Muhammed Lawal: TNA and Bellator's new 'King'
by lesliedds on May 12, 2012 1:20 PM EDT
Photo courtesy Esther Lin for All Elbows
Spike TV's recent announcement that they have signed "King Mo" Muhammed Lawal to a joint deal with Bellator Fighting Championships and Total Nonstop Action (TNA) wrestling is huge for all companies involved.
Lawal was possibly the hottest free agent in mixed martial arts (MMA) --after a haphazard release from Strikeforce -- and depending on how he is handled as a performer, his signing could be one of the best investments either company has made.
That "depending on how he is handled," is the tricky part.
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Butter Cream And Back Breakers: The History of MMA In TNA
by Aries Nakajima on May 11, 2012 5:29 PM EDT
Thursday's announcement of former Light Heavyweight Champ Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal joining Bellator in 2013 seemed on-par with a lot of MMA analysts predictions as to what The King would do after being released from Zuffa earlier this year. What took some MMA analysts by surprised and what they didn't see coming was the announcement of the simultaneous signing of The King to pro wrestling organization Total Non-Stop Action (TNA). Pro wrestling and MMA have long ties going all the way back to Japan. In just the last 20 years MMA stars like Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Tito Ortiz, Tim Sylvia, Josh Barnett, and Mark Coleman have all made the jump at some point in their careers to MMA. Only recently within the last 10 years wrestlers have begun to return the favor as Alberto Rodríguez, Brock Lesnar, Sean O'Haire, and Bobby Lashley made the jump into MMA with various results. Former Olympian turned pro wrestler Kurt Angle is a huge fan of MMA and is well known to incorporate elements of MMA such as catch-as-catch-can wrestling and judo submissions into his matches throughout the years, most notably in 2005. With the exception of Brock Lesnar, no MMA fighter in recent history has moved into the world of pro wrestling with more fanfare then The King. The unique and unprecedented joint press conference between TNA and Bellator was held on Thursday at 2pm in New York with both companies announcing the unique and unprecedented signing of The King. Afterwards the most common question I witnessed being asked was "Why TNA?".
The decision made by The King to sign to TNA is puzzling since TNA isn't known for a finely tuned product like its well-established competitor WWE. Since its inception, TNA has not been able to grasp the reality of their surroundings and direct business in accordance to the current market's landscape. A 21st century wrestling company with a 20th century business mentality has lead to a lot of embarrassing moments over the years for TNA and the company's frustrated and dwindling fan-base. Holding onto the old pro wrestling standard of treating the fans and people outside the business as marks and continuing to allow their veteran stars to con the younger more computer/tech savvy generation into believing that the Internet is a bad place where disgruntled and jaded marks voice their uninformed opinions on wrestling forums while at the same time the unscrupulous dirt-sheets serve up non-flattering 'rumors' being masked as news by Meltzer and the likes, has lead to the overall perception of the company by fans and commentators alike to be seen as a 90's nostalgia vanity project without a WWE budget. However, despite its many (and there are a ton) shortcomings: the popularity of mixed martial arts has never been lost on TNA Wrestling as evident by its history. With TNA's relaxed (or non-existent depending on who you talk to) drug policy, an inexcusable and unmatched history of catering to 'outside the bubble' stars that come in, and a greater respect for the MMA business then their own, makes TNA -- fit for a king.
The Gathering Storm
by J.L. White on May 10, 2012 3:23 PM EDT
Former NFL linebacker Junior Seau took his own life a few days ago, for reasons that are not clear even to his loved ones. It is believed that Seau suffered multiple concussions during his 13-year career in the NFL (not to mention playing football in high school and starting 3 years at USC), although no official diagnosis has been made that he had suffered long-term effects from his playing career. Long-term effects from his playing career might be at fault, since Seau's brain can soon be tested postmortem for CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, which may have affected him and his decision to take his own life; Seau may have known he was suffering in some way, because he shot himself in the chest, like another former NFL player, Dave Duerson, who is widely believed to have murdered himself in that fashion so that his brain could be tested for CTE.
Even if the late Junior Seau is diagnosed with CTE, it doesn't necessarily prove that he took his life due to his head trauma. I don't believe that question can ever be truly answered, but if Seau did suffer from CTE then there's no question in my mind that a class-action lawsuit of some kind will be filed against the NFL in the near future, on behalf of former players and the families of former players who maintain that a career playing football led to deliberating and permanent disorders like CTE, Parkinson's disease and early-onset Alzheimer's. I'm not going to how this is all going to play out, but I'm more than just a little certain that, when it comes to lawsuits involving brain trauma, the NFL and the WWE are in the same boat.
Creative has nothing for Daniel Bryan and CM Punk
by MicahtheCynic on May 10, 2012 1:45 AM EDT
Hello there. For those who don't know me, my username is Micahthecynic, and I am a mutherfuker. That means that I migrated from this little slice of heaven and have now made CSS my new stomping grounds. Well, at least until they un-ban me from Bloody Elbow.
I'm not posting this to talk about that whole mess though. Rather, I wanted to talk about some issues when it comes to WWE's creative team and how absolutely clueless they are at where to fit a couple of indie brats known as Brian Danielsen and Phil Brooks.
Historical Wrestler Wrankings - WCW 1998, Part 1: 'Souled Out'
by Hollywood Wallace on May 9, 2012 5:44 PM EDT
You wanted it, so you got it!
Welcome to Historical Wrestler Wrankings, the semi-regular column where we rank and score the purest form of sport yet devised by man ... professional wrestling.
We're headed down south to "Where the Big Boys Play" for what should have been the most stacked and fantastic season of wrestling in the history of the sport: World Championship Wrestling (WCW) 1998.
Why did we choose 1998? Well for one it's an interesting and memorable year in wrestling, but it also brought the advent of WCW Thunder. A second show, which compares directly with Smackdown, should give us a more accurate and interesting comparison to the current Wrankings season.
We'll start with Nitro the day after historic Starrcade '97 and culminate with the much less historic Starrcade '98. Yes, we're tackling the season that brought you the fallout from Sting vs. Hulk Hogan, the Wolfpac, the breakup of the Steiner Brothers, President Ric Flair, and the total waste of the most incredible roster of wrestlers ever assembled. Most importantly though, there actually was a heck of alot of great wrestling action. So snuggle up to your Raven's Flock flannel, practice your Goldberg chant, and enjoy the demise of WCW's incredible span of dominance over the World Wrestling Federation!
Our formula, results, and the rankings as of Souled Out '98, after the jump.
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You say you want a revolution?: WWE's new viral campaign promises an uprising
by mountaineers101 on May 9, 2012 2:31 PM EDT
WWE viral marketing can be a lovely thing. The often cryptic messages tend to tickle our brains and set us up for a brilliant return or a swerve that will leave us marking out with our jaws on the floor.
Then again, there are always the Kizarnys of the world.
WWE has started a new viral campaign which will serve as an introduction to various video content on their website. Depictions of uprising and war are set to music akin to Attitude Era stylings, which culminates in a sign that tells viewers that a "revolution is coming."
Playing fantasy backstage writer, I notice that there are a lot of "X" symbols in this video. No man on the roster is more identifiable with the "X" than our straight edge champion, CM Punk.
Could Chick Magnet Punk be leading a rebellion against the beloved John Laurinaitis? Or some other power that controls the action in the ring?
Or maybe, just maybe, Sean Waltman will be in our lives once again!
What say you, fellow Cagesiders?
Is CM Punk Faking his Straight Edge Lifestyle?
by thecutoff on May 7, 2012 8:54 PM EDT
via leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com
Findlay Martin of Power Slam magazine recently answered a question by a WWE fan who asked ifCM Punk's
"That's a vicious rumour, as far as we know," Martin responds. "We have spoken to many people over the last eight years who have been to bars and nightclubs with Punk and/or traveled with him in Europe and the U.S. and Canada, and all report that Punk has invariably abstained from alcohol, illegal drugs and tobacco."
Precap to the May 5, 2012 episode of Raw or, you get a broken arm! You get a broken arm! Everyone gets a broken arm!
by C. J. Bradford on May 7, 2012 2:30 PM EDT
It's so haaaaaard. To say gooooodbye. To Yesteeeerdaaaaaaaaayyyy. (via WWE.com)
Cena! Ace! Tensai! Sakamoto! Revenge!
It seems that John Cena has really pissed of John Laurinaitis. Maybe Johnny Ace is the biggest Brock Lesnar mark of them all. Perhaps he is just as tired of SuperCena as the rest of us. Or it could be he just really hates the color green. No one is exactly sure what happened, but now the two are set to face off at The Over the Limit Pay-Per-View (PPV), with Lord Tensai and Sakamoto in "Mr. Excitement's" corner. Since losing the WWE Championship, Cena has just been treading water at the top of the card. He had a two PPV angle with Kane, a return to his feud with The Rock that had a single entertaining match and nothing else, and now this.
Facing Laurinaitis is certainly better than Tensai, but there is no reason this should be at the top of the card. There are no stakes to it, nothing to gain or lose for either party, and it runs counter to established kayfabe. Didn't Triple H have to quit his job as GM of Raw because he "made things personal?" Doesn't John Laurinaitis have bigger problems with CM Punk? Shouldn't John Cena be teaching the children to respect authority? There are too many questions, not enough answer, and a shame that we have to return to the status quo after such a promising feint in a new direction.
The rest of the show after the jump.
The S3 Kisses Its Sister, Only YOUR VOTE Can Help!
by s1rude on May 7, 2012 11:00 AM EDT
World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV) event brought an abundance of ties to the Smark's Shoot Standings (S3) for the week of April 30. After the jump you can see some of the surprising names who garnered equal support last week.
Plus, the year-long standings are starting to have enough numbers to be really interesting.
All that, and YOUR chance to VOTE! Will the poll for last week be the line of demarcation for the beginning of the John Laurinaitis Era? Or will YOU Smarks be able to control yourself?
These are YOUR standings -- what are you waiting for?
Wrestler Wrankings: 2012-2013 Season, Week 5
by Hollywood Wallace on May 6, 2012 12:10 PM EDT
Welcome to Wrestler Wrankings, the weekly sports column where we track and score the purest form of sport yet devised by man... professional wrestling.
There was lots of great wrestling this week and lots of shuffling in the Wrankings; enough to finally merit displaying a top 10, rather than merely a top 5. Much of the action was a function of the "Beat the Clock" matches featured on RAW, but sadly, two of those matches ended in time limit draws, denying either competitor of any points. This includes Chris Jericho just barely missing out on 2 points that would have landed him all alone in 7th place, rather than outside the top ten.
Santino also continued his heretofore fruitful US Title Reign in a match that, while not technically televised, was deemed an official part of the Extreme Rules card. This is certainly a Wrankings grey area, but we'll continue forward with this precedent for future PPV preshow teaser matches.
Our formula and a NEWWWWWWW Wrankings leader, after the jump...
