If you die when there's no one watching
and your ratings drop and you're forgotten
if they kill you on their TV
you're a martyr and a lamb of god
nothing's going to change the world
"Lamb of God" By Marilyn Manson from "Holywood"

In the words of one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, "Wooooooooooooooo!" and welcome to the return edition of the McRoss Report. For all previous editions of the McRoss Reports just go here: McRoss Report Archives
For the old readers of the site, you know what to expect in this column. For all the new DOI readers, the McRoss Report is pretty much my rant and opinions on various subjects. It is obviously titled in a tribute to one of the best play by play men in wrestling, Jim Ross. Alot of things will be covered today, so let's get into it.

First off, sorry for putting the McRoss Report on hiatus. It seems whenever I wrote one, I'd always get heat with someone for saying my opinion. Well now, I don't give a wet fart, so I will just say whatever I want. You can agree or disagree, as like most things written on the DOI site, it is opinion.

"Feinsteingate"
Many things have been written about Rob Feinstein on the DOI site. We have put up sides from Perverted-Justice, Rob Feinstein, wrestlers, and others around the situation. Some people have accused me of showing sympathy to Rob Feinstein. To make it clear, I honestly do not believe Rob is guilty of anything except for stupidity. No charges were ever filed. No other kids came out to say Rob had a relationship with them. With Rob's semi-celebrity name, if he was really guilty, I'm pretty sure this wouldn't be his first incident, and you would've heard more dirt about RF from other people. Just look at Michael Jackson. He is paying off families left and right to keep quiet. Once the original story about Michael Jackson broke out, others came forward. Not one soul has come forward since PJ's story.

So do I deserve criticism for defending RF? Absolutely. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and I am just siding with what was the most unpopular side. Today, I think people are more open minded and are willing to give Rob a second chance. In my opinion, Rob is only guilty of stupidity. The most obvious mistake was going into a chat room under his own company name. The other mistake I believe Rob made was meeting someone at a private house, rather than meeting at a public place.

I have polled many fans and talked to many wrestlers. There are a handful of wrestlers who wouldn't work for Rob's new promotion, which is rumored to open up some time next year. Fans are fans and will of course keep an eye on what happens. While some fans want to see more proof, which they are entitled to, most fans for the most part are willing to give this new promotion a chance.

Obviously, in a perfect world, this would've never happened. Gabe, Rob, Doug and possibly Tommy Dreamer could've been running one of the top wrestling companies in the world at 100% full steam. Rob's incident has hurt all parties, but I do believe both parties, RF Video and ROH, are rebounding solidly.

As far as how RF will be covered on the DOI site from now on, the DOI will cover whatever we deem newsworthy or what is asked to be made public. If a live journal is requested to be posted, we'll post it. If a press release is asked to be put up for RF Video, we'll put it up. We'll also review RF Video tapes here on the DOI site. We will of course, also cover ROH in depth as well. So pretty much, everything will go back to normal on the DOI site, unless Rob is convicted of something, which I don't see happening.

One question I do pose, and I know alot of people might get mad for saying it, is if Rob was accused of being with a 14 year old girl, would the public outcry be as loud? It's no secret Jerry Lawler likes his women young, which he admitted in his book, and which Honky Tonk Man confirmed, and no one has ever blasted him nor forced him out of a company. It's also been confirmed by the HTM, in several interviews, that Lawler has had sexual relations with girls under 18. Last time I checked, Lawler was never forced out of the WWE.

Of course in no way, shape or form am I promoting or supporting pedophilia or underage sex, but I do believe the question is worth debating.

Anthony "The Funker" Deblasi
I honestly don't want to waste too much time on Anthony but seems he feels the need to attack anyone and almost everyone on his hotline, I figured I would shed some truth on the subject. Anthony has whined several times for myself, the ROH crew, the RF Video Crew and even Mike Johnson to publically debate him on his hotline. If you forget the fact that debating Anthony is a waste of time, since he is biased and has proven to talk without thinking several times, Anthony does make a good point when it comes to voice interviews. Obviously voice interviews are done on the spot and gives you little time to think or phrase your words. A voice interview is better than a printed one. What Anthony doesn't realize that is when he attacks alot of people, slanders people and reports very biasedly, people don't give him much credibility. It has definitely taken some time for the DOI to recieve some credibility, which came through being unbiased and working hard. By debating Anthony, it takes away from DOI's credibility. If you look, the ROH and RF Video staff, as well as Mike Johnson have just ignored this issue. I am commenting on it since Funker has been a friend to the DOI in the past, even though he doesn't exactly tell all on his hotline. So now he has gotten me a little miffed, so I'll explain everything below.

When Funker made his challenges on his hotline, for me to come and debate him about RF, I thought of two things. One, why is Funker so obsessed with Rob Feinstein. (Based on several message board posts and the fact that Anthony told me that he bought a few domain names such as RobFeinstein.com) Secondly, I thought, I can't argue him to my best capablilities, because I know alot more about the situation than most. If I accidentally let something slip while defending my opinion, or said something that Funker didn't know about the situation, I could hurt RF's upcoming lawsuit. I talked to Anthony and told him I could not go on his hotline to debate the subject due to me not being able to talk about everything I know to support my opinion. Anthony said he understood and agreed with me. He also thanked me for acknowledging his challenge and explaining why I couldn't go on. Then the next few days he said I was ducking his challenge and that I was scared to debate him. I just fucking told the guy why I couldn't do it, and even gave him the courtesy of explaining why, instead of just ignoring him like a speck of dust, like everyone else did.

Plus after hearing Funker make death threats and pretend that he was an Italian mobster on his hotline, (which he did to Fat Tim currently and Slash from LXW prior) I don't think I could have an intelligent conversation on the matter anyway. I guess all I have to say to all the doubters out there (and you have every right to doubt), is that just wait until the lawsuit. Also realize no charges nor even talk about sex ever came up. People sometimes need to read things twice to understand them, and I hope The Funker does. Here is some words of McWisdom- chill the fuck out.

AWA
The message boards and AWA locker rooms have been on fire. Johnny Thunder, the AWA champion, has been in the middle of alot of controversy. It is no secret that I have some friends and alot of acquaintances in the wrestling business. Sometimes these acquaintances get disgruntled when it comes to their career. Alot of the time I get vented to. Well a situation like this happened in AWA. According to what some AWA wrestlers are calling "the mole", one wrestler in AWA, who is homegrown, started talking to me about Johnny Thunder. He told me that Johnny Thunder bad mouthed the doghouse and the DOI on numerous occassions. While I didn't really believe it 100%, I told him he should do an interview and make it all public. This guy refused. Meanwhile, the guy just started posting about Thunder and telling alot of half truths about him.

Thunder has discussed this matter with me, and it seems that this guy who is posting, is negatively impacting the AWA. To be honest, I consider AWA a true fed doing big and real things in the wrestling business. I consider AWA more important than other NJ promotions, such as SSCW and others, because they run more frequently, don't cancel shows, and actually draw more than 30 people. They also make a little money here and there, and Mike Morgan has gave everything practically shy of a left nut to AWA. He's given a place for people to hone their craft and a place for people to live their dreams. I normally don't like to get involved in locker room matters, but since this guy is now putting the AWA in a state of disarray, I will say now that this guy will be stopped, as I have talked to him and asked him to stop posting. If more of these AWA attacks go up, I will just let the AWA people know who is doing it, as some of my friends as well as myself have been accused of doing it. I respect AWA and the people in it, and the last thing I want to see in a promotion that is supposed (and is) to better wrestling, is have stupid little heat that means dick cheese. So you know who you are and knock it off.

I'd also like to clear the names of Dan Payne, Alicia, Danny Demanto, Rob Vegas and Mayhem, who were all accused of saying something or another. Not one of them have ever bad mouthed the AWA product nor Thunder to me behind his back. While I do know that Thunder tells the AWA wrestlers not to get caught up in the DOI hype, I agree with him. AWA wrestlers should worry about their match first, the review second, and not the other way around. By worrying about your match first, it will take care of your review more times than not. Do you really think guys like HBK, Flair and Austin care what Dave Meltzer and Wade Keller are going to say the next day? Well I guess Hogan does, according to the Flair book, but AWA is supposed to be fun, so hopefully it can go back to that way, as I enjoy going and reviewing those shows.

That is not to say that I will probably wind up hearing everything that people say anyway, but I'd rather the energy be used to promote AWA than bad mouth it. I do know who talks anyway, and the people who talk are usually the people sitting home every weekend and only get booked on who they know, not what they know.

Speaking of AWA, AWA is literally the home of some of the funnest shows on the indies. With people like the JAPW staff scouting and the DOI reviewing, AWA has become a respected little school show. AWA has moved up a level, and are now starting to recieve some of the bad with the good, but it's obvious that the good outweighs the bad. With change and growth, comes questioning, and it seems that several AWA wrestlers are questioning their spots due to AWA's success. In the end, everyone needs to realize that these are fun little shows and they need to keep the crap in the toilet, not anywhere else.

Ring of Honor
Is it me or has ROH done a really good job lately? ROH has have been having some great shows this year. The return of Low Ki makes things even more interesting. It's good to see ROH have a big fan base, as it shows that there are fans who still love wrestling passionately. One thing I have noticed as of late, is that ROH is now adapting alot of elements from ECW. Like ECW, ROH has been travelling all over the United States, even in the same venues. I wouldn't be surprised to see ROH or to hear plans of branching out to the West Coast or Canada by the end of 2005. Also similiar to ECW, ROH is starting to blend pure wrestling with some hardcore wrestling. I like how ROH is changing their direction a bit.

Also while on ROH, I think what ROH is doing with their stables is very good. Stables like the 2nd City Saints, The Rottweilers and Generation Next are stronger than any other stable in wrestling today. (Evolution just lost a member) Another thing ROH has been doing for some time now, that other promotions don't do, is stress feuds and issues over championships. Some of the biggest matches in ROH don't always involve Samoa Joe, the current ROH champion.

It's going to be interesting to see where ROH is in a year from now.

Moving on, does anyone else realize how many fucking wrestlers come out to Linkin Park? Seriously, it seems that every indy show I go to, at least two wrestlers come out to a Linkin Park song. While I'm not the biggest LP fan, I can see their appeal. There are other bands out there that aren't being used in wrestlers entrances. I'd recommend System of a Down or Mudhoney. Eh I guess it's a pet peeve of my mine, but Linkin Park is getting played out.

Did anyone ever realize that some metals bend so easily?

What is with some hotline hosts attacking people then apoligizing and taking everything back the next few days? It's great to hear a hotline that starts off with "Well...honestly... maybe I was wrong when I slandered this person...." You can even hear the backpedalling in their voices.

I'm laughing at some of the spoilers that have been posted on the DOI board for indy shows. One because none of it is true. It's just funny to see how insecure some promoters get when someone guesses a match right. It's one of the reasons why I stopped predicting matches in my prediction columns, because I didn't want to blow any finishes or matches for any fans. Some people put too much conviction into meaningless things.

I read something in PWI a few months ago from Brandi Mankiewicz. She was talking about how she recieves heat from some people due to her relationship (friends) with Chris Daniels. She made valid points that no matter what her relationship is with him, Daniels is one of the top wrestlers today. I've had some people whine about that only my friends get press on the DOI site. It's so ridiculous that I don't even want to waste time giving it any thought, but we give press to everyone and anyone on the wrestling scene. I do associate myself with alot of the wrestlers from the Doghouse, but just how Chris Daniels is one of the top guys today, the Doghouse, in my opinion, has produced some of the best talents in many indy promotions all over the northeast. I don't think anyone can deny the Doghouse's impact on indy wrestling.

Gimmick Yea Bro!

I just heard a rumor the other day, that someone who is a nephew for a certain promoter in NJ, is getting work in another promotion in exchange for that promoter to book a friend of the other promoters. Then they wonder why only 40 people attend their shows. When nepotism is stressed more than quality, then you have a problem.

Spiderman 2 is the movie of the summer.

Randy Orton winning the heavyweight title signalled the end of Chris Benoit ever holding a heavyweight title again. I'm going out on a limb here and saying that you will never see Chris Benoit with the heavyweight title ever again. This whole Randy Orton push has been force fed since day one. He is one of the better wrestlers on the roster, but I think he's getting way too much way too fast. I wish the WWE would think about all their guys as much as they think about Randy Orton. Whatever happened to that RVD guy?

For all you Florida fans, I'm hearing that something big is going to happen very soon with NWA Florida and NWA TNA. I can't say what I know yet, but something is a'brewin.
I also have had a few stories emailed to me about some scandal that went on down there, so we'll see if it's actually true in the upcoming days.

Some people, actually alot, have emailed me asking about what's up with the DOI and 3PW. Well to answer it without wasting much time, pretty much it's easier to get along with people than have beef. The DOI is meant to give everyone a chance to get burn, so it's good to have 3PW throwing logs in the fire again. Plus it means an extra trip to Tony Luke's every month.

Family Guy is coming back!

September 17 and September 18 is shaping up to the biggest weekend in indy wrestling this year. USA PW and JAPW are putting on two kick ass shows.

Has anyone been watching Ali G? That is seriously the best fucking show going today. The Borat character has me crying laughing everytime. There needs to be a wrestler with the Borat gimmick. Seriously, if you haven't seen Ali G yet, check it out on HBO every Sunday Night at 10:30 PM. Also don't forget to the throw the jews down a well!

To you know who: the definition of Moped. Moped- they are fun to ride, but it's not fun when your friends see you. Now replace Moped with fat chick. Booya!

What's with some wrestlers getting other wrestlers kicked off shows because he's afraid of getting hit hard? If you are afraid of getting hit, then maybe being on the other side of the rail is a better career choice.

Look for bigger things to come on the DOI site soon. One day hopefully we'll have enough money to dedicate our time to the DOI on a full time basis.

There is a rumor that a NJ promotion may be taking time off. I hope this isn't true as the person in charge is one of the nicer guys in wrestling today.

Low Life Louie needs an opponent for the 9/17 USA PW show, as Mad Man Pondo has decided to wrestle in Japan. My suggestion for Louie- Supreme. If anyone remembers LXW's second show, Louie called Supreme out. This match would truly be an east coast vs west coast hardcore bloodbath. Other names that I think are good, that I've seen suggested are Necro Butcher, Corporal Robinson and Wifebeater. Either way, I hope Louie winds up wrestling someone not named The New Dynamite Kid or Danny Demanto.

I just want to thank all our advertisers who have supported the site. The site has been very costly to run in the last few months, and while we're not making any significant profit, the money is paying the sites bills.

That's it for this return McRoss Report. Stay tuned to the DOI for more updates!

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com