Their first two videos are below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_QDcLeyuYM Are You Thirsty

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxq58MMn1Tc Poker Night

~~~~Enjoy

Fine. Look. On May 21st, Steve Wilhite, inventor of the GIF file format won The Life Time Achievement Webby Award on May 21 for giving the gift of the GIF to the world. He also settled the long time debate on how to pronounce the word associated with the format.

The Dude who invented it says it’s a soft “G”. Asshole’s calling me “soft”?

Or as he would nicely put it, “Choosy programmers choose ‘jif’.” So for all those whining and complaining that they have been wrong all along, deal with it. Just learn to speak properly. I can’t believe there is internet outrage over this. Un-fucking-believable.

And one more thing… There is also confusion on how to pronunciate the internet term, “Meme.”

[youtube 3dErjFPTarc]

Smarten up. It rhymes with “cream.” I have no clue why some people think it sounds like “Them,” or “B.B.“.

This is all more important than more normal preamble, actually. Hit the jump. Hopping time.

“I watch, write, suffer, and succumb to this show, yet have to remind myself of what happened only minutes after each episode. That is how G’s Smackdown reviews work. And as J.T. Hogan has observed, it often makes more sense than the program you are actually watching. This is not a play-by-play recap, there’s enough of those online. This is a highly-opinionated take of the show in question.

- Warning: The following Smackdown may contain traces of Extreme Rules. In the evening, Perfect Figure Skating Leaps might reoccur, causing Games to fail entering the ring. If symptoms of Ghanian Injustice or Friendship Fallout appear, please consult The Shield. WWE voice-over guys might also be Paul Heyman guys.

Just another reason NXT is the best WWE show they make right now…

- Good god. What’s worse, the flow chart or Miz TV opening Smackdown? I can’t decide. Tonight’s guest is Summer Rae! Oh, and that Fandango guy is out too. The L.A. King’s Twitter feed notes Fandango is molesting Rae on the entrance ramp. So that’s where Abraham Washington works now… Silly AW, that’s an allergic reaction to peanuts. I try calling an ambulance to help, but am told I did not follow Ryback Rules. The time keeper, suspiciously looking like somebody from Public Enemy, shouts “911 is a Joke!”. Weird, I thought Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock were dead. ThinkSoJoE is seen shambling at ringside dragging a sign behind himself while doing the Fandango dance that says, “G, you fucking callous dick, they are my brethren now too. Show some respect.” I think about this carefully, then shrug my shoulders. If Vince can start RAW with an ambulance on the same week of the anniversary of Owen Hart’s death, I still think I look like more of a class act.

- I’m bored as hell, as has might become apparent until medium-sized Wade Barrett barrage comes out to his new entrance music, and notes he hasn’t met a more useless piece of shit. He’s pissed because Fandango fucked him over in the tag match on Monday when he did the Land of A 1000 Dances. He calls him a “pathetic waste of skin.” Miz takes exception, calling Barrett disrespectful for ignoring the fact Wade will defend his IC Title against Miz tonight. They scrap. Wade saved that, but he shares his first name with The Merc With a Mouth, Marvel Comic’s “Deadpool”, so he gets a free pass. I wonder if Wade Barrett can teleport too?

Reactions are funny, I guess.

- * IC Title Match: Wade Barrett {C} vs. The Miz. This match is underway as we return, and Fandango is on commentary. He speaks too quietly and mumbley. It’s hard to follow. For no reason midmatch, Fandango hits his music and he and Rae just start dancing during the match. I suppose this is playing off of how the post WM crowd hummed his theme during that infamous Randall Keith Orton/Unmixed Strawberry Yogurt match? After much distraction and disrespect, Fandango hits a Shining Wizard from the outside onto a prone Miz, causing a DQ win. Fandango joins Wade beating off The Miz (Cock Talk every Sunday on BWF Radio at 2PM EST), but then Barrett rape shreds the bukkake out of Fandango with a Souvenir and walks out of the arena tossing Barrett Barrage Energy Bars to the crowd.

- Kane and Bryan discuss what happened in their tag title match at the PPV. Bryan storms out yelling “I am not the weak Link!”.

- * Jack Swagger vs. Daniel Bryan. Ol’ Thwagger and Colton Orr are already in the ring. No entrances for them, they just found out their ring entrance music was made by Mork from Ork. Alien-cists. And unlike ThinkSoZombiEJoE who dropped the “ball” in our “game” with his inability to pick a 2 word JBL catch phrase, I’ve got two words for this match, “Nano Nano.” It starts off prety nicely as we head to our first commercial break. Kane is seen in the audience holding up a JT who is holding up a zippo lighter to his mouth and projects flame, which reads, “It still burns…”.

If this happened more often in baseball, I’d watch more.

- This match is solid. I am enjoying it. Both of these guys have a good mat-based game, and the crowd recognizes the energy and technique accordingly. What’s really impressive, is their use of catch-as-catch-can submissions amid a variety of rope spots, and grapples. Kane made his way back down from the audience, and is at ring side to watch Bryan slap on a No! Lock and submit Swagger for the win. Bryan leads the crowd in a “YES!” chant and gesture. Bryan returns to the No! Lock postmatch. The referee, with help from Kane, break Bryan off from his heeltastic tactics. A tease of dissension in Team Friendship? “Yep,” I Rollins. I would have liked to see that match go longer, and not end clean. Perhaps we’ll get another program?

Gravity always wins.

- We are told Cena saw Dr. Nick this week, and will appear in Calgary… Alberta, Canada this Monday for RAW. Welp, at least he missed one week. Then they show us a bunch of clips from Extreme Rules and RAW featuring Ryback, and hosted by Krusty “The” Clown Mr. Black Tyler Black Seth Rollins Henry Rollins Henry Ford Harrison Ford Indiana Jones Seth Jones Patrick Roy Derek Roy Alain Vigneault nobody. Who will the next coach of the Vancouver Canucks be??? Lindy Ruff?

It does kind of look like a VCR or Betamax. Actually, it looks alot more like a PC gaming tower more than ever. I guess those elitest gamers are probably gamer-raging more than ever before. LOL. They spent thousands…

- Damien Sandow (with Marvin Gaye) is here, and he’s got a microphone. So shut the fuck up.

Sandow: For the last several weeks, I have sat idly by and watched as two troglodytes, disguised as WWE Superstars, engaged in a series of contests, each more half-witted and embarrassing than the last. A Tug of War!?!? …Arn Anderson Arm Wrestling… And a “Truck Pull.” And the only thing worse than that, is that all of you, seem amused by it. Well, this is something that I call, and pay close attention… appealing to the lowest common denominator.”

[Sandow points with over-emphasis to the crowd in a comical circular fashion. Our intellectual savior continues (Marshall McLuhan)].

Sandow: “[...] SILENCE! Now I doubt there are any Mathletes in the crowd this evening, but I am going to say this: The true measure of a man, is not in the feats of his physical strengths, but in his ability to deal with mental challenges. Now, by a show of hands, who here is fam…”

[Sandow stops, prevents a chortle, composes himself, and continues.]

Sandow: Let me explain to you, The Tale of the Gordian Knot. In ancient times, there was a was a peasant farmer by the name of… ANYONE?…. GORDIAN! Who tied his ox to a tree with a knot so complicated, it was said no man could untie it. A prophecy that clearly states that any man who is unable to untie the Gordian Knot would rule of all of Asia. Now, Mr. Striker, you are a former educator… a… a teacher. Albeit, a substitute teacher, right? Barring your shortcomings, I propose that you accept the challenge and attempt to untie the Gordian Knot.”

[Striker attempts the feat as the announcers mock the current American education system]

Sandow: You can’t?

Striker: No.

Sandow: Congratulations! You’ve just renewed your idiot license, and you’ve just embarrassed the entire Substitute Teachers Union of America. Attention Washington, I’ve just found the problem in the Educational System! Now take a man like myself. Whose superior…”

Sandow is interrupted by the heel, Sheamus. If you were too lazy to click the links provided, the solution to The Gordian Knot is thinking outside the box, hence cutting the rope and just taking the fucking ox without untying shit. Ruck Fules. Get it? Unfortunately Sheamus also wants to renew his idiot licence, since the office is open for business. Immediately, from out of nowhere, a masked man wearing a red and white lucha libre mask emerges. He is wearing a Team Alpha T-Shirt, and hits a Hangman’s noose neckbreaker on Sheamus! JT is seen in the audience, holding up a sign that notes, “Brian Pillman trained in the Dungeon, so he might as well have been a Canadian!”. The masked man points at JT and nods, then catches a rope from the rafters and swings off the entrance ramp into the concessions concourse like some kind of Paul Burchill.

Tens of Dollars! Tens of Dollars!

- Sheamus implies being intelligent is bad, and Sandow is a pervert or something, because he’s a face. Then Sheamus requests to solve the knot. Sheamus messes with the thing, until Sandow takes it from him to show how its done. I’m not transcribing the whole thing. Sandow gets some garden shears and cuts the knot, hence our/your lesson today, kids. Sheamus applauds sarcastically because he is retarded and misses the point. “You’re welcome!” shouts Sandow, displaying the knot proudly. Sheamus claims he’s the bigger/better man here and goes to congratulate him with a Brogue Kick. Sandow evades it, and makes a point of predicting Sheamus’ simpleton strategy. Sheamus grabs Striker and says he wants to return the lesson via Newton’s Laws. THEN HE TOSSES STRIKER AS A HUMAN MISSILE ONTO SANDOW ON THE OUTSIDE THE RING! WHAT THE FUCK! STRIKER DID NOTHING! STRIKER DID NOTHING! BAH GAWD, KING, STRIKER DID NOTHING! B A STAR! B A STAR! Jerry Lawler dies of a heart attack and joins Andy Kaufman at the gates of Heaven with St. Peter. All three of them shake their heads collectively at Sheamus’ misbooking and proceed to do the traditional keg stands and 3-foot bong hits in attempts to make sense out of Sheamus. They don’t. A massive tear drops from heaven and floods the world. Jorge did this, because he didn’t join facebook, as predicted in the legacies of BWF Radio, every Sunday at 2PM EST (This week is our 75th episode… well was, Jorge killed us all).

- * The Big Show vs. Chris Jericho. I go into this mixed. On one hand you have Jericho. One the other toaster-sized hand, you have The Big Show. I opt to just watch and comment post match. I’m surprised by this match, but I shouldn’t be. It’s a lot of good work by both (albeit, I’d argue a certain someone from Winnipeg, dammit), carried it. Jericho culminates the story with a CodeBreaker outside the ring, and this leads to a countout win for Y2J. Show walks out shaking his head, likely to join Mark Henry in the seedy bar by the airport where all the broken WWE Monsters hang out. Giant Gonzalez runs the place.

- I hear a tap at my balcony. It’s Jorge.

Jorge: Can I borrow a cup of Ruffles All-Dressed?
G: Nope.
Jorge: Cheap fuck.
G: I’m Canadian!
Jorge: You know Giant Gonzalez would’ve lent me some.
G: He’s dead.
Jorge: But his real name, non-kayfabe, was JORGE!
G: I’m Canadian!
Jorge: So this is all you wrote for me to say this week?
G: Got lazy. Sorry man.

- Jorge floats off in his hot-air balloon, angry as hell. JT is seen in the audience holding up a sign stating, “Blame Canada!”. Blame Canada, indeed. Blame Canada, indeed. A certain red and white masked man joins me. We eat Ruffles All Dressed chips while laughing maniacally. Lightening crashes behind us (killing the band “Live”). These chips are awesome. “Should’ve joined facebook,” comments the lucha libre mystery man.

- We see clips of HHH’s post-concussion symptoms from RAW. More to follow on Monday. Something about Dolph Ziggler? I don’t remember. Honestly, and seriously, I suspect that donation to the Sports Legacy thing is also now story line fodder for the Game.

- Enter Curtis McGillicutty and Paul Heyman. In all fairness, Heyman kicks ass here, mixing up the Kool-Aid, and selling his own legacy of delivering the next talent. Axel gets mic time and claims to be the best of his family lineage and that he left HHH dazed and confused. I will give Axel a passing grade here, but his speaking is certainly up to the level of his father’s work. Nonetheless, it’s a reboot. This guy gets lots of respect from the workers as technically sound. If his worst asset is his promo, he’s got the best mouth piece in the world today to help round out that short-coming. That’s what a manager does.

- * Curtis Axel vs. Sin Cara. The yellow lights are back. The Randall Keith Orbot joins commentary. HOLY FUCKING MONOTONE. He just stole Fandango’s commentary gimmick. Sin Cara is booked pretty even here, and this match is surprisingly decent for the five minutes it gets. Axel looks good too. Axel wins after Sin Cara misses a top rope splash and Curtis links his shoulder and slams him into the mat for the pin and the win.

- A lot of people have discussed why Wendy’s advertisements use two different red headed women to shill their restaurant chain. They are critical of this because one is younger and considered more attractive, while the other (Dave Thomas’ daughter), is more obese and older. I question their logic. In fact, I dare say these are one and the same woman. The so-called younger one, is in fact Dave Thomas’ daughter as well, while the older one is her at a later time after excessive consumption of Wendy’s food. #TheMoreYouKnow.

- * US Title Match: Dean Ambrose {C} vs. Kofi Kingston. No fucking around here. Right into the match after the entrances. Ambrose tells his team to go grab some whiskey-flavored popcorn for JT since he’s got this. 30 minutes dedicated to this match? Sweet. JT is seen in the audience beside Roman Reigns shortly thereafter, holding up a sign that says, “The Guy Beside Me Can’t Speak.” True. Who cares, this match looks to be a fucking winner.

What happens if I’m here to tell the world…. here to tell the world? Do I still digest that food if I can’t remember eating it?

- After a nice little start… The Shield run in anyways. JT is seen in the audience upset. The match is ruled a DQ due to interference. Ortbot and Shameless run in to help Coffee. You know what this match needs? Flowchart, you say? Why are you talking in my review without putting your hand up? Go to the office and see the principal. Also, let them know we’re booking a 6 Man tag match, playah, hollah. The Ghost of Teddy Long has spoken.

- Way to shred rape a nice singles match, Teddy Long, you super dick.

- * The Shield vs. The Holding Pattern. This will not serve up any story progression, I suspect. But still should be decent, as The Shield continues to be the most interesting thing on WWE programming not found on NXT.

They really need to get rid of those invisible dudes in footy.

- The first portion of this match delivers some great work by Ambrose and Rollins, who prove they can hang at the top without a sweat. Reigns is a small factor. Team Duck Face delivers as they can in ring, so no criticisms there. A neat spot before our final commercial break sees Ambrose and Reigns save Rollins for Sheamus’ “Teach To Count At Home” chest punching move. ThinkSoZombieJoE has placed the entrails of various half-eaten victims into field. The message is seen from a low-flying crop duster and posted to Tumblr. It says, “No thanks Sheamus, I learned to count at Dr. Scott Steiner’s Mathematic’s Finishing School for Excellence.”

- The final stretch involves all of the near finisher moves by all six men. But you already knew that. What makes the difference is that the Shield take advantage of Orton outside the ring in a swarming spot. He’s the legal man, as is Rollins, who awaits a count-out. Nope. In comes Ambrose. A shame that would have been a great ending. It goes on, and I won’t complain. This is a great bout, but is at heart typical from here on out. Math is still taught, Fella, lame. BREAKING NEWS! IRELAND HAS BECOME COMPLETELY INFECTED! WORLD WAR Z IS COMING OUT! I HOPE IT DOESN’T SUCK! After all is said and done, it comes down once again to Kofi and Ambrose. Ambrose finishes him.

- I get a PM from Charles Barkley. He said his Twitter got hacked. About 2 minutes later, he messages me again. Ignore it. Barkley let us all down tonight. Smackdown didn’t. Good show.

I criticize because I care. I did enjoy the show. I wouldn’t watch if I didn’t love this shit.

The WWE logo comes up, and I’m out.

Tell me I’m a retard on Twitter! Yes, you can mock me on social media now here: @GoftheInternet

———————————————————-

I APPEAR WEEKLY ON BWF RADIO!

———————————————————–

Listen LIVE starting at 2 PM EST here. here on Mixlr.com.
Check out BWF Radio every week. It goes up on i-Tunes on Sunday in the late afternoon of North America
Call in and leave a message (via Skype or Gmail and save a buck) at: 1(716)-HOGAN-97

Make sure you tell’em “Jorge” sent you. I will give you a shout out, maybe even get herpes! Hey, free herpes! It’s a win-win situation, right?

———————————————————-

This Smackdown Review Appears on Three Sites!

———————————————————–

A break down of various professional wrestling programs and events from the eyes of the smarky fan! I highly recommend checking out the BWF!

The official home of Wonderpod, and an assortment of content ranging from all things wide and far… depending on what the author’s feel like writing about. A home for reviews, commentary, pop culture, and fiction just to start. Always worth a look.

A go to place for professional wrestling, boxing, MMA, and other combat sports news, rumors, podcasts and so forth. Always a nice place to get your fix, or simply learn more about the performers and athletes themselves. They are one of our go to resources for news and information for BWF Radio, and we wouldn’t have it any other way to share our content with them. Great site!

———————————————————-

WTF?

———————————————————–

When will Joe noticed I changed this section? Maybe on BWF Radio, this Sunday at 2 PM EST? Which Sunday?

———————————————————-

Shameless Plugs!

———————————————————–

Bored Hockey Fan

Bored Hockey Fan is by the fans for the fans and delivers content related to hockey in any forms. We encourage similar minded people to contact us and represent their team’s POV, while retaining the rights to their work.

Wonderpod
A weekly podcast about the world of video games, from player experiences to current events in the industry, Bruce McGee, Pat Man, Glasenator, Jonkind and/or Gun Sage provide insight into the medium for any gamer (whether casual or “pro”). Clicking the jump will take you to the iTunes page!

LarG Productions
An online music production project, free tunes spanning many genres… check it out!

Thinksobrain
ThinkSoJoE’s band, who is also the boss over at Bored Wrestling Fan. For those digging some sweet metal influenced, intriguing tunes… you really need to grab yourself an earfull.

As noted earlier, Kazarian, Chris Daniels and Kiyoshi had portrayed the character at different points. The character was created as a tie-in for the first TNA videogame produced by Midway Games.

The program also saw the returns of three familiar wrestlers in Gunner, Shark Boy and Suicide.

Shark Boy resurfaced in an attempt to convince “Cowboy” James Storm to select him as his tag team partner for the World Tag Team Championship Match against Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez at Slammiversary (Robbie E also appeared to try to convince Storm). This was followed by the return of Gunner, who took out Shark Boy as well Robbie E. Storm then confronted Gunner and said he would “See him at Slammiversary.” He then shook his hand.

Earlier in the show, Suicide defeated Joey Ryan and Petey Williams to land a spot in Ultimate X Match at Slammiversary for the X Division Championship against titleholder Kenny King and Chris Sabin.

Following the event, Gunner remarked on his return to Impact Wrestling—he had not appeared since October. The North Carolina native wrote on Twitter, “Great to finally return home to Impact tonite! @Cowboy_J_Storm and I see eye to eye! We want tag gold! See ya in Boston folks.”

* TNA World Title match: Bully Ray vs. Sting in a No Holds Barred match; Sting’s final shot at the TNA Title.

* A.J. Styles vs. Kurt Angle.

* TNA Tag Title match: Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez vs. Daniels & Kazarian vs. Austin Aries & Bobby Roode vs. James Storm & Gunner in a four-way tag match.

* X Division Title match: Kenny King vs. Chris Sabin vs. Suicide in a three-way Ultimate X match.

* TV Title match: Devon vs. Joseph Park.

* Gail Kim vs. Taryn Terrell in a Knockotus match.

* 2013 TNA Hall of Fame inductee to be announced.

Impact Wrestling (Airing 5/30/13)

* Gunner & James Storm & TNA Tag Team champions Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez defeated Bobby Roode & Austin Aries & Bad Influence.

* Sting & Joseph Park defeated Bully Ray & Devon.

* Chris Sabin & Taryn Terrell defeated Kenny King & Gail Kim. After the bout, Kenny King attaked Sabin, but Suicide made the save.

* AJ Styles vs. Mr. Anderson wrestle to a no contest when Kurt Angle attacked Styles. Afterwards, Aces & Eights hit the ring followed by Samoa Joe, Sting and Magnus. The show goes off the air with everyone battling.

- Hulk Hogan teased the possibility of coming out of retirement prior to tonight’s Impact tapings in Tampa.

“You never say never, brother,” Hogan told the Orlando Sentinel. “The only thing the doctors know is what they know. They don’t know what The Big Man Upstairs says, and I’m on His team. Anything is possible. I still get the itch to get in (the ring) and I still love the business.”

Here is a photo of Bo Dallas holding the NXT Championship Title belt.

The opening video plays showing Abyss’ returning to Impact Wrestling. Hulk and Joseph Parks want to talk to him while Devon wants to fight him. Parks and Devon fought it out instead. Parks won, but will we see Abyss soon? The video goes to the Sting and Bully Ray story. They have a No Holds Barred match at the PPV, but if Sting loses then he will not fight for the TNA World Title again. The video switches to AJ Styles. Kurt Angle will fight him at the PPV. Tonight he faces Mr. Anderson. Will AJ join Aces?

The camera shows the jam-packed arena in Tampa, Florida. They are on their feet. They are cheering. Music hits and here comes Hulk Hogan. He comes down the ramp and gets in the ring. His wife is at ringside. The crowd is going crazy chanting, “Hogan, Hogan, Hogan.” This is his hometown. He trained to be a wrestler here. He gets on the mic and says it is great to be back in home. He hit his beach shop and the word is that tonight’s show will be huge. He went over one bridge and saw Sharkboy swimming in the river. He caught up with him and had a few drinks with him. This town is his family, but he also has a TNA family. There is one guy named AJ Styles who may be going to the other side. He says that isn’t the biggest problem in the world when it deals with his family. One guy who is his family, who has been with him for so long, is Sting! Sting’s music plays and he comes out. The crowd cheers. The Icon comes down the ramp and gets in the ring.

Hogan wants Sting to know that he is appreciating what he is doing for the family. The whole stipulation with the title match at Slammiversary doesn’t have to go down. Bully Ray doesn’t make the rules. Hogan is the general manager. Sting understands but he wants this to happen. He needs to carry the weight. He needs to take the title and the power from Ray. He only needs one chance to get this done. If he can’t take the title and… his pride… then he doesn’t deserve to go for the title again. Sting stuttered on pride. He wants this so bad that he can’t even talk. Hogan says this doesn’t need to happen. Just then, Brooke Hogan’s music plays. She comes out with a serious look on her face. She gets in the ring with a mic. She says this is hard to say. She doesn’t want Sting or Hulk to blame each other for what Brooke did. Brooke made the move. He loved this fat guy. She made this company go up in flames. She is sick that Hogan and Sting got stuck in the middle. Brooke is proud of the Knockouts. She loves this company, but she feels like she ruined everything. Hulk says she hasn’t ruined everything. She helped the Knockout division. Music hits and here comes Aces & 8s. Their music plays but only Bully Ray comes out. He comes through the crowd with the TNA World Title over his shoulder. He says hello to Taz. He wants the music off.

He asks them why they are taken blame for everything. It’s not their fault. When it comes to whose fault it is… it’s Ray’s! His Bully’s fault. It’s his fault that Hogan can’t run this company. He stabbed Brooke and Sting in the back. Ray runs the show. There is one person in the ring he does blame. That is Brooke. Brooke starts to go the corner and starts yelling at Ray. Hulk pulls her back. Ray tells Hulk to not to touch his wife. He says they have a connection. While he turned against her, he still loves her. He will always love her. That is why he won’t take the ring off. Brooke starts to cry. Aces’ music plays and he goes through the crowd again.

Video plays showing Suicide. He is making his return tonight.

-Commercial

We see the three comentators, Taz, Mike Tenay, and Todd Keneley. Kenny King joins them for this match. We see Joey Ryan come down the ramp. He gets in the ring. After him, Petey Williams comes out. He walks down the ramp and to the ring. Music plays and here comes Suicide! He comes right down the ramp and into the ring.

Joey Ryan vs. Petey Williams vs. Suicide

Suicide dropkicks Joey right when the bell sounds and it knocks him out of the ring. Suicide goes to Petey and goes for a cover. Petey kick sout. Petey whips Suicide in the corner but Suicide acts like a tree on the top rope. He comes down and Petey grabs him. Petey is able to comes back and put Suicide on the middle rope throat first. Petey does a dropkick to his back. Suicide leaves the ring. Joey enters and he fights Petey. He gets the upper hand. He then starts putting oil on his body. Suicide climbs the corner. He jumps as Ryan turns around. Suicide applies a submission lock to Joey’s legs. Petey comes back with a side russian leg sweep. The submission still is applied. It’s released. Petey and Suicide fight it out now. Joey comes back but he is knocked out of the ring. Petey goes after him through the ropes. Suicide jumps from the ropes to the outside and takes both of them out. Petey gets in the ring with Joey as Petey does a double knee to the face. Suicide enters and goes after Petey. Joey rolls to the side. Petey hits Suicide and goes for the Canadian Destroyer. Joey does a big boot though. Petey is down. Joey goes after Suicide but Suicide goes after Joey. He takes Joey out and gets the pin.

Winner: Suicide

Chris Sabin walks up to James Storm as he is in the locker room. They shake hands and Sabin says they were part of two great tag teams. They faced each other so many times. James appreciates it, but he declines. He will return the favor though when necessary. Chris thanks him and leaves the room.

-Commercial

Bully Ray is walking backstage. Brooke comes from behind and turns him around. She asks why he still loves her. What does that mean? He says it means what he is saying. He still loves her. Ray leaves.

Velvet Sky is wrapping her knee up. Mickie James comes to her side and sit down. Mickie says they could go to Brooke and wait till Sky is healed. Sky says Mickie is kind but that is what Gail wants. She needs to fight in oder to prove Gail is not a big threat. Mickie says Sky was injured when they fought last. They hug and say each are great friends.

Christy Hemme is in the ring as she introduces the next stars. Sam Shaw comes down the ramp. As he does, they replay his Gutcheck Challenge as he won a TNA contract. Alex Silva comes out next. His music stops and Aces’ music starts. Wes Brisco, Doc and Garett Bischoff come out. Wes has a mic and congratulates Sam on this big win. He should be thanking Wes because he took Alex out in the parking lot. Sam can go check if he wants. Wes is mad though because he is not in this Gutcheck series. He is Mr. Gutcheck! All three move around the ring and get on the apron. They get in the ring and go right after Sam. They back him in the corner and kick and stomp on him. They punch him and then get hi up as Wes does a huge neckbreaker.

Music plays and here comes Magnus! Magnus runs to the ring and Aces fled to the outside. Magnus grabs a mic. He says something Wes said doesn’t sit right with him, the guys in the back and the people in the arena and that is a gang attack on Sam. Magnus knows Sam from when they trained with Harley Race. Garett starts to smile. Magnus tells him to stop smiling otherwise he will smack that smile off. He says Wes doesn’t deserve to be in the series. He deserves to get his mouth kicked in. He has his match… with Magnus… right now.

Magnus vs. Wes Brisco

Wes slides in and goes right after Magnus, but Magnus fights back. He whips Wes in the ropes. After Wes ducks a couple times, Magnus finally hits him with a knee. Magnus grabs him and punches multiple times until Wes slides out of the ring. Aces confront him so he can regroup.

-Commercial

Wes has Magnus in the corner. He takes him to another corner and pounds his face into the top turnbuckle. He chokes Magnus on the middle rope. Doc punches Magnus in the face as Wes distracts the referee. Wes applies a headlock as Magnus is sitting on the mat. Wes pounds on Magnus’ chest and then covers. Magnus kicks out. Magnus fights back with punches but Wes knees him in the gut and whips him in the ropes. He elbows Magnus in the face. Magnus goes down and Wes applies a headlock again. Magnus gets up and elbows his way out of it. Wes smashes his arm onto Magnus’ back. Magnus goes into the corner. Wes punches him and then walks around the ring. He turns around and Magnus closelines him down. He whips Wes into the ropes but Wes kicks Magnus in the chest. Magnus closelines him again though. Wes gets up and fights back and goes to the middle rope. He jumps but Magnus catches him and drops him right down. Magnus climbs the corner now. Wes goes up and fights him. Magnus fights back and Wes falls. Doc and Garett get on the apron. Magnus tries to fight back, but there’s no hope. They push him off the corner and the bell sounds. The three are in the ring and attack Magnus now. Music hits and here comes Samoa Joe. Joe runs out and saves Magnus. Aces run from the ring. Joe’s music plays as Aces look on. The crowd pops.

-Commercial

Video plays showing TNA’s Hall of Fame last year as Sting was the first inductee. The next inductee will be revealed at Slammiversary.

The camera is backstage showing Aces standing around drinking. Bully talks about Brooke and how she looked tonight. He quickly changes focus and says Magnus will never forget the name Wes Brisco. Someone asks when AJ Styles will come. Ray says soon and says this won’t be messed up even though some people in the group have already fell apart… aka D-Lo Brown.

Video plays showing Kurt Angle going to a USA vs. Iran vs. Russia Olympic wrestling match. He continues to promote the “Save Olympic wrestling” for the Olympic games.

Christy Hemme is shown in the ring as she introduces the next stars. She messes up Kurt’s introduction. Kurt Angle’s music plays and he comes out to the ring. He raises his arms and waits for his opponent. Aces’ music plays. Mr. Anderson come out through the crowd. He gets in the ring.

-Commercial

A motorcycle comes through the backstage. It is AJ Styles. He gets off the bike after stoping it. He continues through the arena.

Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson

Kurt Angle applies a headlock. Ken gets up and pushes Angle in the ropes. Angle comes back and knocks Ken down with a shoulder block. He gets up. They lock-up but Ken kicks Kurt in the gut and then puts him in the corner. He punches him multiple times in the face and gut. Kurt whips Ken in the ropes though and then hits him with an elbow to the face. Ken gets up and Kurt punches him. He puts Ken in the corner. He stomps on him as Ken slides down in the corner. Kurt chokes Ken with his boot. Anderson gets up. Kurt kicks him in the gut and then does a suplex. He covers but Ken kicks out. Kurt gets Ken up and does an uppercut. He has him in the corner. He does a punch to the face. Kurt now applies shoulder tackles into Ken’s gut. He whips him in the opposing corner. Kurt runs but Ken moves. Kurt goes shoulder first into the corner. He is down on the apron. He rolls in the ring and Ken chokes him with his foot. He gets Angle up and whips him in the opposing corner. Kurt falls after the hard whip. Ken covers but Kurt kicks out. Ken grabs the arm and twists it. He runs his shoulder into it a couple of times. He then goes from behind and does a back suplex. Ken covers but Kurt kicks out. Ken mocks Kurt with a hurt arm. He stomps on Kurt’s arm that Ken has been woking on. Kurt gets up in the corner. Ken punches the arm, but Kurt fights back with punches. Ken kicks the arm and then closelines him. He covers twice but Kurt kicks out. Ken stomps on Kurt’s hand as he is on his hands and knees. Ken applies an armlock.

Kurt gets up and rolls though it. He goes in the corner. Ken runs to him but Kurt kicks him in the face. He climbs the corner and does a missile dropkick. Both are down. Both get up using the ropes. Kurt waits for Ken to turn around as he hits multiple closelines. He whips Ken in the corner. He runs to him but Ken kicks him in the face. Kurt does a belly to belly suplex though. He covers but Ken kicks out. Both get up as Kurt does an Angle Slam, but Anderson slides out and picks Kurt up ad rolls though as he drops him down on his back. He covers but Ken kicks out. Both get up. Ken fights but Kurt locks his arms around Ken’s back and does three german suplexes. He goes after the ankle now, but Ken kicks him away. Ken gets up and hits the Mic Check. He covers but Kurt kicks out! Ken climbs the corner, but Ken pops up, runs up the corner and does a superplex from the top. Kurt gets up and takes his singlet down. Just then, AJ Styles comes from the crowd. Taz stands and hugs AJ. AJ locks his eyes on Kurt. Kurt stares at AJ. The referee tries to tell AJ to leave, but Ken low blows Kurt and does a roll-up. He wins.

Winner: Mr. Anderson

Anderson goes out of the ring and points to AJ. AJ looks on and slowly turns around. Ken mocks Kurt and then slowly walks backwards through the crowd.

James Storm is walking backstage. He will be out next.

-Commercial

Gail Kim is backstage. The camera man asks her about her match at Slammiversary. Gail asks what match. She took out her former partner, Tara, and went on to take out Taryn Terrell and Velvet Sky. She is the greatest knockout in hisory. Just then, Taryn runs into the shot and takes Gail though a door. They go from wall to wall as they attack each other. Someonne runs over to save the day as he pulls Taryn off of Gail. Gail runs away as she is furious.

A video package plays showcasing the tag team career James Storm had from America’s Most Wanted to Beer Money. Roode turned on Storm. Storm went on to referee a tag team match a few weeks ago. We find out that Hulk added Storm into the tag team match at Slammiversary. He can pick his own partner. Who will that be?

Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez are by the commentator’s desk. Chavo is sitting down with the headset on while Hernandez stands behind him.

Music plays and here comes James Storm. James walks down the ramp. The crowd cheers. James grabs a mic as he is in the ring. He says he sees a lot of beer drinkers in Tampa tonight. They pop. James was granted an opportunity to wrestle at Slammiversary for the tag titles with a partner of his choosing. He was part of the two best tag teams in company history… America’s Most Wanted and Beer Money. He went everywhere to wrestle, drink beer, and entertain the fans. Why not do it again? Women do love a good tag team… wrestler! Just then, music hits and here comes Bobby Roode and Austin Aries. They stand on the stage with Aries holding the mic. He hands it to Roode.

Roode says James wants to talk about glory days and tag team wrestling. Well, Storm is looking at the man of tag team wrestling. Beer Money, the four years they were together, were the worst four years of Roode’s career and life. James says he can’t help it that Roode can’t keep up drinking with a cowboy. When Roode hit Storm with the beer bottle, that made Roode the happiest guy on Earth. It will go down in history. Let’s hear from Storm on who his partner is. Music hits again and here comes Daniels and Kazarian. Daniels has a mic.

Daniels mentions jokes this city is a joke. He has a joke. Three teams think they are better than Bad Influence. Humps, lumps, and dumps. Well all of the teams think they are the best, while Chavo and Hernandez think they are great in Mexico. Kaz gets the mic and calls Storm a dumb dummy. People were upset but only Bad Influence should be. James can pick any partner, but no one will life up to Bad Influence. Roode and Aries say they are the best and no one can life up to him. James wants to mention his partner. Here he is…. “Shell yeah!” Sharkboy comes through the curtain and splits the teams down the line. He gets in the ring. He grabs a mic. He says a little fishy said that Storm was looking for a partner. Sharkboy says he and Storm have something in common. They like fishing, drinking, and love bass! If he should team with him, give us a “Shell yeah!” Music hits and here comes Robbie E. He comes between the tag teams on stage and gets in the ring. He grabs the mic from Sharkboy. News flash, Storm doesn’t want to team with a loser. He wants to team with someone who will make him champion. That person is Robbie E. Roode/Aries and Bad Influence talk on stage as they don’t know what is going on. Robbie E says he carried Robbie T. Robbie has tag lines. He pulls out cards and reads them. Beer Bro is the first ad he goes on. Robbie starts to sing, but Sharkboy pushes Robbie. Gunner comes out of nowhere and gets in the ring. He closelines Robbie and Sharkboy at the same time. He has Robbie up in a torture rack. Gunner is intense. He gets in the face of James. Storm gets on the mic and says he will see him at Slammiversary. They shake hands. The other tag teams like the other stars as his partner better. James’ music plays.

We have a split screen as Sky is on the left and Mickie is on the right as they walk backstage. Their match is next.

-Commercial

Joseph Parks and Sting are backstage. Joseph talks about the Television Title but the boys are saying it is kayfabe. Sting says the title is great. He should go for it. Sting and Parks sit down across from each other. Sting mentions the new time next week and how he has a tag team match next week. He hopes Abyss comes back next week. He knows Parks can get him to come. He wants Parks as his tag partner. He will get justice. They shake hands. Parks leaves but Sting hopes Abyss will follow.

The commentators go over the line-up for Slammiversary. It will be on June 2nd!

Mickie James’ music plays and she comes to the ring. Sky’s music hits and she comes down with the title over her shoulder. She gets on the apron to let the pigeons loose.

Mickie James vs. Velvet Sky for the Knockout Title

They shake hands and back up. They lock-up and Sky works on the arm of Mickie She twists it. Mickie flips and takes Sky down. She covers but applies a wrist lock. Sky gets out and has Mickie down for a cover. Mickie kicks out quickly. ODB, as you know is the referee. Sky whips Mickie in the ropes. Mickie does a snapmare and runs into the ropes. Sky trips her before she goes though. Sky gets up and kicks her. She covers but Mickie kicks out. They get up and they punch back and forth. Mickie picks Sky up from behind with a full nelson and drops her right down. She has it locked in as she has Sky down.

-Commercial

Mickie gets Sky up and does a snap mare. She applies a headlock. Sky gets up and takes Mickie over with a hiptoss type move. Mickie gets up though before Sky. Sky gets up and they fight back and forth. Sky hits multiple closelines. She holds her knee as Mickie gets up. Sky kicks her in the gut a couple of times and does knife edge chops. Mickie whips Sky in the ropes but Sky goes for a head scissors but Mickie stops her. Sky is able to do a side russian leg sweep and covers. Mickie kicks out. Mickie gets up in the corner. Sky runs to her but Mickie hits her in the face. Sky runs to her again but Mickie pops up and turns it around to have Sky in the corner. She hits her but Sky fights back as she kicks Mickie n the face. Sky does the head scissors with hurricanrona. Sky holds her knee from that. She gets up but Mickie does a chop block to the knee. She licks her mouth and then plants Sky with a DDT. She covers and gets the win.

Winner and New Knockout Champion: Mickie James

Mickie takes the title as she walks up the ramp while Sky is on the mat showing her knee is in bad shape.

A video package plays showcasing AJ Styles from when he said he is in it for himself now. That was in 2012. He came back and Aces & 8s want him but Team TNA wants him too. What side is he on? It went on for months. He fought James Storm and attacked Kurt Angle. Mr. Anderson says he will patch AJ tonight.

Aces are backstage. D-Lo comes over and gave the group ice. Ray tells him that he that the boy did a good job. Ray does toast to celebrate Ken’s win against Kurt Angle and also for AJ Styles tonight. They drink their beer.

-Commercial

Aces’ music plays and here comes Bully Ray! He gets right in the ring and holds up the TNA World Title. The members follow. Mr. Anderson is holding the vest that will be AJ’s soon. Ray gets on the mic and asks the audience if they know who they are. They do. They are Aces & 8s. Every member of this club is equal. No one is bigger or better than the other. When one screws up, they pay for it. That is D-Lo Brown. He is a disappointment. One guy stepped up and took the world. He took the world by the “You know what” and crushed it. That guy is Mr. Anderson. He is proud Ken wears their colors. Tonight isn’t about Ray or any other member. It is about the coming of the new member. That is AJ Styles! Get in the ring right now! AJ’s music plays and here he comes! He walks through the crowd where Aces come through. AJ gets in the ring after Devon opens the ropes for him.

AJ goes up to Ray. Ray says Devon showed signs of respect with that rope. Now, everyone wants AJ. Hogan wanted him. Fortune wanted him. AJ knows where the power lies though. Ray wants AJ to do something that he probably never expected. Ray gives AJ a beer bottle. Ray says AJ never drank before. He never had a drop of liquor before, right? AJ nods. He wants AJ to drink. He can give his heart to Jesus but his soul belongs to the club. AJ toasts to Ray and drinks almost the whole bottle! Ray is impressed. He didn’t even finish his before AJ did. Ken walks over and hands the vest out to AJ. AJ takes it and looks at it. He grasps it with two hands. Ray tells him to put it on. He tells Ken to open it for him. Ken takes it and opens it. The newest member of Aces… AJ Styles! Oh, music plays and here comes Kurt Angle!

Angle walks out on stage with a mic. He knew this day would come, but he had to see it with his own two eyes. AJ’s career in TNA went down the crapper. Does this make AJ feel good? This disgusts Kurt. Go ahead AJ… put the vest on and be part of the scumbag group. Go ahead! He will see Angle at Slammiversary anyway. Does he want this? Ray says AJ wants this. Kurt isn’t talking to Ray. Ray says he is talking to his brothers. Ray turns and tells AJ to put it on. AJ turns and puts the vest on. He hugs Ray, Anderson, and Devon. Ray raises his arm. Just then, Doc comes from behind and tosses Kurt in the ring. Knux and Doc hold Kurt up. Ray gives AJ the hammer and take Kurt out. AJ hits Kurt in the knee with the hammer and then kicks him to the outside. AJ raises his arms with Aces. They turn to the other side. AJ turns Aces around and wails them with the hammer. He hits Garett and Doc and then exits the ring. They try to get him but he is already on the top of the stage. He raises his arm. Is he with anyone? He stands alone! The show fades.

Source: WrestlingNewsWorld.com

Bret Hart posted the following message today on Twitter, remembering his late brother:

“my life has forever changed after losing you Owen, it’s been an incredibly sad and lonesome world without you and it surely can’t be fair that heaven is echoing in laughter at all the pranks being pulled on the rest of the Angels …. and all of us here on earth are left with just our memories.”

- WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross commented on the new WWE Performance Center, writing on Twitter, “Toured the new, WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER today. It’s due to open in a few weeks but will be a difference maker. Absolutely spectacular!”

“He said everything looked great, that I was good to go. I asked if I can go back to doing what I’ve always done, and he said it wouldn’t be a problem, that it actually should be good because it will be cardio work, which is good for me. Anything to get my heart rate up. I asked if taking a body slam would be an issue. He said nothing like that would affect my heart.”

- Steve Austin will be recording a Q&A podcast today where fans will be able to call in and ask questions. Steve Austin has announced his guidelines for the session on Twitter.

“Headed to studio to do a #steveaustinshow. Will tweet out phone number to studio for you to call in and ask questions.

I will not be answering WM30, comeback, or the Shield questions. Focus on current events or advice type questions.”

From creators/producers of MTV’s WSX & PPV’s Viva La Lucha- dedicated to creating tomorrow’s stars it’s the 1st fan funded lucha series

The goal of Viva L.A. Lucha is twofold: First, it seeks to create an environment where wrestlers who specialize in either the Mexican “lucha libre” form of professional wrestling or the more “traditional”/”WWE style” form can compete with and against each other as a way to become experts in both styles, helping both the individual performers and the companies who need well trained wrestlers to produce their television shows all while ensuring the brightest future for the lucha art form. Our second goal is to give fans and viewers a unique program that will deliver incredible action and entertainment as tomorrow’s stars are groomed in front of their eyes today (with incredible “groomers” as you will see below)! And, with the unique rewards we have created for this campaign, backers can have an unprecedented say in WHO a wrestling show will feature, HOW some of the talent is used, and get to SEE the actual television taping as it happens including what is normally restricted behind-the-scenes access and uncensored producer commentary as the tapings take place.

We also want to be able to take networks a television pilot that is 100% in our vision – including the input from our fans and backers – so that they can see, not just on paper or in a sample reel, what tremendous potential a Viva L.A. Lucha series can have. Often times, leaving the creative process of developing a series WITH a network can lead to the network creating a series in THEIR image and not that of what the fans or producers really want.

How the release of her new album is being received by her peers and by TNA: “They have been really accommodating. TNA got the album a couple days prior to the official release date, and Dixie (Carter) has been totally cool since Day 1. She already knew this is what I wanted to do. They have been amazing.”

Why she wants Velvet Sky at 100% for their TNA Knockouts Championship Match this Thursday night: “I a little bit worried because I’m worried about her knee. She wasn’t 100% last time, and I really want to get in there and go. Even if I do win it, I will know that she wasn’t at 100%.”

The influence of Trish Stratus on her career: “She taught me so many little things. She is an amazing individual. The fact that she took time out of her moment at her (WWE) Hall of Fame speech to recognize so many women that have been a part of that along the way just shows what kind of person she is.”

“When you find out who somebody really is, it can be hard to take,” Hogan admitted. “People hide behind smoke and mirrors. When you find out somebody was never really your friend and never had your best interests at heart, yeah, it’s hard to take. But there is no more of that person in my life at all on any level.”

- Suicide has officially been added back to the Impact Wrestling roster page. You can check it out here.

As noted earlier, Hulk Hogan and Cowhead had beef since Cowhead heckled Hogan during an Impact Wrestling press conference event.

You can listen to Hogan and Cowhead’s conversation at here.

The #IMPACTFanBattle – Every Thursday On Twitter During IMPACT WRESTLING

IMPACT WRESTLING takes the social conversation and turns it into a battle Thursday nights with its new #IMPACTFanBattle.

Each week, two twitter challengers will “face-off” on twitter in a “battle” of the best online commentary – perhaps your stellar play-by-play skills…or your killer color commentary – about the night’s #IMPACTLive. During the #IMPACTFanBattle, @IMPACTWRESTLING will retweet the some of the best tweets from our two competitors while keeping an open eye for potential challengers for the next week’s competition!

The #IMPACTFanBattle wages on Thursdays during our IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on Spike TV. Then, at the conclusion of each night, we leave it to your peers to vote on who had the best tweets – and ultimately decide who will face a new challenger next week the reigning champ of the #IMPACTFanBattle! Got mad twitter skills and earn the respect of your peers two weeks in a row? We’ll send you a prize pack from ShopTNA.com!

Want to be a part? We’re looking NOW! Tweet out this article with the hashtag

#IMPACTFanBattle and we will set our eyes on you. Once IMPACT is on the air, we will pick one of you tweeting with #IMPACTLive and put you into battle with the reigning champion.

On writing the book: “It never occurred to me that it was a bad idea. The only thing that occurred to me, the whole 18 months it took to write this, is nobody’s gonna want to read my book; nobody’s gonna want it. I mean, I was just a midcard guy, you know, and it was like ‘Who is going to want to read my story? I mean, there’s nothing exciting about me.’ So, that’s what ran through my mind, and then after we edited it over and over because we’d send it back to ECW Press and then they’d send it back and we’d have to edit and do this and do that to it and after reading it many times over; every time we read it over, it was still interesting. So that’s when it occurred to me, ‘Hey, maybe people will find this interesting.’ Because, every time a read a chapter, it still captivated me and it still does; when I pick up my book and see what somebody had read and they talk about it and I go back and look at it, I end up reading the whole chapter again. And that’s what made me think that maybe people will want to buy this and read it. So, it was a lot of work too, but it was fun and it had its times where it reminded me of certain bad times and stuff like that. But, it was a good experience, it really was.”

His pre-WWF/E days and his bar fighting past for money: “You know, it’s funny because when I was writing that part, it was like it brought back; you’re not going to believe this, and you’re going to think I’m full of it, but it was fun to me. Those were exciting times to me because I’m the kind of guy that likes a challenge and I would go into bars and it’s like; ok, I find the toughest guy in there and I’d want to put up money to fight the guy. I just found it, the thrill of the fight, exciting to me and to this day I still do because I won’t turn down a challenge to anybody and I find myself. When the whole MMA/UFC thing came along and it’s like if that came around when I was a little bit younger, I think I would have ended up going that direction because I love the thrill of the fight; I love the challenge, no matter who it is I end up fighting with. So, when I look back on that, those were fun times for me; I had really enjoyed that and I made money doing that. It’s an odd way to make money, but it was what I had to do to survive. And that’s why I look at it like ‘Yeah, that was exciting to me’.”

His experience with Auto Racing: “Well, the thing about auto racing is you gotta know all the right people. I raced at a local level and then, when I got into the WWE and I got to know the right people and I got connected with Hermie and Elliot Sadler, who are involved with NASCAR to this day; I was too far into my (wrestling) career to just say ‘You know what, I’m going to go. I’m going to start racing instead of wrestling.’ Because racing, it’s based on performance; I mean, if you’re not performing, you’re gone. You have to have a lot of money behind you and a good team behind you. So, it’s a very tough business to make it in. And like I said, when I was doing the local stuff, I know all the right people or anything and I was just enjoying what I was doing at the local level, and then when the WWF called me to come up and start wrestling for them and, of course, when you work for them you meet all kinds of people all over the world. Then, of course, when I met Hermie and Elliot, I got back into racing part-time, just once or twice a month on my days off.

“It could have escalated into more, but I was too far into my WWE career and that’s when we were into the Attitude Era when things were really good; the money was really good, so it was hard to say ‘Ok, I’m going to stop doing this, take a chance and start racing and see if I can make it there because if I hadn’t made it in racing, then I would have lost out on the Attitude Era, if you understand what I’m saying. I didn’t want to take that chance because I was having too much fun during the Attitude Era wrestling and making great money. Of course, it didn’t matter where you were on the card; if you were opening match, mid card; of course Main Event makes big money, but even when you were the opening match, you still made great money. So, that would have been really hard to give up to go take a chance in auto racing, where there is no money unless you get to the Cup Level. So, I think I did the best for my career, I did what I wanted to do and I still got to race and stuff like that, so I enjoyed that and I didn’t have the stress, the pressure to perform in auto racing. We just did it at the fun level; went to different tracks around the Southeast and there was no pressure or whatever; we just went out there, had a great time and raced and then got on a plane and flew to wherever I had to go wrestle. I did what I wanted to do and I never considered going full-time racing; you gotta be damn good you better have the right people backing you.”

His “Spark” Plugg gimmick: “I had graciously bowed out of Smokey Mountain and, like I said, I appreciate Cornette using me and giving me an opportunity to wrestle there. So, I went back to work, and I thought ‘You know what? I’m just going to focus on my job; I’ve got a great job, I make really good money, I’ve got insurance so I’m set.’ And I got my weekends off so I could go race wherever I want to because I had a race car at the time. So, I came home from work one day a couple months down the road and of course there was a message on the machine from J.J. Dillon wanting to talk to me. So, of course, I call him back and I was pretty damn excited, so they arraigned for me to fly up to Connecticut, to meet with him and Vince (McMahon).

“So, I flew up there, met with them and everything; met with them for about an hour and they said ‘Ok, we’ll send you a contract in the mail within the next week or so.’ And I’m like ‘Ok, Cool’; I had no idea what my name was going to be, I just thought, you know, I was going to be Bob Holly something or whatever, cause that’s the name I’ve always had And so, I get my contract in the mail and I open it up and the first thing I see is “Thurman ‘Sparky’ Plugg”, and I’m like ‘You’ve GOT to be freaking kidding me!’ I’m like ‘Wow’ but then it sunk in and it’s like ‘Ok, you know what, it doesn’t matter what they call me; I’ve finally made it to the top, so you just roll with it. A lot of people have made fun of that “Thurman ‘Sparky’ Plugg” but they were in the same position, they would not have turned WWE down because of the name, I guarantee that! I thought you know, because everything back then was cartoon characters-type gimmicks and I just thought well, this is just something of that or whatever because I was a race car driver that they wanted to go with that. And J.J. Dillon was the one who actually came up with the name. But again, I’m also thankful for that name; yeah, I didn’t like it but it gave me my start to a long career in WWE. So, it’s kinda embarrassing but then again I’m kinda thankful for that, also. And then I thought, well, let me get my foot in the door and hopefully I’ll get comfortable in stuff where I can approach Vince and say ‘Hey, can we do something about this?’

“So, probably about six months down the road, I went to Vince and I’s like, ‘Vince, is there anything we can do to change my name?’ And I was scared to death to go in there and ask him; I thought, here I am six months in the company, I’m new, and this guy is asking Vince to change my name. I thought for sure, he’s going to let me go. But that was the chance I had to take, so when I went into the office and said ‘Hey Vince. I appreciate you’ve given me this opportunity here, and I’m really grateful to you for that, but can we change my name?’ and he’s like ‘Fine. What do you want to change it to?’ And now I’m like ‘Oh, wow. Ok, this is pretty easy.’ So, I said how about Bob Holly. He said ‘Ok, that’s fine. What we’ll do, to make the transition, we’ll call you Bob “Spark Plug’ Holly.’ And I said ‘Hey, that’s better than nothing. I’ll take it.’ So, we went from there and then, of course, eventually we got to drop the ‘Spark Plug’ and I was just Bob Holly after that. So, that’s how all that came about.”

His laundry list of injuries and if it’s just part of being a wrestler: “Another day in the office. You know, to me, it was my job and the mindset I’ve always lived by is ‘If I’m still walking, that’s no reason why I can’t finish what I have to do.’ That’s always been my mindset; I don’t go on TV and cry over a black eye and a bloody lip and cry on national television and want to quit because I got a black eye or bloody lip or I got my arm broken or my neck broke or my back slashed. I never went on TV and cried ‘I’m going to quit; it’s just too rough for me’, I’ve always had the old adage ‘If I can walk, I’m going to finish what I have to do in this ring, no matter what’. No matter how bad it hurts, I’ve got a job to do. If I’ve got to get somebody over, I’m not going to cheat them out of getting their win or help getting them over because that was my job. That’s my job: to help this guy look good and no matter what, that’s what I’m going to do. If I can walk, I’m going to finish my match.”