Christian, Christian, At Last You're On Your Own
I figure I'll start this column looking at the other major story making wrestling headlines. This past Sunday, during TNA's "Genesis" PPV, Christian made his "surprising" debut. Of course nothing is a fucking surprise anymore, due to the internet, and if Christian didn't show up, it would've been a disappointment to the fans. Christian cut a promo, taking several shots at the WWE, and actually referred to the WWE as being WCW in the year 2000. Harsh words indeed. Basically Christian said that TNA is the future and is hungry, while the WWE is stale and boring. By saying that, Christian better hope TNA gets its act together, or he might be the one who is hungry in a year. You can never say never in the wrestling business, but if Christian doesn't show up in the WWE ever again, would anyone be surprised?

For Christian and for the sake of wrestling, I hope TNA becomes successful. Wrestling surely needs an alternative. Can Christian be the guy to bring them to the next level? Time will tell, and I'm looking forward to seeing if Christian can become the NWA World Champion. Christian reminds me of a young Shawn Michaels, without the politics, and if given the opportunity, I can see him carrying TNA. TNA's reasoning for giving Jarrett the NWA Title when they got the Spike TV deal was because they wanted someone who had national TV experience. Now, TNA has a face that is recoginized by wrestling fans, and a guy who is more talented than Jarrett. Is TNA just signing ex-WWEers for the fuck of it, or are they serious? TNA will answer that by the way they handle Christian's future.

As you can tell, the WWE doesn't seem to be the best place to work anymore. It has been compared to the dying stages of WCW many times. Kevin Kelly, in his DOI shoot interview (Which you should order right now!!!) brings up a great point, that the people in charge of WCW during its dying days were the same people that are in charge of the WWE today, namely Johnny Ace. Johnny Ace is Vince McMahon's personal heel, as he is the one who does all of Vince's dirty work. Guys are getting cut left and right, despite if they are on the injured list. Just read Test's latest testimony, where he rips the WWE a new one. You know it's really bad when guys are walking away from millions. Guys like Chris Jericho, Christian, The Dudleyz, and Frankie Kazarian, among others, are some of the wrestlers that have walked away from the WWE on their own terms. Wrestlers are walking around on eggshells in the WWE locker room. Matt Striker made one mistake, trusting a WWE agent, and what did it get him? He's one more mistake away from getting mauled by that pervert JBL in the showers.

I'm a long time WWF fan. WWF is how I found about wrestling and is what I grew up on. For their sake I hope they get their act together. They are portrayed as evil doers on many wrestling websites because negativity sells. People will always spin stories against the WWE, but this time it looks like the WWE is really fucking up on their own. Wrestlers are willingly walking away. Wrestlers don't want to be there. WWE has created an environment where no one can be themselves due to politicians like Triple H and Johnny Ace. It's not the internet pointing the finger at H or Ace anymore. It's the wrestlers who have been there saying it by themselves. The Dudleyz are saying it. Test is saying it. Billy Gunn is saying it. Christian is saying it. Chris Jericho won't come out and say it but he's hinted at it. The last time so many ex-employees willingly trashed their former employer in the wrestling business, was during the end of WCW. Let's hope this is not the end of the WWE, as WWE is getting very sloppy as Vince grows older, and according to people who have been there, the future doesn't look pretty under the future McMahon-HHH era. I think people are taking it for granted that the WWE will always be around.

Since I'm talking about the WWE, in this rare instance on the DOI site, I'd be remiss not to talk about Eddie Guerrero. Unlike other internet writers, I'm not gonna say I cried or this shocked my life. Eddie Guerrero's passing won't affect my life, hell it won't really affect my recent WWE watching, as I haven't watched Smackdown since they made the move from Thursday to Friday. I didn't know Eddie Guerrero. The only things I know about him is from what I've seen on his DVD and from what I read. It sucks that he died, but like Mike Zevon and Chris Hyatte said in their commentaries, you really can't be shocked. He used alot of substances in his life, and let's be honest, it's rare for a 38 year old to drop dead out of nowhere. To me, this reeks of Brian Pillman's death, and hopefully when the autopsy reports are in, it won't be like Curt Hennig's death. If I was to die from a liver failure tomorrow, I wouldn't expect people to be shocked like the way people are so shocked that Eddie is now gone.

From what I can tell, by the people who knew Eddie, he was a great family man. He was very well liked in the locker room and will be missed by everyone who knew him. However his death will be lumped into the massive list of wrestler deaths caused by substance abuse, no matter the autopsy report, due to his past. Guerrero joins Rude, Hennig, Liz, Crash Holly, Hawk, Candido, Anthony Durante and the countless others who have died for the wrestling business. The book will one day be written by someone, and that book will have to point to the wrestling promoters as the cause of all these deaths. It's not just Vince's fault that Eddie is now gone, although Vince is a factor in any wrestlers death, because wrestlers are putting all these substances in their body with hopes of working or keeping their jobs with him. We live in an image driven world, and we also live in a wrestling world where when you're out of sight, you're out of mind. That is one reason the wrestlers use all these substances, because if they aren't able to perform, their stock decreases and the fans forget about them, until they read about their death.

I mean, how many people who were Dan Maff's friends in January talk to him today, outside of Ref Hanson? Hell the only time Gabe called Maff was to meekly ask for his ROH tag team title belt back. How many people started talking to Rob Feinstein again once he came back to wrestling in September of 2004? Where were those people in the summer of 2004? How many people forget these one show and out promoters, after their show is over? And how many people are starting to talk to PVO and Carmine again now that they have showed interest in running shows again? The wrestling business has trained the people in it, and the fans of it, to forget its history and forget the people that aren't around all the time. However, as a race, and as people who follow wrestling, we can't forget the history. Another wrestler will be dead, thinking that he won't be the next Guerrero and that death is not an option. Unfortunately, when you mix steroids with painkillers, cocaine and alcohol, it's only a matter of time till your body taps out.

Will anyone learn from Guerrero's death? Probably not. The world will still go on. Vince will still need his roided up wrestlers. Wrestlers will still take pain killers to alleviate the pain of bumping like wild men 300 days of the year. Being cramped up in airplanes doesn't soothe the body either. Wrestlers will still party like any other human and will drink and dabble with recreational drug use. Wrestling is the only sport that is not regulated or watched by the government and until the government steps in, wrestlers will continue to die before they see the age of 40.

Since 2003 alone, 20+ wrestlers have died from substance abuse. Compare that to every other major sport today. The NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB, combined haven't had 2 players die from any sort of drug use. Two football players died to practicing in extreme heat, and a basketball player died due to a heart problem, not related to substance abuse, but outside of those three people, no one has died in professional sports. Retired athletes from the NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB aren't passing away on a monthly basis like wrestlers are. Wrestling is different from all those sports, in the fact that there is no off season. There is no time to rest up and get fat for a bit. Wrestlers are constantly being critiqued. Hell, what other sport has its fans and wrestlers in it, conducting "death pools?" (And damn, is Jake The Snake pissing off a lot of people recently)
Perhaps the cold reality of pro wrestling is if you're not blessed with genetics, nor can build a body from solid dieting and gym work, maybe being a pro wrestler isn't for you. If you have to rely on substances just to have a shot to get looked at when you're in your 20s, just to die before you hit 40, is it worth it? Test really hit it on the head with his commentary where said having a 9-5 job pays better and is less taxing on your body than pro wrestling today. Is it really worth it anymore?

Substance abuse in wrestling is one of the reasons people are jumping on the TNA bandwagon. You don't have to travel 300 days a year. Most wrestlers live in Florida, due to the low tax rate and economy down there. TNA requires you to work at least 3 dates a month and gives you alot of time for yourself to do other things. Some choose to take indy bookings. Raven and Rhino are making more money now, than they were in the WWE. Maybe one day, TNA will have to increase the work load required by its wrestlers, but no one expects TNA to be where the WWE is at any time soon. A couple of house shows here and there won't kill the wrestlers, like the way the WWE treats their wrestlers like horses today. The lockerroom enviroment in TNA reflects all of this. People want to be there. People will bust their ass at 100%, because they know they don't have to do the same match in Boise, Idaho the next night. TNA, the company that everyone said would be dead in a year, is proving all its doubters wrong, and now has the fans and wrestlers behind it. Let's hope TNA doesn't make the same mistake as another promotion that had the same thing going for it in Philadelphia.

Also, while on TNA, if Kevin Nash called Benoit, Guerrero and Malenko "The Vanilla Midgets", what's he thinking about guys like Roderick Strong, Austin Aries and Bobby Roode?

I've been following the Billy Firehawk message board saga. Everytime he responds to it, it gets worse. Haven't people ever heard of the phrase, "Don't Feed the Sharks?" It's amazing that a company that has so much money and so much talent, worries more about message boards more than promoting their shows. NWA Cyberspace should be drawing 1000+ per show, but instead there is too much in-fighting between management and more focus is put on the next blog Firehawk is going to write, rather than worrying about who is going to put up a flyer in Wayne, NJ. And does Derek Gordon really think he's fooling anyone when he says that Borash flies himself on his own dime to watch Cyberspace? One day, hopefully Cyberspace will get it, and start to really make an impact on the scene. Right now, it's hard not to laugh at some of their decisions and what they focus on. They definitely need someone like a Simon Diamond to slap them around and restore some credibility to that promotion. Cyberspace has the tools to do something big, they just need a person to put it all together, and Simon could do that for them.
While on Cyberspace, Billy Firehawk Championship Wrestling returns this Saturday, 11/19, in Wayne, NJ, with Jarrett vs Chris Harris headlining. Jeremy Borash will also be there, because according to Derek Gordon, Borash flies himself out there for free!

Carmine Sabia is going to announce that he'll be working with PWF-NJ. I'm sure his excellent promoting skills will help PWF-NJ raise their attendance to the mid 20's level. Carmine swears he's just helping with promoting PWF-NJ and not putting any money in, but let's be honest. What kind of company would hire an agoraphobiac to handle their promoting, if he wasn't putting any money into it? It's amazing how people just lie and think that everyone will believe what they say. I wish them good luck, but if you haven't drawn 100 people in two shows combined, maybe promoting wrestling shows isn't for you.

For all Paul Orndoff fans, Paul Orndoff will be appearing at Jac Sabboth's store on 12/3. Call 718 746 0100 for more information, and if you go, make sure to throw a pigeon at Jac!

ASK THE MIC

People are still sending in questions, so I'll close the McRoss report answering 10 questions that I've received in the last two weeks, and don't forget you can always email your questions in, and I'll get to them in future McRoss Reports.

Question: What are your three favorite promotions today?
Answer: I'm sure answering this will make some people say I'm biased, but I enjoy JAPW, UXW and PWU the most. All three offer something different. I think JAPW have the tightest and best shows out there today. UXW is the nightclub of wrestling and every show is a fucking blast. PWU, despite their recent trouble, has a great atmosphere and have some of the greatest brawls going around in indy wrestling right now. These three promotions always have enjoyable shows and have some of the best talent on them.

Question: What are your current thoughts on Ring of Honor?
Answer: To me, it seems like every show is the same. There is no variety, unless they have a big name coming in for an event, like Kobashi. At one point, I thought they were the number 2 company in America, but I think TNA has reclaimed that spot. I also think it's a shame that Homicide is somewhat the "Brooklyn Brawler" of ROH, despite his matches having the most emotion and realism in it. His current feud with Cabana is great. Right now, I can care less about their attendance numbers, but it is obvious that they are taxing the hell out of their fans, hence the attendance number dropping. I think a booking change should be done to reinvent the company. I like watching ROH shows from time to time, but I couldn't sit through the same show for months on end. They've got good shows with shoddy booking. If it wasn't for the talent, I don't think ROH would be over, like the way ECW was, in their ability to book their stories/angles.

It's also hard to read their message board, just like how their fans hate the DOI message board. I swear I read a thread when someone said they saw Gabe taking a piss during intermission, and it was an honor to take a piss next to him. Now those are the real fucking freaks of wrestling. While on ROH, Mr. ROHbot himself, JSWO, can also suck a fat dick and die. The guy goes on every board possible and bashes every other company, whether it be CZW, PWU or JAPW, to praise ROH. I don't care if he wants to praise ROH, but I don't agree with him trashing everyone else to do so. Every story the DOI puts up, he says we make up, such as the Lenny Leonard story, Candido's passing, and other stories. We've never made up a story you dumb fuck, so go back to jerking off to Jimmy Bower. Here's another true story to whine about JSWO: your almighty savior, Gabe Sapolsky, even bitched you out for being an annoying tool, and you just sat there and took his anal thrashing. Go change your underwear, you got bloodstains there, you geek.

Question: What are your thoughts on Eddie Guapo?
Answer: Bad in-ring wrestler, good mic skills. The way J-Train has gotten over as a manager could be an inspiration for Guapo. He also takes the internet too seriously and needs to do his talking in the ring and not with his mouth. I also don't understand why he'd quit the only promotion that was booking him in good spots, and blame everyone he can for not being booked anywhere else. It is a shame that I've never seen a great Eddie Guapo match. Somehow, to him, he thinks he's the victim for the matches I've reviewed of his. I don't know how it's the internets fault, the fans fault, the wrestlers fault, the promoters fault, when you've had the worst match in Elks Lodge history, the worst match in AWA arena history and what was told to me by Doghouse Alumni, the worst match in Doghouse history. Maybe he just gets nervous under pressure, as he's been put in some situations with great expectations. If he spent the time he spends complaining about everyone screwing him, in the gym and training, he could be the next Kurt Angle. It also doesn't help when a booker that booked you to win a title, called you the "T-Shirt Wearing" champion to everyone. I'd love to see a good Eddie Guapo match more than anyone, so this way I'd have something positive to write about him, and he'd stop whining to everyone that everyone is biased against him and there is a conspiracy against Guapo in indy wrestling. Shit, I bet half the fans reading this don't even know who the fuck this guy is anyway.

Question: What three people do you see going to the WWE from the current northeast indy scene, excluding ex-WWE wrestlers?
Answer: This is a tough one. You never know what the WWE is looking for at a particular time. If you went by pure talent, guys who don't have TNA contracts like Homicide, American Dragon and Jay Lethal should be there now. If you're going for look and for people who "get it", there's no reason why Kevin Matthews, Krissy Vaine or Harry Smith be there today. You also have guys who draw and have a fan base like Teddy Hart, who would have great WWE matches but may not fit in the current WWE political climate. For this question, I'm also assuming OVW talents don't count, such as CM Punk, who could be a major superstar there. If I had to choose, right now, who I think the WWE would like to bring in today, I'd say Homicide, Kevin Matthews and Arch Kincaid, who cuts some of the best promos in wrestling right now.

Question: What event in indy wrestling means the most for the sport?
Answer: Without a doubt, the ECWA Super 8. Nothing comes close in terms of importance. While the ECWA promotion might not be for your hardcore smart mark, as it is presented for the Delaware locals, the Super 8 is the premier indy wrestling event of the year, and not only do the winners get looked at by everyone, so do the participants.

Question: What five wrestlers are the most under-utilized today and deserve to be booked more often?
Answer: It's funny that a wrestler sent that question in, but I'm not going to include him in my answer! Ha! Five guys who aren't indy whores and could be used more often, in my opinion, are:

1- Christopher Street Connection- it might be time to reprint that McPinions column I did a year ago on them. They are always over, have great matches, and have the fans talking about them at the end of every show.

2- Slugger- This might surprise you due to the way he's been used elsewhere. Slugger has a natural Jamaican accent, has gun wounds, is fucking huge and has a good attitude. He's definitely marketable. He isn't the best big man wrestler of all time, but he isn't the worst either. A small indy promotion that backs him can see their stock rise, which will also rise Slugger's stock.

3- Mercedes Martinez- I read a crappy list ranking 50 of the best women wrestlers, and Mercedes wasn't number 1, which is complete bullshit. It is not a secret that I'm not the hugest fan of womens indy wrestling and maybe one day I'll write a column on it. I'm sure I'll be hated for it, but whatever. Simply put, womens wrestling is full of rats and full of offense that isn't believable. Hell, this list ranked a 17 year old above some of the more accomplished indy women wrestlers like Alicia, who has dominated every promotion she's worked for in this area, due to lack of competition. Nothing against Sparks or Miss Deville, but your offense is unbelievable and makes wrestling look fake. It's not just them, I'd say 90% of the womens wrestling matches I see look fake and is a reason why people don't believe wrestling is real. There's a reason why there are no women UFC matches, but if there was, I can see Mercedes being a part of it. She's tough, her offense is believeable and she has great matches. The northeast is for Mercedes taking, and I wouldn't be surprised if she was used in some sort of Chyna/wrestling men role down the line. For people who abhor womens wrestling, and I know alot of people do, Mercedes is the one women wrestler that you will actually get into and root for.

4- Kevin Matthews- He's not the same skinny kid who pissed on a TV title anymore. Kevin may be the best big man on the indies, and could be exploited that way. No other big man can talk the way he does, plus move the way he does. He sometimes reminds me of Shane Douglas in his prime, as you always want to listen to what he says, and want to see what he does to his opponent.

5- Havok of Solution- The right gimmick and the right promotion can have people forgetting about the Solution and talking about Havok. He's been a tag wrestler for years now, and is on the same level career-wise, where he was when he started 8 years ago, and that's the indy level. A singles push could help him get to the next level, if he's hungry enough.

Question: Whatever happened to KC Blade? Will the DRS come back?

Answer: KC Blade is still training, but a fulltime DRS reunion is highly unlikely, due to EC Negro's dedication and improvement in the sport. EC Negro can main event small indy shows now, and is due for a large push in JAPW. Going back to the tag ranks may be considered a step back, with no slight meant to KC Blade. It's Negro's time right now to do major moves by himself.
KC Blade may be able to get himself over as a singles wrestler but if he can't get himself over ice cream and bon-bons, he'll never be able to reach his peak again. I'd bet on seeing KC Blade in a ring in 2006, and hopefully it won't be in a ring ding. The guy can really do some big things when he's focused and on his game. KC Blade is the true ultimate professional wrestling heel when he wants to be, and when he returns, wrestling will be better for it.

Question: What's up with Dan Maff? What did he do? Will he ever return, I know he wrestled in Puerto Rico? Was the thing with Homicide a work? Would he go back to JAPW and ROH? Is he really a pedophile?

Answer: This was the most frequently asked question that I received. I haven't mentioned Maff's name, since March, to give him his privacy, but here's my take on it, since everyone wants to know his status:
Dan Maff is likely to return to Puerto Rico again. I can see him returning to indy wrestling one day. I can swear on alcohol to everyone reading this, that Homicide/Maff is not a work. Could it be turned into one in the future? I don't know, maybe. I think if it was, it would cheapen what happened in the past, but also make both men tons of money.

Maff was doing great at the time of his departure and was arguably the second best student trained by Homicide, with Low Ki being the first. As a fan, I'd like to see him back, cause it would shake up indy wrestling. I wouldn't like to see him back in ROH, due to the way Gabe treated him after his dismissal. Then again, money talks, so if he can make money, good for him. If the situation presented itself, I could see Maff back in JAPW. Maff was JAPW for a long time and there are so many unfinished feuds and new feuds to be had. Obviously Maff vs Homicide would be hot, and who wouldn't like to see Maff challenge Negro as the new leader of La Familia? As of right now, I don't think he'll be back anytime soon, but never say never in wrestling.

As far as the last question, I don't know what Maff does in his free time, but I'd bet the farm that he isn't a pedophile. I also wouldn't rule out that he might've had some relations with a 17 year old girl, (which is legal in some states) but then again, what male hasn't? If Maff was a true pedophile, he would've been arrested, therefore it is my belief that he is not a pedophile. Plus, the people who know him the best swear he's not a pedophile, and in the limited time I've talked to Maff, I could tell that he has no interest in kids, whereas some people in wrestling to me, reek of pedophile, and I'm not going to name names because I'd wind up getting sued.
As far as what did he do, all I'll say is that Maff is just a guy who made a really bad life decision outside of wrestling that I know he regrets. I'm sure he thinks about it all the time and wishes he could reverse time. Everyone has a moment in life where they wish they could press the rewind button on life, and maybe one day, he'll be able to press that play button again. It should also be known that the only person that didn't cut Maff off after his departure was Ref Hanson, and that is how I found out that Maff regrets what he did in the past.

Question: What the hell is up with the DOI board and why don't you moderate it?

Answer: Simply put, I don't have enough time to sit on the board all day. There was a time when we did moderate it, and we were wasting too much time. The board is what it is. Does it hurt the credibility of the site? To a certain degree, but then again, it is the only board in indy wrestling that has wrestlers and promoters annonymously bashing each other on. The first time we tried moderating it, I was inundated with complaints asking for it to go back, by people in the wrestling busienss, who loved all the shit stirring and rumor mongering. The people in the wrestling business sacrifice alot, so if the majority of them want a place to mudsling, who am I to deny them of that freedom? I think everyone knows that the board is all parody anyway, even though you have a few dickhead conmen like Eric Simms, who tried to get it shut down. Then again, who cares what an indy vendor whose biggest claim to fame is carrying the Iron Sheiks bags has to say anyway? For the true fans of indy wrestling, they know what they are getting on the board and know the difference between the site and the board. If there is enough interest, maybe we'll start up a board just for fans only, and leave the board the way it is for everyone else who thrives on posting annonymously. Hell that might not be a bad idea.

Question: Can I write for the DOI and who is your favorite DOI columnist today?

Answer: Send in all sample columns to BULLSMC@aol.com and if they are interesting and don't have anything in it that I can be sued for, then sure. All we ask is that you stay consistent, because we don't want any one-column and out writers. We've been trying to bring you more columnists to the DOI, to give everyone a full range of wrestling opinion.

Right now, I have to say that Chris Hyatte is my favorite columnist to read. He writes in a way that no one else has written before and isn't afraid to cross the line. He is custom fit for the DOI, and I hope everyone enjoys his columns the way I do. Johnny 5 and Zevon (when he comes out of his sabbaticals) are always great to read too, and I read them like a fan just like everyone else. I think the DOI has created a good atmosphere of wrestling talk on this site, and I hope to continue that trend here.

Wow, now that was superlong. It's now 4:10 am, and I started this shit at 2:30 AM. At least I'm getting paid to write this at my security job, hahaha!

Next week, if everything goes "write", I hope to announce something that will affect all of indy wrestling and the people in it. Cross your fingers, if you have to, because if this happens, everyone in indy wrestling and the fans of indy wrestling will definitely be excited.

RIP Eddie Guerrero and thanks for the memories.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com