HBK's Farewell Address

Shawn Michaels' delivered a profoundly moving retirement speech on the 3-29-10 edition of Raw. You can tell it came from the heart; the sincerity of the affair left me choked up. Shawn Michaels is legend and it's wonderful see him retire on top. Having your last match at an event the caliber of Wrestlemania must be the dream of anybody with a career in the squared circle. I couldn't imagine a better finale for a 25 year career.

I know retirement in pro wrestling is taken with a grain of salt. So many performers have hung up the boots only to slip back into them after a short break. Heck just look at Ric Flair. He got a similar send off by the WWE:

Yet sure enough, Flair found is way back in the ring after joining TNA. The business has a strange way of drawing guys back. That said, I'm quite sure WWE fans will see Shawn again. But not for a while. He wants to spend time with his family and I respect that. He has earned it.

Orlando Jodron's Bisexual Gimmick Has Pushed Some Buttons

I must admit that I am fascinated by Orlando Jordon's latest gimmick. One could argue that an openly bisexual wrestler is just the next evolution of a longstanding homosexual niche in pro-wrestling storylines. Recent WWE Hall of Fame inductee Gorgeous George gained much of his heat due to his effeminate ways. While the character was not homosexual, it still played with gender stereotypes. Five decades later, the bizarre Goldust was introduced to the wrestling world. Again the homosexuality of the character was never explicitly stated, but heavily implied by his actions. There was also the infamous Billy and Chuck tag team.

What makes OJ's case unique is that he is really bisexual. His gimmick mirrors his real life. I for one think this new angle has potential. His entrance on 3-29-10 edition of Impact was mesmerizing. TNA needs to capitalize on this gimmick's controversy. All it takes is some good writing. Unfortunately, good writing is often a foreign notion to TNA.

Scott Hall's YouTube Channel

In a previous post I ripped on Scott Hall. I fell guilty for doing so. Truth be told I'm a huge Scott Hall mark. It's easy to fault the man on account of his personal demons. Yes he has battled a constant drinking problem. Yes he has trouble staying in shape. But the fact of the matter is Scott has a passion for wresting and a gift for entertainment. I have a sincere respect for the man.

Recently Scott opened a Youtube channel. I'm digging his videos, which provide insight into his personal life. His latest one is an especially neat watch. It opens with him in a gym. It's great to see him taking steps to get back in shape. The meat of the video is an informal interview with Larry Zbyszko.

TNA Botched RVD's Debut

So Rob Van Dam made his debut on the 3-2-10 edition of Impact. No surprise, Hogan clumsily leaked the story early. But to be honest, the leak may have been for the best. When Dixie Carter announced a mystery opponent for Sting, the crowd knew where it was going. As Sting was waiting the in the ring, the crowd was clearly chanting RVD. The music finally hit and the crowd popped big time. Rob's sneak kick of the top rope was also a nice touch. Yes, I liked everything about the entrance. That said, I hated the match. Can we call it a match? Van Dam hit the top rope kick and then nailed Rolling Thunder for the pin. The way I see it, when your a wrestling company that has just acquired a talent the caliber of RVD, wouldn't you want to show him off? Let RVD and Sting put on a quality bout instead of doing a pointless squash match. It's moments like this that show just how wonky TNA booking is. Priorities are clearly out of whack when Hulk Hogan is getting more in ring action then RVD.

Wrestilcious Pilot Episode - Campy Goodness

On March 1 Wrestleicious, an all femlate wreslting organization, released it's pilot episode. The show is what you might expect. It's silly, campy, and perhaps even a tad offense. One may go so far as to describe the show as painful to watch. But I wouldn't agree. For as moronic as it is, I still found it entertaining. I laughed, the absurdity of the whole thing made me giggle. As a camp piece it really has a lot going for it. All the wrestlers have wonderfully eccentric gimmicks. Gimmicks that take the low round and stick with blatant stereotypes. Just to give you a sample, there are: a prisoner, a American patriot, a Hawaii hula girl, and team of country gals. Such a mass volume of blatantly wacky gimmicks has not been witnessed since mid-90s era of the WWF. As if the gimmicks don't provide enough cheese, the show has several segments which feature ultra corny jokes. The jokes come complete with laugh track, it's awesome.

The show is about 22 minutes long. Yet they manage to fit in a in-segment musical segment and two full matches. That is on top of all the little backstage segments.

The part of the show I liked the most was the group musical number in which all of the wrestlers rap (yes I said RAP) about their gimmicks. In between each rap verse Jimmy Hart jumps in shouting "Wrestlicious!" on his trademark megaphone.

If your in the mood for something campy or you want to see a wrestling show that doesn't take itself seriously; then check out Wrestlicious.

The Spoony One Recaps TNA

When pressed to elaborate on TNA's shortcomings, I find it hard to convey just how poorly booked it is. Thankfully, The Spoony One has done it for me. The above video is a hilarious recap of the 2-25-10 edition of Impact. It is quite long, pushing the 2 hour mark. However the humor is plentiful. Watch in amazement has an episode of TNA Impact destroys a man's sanity