Jerry Lynn Interview Highlights

Speaking to The Shining Wizards Wrestling Podcast, Jerry Lynn looked back at his career before his final Ring of Honor match at Final Battle. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

On his run with WCW and the creation of Mr. J.L.: "Brad Rheingans had ties with them, and he had asked me to come to his camp and help train the session he had at the time, and I asked him "It's been seven years, what do I have to do to get a break?" And Brad said, "Well, it's all changed, it's TV now, you have to come up with something visual." So I had an idea in my mind before he mentioned that, 'cause I'd been going to Japan quite a bit for Universal Pro and Michinoku, and saw a lot of cool masks, and no one was doing that in the states. 

"And at the time the Power Rangers were pretty popular on TV so I thought I'd come up with something similar to that but not exactly like it. And they (WCW) said that was exactly what they were looking for. So when I showed them the outfit, they brought me in, but they gave me such a lame name. But I was probably the last thing they had on their minds, because they had a lot of heavy hitters, with the NWO and stuff. I would tell people, no, that's Jushin Liger.

His time in ECW: "It was ironic that I even went to ECW because when I was living in Atlanta wrestling for WCW I'd get together at my buddy's place and watch ECW, and I always swore up and down that was one company that I would never work for. I was watching Balls and Sandman trading chair shots, then they'd hit each other with anything the fans handed over the rail; frying pans, Super Nintendos, and microwave ovens. It was crazy. But I ended up there anyway... 

"I had a tryout match in WWF with Taka Michinoku, and when that aired, Paul E. knew I wasn't with WCW anymore, and he had Chris Candido hunt me down. He asked me if I wanted to do a couple shots. So I was like OK, this is what I want, and one more thing: I don't want some idiot hitting me in the head with a frying pan. It worked out alright at first, but then I wound up getting clocked in the head with that kendo stick, a few chairs here and there, and I don't know how many tables I went through, and how many Van Daminators I took."

On working with Justin Credible and taking the next step: "At first, I would come up with ideas involving here and there, tables and who knows what else, and I always asked permission first, and I'd get shot down. And finally, Justin and I had a 2-out-of-3 falls match at the Arena, and I told Justin before the show that we're not going to ask permission to do anything out there. We're just going to go out there and do what we do. And after that, everything changed. I was just tired of being held back. I had more freedom."

Working with Rob Van Dam: "The first time I wrestled Rob, I came back through the curtain, my nose was bleeding, my lip was bleeding, I had blood coming out of my shoulder, my head was stuck turned to the side, and Al Snow sees me and said "you look like you've been through a war," and I looked at him and said "it's not supposed to be like this!" It's funny, Rob and I played rough, and it seems like every match either he or I or both of us got popped open. And the more they (the fans) were digging it, and the louder and rowdier they are, the harder we worked." 

The creation of the "New F'N Show" moniker: "This is the coolest thing. I never could never think up a weird, wacky gimmick for myself, you know, some show biz name or anything like that. And in Asbury Park at Living Dangerously, I think it was Rob and I in his first PPV match, after a series of moves, one whole section of the crown started chanting 'New F'N Show.' And the name just stuck. It was kinda cool that the fans gave me that name."

On the current state of pro wrestling: "When you have the bookers and storywriters hired from Hollywood, and they know absolutely nothing about wrestling, it becomes, you know, what do you do? When I do seminars, I tell guys watch older wrestling from the 80s. It was working, they must've done something right. Like in the earlier days of TNA, I liked the way they were furthering storylines. When I was in the feud with AJ Styles, we would do stuff like one of us would jump the other in catering, and we're fighting over tables and stuff instead of going to the ring and having a Def Comedy Jam with microphones. It's ridiculous. 

"There's so many times with guys out there sounding like two kids on a playground going 'my dad can beat up your dad.' If you're really pissed off and you're serious, and you're in a built up feud and there's heat, you're like alright, sh##'s on, let's go. That's why I miss the old NWA days where the Four Horsemen followed Dusty into the parking lot of the TV studio and jumped him. Stuff like that. Or when Eddie Gilbert and Tommy Rich in the USWA, Tommy Rich just bloodied him and Eddie came out and apologized, he had tears in his eyes, a heartfelt apology, and then he turned on him again. It was brilliant. Old school worked. Old school psychology will still work, you just fit the fancy new moves like a piece in the puzzle, where they make sense. Otherwise it's just a stunt exhibition. 

"There's a lot of guys that are in this to prove how tough they are. It's not about that. If you do this for any significant amount of time, you're gonna lose. The human body wasn't made for this whatsoever... Brad Rheingans, the guy who trained me, told me the secret to having a good match every time is if you and your opponent go out there and try to make each other look like a million bucks. But now it's so many guys that are like 'I wanna get this in.' It's all me-me-me. And when I'm gonna be in there with someone like that I'm just like 'oh, God, this is gonna be like pulling teeth' and 'am I gonna get out of this alive?' and all, and they forget the show isn't about one person, it's a team effort."

If there was anyone he didn't look forward to working with: "I'll have to admit, Rob and I were practically married it seemed for a couple of years there, and there were some nights I just wanted an easy night. And when I saw my name with Rob I was like 'oh, boy.' 'Cause he wasn't going to let up, I wasn't going to let up, we were wrestling each other three nights in a row on a weekend, it was crazy, and all those house show matches were PPV matches, I think."

If the future includes opening a wrestling school: "That's a tough gig. You gotta have a building, you gotta have a ring, you gotta have insurance in case someone gets hurt. Most people who wanna get into wrestling don't have money. I wouldn't want to put someone on a payment plan 'cause who's to say they won't quit after a few weeks and then run around and say Jerry Lynn trained me, and they're the drizzling sh##s. So I'd collect all the money up front, but no one has money. So that's a tough gig."

For more with Jerry Lynn, including his time in Global (GWF), his chemistry with Justin Credible, working up the ladder in wrestling, the family atmosphere and the fans in ECW, his time in the WWF, watching roller derby and wrestling growing up, the faceplant against Rob Van Dam, injuries over the years, the beginnings of the X-Division, his favorite metal bands, his upcoming, and last, match for Extreme Reunion with Homicide, and the possibility of coming out of retirement for Rob Van Dam's last match, go to ShiningWizards.com and listen to Episode 66.

TNA Final Resolution 2012

Hardy still champ as Ace's invade the ring.

By Phil Allely

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy retained his gold in the main event of the Final Resolution PPV. However his victory celerations were short-lived as Aces and 8's beat hiom and opponent Bobby Roode down in the middle of the ring.

The event kicked off with an impromptu scrap beween Kaz and James Storm. Storm swiftly put the former tag team champ away easily with a 'last call' superkick for the popular win.

Rob Van Dam retained his X Division Title against challenger Kenny King. The action was decent here and the pair gelled well.

The TNA tag team division is swelling nicely these days. The company have perhaps the best talent in pro wrestling at present. Champs Hernandez and Chavo worked hard against foes Matt Morgan and Joey Ryan. Both teams matched styles well, however the DQ finish did leave us wanting more.

Austin Aries then beat Bully Ray in a scorcher of a match. Ray is fast-proving how valuable a player he is in the industry and the new heel Aries is a real star performer too. The end came as Brooke and Hulk Hogan got involved, allowing Aries the chance to hit a low blow on a bloody Ray for the win.

With Mickie James returning to action and Velvet Sky back on the scene the Knockouts Division may get the shot in the arm it needs now. Next up we had James face KO Champion Tara. James showed no signs of ring rust, but the outside interference from Jesse saw her title hopes dashed. Tara picking up the win.

The team of Kurt angle, Samoa Joe, Garrett Bischoff and Wes Brisco tackled the Ace's and 8s next. This was a hard-hitting affair and one that showed the mighty Aces may have a few chinks in their armour. Angle and Joe shone throughout, Angle nailing an 'angle slam' to claim victory.

AJ Styles and Daniels pulled out all the stops in what was billed as their final match. All those years of friendship and working together certainly paid off here. Unleashing every move in their arsenal the pair put on one heck of a show for the fans. Daniels pulled off the win with his take on AJ's 'styles clash'.

In the main event Hardy and Roode battled in and outside of the ring. Each trading the advantage and near-falls. The finish saw Roode get double crossed b Aces and 8s and Hardy retain his gold. The show went off the air with the masked gang beating down both men.

Final Resolution was a mixed bag of matches, when they were good they were very good, however too many run-ins/cheap finishes continue to hamper the TNA product. The aces and 8s storyline is going well and will surely lead to a big reveal soon. 2012 has been a great year for TNA, they just need to fine tune their creative team and let the talent do the work for them. Roll on January's UK/Ireland tour.

DVD Review: The Randy Savage Collection

WWE DVD Review: The Randy Savage Collection

It is hard to believe that 'Macho Man' Randy Savage is no longer with us. His sad passing was well documented across the globe (including a few pieces by yours truly). This three disc DVD box set is a very good way to fondly remember the legendary grappler. The only thing it lacks is any fresh input form Savage himself. This is of course just how these things go sometimes. Randy and the WWE were not on good speaking terms when the DVD was produced (2009) and thus his inclusion was something that we cannot really have expected to see.

Overall this is a perfectly enjoyable highlight reel of 'Macho Man's WWE and WCW career, plus much more along the way.

Matt Striker and Maria are our hosts in this roller-coaster ride through the ups and downs of Savage's tenure in wrestling. Savage was one of the few former wrestlers who retired gracefully and never returned to the ring. He did however make an appearance in the original Tobey Maguire starring Spiderman film though.

I for one had hoped the WWE and Randy would one day bury the proverbial hatchet and offer him a place in the Hall of Fame. Maybe that will still happen, it is just a shame that the man himself will not be able to appreciate it. That fateful heart attack and subsequent car crash saw to that unfortunately.

So what will you see on this three disc set? Well from the get go we get to see Randy as the perfect heel for the WWE at that time. He was cocky, exciting and more than willing to bend the rules when he could. Things really picked up when he was aligned with (real life spouse) Miss Elizabeth. Liz was something the WWE had never seen before, she was a glamorous young woman and she was a breath of fresh air in a company that possessed mainly older male managers.

From a match point of view across the discs we get to see some classic encounters between macho and Ricky Steamboat (with whom he had one of wrestling's finest ever feuds and WrestleMania's best match too), we also see him face off against Ted DiBiase, Honky Tonk Man, Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair. Included here also are the legendary Mania match with Hulk Hogan, the well-paced 'retirement match' with Ultimate Warrior and the quite scary battle with Jake Roberts (which saw Savage get mauled by Jake's pet snake).

Throw in some nice TV matches, WCW classics and a huge amount of vignettes, the 1991 in-ring wedding of Randy and Liz, and you have one hell of a good release.

This Christmas this may just be the one wrestling DVD that the wrestling fan in your life would love to have.

The Randy Savage Collection is available now from www.silvervision.co.uk and all good retailers.

By Phil Allely

WWE DVD Review: Summerslam 2012

WWE DVD Review: Summerslam 2012

WWE's annual summer extravaganza remains one of the company's top pay-per-views of the year. Like The Royal Rumble and WrestleMania Summerslam is one event where we the fans know the matches will be lined up to please all. This year the main talking point was the encounter between Triple H and the as yet not as exciting as he should be Brock Lesnar. Now you can purchase this release on DVD to re-view and savour all over again

Summerslam 2012 was built around one epic encounter. That was of course the much hyped and well worth a watch battle between Triple H and Brock Lesnar. This was superbly paced and makes this DVD a must-have one. It's rare these days to be able to say that, but there you go.

Elsewhere Antonio Cesaro tackled Santino Marella for the United States title. Dolph Ziggler faced (future world champion I hope) Dolph Ziggler. Kane took on the ever-impressive Daniel Bryan. The Intercontinental Championship was on the line as The Miz defended it against Rey Mysterio. World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus fought off Alberto Del Rio in a great scrap. In a bout which highlighted the need for new tag teams Titus O'Neil and Darren Young brawled with Kofi Kingston and R-Truth. The Triple Threat match featuring Big Show, John Cena and CM Punk for the WWE Title was a prefect lead in for the main event and leaves you more than ready to see Lesnar/Triple H.

Summerslam 2012 is a nice addition to your WWE DVD collection and is well worth watching a few times at least.

Available now from www.silvervision.co.uk and all good retailers.

By Phil Allely

Tony Mamaluke retires

Tony Mamaluke, who appeared for WWE, World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, TNA Wrestling and Ring of Honor, officially announced his retirement from professional wrestling at Saturday's East Coast Wrestling Association event in Newark, Delaware on Saturday, 15 years to the date of his first grappling affair.

The 35-year-old headlined the show against Papadon and announced his retirement following the match. He then left his boots in the ring and exited.

Mamaluke, whose real name is Charles John Spencer, reflected on his career on Facebook: "Final thought, I would like to say that it was all so wonderful, that I have no regrets , that I made a lot of money and been famous. But not everybody can be. I was a good jobber in an era where there wasn't any. I was a good hand when the era was all about me and not the show. Tonight I was Mamaluke for the last time and I am not bitter, broken or emotionally unstable. I survived. In the end I have to ask myself if the last 15 years were worth it. I will answer that question after time and reflection. 15 years to the day, my career began in a flea market with 3 people in the crowd. The show was cancelled that night for obvious reasons. Tonight I had one of my best matches in years. I finally got a chance to shine 15 years later. Thank you to my ECW family. I love you all. Guido, my brother, my friend I love you and will never forget all you have done for me. Frankie a better friend doesn't exist. Dean Malenko you will always be my idol. To the fans, I don't know if you ever quit got me but, if you did then thank you. Life is good, time to move on to a new chapter."

Mick Foley interview highlights

Mick Foley joined The Big Mosh and "The Chairman of the Board" Todd Vincent for an interview Monday Night Mayhem, which is now available for free download, exclusively on the WrestleView Radio Network (available here). Highlights from the interview are as follows:

How he wanted to have his latest book ("A Most Mizerable Christmas") stand out from his previous releases: "It is a story based on my own son, who as a three-year old, told me he didn't need anything from Santa, no matter how much I tried to prod him. When I approached the WWE about the idea of doing it, I knew the book market had changed a lot, and that there wasn't going to be a lot of money in a children's book. So, I made it very clear that it wasn't about the money, that it was about trying to get a fun story with a positive message out there. I think we've accomplished that."

Why he wanted to return to the WWE at this time in his life/career and if his on-air return lived up to his personal expectations: "Yeah, anything I do on the show is just a bonus, because I didn't have any expectations as an on-air personality. That is one of the reasons why I really wanted to come back to the WWE, because there are so many ways to make contributions without being on the show. I'm happy for anything that comes my way."

If he believes that a WWE Hall of Fame induction next April is closer to happening, after the recent focus given to him on WWE television: "I'm happy that the rumor I started has gotten this far. Yeah, I love the idea that people are talking about it. It is a big deal. If it were to happen at Madison Square Garden, it would be a bigger deal that if it happened anywhere else. It seems like a good idea, but I don't call those shots. There are other guys that did better in that building than I did who should get the call as well. I would certainly accept it if it came my way, but I won't be to bitterly disappointed if it doesn't. I hope it does."

Much more is contained in Mick Foley's exclusive interview with Monday Night Mayhem, including his candid thoughts on how the WWE locker room has responded to "A Most Mizerable Christmas," how he believes The Miz has shed the image of the "reality TV star," getting the opportunity to work with CM Punk on the WWE stage, how their exchange of promos delivered for the audience, and why he decided to become part of the WWE's "Be A Star" campaign.

Ric Flair interview highlights

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair recently spoke with WrestleNewz.com
in an exclusive two-part interview. In the first part, The Nature Boy
discusses WWE's current product, his future, what he has left to
contribute, some of WWE's current talents and lots more.

Flair was asked if he will wrestle again:

WNZ: Will we see you wrestle again?

Ric Flair:
I want to be in the ring, but it will never happen again. I said I'd
never wrestle in WWE... and then there's the Jerry Lawler incident.

WNZ: So Lawler’s heart attack has changed the perception of older wrestlers continuing to perform?

Ric Flair:
Yeah, it really did. I like Jerry very much. What happened to Jerry was
terrible, and thank God he’s OK. But I wish people wouldn’t gauge me by
what happened to him. Everybody's an individual. But I think it kind of
put a decision on my future in the ring, you know what I mean? And
that's fine, because I went back to the ring in TNA, and that will never
happen again.

The full interview can be read at WrestleNewz.com
where Flair gives props to three top WWE stars, reveals who he still
keeps in touch with, if he would have tried MMA and what wrestlers would
have been successful at it, if wrestlers need to be tough these days
and more. Part 2 will be posted later this week and features Flair
discussing his daughter working with WWE, his #1 goal with a WWE return,
his run with TNA and more.