Figure Four Weekly Online

Adam Firestorm passes away

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:44:19 +0100

By Bryan Alvarez

According to a number of his close friends and family members, Adam Dykes, who wrestled for a decade around the Northwest as the masked El Antorcha and later Adam Firestorm, passed away last night.

Adam was friend of mine dating back over 15 years, to when I was doing backyard wrestling shows at Leading Edge Gymnastics in Everett and he would come down from Canada to work as a referee. I ended up in ICW with Tim Flowers and he worked mostly for Michelle Starr's ECCW, and despite being friends and wrestlers in the same part of the country for years we actually only had one match together, on a Portland Wrestling TV taping. Adam was an incredibly nice friendly guy, and while I realize this if often said I honestly cannot remember anyone ever saying a bad word about him.

Several months ago he was nearly killed in an auto accident when a vehicle he was traveling in after a show ran into a elk. In his own words: I was in the front passenger seat. That hole in the windshield was from a 600 lb elk smashing me in the face after it ran into us going 100 km/h coming home from a show last night. These hunter dudes came along and had the temerity to be incredibly pissed off at us. They said They'd been hunting all weekend and got nothing. Now they were staring at a huge dead elk that they couldn't eat (something about roadkill releasing some sort of glandular mumbo jumbo that spoils them). As far as whether or not it landed in my lap... it hit the front of the fan, flew up into the windshield and hit me in the face, sending glass directly into me, then flipped right over the roof. i am still picking glass out of my skin, and swallowed some as well. It was even in my socks somehow. Oh yeah, it hit me with it's butt. A butt to the face. Kind of like a elk whoopie cushion. Everyone in the van was 100% positive I was dead. Apparently, I said some funny things that I don't remember saying. I also neatly removed my glasses, folded them up, and put them away.

Adam had an awesome sense of humor and was always laughing. Of late he had been living in Victoria, BC where he ran a video production company. He was also the co-host of Ringside Live with Ian Hamilton.

Adam had been a subscriber to the Figure Four since issue number one, I think the only person in the entire world who was, and he would often tease me by putting photos of the horrendous first issue on the board and threatening to release it to the public someday. Adam himself got his start in the business as a writer for Northwest Wrestling Magazine and went on to write programs for West Coast Championship Wrestling. He was trained by Michelle Starr and for a period Velvet McIntyre, and won several local titles over the course of the next decade. His career had wound down after suffering a serious arm injury several years back. He came on our radio show a few times over the years and they were always fun, and I will try to post some on the front page in the next few days for everyone to listen to. You can also hear his work on Ringside Live at ringsidelive.com.

I am so sad for his friends and his family and I waited a long time to put this up because I did not want to believe that it was true. Adam was a great guy and will be dearly missed by everyone who knew him.

Weigh-ins for Strikeforce on CBS in Chicago

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:52:20 +0100

Preliminary fights

Christian Uflacker (1-0, 156) vs. Jonatas Novaes (4-2, 155.5)

Louis Taylor (4-0, 185.5) vs. Nate Moore (5-1, 184)

John Kolosci (10-5, 171) vs. Shamar Bailey (9-1, 170)

Jeff Curran (31-12-1, 145) vs. Dustin Neace (18-14-1, 149.6)

Mark Miller (9-5, 171) vs. Deray Davis (5-1-1, 170.5)

Marloes Coenen (16-3, 145) vs. Roxanne Modafferi (13-4, 140)

Live fights

Antonio Silva (13-1, 263) vs. Fabricio Werdum (12-4-1, 242)

Gegard Mousasi (29-2-1, 205) vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (7-4, 204)

Jake Shields (23-4-1, 184.5) vs. Jason Miller (22-6, 184) for Strikeforce middleweight title

Fedor Emelianenko (30-1, 1 no contest, 232) vs. Brett Rogers (10-0, 264)

ROH TV tapings 11-6 Philadelphia

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:12:09 +0100

By Frank Douglas

ROH 11/6 Results

Dark Matches

Grizzly Redwood over Robbie Marcel

Eddie Kingston over Jay Sin

Show 1

Joey Ryan over Necro Butcher in a no dq match. Ryan, Prince Nana Ernie Osiris were working over Necro when Erik Stevens came in for the save. Stevens turned on Necro by cracking him with a chair allowing Ryan to score the pin.

Colt Cabana over Tony Kozina

Kevin Steen over Alex “Sugarfoot” Payne

Pick 6 Challenge:

Kenny Omega over Chris Hero (This was an excellent match)

Show 2

Delirious over Sonjay Dutt in a submission match

Pick 6 Challenge:

Jay Briscoe over Mark Briscoe. Originally Jay Mark Briscoe battled to a double count out. This led to Jim Cornette coming out and saying that the Briscoes could accept this result and forfeit the $2500 bonus or they could restart the match. The Briscoes chose to restart the match.

Lance Bravado Bobby Dempsey over Gino Giovanni Tony Nees when Dempsey pinned Nees.

Erik Stevens over Harlem Bravado

Colt Cabana Tyler Black over Kenny King Austin Aries when Colt pinned King. Scary moment towards the end of the match as Colt gave King a back body drop but they were too close to the ropes. King’s feet clipped the top rope and he hit hard on the back of his head/neck. They went right to the finish after that mishap.

Show 3

Claudio Castagnoli over Eddie Kingston by submission

Steve Corino over Andy Ridge

El Generico over Rhett Titus

Pick 6 Challenge:

Roderick Strong over Davey Richards (This was an excellent match)

Your top 6 contenders are Delirious, Tyler Black, Colt Cabana, Jay Briscoe, Kenny Omega Roderick Strong. There was a large crowd here tonight as there must have been at least 100 to 150 people standing in addition to everyone who had a seat. My estimate would be in the 800 to 1000 range. The crowd was very loud and boisterous as well. There was a large percentage of kids at the show but that helped with the crowd reactions for each match.

Frank Douglas

Nov. 6 Figure Four Daily: Dixie's speech shoot or work, TNA rating and reaction, turmoil within, WWE

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:18:22 +0100

Figure Four Daily with Bryan Alvarez returns today with a packed news show. We'll talk the weekend schedule with tons of MMA and great pro-wrestling to be found, then talk the big story of the day, Dixie Carter's weird speech to the locker room that we all got to see on Impact. We'll talk the reaction from the wrestlers, what it was all about, why it aired, whether it's an angle, and more. Also, the TNA rating and the internal reaction to it, what others in the industry are saying about TNA right now, the irony of her offering releases to anyone who wanted them, and more. Also, the new WWE PPV schedule, why they're raising the prices, what the limit is, what's being eliminated, and more. A fun show so check it out!

Nov. 6 Dr. Keith Show Part 2: Two and a half hours on the history of Halloween Havoc

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:17:05 +0100

Alan is back once again and he's brought JUSTIN SHAPIRO with him for a belated celebration of the Hallowe'en season! Kick back and listen to the lads talk FOR TWO AND A HALF HOURS about such topics as Debra McMichael's awesome burns,YETAYS, Alan's guilty pleasure wrestler of the 90's, babyface extraordinairre Sid Vicious and of course THE CHAMBER OF HORRORS~!!!! Dare you brave the ghouls and goblins?? Dare you brave the spookiness?? DARE YOU BRAVE THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES????

Part 2:

Nov. 6 Dr. Keith Show Part 1: Two and a half hours on the history of Halloween Havoc

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:15:47 +0100

Part 1:

TNA rating was a

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:18:55 +0100

1.1, all things considered, I wouldn't take that as a positive.

Hogan/TNA relationship, recruiting of talent, who is safe; Death of promotion; History of J Cup

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:57:06 +0100

dave@wrestlingobserver.com

An update on the Hulk Hogan/TNA relationship is the lead story in this coming Monday's issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. We look at the real questions related to Hogan as far as running TNA, including what has been told to wrestlers he is recruiting about competition with Vince McMahon including a start date, as well as what those in TNA know and what Spike TV is saying.

We look at how history looks at this, as well as both the advantages and disadvantages of promoting pro wrestling in 2010. We look at when Hogan is likely to return, as well as the one example of Raw vs. Impact head-to-head historically and why that example changed a lot of minds about going to Mondays.

We look at Hogan's income and what it will take for him to stay in TNA, thoughts from people in the company, where things stand, people who look to be safe, those who aren't, as well as the track record of Hogan since the folding of WCW, and Eric Bischoff. We look at the good and bad of the first TNA rating since Hogan, Hogan's drawing power in WCW. We also look at the level of media interest and fan interest of the announcement of Hogan coming in and comparing it with other major events in TNA history, including what two wrestlers led to significantly more fan interest based on Internet responses than Hogan, as well as their effect on long-term business.

The issue is available right now to premium subscribers on the web site. You can also get the Observer mailed to your home with details below.

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biggest matches of the week and rundown of the major television shows.

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FRI UPDATE: Huge weekend, Hogan on his TNA role, Fedor hype, Mania tix, DGUSA PPV, WWE raising price

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:47:46 +0100

By Bryan Alvarez

Bryan Alvarez: bryan@wrestlingobserver.com
Dave Meltzer: dave@wrestlingobserver.com

It's a huge weekend of activity starting tonight, with one PPV event, Smackdown, UFC on Spike and two live MMA events.

We're looking for your thoughts on tonight's Dragon Gate USA PPV, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com We will also be doing a poll tomorrow night after the CBS Strikeforce show. You can also send in comments on tonight's Strikeforce show and tonight's Sengoku show.

We're also looking for reports on tonight's Raw house show in Newcastle, England, tonight's Smackdown house show in Brussels, Belgium, tonight's ROH TV tapings in Philadelphia (Austin Aries & Kenny King vs. Colt Cabana & Tyler Black; Davey Richards vs. Roderick Strong; Chris Hero vs. Kenny Omega) and tonight's TNA house show in Murray, KY (A.J. Styles vs. Samoa Joe; Rhino vs. Abyss, Hernandez vs. Homicide). We're also looking for reports on last night's Smackdown house show Frankfurt, Germany.

Dragon Gate lineup for tonight at 10 p.m. Eastern and 7 p.m. Pacific on most cable systems and The Dish Network (it is not cleared on DirecTV) and will be replayed at 6 p.m. tomorrow:
*Dragon Kid vs. Masato Yoshino
*Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw vs. Gran Akuma & Yamato
*Bryan Danielson vs. Naruki Doi
*Brian Kendrick vs. Cima
*Davey Richards vs. Shingo
*Young Bucks vs. Genki Horiguchi & Ryo Saito
Danielson vs. Doi and Richards vs. Shingo are probably the best 1-2 punch of matches on any PPV show this year.

Strikeforce tonight on Showtime at 11 p.m. Eastern from Fresno with weigh-ins:
*Zoila Frausto (132.5) vs. Elisha Helsper (134.5)
*Thomas Diagne (155.5) vs. Merritt Warren (154)
*Luke Rockhold (185.5) vs. Jesse Taylor (186)(
*Brandon Cash (256) vs. Shane Del Rosario (240)
*Billy Evangelista (159) vs. Jorge Gurgel (159)
The main event was contracted at 155, but both agreed to fight at a 159 pound weight

Sengoku late tonight on HDNet at 2 a.m. Eastern and 11 p.m. Pacific like from Sumo Hall in Tokyo:
*Hirokazu Konno (142.9) vs. Tomoaki Ueyama (142.6)
*Yuichiro Yajima (125.2) vs. Ryota Uozomi (124.8)
*Ronnie Ushiwaka (142.4) vs. Shigeoki Osawa (142.9)
*Dave Herman (239.6) vs. Jim York (256.4)
*Yuji Hoshino (143.3) vs. Marlon Sandro (143.3)
*Akihiro Gono (167.6) vs. Kim Yoon Young (167.1)
*Stanislav Nedkov (203.9) vs. Kevin Randleman (203)
*Eiji Mitsuoka (154.3) vs. Kazunori Yokota (153.7)
*Satoru Kitaoka (154.3) vs. Jorge Masvidal (154.3)
*Mamed Khalidov (181.7) vs. Jorge Santiago (183)
*Hatsu Hioki (143.1) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (143.1)

Tomorrow night is headlined by Strikeforce on CBS and the Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers fight. This, when it comes to the future implications on the business, is probably the single most important show of the year, because the rating of this show will have more of an affect on the future of a promotion than any event for any major company this year.

Raw will be in Minehead, England; Smackdown in Dusseldorf, Germany; TNA in Tupelo, MS and ROH in Edison, NJ.

Sunday has WWE house shows in Liverpool and Nottingham, England, as well as a TNA show in Jackson, MS.

Monday has the live Raw from Sheffield, England featuring Ricky Hatton as guest host, Smackdown in Cardiff, Wales and a TNA house show at the Wildhorse in Nashville, which includes former NFL player Frank Wycheck wrestling on the show.

Tuesday has Smackdown & ECW taped in Sheffield, England, with Undertaker vs. C.M. Punk as the dark match, John Morrison vs. Dolph Ziggler for the IC title on Smackdown and Christian vs. William Regal for the ECW title as the ECW main event. There is also a Raw house show that night in London in Cardiff, Wales.

Smackdown tonight has:
* Matt Hardy vs. Big Dave
* Punk vs. R-Truth
* Mysterio vs. Mike Knox
* Dolph & Hart Dynasty vs. Morrison & Cryme Tyme
* Beth Phoenix squash
* Drew McIntyre vs. Jimmy Yang

An update on the Hulk Hogan/TNA relationship is the lead story in this coming Monday's issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. We look at the real questions related to Hogan as far as running TNA, including what has been told to wrestlers he is recruiting about competition with Vince McMahon including a start date, as well as what those in TNA know and what Spike TV is saying.

We look at how history looks at this, as well as both the advantages and disadvantages of promoting pro wrestling in 2010. We look at when Hogan is likely to return, as well as the one example of Raw vs. Impact head-to-head historically and why that example changed a lot of minds about going to Mondays.

We look at Hogan's income and what it will take for him to stay in TNA, thoughts from people in the company, where things stand, people who look to be safe, those who aren't, as well as the track record of Hogan since the folding of WCW, and Eric Bischoff. We look at the good and bad of the first TNA rating since Hogan, Hogan's drawing power in WCW. We also look at the level of media interest and fan interest of the announcement of Hogan coming in and comparing it with other major events in TNA history, including what two wrestlers led to significantly more fan interest based on Internet responses than Hogan, as well as their effect on long-term business.

The issue is available right now to premium subscribers on the web site. You can also get the Observer mailed to your home with details below.

We also have a look at the death of the Hustle promotion, the press conference talking about it, the hopes to revive it, as well as the unique list of major stars who performed for the promotion during its nearly six years of existence.

We also have a review of what is one of the best PPV shows of this year, the taped Dragon Gate "Untouchable" show, with match-by-match coverage and star ratings, including what was and wasn't good on the show.

We've got some updates on Survivor Series and even WrestleMania, ridiculous politics and Linda McMahon's campaign, notes on WWE PPV shows in 2010, notes on some guest hosts for Raw upcoming as well as how TNA ratings came up in WWE this past week.

We look at the HHH interview with Powerslam magazine and what does and doesn't make sense, as well, some notes on the 2010 Hal of Fame, an update on Edge's return, WWE movie notes, new DVD release and awards given the promotion.

We have notes on UFC's injuries and illnesses and how they affect and totally change the big show at the end of the year. We've got a detailed update on Brock Lesnar as well as a timetable of when he can possibly return, as well as what Paul Heyman was talking about regarding Lesnar turning down a movie role.

We've got updates on how UFC 104 looks to have done and comparing it with UFC 102. We also have tons of new UFC fights including the next probable Kimbo Slice match, as well as the lawsuit against a current member of the cast of Ultimate Fighter regarding a wrongful death. We have an update on UFC coming to a major market in 2010 and perhaps its first stadium show.

We also have more on DVR usage and how that affects Ultimate Fighter viewing this season as compared to last season.

We also have a rundown of the Pro Wrestling NOAH jr. heavyweight tournament, as well as an update on KENTA, and final standings. We also run down the New Japan tag team tournament.

We also have a history piece on the Super J Cup, leading to its fifth edition later this year. We look at the first four shows, including two shows that won Big Show of the Year, one of the great one-night performances in pro wrestling history, as well as how the Super J Cup led to one of today's biggest stars getting his first U.S. major league break, as well as spawning the tournament that led to the formation of today's top indie group.

We also have an addendum to the Bill Miller Hall of Fame story, with a look back at the start of the Bruno Sammartino vs. Bill Miller feud and the unique angle, which included a rare pinfall loss by Sammartino in a singles match.

We also have a look at the ratings for all the major pro wrestling and MMA shows on television over the past week.

We also have our usual weekly features such as the results of the biggest matches of the week and rundown of the major television shows.

The Wrestling Observer ranges from 25,000 to 40,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA all over the world.

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-- Hogan on Bubba the Love Sponge today reiterated that he is being brought in to run the company, he has no plans to wrestle there right now, and that a lot of changes are afoot.

-- WrestleMania tickets go on sale to the public tomorrow morning.

-- Weigh-ins for tomorrow's Strikeforce show on CBS take place tonight at 5 PM Central at the Sears Centre.

-- Brett Rogers will be on Last Call with Carson Daly tonight.

-- Chris on the ESPN hype for Fedor: I was watching ESPN throughout the day on Thursday and they seemed to make quite a few mentions of the Fedor vs Rogers fight. Since Rogers appeared on First Take the network has been playing up the fight a bit. I saw a show called Sports Nation which did a segment where the hosts pick what they're looking forward too most and do a poll of the fans on the same topic and the question was are you looking more forward to the Fedor vs Rogers fight or the upcoming movie Boondock Saints 2 and both hosts picked the Fedor fight, the male host kept playing up Fedor like he was Drago from Rocky and how he loves the mysterious Russian fighter who "we know nothing about" and who "wrestles bears and trains in Siberia" or something silly like that, and the female host corrected him and said "actually we know quite a bit about Fedor, he's been fighting for along time etc..etc.." so the male host looked like a geek. Sadly, while both hosts picked the Fedor fight as their choice, the movie won the fans vote something like 67% to 33%,. At least the fight is getting some mainstream play and MMA is being treated, for the most part like a big deal on ESPN which can only help the sport in the long term.

-- For those without CBS, Strikeforce will be airing the show live on PPV for $5.99 on the website.

-- Don't forget tonight's Dragon Gate USA PPV, which is a great show with two awesome matches. It premieres in the US on In Demand, Dish and TVN plus Viewer's Choice and Bell ExpressVU in Canada at 10 PM EST. If you love good pro-wrestling there is no logical reason to miss this show, especially since it'll be $14.95 on many cable systems.

-- Which is significantly less than WWE PPVs are going to cost next year, according to a leaked memo obtained by Mike Aldren. WWE is going to be raising prices starting with Royal Rumble to $44.95, which presumably means $49.95 if you want the HD version. On the bright side, they're dropping one event and will only run 13 shows in 2010, which is still one more than they need (two PPVs in October? I cannot think of one good reason for that). Obviously this is being done to offset the drop in PPV revenue this year due to less people buying PPVs domestically.

-- Sting does a pre-taped interview on Impact next week talking Hulk Hogan and his own future in wrestling.

-- Alex Marvez interviews Gabe Sapolsky here about tonight's show and the wrestling landscape in general.

-- Jonathan Snowden says Dan Henderson is the perfect addition to Strikeforce.

-- In the Brian Blair political race, Jimmy Hart throws in his hat -- for Blair's opponent.

-- Jim Ross talks a number of different subjects including WWE potentially starting their own TV network here.

-- A review of The Solie Chronicles up here.

-- Tonight on HDNet at 2:00 AM ET will be Sengoku 11 World Victory Road live from Tokyo. Main event is Hatsu Hioki vs. Michihiro Omigawa.

-- TUF last night did a 1.8 rating, down from last week's 1.9, but drew the same 2.5 million viewers. It was number one in males 18-49.

-- Corey writes: The website for the Civic Center in Charleston, WV has removed the listing for the WWE show on January 3rd, 2010. WWE.com never listed the date in their events calendar, and Ticketmaster never had a listing for the show either.

-- Another reminder that I'll be wrestling tomorrow in Marysville, WA at the Pacific Rim for Tulalip Championship Wrestling. Tons of people from the website are going to be there, including Craig, who will apparently be doing a live report for the Ed in San Antonio's Drunkcast radio show. More info is up at tulalipchampionshipwrestling.com. Hope to see some of you there!

-- Drunkcast is up here. Note it's a Saturday show, not a Friday show.

-- Poll on the Ultimate Fighter show for this week:
Excellent 21.1%
Good 61.7%
Average 8.3%
Fair 1.5%
Poor 7.5%
30.4% of those responding didn't see the show

Who do you expect to win next week's TUF match?
Roy Nelson 84.1%
Justin Wren 15.9%

What will do the biggest PPV number between now and the end of the year?
Pacquiao vs. Cotto 53.1%
Ortiz vs. Griffin 30.6%
WWE Survivor Series 9.7%
Penn vs. Sanchez 6.5%
Not sure what the 9.7% are smoking but Vince sure would like some of it.

-- Irv Muchnick will talk his Benoit book at 7 EST at ringsidelive.com. I'll be on the show next week as well.

-- Rapid Pro Wrestling in Portage, Michigan at The Venue 3750 E Kilgore Rd Sunday November 8th @6pm Featuring Christin Abel and Josh Raymond, Louis Lyndon, Flip Kendrick, and more.

-- Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling returns to Belindas Nite Club friday, Nov. 13th at 7pm with The Stro, Mitch Ryder, Malia Hosaka, & Jessicka Havok. Head to www.myspace.com/capw for more info.

-- Insanity Pro Wrestling presents "Super Junior Heavyweight Tournament", Saturday, November 7, 2009, Fountain Square Salvation Army Corps, 1337 S Shelby St, Indianapolis, IN 46203.

-- ARW on Saturday, November 14th at Murray County High School (1001 Green Rd.) in Chatsworth, GA

-- IWC presents NOVEMBER PAIN 5, Saturday November 14th, 2009, Court Time Sports Center, 95 Enterprise Dr. - Suite 100, Elizabeth, PA. Belltime: 7:30 PM. Hernandez works the show.

-- Site sponsor itapboys.com has some cool "I Tap Boys" women's MMA logo shirts up, plus other shirts and shorts available

VIDEO: Dixie's speech to the TNA locker room about how they need to stop complaining

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:37:28 +0100

VIDEO: Preview of Bryan Danielson vs. Naruki Doi on TONIGHT'S Dragon Gate USA PPV

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:08:41 +0100

WWE announces Slammy Award three hour Raw special

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:31:27 +0100

WWE announced today that they will be doing a Slammy Awards special on 12/14 in Corpus Christi, a three hour Raw starting at 8 p.m., with Dennis Miller as the host.

Nov. 6 Bryan & Vinny Show: ECW, TUF, Impact is Dixie, GRANNY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION, songs, ...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:24:55 +0100

It's the weekend edition of the Bryan & Vinny Show~! We'll open up with a special HAPPY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FOR GRANNY~!, a celebration taking place during a massive thunderstorm. Hard to top fun like that, but we'll try with a review of a by-the-numbers episode of ECW, some more thoughts on TUF, and then, of course, an Impact review with Dixie Carter laying down the law, a million run-ins, inexplicable booking, some bright spots, and not nearly enough of Hulk Hogan and his nutty pals. All this and more on a one-hour plus edition of B&V~!

COUGHLIN: Strikeforce preview, Fedor the Liar

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:08:45 +0100

The Half-Guarded Truth

By: Mike Coughlin

FiveStarRadio8@aol.com

Fedor the Liar

Lying makes life easier. You tell your wife she looks skinny, your boss he's competent, and the police officer that you didn't know the speed limit. You don't want to lie, and you could probably get through the day if you didn't, but it sure smooths out life's road, doesn't it? However, what if you had to lie? What if instead of making things easier, lying was the only way to make things possible? I'm not talking about little white lies either, but the big ones. Instead of a you don't look fat, you lie I do love you, really. Would you still do it? Or would you figure out a different way to live your life?

Fedor Emelianenko is a liar. Every day, he has to lie to the media, to his friends, to his family, and to himself about how dangerous is his next fight. Brett Rogers is the latest lie Fedor has to tell. Fedor will earnestly tell everyone that Rogers is a quality fighter, one that he respects, and a man whom Fedor feels is a truly worthy challenger. Fedor will tell this lie, not to hype the fight and drive people to watch, but to ensure that he fights again.

There's an odd pattern to the life of elite professional fighters. They start strong, look dominant, and then they start to believe their own hype. Once that happens, they enjoy the spotlight a bit, maybe head out to a few more clubs than usual, and sacrifice a day or two of training here and there. As sure as the sun always rises, these fighters then lose a fight they shouldn't have lost. Many grow from the experience, some don't, but they all have a moment that knocks them back down the ladder for a bit. It happened to Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, and BJ Penn, to name three of the sport's current upper echelon. But it hasn't happened to Fedor.

It seems impossible that someone could be as good as Fedor, for as long as he's been on top, and not somehow realize he's the greatest heavyweight of all time. And yet, no fall. No slip. No loss to someone unworthy. How can he do this? How does a man this good find the will - every day - to get up and run with no company but the bitter cold and a gray Russian sunrise? How can he still slam a sledge hammer into a tire with the same passion he did a decade ago? How big a lie do you have to tell to make this all possible?

It's fear that drives a fighter to get better. They fear encountering a situation they're unprepared for and so they train and they train and they train. But at what point does a fighter stop having fear? For Fedor, what's left? He beat arguably the greatest heavyweight striker in MMA history in Mirko CroCop, the greatest heavyweight wrestler in MMA history in Mark Coleman, and the greatest heavyweight submission artist in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. He's defeated former UFC champions. He's won grand prix tournaments. He's come from behind to deliver stunning one-punch knock outs. After 31 professional fights, is there anything Fedor hasn't seen and done?

In Brett Rogers, we have a man groomed to be a challenger. He was the first man to ever fight (and win) on network television. He's finished every opponent, using nothing but his fists. Only one of his fights has gone past the first round. At a perfect 10-0, Rogers looks good on paper and he's been pushed, long and hard, as a top non-UFC heavyweight. But he's still someone that Fedor should have no trouble getting past. Rogers hasn't proven himself to be anything more than a big guy that hits hard. He has no athletic pedigree and no noticeable skills that set him apart from other heavyweights. He's big. He's mean. He hits like a refrigerator. That's it. Fedor has beaten men like this before. He's beaten better versions of Brett Rogers and he's made it look easy. Forget about beating Fedor, Rogers hasn't even proven himself worthy of fighting Fedor.

Modern fight fans, raised on years of meaningless boxing titles being fought over by everyone from Mike Tyson to the guy working at 7-11, probably don't remember a time when merely being a contender - let alone a champion - was something of which to be proud. In the classic movie On The Waterfront, when Marlon Brando utters the famous line, I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it. he wasn't being melodramatic, he was referencing something that everyone back then knew: to just be a contender was an honor, it meant you were special, it meant you were a somebody.

On Saturday, there's no title on the line. Fedor doesn't wear a belt; he is the belt. Should Fedor lose, it will be an event so rare and so incredible and so important in the history of MMA that it is arguably bigger than any single belt. If Rogers wins, it will rightfully be called the biggest upset in MMA history. Shouldn't such an opportunity only be given to somebody worthy? Rogers may be a challenger, but he's hasn't earned the title of contender. He's good enough to fight many, but should a guy whose career highlight was a 22 second fight with Andrei Arlovski be allowed to even accidentally defeat the sport's greatest fighter? I can say No. You can say No. But Fedor? He can only answer Yes. He has to continue living the lie.

Fedor projects the image of a humble man, but humility is the lie told in order to avoid complacency. He'll tell himself anything to avoid the trap that has snared so many others. So, he lies. He tells the lie so often that even he believes it. He lies because he must. For Fedor the Truth is the end of his reign. And therein lies the great irony of it all: the moment Fedor stops lying and accepts that he truly is the greatest of all time, he won't be.

Mike Coughlin is the host of Five Star Radio and Five Star TV, recently voted the internet's most listened to podcast and most watched internet-based TV show. He's a known liar.

Report from ROH TV tapings 11-5 Philadelphia

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:11:17 +0100

By Frank Douglas

Here are the results for the 11/5 ROH TV Tapings:

Dark Matches

Gino Giovanni Tomasso Ciapra defeated the Bravado Brothers

Alex Payne pinned Tony Nees

Grizzly Redwood Bobby Dempsey over John Kermon Andy Ridge

Show 1

Show starts with Jim Cornette most of the roster in the ring. Cornette announces the ROH/HD Net Pick 6 Challenge. Basically 12 wrestlers compete in 6 matches. The winners get a $2500 bonus and are the top 6 contenders for the ROH World Title. Austin Aries comes out to confront Cornette. Cornette tells Aries he’s tired of him hand picking his opponents and that ROH will be picking his opponents from now on. Aries says he’ll take on anyone tonight that Cornette picks. Cornette announces Aries defending against Kenny Omega, Roderick Strong Davey Richards in a 4 way.

Pick 6 Challenge Match:

Delirious over Kenny King

Lance Lewd over Steve Corino by forfeit. Corino refuses to wrestle Lewd because Cornette wants Corino to make an impact upon his return. Corino says he can’t make an impact fighting Lewd. After Lewd is announced as the winner, Corino lays him out.

Erik Stevens over Robbie Marcel

Pick 6 Challenge Match:

Tyler Black over Sonjay Dutt

Show 2

Shane Hagadorn introduces Chris Hero. Hero complains about not being in the Pick 6 Challenge. He says no one can match his size and the knockout power of his elbow. This brings out Claudio Castagnoli who says his European uppercut is better. Hero Castagnoli get into it when Jim Cornette arrives. He ends up putting Hero in the Pick 6.

Chris Hero over Kyle O’Reilly

Necro Butcher over Joey Ryan by dq when Ryan tossed powder in Necro’s eyes. Ryan, Prince Nana Ernie Osiris, who was sporting a new look, beat down Necro until Erik Stevens made the save.

Pick 6 Challenge Match:

Colt Cabana over Claudio Castagnoli

Show 3

Winners get a shot at the ROH Tag Titles at Final Battle:

The Briscoes over Kevin Steen El Generico

ROH Title:

Austin Aries over Omega, Strong Richards when Aries pinned Richards.

Pick 6 Challenge Matches for Friday Night:

Kenny Omega vs Chris Hero

Roderick Strong vs Davey Richards

Jay Briscoe vs Mark Briscoe

The show moved quick as they were done by 10pm. They only did an intermission between shows 1 2. Shows 2 3 were filmed straight through with no intermission between the two.

Frank Douglas