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PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 8:46 pm    Post subject: Brock Lesnar & WWE Reach Lawsuit Settlement

Dave Meltzer has reported that the lawsuit between Brock Lesnar and World Wrestling Entertainment has finally come to a close and that the two parties have reached a settlement agreement on the non-compete dispute.

For the past two years, Brock Lesnar has been trying to get out of the no-compete clause he signed after WWE granted him a release from his conntract so he could persue his dream of playing in the NFL. The no-compete clause stated that Lesnar would not be able to participate in anything related to professional wrestling or ultimate fighting until the year 2010.

While full details are not yet available, it is understood that Lesnar will be able to compete in wrestling overseas as well as ultimate fighting, with certain stipulations that were agreed upon. While this is a big victory for Brock Lesnar, the settlement does come with many restrictions.

The main restriction is that the former WWE Champion will not be able to work for TNA Wrestling. However, Lesnar is said to be considering Mixed Martial Arts, now that he is legally able.

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 8:47 pm    Post subject: Details on Lawsuit Settlement Between Brock Lesnar and WWE

The following was derived from The Twin Cities Business Journal:

Brock Lesnar and World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. have agreed to settle a lawsuit regarding a non-competition agreement he signed after he quit wrestling in March 2004.

Lesnar, a former WWE champion, filed the lawsuit in February 2005, asking the court to rule the non-competition agreement unenforceable. The WWE responded by asking the court to prohibit Lesnar from competing as a professional wrestler, "sports entertainer" or ultimate fighter anywhere in the world until mid-2010.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

David Bradley Olsen, an attorney with Minneapolis-based Henson & Efron, represented Lesnar on the case.

"Although the settlement with WWE does not give Brock the clear-cut court victory he was looking for, it does provide him with the certainty he needs to pursue new ventures while he is still in his athletic prime," Olsen said in a statement.

Lesnar, who wrestled at the University of Minnesota before joining the WWE, has been wrestling professionally in Japan since last fall. He is considering a variety of career options, including mixed martial arts competition, movies and television.

"Lesnar is not considering a return to WWE at this time," Olsen said.

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 8:47 pm    Post subject: Update on the Return of DX; Who Will & Will Not Be Part of the Reunion

There have been a lot of murmurs of reforming Degeneration-X. However, but we have learned that it’s not a definite lock. Word has it that writers want to re-introduce the stable as babyfaces and a part of Triple H’s turn. But no word on Shawn Michaels being any part of the group, what with his strong religious beliefs now, HBK just wouldn’t be too thrilled about re-surfacing the old “degenerate-Shawn”.

Of course B.G. James (Road Dogg) and Kip James (Billy Gunn) wouldn’t be brought back into WWE for the reformation, as they both have strong commitments with TNA. Sean “X-Pac” Waltman on the other hand would be strongly considered to sign on and be a part of the reunion with Triple H.

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 8:47 pm    Post subject: Sabu Signs With WWE, News On Sabu & ECW

Sabu has officially signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. Best known for his run in ECW, Sabu wrestled for TNA Wrestling as recent as last night at their Lockdown PPV, losing clean to Samoa Joe.

Sabu's agreement is for one year with the option to renew for a second year. Sabu will be wrestling at the upcoming ECW One Night Stand PPV in June and will be appearing on WWE television along with several other ECW stars in the weeks leading up to the ECW event.

It was reported this week that ECW would be returning as a fulltime promotion later this year, most likely in September. Expect Sabu to return home to his hardcore roots.

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 8:48 pm    Post subject: More Details on Sabu’s One Year Contract WWE

To follow up on Mike’s earlier report on Sabu signing with WWE, the webmaster of Sabu’s official website has confirmed that the former ECW superstar has signed a one year contract with WWE. The signing is also being reported on OfficialSabu.com.

Sabu’s WWE deal is in the mail to him now and he has verbally agreed to sign it, as is the case with other former ECW talents that WWE plans to bring in for the return of the promotion. If you didn’t catch it over the weekend, the ECW deals are one year deals with two rollover years upon WWE’s discretion.

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 8:49 pm    Post subject: Latest Details on Hardcore Bob Holly’s Serious Injury

Thanks to Gabe Smith for sending this along:

From the Hardcore Holly Message board:

Here's the latest on Bob's situation...
---
The staph infection he got in the ring around August of last year turned into MSRA , they thought they had cured it, but when he had surgery on his right elbow in February it came back full force landing him back in the hospital in March. Everything seemed to be going ok until around the 7th or 8th of April when he came down with what we thought was a bad case of the flu (fever, chills, and then his arm began to swell). We went back to the doctor and he was admitted directly to the hospital that night and emergency surgery was scheduled the next morning. We stayed in the hospital until they put a PIC line in and got the results of the cultures back from surgery showing it was indeed still the MSRA which had gotten into his blood and also embedded his elbow joint. Unfortunately the only antibiotic that will probably get rid of it once and for all has to be administered by IV once every 12 hours for about the next 6 weeks. He has been on and off antibiotics since September of last year fighting this infection when he first got it, which really created a super strain infection resistant to everything they have given him. Now we are fighting along with that damage to other organs probably caused from such strong meds. They are monitoring him closely here at home, taking blood every other day now, delivering the medication to us daily, and at least trying to let him be here instead of at the hospital. The results on Friday were a little scary and they started him on an additional medication because his platelet level and potassium level were very high. Hopefully things will start to turn around and they will get this all out of his system without any long term damage to his kidneys.
---
We encourage all Bob Holly fans to support Bob in this tough time! Any cards or anything from fans to cheer him up would be great! He is so ready to be back in the ring and all of this is very disheartening. He is a fighter and wants to be back to the ring and like I said we encourage you to drop Bob a note. The website (www.bobhollyacademy.com) has the address! Thanks everyone!

Gabe added this:

Being an EMT I wanted to give a little insight on the MSRA virus. This is a virus that is usually found in hospitals (scary thought) and can be VERY deadly. About 10% of people who get MSRA will die of complications from the infections that it can cause. This is not just a case of a wrestling being a little sick. This can possibly end an athlete's career. Just to give an idea of how bad that this situation MAY be. If y'all are praying people, send one out for him.

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 8:49 pm    Post subject: More on Bob Holly’s Condition, Batista Update, Stacy Appearing for WWE?

WWE.com has an interview online with Bob Holly talking about his health and medical ordeal that he has been through. As I reported here on the site, his problems started with an infection in his arm that never fully heeled where things eventually escalated to a situation where it was life threatening. Holly is still in jeopardy of losing his arm. Doctors have prescribed strong IV antibiotics and are administering them on a daily basis for the next three weeks. Holly’s condition remains extremely serious and we certainly wish him the best in a full recovery.

Batista will make a very rare independent appearance with Maryland Championship Wrestling at their Xtreme Measures show on Sunday, May 7th. The former champion will join Diamond Dallas Page, Spike Dudley, Kanyon, Chris Sabin, amongst others. For those wondering on Batista’s injury status, he said to be close to retuning to action in WWE.

It is interesting to note that Stacy Keibler is being advertised in The Belfast Telegraph as to making an appearance at Easons today to sign copies of “Divas Uncovered.” Other divas slated to appear include Candice Michelle, Torrie Wilson, Crystal, and Jillian Hall. From what we know, Stacy is prepared to let her WWE contract expire this summer to leave the wrestling business to pursue other opportunities. It will definitely be interesting to see if Keibler makes today’s WWE appearance.

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 9:33 pm    Post subject: ECW vs. WWE TV Special In The Works for USA Network

There are plans to have a WWE vs. ECW "Head to Head" special on the USA Network the week of the ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view. The special will likely be taped on 6/7 in Dayton, Ohio, which at one point was scheduled to be a Smackdown taping. There is no confirmed word on when the special would air.

On the WWE websit, the Dayton show is listed as a "RAW Live" event. There are no SmackDown tapings listed for the week, so it seems as WWE is still trying to finalized the plans for that week. Tickets for the Dayton event go on sale on 5/6.

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 9:35 pm    Post subject: Update on ECW vs. WWE Special Airing on USA Network

To update you on Henry’s earlier report, the USA Network’s schedule for Wednesday, June 7th lists the 9 pm – 11 pm timeslot as “To Be Announced.” Speculation has arose that will be the time that the ECW vs. WWE Head to Head special will air, making it a two hour special. Whether the show will be live or on tape delay remains to be seen.

It is worth nothing that the 2 am replay slot of AM RAW is now also listed as “To Be Announced” on the USA Network’s website for all of June, which looks like that WWE maybe considering putting ECW in that timeslot. Nothing has been confirmed at this point.

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 9:36 pm    Post subject: Latest On ECW's Return and Vince McMahon Plans

Vince McMahon made the decision to bring back the ECW brand after he seen how quickly the high priced tickets were selling for this year's ECW PPV. Tommy Dreamer reached out to a lot of the former ECW talent to put together a roster.

It is being said that WWE does not have any real current plans for ECW yet, and are unsure what they will do with the brand as far as TV or storylines go.

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 9:37 pm    Post subject: WWE Booking ECW Venues, Cole’s New Position, Heyman/ECW Update, more

WWE is trying to book house shows in venues that were used by Extreme Championship Wrestling. Cities under consideration include Philadelphia (trying to book the ECW Arena for June 24th), Detroit, Chicago, Poughkeepsie, Buffalo, Cleveland, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, New York (venues include the Hammerstein Ballroom), Tampa, Long Isand, as well as various venues throughout Pittsburgh and New Jersey.

WWE sent a text message out to their mobile subscribers reporting that Michael Cole has been named the new “Managing Editor” of the official WWE website.

Paul Heyman was not at last night’s OVW television tapings in Louisville due to meetings with WWE executives concerning the resurrection of ECW. Al Snow was in charge for the night, however, Heyman did write the script for TV.

Hulk Hogan is scheduled to make an appearance on Jay Leno on May 3rd.

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 9:38 pm    Post subject: Big News On Rob Van Dam's ECW PPV Opponent

The current plan for the upcoming ECW PPV in June is for Rob Van Dam to cash in his Money in the Bank contract against John Bradshaw Layfield for the World Heavyweight championship. This scenario requires Rey Mysterio to drop the title to JBL before the show. RVD has yet to announce who he will face for their title and would not do so until after the title change. Challenging JBL for his title would require RVD to jump to SmackDown.

There had been previous talk about having RVD face the winner of Sunday's Backlash main event. However, there is an issue with Van Dam facing each of the three possible opponents. Triple H is on the verge of turning face and getting such major negative heat on him conflicts with that. John Cena also doesn't need that negativity while he's already fighting on a weekly basis for the fans approval. Edge has little history with RVD and minimal history with ECW. Edge's only history with ECW was appearing at last year's One Night Stand PPV as part of the anti-ECW crusaders. The leader of that pack was John Bradshaw Layfield. He was the most outspoken about ECW last year and it is expected that his tirade will pick up once again very shortly, making him the perfect target for RVD.
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 9:39 pm    Post subject: WWE Confirms ECW vs WWE Show & No RAW Preemption This Week

The USA Network will get extreme on Wednesday night, June 7, when it brings to you WWE vs. ECW Head to Head. This two-hour special will feature Superstars from RAW, SmackDown and ECW and will originate from the Nutter Center in Dayton, OH.

Adam Lebow sent in the following:

There will be NO RAW preemption this week due to the NHL on TSN in Canada. Next week (May8), Raw is tentatively set to start on tape delay at 10 p.m., with an immediate replay at midnight.

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 9:40 pm    Post subject: New ECW Show To Replace Velocity On WWE.com

Last week word broke that Vince McMahon has made the decision to bring back Extreme Championship Wrestling as a full-time entity, beyond the annual "One Night Stand" PPV events. This week, WWE announced that the USA Network will air a 2-hour primetime special the Wednesday night before the One Night Stand PPV called "WWE vs. ECW: Head to Head" that will feature interpromotional matches. Now, we have even more news regarding the future of ECW programming.

After several long meetings this week, one of the big decisions made by Vince McMahon was for a new weekly ECW show to replace Velocity on WWE.com.

Currently, WWE tapes matches for Velocity right before SmackDown! at the weekly television tapings to air exclusively on WWE.com. In a few months, instead of matches taped for Velocity, they will tape ECW matches instead. The matches will air on ECW.com for the time being, until they can secure a weekly national television slot.

The latest plan is to relaunch the ECW brand a few weeks after ECW One Night Stand PPV in June. WWE is actively making an effort to book the former "ECW Arena" (recently rennovated and now known as the New Alhambra Sports and Entertainment Complex) for Saturday, June 24th. This would be the first ECW house show in over 5 years.

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 9:41 pm    Post subject: Wrestling News by Lakerfan 4 Life

I've gotten a copy of the new ECW Poster I am sending along as well as the preview for the cable company. I hope this helps.

The ECW PPV Poster & Preview has been released. The poster itself features Rob Van Dam jumping off a ladder while holding his "Money In The Bank" case. It also features the red ECW logo with a white and black background and bobwire cutting through the middle of the poster as RVD leaps off the ladder.

The preview associated with the poster also confirms basically that RVD will use his "Money in the Bank" title shot, but does not indicate who he will face at this point. Here is the preview itself:

Rob Van Dam returns to ECW to cash in his “Money in the Bank” title shot, but will he cash in on the WWE Championship? See what happens when the action gets extreme, at ECW’s One Night Stand, Sunday, June 11th at 8pm ET/5pm PT, live and only on Pay-Per-View. Go to ECW.com for more details.

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 9:44 pm    Post subject: Kurt Angle Injured At SmackDown!, Will Miss Time

WWE.com is reporting that Kurt Angle has suffered a broken rib at the hands of Mark Henry on SmackDown! They have announced that Angle will be out for an indefinite period of time. Because of the injury, Angle has been forced to withdraw from the King of the Ring tournament and Booker T will advance to the finals in his place.

It has been rumored for the past week that Kurt Angle's neck has been bothering him a great deal lately. Because of WWE's new Wellness Program, Angle has been forced to seriously cut back on his intake of pain killer pills.

While this has allowed the pain to catch up with him and is one of the factors forcing him to take time off, there are many backstage who are very grateful that Angle is feeling pain .. reason being, pain is the body's way of telling you that you're pushing yourself too hard. Angle is notorious for working through the most crippling injuries because of his love of the sport. Angle has said before, he will not quit wrestling until his body physically gives out on him. Hopefully now, Angle can rest up and tend to his injuries instead of simply masking their pain so he can continue damaging his body.

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 9:45 pm    Post subject: Latest on Kurt Angle’s Real Injury; Neck Problems, more

To update you on Kurt Angle, he will be out of action for a few weeks due to chronic neck problems, not a rib injury. WWE.com (now managed by Michael Cole) is undergoing a new direction to be more storyline oriented. The official website reported earlier that the former champion suffered broken ribs from Mark Henry, which is part of the television angle.

Although Angle is working through some type of rib injury in addition to other problems, the time off was planned to let him heal from various other injuries, more specifically, chronic neck pain.

We’ll have more information on Kurt’s injury as it becomes available.

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PostPosted: Tue May 02, 2006 3:05 pm    Post subject:

What's up with that Giant dude now? I haven't been watching.

I tivo'ed TNA wrestling.....they had Lex Luger and Buff Bagwell up in there.....I can see the outsiders returning? Wooo!
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PostPosted: Thu May 04, 2006 10:37 am    Post subject: Main Event For ECW One Night Stand PPV Revealed

According to Dave Meltzer, the decision is final and John Cena will be Rob Van Dam’s opponent in the main event match at the ECW One Night Stand PPV this June.

Apparently WWE will be using this opportunity to officially turn John Cena heel after being booed by fans for months. It also appears that this will be when RVD will cash in his “Money In The Bank” title shot, thus indicating that Cena will continue to retain the WWE Heavyweight Championship.

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PostPosted: Fri May 05, 2006 10:57 am    Post subject: WWE Announces The Signing of Five Major ECW Superstars

As first reported by WWE’s new mobile alert system, ECW has signed the following:

Sabu
Jazz
Axl Rotten
Balls Mahoney
C.W. Anderson

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PostPosted: Mon May 08, 2006 12:47 pm    Post subject: Tommy Dreamer Signs New WWE Contract; Returning to the Ring

Dave Scherer is reporting that Tommy Dreamer has signed a new wrestler’s contract with WWE to wrestle in the new ECW. For now, it looks as if Dreamer will also continue his duties with Ohio Valley Wrestling.

Dreamer has been a major part of the new ECW as he will be in charge of the project alongside Paul Heyman and has now agreed to return to the ring for the company.

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PostPosted: Mon May 08, 2006 12:47 pm    Post subject: Kurt Angle To Be Sent Home, RAW Airs Live on TSN

WWE has pulled Kurt Angle off the road and off any scheduled shows for the time being. WWE wants to give Angle some time to recover. Angle is in constant pain from neck problems, something he may need to deal with for the rest of his career. Sources close to Angle say that his injuries are considered to be worse than Steve Austin’s. Austin retired from Wrestling due to neck problems and even now is hesitant to return for even one match in risk of damaging his neck further or paralysis.

Recently during the European tour, Angle was spotted having trouble lifting his luggage. He then openly admitted that he is in debilitating pain. Despite that, he never gave any inclination of “wanting” time off. He knows he’s a big draw on the WWE cards, so he wanted to finish all scheduled matches before asking for some vacation time. Management grew so worried of Angle’s situation they insisted he be sent home for rest and relaxation.

With Batista sidelined with injuries and Randy Orton suspended, Angle was definitely needed to add star power to the SmackDown line up. WWE made the decision to schedule JBL vs. Rey Mysterio for Judgment Day, just in case Angle couldn’t make it. Nonetheless, Angle is expected to return to WWE Television on May 16 at the SmackDown taping in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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PostPosted: Mon May 08, 2006 12:47 pm    Post subject: Mick Foley’s Heel Turn, Henry/WWE Contract, SmackDown Notes

It has been said that Mick Foley is expected to turn heel leading into his new angle for the ECW One Night Stand PPV. It is unknown at this point whether or not it will happen tonight; however, is something that will happen in the near future.

Contradicting previous reports, it appears as if Mark Henry has not signed a new contract with WWE. We apologize for the error.

SmackDown will pre-empted again this Friday night in New York due to MLB baseball. SmackDown will instead air on Saturday at 8 pm.

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PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2006 7:22 pm    Post subject:

JBL is great. I know the WWE is setting him up to lose to Rey Mysterio at Judgment Day, but I can honestly say I hope he beats Rey for the title. He's just such an entertaining SOB.
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PostPosted: Sat May 13, 2006 12:10 am    Post subject: Rob Van Dam Talks About ECW & WrestleMania

May 12, 2006 - Rob Van Dam sits down at the table across from me, puts down his Money in the Bank briefcase, and forget ECW, Cena, and hardcore matches, the second he sits down I really only want to ask one question: What does he keep inside his briefcase?

RVD laughs, spins the case around and says "Look inside" as he pops it open. It was my Pulp Fiction moment of the day where I almost expected the case to have an ominous glow. Instead, I found out that RVD is a neat packer, nicely folded shirt, what looked like some mints, and of course, the Intercontinental belt.

"You're a traveler, you're allowed two carry-ons, so you can't carry an empty bag around if you live on the road and you carry all your sh*t with you."

Rob Van Dam was in L.A. this week for E3 to check out WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 and sat down with a group of reporters to talk about everything from the return of ECW to the signing of Sabu.

Here are some of the highlights…

On his videogame habits…

I don't play too many current videogames. I never learned how to play any of the current systems. As a kid I was a fan, and I still 'ooh and aw' when I walk into an arcade at the mall and I have all of the systems at home but they are mostly for relatives or kids who come over to visit or play. The only time I actually get to play the games is when I'm doing something at an appearance like Wrestlemania where we have a contest where we play against each other or against the fans.

On what to expect from his character fighting in the crowd in WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007…

When I'm out in the crowd, I'm just as comfortable as when I'm in the ring because I'm not afraid of hitting the floor any different than hitting the canvas. So you can expect to see a moonsault off of anything moonsaultable out there. I'll be looking around at the railings or whatever else is around there. And one thing about being in the crowd…there's always chairs nearby.

On what legend he would include in the next game…

I guess it's not a WWE wrestler but the Sheik comes to mind. The Original Sheik, of course he trained me and has passed so it would be interesting to see that. He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame and so I'm going to stick with that.

On whether or not the Hall of Fame is a fair reflection of wrestling history…

It's a piece of the puzzle or the overall picture. It's a great thing. It's a very happy night for myself. Being in the business for nearly 17 years now, it's great to go back in time 20 years ago, and that's what I do when I see those wrestlers inducted that inspired me when I was a fan. It's important for me to step back like that and I realize that at least once a year at the Hall of Fame. There are always going to be other wrestlers who deserve to be in there who seemed to get passed by or whatever, but that's why I say it's just a piece of it and overall, every year if you keep inducting people, then hopefully it will come around to everybody who deserves that honor.

On who else he would like to see inducted into the Hall of Fame…


I would like to see Randy "Macho Man" Savage. That was definitely during the era when I was really getting into wrestling sometime before turning it on first and deciding that's what I wanted to do. Randy Savage was a huge part, so he is my number one pick of guys who are alive I would like to see get inducted.

On whether or not he still has the same enthusiasm for wrestling as he once had…

It's a different passion. It's a different enthusiasm. You can't, at least I can't feel exactly the same as I did about it. I started right out of high school so I've been doing this for my entire adult life. I'll turn 36 this year, and basically, when I was young, I wanted to travel. I hadn't seen the world yet. I wanted to get out there and I wanted to see all of the pretty ladies all over the world…and that hasn't stopped. [laughs] I didn't have any goals that I had to achieve to live out my dream. I wanted to be part of it, but I didn't know whether I'd stay wrestling for three years or five years or how far I would make it or if I'd ever win a championship. I didn't know that going in, so now after accomplishing everything that I have and being in kick ass videogames like this and having my image portrayed over 40 action figures and seeing how my image is part of many other cultures, not only ours when I travel around the world, that's really cool. That stuff, that motivates me and keeps me in touch with how I reflect other people's lives or how they're touched by me. Aside from that, if I don't get the feedback from the fans or cross over and see how I've impacted their lives, then it can be a job. I fly over 200 flights a year. It's 52 weeks a year. Probably an average of four different towns a week. Sometimes way many more. Sometimes it's ten days in a row. Sometimes I might get a Friday off, too, but it never stops, and every night it's about giving 100% and being professional. If I'm wrestling in L.A. today, my fans have been waiting two months for me to come and they don't want to know about the 32 matches I've had since they bought their ticket. They think I've been excited about this particular night so if I'm tired, if I have an upset stomach, if I have a sprained ankle, if I have a headache…none of that is going to show if I can help it because I'm out there to give and show exactly what you paid to see. The enthusiasm and the passion and such, it changes, and the game changes. It goes sometimes from showing everything you've got to just going out and doing your part. Definitely, I can't think of a 9-5er I would trade it for.

On when he plans to cash in his Money in the Bank…

I'm thinking that I'm going to cash it in really soon. [laughs] I think I'm going to cash it in really soon. I carry the briefcase down to the ring with me every night because you just never know, an opportunity could fall into place. But if I'm really looking and trying to strategize, I can't think of a better night where I would be at the most advantageous than in my own forum, ECW. I'm very stoked about that.

On how difficult it was to sit out and not be able to participate in ECW One Night Stand last year…

It broke my heart. I didn't know if there would ever be another night like that One Night Stand because the idea was to just do it this one time. That would've been my chance to show everybody, because ECW had never been seen by WWE's platform, from their stage ever before. This was the one time where I could've been seen ECW style, which is of course when I'm at my best, but to the entire world because over 100 countries get to see WWE's product. I made it happen. It was my dream and it was my idea to even do this, to have ECW One Night Stand, so to have it all come to a reality and me to not be able to wrestle on it truly broke my heart. I still felt the spirit. It was a great night, one of my favorite nights in the business over the last five years, but definitely this year being able to wrestle adds a whole hell of a lot to it, both for me and for the fans.

On if the return of ECW can live up to what people remember about the product…

I'm very optimistic about a lot of stuff but I don't have any definites yet and I don't know exactly what to expect. I have a lot of questions, but the ECW spirit has never died, even when the idea had been vacated for months and months at a time, it was almost like a burning ember that would catch flame again. It looks like it's going to burn the house down right now.

On the WWE signing Sabu…

I think it's about time. All of the other organizations have got bought up or dried up and it's basically just WWE that represents what professional wrestling is for us now. There is of course TNA, which is way down here and WWE is way up here, but you can't compare them and say they're competition by any measurable standards. And because WWE is all there is right now, I feel like we've got the best of the best in the business. It's very prestigious sitting at the table and eating a WWE dinner right now. A few years ago when there was AWA, WCW, ECW, WWF…there was room for guys who weren't that good, and girls who weren't that good. Sometimes I would watch one of these other shows and I thought what they were doing just looked horrible. I thought the people had no business being in the ring. I thought these people needed to go back to school for another five years, and yet, I felt like people were going to watch that and think that's what I do. I was always defending myself saying, no, you've gotta watch me, you gotta see ECW, that's not what we do. I was insulted. Now, basically, that's gone. There's not room for people who suck anymore. We basically have the best people who are current and some of the key figures who have been important in wrestling history over the last ten years or so, and I definitely think there's room for Sabu. I also think that he's going to prove a lot of the hesitation people have about him wrong. A lot of people are curious if he can go at it full time at the physical level that he's known for doing, because we haven't seen him do it for a while. I think this is his chance to show, and I think he's going to impress…and I think I'm going to have some kick ass matches with him.

On the Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior DVD…

I watched the DVD and found it very entertaining. I felt the overall message might have been intended to make me as the watcher feel like Ultimate Warrior destroyed himself or that he was less than admirable, but it didn't come across that way at all. Watching the DVD brings out the mark in all of us who used to watch Ultimate Warrior back in the day. Watching him when he was at his peak, when he was doing those truly crazy promos, and he was nuts, but it reminded me of being a kid and watching that, and it actually made me thankful for the time that he was here. Hearing the wrestlers perspective, the guys that had to wrestle with him at the time, they have a completely different story because he was the one making the money and they were the ones dancing around him making him look good. There have been other wrestlers that fit his exact same shoes since then, but watching what he did have to offer, his uniqueness, his one of a kind nature, which it was, was definitely, definitely entertaining. I enjoyed the DVD and I wonder, of course, just like everybody else, what kind of feelings came out from the ripple effects of him and everyone shooting on each other.

On his favorite comic book character…


Ghost Rider. I'm one of the biggest Ghost Rider fans ever. He's been a hobby of mine ever since I was seven years old. I actually have a whole room in my house dedicated to Ghost Rider memorabilia. I go on the Internet and get crazy. I have every action figure, every t-shirt, the watch, the ring, the earring. Anything with the trademarked symbol. I'm also a big Ice Man fan. When it comes to X-Men, Ice Man is my favorite.

On TNA's X-Division…

Samoa Joe is a good friend of mine and I'm very impressed with his in-ring abilities. AJ Styles is very good too, I'm impressed with him as well, and for years and years, fans have told me that they want to see an RVD/AJ Styles match. If that ever comes to pass, I'm sure it will be good. I've had a good match with Christopher Daniels a few years ago, I've actually wrestled against him. I like a lot of the talent TNA has and I like the fact that they're trying to be different than WWE because I think the contrast in styles is important. Like when ECW One Night Stand hit last year, everybody else kind of picked their game up. Everybody else got a rub off of that and attacked with that same spirit for the audience. I say stay true to what you are and what you stand for and TNA is trying to be the new cutting edge, extreme group. Trying to go after those fans who were left lonely when ECW vacated them, and it looks like they don't get to keep them if ECW comes back around. It will bring those fans who were left alone, it will bring them back out too, and it's going to make it hard for the guys who think they were going to capitalize on the momentum of ECW. They still will, but there's only one ECW, so even if it's ECW 2006, just the depth that will go along with that, it's going to be something that nobody else can even compete with.

On if the new ECW roster should only consist of former ECW stars…

No, that would not work. That's something that, last year, was talked about a lot. Right after One Night Stand because it was such a huge success, because it had so much momentum, people were like 'Oh yeah, I heard it's going to take place at Smackdown', and of course, I had some ideas of my own and if I wasn't out on injury, I would've been trying to talk Vince into doing something. I really thought that through, but it wouldn't work with just the old ECW guys…half of them are dead and half of them should be dead. [laughs] Last year it was about history. It was about bringing everybody back to that moment in time, and if you weren't there, then you don't belong. It was a love night. This new idea of brining it back for today would have to involve recruiting new guys and making it current while having enough of the original players to carry the spirit through. And with Paul and Dreamer behind it, it can't be bad.

On the Edge/Mick Foley hardcore match at Wrestlemania…

I thought it was good. It was a good hardcore match and they did some really impressive 'Oh sh*t' worthy spots. The thumbtacks, of course, is incredible. It was awesome for me just to see a hardcore match brought back. It had been so long since there had been a hardcore match. I was depressed when they retired the hardcore belt, to my musing none the less, and gave the belt to Mick Foley to keep. The fact that it was a hardcore match got me excited and it was a good demonstration of a hardcore match. Right now, trying to bring the whole thing back to today's audience, it's important to me to display the wide range of what hardcore is. A lot of people have it in their mind that hardcore matches are garbage matches, and they're not. There is a place for matches that are just bloody, and fire, and thumbtacks, but if you remember what ECW was about, there were wrestlers so square, you wouldn't think they could survive one night in Philly. Lance Storm and Jerry Lynn, they were so good that their wrestling skills alone made them extreme. I've been in there with Jerry Lynn, and we're going through our moves ducking, reversing, jumping over, flipping back, duck, spin, catch, and the crowd would be chanting in the middle of the spot because they knew they were getting something extra. The whole world of extreme, to me, is to take a good match, then add elements of extreme to it. Otherwise, if you use the extreme match to take the place of a good match, you've lost a good match, and then people can say it's garbage wrestling and then somebody can hit themselves over the head with a light bulb and say, 'Look, I'm hardcore'. So I think there needs to be a lot of different flavors and a wide range of the match. We need to have Edge/Mick Foley and then we also need to have a match like RVD versus Jerry Lynn and then we also need to have a match like the Gangstas...anything that had it's own position. Sandman's whole deal was his entrance. Coming down to his own music with the crowd, drinking five beers, smoking a cigarette, interacting with the fans. That was his whole deal. Once the bell rang, he usually got his ass kicked. [laughs] It's all about finding your spot.

On Sandman wrestling drunk…


It's not for everybody. We put ourselves under extreme conditions and extreme measures and a lot of extreme measures could make our jobs more challenging, and one of those could be wrestling a drunk Sandman. I remember one time in the middle of a match I was watching, this wasn't my match, thank God, but it was a six-man match and in the middle of the match, he just left. He went back to the dressing room and everyone was so thankful because he had been beating the hell our of them with his stick…even his own partners. He waffled everyone with that stick, then he left, only to come back completely naked. [laughs] He had a little too much to drink that day.

On the potential of challenging John Cena for the title at One Night Stand…

It would obviously a WWE flavored ECW match, which would be fine because it would be me challenging an outsider to come in, and bring what you've got with you. He does offer a lot, and he's got what he's got, and it has taken him this far. And of course I would expect the ECW fans to just tear him up…I don't think he'll get the crowd behind the 'You Can't See Me'. That doesn't work there. [laughs]

On his dream match for next year's Wrestlemania…

I haven't thought about this, but maybe the way things are going, how about I have the first ECW match at Wrestlemania. I don't even care who it is against, I just want to represent ECW because I think there should be room for at least a couple ECW matches on the card. I don't know what's going to happen between now and then, but right now, since you made me look ahead, that's what I see as an ideal situation.

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