The WEI is a weekly look at the events that have made an impact, both positive and negative, on the world of oiled up, hairless men that pretend to hit each other that we all so love to watch. The range goes from 0-100 with 0 being a world in which every PPV is like Heroes of Wrestling while a perfect score of 100 would be wrestling nirvana.
Watch Brian Pillman wrestle a Giant Pencil. Only on YouTube could you find the late, great Brian Pillman match to the death against a giant pencil. Classic. WWE also gave out some big details on the upcoming Brian Pillman: Loose Cannon DVD. Besides the usual fantastic WWE documentary feature, which should be fun to say the least - as Pillman really was something worth watching in 1995-1996 (between his shoot comments on WCW booker Kevin Sullivan in their strap match, to his FUN~! ECW run which is where his loose cannon persona was at its zenith,) check out this incredible match list:
*Bruce Hart & Brian Pillman vs. Midnight Cowboys 4/23/88 for International tag team titles
*Pillman vs. Lex Luger 10/28/89 Halloween Havoc
*Pillman & Tom Zenk vs. The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin) 2/12/90
*The Hollywood Blondes (Pillman & Steve Austin) doing "A Flare for the Old" segment on WCW TV
*WAR GAMES~! 1991 with Pillman & Sting & Steiners vs. Four Horsemen
*Pillman vs. Ricky Morton 10/27/91
*Pillman & El Gigante vs. Barry Windham & Arn Anderson 6/12/91 loser leaves town match to lead to the Yellow Dog angle
*Pillman & Windham vs. Johnny Gunn & Tom Zenk 12/26/92
*The Hollywood Blondes (Pillman & Austin) vs. Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas 5/23/93
*WCW Thundercage with Pillman & Sting & Dustin Rhodes vs. Paul Orndorff & Austin & Rick Rude
*Pillman vs. Jushin Liger from the first mach of the very first episode of Nitro that was broadcast live from the Mall of America in Minnesota
*Pillman vs. Dean Malenko 1/22/96 Nitro
*Pillman vs. Eddie Guerrero 1/23/96 Clash of Champions (where Pillman scared Bobby Heenan half to death)
*Pillman vs. Austin 6/16/97 Raw
*7/6/97 Calgary Stampede Hart Foundation vs. Austin & Shamrock & LOD & Goldust – this match is notable for the most insane crowd reactions in the history of wrestling
*Pillman vs. Goldust 9/7/97
*Pillman vs. Liger 2/22/92 SuperBrawl from Milwaukee
Now THAT is a stacked line-up. Hopefully part of the bonus features will have the insane promos Pillman did during his cup of coffee with ECW. Loose Cannon is coming out in a couple weeks, so CLICK HERE if you want to pre-order it at 30% off. For the matches alone that's quite a deal.
Speaking of Pillman, I got a hold of the Pillman audio CD that I mentioned last week in WEI. So far this is some great stuff as Pillman doesn't hold back on any topic and totally goes into his lose cannon persona with the radio hosts, something that never gets old to me. There is also a rare interview with Melanie Pillman before Vince interviewed her to exploit Eddy Brian’s death! Highly recommended for Pillman fans and most wrestling fans in general would get a kick out of it. WEI Rating: +10
***With WWE's Unwatchable Unforgiven PPV coming up, it's time to take a look back at Sean Carless' recap of Unforgiven 2005. Chock full of Carless' blistering commentary and top notch photoshopping, So sit back and relive the magic of Kurt Angle vs. John Cena, Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Masters, and Lita vs. common decency.
***I put up a review this week of Ring of Honor's CAGE OF DEATH match against CZW from the Death Before Dishonor IV. The depth of the booking made this one of my favorite matches of the year. I'd write more, but that damn review will tell you everything you need to know, plus PICS!
Jimmy Yang makes embarrassing return to WWE: Dear lord, did you see Jimmy Yang's return to WWE in his Jimmy Wayne Yang gimmick? Yang now where's a jacket with the confederate flag and says he's a red neck that has no yellow in him. Yellow, of course, is a derogatory slang for Asians. How does this shit reach the air?! Coming from a former SmackDown recapper, who used to watch the show during its glory run when it was booked by Paul Heyman, I truly feel sorry for my brethren who watch this show every week. The guy with the dress. The Frenchmen. The Indian. The Asian redneck. THE FUCKING MIZ. Say a prayer for all of them. WEI Rating: - 2
Claudio Castagnoli with brief appearance on Raw: Claudio Castagnoli, who along with partner Chris Hero, makes up one of independent wrestling's best tag teams in the Kings of Wrestling. Castagnoli also had a huge part in the Ring of Honor Cage of Death match I mentioned above. This week Claudio played a bit part on Raw in the role of a cop that Shane McMahon used to threaten DX. With a lot of talent and a great look, I'm surprised Claudio hasn't been offered a deal by "New York" yet. Regardless, it's good to see him on a high profile show. WEI Rating: + 1
***Big ups to the boys at the Sinking Ship for the screencap. I swear to God I'll get around to reviewing that book soon.
***Can't get enough of TNA announcer Don West? Well, after checking out Don West dot Org, you'll never be the same again. I was once suckered into buying some autographed football cards after staying up too late and being mesmerized by a five star Don West sales pitch. For God's sake, I don't even like Joe Montana! I wonder if TNA will every get West to do the hard sell for PPVs like they did back during the first year of the company. I kind of miss those. Seeing West trying to sell a PPV that was based around Erik Watts, David Flair, and Brian Lawler like it was UFC's Ken Shamrock vs. Tito was quite the deal to watch.
TNA announces Best of X-Division 2 DVD: Here's the hype: The no-limits stars of TNA’s X Division continue to revolutionize the sport of professional wrestling. With moves never before witnessed inside a ring, these daredevils are among the most exciting athletes in all of sports. On this DVD, you’ll witness the best of X Division stars such as Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Chris Sabin, Petey Williams and many more in some of the most action-packed bouts in TNA Wrestling history. “The end of 2006 will feature perhaps the best lineup of new TNA DVDs that any wrestling fan could ask for,” said Bill Banks, who produces TNA’s home videos. “With ‘Sting: Return Of An Icon’, ‘The Best Of The X Division, Volume 2’ and ‘TNA’s 50 Greatest Moments’ all hitting stores in October and November, we’re certainly closing out the year with some tremendous releases”.
The following is a tentative lineup of all the matches featured on the upcoming four-hour DVD release: A look back at the near year-long war between Samoa Joe, AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels for the X Division Championship, including exclusive commentary from each and match highlights from their epic battles!
1. Impact: Three-Way Match - Christopher Daniels vs. Matt Bentley vs. Austin Aries
2. Impact: Four-Way Match – Chris Sabin vs. Petey Williams vs. Austin Aries vs. Alex Shelley
3. Destination X: International X Showcase - Chris Sabin vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Petey Williams vs. Puma
4. Impact: AJ Styles vs. Jay Lethal
5. Lockdown: Xscape Match - Chris Sabin vs. Petey Williams vs. Puma vs. Chase Stevens vs. Shark Boy vs. Elix Skipper
6. Impact: World X Cup Match - Team USA (Sonjay Dutt & Alex Shelley) vs. Team Japan (Goto & Tanaka)
7. Impact: Four Way Match - Senshi vs. Jay Lethal vs. Alex Shelley vs. Shark Boy
8. Slammiversary: Contender’s Match - Sonjay Dutt vs. Alex Shelley vs. Senshi vs. Jay Lethal vs. Petey Williams vs. Shark Boy
9. Impact: X Championship Match - Samoa Joe vs. Senshi vs. Sonjay Dutt
10. Hard Justice: Senshi vs. Petey Williams vs. Jay Lethal
11. Impact: Chris Sabin, Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt vs. The Paparazzi and Petey Williams There's some pretty good matches on this DVD. If only they had the jaw droppingly funny Kevin Nash promos with Alex Shelley. "Send me your email address and we'll email each other. LOL we're laughing out loud!" CLICK HERE for more information, including a video preview or Click this link if you'd like to buy the DVD. And while you're at it, check out the Best of the X Division vol. 1 DVD. That had some great shit as well. WEI Rating: + 1
***Did you know that Batista was banging 'Rat Search contestant Rebecca DiPiertro? I remember reading the feel good story of Batista sticking by his wife after her battle with cancer. Low and behold I read the following on Yahoo of all places. I can't believe I read three dirtsheets a week and countless websites and yet I'm STILL OUT OF THE FUCKING LOOP. Anyway, big thanks to Vincent Carolan for pointing that one out.
Read Matt Hardy's mailbag on WWE.com: That's right, everyone's favorite wrestler with Mattitude sat down to answer some of the burning questions his fans have had while recovering from his staph infection. Here's a sample:
Matt, I've always wanted to know, what do you keep in the cargo pockets of your wrestling gear? - Ryan from Fairfield, CT
Matt's Response: Actually, there is one thing that I always keep in my cargo pockets while wrestling: my hair tie (if I'm not wearing it, that is). If I am wrestling and my hair is down, you can rest assured that my hair tie is in my pocket. After thinking about it, maybe I should start carrying foreign objects in my pocket and illegally improve my win-loss record.
Want more? Check out the link above. WEI Rating: it's a wash
The Krone Meltzer revolution is spreading: We're all doomed. Remember earlier this year when I plugged the goofy YouTube videos starring Krone Meltzer? If not, you gotta check them out as they are insanely funny. Next thing you know, over at Smarks Choice, Krone has his own message board folder, including one thread dedicated to Krone Meltzer's origin story! Now you can find out all the lurid details on how the nefarious IWC turned Krone Meltzer into what he is today. This Man, This Monster. WEI Rating: + 1
***If you got FIVE THOUSAND dollars burning a hole in your pocket, why not head over to WWE's auction site and bid on Ashley's boots. I can't even see myself paying $500 for those, and that would include a night with Ashley and a happy ending.
You gotta read A Day in the Life of Paul London and Brian Kendrick: Every time WWE.com makes me want to scream, they go ahead and print something like this, a diary written by Paul London and Brian Kendrick. Totally insane, but in a good way. Where else are you going to see the term Intergalactic Karate Kid? God bless Paul London. I half expected to see an ROH logo in the hand written notes along with a get me out of here! notation. WEI Rating +3
Chris Jericho first contestant out on Celebrity Duet. Well, that was sure a fucking surprise. I actually gave this show a chance and found it to be one of the absolute worst shows I have ever watched on TV. Who the hell wants to see see Cheech Marin sing?!! WEI Rating: - 4
WWE fires Kurt Angle. Releases Kurt Angle ECW mouthguard on ShopZone. Talk about a Welcome to Wrestlng story if there ever was one.
Your Internet Audio update for this week:
Dr. Keith Show - with special guests Steve Corino and the NECRO BUTCHER~!
James Guttman's Radio Free Insanity - with special guest, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
Between the Ropes - Not even Hurricane Ernesto can keep Fritz, Dickerman, and Vito from the 740 The Team studio for Between The Ropes. This week, the guys have a packed show covering all of the latest in sports entertainment from UFC 62 to WWE’s release of Kurt Angle. To cover that story, Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor DAVE MELTZER joined the guys live to provide all of the behind the scenes details of WWE’s decision and also TNA’s Brother Devon returned to the show to talk about the situation as a friend of Angle. In the first hour, Simon Diamond made his annual visit to the show to discuss his TNA future and preview the upcoming Notre Dame college football season.
Wrestling Mayhem -
Last week's Wrestling Enjoyment Index: 43
This week's net change: + 12
Current enjoyment level: 55
Don't forget to check out Derek's Weekly Enjoyment Index, Gimmick Table columns, Opinion Pieces, MySpace page~! and goofy stuff on The Wrestling Fan.
Special thanks to the Dr.Keith Show's Keith Lipinski, SmackDown main man Mike Roe, and The Wrestling Fan's Sean Carless, and the one and only This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for their help in making this week's WEI a reality.
Billionaire philanthropist Derek Burgan, who fights crime when not writing DVD reviews, has been watching wrestling since he was ten years old. If you have any questions, corrections, feedback, or goofy ideas, Derek Burgan can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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