely an attorney at law would have the common sense not to go public with Flair's appearance before having something in writing, right?


UH OH.


What do you think happens?


On the week of the show, as the NWA is doing everything it can to exploit the name of Ric Flair to sell tickets to this event, World Wrestling Entertainment pulls Flair from the show.


And get this... the NWA is surprised by WWE's decision.


World Wrestling Entertainment does not want Ric Flair to appear in a wrestling ring, especially following his retirement ceremony on Monday Night Raw.


The Nature Boy got some serious coin for his retirement weekend, and you can't blame WWE for protecting their marketing rights by keeping Flair out of a wrestling ring until it's time for him to re-appear in a ring to create attention.


And you can bet your last bottle of JR's BBQ sauce that when the time comes for Flair to appear in a wrestling ring, the initials on the side of that ring will read WWE.


World Wrestling Entertainment does not want Flair appearing on anyone else's DVD releases, either.


Can you blame them for that?


The longer Flair is kept out of the public eye, the more a simple guest appearance will mean when Vince McMahon decides "it's time to play the Flair card".


World Wrestling Entertainment has made a substantial investment in the Ric Flair brand and they don't want anyone else tinkering with it.


The NWA went forward with a marketing campaign built around Ric Flair because, unfortunately, there's no other way for the promoters involved to get people to come to their event.

Yesterday, a store in Atlanta named Aaron's - a pretty big name in the Southeast - offered FOUR free tickets to the event to anyone who wanted to go, and would then give a discount to anyone who brought their ticket stub into the store.


I guess the NWA has given up on getting anyone to pay to see their Hall of Fame Ceremony.


NWA attorney/honcho/intellectual Robert Trobich released a statement saying: “I am deeply sorry that Ric will not be in Atlanta for the Hall of Fame ceremony.


“Ric was very honoured to be recognized by the NWA and wanted to be in Atlanta to thank his fans. Unfortunately, the WWE refused to allow him to be there.


“It is truly a sad action on their part, as the main people injured by the WWE's seeming petulance is the wrestling fans.


“Nonetheless, Ric Flair was a legend in the NWA long before the WWE was anything other than a regional promotion in the northeast.


“As such, Ric will still be a member of the 2008 class. He has earned that honour, and we intend to bestow it upon him."


What's the slang for bull excrement?


Ric Flair was a legend in the NWA long before the WWE was anything more than... blah blah blah?


If I ever need an attorney, and I do seem to need them every now and then, please don't ever have Robert Trobich present my case to a jury.


WWE is petulant because they want to protect their intellectual property rights, and their sizeable investment in the retirement of Ric Flair?


WWE is to be criticised for opting not to have Ric Flair water down the retirement ceremony the company spent so much valuable time during WrestleMania weekend to make so memorable?


A weekend-long tribute, I might add, that WWE is counting on propelling its DVD sales through the roof.


And yet, the attorney who serves as spokesperson for this incarnation of the long-dead NWA wants to point the finger at WWE when the NWA had no right to market/advertise/promote Flair to begin with?


In the past week, I've seen Vince McMahon move forward with his campaign to offer a million dollars a week to viewers just to watch Raw.


I've seen another eccentric billionaire, Donald Trump become the public face of a new competitor to UFC.


I've seen Kimbo Slice damn near get beat, and while the ratings were spectacular for the EliteXC primetime network debut the stock took an IFL-like nosedive.


But nothing in the past week made me shake my head as much as the stupidity of those who believed that it was appropriate to advertise Ric Flair without written authorisation from the company to which he is contracted.


This industry is driven by an investment of time and money, and the allotment of minutes given to someone on whose performance and marketability that first investment is made.


Ric Flair is WWE's Goodwill Ambassador.


Whether you like it, or don't like, learn to love it. Because Diamonds are forever, and so is Ric Flair's association with World Wrestling Entertainment.


WHOOOOOOOOOOOO!

*****

Fighting With The Donald

June 13, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1287649.ece

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon's billionaire buddy Donald Trump made worldwide headlines with the announcement that he has invested in the Affliction Mixed Martial Arts promotion.
While some are salivating at the prospect of The Donald vs The Dana in a verbal and promotional struggle, I think it's worth our time to take a moment and think about what type of commitment the already time-crunched Trump can make to this endeavour.

While Trump as the public face of the promotion is a huge coup for Affliction because it brings enormous media attention to whatever the company is doing, what happens when the first show doesn't sell out, or a ppv does bad numbers?

Trump did not handle the ratings decline for "The Apprentice" well, and he all but abandoned his Atlantic City casinos when they didn't return stellar results immediately.

"I have very little to do with it," he'd exclaim, just months after saying "it's mine, all mine, no one else's but mine, and that means it's the best because the name Trump stands for quality... blah blah blah blah blah."

Does The Donald have any tolerance for a long process? Make no mistake about it, UFC is "the brand" in Mixed Martial Arts today.

It's not just the "market share" the promotion controls, it's the brand identity factor, too. When you walk down a street, and say "MMA" to someone, you're taking the chance of that person looking at you like you have two heads. But say "UFC," and people will have, at the very least, a cursory knowledge of what you're talking about.

Taking on UFC will not be a 1st round knockout or tap out victory for the megalomaniacal Trump. If the two promotions do clash, it will be a long, drawn out battle.

Does Trump have the time to battle Dana White, who lives, eats, drinks, sleeps, and breathes UFC?

Does Trump have the time to get on the phone and persuade fighters, networks, or video game companies that doing business with Affliction means doing business with the Trump brand name?

Is Trump going to take the time to demonstrate "the art of the deal" with DVD distributors, magazine publishers, pay per view and satellite companies with whom Affliction needs to conduct business on a daily basis?

Come to think of it, what IS Trump's involvement in the Affliction promotion? Is he a consultant? Is he handling negotiations with production companies and possibly assisting in the pitches to television networks? Is he simply lending his name, like he has done in the past with other projects, but is really "hands-off" on any or all day-to-day decisions and operations?

Does Trump have any veto power? What happens if he doesn't agree with the direction the promotion wants to take? Does Trump have the ability to get involved in matchmaking?

How much of the budget does Trump actually have leverage control over? Is there a way to mediate a disagreement without it all breaking down into lawyers and lawsuits that first time everyone's not on the same page?

I am not suggesting Trump is only in the MMA game for the short run. Some people asked similar questions when shipping magnate George Steinbrenner bought into the New York Yankees. Maybe The Donald is so enamored with MMA, or at least Tito Ortiz and Jenna Jameson, that he's really going to "make a go" of it.

Maybe Trump wants, needs, or craves the excitement that an exploding industry can provide.

Maybe Trump wants to create a new style MMA television program and put Ivanka in charge, the same way Vince made his daughter Stephanie in charge of creative and talent in WWE? Hey, you have to admit, there are more than a few similarities between Stephanie and Ivanka, and that's not an insult to either.

Maybe Trump is willing to lose lots and lots of money, as is the pattern with MMA promotions, before finding the profit margin many find to be so elusive. Maybe The Donald truly is here to stay.

MAYBE.

*****

The YouTube Divorce Hustle

By SIMON ROTHSTEIN
June 13, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1288222.ece

SHE'S the British actress and playwright who has captured the world's attention by posting her vicious rants against her soon-to-be ex-husband on YouTube and declaring herself a "Warrior!"

Trophy wife, 52, Tricia Walsh Smith is one of the world's most famous - and maybe notorious - women at the moment.


Her video has been seen by almost four million people, and the Park Avenue socialite -- originally from Beverly, East Yorks -- has vowed to fight to the bitter end. With more details of the couple's allegedly sexless marriage.


So, who better than Tricia Walsh Smith to guest on this week's Heyman Hustle?

In the interview Tricia told The Sun: "Our marriage has broken down and I am facing eviction from our apartment because of a clause in a prenuptial agreement which says I have to get out after just 30 days if he has grounds for divorce.


"After almost nine years of marriage I think I deserve to be treated better, but Philip is a powerful man and it feels like everyone is on his side.


"He has well-known friends like the theatre producers Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh and newspapers such as the New York Times eat out of his hand."


The YouTube publicity stunt, which Tricia describes as a desperate but necessary attempt at survival, has made her a worldwide sensation.


People from around the globe have either sent emails of support, or have labelled her "bitter," "vindictive," "wacky," and even worse.

"We wanted to show a different side of Tricia," commented Hustle director/producer Mitchell Stuart.


"She's shown her angry side, and the whole world has seen it, but we wanted to know if she can take a moment and share a laugh, or if the portrayal of her as simply a scorned woman is accurate."


So the Hustle crew loaded up into an luxury SUV, and simply took a ride around with the most famous divorcee in the world.


Mitchell added: "We knew we wanted to show her in a different environment, Everyone's seen her in her multi-million dollar Park Avenue apartment. But what's she like, just going for a ride?"

*****

Heyman Takes Tricia For Dinner

By SIMON ROTHSTEIN
June 17, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1302305.ece

LAST week, our man Paul went for a ride around New York City with the infamous YouTube divorcee, Tricia Walsh Smith.

The tirade-prone actress, playwright, and trophy wife, 52, discussed her reportedly sexless marriage and an assortment of ills that have befallen the lovely lass from Beverly, East Yorks.


Now the sexy siren wants former US Presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton to step into the fray and speak up for her.


In this week's ‘part two’ with the Internet sensation, our Extreme Hustler takes Tricia out to dinner.

Now before you think Paul Heyman has swooped the not-yet-divorced blonde beauty off her feet, perhaps you should check out what Hustle director/producer Mitchell Stuart had to say.


He told The Sun: “Paul asked Tricia where she'd like to go for dinner.


“Of course she was looking to dine on escargot at Le Cirque, or sample some caviar at The Russian Tea Room, or perhaps even partake of some sushi at Nobu.


“But Paul knows New York like no other person in the universe, and so he insisted Tricia learns how the other half lives – taking her to his favorite burger and pizza joint for some cheeseburgers, pepperoni pizza, and French fries!"


Wait a minute. One of Manhattan's most prominent socialites slamming down some grub at a burger and pizza joint?

Mitchell continues: “Paul wanted to see if the matron of hoitee-toitee society would let her guard down and just enjoy some really delicious common-people food.


“And she loved it! Then she turned the tables on us!"


Tricia wanted to know why powerful women like Hillary Clinton and Oprah Winfrey haven't stood up for her.


She ranted: “Where is Hillary? What if she just said LEAVE TRICIA ALONE? Not one power woman has stepped forward to support me. Oprah, where are you? I need you!"


Of course, Heyman has to Hustle, and the former WWE and ECW creative genius has a suggestion for Tricia on how to exact revenge on her soon-to-be ex husband, Shubert Theatre Organization head honcho Phillip Smith.


Tricia finds Paul's suggestion to be rather “crude”, and we can't really disagree with her.


But we can say this... Paul's still as hardcore as they come!

*****

Good Ol' JR's Faustian Bargain

By PAUL HEYMAN
June 27, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1350062.ece

VINCE McMahon overshadowed his own draft this week. That's nothing new.

He always aims a big stunt that people didn't expect. A shock, even for those who have come to expect the unexpected.


And Vince delivered on that concept, but in a completely different way than he anticipated.


Vince got some, but not a great deal of attention (yet) with the latest "Who Shot JR" remake with the chairman once again playing the assailed party.


What stole the show was the blockbuster announcement and behind-the-scenes secrecy of the drafting of the other JR to Smackdown.


Apparently, no one told Jim Ross that he was moving in advance.


He was, from all accounts, caught off guard by the graphic going up on the Titantron.


While surely the very top performers who were switching brands were given a heads-up over their change in assignment, not so for JR.


The former EVP of Talent Relations, one of the closest advisors Vince McMahon has ever let into the inner sanctum, was not given that simple professional courtesy.


Jim Ross was angry. He was hurt. Why couldn't someone have told him? Surely, he can't be considered to be just another "hand," could he? Doesn't the job he's done, and the popularity he's achieved, deserve at least the privilege of a "hey, just so you know..."?


So Jim Ross lashed out. He wrote a scathing blog, baring his wounded emotions, and publicly decrying the nature of the way the entire day was handled in retrospect.


"I am not happy with this surprise development," JR blogged, "I should have detected something with the demeanour of certain individuals either thru their plastic, poker faces or the perceived smirk that I thought I might have seen on some of their faces during the day."


No one is talking about Who Tried To Kill Mr McMahon (yet). But they're sure talking about JR going to Smackdown. And that's exactly what Vince McMahon wants.


He wants you talking about something. Anything, damnit. Just talk about WWE. Talk about Raw. Talk about Smackdown. Talk about Night Of Champions. Talk about anything, just make it about World Wrestling Entertainment.

I'm not surprised Vince McMahon didn't tell JR. I'm not surprised Jim Ross was disrespected. I'm not surprised they stuck a camera in his face to capture the real life turmoil going through his head when a bombshell just got lowered on him.


I'm surprised Jim Ross was surprised!


There's a lot to say about JR in this situation.


He knows Vince as well as anyone, besides Stephanie, Shane and Kevin Dunn.


He's been at the office at 7:30am when Vince wanted to handle something right away and not wait "til the lawyers get in".


He's been there at 10pm, still waiting for Vince to finish working out so they can conclude their 6 pm "end of the day" review of items. Jim Ross knows how Vince thinks, how he reacts to things, how the man operates.


So Jim Ross is surprised when Vince abuses him on live television?


What clues did Good Ol' JR miss?


Was it the way Vince dogs him on the plane and would encourage HHH to join in on the fray? Was it the way Vince has, on multiple occasions, demonstrated the desire to send him out to pasture?


Psssst... when they try to replace you three or four times, they don't all of a sudden change their mind and say: "Hey! He's our type now! We want him long term!"

Maybe I'm surprised that JR was surprised because I personally wouldn't have stayed if I was propped in a hospital bed with part of my colon in a medical waste container awaiting word on cancer and watching my boss do a 12 minute skit about pulling my head out of my arse.


So why is JR surprised? How could he be caught off guard? How could ever think a swerve wasn't coming, a curve ball being thrown, a disruption to any "normalcy" wasn't being contemplated?


Did Jim Ross dare Vince McMahon by publicly stating in advance "I have no interest in switching brands"? Maybe. It certainly didn't DISSUADE Vince from doing it. But I think the cross Jim Ross must bear is a little heavier than that.


Jim Ross, in my opinion, has cut a Faustian Bargain in life.


He wanted to be recognized as the greatest announcer of all time, and respected as such by the audience, his peers, his contemporaries and even his critics.


He wanted to be important, a major power broker, a senior advisor. A man of influence in an industry where one larger than life ruler calls every single shot. And he wanted to be compensated for his efforts, rewarded like no other announcer or talent executive ever has in the business that was, to him, still rasslin'.


From the Deliverance-esque backwater towns in Oklahoma to the multi-million dollar stock option package he pulled down as an Executive Vice President of a publicly traded company, the farm boy from the South lived every dream he could possibly have had as a kid in the pro wrestling industry.


And all he had to do was accept the fact the very ruler whose confidence he kept and whose decisions he lived by, would treat him like a total piece of crap at every turn imaginable.


Vince, of course, doesn't feel that way. He's like the owner of the horse-drawn carriages. "I feed the horse, give it water, brush its hair, wash it, and even give it a bucket to defecate in. Why doesn't the horse appreciate that?"


To Vince, he's given JR fame, fortune, security, and every dream imaginable.

Personally, I don't think Vince McMahon moved JR to Smackdown for any other reason except it's the right thing to do for WWE business.


Smackdown better become a priority right now, because the MyNetwork TV deal is as important a business relationship as there can be in WWE at the moment. While success on MyNetwork TV has its benefits, failure would be a cataclysmic disaster for WWE.


How many licenses are paying premium dollar because WWE delivers both cable and broadcast penetration? The cancellation of the broadcast part of that equation would send a ripple effect through everything WWE does to the point where its potential effect on the stock is simply frightening.


So there's only one thing to do. Make sure Smackdown does not fail.


Move Jeff Hardy over. He's popular. Audiences like him. His appearances drive numbers. Move an established “No1 guy” like HHH over. It had to be HHH, Shawn Michaels, or John Cena.


By moving HHH off Raw, the McMahon Family demonstrates its own personal commitment to the brand.


Moving over JR shows not only the audience, but the network execs: "We're taking this as seriously as we can.


“We kept the hottest heel in the industry, Edge, on the show. We kept our own legendary icon, Undertaker, on the show. We've brought over Jeff Hardy and even brought over HHH. And we assigned the show to the best announcer in the game, too!"


The next time Vince McMahon wants to do something, he's not going to think about your feelings, my feelings, HHH's feelings, Stephanie's feelings or anyone else's feelings in regards to what he wants to do.


If he thinks it's going to increase his business, he's going to do it. Don't like it? Do watch it or be part of it. He's doing it anyway.


Jim Ross cut a deal with the Devil. The good news and the bad news are the same.


The Devil delivered on his promises. I'm not saying people shouldn't be hurt by the way Vince does things.


Just next time, don't be surprised.


*****

Edge Is WWE's Brightest Star

By PAUL HEYMAN
July 03, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1377976.ece

There's a tangible buzz surrounding World Wrestling Entertainment programming right now. They're shaking things up.
Major talent has switched brands, creating the opportunity for new storylines, new matches, new rivalries, new concepts, new everything.

Young talent is getting the exhilarating "sink or swim" chance to be involved in major moments, participate in the focal points of the show, and even ... perhaps ... break through into the top tier.


Just look at the title holders on Raw at the moment. CM Punk is the Raw world champion. Kofi Kingston is the intercontinental champion. Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes are the tag team champions.


While "new" for the sake of "new" is not good, the statement being made by WWE to its audience is: "We're taking chances, we're trying new things, we're giving the ball to new players and seeing who scores."


Smackdown, where you can see the best tag team in the industry today - Miz and John Morrison - has seen a huge influx of main event talent.


Jeff Hardy, who continues to tickle the main event ivories, is now on Smackdown. Mr Kennedy, who has everything it takes to be a WrestleMania main eventer, is going to announce his name twice on the Smackdown brand.


And while Smackdown brings aboard the best announcer in the business in Jim Ross, still presents Miz and Morrison, gains the services of the most dedicated Diva from Monday Nights in Maria, and still retains The Undertaker, the brand now has HHH as the WWE Champion as well.


Not a bad pickup for a show headed to a new American broadcast network this autumn.


But if you watched Monday Night Raw this week, and saw the memorable series of events that ended with Punk as the new champion, then you witnessed a perfect example of star power at its finest.


Jim Ross was emotional and gracious in his speech. Batista looked like the "Animal" he is supposed to be. Punk played his role exactly the way he should, and the audience ate up every moment of it.


And the proverbial "straw that stirred the drink," the centrepiece of this superb 20 minutes of television was the single best heel WWE has on the active roster, Adam "Edge" Copeland.


A phenomenal worker with rock star looks, Copeland knows how to present the "Edge" character so no one has the inclination to cheer him.


His charisma alone could carry an entire show - and, bluntly, he's had Smackdown on his shoulders for longer than most people realize - but Copeland's portrayal of the scheming, manipulative, opportunistic Edge is played in such a way that you simply want to see him get beat or perhaps more importantly, beat up.


His heat is so grand, you don't just want to see him get beat up, you need to see it. You have to see it. You crave that moment. You'll even PAY for it.

On Monday night, Edge came out with Hawkins and Ryder.


The high-tech, pyro-enhanced entrance elicited a great heel reaction from the crowd. The way Edge "psychs himself up" before coming down to the ring is played up with exaggerated facial expressions and cockiness, but it's very real within the persona he presents.


And people get their blood up just watching up pump himself up.


Edge's heel promo on Jim Ross was delivered with such conviction, the viewer at home felt the angst of the live crowd worrying that once again, Good Ol' JR was going to get slapped around in Oklahoma.


Edge's range was amazing, too. From the frothing-at-the-mouth-anticipation of JR screaming "Edge wins! Edge wins! Edge wins!" to the envisioned-orgasm as he described "the love of my life" - dramatic pause, then emphasis - "Vickie Guerrero," Edge's promo was, as they say, one for the ages.


He had such heel heat by the time he punked out everyone from Ross to Undertaker to the Raw program itself, people were salivating at the mere thought that someone, somehow, someday would just smash this bastard.


Batista came out and delivered a ferocious beating to Edge, and the live audience came unglued.


No amount of punishment would truly serve justice. Edge deserved a heinous beating, and that's exactly what Big Dave delivered.


Only one Terry Funk-like swing and a miss from Edge, and the rest of the physicality was Batista annihilating the world champion.

So when Batista drove Edge's battered body into the canvas with the Batista Bomb, the audience was satisfied, right? The desire to see Edge get his due, suffer his fate, was fulfilled, of course. Wasn't it?


Not a chance. Edge's heat was still intact. That says something about the way he set that heat, the intensity with which he got the audience to believe in his character, to live that moment with him.


Edge, barely conscious, a pulverized quivering lump lying on the canvas, was still worthy of the audience's desire to see something bad happen to that character.


And for that character, things went from bad to worse when " Mr Money in the Bank" CM Punk came out, and hoisted Edge up on his shoulders for that fateful moment before hitting the GTS.


You could see live crowd going nuts not only because they knew history was about to be made, but because they simply wanted to see Edge get smashed in the face again. For Adam Copeland, this is everything he worked for.


This is when the heel gives of himself and MAKES a babyface.


Punk wins! Punk wins! Punk wins!


And just as importantly, Edge loses. See, that's the part that Adam Copeland understands better than anyone else in the industry today.


He's the best heel in the world, because even though he didn't touch one person, he had scorching heat on Monday night.


He didn't slap JR. He didn't shove down Lilian Garcia. He didn't set fire to a Sooners flag. He didn't do anything but deliver a heel promo like a true villain should.


And he had such heat for his words and the manner in which he presented them, that a beating from Batista, and the subsequent loss of his world title didn't even begin to take that heat off of him.


The beaten, battered, humiliated, and no-longer-champion Edge is still the main event heel on Smackdown, and he should be.


People are still clamouring for him to get beat ... or beat up.

When fans talk about the upcoming WWE Title Match at the Great American Bash between Edge and HHH, they actually start fantasizing about the beating Edge might take, or how cool it would be if HHH uses the sledgehammer.


Or if Edge were about to beat HHH somehow, and Undertaker would make his return.


All sorts of scenarios are running through people's minds. People are excited when they talk about Edge. Fans are only too happy to imagine the next defeat or humiliation that will befall wrestling's most hated man.


In about three to six months, when you look back on the 2008 WWE Draft, ask yourself: "What was the most significant move of the draft this year?"


Was it HHH to Smackdown? Was it Batista to Raw? Was it Jim Ross and Michael Cole switching roles? Was it CM Punk being moved to Raw with the Money In the Bank yet to be cashed in?


Perhaps, in a few months, when all the moves have settled in, and WWE starts pushing WrestleMania to the forefront, I think we'll realize the most significant move -especially for Smackdown - of the 2008 roster overhaul was the move that didn't happen.


Edge stayed right where he was.


Smackdown retained its greatest asset.


The single best heel in sports entertainment, with money matches against Undertaker, HHH, Jeff Hardy, Mr Kennedy, and anyone else he steps in the ring with, continued on his journey to the WWE Hall of Fame.


And the ultimate beneficiary of the "non-move" was the show that has been built on his heat.


Adam Copeland is the brightest superstar in World Wrestling Entertainment today.


That is his Edge.


*****

Earthquakes Fail To Register

By PAUL HEYMAN
Aug 04, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1511141.ece

I AM writing this blog after getting home to New York from a trip to California.

And in case you heard about the earthquake in Los Angeles, permit me to digress before we even get started!


I was in the California earthquake this past Tuesday morning - and I missed the whole damn thing!


I am so p***ed.


I was in my rental car, and unless it's a "big one", you don't feel it in your vehicle.


I've been in tornados, hurricanes, blizzards, hailstorms, winter in Minnesota and a plane landing on a frozen runway in Siberia.


But I've never been in an earthquake before. Missed a few of them, never had the experience.


So, when I turned from Wilshire Boulevard on to El Camino Drive and noticed people running out of both sides of William Morris Plaza, all I could think of is: "Wow. they're tight on their lunch hour around here, aren't they?"


It looked like a typical noon-time rush in New York City but LA is a little more mellow.


As I got out of my car, people were rushing over saying "are you OK?" and I had no idea why.

I kept thinking "do I look that bad?" I couldn't figure out why everyone was so concerned. Was I pale? Did I look jet-lagged? What was it?


It wasn't until I walked into the office that I found out there had been an earthquake. And here I was, right in the middle of it, and I missed the whole thing. Sometimes, even when you win, you lose!


OK, sorry for the digression.


Let's get back to what I really wanted to write about.


WWE imposed its own earthquake on the wrestling landscape when it shook everything to its very foundation with the draft.

And the aftershocks of the draft have been nothing short of a gross disappointment.


When it was implemented and the changes started taking effect, there was a buzz surrounding WWE programming.


CM Punk defeats Edge for the World title? HHH is headed to Smackdown? Jericho is stepping into the lead heel position on Raw, while Rey Mysterio, Batista, and even Kofi Kingston promise to change the Raw landscape?


Smackdown gets "The Game," Good Ol' JR, and Jeff Hardy. ECW gets a focus with Mark Henry as its dominant champion. Hey, things are looking mighty "new and fresh" on WWE television.


And now, as Rob Van Dam would say, here comes the buzz kill.


One month later, and the excitement is just not there in the programming. WWE killed the increase in interest with the manner in which they screwed up their own momentum.


CM Punk is being treated as champion the same was Rey Mysterio was. He's painted as an unworthy champion. He's not "the man". He's just the title holder during a transitional period.

Now, there's nothing wrong with that but the idea was giving someone "new" the opportunity to sink or swim at a top level. That's interesting to watch.

To its enormous credit, WWE has made global celebrities of John Cena, HHH, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and Batista. Joining that top tier is Edge, Randy Orton, and either MVP or Ken Kennedy, if he can get out from underneath his latest lack of faith from those who make talent assessments.


So watching, for example, Cryme Time step up and get the chance to run with Cena or DiBiase/Rhodes being the young punks who are taking over is exciting to the average fan.


It brings in more fans, because you've squeezed the juice from the current crop, and need new berries for the cash vine.


Watching Punk only get to bide his time as champion? Not exciting. Oh yeah, Rey's on Raw, too. Thought I'd remind you of that, because WWE sure hasn't made a big deal about it, have they?


Hey, what about the straw that stirs the Smackdown drink, Edge?


Blah.


In my opinion, Edge is WWE's best performer (as discussed in a prior blog) and the storyline reason for Undertaker's return makes sense, but the breakup of Edge and Vickie has taken away an act that people truly enjoyed to hate.


Edge and Vickie Guerrero were magic together, every bit as compelling and contemptible as the Edge/Lita pairing.


Much different in so many ways, but equally as riveting, thanks in major part to the remarkable heel performances by both Edge and Vickie. These two clicked. It worked. They got "over."


They were despised, reviled, thought of with vengeful wishes of bloody revenge. And people loved feeling that way for the heels who would surely suffer their ultimate "wrestlefate."

Splitting Edge and Vickie has taken a big buzz away. While The Undertaker v Edge in a Hell in a Cell Match at Summer Slam is a huge attraction, and will probably be one of the greatest HIAC matches ever, the excitement surrounding wrestling is nowhere near the level it was a month or so ago.


So, what's the upshot?


Well, the TV shows have been marginal at best. I'm sure Vince has a grand plan with Mike Adamle, but to the general audience he just plain sucks as a participant on WWE programming. Sometimes, bad is just bad.


The Jericho performances have been stellar and Jericho v HBK will do serious business because the heat is being set just right.


Plus, Cade is there to absorb some of Shawn's initial fire, to keep even more heat on Jericho.


With the exception of HBK v Jericho, WWE's television offerings could and should be a lot better.


Adamle, as discussed, sucks.


HHH settled into Smackdown way too quickly. His first two months should have been as the outsider making his way onto a show he must now dominate as champion, and the feeling out process with EVERYONE, both babyface and heel.


The announcers even feel held back and not inspired by the action, which is not their fault, since presumably someone is yelling at them through their headsets to perform a certain way.


The "new talent" should be getting a continued focus on their roll and not just their role.


I predict that if SummerSlam as an event lives up to even half its potential, WWE could find itself with the opportunity to really capitalize on some momentum again.


It's a stacked card, with a lot of payoffs and storyline-twists that could boost WWE going forward.


If not, screw it. Maybe it's time to just watch TNA.


Ahem.


OK, so things aren't nearly THAT bad.

*****

Lesnar Will Learn From His Failure

By PAUL HEYMAN
Aug 04, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1511264.ece

MY old friend Brock Lesnar will step into the Octagon next Saturday night and I for one am really looking forward to the spectacle.
Brock is a driven competitor and he has been "on himself" every moment since Frank Mir snatched his right leg on February 2 in Las Vegas.

In listening to Brock's comments, it's obvious to me that the very dangerous Heath Herring is going to face a determined animal on August 9.

"I really rushed that fight and made a foolish mistake," Lesnar admitted this week.

“I had Frank Mir in a dominant position and I stood up and fed him a foolish amateur mistake."

But like any great pugilist, Brock learns from his failures.

He vowed to be "a more controlled fighter and a little more relaxed in there. It has to do with putting more time in the gym, trying to polish every aspect of the fight game and trying to better myself every day".

Taking this NCAA heavyweight champion wrestler with a legitimate mean streak in him, and continuing his education about the science of modern day cage fighting, could breed an already-explosive but now more knowledgeable fighter.

UFC might really be looking at The Next Big Thing, as the WWE once billed Brock.

Getting past UFC champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is another story, of course.

Nogueira is on top of his game, at the peak of his skills.

Even those who sing Fedor Emelianenko's praises admit Nogueira has matured into one of the best the MMA fight game has ever seen.

But that doesn't deter Brock, it only makes him more desirous of fighting the champion.

And that, trust me, only makes him far more dangerous.

Brock is motivated by the thought of being a lot better today than he was yesterday. He's inspired to be better tomorrow than he is today.

And he's obsessed to show such progress, that two days from now, tomorrow's improvement will pale by comparison.

“I had a few more months to train," Brock told everyone matter-of-factly on the media call.

“If the Brock Lesnar now was to fight the Brock Lesnar then, I would beat him."

Memo to the Herring Camp: Bring your A-Game. No one likes to lose but Brock hates it more than others. Every day, Brock is improving.

And that's a scary thought.

*****

Paul: Ric Flair Deserves Better

By PAUL HEYMAN
Aug 22, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1596414.ece

RIC FLAIR'S break from World Wrestling Entertainment has lead to his agents negotiating deals with anyone who can meet the money and terms it takes to hire the Nature Boy for the day.

With financial issues looming and a reported separation from his third wife, Flair apparently made the decision to take the "short term money" available to him on the open market over the guaranteed $500,000 he was making with WWE.


It's a little painful to watch, because bluntly, Flair deserves better.


I didn't realise it until I watched the video of Flair doing a promo for a small independent group in Chicago. The PCW promotion is just one of many independent wrestling leagues that are smartly taking advantage of the opportunity to use the legendary multi-time World Champion in conjunction with their shows.

Instead of promoters sending Flair information so that he can talk about the young talent - which is how we used Terry Funk in the original ECW - they are happy just having the Nature Boy do the 'kiss stealin', 'wheelin' dealin' promos and talk about kissing every girl in town.

It's sad to see Flair advertised for some low rent wrestling shows at this stage of his life.

He should really be above that. I don't know what his take will be in 12 months, but unless it's significantly above the half million dollars he was making from Vince McMahon, I just don't understand what he's trying to accomplish.

Vince has been looking for the fabled Babe Ruth of pro wrestling for years. His father envisioned the role for 1950s great Antonino Rocca.

Both Vince Sr and today's Vincent Kennedy McMahon thought Bruno Sammartino would fill the role. Then VKM thought Hulk Hogan could do it. It appears everytime the McMahons groom someone for the role, that person runs away from it like it's a life sentence.

I don't know if Flair was unhappy with his perceived role in WWE, and if he was, I don't know why. I do know that every day Flair was kept out of the ring, was another day the momentum built for a big moment when he would be announced as the guest referee for Wrestlemania or SummerSlam.

Every mention of his name - said by the announcers with great reverence - only whet the appetite for another "Whoo", another chop, another strut, another speech, another appearance by the Nature Boy himself.

His name carried weight. His appearance on a radio show helped promote events. His handshake meant something to sponsors and advertisers. And for that, he was being paid $500,000.

Since I've left World Wrestling Entertainment, the only public connection I keep with the industry is through these blogs, which form part of the Heyman Hustle series here on The Sun.

If you check with the producers and vendors and promotions, you'll see I've turned down numerous conventions, autograph signings, guest appearances, booker deals, shoot tapes, you name it. That's me.

I'm not saying Flair shouldn't take advantage of his earning potential right now. And I hope he makes millions in whatever he does.

But seeing him in these ads for every rinky dink out there just makes him look ancient instead of being relevant, which he still can be.

Flair belongs on the big stage, not where kids go to get noticed and legends go to hang on.

I'm not knocking Flair. Please don't think or claim "Heyman rips into Flair," or think that I've forgotten the days when ECW was a tiny little indy as well.

YOU watch the video. Please. And then make up your own mind.

Is this how you want to see Flair nowadays? Isn't just a little uncomfortable? Doesn't it just seem "wrong"?

*****

Why Vince McMahon Loves John Cena

By PAUL HEYMAN
Aug 29, 2008
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article1625079.ece

John Cena underwent what was labelled "emergency surgery" on Tuesday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as world-renowned neurosurgeon Dr Joseph Maroon removed a large piece of disc material that was pressing into his spinal column.

Later that same day, Cena went to watch the Smackdown and ECW tapings taking place in the same city.


And you wonder why World Wrestling Entertainment Chairman Vince McMahon is so solidly behind the billion-dollar WWE machine promoting, marketing, and branding John Cena?


Whether he is your favorite wrestler to cheer, or you're among those who truly enjoy booing his every move and word, Vince McMahon is rightfully Cena's biggest advocate.


While I would dare suggest that Shawn Michaels is a superior in-ring performer, or that Edge has more range, or that Triple H understands "The Game" better than Cena, none of them can even hope to compare to his ability to serve the needs of World Wrestling Entertainment.


John Cena is single. No wife, no kids. He doesn't mind being away from home for weeks, indeed months on end.


He doesn't mind getting up at 5am to do media call-ins.


He doesn't mind flying to several cities on his rare days off to promote the upcoming shows.


He doesn't mind flying to the set of a WWE Films-produced movie, doing his job there, and then flying directly to make every booking, in every city, at every event WWE Raw promotes.


Cena is a workhorse. He's a tireless promotional machine. And the project, event, DVD, pay per view, film, CD, and merchandise he promotes are all branded "WWE".


There's not one single wrestler I've met in the past two decades with Cena's drive, ambition and determination to give every fibre of his existence to the company.


Triple H may have married into the 24/7 life of a McMahon Family member, but he likes to go home every now and then.


Hey, he has two daughters with Stephanie.


I'm not knocking him. My willingness to travel non-stop ended when I became a father as well.


But while I'm not knocking HHH, I am pointing out a fact.


If a radio interview needs to be done in the UK, which is five hours ahead of the North-eastern USA, and that interview needs to be done at 3:30am, Triple H is not going to be inclined to jump on the phone and be excited about the opportunity to engage in the conversation.


Cena, on the other hand, salivates at the opportunity.


John Cena is Vince McMahon's dream pro wrestler.

Everyone talks about him, either in terms of hero worship or in terms of passionate dislike.


Cena drives ratings, he sells PPVs and his merchandise sales still beats everyone else's in pro wrestling today.


And he's "WWE" 24/7, 365 days a year. Even when he just had surgery.


When I was the lead writer for WWE Smackdown, one of my early moves was bringing Cena up to the main roster from OVW.


Lots of the other writers spoke against it. Even Stephanie, who was usually an ally of debuting new stars, challenged me on my "first round draft pick" from the developmental system.


But when Cena made an impression that first night in his match against Kurt Angle, Vince said: "If he can keep his s*** together, this kid is worth nothing but money.”


John Cena has done more than keep his s*** together.


He's given his life to the chairman and World Wrestling Entertainment.


And for that, he's been rewarded handsomely with money, fame, and Vince McMahon branding him WWE's No1 superstar.