Wrestling Podcasts: Wrestlers Turned Podcasters Galore!

The very first time I listened to a podcast was five years ago. I was browsing through iTunes, looking up wrestling terms, and CM Punk popped up in the search results. But attached to CM Punk’s name was The Art of Wrestling with Colt Cabana. Curious, I clicked on it and saw a picture of Colt Cabana in a Ring of Honor black tee in front of a library background. [click here] So I clicked play expecting the traditional 30 second clip as it was customary with every song on iTunes. But much to my surprise, it continued well past the 30 second mark and went on for about an hour of audio. After listening to Punk, and remember, this was way before the infamous pipe-bomb, I wanted more. So I went back to the first episode (Punk’s was episode 2) and I listened to Sonjay Dutt. And before I knew it, I was subscribed and have listened to every episode since.

That was my first introduction into the now over-saturated world of pro wrestling podcasts. Colt’s was the first of its kind and still hold it with high regard. Listening to Punk before he became a megastar; to Claudio Castagnoli (Cesaro), Chris Hero (Kassius Ohno), Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards while they still wrestled for Ring of Honor; to Samoa Joe while he was wrestling for TNA; to Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) before being signed to WWE; to Sara Del Rey before she became the trainer for the women wrestlers over at the WWE Performance Center; and to Kevin Steen, listening to his insecurities about the wrestling business long before signing with WWE as Kevin Owens.

Colt Cabana always states at the intro that the Art of Wrestling Podcast is a life podcast, a personal journey into the hearts and souls of these wrestlers. Basically these stories have entertained me and made me feel a close bond with my favorite wrestlers. It has also helped me get to know new wrestlers that I wasn’t familiar with. Then I go back and think, where have I heard of this guy before? And after 5 years and counting, the answer is most likely from the Art of Wrestling Podcast.

One of my goals as a wrestling fan is to travel to Glasgow or Edinburg and attend a live Art of Wrestling Podcast among the Scotts. If you ever take the time to listen to the live shows, it sounds like so much fun and definitely an experience worth having.

But among my love of AOW, I have ventured out and accepted other podcasts. Some I’ve dropped, and others I continue to be faithful. ::Glass Shatters:: When I heard that Stone Cold Steve “Mutha F%@$” Austin was starting up his own can of audio whoopass known as The Steve Austin Show, how could you say no to the Rattlesnake? That’s not to say that there haven’t been some episodes that were chicken sh-t that he tried making into chicken salad, but sometimes it is what it is. I’ve loved his recent interviews with Razor Ramon, Diamond Dallas Page, and Jake “The Snake” Roberts. I’ve also loved his series of episodes talking to Paul Heyman. And let’s not forget that his success on PodcastOne.com and his legendary status in WWE also launched the very first live video podcast on the WWE Network, with the first guest being none other than Vince McMahon. He’s gone on to have his WWE special with Triple H, Paul Heyman, Paige, Edge & Christian, and soon enough… Brock Lesnar.

I always get a kick out of those live Stone Cold Podcast episodes, but another wrestler turned podcaster who I thoroughly enjoy is Chris Jericho on Talk is Jericho. What I love about TIJ is that Jericho is a natural entertainer and it translates beautifully on audio. Plus, he–like Colt–goes out of his way to have sit-down interviews with his guests. And it’s not just wrestling guests, it’s music guests, conspiracy and paranormal theorists, TV actors, movie directors, porn stars! (By the way, Stormy Daniels… awesome!) The list goes on and on with the diversity of the guests he has on his show. Talk is Jericho is not just another wrestling podcast, it’s an entertainment podcast diving into all walks of entertainment.

Those are my top three wrestling podcasts that I listen to religiously. But I do often lend an ear to The Ross Report with Jim Ross and WOOOOO! Nation with “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair for the sole reason that I respect the hell out of those two. I would listen to every episode, but I only have so many hours in a day. But give those guys a listen as well, great stuff.

And if by chance you don’t know how to listen to these great podcasts, subscribe and download them off iTunes if you have an iPhone, or if you are like me and have sided with the force known as Samsung Galaxy, the Podcast Addict app has been awesome with all episodes streaming seamlessly.

How about you? Which podcast do you love listening to? And it doesn’t have to be a podcast about wrestling. Just share your likes and dislikes in the comment section below!

Or if you just want to hit me up, you can do so on the twitter @WrestlingTimesX or follow my interests and journey to a healthier fit lifestyle on my instagram @losfriday!

Also, make sure to like this post and share it. The more people who like it and share it, the more likely I’ll continue to rant about wrestling!

WWE vs. ROH – Seth Rollins vs John Cena for WWE World Heavyweight and U.S. championships

After a heartwarming tribute to the late WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Seth Rollins entered the ring with a smug smile proclaiming that his only flaw is that he’s too sympathetic because he didn’t finish the job after he broke John Cena’s nose. While sporting a sardonic t-shirt stating “U Can’t C Knee”, Rollins not only issued an Open Challenge to the locker room–so long as the opponent was below 6-feet and under 200-lbs–but he also issued a challenge to John Cena for the now 4-hour spectacular SummerSlam. A winner takes all match, where both the WWE World Heavyweight and WWE United States championships will be on the line. And for the first time in history, the winner will hold both championships at the same time.

Sound familiar? Well it should because back on June 19 at Studio 5 in New York, NY, Ring of Honor’s Best in the World main event pit the ROH World champion Jay Briscoe against the ROH World TV champion Jay Lethal in a Battle of the Belts. Lethal became the undisputed ROH champion, winning his first World championship in the process. And now we have ROH Alumni Seth Rollins issuing the same concept for SummerSlam? Sounds like WWE is trying to stick it to ROH.

It’s well-known that Ring of Honor has been a breeding ground for excellence. Just by looking at the current WWE roster, along with Rollins, most of the main players have come from ROH: Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Samoa Joe. So why would WWE want to stick it to ROH when they should be grateful? Simply put, Vince loves competition.

On August 22, NXT Takeover will broadcast live on the WWE Network out of the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, NY. But on that same night, Ring of Honor will be hosting “Field of Honor” a live event at MCU Park, also in Brooklyn. Rumor is… Ring of Honor officials already knew that NXT would be performing on the same night as their show, but didn’t know it would be a Takeover Special. The Takeover special will feature the rematch from WWE Beast in the East – Finn Bálor defending the NXT championship against Kevin Owens. ROH will not be featuring a championship bout at Field of Honor, instead it will showcase a tag team main event: ROH World & World TV Champion Jay Lethal & “King of Strong Style” Shinsuke Nakamura vs reDRagon.

This battle of shows in Brooklyn reminds me of a night back in 2011 when ROH and WWE butted heads in Manhattan just a block away from one another. ROH had the earlier show billed as “Manhattan Mayhem IV” and WWE had their house show in the famous Madison Square Garden a few hours later. Most fans that night had tickets to both shows, including myself. But this night also marked my biggest regret. Just minutes before WWE Live was to start, ROH’s main event ran purposely into WWE’s start time. This was a testament to whether or not the fans would stay till the end of the show. It was a World championship match between Roderick Strong and Eddie Edwards. And while I was on the line at MSG waiting to get my tickets scanned, I got a call from my friend who decided to stay, to tell me that Eddie Edwards won the ROH World title.

That night, ROH outdid WWE in every possible way, including a surprising championship victory. But that was years ago, and I witnessed Jay Lethal become the Undisputed ROH World champion at Best in the World back in June. Now my sights are set on my first NXT show. And it is going to be memorable.

Question remains… can Seth Rollins and John Cena’s dual-championship bout contend with Jay Briscoe and Jay Lethal’s Battle of the Belts? Only SummerSlam will tell.

(Video) Highlights from Best in the World’s Battle of the Belts

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About the blogger: I love pro wrestling and all of its layers of athleticism and entertainment. I also love to read and write, which is why, hopefully, WrestlingTimesX will come across as different, in a better way, than anything else that you read on the web. My mantra on wrestling, in any state, is to love it then, now, and forever.

Returning to TNA Impact Wrestling

The last time I watched TNA was probably around the time Samoa Joe left the company. He was still shown on TV as part of MVP’s Beat Down Clan, but the consecutive departures of AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels and now Joe was too much. With the rise of NXT and Lucha Underground, TNA no longer seemed like a viable option. That all changed.

During my hiatus, I was still following Impact Wrestling on social media outlets Twitter and Instagram. And every now and then, I would see a picture that would pique my interest. “Drew Galloway on TNA?” A few days later, “When did Mia Yim (Jade) make her way to the Knockouts? Is that Marti Bell(e) from WSU? The Doll House?”

Then there were other sights: “Kurt Angle is the TNA champion… again!?” Even though he’s in the TNA freak’n Hall of Fame, he’s now a 6-time TNA champ. My belief is that Bobby Roode should have led TNA in its Destination America venture as the champion. No offense to Kurt Angle, but TNA needs a fresh 2015 champion, not a classic 2005 champion.

So May 1st, or May 2nd and 3rd when I finally watched it, TNA presented Hardcore Justice for free on Destination America, which makes it nothing more than a themed episode of Impact Wrestling. Side note: remember Championship Thursdays? It was on the 3rd Impact Wrestling episode of every month? No?

Coming back to Hardcore Justice, the show opened with a three on three team match (no tagging involved) with the use of as much foreign weapons as possible. Abyss was slipping, he did not introduce any broken shards of glass or his spiked two-by-four Janice. Then again, this wasn’t a Monster’s Ball match. TNA Tag Champs The Hardys teamed with Davey Richards (where in the world is Eddie Edwards?) to take on The Revolution’s Abyss, Manik and Khoya. Not a fan of these melee hardcore matches, because the in-ring story telling then gets split six ways with little sense being made. And commentary with Josh Matthews and Al Snow did not explain why The Revolution are feuding with Matt and Jeff Hardy and Davey Richards.

The BDC has an interesting rivalry going on against The Rising lead by Drew Galloway. Don’t know much about The Rising, except that Drew had an impressive speech with his mates, and he used the battle cry #StandUp. I’m all for it, and he had a killer steel pipe on a pole match against Low Ki. Of course, Drew’s victory turned into an assault by the BDC, then the odds were evened when the other two members of The Rising came to Drew’s aid. Again, I’m all for this new faction and cannot wait to see what else Drew has to offer outside of the WWE.

BDC is also back in possession of the X Division championship thanks to Homicide doing the favors for Kenny King.

And when did Mickie James come back? And how did James Storm become this wedge between Mickie and Magnus? Speaking of, when did the fourth wall break down to reveal that Mickie and Magnus were even together with a son? Baby is adorable as hell, and truly crushes this blogger’s heart because Mickie James is taken. But you got to love the intensity on the mic between Magnus and Storm, that’s a big match waiting to happen.

As for The Doll House, using jawbreakers as added insults to their fallen opponents. Kind of reminds me of that movie. You know… that 1999 movie Jawbreaker?

Is it just me, or is The Doll House freakier than The Wyatt Family? Marti Bell just looks crazy, and you never know about Jade. I assume Taryn Terrell formed these ladies to protect her Knockouts championship from Awesome Kong.

Side note: Are Taryn and Drew still together?

Then the main event, a non-titled Stretcher match. Much different from a WWE Stretcher match, where not only did you have to incapacitate your opponent enough to place them on a stretcher, you have to wheel them across the finish line. TNA doesn’t have time for stretcher racing, the goal for their match is simply to strap your opponent to the stretcher… ding, ding.

Eric Young is coming into his own as a psycho heel but he seriously copped that ring gear style from the reigning and defending ROH World Heavyweight champion Jay Briscoe! #demboys #ManUP! It was good business to have EY go over Kurt Angle because it was a non-title match. Wrestling logic made easy, because if EY lost a non-title match against the champ, why would anyone bother to watch the title match?

With the introduction of The Rising to oppose the BDC, The Doll House to secure Taryn’s reign as the champ, and the great storytelling between Magnus and James Storm, TNA has my support.

That’s it for the post, follow WTX on: YouTube / Instagram / Twitter / Google+ / tumblr

Don’t forget to like the post, share it, and subscribe! Links are available on the right hand column.

About the blogger: I love pro wrestling and all of its layers of athleticism and entertainment. I also love to read and write, which is why, hopefully, WrestlingTimesX will come across as different, in a better way, than anything else that you read on the web. My mantra on wrestling, in any state, is to love it then, now, and forever.

The Wolves Quick Ascent and Daniel Bryan in WrestleMania Main Event?

Anyone else find it difficult to be a wrestling blogger while still being a fan? We hear it all the time from pro wrestlers that they hate the majority of us writers because we critique them without having the true insight of the business. It’s disheartening at times because what’s not to love about wrestling, but at the same time we have this need to write and express our opinions of the episodic progress of the products that we watch.

Some wrestlers find us to be short-sighted and unable to grasp the bigger picture, like why a certain talent went over at this certain time, or why a talent didn’t get the push that we were expecting at a given time. Just this past weekend I was twitter-bombed by Davey Richards the day after the airing of IMPACT Wrestling for a comment I tweeted: 

Richards probably views me as another dumb writer or “smark” but in actuality, I’m a fan of the logical slow build. TNA right now has a deteriorating tag team scene with Team 3D, Beer Money, Inc., Generation Me, and Motor City Machine Guns gone from the division. The only viable opposition that The Wolves–who are a saving grace to TNA–is the pairing of Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian, who were voted Best Tag Team of the Year (2012) by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The obvious money-making feud would, and could still, stem from a series of matches between The Wolves and Bad Influence, but instead, TNA gave it to us as part of The Wolves second-ever match in the company. I understand now that The Wolves and Bad Influence will square off inside the Lockdown chamber, but at least hold off the physicality until then. Just consider how euphoric it was, after weeks of stare downs and promos, when The Shield and The Wyatt Family finally squared off in the ring at the WWE Elimination Chamber. The Target Center erupted with chants of “This is Awesome” before the match even started.

But hey, what do I know about pro wrestling right? At least when The Wolves win the TNA World Tag Team titles, it will be memorable…. Oh wait. Nm….

**The IWC boos LOS Tastic!**

Another concept that us writers and fans alike are not understanding is the insanity revolving around the WWE World Heavyweight championships being dangled in front of Daniel Bryan as some sort of sick twisted joke enjoyed by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

We already know that Daniel Bryan is way over with the fans, and we know that WWE knows that we know that Daniel Bryan is “Austin 3:16” over. But at the conclusion of the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, WWE took some pleasure in panning the cameras to the fans’ distraught faces in the Target Center. So not only do we know that WWE knows we want Daniel Bryan to be our champion, but we know that WWE is taking great joy out of our misery as well.

So what’s the bigger picture seeing as virtually no one is buying Batista as our “hero” going into WrestleMania XXX? Will the WWE make it right by adding Daniel Bryan into the championship match as part of a Triple Threat? Well, it’s no WrestleMania XX main event, but if it means Daniel Bryan winning the titles at ‘Mania, then I’m all for it. But what if Daniel Bryan is forced to face Triple H, or worse… Kane?

Then again… WWE has been placing Bryan in multiple matches in a single night. What if, and feel free to worship me…. now, but what if Daniel Bryan faces Triple H at ‘Mania as predicted and beats him. Wait, I’m not finished yet. What if… after Bryan beats Triple H, the ‘Mania host Hulk Hogan then announces that because of Bryan proving Trips wrong, he will be inserted into the championship main event, and then Bryan goes on and wins it! Holy crap, that’s a WrestleMania that I would forever remember, and it’s just the PAY-OFF we all deserve.

Now, before I end this I would like to say that Davey Richards might have given me heat on Twitter, which I guess makes me the bad guy, but it’s TIME for the face turn!!!

Congratulations to The Wolves on becoming the NEW TNA World Tag Team Champions:

Answer the Question: Thoughts on The Wolves winning the TNA World Tag Team Titles, and will Daniel Bryan contend in two matches at WrestleMania?

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The Wolves Are Back: Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards in TNA

The American Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards) are best known for their run in Ring of Honor.

TNA President Dixie Carter’s initiative to bring in new talent to IMPACT Wrestling is off to a great start as world-renowned tag team specialists Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards are now a part of the company. While Dixie wanted The American Wolves to take part in a try-out match, a possible snide-remark towards WWE, Richards and Edwards were signed to TNA contracts by a mystery investor. Whoever that investor is, kudos to him or her. (video below)

Best known for their time in Ring of Honor Wrestling, The American Wolves have each won the ROH World Heavyweight championship; are two-time ROH Tag Team champions; and Eddie Edwards is recognized as the inaugural ROH World Television champion.  It was shortly after their brief second reign as the tag team champs that The Wolves decided not to resign with the company and pursue their WWE developmental deal down at the Performance Center in Florida.

“With a heavy heart I can announce that myself and ROH have parted ways for good and I will not be at Final Battle. Please continue to support them and the incredible talent they have. Thanks for the memories. It was an amazing ride.” – Davey Richards

Renamed The American Pittbulls: Derek Billington (Richards) and John Cahill (Edwards), debuted on WWE NXT TV in an unsuccessful attempt to throw off the NXT Tag Team champions The Ascension.  They left almost immediately after because word has it, the 13-time WWE champion Triple H had lost interest in The American Wolves. How in the world would Hunter lose interest in Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards? Had he not seen their incredible matches in ROH and 2CW? Had the C.O.O. lost his mind? Well, after Richards fell on his head as a result of a miscue spot between him and Rick Victor, Hunter had every right to question them. Imagine, Hunter is in charge of a widely publicly traded corporation, he cannot have reckless talent in the WWE ring.

The Pittbulls–I mean The Wolves’ departure from WWE might be a blessing because let’s face it, there was no way the names Derek Billington and John Cahill were going to draw. Let’s go, Billington… It doesn’t even sound right.

What does it mean for the TNA faithful having The Wolves on IMPACT Wrestling? Well, the social media sites are already beaming at the seams for the eventual confrontation between The Wolves and Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian). All former ROH competitors, these gentlemen have known each other and have squared off in the ring before. If booked properly and scheduled for TNA’s return to pay-per-view at Lockdown in Miami, FL, then it would undoubtedly become an epic encounter.

However, not everyone is thrilled to have The Wolves in TNA:

The Bro Mans, Robbie E and Jesse Godderz, are clearly concerned of The Wolves arrival seeing as they are the current TNA World Tag Team champions. But Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards don’t always have to wrestle as a team. As the way of Beer Money, Inc., The Wolves hunt as a pack, but they are more than capable of hunting on their own. Singles matches against Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, Kurt Angle would be at the top of the list.

Answer the Question: What are your thoughts on The Wolves joining TNA Wrestling? Should they have stuck it out in developmental for WWE?

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Video: The Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards) Sign With TNA Wrestling

Restoring Honor to Ring of Honor

For the first time in the company’s history, Ring of Honor is without an ROH World Champion. The final title holder was Jay Briscoe, who was stripped of the World championship on July 3rd due to contractual issues. ROH Commissioner Nigel McGuinness made the announcement on Ring of Honor’s YouTube channel, as well as the announcement of a 16-man tournament to crown a new Ring of Honor World champion.

Originally it was believed that Michael Elgin, the no. 1 contender, would be given the title. But instead, Elgin insisted that the ROH World title needed to be earned and agreed to partake in the tournament. Since Ring of Honor is now without a World champion, McGuinness stated that more emphasis would be placed on the World Tag Team championships.

Around this time last year, interestingly enough, the ROH World Tag Team championships were vacated due to a contract dispute with Kenny King, who appeared on a live broadcast of TNA’s IMPACT Wrestling. Ring of Honor’s constant issues with contracts with its talents lead to its greatest threat when Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs won the vacant titles–the team known as S.C.U.M. (Suffering, Chaos, Ugliness, and Mayhem). 

Lead by “Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen, the man whose had the most issues with contracts, and, at the time, the reigning ROH World champion, S.C.U.M. terrorized the ROH Company with the agenda to destroy it as a whole. S.C.U.M. grew in size, as do most wrestling stables with a common agenda, adding Rhino to the fold.

However, Kevin Steen was ousted from S.C.U.M. after losing the World title to Jay and was replaced by new S.C.U.M. members Cliff Compton, Jimmy Rave, Rhett Titus, and centerpiece Matt Hardy. Cornio became the new leader and dangerously forced Ring of Honor to its extinction.

That was until Corino’s hubris got the better of him, and issued a challenge to Ring of Honor: S.C.U.M. vs Team ROH in a Steel Cage Warfare match. If ROH loses, they must surrender all control over to Steve Corino; but if S.C.U.M. loses, they must disband forever.

Kevin Steen, who has never been a pro-ROH guy especially due to the shady business of former Commissioner Jim Cornette, demanded from McGuinness to be placed on Team ROH. After weeks of matches against members of S.C.U.M., Kevin Steen earned his spot on Team ROH, and eventually earned the winning pinfall that disbanded S.C.U.M. forever.

Kevin Kelly, the lead commentator, shouted throughout the broadcast that Honor Lived, but it seems like Ring of Honor still has a long road of restoration ahead of them. In two weeks, the tournament will commence to crown a new ROH World champion; but in the meantime we still have the ROH World Tag Team championships.

The Ring of Honor episode following Steel Cage Warfare, the defending ROH World Tag Team champions reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly) lost the titles to the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Forever Hooligans (Rocky Romero and Alex Koslov).

Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards, two-former ROH World champions, chose not to enlist in the ROH World championship tournament because they wanted to focus and reclaim the ROH World Tag Team championships. So down the line, if not soon, expect The American Wolves vs Forever Hooligans for the titles.

Answer the Questions: Does Honor Live in Ring of Honor? Thoughts of Jay Briscoe being stripped of the ROH World championship? 

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[Watch Jay Briscoe win the ROH World Championship courtesy of ROH’s Official YouTube channel]

ROH Final Battle 2011: Davey Richards vs Eddie Edwards 3

Tonight, Ring of Honor Wrestling returned to New York City for Final Battle at the world’s famous Hammerstein Ballroom. The year-end event, which as Kevin Steen pointed out in September, always takes place in New York City. Perhaps it’s because New York houses some of the most passionate – explicit – wrestling fans in the world.

Final Battle 2011 featured a main event worthy of the name as Eddie Edwards embarked on his rematch clause against the defending ROH World champion Davey Richards. The story behind these two American Wolves is they first met on opposite sides to crown Ring of Honor’s first Television champion. Though many believed Richards would get the win, Edwards not only surprised the ROH hopefuls, but Richards as well when he walked out the Television champion. Months afterwards, at last year’s Final Battle, Richards failed in his bid for the World Title against then-champion Roderick Strong. Three months after his failed bid, Edwards defeated Strong for the World Title — that Richards had been striving for — in his first World Title opportunity. That’s when things started to heat up and ROH producer Jim Cornette goaded Richards and Edwards to compete against one another at Best in the World. Richards refused, but Edwards demanded the match and vowed he would relinquish the World Title if he did not get his match. Best in the World saw these two wolves go one on one for a second time, but this time Richards came out on top as the new ROH World Champion.

Fast-forward to tonight, Edwards was so set on regaining his championship that he enlisted the services of UFC Hall of Fame legend Dan Severen. Well into the match, after both had taken hellacious beatings from the other, Edwards applied Severen’s Beast Choker (Dragon sleeper with body scissors). The Richards loyalists held on as their champion was fading into unconsciousness, but Richards reversed the hold into the ankle lock. Both men seemed to have the other’s number throughout the course of the match. Edwards proving his resiliency to the point Richards on two back-to-back situations was more than willing to accept a count-out victory. But in the end, it was a series of effective shoot kicks to the head of Edwards that secured Richards his World championship.

However, aside from Richards pointing out the obvious to the Hammerstein crowd, Edwards is tough as hell and has a lot of heart because he proved it in the ring, Kevin Steen reminded New York that Final Battle marked his return to Ring of Honor, and that in 2012, he will become the World champion and take Ring of Honor hostage. In a No-disqualification bout against former friend/mentor Steve Corino, Kevin Steen was reinstated to Ring of Honor by way of steel chairs, steel barricades, some broken tables, and a package piledriver. With his return brought out his old nemesis, the man who drove Steen out of Ring of Honor at last year’s Final Battle, “The Generic Luchador” El Generico. The two former tag team partners shared some closed fists, but Steen drove Generico onto the broadcast table with a package piledriver.

In a strange turn of events, Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin) turned heel by the Hammerstein crowd filled with Briscoe Brothers sympathizers. The Briscoe Brothers (Jay & Mark) released a YouTube blog entitled “Cosmetically Pleasing” [watch] in which they discussed WWE’s way of hiring talents. Dem Boys were well on their way to getting signed and being paid millions, until they received a notice from John Laurinaitis stating that they would not be hired because they were not cosmetically pleasing enough. Jay and Mark have busted their asses throughout the independents, setting up rings, and setting up chairs. And they posed the question, what have WGTT done to pay their dues? Granted, Haas and Benjamin took ROH by storm at Glory By Honor IX, and went on to win the World Tag Team titles at Honor Takes Center Stage, but The Briscoes have been in Ring of Honor since Day One [watch]. After a hellacious prematch beating from Haas and Benjamin, The Briscoes went through with the match and left New York with their seventh ROH World Tag Team titles.

As for Jay and Mark’s first challengers, The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) earned a future opportunity at the tag gold after winning a tag team gauntlet tournament defeating both Future Shock (Kyle O’Reilly & Adam Cole) and The All Night Express (Rhett Titus & Kenny King).

Jay Lethal successfully defended his World Television championship in a three-way elimination match against former TV champ El Generico, and “The Prodigy” Mike Bennett — who was accompanied by his manager “Brutal” Bob Evans and former WWE Diva/Playboy covergirl Maria Kanellis. PSA – Maria [watch]. Mike Bennett attempted a sound heel strategy of “let the two babyfaces tire themselves out and then go in for the easy kill,” but Lethal and Generico did manage to work together at the start before the temptation of being Television champion became too much.

Other matches at Final Battle included Michael Elgin defeating TJ Perkins … Tommaso Ciampa defeating Jimmy Rave … and Roderick Strong pinning Chris Hero.

That’s it for this post, feel free to check us out on YouTube – WTX Video Podcast. My buddies and I perform a wrestling video podcast where we talk wrestling, which then leads us into crazy comedy sketches. Support us on YouTube, like us on Facebook at WTXVideoPodcast, and follow me on the twitter @WrestlingTimesX.

Ring of Honor on HDNet Vol. 2

With a new Ring of Honor Wrestling program set to air on September 24, 2011 on Sinclair stations, we take a brief look back at Ring of Honor on HDNet. Volume 2 of Ring of Honor Wrestling is headlined by the third match between Bryan Danielson and Tyler Black, who was still trying to position himself as the top guy in the company. This volume also includes the debut of KENTA as he takes on Roderick Strong, and competes in a 6-man tag team match alongside the team of El Generico and Kevin Steen against The American Wolves and Chris Hero. Jerry Lynn defends the ROH World Title against Chris Hero, The American Wolves defend the ROH World Tag Team Titles against Bryan Danielson and Tyler Black, plus much more.

With two hours and thirty-five minutes of intense professional wrestling action, plus twenty-five minutes of bonus matches this is a can’t miss DVD. Not even WrestleMania XXVII, with four-hours of air time, was able to match the length of in-ring action as this Volume packs onto one disc.

1. ROH World Title Match: Jerry Lynn vs. Chris Hero – Episode 13
2. Kenny King vs. Kenny Omega – Episode 14
3. KENTA vs. Roderick Strong – Episode 14
4. Fight Without Honor: Jimmy Jacobs vs. Delirious – Episode 15
5. World Tag Team Title Match: The American Wolves vs. Bryan Danielson & Tyler Black – Episode 15
6. Austin Aries, Kenny King & Rhett Titus vs. Jerry Lynn, Kenny Omega, & Erick Stevens – Episode 16
7. Roderick Strong vs. Jay Briscoe – Episode 16
8. Kevin Steen, El Generico & KENTA vs. The American Wolves & Chris Hero – Episode 17
9. Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black – Episode 18

Bonus:

• Delirious vs. Jerry Lynn – Episode 1
• Non Title Match: Nigel McGuinness vs. Jay Briscoe – Episode 2

To purchase “Ring of Honor on HDNet Vol. 2” click here.

Until next time: Remember to subscribe to Wrestling Times X to receive new posts directly to your e-mail. Share this and all posts. And follow me on Twitter @WrestlingTimesX for quick rants.

Why Christopher Daniels wants AJ Styles one-on-one. What about Samoa Joe?

When AJ Styles, the first-ever X-Division Champion, announced the return of the six-sided ring at Destination X pay-per-view, he was interrupted by Samoa Joe, the man responsible for elevating the X Division from feature spectacle to pay-per-view headline. With continued exchanges of bravado in regards to who contributed more to the division, and talks of who should headline the pay-per-view, one crucial name was missing.

In 2005, the match that put TNA Wrestling on the map — garnering a 5 star rating in Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter — was a three-way bout between AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, and Christopher Daniels at Unbreakable. The three followed up with an encore performance at Turning Point in 2009. So when Fortune’s music hit to reveal The Fallen Angel, no one was surprised. In fact, they were counting on it.

Ever since Christopher Daniels returned to TNA to save Fortune from a four–on–three assault at the hands of Immortal, TNA purists have been anticipating a Part III.

Then something went wrong.

Christopher Daniels praised their history in the X-Division and decreed that at Destination X the wrestling fans would get what they wanted — Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles. Samoa Joe, not believing what he had just heard, gathered that Styles would correct Daniels and propose the anticipated 3-Way match. But Styles accepted the one-on-one challenge, leaving Joe flustered.

Why does Daniels want to face Styles one-on-one? Aren’t they comrades in Fortune?

Kazarian interrogated Daniels on what had just happened. “It’s all in the spirit of competition,” he said.

Back when Daniels was released from his TNA contract in 2010, he returned to Ring of Honor on April 3, 2010, at their live pay-per-view The Big Bang, confronting Davey Richards, proclaiming that he was back to prove that he was the best in the world. Shortly thereafter, The Fallen Angel tested himself against Richards, Austin Aries, and even winning his first singles title, the ROH World Television Championship, from the current ROH World Champion Eddie Edwards.

Yet, despite finding success outside of TNA, and ROH officials reinstating the TV Title based on their impending return to television in the fall under Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which he will defend at Ring of Honor’s aptly named “Best in the World” pay-per-view on June 26, his mind is stuck on Final Resolution. In TNA’s final pay-per-view of 2009, Christopher Daniels lost his bid for the TNA Championship when AJ Styles planted him with an Ultra Styles-clash off the middle rope to retain.

His loss to Styles caused him to lose his focus, which subsequently led him down a losing streak before his departure. Now, after battling against the top stars in Ring of Honor, Daniels has regained his focus.

So while a 3-Way match would have been ideal, Daniels, before he can claim the moniker “Best in the World,” needs to prove to himself that he can defeat “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles.

But what about Joe?

The first time Styles-Joe-Daniels met, they competed for the X Division Title, while subsequently proving that they were the future of TNA. Then in 2009, they declared their spots in TNA as they competed for the TNA World Heavyweight Title.

Now these three have the golden opportunity, sorta speak, to compete for something more sacred — the pure intent of wrestling. Title belts do not solely determine a wrestler’s worth, it’s testing your skills against the best in the business.

This is why Christopher Daniels wants AJ Styles one-on-one. As for Samoa Joe, his confrontation with Kazarian may prove to be his next challenge.

Until next time: Remember to subscribe to Wrestling Times X to receive new posts directly to your e-mail. Share this and all posts. And follow me on Twitter @WrestlingTimesX for quick rants.

Ring of Honor Sold, Best in the World iPPV News

Welcome back to The Wrestling Times! Earlier in the week the news broke out that Ring of Honor Wrestling was sold to Sinclair Broadcast Company. Former ROH owner Cary Silkin had this to say, “We have been waiting for and working for this opportunity for quite some time, and of our 9 years in business, there has been no better roster of wrestlers than this one to expose the ROH product to the masses. With Sinclair’s resources and many avenues of distribution, we believe many new fans around the world will be as captivated as those who have followed Ring of Honor over the years.” So let’s discuss what this means to us, the wrestling fans.

First off, Cary Silkin, along with Jim Cornette, Delirious, Dave Prazak, and Kevin Kelly, will remain with ROH. They have promised that ROH will not convert to the Sport’s Entertainment format; and it will continue touring its usual venues, while adding new ones along the way. Whew! All good things to hear.

But that’s not all! This Fall, ROH is set to debut a weekly televised program. So for the fans that heavily petitioned for a television station to pick them up: Mission Accomplished.

So what does this all mean? Better exposure, better production value, and a better opportunity to reach new fans. But if you don’t happen to live in a market with a Sinclair station, don’t worry because Mr. Silkin stated, “Through our revamped website we will be able to make the TV show available to anyone in the world with internet access.” That sounds great to me, Cary.

Then depending on how successful the product is, ROH would be able to afford to keep their talents. And unlike the unruly spending tactics of TNA Wrestling, Ring of Honor currently does not have to worry about any ego-driven, money-grubbing veterans of yesteryear to short change the rest of the roster. But, in order to get more people interested in the product, ROH probably, and will, resort to bringing in former WWE/TNA wrestlers.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s voting landscapes should experience some drastic changes now that ROH will be more widely available.

Many assume that WWE is the be-all end-all of professional wrestling, and the million or so fans that tune in every Thursday to catch Impact Wrestling in need of an alternative, can find it with Ring of Honor.

The first official step towards a bigger, badder, and better ROH will occur the afternoon of June 26th when Ring of Honor returns to NYC on iPPV – “Best in the World 2011.” On this day, all champions will defend their titles. This means ROH World Heavyweight Champion Eddie Edwards, ROH World TV Champion Christopher Daniels, and ROH World Tag Team Champions Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin will put their gold on the line.

And it’s not to say that ROH is the be-all end-all of pro wrestling’s alternative, it’s a prime example that there is more out there than the Top Two. After listening to Colt Cabana’s podcast with Excalibur, it sparked my interest in Pro Wrestling Guerrila, stationed out in Los Angeles. And when the funds are available, I’ll definitely check out some of their DVDs (available at HighSpots.com). Speaking of alternatives, NWA Hollywood episodes are available on its homepage (NWAHollywood.com), including the episode when Cabana won the NWA Heavyweight Championship.

There is just so much more out there in the world of professional wrestling, take the time to explore other companies, including (but not limited to) ROH, NWA Hollywood, PWG, SHIMMER Women’s Athletes, Women Superstars Uncensored, Chikara, Dragon Gate USA, and Evolve.

That’s it for this post. What does Ring of Honor Wrestling being bought by Sinclair Broadcast Company mean to you? What do you hope to gain from this? Please jot them down in the comment box, or send me a line on twitter. My twitter handler is WrestlingTimesX. There are also some nifty share buttons on the bottom: Spread the word!